St Peters Lutheran School Newsletter

Term 2 Issue 1 - 7 May 2020

From the Principal - Bronwyn Wilson

Heroes

In any tragedy or crisis, we see many people standing out and stepping up to save lives and make the world a better place. These heroic individuals can range from leaders of nations to ordinary citizens, who rise to the occasion to help others in need. The COVID-19 pandemic has been no exception.

In fact, the word hero has been used many times during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been used to describe the doctors and nurses, the supermarket workers, those feeding the hungry, people looking after elderly parents and the list goes on! Heroes.

All the amazing stories of heroism, justice and kindness emerging from our current situation brings to mind the following Bible verse:

‘He has told you what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God’. Micah 6:8

God asks us to be heroes in this Bible verse, not just during a pandemic, but every day, as we live out our lives seeking to honour him.

During the Term 1 holidays we remembered the ultimate act of heroism. Jesus is not usually referred to as a hero (apart from the much-loved song, “Jesus You’re my superhero!”). Jesus goes one better. He’s not only a hero, but a Saviour. What Jesus did on the cross for us is the most selfless act any person can perform for another, as written in John 15:13-15;

“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”  John 15:13-15

Jesus’ act of heroism didn’t stop there. In fact, that was only the beginning! Jesus then rises from the dead to give us life everlasting and eternity with him in heaven.

‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.’ 1 Peters 1:3

Our Chapel theme for the term is ‘Heroes’ where we will explore how all heroes, and their acts, are gifts to us, come from our Heavenly Father and ultimately bring glory to God. We can all be heroes in the small and big things that we do for God and each other every day. How will you be a hero today?

Bronwyn Wilson, Principal

Friday Prayer

This year in our Friday Devotion time with staff, we have been focussing on prayer. We have prayed for our school, each class and our local community. In Term 2 we are working our way through all the families of the school and praying for you all by name!

"We give thanks to our God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus" 1 Corinthians 1:4

From Pastor Kevin

A day for love – a mother’s love

On Mother’s Day we celebrate our mothers, our grandmothers, and mothers to be but there are people throughout this world who don’t look forward to mother’s day at all. The day floods back memories of mothers who are absent or mothers whose children have been snatched away.

Life is certainly not fair at times and we get confused as to why some people seem to have an easy ride and others have struggles that seem to be endless. My mother, what a champion she is, has certainly endured more than her fair share. Since I was twelve she has had operation after operation because of different complications, and now I’m in my sixties.

Others endure personal pain because of different reasons and mother’s day can resurface that pain. Personally it is the pain of our second child who is buried in Langmeil cemetery. On these occasions how we care for each other is so important. Even Jesus made the comment, “O Jerusalem … how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings” (Matthew 12:37). God is our constant in a world of constant change. God is our rock that we can rely upon and a God who loves us with a love that is eternal and lasting.

There is not one person on this planet who is not important. They are important to God and God demonstrated such love for all people on the cross. So during this time of difficulty and isolation let us love God in return by showing love to others, particularly our mothers, by rejoicing with those who rejoice, and bringing hope to those whose pain is evident and real.

The Lord be with you all. Pastor Kevin.

From the Chaplain - Alex Heberle

What a whirlwind these last couple of months have been! So many dramatic and unforeseeable changes; so many adaptations to ‘normal’ life; so many unsettling unknowns, and concerning ‘knowns’. It has had everyone in a bit of a spin and life has felt a bit upside-down. Even this morning, on my perfectly normal drive in to school, my brain was clearly upside-down (or maybe still half asleep) as I unconsciously pulled up and stopped at a green light!! (What!?)

Despite everything, I have been overwhelmed by the response from families here at St Peters – their positivity, resilience, willingness to ‘roll with it’ and overall an attitude of gratitude. It has been a powerful witness to me, and the community.

Let me encourage you to keep doing what you are doing, and lets endeavour to offer support where we can, even though we might have to get a little creative about how we do that. The beauty of this current situation, is that we are truly all in this together (cue the High School Musical soundtrack)! We might feel the effects differently, but we are all impacted by this – and we all have the opportunity to respond to it with grace and patience and an eye to see the spaces that are opening up to show love and light to people.

When Jesus walked this earth, He spent time ministering, loving and healing the broken places, and grieving hearts and hurting people. His presence was for the ugly and uncomfortable; His love for the broken and hurting; His power for the sick and doubting. Jesus came for the sick, not the well; for the sinners, not the righteous (Mark 2:17).

Jesus’ ministry, his very job description, can be found in Luke 4:“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” I don’t know about you, but I find great comfort in knowing that it is the business of God, the ongoing work of the Spirit in us, to be healing, restoring and freeing the broken or hurting places in our hearts, our lives, our communities – and indeed our world.

Take comfort. Be gentle with yourselves and each other. Reach out in support, and reach out for help. You are not alone here.

‘May we be the shoulders, the hands, the ears, ever-reminding one another “You are not alone here.”’ Morgan Harper Nicholls.

Alex Heberle, Chaplain

From the PYP Coordinator - Nicolle Jakube

iTime - A new initiative at St Peters

A new initiative at St Peters this year is creating a buzz around the classrooms as students wonder, question and engage in personalised inquiry during iTime.  iTime is a series of personalised learning opportunities that students at St Peters use to prepare themselves for the Primary Years Programme Exhibition (PYPX), which happens in the senior years of schooling.

iTime is about finding a purpose and exploring it independently or in small groups. Our students select inquiries, guided by some prompting questions, that lead them to consider the purpose, who they might be helping, what skills and dispositions they might develop and what connections they are making to other areas of learning and into the wider community.

The "i" stands for a couple of things; 

Inquiry – Asking questions, learning about something of interest or passion or wanting to know more about a topic or subject.

Individual – This is the learner's project. They choose. They decide. They share.

It could also stand for innovation and imagination as our students record and document their learning, negotiate with others and express their own ideas and opinions.

So, why personalised inquiry?

There are many benefits of iTime for our students including:

  • An increased motivation to learn through personal passion, curiosity and interest.
  • The development of transferable skills including social, self-management, research and communication skills.
  • Negotiating with others about learning.
  • The opportunity to tackle real world questions and problems in local and global contexts.
  • Generating, recording and exploring questions.

How can parents/caregivers support inquiry at home?

  • Regularly check-in and engage in discussions about learning.
  • Challenge thinking by asking questions to encourage deeper thinking.
  • Think out loud, modelling what it means to be an inquirer.
  • Celebrate learning and achievement.

 

We look forward to seeing our students inquire into authentic personal projects developing agency through ownership, voice and choice. 

Nicolle Jakube, PYP Coordinator

Novar Music

St Peters Lutheran School