Faith News 2024 | Term 1, Week 2

Video Transcript

Welcome to 400+ New Students

Week 2 of Term 1, 2024!  Where did the Christmas holidays go?  And what a fabulous start to the year!  We have had over 400 new students join our School. Sadly, some of that is from the closure of two Schools,  two good Schools, Redwood and Charlotte Mason,  and while we don’t like to loseground in the Christian community,  we’ve welcomed all those families and a number of their staff  to our School so they can still be part of a Christian community. I would like to applaud many families and the new staff who have managed to get online and get everything going as quickly as they can. 

Where to Go for Support

• Contact Resources at resources@faith.qld.edu.auif you did not receive your workbook packs or to borrow additional resources.   
• Contact IT at itsupport@faith.qld.edu.au if you cannot log in to Learning@Faith. Inside Learning@Faith, you can click on the “Faith Help” section for how-to videos, articles and more
• Contact Finance at finance@faith.qld.edu.aufor anything related to school fees, payment plans and invoices. 
• Contact the librarian at library@faith.qld.edu.au for anything related to Box of Books or textbooks. 

Facebook

This private Facebook group is our school-monitored online forum where parents can communicate and support each other in the learning journey, as well as buy and sell textbooks. Within that group, you will find Year Level chats, so that you can talk to each other about more specific Year-Level topics. Please note that all other Facebook groups are parent-created and may not have the same security precautions that we put in place in our group. Please use discernment to avoid misinformation.

Term 1 Enrolment Applications Now Closed

To maintain the quality of our teaching and learning for all students, we have closed new applications for Term 1, 2024. Families can still submit applications for later in the year. Our Enrolments Officer will continue to process applications submitted through 25 January 2024.

Academic Updates

Connect Rooms

Our video conferencing platform (used for meetings, classes, clubs, and more) is now powered through Adobe Connect instead of Whiteboard (BBB). Adobe Connect has smart bandwidth management (similar to Netflix) which makes it a more reliable, secure and private platform for live lessons. Please know our teachers are still learning the platform, and the “Connect Room” section on Faith Help is being updated daily. 

Diagnostic Testing

“In Week 1, you would have received an email about Diagnostic Testing. Now, what’s that all about?  By doing testing with your kids so that we can work out what their levels are with Literacy, Numeracy and Comprehension, that makes it easier for our teachers to meet your kids at their point of need. We don’t want to be teaching them things that they already know,  but we do need to know where their strength and weaknesses lie so that our teachers can do a better job. All Diagnostic Testing information is retained within the School, we don’t share it withanybody outside the School, and it allows us to do our job better. It’s like a great mechanic can listen to the sound of an engine and he knows exactly what’s going on; the diagnostic testing allows a good teacher to be able to know precisely how your child is learning, it’s a great thing.”

NAPLAN

“NAPLAN begins on Wednesday 13 March and goes through to 22 March 2024. Due to changes made by QCAA, we are unable to provide testing centres for NAPLAN this year. If you wish to participate you will be required to attend a local school, however to make this happen, we do need you to inform us ASAP as it will take some time to set up. If you live at least 16 km from a school, you are able to take the off site test supervised by your Home Educator. Please complete the form below to inform us of your intentions with regards to Naplan this year, even if you will not be participating.”

New! Business Directory for Faith Families

“We have a brand new initiative, a local Business Directory! Our Business Class, run by Christine Scott, is doing this in part, but also, for our families who run businesses,  you can go and register your business with our Business Directory, which could enhance what you’re doing with what your business and also lets the other families know what you’re doing. Part of the local Business Directory is that we have students across the State looking for a traineeship, or an apprenticeship, and you might be able to have one of our students doing work experience with your business, or even an apprenticeship one day. What a great thing it is to have a Christian young person working in your business! I’m going to read the list of businesses we are looking for:

• Agriculture, Aquaculture, Farming, Nurseries
• Building and Construction
• Education, Childcare
• Electronics, I.T.
• Hospitality 
• Labour Hire, Workforce
• Manufacturing, Mechanical Services
• Transport,
• Ministry
• Retail, Wholesale and Distribution

Event Updates

Family Connect Camp Update

“We had planned a Family Connect Camp this Term, but we didn’t get enough people signed up for that,  so we’re postponing it to the second half of the year,  so please keep an eye out for that, because if enough people sign up for the Family Connect Camp,  it’ll happen, if we don’t have enough, then we won’t put it on. The second Semester is when the Family Connect Camp  is going to happen if we have enough interest.”

Cluster Meetings

“With our families last year, we asked a lot of questions through our Parents Information evenings. Pastor Was is in Cairns and Townsville this week to talk to our families in local clusters. What does that mean? Well, while we have a statewide School, people live where they live, and our hope is that we can build up local clusters of local families who know each other and do things themselves that we support as a School. Have a look at the calendar for events near you, go to a Cluster Meeting, talk to Pastor Was and find out what we can do together so that you can enjoy each other’s company, and we can support what you’re doing with your family. We’re setting up 20 or so of those around the State to be able to support you supporting your kids and their education.”

SEQ Cross Country Update

“We listen to what our families are telling us, and one of the realities is that, over the last year or so,  the number of our families that come from the Gold Coast has risen enormously,  so what we’re doing with our Cross Country,  which is normally in Ipswich, we’re moving that to the  northern part of the Gold Coast, and that Cross Country will cover all of our families from Toowoomba up to North Brisbane, Brisbane Greater Area, Gold Coast. In Term 2, we’ll have our Athletics Carnival back in Ipswich, so the Gold Coast people will head up to Ipswich to go to that. There is also some training that our families are organising amongst themselves, especially for the Athletics, so that on Athletics Day, we can perform as best we possibly can (not that we’re overly competitive!) but for those who like to do well, that training is happening!”

Student Joke

“Well, it’s time for Joke of the Week, and this joke has been sent in by Year 3 student, Lia, at the end of last year, and here is our joke:

Why did two 4s skip dinner? Oh, the answer is simple!

Because they already 8 (ate)!

“Have a great week, everybody! Enjoy each other’s company, person-to-person, and in online, and we’ll see you next week, we’re going to have a great year!”