LEAVING STAFF
As we reach the mid-point of the year we have several staff who we will be sad to see leaving the College. Several are finishing off short-term contracts, several are off to teach overseas (with the Northern Hemisphere typically starting the school year in August)..
As we enter the final week of the term, I would like to remind everyone of a famous piece of poetry by an unknown author to give all those who are struggling, exhausted or faint of heart some hope. It is called ‘Footprints in the Sand’.
One night I dreamed a dream.
..
St Philips Church
Service Time: 9.00am Sunday Weekly Worship
9.30am Sunday School (school terms)
9.00am First Sunday of month - family/ youth service
Where: 580 Tarneit Road, Tarnei..
We are excited to share some staff news with you. As many of you have experienced, our lives expand when we travel and experience different cultures. One of our Year 3 teachers, Miss Hayleigh Davis, has taken the opportunity to move to an International School in England and will be leaving..
ADOLESCENCE – A ROCK CLIMBING ANALOGY
We all know that the adolescent years can be challenging at times, both for the adolescent and the parents. It is a time of change. Hormones are changing, bodies are changing. Friendships are changing. Attitudes are changing. This can also be a ..
“They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty; and I will meditate on your wonderful works.” Psalm 145:5.
As we make our way towards the end of term, we may be feeling very weary having made it through so many weeks and so much work. In the Senior School, ..
JUMP ROPE FOR HEART
Supervising teachers were delighted with the effort and energy demonstrated in the recent 'Jump Rope for Heart' event at GNLC. As the accompanying photos show there was also a high level of athleticism on display when our pupils threw themselves into the task at han..,
COLLEGE DEVELOPMENTS
The recently initiated work on the Good News Lutheran College Administration block has certainly transformed the look of the College from the Tarneit Road perspective. However, with the developments has come a greater challenge in dropping off and picking up students fro..
St Philips Church
Service Time: 9.00am Sunday Weekly Worship
9.30am Sunday School (school terms)
9.00am First Sunday of month - family/ youth service
Where: 580 Tarneit Road, Tarnei..PLATINUM, GOLD, SILVER AND BRONZE MERIT AWARDS: SOME CHANGES
Think back to when you were in school and sitting in awards ceremonies. Who was honoured? In my school, the awards were given to the super-athletes, the academic achievers and those with musical talent. Students at Good Ne..
ROCK AND WATER PROGRAM
For those parents who are not aware, in Year 9 we run a program across our Health and Physical Education classes called The Voyage. This program is a single sex course that is designed to help our young people transition from adolescence to adulthood. We have a huge f..
SENIOR SNIPPETS
This term is certainly flying by; mid-year examinations start tomorrow. Next week the examination timetable is a little complex at times but all will run well I am sure. Each student received their own personal copy of the timetable and information was also sent home to..
SCHOOL SPORT SELECTION
GNLC is delighted to hear that Year 7 student, Frankleen, has been selected to represent School Sport Victoria at the Rugby League State Championships later this year. Frankleen has been following a selection process since November 2016, with a final team of 16 ..
Did you know that the Werribee Water Treatment Plant has a bigger diversity of birdlife than the whole of Kakadu National Park? Indeed, the area around the plant is a haven for tens of thousands of birds and is regarded as a wetland of international significance. And it’s on our very doo..,
HELPING STUDENTS COPE
Resilience in the face of adversity isn’t a fixed personality trait. Resilience is an ability we can help our students build. This is an important fact for children who suffer from a serious illness or experience a grievous loss or setback.
What are the..
GRATITUDE
Gratitude is the value that our college is focusing on for the next week. Gratitude is so important to a person’s life, with gratitude comes happiness and contentment. Sometimes it is very easy to forget how well we have life in Australia and at Good News. In Australia we..
St Philips Church
Service Time: 9.00am Sunday Weekly Worship
9.30am Sunday School (school terms)
9.00am First Sunday of month - family/ youth service
Where: 580 Tarneit Road, Tarnei..
GRATITUDE
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - "Always be full of joy. Never stop praying. Whatever happens, always be thankful. This is how God wants you to live in Christ Jesus."
At younger ages, gratitude equates to using good manners. In later years, gratitude is a strong feeling of than..
FIDGET TOYS
Given the latest fidget spinner craze that has hit in recent months, I thought it would be appropriate to explain our views on these fidget devices and their impact in the classroom. We understand that for quite a few students, there is a need for them to be able to fidget ..
SENIOR SNIPPETS
Mid-term is upon us and some members of the College community may be feeling a little weary due to work, study and sport/performance. The weather has changed and day light hours are few and we know that the weather is going to get cooler from here on in. I encoura..
TERM 3 HOLIDAY BREAK
A reminder that the Term 3 holiday break consists of three weeks.
Term 3 ends on Friday, 15 September, with the holiday break continuing until the beginning of Term 4 on Monday, 9 October.
OUTDOOR EDUCATION
Congratulations are in order for the Year 9 stud..,
The red tape is nearly unravelled, and we expect that we should finally begin work on the much-needed Administration extension in the coming fortnight. This will impact the College, including parents, in two ways.
1) Administration Access: The Administration area will become access..
A MOTHER'S DAY MESSAGE
Mother’s Day is just around the corner – something shops, junior school classes and families are very much aware of. Recently, I read about a mum who had decided to stay at home for a year to care for her baby daughter. Countless hours of peek-a-boo and o..
St Philips Church
Service Time: 9.00am Sunday Weekly Worship
9.30am Sunday School (school terms)
9.00am First Sunday of month - family/ youth service
Where: 580 Tarneit Road, T..
When we interview students and families for admission at Good News Lutheran College, we explicitly share that the uniform policy is very strict. Between the time you interview and the time you begin school, it is easy to forget what was explained in an interview. Recently, we have no..
WHAT 'NAPLAN' DOESN'T TELL US ABOUT YOUR CHILD?
If you have a child in Year 7 or 9, then you have just experienced NAPLAN this week. How did your child feel they went? What sort of conversations did you have with them throughout the week about how they feel after each test? Did they appear ..
SENIOR SNIPPETS
The other day I came across the following quotation from Henry Ward Beecher, Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety, or the handle of faith.
It reminded me that as Christians we can live in the knowledge that God is always with u..
TREATMENT PLANT EXCURSION
Have you ever wondered what happens to the 485 million litres of waste that leaves our homes every day?
When you get an opportunity, ask one of these excited Year 8 Science students (pictured) who learned all about the fascinating science of water treatme..,
ALTERED ROAD CONDITIONS
Parents and caregivers of Good News Lutheran College students are reminded that the soon-to-begin extension to the Administration building will result in altered carpark arrangements for the next five months. It is imperative that drivers adhere to speed limits ..
God’s blessings to you all as we begin Term 2, we hope that the holidays were spent with family and focusing on Jesus sacrifice for us all.
On Monday, 24 April we held our ANZAC Day service, we had the privilege of having Warrant Officer Hynds talk to the College about why we remember..
St Philips Church
Service Time: 9.00am Sunday Weekly Worship
9.30am Sunday School (school terms)
9.00am First Sunday of month - family/ youth service
Where: 580 Tarneit Road, T..
Merit Points and Certificates in Middle School
For those parents who are not aware, here at GNLC, Merit Points are awarded to each student on a weekly basis. Merit Certificates are issued based on a student’s all-round behavior, attitude and work ethic and is not a reflection on..
A big welcome back to term two. This year is certainly moving along at quite a speed. I trust that Easter was a blessed time for all families.
I found the following prayer the other day and thought that I would share it with you.
Eternal God
Bless all schools, colleg..
MOTHER’S DAY STALL
With Mother’s Day on 14 May, the College community is reminded that the annual GNLC Mother’s Day stall will be held on Thursday, 11 May. Students may purchase gifts ranging from $1 to $10 in value.
COLLEGE PHOTO DAY
The College Photo d..
Camp is part of the GNLC curriculum. The camp experience fosters students’ courage and independence. Students learn more about themselves as individuals, forming a greater sense of identity.
Each year level camp has a different focus:
Year 2 sleepover helps students becom..,
Parent Evenings
It was wonderful to be able to walk around on Wednesday night and see so many excited students proudly displaying their progress and achievements to their families. It might be surprising to hear, but research shows us students self-assessing - giving students ownership of th..
St Philips Church
Service Time: 9.00am Sunday Weekly Worship
9.30am Sunday School (school terms)
9.00am First Sunday of month - family/ youth service
Where: 580 Tarneit Road, T..
For our younger students, love means being nice to everyone, even when we don’t want to. As children develop, they learn to show love by listening attentively to what others are saying and considering their feelings. As we grow, love means accepting people despite their weaknesses, unders..
Parenting our Middle School students
I was privileged to be at a Boys In Education conference in 2016 to hear the keynote presentation from Dr Arne Rubenstein about how to support boys in our schools and I am currently reading his book ‘The Making of Men – Raising boys to b..
Have you heard the one about the magician who was performing on a cruise ship? Every time he did a trick, the Captain's parrot would squawk, "It's a trick! He's a fraud. That's not magic!" Then one evening during a storm, the ship sank while the magician was performing. The parrot and t..
Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
As I watched our students pour into the Gym for Multicultural Harmony Day, I was called to think of how wonderfully different we all are. It is ama..
MULTICULTURAL HARMONY DAY
Multicultural Harmony Day on, 21 March, provided a wonderful celebration of diversity in culture. Many different ethnicities are represented at Good News Lutheran College, each bringing unique qualities and traditions to our learning environment. We rejoice in that ..,
Get Connected Evening
If you have been at the College for more than a year or two, you will have noticed the gradual move towards more digital delivery of communication where it has been of benefit. This is a different way of working, however, and we understand that various intern..
As the long weekend is here, as well as it being the middle of a very busy term, I thought it would be fitting to talk about resting and recuperating. We all know that God can do amazing things; he created everything in the universe. He did this in 6 days! It is phenomenal to think ..
St Philips Church
Service Time: 9.00am Sunday Weekly Worship
9.30am Sunday School (school terms)
9.00am First Sunday of month - family/ youth service
Where: 580 Tar..Multicultural Harmony Day 2017 (https://gnlcjuniorschool.wordpress.com/2017/03/01/multicultural-harmony-day-2017/?iframe=true&theme_preview=true)
Students and families of Good News speak over 50 different languages. We have celebrated our diversity in past years with a Multicultural The..
How is your child going so far?
We are now into Week 6 and it is probably a good time to check in on your child and ask them how the year has gone so far. The busyness of the first weeks of the year is now over, and your child should have had a variety of assessment pieces already...
This month has only just started but we have managed to engage in many activities, both in and out of the College. The wonderful sunshine has really been a blessing to us, as none of the planned activities have had to be cancelled because of poor weather.
I have visited many classe..
WYNDHAM DIVISION INTERSCHOOL SWIMMING CARNIVAL
It was with great pride that 36 Year 3-6 students and eight Year 7-12 students represented Good News Lutheran College at the Wyndham Division Swimming Carnivals on Tuesday, 28 February and Thursday, 2 March. All students approached their event....
The Resource Centre would be extremely grateful to any current parents, who could give some assistance with covering books in the next couple of weeks.
Please contact the Resource Centre.
Thank you...,
Construction
We are now only a week or so away from beginning the construction of additional staff space with a significant extension to the Administration building, something that we’ve been planning gradually for nearly two years now. It is going to be messy unfortunately, as ..
Did you know that next Tuesday is Pancake Day? (I’m salivating already!)
Actually, a more precise name for next Tuesday would be Shrove Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the ritual of shriving that Christians once practiced on this day. Shriving means to confess your sins ..
St Philips Church
Service Time: 9.00am Sunday Weekly Worship
9.30am Sunday School (school terms)
9.00am First Sunday of month - family/ youth service
Where: 580 Tarneit Road, Tarneit (College site)
Pastor..
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS: READING IN YEARS P-4
The huge parent turnout on Parent Night confirmed what we already knew: You care about your children’s education at Good News and you want to be involved. Now that students are settled into the routines of the classroom, we i..
New Middle School Philosophy
This year we have introduced a new overarching Middle School Philosophy that gives clear direction as to the progress and the development that we will be focusing on in each year level. I introduced this at our Middle School Parent Information Night in We..
The year is already rolling along at a rapid rate. We have already had the Swimming Carnival, which was a great day. It was wonderful to see so much House support and students, and staff, dressed up in House colours. There was a real feeling of community, which was a real blessing.
In the Se..
GINA - THE SEEING EYE DOG
An exciting new 'enrolment' at our College this year is Gina the Seeing Eye Dog, in training. Gina will be at our College for about 12 months, then she will return to Seeing Eye Dogs Australia where she will undergo formal training. We, as a College, are doin..,
Welcome back to all our families and students at Good News Lutheran College. An extended welcome to all of our new students as they begin their education journey with us. This year sees our 2nd cohort of Year 12 beginning their final year of secondary education with us and our third ..
God’s blessings to you all as we embark on a new year of schooling together. This term the College is donating all chapel offerings to ‘Kids Helpline’. Kids Helpline is a fantastic organisation that offers any person under the age of 25 the chance to call them and talk about ..
St Philips Church
Service Time: 9.00am Sunday Weekly Worship
9.30am Sunday School (school terms)
9.00am First Sunday of month - family/ youth service
Where: 580 Tarneit Road,..
This week, your Year Level blogs will clarify what homework should look like for 2017.
As you read the expectations, please understand that assigning homework is not easy. Teachers have two main struggles when assigning homework: A task that takes one child 5 minutes to complete m..
Welcome Back to 2017!
Welcome back to another great year ahead, and a very warm welcome to any new families into our Middle School community. I look forward to getting to know you more throughout the year. If you are not aware, GNLC is celebrating its 20th birthday this year ..
“In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle, and does not live according to our teaching.” (Idle, in this sense means disorder.)
At our informal welcome assembly, I reminded the Senior students about..
FAMILY TWILIGHT PICNIC
Preparations are well underway for the annual Twilight Family Picnic for current College families.
The event, on Friday, February 24, will feature face painters, balloon twisters, fairy floss, slushies and popcorn.
Coffee will be available for the adults, while..,
The excitement of our most recent building developments reached its peak last week with the opening of our Middle and Senior Schools’ Science Centre, and Materials and Technology Centre.
With our growth through to Year 12 this year, these two buildings are two important stage..
Middle School Orientation Day: A new beginning!
On Friday 11 November we welcomed the new students who will be entering into our Middle School in 2017. This was a fantastic opportunity for these students to get to know a few teachers, experience a number of classes and understand ..
Orientation
Year 12 Orientation took place last week and all got off to a good start. There was a flurry of photocopying going on in the staff room for this event and all were prepared ready to start our second round of Year 12.
Students were set work for the coming break from ..
With only a couple of weeks to go, it is a great chance to reflect and be thankful. As we reflect, we should also ask God to give us the wisdom to learn from where things didn't go well and the ability to focus on the things that we have been blessed with. We are so lucky to be where we are..
St Philips Church
Service Time: 9.00am Sunday Weekly Worship
9.30am Sunday School (school terms)
9.00am First Sunday of month - family/ youth service
Where: 580 Tarneit Road, Tarneit (College site)
Pastor: ..
RED X Racing
Saturday, 19 November saw the Red X Racing outfit have three teams compete in the RACV Energy Breakthrough HPV competition. Students commenced the race at 1.00pm on Saturday and took it in turns riding for 24 hours. Jack Coles made an outstanding personal best perfor..Give Blood - Save Three Lives
With blood supplies typically dwindling over the holiday period, members of the GNLC community are encouraged to consider donating to this very worthy cause.
Werribee Donor Centre - 7 Bridge St, Werribee...,
Last week was a strange week for many community members here at Good News; that is – the final few days of our first graduating class of Year 12 students. It’s taken such a very long time to get here, but was gone in such a very short period of time.
The College (bac..
With the Year 12s starting exams and the rest of Senior School not far behind, stress can become an issue for us all. It is a great time for us to re-focus on God and the strength he promises us. 1 Peter 5:7 says ‘Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.’
G..
St Philips Church
Service Time: 9.00am Sunday Weekly Worship
9.30am Sunday School (school terms)
9.00am First Sunday of month - family/ youth service
Where: 580 Tarneit Road, Tarneit (College site)
Pastor: ..
The previous fortnightly post encouraged you to begin using Direqt Messaging to contact teachers (https://gnlcjuniorschool.wordpress.com/2016/09/09/communicating-with-teachers-via-seqta-direqt-message/). In 2017 the Junior School will discontinue the use of hard copy diaries. Instead, written co..
As Christians, forgiveness is such an important aspect of our lives. We know that Christ died on the cross in order for our sins to be forgiven. As a result of this, we know we also need to forgive others for the things they have done to us – forgive others just as Christ has for..
Last week was the Year 12 Celebration Week which was a blessing to all involved. The week unfolded as follows:
18th Tuesday – Whole College Chapel in the Gym which was preceded by ‘A Walk of Honour’ by the Year 12s through the whole College community. This was a wonder..
College Closure Day - Monday 31 October, 2016
This is a reminder that the College will be closed on Monday 31 October, 2016, the day before Melbourne Cup Day, as per previous years.
Only Year 12 students and supervising staff will be in attendance for exams.
GNLC After School Care St..,
I have been extremely blessed to have just come back from several weeks Sabbatical Leave in Europe with around twenty other Lutheran Principals and associated staff, following the journeys of Paul around current-day Greece and Turkey. We were able to gain an incredible insight into th..
1 Peter 4:10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
Term 4 brings with it many things that keep a college busy. Exams, assessments, farewells, graduation, arts nights, camps and many m..
St Philips Church
Service Time: 9.00am Sunday Weekly Worship
9.30am Sunday School (school terms)
9.00am First Sunday of month - family/ youth service
Where: 580 Tarneit Road, Ta..Communicating with Teachers via SEQTA Direqt Message (https://gnlcjuniorschool.wordpress.com/2016/09/09/communicating-with-teachers-via-seqta-direqt-message/?iframe=true&theme_preview=true)
Thank you to the parents who have been using SEQTA and who want to learn more about what the sit..
As we begin the final term of 2016, we enter into a time of reflection and questions. Our students will begin wondering what changes are going to happen when they move up into the next year level. Are the expectations of school work going to be harder? What subjects should they be cho..
Senior Snippets
Welcome back to Term 4. I can hardly believe it is already Term 4 and nearly the end of Week 2. Time seems to be flying but there is much to be done prior to the end of term.
The Year 12s will soon go into the VCE exam period, which starts on 26 October. Some..
Spellmasters Australia
On Sunday, 9 October, Jordanne T. won the third place prize in the Junior Division of the 2016 Round 9 Competition of Spellmasters Australia. Jordanne has earned a place in the junior finals next month on Sunday, 20 November.
Good luck Jordanne, at the fi..
Late in Term 2, the College participated in ‘Jump Rope for Heart’ which saw the Junior School participate in a range of skipping activities and raise funds for the Heart Foundation. It is with excitement that it can be announced, that as a College, students raised in excess of ..
The Year 7 Boys Interschool Cricket team played very well against Werribee Secondary College, going down 135 to 90 runs.
Congratulations to all players on their fighting attitude and teamwork.
A special mention goes to Shannon V. and Sebastian D. for their assistance with coaching over t..
The cover of this issue of ‘Kids Nation’ (pictured below) features beautiful artwork by one of our Good News Lutheran College students, Alicia D. (3MG)
In this issue:
LEADERSHIP: Is every kid supposed to be a leader?
TIPS: Community service ideas for kids
IN..,..............,
