FAITH CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

Newsletter 30th January 2018 Term 1 Week 1

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap,

if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9.

Welcome back to each of you who have taken on the calling. Right now, we are embarking on an exciting journey to provide for our children quality learning, character development and faith. The way ahead is looking good with 6 years of challenging work by a team of dedicated teachers, the track is now a road and in some places, there are two or three lanes. I know there is still so much more God has for us, but this is definitely the best route I have seen 17 years of DE. Still, I know for most there will windy sections and some places may be a little rough - requiring four-wheel drive. We do however, have a team of caring teachers to give support, knowledge, instruction and methods for the challenging legs. We also have a school that has heart and vision to support us as parents in -raising the next generation of Godly Leaders. However, our greatest resource is our parent body, the Mums and Dads that put in the time and effort to support students with their learning daily. I am constantly reminded that this is a key factor in the strength of Home Based Education. God bless each of the parents working hard for their children’s future. Lord, let us not grow weary… Another keen & cute student. The second key is good advice, quality curriculum and programs that allow for students to work at their instructional level, enabling them to experience success! Growth and New Opportunities

Thank God for all that He is doing in and through Faith CS. We are growing in staff with over 200 additional enrolments. It has been very exciting for me this Christmas interviewing each family and meet so many wonderful students while writing programs and working with individual needs. What a blessing this has been to see so many lights switching on in Maths or reading and writing. So many testimonies. We still, however, have several families awaiting their program if they came on late following Christmas. Teachers are trying to contact you in the first half of this week to support you with a draft program with the core of what you need to get started. Please contact our office if you still have not heard from a teacher by Monday Week 2 or if you feel you have been missed out as there are one or two who we have not been able to get through to. Note: All Year 11 and 12 students should be engaged and participating in their classes -if not call the office ASAP. Thanks to Charlotte for showing me her Art. With the growth we will be able to offer more local support, additional senior

subject teachers and support. We are still finalising staff so please pray that God will bring the right staff to support the existing team. We have been blessed this year with 3 additional staff members and we are praying to secure another 2 as soon as possible. Graduation 2017 Last year we were blessed to see our year 12 students graduate, with an exceptional number passing their QSAA moderated subjects and TAFE Studies. Congratulations also to our 2018 Dux’s Jadon Patch and Alanah Topan who both obtained an OP3. I am proud of all our Year 12 students and can celebrate with their parents in the results and hard work that it has taken.

ITEMS WITHIN THIS NEWSLETTER:

• From the Principal

• Congratulations

• Exciting New opportunities

• Staff Training & Videos

• Term Dates –very important!

• Important Dates for Term 1

• Family Camp – Mon Repo Turtles

• Meet and Greets to kick of 2018

• Missions Trip – Sept 2018

This Year we have over 120 senior secondary students and I hope you are all keeping up with the emails and notifications. Thanks to the Senior Secondary team, we need this larger base to help us develop materials and planning for the new Senior Curriculum and assessments coming into effect in 2019 for Year 11s. Staff Training Last week staff came together as a team of 28 for two days of training and fellowship, but the most important thing we did was to enjoy wonderful worship and pray for God to use us to serve and support you. We believe God has a great plan for Faith this year and ask that you pray for your Teachers as it is a real calling. Check out this clip of our staff coming together… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMhXjAcavF4 Having a Timetable I want to encourage you all to try and work out a timetable that has planned breaks and reward slots. If you do not have a well thought out time table, you will probably still get the three Rs done (Reading, Writing, Arithmetic) but you will often find your students miss out on the fun and important things, like Music, Science Experiments, Art and Exercise throughout the day. If you are needing help with a timetable you can find help in the Parent Handbook and/or talk with your teacher. Network and Local Area Groups There are several great value local area co-ops and groups offering a raft of activities and opportunities. My family have enjoyed several different groups for a season, over the years -especially with younger students. I do however, want to encourage you all to be jealous for your morning slots to get though the three R’s and core areas of study that will equip our students in the future. We decided as a family long ago that we still have to put the time in if we want to give our children the opportunities they may need in the future. This has often meant pulling out of groups that changed their starting time to reach earlier into the mornings. Even early afternoon things can cut into the morning if you have a few children and need time to get ready and to travel. It is also important to consider the outcomes of a group and whether we are setting and sticking to our own family’s standards prayerfully. I have seen many families led by the crowd or by other families who seem confident or more sophisticated but at the end of the day did not manage to secure options or ended up with limited options for their students not putting the time into their study. I pray this does not discourage anyone, I am just suggesting there is plenty of time in the afternoons for electives. Work for our DE School Base and Special Assistance School https://youtu.be/FataLqwe9eQ -Here is a walkthrough to scale created by my son. (Thanks Geoff). Thanks to God for His provision. The timber framing is going up after a long preparation process… The Park has had a major clean up so that there are clear lines of sight around the watercourse. The area that was solid with overgrowth and rubbish has been totally removed (two truckloads). The Council have also agreed to maintain the cleaned-up areas.

From overgrown full of 30 years of rubbish to safe park area. You can see just some of the rubbish cleared in this photo. This has been appreciated by the community.

We have cleaned out the old structures and back filled structural concrete (130 holes). Currently, the framing is going up and plumbing work is taking place. We put back our time lines to reduce pressure and cost to allow the school community to be involved. We have an excellent builder, plumber, electricians and painters getting engaged. All with a heart for the project. We have business sponsors for cost and often below cost quality new building materials… Keep praying and let us know if you can help.

Faith Christian School Term Dates 2018

Important Term 1 dates to remember: 31st Jan Gold Coast, South Bris - Meet and Greet/Excursion 1st Feb North Brisbane - Meet and Greet/Excursion 2nd Feb Mackay - Meet and Greet/Excursion 5th Feb Sunshine Coast - Meet and Greet/Excursion 6th Feb Toowoomba - Meet and Greet/Excursion 9th Feb Rockhampton workshop 15th – 18th Mon Repo Family Camp – Bundaberg 27th Feb Widebay Workshop 1st Mar Staff Training Day 2nd Mar Staff Training Day 5th Mar Toowoomba Workshop 7th Mar South Brisbane Workshop 9th Mar North Brisbane Workshop 9th Mar Gold Coast Workshop 12th Mar Kingaroy Workshop 13th Mar Ipswich Workshop 15th Mar Mackay Workshop 16th Mar Sunshine Coast Workshop 26th – 28th Overnight Camp – Years 9 -12 28th Mar End Term 1

Term Start Date Finish Date Weeks

Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4

29th January 17th April 16th July 8th October

28th March 28th June 21st September 7th December

9 11 10 9.5

Welcome new Teachers

My name is Katrina McDougall and I am a new teacher for the Ipswich Area. This is my first year at Faith CSDE and I am really looking forward to all that God has planned. Before pursuing teaching, I worked in various laboratories as an Analytical Chemist and I have a heart for seeing students develop a passion for science and understanding the incredible world that God has created. I also worked for over 2 years with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Brisbane, where I had the opportunity to mentor and reach out to young people and children, from all over the world including rural Queensland. I am very involved in my church Brisbane West Vineyard and I love my community. I help with the youth program and children’s church as well as leading the worship community. I enjoy singing, playing guitar and piano, alongside writing songs and I also have a passion for reading, creative writing and art.

I am excited to meet all of you and get to know you over this next year!

Miriam Truss – I am very excited to be part of the team at Faith this year! I will be working part-time as a Toowoomba Area Teacher. I am primary trained and have had several years of teaching experience. In addition to teaching, I am also actively involved in Christian ministry. I believe that parents have a wonderful opportunity to nurture and disciple their children through home-based education and I feel blessed to be able to support them in this very important role. I am looking forward to a wonderful year working with you and your children!

Regards,

Miriam

Meet and Greet - Gold Coast/Southside Wednesday saw the arrival of Faith CSDE’s first combined Gold Coast/Southside social event of 2018 – Meet, Greet and Aqua Park. With more than 50 parents and 80 students, including a few cheeky ibis’s, who gathered to enjoy the great food, company, weather, and water. Community has always been an integral part of the Faith culture, and it was heartening to see so families and bright faces enjoying their time together and building lasting relationships. A special mention goes out to all the parents who were following along behind the young and energetic on the water park – a job well done. From all the staff at Faith, we want to thank you for your involvement, continued support, and exceptionally well-behaved children! Until our upcoming workshops, stay safe and God bless!

Faith Christian School Family Camp 2018 - At Mon Repos to see the Turtles! Coming up 15th February

We have run this exciting camp twice over the last 6 years and families keep asking, “when are we going again?” These were very suc-cessful camps, the last one 3 years ago was enjoyed by 240. I am sure we will have many families enjoying this time of fellowship, Turtle watching, Drama and Song evening, a range of fun activities, art lessons, soccer, unicycle, snorkeling. We are blessed to have Mr. Glen Matthews and wife Barbara coming with us to support the event. Mr. Matthews helped organize our previous camps at Mon Repos and has over 35 years of experience in working and researching with the Turtles. Many parents and students are so excited for this camp, please pray for great weather, safety and many memories to be made.

Vanuatu Missions Trip September 2018 – Term 3 end of week 9

Another fantastic opportunity to particiapte in the School’s mission trip. We are planning to have 30 places counting four adult leaders and the cost will be around $1200. We will have to wait for clarification on airfares . We have been blessed with many exciting opportunities in the past and have srong local relationships and we have at least seven villages and schools that are wanting us back.

This year we will again be running the trip for mature Grade 8 to Grade 12 students. Mature Grade 7 students have also been considered in the past if one of their parents also attends as a leader.

This trip will be in September for 10 days and the budget is set for $1200 per student or parent helper, this is to be con-firmed. Participating students will be encouraged to raise these funds for themselves, as students have successfully done in the past. We will pro-vide sponsorship cards and ideas to help the students attending and I have found that this activity in itself is very educational. Please register your interest by February 17th. For all those who wish to make the commitment to attend you will be required to pay your booking fee deposit of $300 by the end of February. This will ensure we can get the cheapest tickets as possible for everyone.

To register please send Jen Lesnik an email – jennifer@faithcsde.com

Senior Student LUI numbers All secondary students in Year 10 are in the process of being registered with a QCAA Learning Unique Identifier (LUI), you can request this LUI number from Jen Lesnik at the office.

School ID code For those families that require assistance from Cenrelink or any other insitution, Faith Christian School’s code is 8013.

School Fees for 2018 Fees for 2018 are $550 per family, your invoice will be emailed to you by the end of week 4.

Increase in Lessons Please keep abreast of Emails and Calendars as we are increasing online lessons in several areas over last year –building on the success. Personally, I want to thank the teaching team and admin staff for their hard work and efforts in bringing things together.

Free Japanese Language Lessons at FCSDE! Did you know that our school offers free, weekly Japanese lessons online? You are invited to join us on Fridays (commencing 2nd February) at 9am for Beginners and 10am for Level 1 classes. The Begin-ners’ class is focused on introduction to the Japanese language and culture. All materials are pro-vided. Students will have the opportunity to learn basic greetings, numbers, self-introduction and conversation about daily activities, as well as become familiar with the hiragana alphabet. A high speed internet connection and a headset with a microphone are required. The Level 1 class builds on the Beginners’ course. Knowledge of basic hiragana and basic language functions is assumed. A purchase of Mirai 1 course book and activity book is required.

Last year, students greatly enjoyed the fast-paced, fun-filled lessons with games, videos and challenging learning opportunities. In addition to learning how to speak, understand, read & write Japanese, the class engages in Japanese crafts and cooking, and learns about Japanese history, religion and culture.

Mrs Linda Prochon, aka Linda-sensei, is a previous recipient of the prestigious Japanese Monbusho scholarship and has taught the language at primary and secondary schools, as well as at Queensland University of Technology. She loves the challenge of imparting a passion for language learning in her students, and is looking forward to commencing classes again very soon. Lessons are free and accessible to all FCSDE families. Students below grade 4 will require adult assis-tance. In order to be added to the class, please click on this link to register your family. Registration is important for the purpose of resource distribution. You are very welcome to try the lessons out for a couple of weeks, if you are unsure if you want to make a whole year commitment. Please do still register for classes, you can always unsubscribe.

For further information, please contact Linda-sensei on linda@faithcsde.com or phone 0404 503 373.