St Luke's Way Newsletter -15.03.24

Welcome to the fourth St Luke's Way Newsletter for Term 1, 2024. Following, you'll find newsletter articles from St Luke's Principal, Matthew Hughes, as well as all main areas of the School, and learning and development. Please open your newsletter article of choice by clicking on the options below.

From the Principal
A Message from Principal, Matthew Hughes


Student Worship Services

This week, under the direction of Reverend Erika, Matthew Cathcart and Amy Griffin, Worship services for students from both Primary and Middle/Senior Schools reflected on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday; the days that commemorate, respectively, the Last Supper and the crucifixion of Christ. These services consisted mostly of a dramatic retelling of the chain of events from the washing of the disciples' feet through to the crucifixion. They were simple, yet poignant, and I would like to thank the students who agreed to play out these scenes. Both services were wonderful reminders of what St Luke’s students are capable of, and I encourage parents who are able to try to attend one of our Worship services during the year.



Parents and Friends Annual General Meeting

This past Wednesday was the Annual General Meeting of the St Luke’s Parents and Friends Association. It was heartening to see a large turnout for this meeting, and the ordinary meeting that followed. It gives me great pleasure to announce the executive and committee of the Parents and Friends Association for the next 12 months will be:

President: Kylie Johnson

Vice President: Shaunna Parsons

Secretary: Gerhard Sanker

Treasurer: Brooke Fossey

Committee Members: Hollie Brassington, Georgia Burgess and Veronica Sussens

I would like to thank the elected members and the wider parent body that supports the School through the Parents and Friends Association. Fundraising and friendraising are two key functions of the Parents and Friends Association, and you can next find them in action at the Primary Disco on Friday 22 March. To stay up to date with their activities, please visit the P&F Facebook Page.

NAPLAN

Barring some catch-up tests next Monday, this week brings to a close the 2024 NAPLAN tests for Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. I would like to thank our students for the positive manner in which they engaged in the tests, and Ms Lassman, Mr Fancourt and the numerous staff who contributed to the smooth running of tests. NAPLAN always hits the news cycle at this time of year, and then again later this year when results are released. While St Luke’s students always perform well against State and National benchmarks, it is important to remember that these are low-stakes tests that mainly serve to provide teachers and parents with information to assist in the education of each child. St Luke’s combines the results of these tests with a range of internal and external diagnostic information to better understand what each student needs.

Pray Daily

Members of the St Luke’s community may or may not be aware of Pray Daily, a publication distributed by the Anglican Church Southern Queensland. Pray Daily is a cycle of suggested daily prayer points for each month, and covers parishes, schools and other missions of the Church. This past Tuesday 12 March was St Luke’s time in the spotlight, and so Anglicans across Queensland who observe the Pray Daily cycle would have had St Luke’s in their prayers. It is one of those things that reminds us that we are part of a much larger faith community.


Thank you for your ongoing support of our School.

Mr Matthew Hughes

Principal

From the Early Learning Centre
A Message from Director of Early Learning Centre, Catherine Donaldson


Have You Filled a Bucket Today?

As an intentional teaching experience, Kindy friends shared the charming story ‘Have you filled a bucket today?’. Children listened to how everybody carries an invisible bucket to hold all their good thoughts and good feelings about themselves. Having a full bucket makes you feel good about yourself while having an empty bucket leaves you with uncomfortable feelings. As a group, they discussed ways to express kindness to each other and brainstormed many wonderful ideas, such as singing a song together, using your manners, sharing, smiling and inviting others to play.


Snake Safety

Over the past week, Pre-Kindy children have been very interested in snake safety. We began by having daily discussions with the children about checking our yard for hazards to ensure it is safe to play. Some of the children voiced their opinions about checking for snakes and lizards and this sparked the idea of discussing with the children, "What would you do if you saw a snake in a garden?”. The children expressed themselves through role playing experiences with their Educators and peers. Following on from this engaging group experience, the children created their own individual collage of a ‘Snake in the Garden’.


An Orange is Orange?

Can you guess what colour our Junior friends have been looking at this week? That’s right...orange! Together they identified different types of foods that are orange and looked at various shades of orange found in the natural environment. As a knowledge building experience, children participated in an ‘I Spy’ colour identification game.


Vacation Care

A friendly reminder to all ELC families, if you require your child to attend Vacation Care during the upcoming school holidays, Tuesday 2 April - Friday 12 April, please ensure you have completed the Vacation Care online booking form as soon as possible, as places are limited.



Warmest regards,

Mrs Catherine Donaldson

Director of Early Learning Centre

From the Primary School
A Message from Head of Primary, Tonia Lassman


Extra Car Parking - Front Oval

In response to a foreseen need for extra car parking, the School is providing short-term parking on the front oval. This should be ready by Monday 18 March. Entry and exit to this carpark will be from Mezger Street. Once again, please be mindful and respectful of all members of our School community to ensure the safety of everyone.

ALF Gala Day

After some physical and energetic training sessions, our Boys and Girls AFL teams contested the local stage of the Statewide AFL Qld Schools Cup.

While for many of our students, this was the first foray into the world of AFL, our teams performed with great enthusiasm and sportsmanship throughout the day. Both teams managed to be competitive, winning several of their games and having a lot of fun throughout the day.

Thank you to Mrs Hansen for taking the time to give these students the opportunity to enjoy a wonderful carnival, representing both themselves and the School with pride.

We are very proud of you all.

Primary School Swimming Carnival

A friendly reminder that our Interhouse Swimming Carnival will be held next Thursday 21 March at the Bundaberg Swimming Academy. The carnival will start at 9.00 am and conclude at approximately 2.30 pm. We welcome parents, relatives and friends to attend this carnival. Students are to wear their House Uniform with swimmers to be worn underneath.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Parent Teacher Interview bookings are still open through our online Parent Portal and the Parent Orbit App until Monday 25 March at 9.00 am. You will receive a reminder text message on the afternoon of Monday 25 March for when your appointments are.

Cross Country

Our Primary Cross Country will be held on Thursday 28 March, starting at 8.40 am. Students in Year 6 who are turning 12 this year will be competing in the Middle/Senior School Cross Country, to be held on Tuesday 16 April. Times will be advised closer to this event.

Primary Disco

Next Friday night is our Primary Disco in the Multi-Purpose Centre (MPC), from 5.30 pm until 7.00 pm. Entry for students is $5.00, which includes a drink and sausage sizzle. Families may also purchase additional sausage sizzle, drinks and icy poles during the evening. Any profits made from the evening will go to the Parents and Friends Association. We will also have glow sticks on sale.

The theme for the night is 'Primary Neon Disco'. Please feel free to come dressed in your best neon disco outfit. Prizes will be awarded to the best dressed. Parents of Prep to Year 2 students are required to supervise their children at the disco. We hope to see you all there.




Kind regards,

Ms Tonia Lassman

Head of Primary School

From the Middle School
A Message from Head of Middle School, Mark Fancourt


Dear Middle School Parents and Caregivers, 

The St Luke's Middle School newsletter is recorded as a video by myself and Head of Senior School, Mrs Robyn Deer, and then uploaded to YouTube. For this fortnight's newsletter content please visit the following YouTube link.


Alternatively, you may wish to jump ahead to specific topics within the same video. If so, please go to the following category links.

Kind regards,

Mr Mark Fancourt

Head of Middle School


From the Senior School
A Message from Head of Senior School, Robyn Deer


Welcome to the Senior School newsletter for this fortnight. Head of Middle School, Mr Mark Fancourt and I have recorded a video update and uploaded it to YouTube for your convenience. To watch this fortnight's newsletter content for Middle and Senior School, please visit the following YouTube link.


Alternatively, you may wish to jump ahead to specific topics within the same video. If so, please go to the following category links.



Kind regards,

Ms Robyn Deer

Head of Senior School


From the Chaplain
A Message from the Chaplain, Reverend Erika Williams


Parish Pantry Appeal

Each year in the lead-up to Easter, St Luke's Middle and Senior Schools participate in a Lenten Pantry Appeal. For this appeal, students are asked to bring in grocery items which will be donated to the Christ Church Anglican Parish Pantry. These donations will be assembled into grocery parcels and distributed to individuals and families who are facing hardships and cannot afford to purchase food, constituting some of the essentials of simple meals.

 Items which are needed for these parcels include:

  • Weet-Bix

  • Long-life milk

  • Pasta and pasta sauce

  • Tinned fish (tins with ring pull lids preferred)

  • Tinned spaghetti and baked beans (tins with ring pull lids preferred)


We encourage you to contribute by sending any of these items with your student to school, where they can be dropped off in their PC class. Whether it’s something from your pantry or an item you add to your shopping list, every bit helps.

This appeal is not just about food; it’s a demonstration of our collective spirit of generosity and compassion. It’s a reminder that together, we can make a significant difference in the lives of those who are struggling.



Blessings,

Rev. Erika Willaims

Chaplain

From Sport
A Message from the Director of Co-curricular (Sport), Len Kirchner


BDSSS Interschool Swimming Carnival

St Luke's excelled in the water against tough competition at the recent BDSSS Interschool Swimming Carnival, held on Friday 8 March. After posting some incredible times, including recording-breaking swims from Year 7 student Amelie in the Breaststroke and Backstroke, St Luke's placed second overall in what was a very tight point race.

Congratulations to the following Age Champions: 

11-13 Years Girls - 1st - Amelie I

14 Years Girls - 1st - Isabella W

14 Years Boys - 3rd - Drew W

15 Years Girls - 2nd - Cassidy P

15 Years Boys - 3rd - Joshua L

16 Years Girls - 1st - Indi B

16 Years Boys - 3rd - Min S

17-19 Years Girls - 1st - Olivia W

Rowing Camp

Thank you to all who attended the recent Rowing Camp. We had an excellent turnout with 40 students in attendance with plenty of fun had by all!


Date Claimers

BDSSS Term 1 Sport Finals Day (Qualifying Team Only) - Thursday 28 March 2024

Interhouse Cross Country - Tuesday 16 April 2024

BDSSS Interschool Cross Country - Tuesday 23 April 2024

St Luke's Holiday Football Camp

St Luke's is partnering with Ruis Football Academy to offer a Football Holiday Camp for students aged 6 to 16 years. To find out more about this opportunity, please click here.

Representative Selections for 2024

Congratulations to our Sports Representatives for 2024. To view the full list of students, please click here.



Mr Len Kirchner

Director of Co-curricular (Sport)

From Performing Arts
A Message from the Director of Co-curricular (Culture), Nicole Strohfeldt


Welcome Back Concert

It has been a flurry of excitement in the Performing Arts Department as we prepare for the Welcome Back Concert tonight at 6.00 pm in the Performance Centre.

All ensembles in the School will be performing, and many of our Primary students will be on stage for the first time as a musician at St Luke’s. We hope that those butterflies in the tummies will turn into excitement and a wonderful performance. One of the special things about the St Luke’s Way is that our Senior students are there to help calm our younger students before they take the stage.

Junior Music Camp

Junior Strings and Junior Concert Band recently attended the Junior Music Camp at Chaverim. This is an annual event and always much anticipated by the students! We had a terrific time rehearsing our music, meeting the local wildlife and eating delicious food, before finishing on Saturday with a concert to showcase all of our hard work to the parents. Thank you to our camp staff who always go above and beyond for our students: Mr Rotar, Mr Goodall, Mrs Burgaty, Mrs Newton, Ms Roberts, Mrs Strohfeldt and Mrs Peterson.


Beginner Music Concert

We are looking forward to hearing our beginner students in their first showcase next Wednesday at 6.00 pm in the Performing Arts Centre (PAC). The Beginner Music Concert is always exciting as the students perform as soloists or in small groups for the first time. Make sure that your child performs their piece for you this weekend many times so that they feel confident for their performance on Wednesday.


Mrs Nicole Strohfeldt

Director of Co-curricular (Culture)

From the Turtle Café

A Message from our Turtle Café Convenor, Kylie Johnson


Hello Parents, Caregivers and Students of St Luke's.

Visit our webpage where you can find everything you need to know about the Turtle Café, including this term's downloadable Turtle Café and ELC menus, and our Flexischools ordering system. It's all located by clicking right here.


Yours in Nutrition,

Mrs Kylie Johnson

Turtle Café Convenor

From the Uniform Shop
A Message from the Supervisor of Uniform Shop, Fiona McCartney

Shop Hours

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday (with the exception of Public holidays), 7.45 am to 11.00 am and 2.30 pm to 3.30 pm, and on Wednesday from 7.45 am to 12.00 pm.

New Uniform Items Now Available

Our new track pants have now arrived and are available both in the Shop and online with Flexischools. The trackpants come in sizes 2 – 5X Large and are $50.00 each. These match our new Winter jackets that arrived last year.

With the Rugby season around the corner, we have St Luke's Rugby shorts for $41.50 and the thin skin socks available for $13.00.

Sport duffle bags are also available in the Shop and would suit those with extra sporting commitments. These are $54.50 each.

Items Back in Stock

Our Middle and Senior Boys' long grey socks are back in stock and available for purchase.

Online Ordering  

Online ordering from the Uniform Shop is available and can be placed via Flexischools. To find out more information, please click here.


Mrs Fiona McCartney

Shop Supervisor

From the Learning Hub
A Message from the Learning Hub


There is no update this fortnight from the Learning Hub.


Ms Sarah Simpson

Learning Hub Manager


Business Matters
A Message from St Luke's Anglican School

Notice of Enrolment Termination

The Notes to the Schedule of Fees lists the following requirements for withdrawal of enrolment:

If the student is to leave the School the parent agrees to give at least one term’s written notice to the School. This notice should be received:

  • not later than the first day of term at the end of which it is intended that the student should leave, or

  • if it is intended that the student should leave during a term, not later than the first day of the immediately preceding term.

  • If the parent intends to cancel or (with the School’s agreement) postpone or otherwise vary the student’s enrolment, the parent will give notice to that effect to the School no later than the first day of the term immediately preceding the date of entry.

  • If the parent fails to comply with either of the above paragraphs, the parent will pay or forfeit (as the case may be) to the School one term’s fees and charges in lieu of notice unless the Business Manager, in his/her sole discretion, agrees to remit payment of those fees wholly or partially.

    Newsletter Archive

    To view St Luke's past newsletters, please choose from any of the dates below.