Chapel Songs Action Group – Friday Mornings

On Friday mornings, before school we will have a Chapel song action group rehearsing in the church commencing at 8:00 am.

The actual group will be capped at 20 each week, being the first 20 to arrive. Any other children who would like to be a part of the singing can join in  the actions from the pews and be ready and warmed up for chapel.

Mrs MacDonald

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC TUTOR

Ready Set Prep Open Day

It’s that time of year again, when prospective families looking to enrol their children in Prep in 2024 and beyond, are welcome to come and see St John’s Lutheran Primary School this Saturday 23 July 2022. Meet our Senior Staff – Talk to Teachers – Tour our School – Let them Play – Enjoy morning tea. We can’t wait to show you why we’re the school of choice in Bundaberg and the place where students can start small and dream big! Register your spot today – Ready Set Prep Open Day Registration

NAIDOC Week – Year 3/4 students

Our first week back was filled with fun and excitement as we celebrated NIADOC Week. We learnt about the history of NAIDOC week and celebrated the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures through craft activities, word searches and flipbooks.

One of our fun activities was a bush walk through the school grounds where we took time out of our busy day to apricate the nature around us. On our walk we created a nature walk bracelet where we stuck little treasures we found along the walk to our sticky bracelets.

Mrs van Rooyen

YEAR 3/4 TEACHER

Year 3/4 & Year 4 Showcase Evening

In Year 3/4 and Year 4 for HASS Inquiry Studies, students investigated Australia’s history and used their knowledge to write a historical recount or diary entry from the perspective of an explorer or convict on their journey aboard the first fleet. They explored the ‘Age of Exploration’ and the purpose of Captain Cook’s expedition to Australia. They inquired about what life was like in Great Britain in the 1700’s, why the First Fleet voyaged to Australia and what life would have been like in Australia as a convict.

Our Showcase evening was in Week 10 of Term 2 to celebrate their learning. The students who dressed up as a convict or explorer looked absolutely fantastic!  Students were very excited to invite their guests into the classroom to read their historical recount. After this, questions were asked about their learning and the students worked with their guests to complete a stem challenge, creating a first fleet ship in only 10 minutes!

Congratulations to the students on their hard work and engagement in their learning! A big thank you to everyone who was able to make it and partake in our celebration of learning!

Mrs van Rooyen and Ms Mader

YEAR 3/4 & YEAR 4 TEACHERS

THE NEW PASTOR ON THE BLOCK

Dear St John’s Lutheran School community, grace and peace to you.

Even though I was installed early in Term 2, through unplanned circumstances I really haven’t had the chance to settle into a regular ministry within St John’s Lutheran Primary School. I have truly appreciated the prayers and support of the school through the unsettling period of our beginnings at Bundaberg through issues with our furniture truck being involved in an accident, but mainly with end-of-life visitation of my wife Judy’s mother, her death and funeral. Judy’s parents live in the Barossa Valley of South Australia.

About your new Pastor.

I was born and grew up at Chinchilla. My parents were farmers of grain, pigs, and dairy, until the cream factory closed. Then it was grain, pigs, and beef cattle. I am in the middle of seven children.

I have been married to Judy (nee Jericho) for 31 years. We have four adult children and two grandchildren. When first married we had a grain farm and built a piggery. Drought caused us to rethink our future, and I did an adult apprenticeship as a diesel mechanic on a property where I did extra work to supplement the farm income. I then got a job at the John Deere dealership at Chinchilla in the service workshop and was there for seven years. After much discernment and discussion between Judy and myself of where we felt God was calling me to ministry, we moved to Adelaide for five years for training as a Pastor of the Lutheran Church at Australia Lutheran College (ALC).

Upon ordination at the end of 2014, I was assigned to Biloela Lutheran Parish where I served for seven and a bit years. As part of the parish at Biloela, like here, I was involved in the college ministry which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I also enjoy travelling and seeing this beautiful country. I play guitar. I enjoy being with family. I enjoy meeting and talking with people. So, I look forward to being a part of the ministry at St John’s Lutheran Primary School leading staff devotions and bible studies, leading Friday chapel, and in any other areas I can serve the school. I plan to mingle on Fridays at the coffee bar. If at any time you would like to talk to a Pastor about faith and life questions, anything for that matter, I enjoy talking with people and having a chat over a cup of coffee.

I am here to serve you.

God Bless

Pastor Graham Pfeffer

0419 845 777

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope (Romans 15:13).

A warm welcome to our school families for the commencement of Term 3. We pray you had a wonderfully relaxing and blessed school holiday and we look forward to partnering with you again for a strong and connected school term.

As you may be aware the students of the Student Services Representative Council (SSRC) are facilitating a ‘Hamper Drive’ in conjunction with Angels Community Group. This drive will assist the homeless and ‘at risk’ with much needed supplies during the cooler weather. Jasmine Tasker from Angels Community Group visited our SSRC members and Year 6 Leaders last week to discuss the origins of Angels Community Group and the important role they play in our community.

If you would like to assist, we encourage you to please consider donating the following items:

• Prep – Year One Classes: Rice, Pasta, Cereal, Long-life Milk
• Year Two – Three Classes: Rice Cakes, Cup-a-soup, Noodle Cups/Bowls, Spreads (Please no nut-based spreads) Toilet Paper
• Year Four, Five & Six Classes: Tinned Soup (Ring-pull tops) Tinned Spaghetti/Baked Beans (Ring-pull tops) Soap, Insect Repellant (Non-aerosol please)

The final date for collections will be Thursday 21 July. We thank you graciously in anticipation of your support in this matter.

Please note the upcoming Term 3 SSRC meetings will be held on the following dates: 4 August, 25 August and 15 September.

Angels Community Group Visit by Administration Leaders – Alexis and Maddy

On Thursday the 14 July, Miss Jasmine Tasker from Angels Community Group came to our school to talk about Angels. Angels is an organisation that gathers food from schools (running a Hamper Drive) and grocery shops, that have left over food or food that they are going to throw out. Mrs Sue Tasker was the founder and creator of Angels, and while she didn’t want a big job, she wanted a small organisation that helped people, Angels has now turned into a big organisation in two locations. Before, Angels became a grocery store for the unfortunate, they were a clothes store, but the need to help people was growing. This saw the store expand. As well as helping the unfortunate, Angels now helps around two hundred and fifty students a day with school lunches.

Family Fun Trivia Night – Friday 22 July

This coming Friday, a Family Fun Trivia Night will be held at the Church Hall from 6:30-9:00 pm. All are welcome to attend and teams will be formed on the evening. The cost of entry is $3 per person which includes a beautiful soup. What a lovely opportunity to connect school and church families. Please see the flyer included in this week’s newsletter for further details and RSVP by Wednesday 20 July on family.friday@stjohnsbundy.org.au

Family Fun Trivia Night Flyer – St John’s Family Fun Night Flyer 22 July

Grace and Peace

Tamara Carroll

DIRECTOR OF PASTORAL CARE AND WELLBEING

SHOWCASE EVENTS

Thank you to those parents, grandparents and special friends who made it along to our Showcase events last term. It was evident these times sharing our learning were cherished by all. This semester we look forward to our Year 2, Year 3, Year 5 and Year 6 classes Showcasing their work in various formats at school and in the community.

ICAS

A letter was sent to families with students from Year 2 to Year 6 containing information regarding ICAS. If your child/ren would like to participate in either Mathematics or English ICAS assessments, please log on to the link provided and sign your student up. If you have questions regarding these assessments, please reach out.

MS READATHON – REGISTER NOW FOR AUGUST

Reading can take kids on incredible journeys of discovery, awakens their imagination, and builds their confidence. It is never too early or too late to help them find inspiration and motivation to pick up a book.

The MS Readathon has been inspiring kids to read more for 44 years, and this August, it will be more fun than ever before. We have authors and ambassadors who can share their stories, incentives, and prizes to motivate kids. Register your interest today.

If that is not enough, all the money raised will help support the thousands of families living with MS in Australia. We have stories to share about the people we care for that will warm your heart. Watch Karla read the beautiful letter she has written about her mum, who lives with MS.

To make it fun and keep kids interested, we will be offering children who register a FREE T-shirt. By wearing their t-shirt, they will help raise awareness and be proud that they are helping others.

We have competitions to win prizes, last year we gave away holiday vouchers for Big 4 holiday parks. We developed activity sheets, colouring sheets, forms, and bookmarks to get even the most reluctant readers involved.

To make it easy for parents, we have created emails and social posts so you can let friends and family know how they can support your little readers through sponsorship and words of encouragement.

Check out the resources they include fundraising resources and tips, activity sheets, sponsorship forms, social posts, posters and a reading tally.

Whilst you will need to register from home, please let me know once you do. If you would like some help finding books to read, please see Mrs. Anderson in the library.

MS Readathon. (2022). Retrieved 9 May 2022, from https://www.msreadathon.org.au/

Grace and Peace

Jocelyn Bakker

DIRECTOR OF LEARNING AND TEACHING

Semester 2 is here! Think about what the first half of the year has been like for you.  How would you describe it?  Would you say, “It’s been busy!”  “It’s gone fast!”  “Can’t believe my child is halfway through Prep already!”  “Can’t believe my child is nearly finished Primary School!  How would you sum up this year so far?  When we look at our lives and see the passage of time, we soon realise that our life is a journey and there are always changes afoot. We see these changes happening not only in the world of technology but in the day-to-day happenings of our lives and the lives of our families and friends, plus all around the world – especially during this COVID pandemic.

So, what can sustain us in this ever-changing world? For the Christian, it is knowing that there is an unchanging God who walks with us through the changing scenes of life. Someone who is reliable and constant. Someone who is faithful and true. Someone who loves and cares for us and gives us a hope and a future.

“Every good action and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars, who does not change like their shifting shadows.”               James 1:17(NCV)

God is not only unchanging, but He is also faithful; meaning He is reliable and can be trusted. He is loyal, constant and dependable. With a God like this who is for us, we can face change and the passage of time confidently, knowing that the God who is beside us is the God who goes before us.  “(God’s) compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”  Lamentations 3:22

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES

“Keep Praying!”  I have never seen a storm last forever. Seasons change but God remains faithful to His wonderful promises.”

(www.MotivationalWordsofWisdom.com )

Covid continues to be a part of our everyday lives. Thank you to each of your for reading our latest correspondence (emailed Monday 18 July). Especially important is that we all continue to look after each other – please keep your children home if unwell. Thank you in advance.

One of my favourite poems is below – I pray you find comfort in The Glory of the Garden by Rudyard Kipling.

Our [St John’s] is a garden that is full of stately views,
Of borders, beds and shrubberies and lawns and avenues,
With statues on the terraces and peacocks strutting by;
But the Glory of the Garden lies in more than meets the eye.

For where the old thick laurels grow, along the thin red wall,
You’ll find the tool – and potting-sheds which are the heart of all
The cold-frames and the hot-houses, the dung-pits and the tanks,
The rollers, carts, and drain-pipes, with the barrows and the planks.

And there you’ll see the gardeners, the men and ‘prentice boys
Told off to do as they are bid and do it without noise;
For, except when seeds are planted and we shout to scare the birds,
The Glory of the Garden it abideth not in words.

And some can pot begonias and some can bud a rose,
And some are hardly fit to trust with anything that grows;
But they can roll and trim the lawns and sift the sand and loam,
For the Glory of the Garden occupieth all who come to comb.

Our [St John’s] is a garden, and such gardens are not made
By singing, “Oh, how beautiful,” and sitting in the shade
While better men than we go out and start their working lives
At grubbing weeds from gravel-paths with broken dinner-knives.

There’s not a pair of legs so thin, there’s not a head so [quick],
There’s not a hand so weak and white, nor yet a heart so sick
But it can find some needful job that’s crying to be done,
For the Glory of the Garden glorifieth everyone.

Then seek your job with thankfulness and work till further orders,
If it’s only netting strawberries or killing slugs on borders;
And when your back stops aching and your hands begin to harden,
You will find yourself a partner In the Glory of the Garden.

Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees
That half a proper gardener’s work is done upon his knees,
So when your work is finished, you can wash your hands and pray
For the Glory of the Garden that it may not pass away!

And the Glory of the Garden it shall never pass away!

Some of you are aware that I am working offsite currently due to a personal family circumstance. Thank you to our caring families and wonderful staff for your understanding and support during this time.

Grace and Peace

Chris Mallett

PRINCIPAL