24 October 2022

From the Principal's Pen

I was recently talking with our Year 12 students about perseverance, particularly in light of their external exams which commence this week. However, perseverance is relevant to all students. The word perseverance means to not give up. Successful students don’t quit their way to achieving good academic results – they persevere their way to the end of the year to achieve good results. Perseverance also requires consistency, that is, consistently persevering in all that they do. All students will have homework and assessments and it is sometimes very easy to say ‘I will do it later’, unfortunately for many ‘later’ never actually happens! As such, I encourage all students to consistently persevere in their homework (even if it is just revision work) and their assessments all the way to the end of Term 4.

Bike Week

JCC students had a great time during our recent Bike Week. Doug from the Bicycle Workshop in Atherton taught students about bike maintenance and bike safety. Students accessed the bike track during recess and at set times in their classes. Bike Week was a huge success and I thank all parents for their support in getting children’s bikes to school.

Operation Christmas Child

Wow!! JCC students managed to put together 38 boxes to send across the globe to help give less fortunate children a very special Christmas. During last week's Christmas-themed day, we raised $461, which is enough to cover the cost of posting our Christmas boxes. Well done all JCC students!

Swimming Carnival

One of my favourite days is the JCC Swimming Carnival. The swimming carnival will be an opportunity for all students to compete, cheer and earn those important house points (particularly as Judah is only just leading in points). A reminder that it is an expectation that all students attend the swimming carnival.

Attendance

Term 4 is traditionally the term when children become tired – end of a busy year, hotter nights, lots of activities – however, it continues to be vital that all children attend school every day. Let’s work together to achieve 95% attendance for all students.

Dr Chris Radcliffe

Prep

Bike week has certainly been a big hit with the Prep class. Each student in Prep brought their bicycle to school and they were all so excited to go up to the bike track and ride along the track. Each student learned the quick maintenance check to perform each time they ride their bike.

This past fortnight, we are continuing to learn a few more ‘digraphs’, being /u:/ for moon and discerning the differentiation from /ʊ/ for book. We have learned the digraph /w/ for whale and /th/ for thumb. We are learning to recognise where these sounds come in words – such as beginning, middle, or end. We have also been learning the difference between /th/ and /f/ when speaking and correcting the way we are saying words. There are two more digraphs to learn, /ng/ and /ay/ and the rest of Prep is consolidating our literacy learning. InitiaLIT has been a fantastic program and all students are progressing well. Please continue practicing the tricky words with your child and also helping your child differentiate between similar sounds.

In Maths we are working on data and picture graphs along with making numbers up to 30, modeling the numbers with paddle pop sticks by bundling when we get to 10. We have also been perfecting our ‘fair share’ strategies, with excellent results.

In Garden Club, we have been trying to stay ahead of a massive growth spurt. The plants are healthy and producing well. We are grateful for the many students who come into the garden to assist in its care and in the harvest. The cherry tomatoes and strawberries are harvested as soon as they are red. We currently have cucumber growing and fruiting well, full-sized tomatoes along with basil and capsicum, among other luscious plants.

Thank you for your continued support as we educate your child from a Biblical perspective every day. In all things, may God be given the glory.

Teacher: Rebecca Aitchison-Gill                                               
Teacher Aide:  Tracey Wardrop                                                             

Year 1-2

As always, we have had a fortnight of fun in Year 1/2!

The highlights include investigating symmetry by walking around the school and finding symmetrical shapes as well as creating symmetrical butterflies. We have learned about using our voices to make sounds and effects in drama and built on our social/emotional skills in health lessons. We have begun researching animals and writing animal information reports.
Bike week was enjoyed by all and we were fortunate to have attended workshops on bike safety and maintenance as well as several track riding sessions.
Thank you for your support of Operation Christmas Child and for generously sending items along, ordering tuckshop and/or supporting the dress-up day.
A reminder that our specialist timetable for Term 4 is as follows:
PE (Mr. Ralph): Wednesday
Library: Wednesday
Science (Mr. Hargrave): Thursday
Sport uniform days this term are Wednesdays and Fridays.

We also pause during our morning session for a fruit/vegetable break. Please send along some fruit or vegetables to give your child a quick brain boost.
Please feel free to drop by the classroom for a look at your child’s learning or for a chat.

Yours in Christ,

Teacher: Mrs Jessica Williams
Teacher Aide: Miss Catie Risser

Year 3-4

What a fantastic week we’ve had! Thank you parents for bringing your children’s bikes to school for Bike Week. They have not only had a great time riding on the bike track, but they have learned how to better maintain their bikes. In our morning devotions, the students have been looking at the miracles of Jesus. This week, we have been learning about Jesus walking on water, in the Sea of Galilee.   

In English this term, the students have been studying the different types of poems, how they are structured, and the tools that are needed to write them. In HASS, we have been discussing the different rules in our community and learning about the many different Prime Ministers that we have had in Australia. In Health, we have been learning about road safety and bicycle safety. This has fit in well with Bike Week. The students have been showing their dramatic abilities this week in Drama. They have been putting on short plays, using expression in their voices and body language. The students have been working well and showing enthusiasm in their Chinese classes. This week they have been learning numbers from one to ten, and a range of new words.

We will continue to learn our times tables, spelling words and memory verses each week. Please ensure that your child continues to practice for our weekly tests and please continue to sign the diaries each day.

I am really looking forward to what the rest of the term brings.

Yours in Christ,

Mr. Robert Allen

Teacher Aide: Mrs. Sandy Bunce

JCC Bike Week Highlights

Year 5-6

Hello everyone and welcome to another week! The Year 5/6 students participated in a range of Bike Week activities last week, including a safety check demonstration with Doug from The Bicycle Workshop here in Atherton. They learnt about how to fit a helmet properly and how to check that their bikes are safe to ride. It was wonderful to see many of the students having fun on our new bike track too! 

Back in the classroom, we’ve been busily practising our times tables every day. Our class particularly enjoys playing a game called ‘Around the World’. We have one ‘times tables champion’ in our class at the moment, with a few students coming close to earning that title! Please encourage your child to practise their times tables everyday so that they become fluent. 

The Year 6 students in our class have also been preparing for their graduation speeches which they’ll present at our dinner on Friday, 25th November. If you have a graduating student, please make sure you RSVP via the Google Form emailed to you. We’re looking forward to a fantastic celebration!

Have a wonderful week ahead.

Many blessings,

Teacher: Mrs. Naomi Lindsey

Teacher Aide: Mrs. Fiona Ralph

Year 7-8

What a wonderful camp that was! From Wednesday to Friday of Week 2, the Year 7-8 Class ventured forth to camp old-school style at Lake Tinaroo, tents and all. The students were fully immersed in camp life, with many budding chefs and adventurers revealed. The students rotated through a range of community responsibilities during the camp, including preparing and cooking all of the meals (under Mrs Bunce’s cheerful guidance). Mr Hillyard’s planning for the camp was thorough, with an abundance of catering supplies enabling us to enjoy many delicious meals. Mick Rae and Yasmin led us over the course of the camp, providing some memorable activities such as raft making, the Amazing Race, canoeing and hiking. Swimming in the lake proved to be very popular, as did hanging out with friends. Raising a Standard was our theme for the camp and offered us the opportunity to focus our attention on developing more Christ-like characteristics in our Thinking, Communication and Behaviour. Having been to many school camps over the years, I have to say that I was tremendously impressed by the many expressions of genuine community during the camp. The amount of students who pitched in and helped others was truly notable. The support for others and camaraderie demonstrated was laudable. Thank you and congratulations to all concerned for such a successful camp. Well done, Year 7-8 Class; you’re not just a Team of Champions but a Champion Team!

God bless you, Mr Hargrave

Camp Pics

Year 9 & 10

Week three is already at an end.  This term is truly fleeting and with less than 50 days until the end of the school year.  There have been some assessments and sample work that were completed last week and students should have already begun working on their final assessments.  Bike week last week was fun and quite informative.  Numerous students brought their bikes and took advantage of riding around the new bike tracks.  Thank you to all the parents for going the extra mile to help the students bring their bikes to school and home again.  

A hearty thanks also for all the presents for the Christmas boxes that our class was able to put together. Your generosity will be a huge blessing to children in less fortunate places around the world.  

Swimming carnival is just around the corner and students are encouraged to participate in as many events as they are comfortable in, to support their house win.  Emails have been sent out so you can help your child sign up to the events.    

As of Week 4, students in year 9-10 are participating in the Angels and Mortals activities.  They have secretly picked names of their colleagues in the classroom and over the next five weeks secretly bless them. This activity will finish off in week 8 with the opening of presents that Angels have left for their mortals under our christmas tree in the classroom.  Please encourage your child to be creative and thoughtful in being a blessing to their mortal.   

We look forward to finishing this term off on a high and encourage everyone to give their very best over the next 4 weeks of school as they work on all things academic.  Once again a big thank you to all parents and guardians for your support of JCC. 

In His Service

Mr. Jonathan Nand (Teacher)

Year 11 & 12

Welcome back to Term 4, Week 4. It’s amazing to think we are now in the final term of the school year, and to look back and reflect on everything that we have achieved. This term is a busy one with many end-of-year activities coming up. We had Bike Week last week and our Year 11 & 12 students really enjoyed riding the track and participating in the activities throughout the week. 
We are very excited for our upcoming Swimming Carnival taking place on the 2nd of November, the Year 12 External Assessment exams that commence this week, as well as the upcoming Year 12 Graduation Dinner and Annual Awards Presentation Evenings. You, as parents and families will be emailed details about the activities that may involve your child and opportunities to RSVP your and your child's attendance. Keep an eye on your inboxes for these details. 
It’s the home stretch now and many of us are starting to think about the coming year and changes that this might bring. For some, it may be a new posting / position, for others, high school or moving up to a new grade. In preparation for my students going to their next year level and the changes to come, I will keep supporting and encouraging them to cope with the new adjustments.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week. I look forward to seeing you all around.

Phillip Viljoen (Senior Phase Teacher Aide)

Dates for the Diary

Wed 2 November    -   FNQ Swimming Carnival

Wed 16 November   -  God's Gifts & Talents Show (during the school day)

Thur 17 November  -   FNQ Senior Graduation

Fri 25 November    -    Grade 6 Graduation

Tue 6 December     -    Primary Awards Night

Wed 7 December    -   Secondary Awards Night