Welcome to the fourth St Luke's Way Newsletter for Term 3, 2024. Following, you'll find newsletter articles from St Luke's Principal, Matthew Hughes, as well as all main areas of the School. Please open your newsletter article of choice by clicking on the options below.
Cultural Celebration Evening
What a spectacular evening we had last night at the Cultural Celebration Evening. It is dangerous for a Principal to admit to a favourite performance, and so I won’t, but there was so much talent and hard work on display. It also brought me joy to have our friends from Meilene Aged Care join us in the audience. Having our Year 3 Strings Ensemble play, a group made up of 84 beginners, all the way up to the Senior Orchestra and Lacov Elbmesne perform in one night really demonstrates what a spark of music or performance at an early age, hard work over many years, and the careful attention and guidance of our Performing Arts Staff can add up to. At our Cultural Celebration Evening, the graduating Year 12 students are allowed to have some fun with an ongoing skit or theme in and around the performances. I thought it was very fitting that they chose to acknowledge the impact of our dedicated teachers and tutors, each dressing up as one of the PAC staff. As with many things in our School community, without the diligence and care of staff, these opportunities would not be available to our students. So I say thank you to all of our performers and staff for an enjoyable evening and, in keeping with the theme set by the Year 12 students, thank you for the music.
The Right to Disconnect
Parents are likely aware of the legislation that came into effect this week, under the Fair Work Act, giving employees the right to disconnect. What does this mean for St Luke’s? Effectively there will be no noticeable changes to members of our community. In the interests of looking out for the wellbeing of our staff and fostering work/life satisfaction, staff at St Luke’s have always been encouraged to avoid work-based communication with other staff, with parents and with students out of hours. Of course, the School understands that there are many times when parents can only email teachers outside of their own work hours, and this can still occur. The right to disconnect gives our staff the right to ignore this communication until the next day, which typically already occurs.
It has always been my experience that members of our community care for our staff and respect that they have a personal life away from school. For this, I am very grateful.
Staffing Update
This week I regretfully accepted the resignation of Ms Tonia Lassman, our Head of Primary. Ms Lassman informed me that she wanted to pursue career opportunities in South East Queensland in order to be able to care for family members who increasingly require her support, and so she has concluded her time at St Luke’s this week. Ms Lassman has been an excellent servant of the St Luke’s community. Under her leadership, there has been considerable growth in our Primary School, and the explicit teaching of the St Luke’s Way has blossomed. Ms Lassman also built an amazing team of educators and support staff to provide the highest level of care and education for Primary students, and because of this I know our Primary School is in very good hands. The School will seek to establish an opportunity to farewell Ms Lassman in the near future. Please note, with a number of events happening in the Primary School this week, combined with the Student Free Day today, I have not had the opportunity to speak with students about this and will do so on Monday at Assembly.
Mrs Mandy Robinson will act as our Head of Primary while still overseeing teaching and learning, and I encourage parents and guardians to continue to engage primarily with Maryann Baren around pastoral care and behaviour.
In other news, I am delighted to inform our community that Mr Dwayne McKay has been appointed as our Director of Co-curricular Sport (P-12) in an ongoing capacity. Mr McKay was selected from a strong field of applicants, including applicants from interstate. For anyone who has met Mr McKay, you will know that he is a passionate sportsperson himself, and someone who is committed to the development of leadership, values and character through sport.
Thank you for your ongoing support of our School,
Mr Matthew Hughes
Principal
Father’s Day
As Educators, we look forward to inviting parents and family members into our early learning environment and having the opportunity to strengthen our partnerships with families. This week, we celebrated Father’s Day with a morning of many memorable experiences, including paper tie craft, magnetic construction, active play and much more. Cheerful cries of, “Hey Dad, watch me!” and “Daddy..come play!” could be heard throughout the ELC as children delighted in sharing their morning with their loved ones. We would like to thank our dads for taking the time out of their busy schedules to spend a lovely morning with us all.
Grandparent's Day
Children enjoyed a lovely morning showing their much-loved grandparents and special people around the ELC environment and participating in the Book Week Day Dress Up. St Luke’s Early Learning Centre acknowledges the efforts and devotion of grandparents in their many roles of caring for and supporting their families and the important role they play in our society through knowledge, skills and experience. Thank you so much for sharing your morning with us.
Vacation Care
A reminder that children who attend the ELC are only enrolled to attend the ELC during the School's term time. The last day for ELC children for Term 3 is Friday 13 September. If you would like to book your child into the Vacation Care program over the upcoming school holidays, Monday 16 September - Friday 27 September, bookings can now be made via the online OWNA app. Places are very limited.
If you are unable to access the OWNA app or are having issues creating a booking for your child, please contact us at the ELC on 4132 7539, email us at stlukes-elc@stlukes.qld.edu.au or feel welcome to pop in and see us at the ELC Office.
Warmest regards,
Mrs Catherine Donaldson
Director of Early Learning Centre
Bundaberg Primary Schools T20 Blast School Cup
On a hot day at the cricket fields, our Primary Cricket teams slapped on the sunscreen and pitted themselves against the best cricketers from the Bundaberg region in the annual Woolworths Cricket Blast Schools Cup.
Close battles were the order of the day with our Green Team unlucky not to finish higher on the ladder after some very narrow losses.
The St Luke’s Blue team managed to turn around an early 10 run loss to St Patrick’s, to defeat them in the Semi Final by the same margin. At the end of the day, they were pipped at the post in the Grand Final, going down by 20 runs to a slick Norville team in what was a highly entertaining finale to the day.
Our wonderful students must be congratulated on their sportsmanship and humble approach to sport. They represented themselves and the School with great enthusiasm and are already looking forward to the next opportunity.
Thank you to all parents for taking the time to help their children attend this event and to Mrs Royan for making it possible for these two teams to compete.
4C Meilene visit
In a heartwarming display of community spirit and friendly competition, St Luke’s 4C students and Meilene Anglicare residents recently came together for an exciting Indoor Olympics event. Held at the Meilene residences, the event was designed to foster intergenerational connections and celebrate the unique talents of both groups.
The day was filled with laughter and cheers as participants engaged in a series of fun and adaptive challenges, from wheelchair volleyball with balloons to paper plate discus tosses. The students, brimming with enthusiasm and energy, paired up with seniors, creating bonds that transcended age. Competing for different teams, and with medals up for grabs, the friendly rivalry and mutual respect on display were truly inspiring, proving that the spirit of competition can bring people of all ages closer together.
As the event drew to a close, the smiles and high-fives shared among the participants underscored the day's success. Our St Luke’s students and Meilene residents then shared a touching moment in jointly creating stained glass windows for the residents to keep. We loved celebrating not only the joy of competition but also the invaluable connections between generations. As the students quoted, “Who would have thought it would be so much fun hanging out with the older generation!”.
Mr Murnane
Year 4 Teacher
Jump Off Day - Thursday 12 September.
It’s not long now until our Jump Off Day, a day that celebrates all things skipping! Across the day, students from Prep - 6 will be involved in a range of fun and engaging activities. They will skip with short and long ropes, participate in ‘fast feet’ utilising some of the available technology from the Health and Physical Education department in the Middle School, and even partake in a game or two of hopscotch!
The Jump Off Day will be the last official day of our program in 2024. If you are planning on doing any last-minute fundraising, the deadline to have it loaded onto your child’s profile is Thursday 12 September.
Our Jump Off Day will be a non-uniform day, with the theme, ‘wear something red for heart health awareness’. All normal non-uniform dress standards apply; however, students are encouraged to wear sports shoes on this day so that they can jump away comfortably. A gold coin donation will apply.
Don’t forget to share your online fundraising page one last time with friends and family to raise money for this great cause! This could be your last chance to sign up for our 2024 program. It’s easy; just follow this link and enter your details. Also, don’t forget to join our special Facebook group page for this event:
Mrs Russo
Jump Rope for Heart Co-ordinator
Ysafe Presentation
This week students and staff participated in online safety workshops with ySafe. Students were taught how to identify and avoid ‘stranger danger’ and catfishing, emphasising the importance of verifying who you’re talking to. We also explored the need for Protecting Personal Information (PPI) by understanding what’s safe to post and how to use privacy settings effectively. Additionally, we addressed cyberbullying, online etiquette, and practical strategies for safe online gaming and social media use.
We encourage families to have conversations at home about the ySafe workshops, and to explore the ySafe Online Hub to stay informed and to support student safety.
Year 5 Author and Poet Visit
On Tuesday 27 August, our Year 5 students participated in workshops hosted by the celebrated poet and author Kathryn Apel. These workshops were designed to inspire and ignite the spark of creativity for our students as we commence our much anticipated Poetry unit. The most valuable message from the day is that to produce a draft that can be published, whether at a commercial level or for school, you need perseverance, persistence, patience and practise!
Primary Mathematics Team Challenge
Percentages, algebra, geometry and data were all concepts presented to our Maths Team Challenge participants. Our selected Year 6 students worked together on Maths problem-solving questions in a fun and competitive environment. All of our teams showed amazing teamwork, an excellent understanding of mathematical concepts and enthusiasm for Mathematics. We are so proud of everyone who attended this competition. We also achieved amazing results! Our Team 3 (Broc, Jaxx, Zen, Janiru and Callum) achieved the highest score and took first place in A Schools and were overall winners. Our Team 1 (Renesh, Dan, Hayden, Freya and Bhargav) placed third in A Schools, while our other two teams were placed closely behind with only a few points separating all teams.
Amazing effort, Team St Luke’s!
Father’s Day Stall
We had an amazing variety of items available for purchase at our Father’s Day Stall on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Students were very keen to purchase the great items on offer. Thank you to Mrs Pukallus for all her time and effort in buying and individually wrapping the 960 items that were offered for sale.
Cultural Celebration Evening
Congratulations to our Primary School musicians for their stellar performances at the Cultural Celebration Evening last night. The Junior Singers, Beginner Concert Band, Junior Concert Band and Junior Strings were outstanding and kept the audience entertained. We are so proud of all of your efforts!
Father’s Day
Just a friendly reminder to all the dads that on Monday 2 September, we will be celebrating Father’s Day in the Primary Classrooms starting at 8.30 am. At 9.50 am, dads can head to the Primary Office for a provided morning tea. Please feel free to grab something to eat and then join your child/ren under the Primary Sails for morning tea.
No Stop, Drop and Go or Collection from the School Tennis Courts
Please be advised there is to be no dropping off or collecting your child from the School Tennis Courts. We do not have staff that supervise this area in the mornings or afternoons. We kindly ask that you drop off and pick up your child from the designated Stop, Drop and Go zone. Alternatively, please park your car in the designated parking, and walk into the School grounds to collect your child from either their classroom or from the Stop, Drop and Go zone. Your immediate assistance with this is appreciated.
Kind regards,
Ms Tonia Lassman
Head of Primary School
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
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
Interact Club
The Interact Club has been busy providing service to the community and beyond in recent weeks.
On Friday 16 August, members of the Interact Club gathered at lunchtime to pack about 1300 spectacles for recycling to Pacific Island countries. Many people in countries such as Papua New Guinea and The Solomons do not have access to spectacles as we do. This program offers a very significant reward for those with vision impairment in countries where people are much less fortunate than ourselves. To give these people spectacles to see clearly, for perhaps the first time in their lives, is very rewarding. Already this year, the Interact Club has forwarded approximately 4300 spectacles to these neighbouring countries. The organisations which receive these spectacles for distribution advise me that these spectacles are valued at many hundreds of thousands of dollars. Thanks must go to all who have supported Interact’s Spectacles Recycling Program.
If you have unwanted spectacles at home, please bring these along to the Main Office or to the Primary Office. The Spectacles Recycling Program is ongoing as the need is virtually unlimited.
On Saturday 24 August, 20 Interact members assisted with selling sno cones, Bundaberg Brewed Drinks and raffle tickets at Oceanfest at the Bundaberg Port Marina. It was a busy day with approximately 300 sno cones, 700 raffle tickets and many hundreds of bottles of various soft drinks sold on the day. The money raised from this stall will go to a number of local charities and to Ronald McDonald House in Brisbane, where many local residents go to seek health care. It was a great opportunity for Interact members to do good for the community whilst enjoying fellowship with their peers in a safe and enjoyable setting outside of the School environment. There was lots of work to do, but there was also much fun to be had. As Interact Coordinator, I would like to thank the members for their commitment to the Service activities of the Interact Club and I look forward to working with them in service to others in the future.
Mr Neil Robinson
Interact Coordinator
Representative Selections for 2024.
Congratulations to our Sports Representatives for 2024. To view the full list of students, please click here.
Mr Dwayne McKay
Director of Co-curricular (Sport)
There is no update this fortnight from the Director of Co-curricular (Cultural).
Mrs Nicole Strohfeldt
Director of Co-curricular (Culture)
Flexischools Orders
Just a reminder that the cut-off time for Flexischools orders is 9.00 am each morning. If you have placed an order prior to this time and, for some reason, your child is going to be absent, you can cancel your order on Flexischools online before the daily cut-off time.
You can view our current Turtle Cafe menu here.
Yours in Nutrition,
Mrs Kylie Johnson
Turtle Café Convenor
Shop Hours
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 7.45 am to 11.00 am and 2.30 pm to 3.30 pm (with the exception of Public Holidays).
Student Fittings for 2025
We are currently fitting students and placing orders for the 2025 school year. Please book your appointment via the Parent Portal to have your fitting completed. Please ensure all fittings are booked prior to the September holidays. No payment is required at these fittings. Unfortunately, no guarantee of stock can be given if you have not placed an order for 2025.
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
There is no update this fortnight from the Learning Hub.
Ms Peggy Labenski
Learning Hub Manager
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.
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