Different planes will respond to weather conditions in different ways, in the same way different children respond to the same adversity in different ways. The ability of the plane to get through the poor weather and reach its destination depends on the pilot (the child), the co-pilot (the child's family, teachers and friends), the type of plane (the child's characteristics e.g. age and temperament) and the severity of the weather.

Please be praying that our school staff (co-pilots) will be perceptive and take wise actions to help support individuals and groups of children as they navigate metaphorical bad weather. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 urges Christians to encourage the fainthearted, help the weak and be patient with everybody. I trust that our school staff and our teachers will work meaningfully together to practically apply this biblical wisdom in the best interests of all of our students. 

I'm thankful that our recent parent engagement evening topic of resilience and bullying was well received by many of our parents. An individual's resilience is partly shaped by God-given characteristics such as our genes, temperament and personality and partly by our environment, such as our family and the community of which we are a part. I trust that our use of the Resilience Doughnut in the life of our school community will help to develop each child's resilience. The school is hoping to run a more extended seminar on the Resilience Doughnut in Term 3. To gauge whether we have enough parents interested in this seminar, I would appreciate parents expressing their interest in the event.

In addition to the Resilience Doughnut, the school is hoping to run separate seminars in the 2nd half of the year on fatherhood. The concept of fatherhood is fundamental to the Christian faith with over 1600 references in the Bible to the word Father. Many of these references are to God the Father; however, the Bible also teaches about our earthly father. For example, Proverbs 23:22 says listen to your father who gave you life. The school will be working with a group known as The Fathering Project, which is strongly influenced by Christians. The Fathering Project has 3 stated aims:

• To help fathers realise how important they are in a child's life and to give them advice on how to encourage their children.
• Encourage fathers to get involved early with their children - become proactive.
• Provide handy hints and tips for busy fathers.

I would appreciate fathers registering their interest to help me to know the level of interest in this initiative. I trust that a significant number of dads will be keen to get involved.

I hope that parents will find these initiatives helpful as we work together in the education of our children. After gauging the level of interest in the second Resilience Doughnut seminar and in the Fathering Project, we will decide on firm dates in the second half of the year and promote them in the newsletter.

Mr Brett Hartley
Principal

When dropping off your son or daughter in the morning, please remember to:

• Drop off your child as quickly and safely as possible so as not keep others waiting
• Move forward to the front of the painted drop off zone
• Pull in over the top of the painted lines, parallel to the curb, not on an angle

At least 100 students have auditioned for this year’s School Musical Madagascar, and we have a record numbers of students participating in our Junior School Concert Band. Mr Mellor is currently training our Senior Boys Rugby League Team. Soon, we will be selecting Girls Soccer Team and Junior and Senior Soccer and Netball teams.

Be’s - This term we have been working through our key words SAFE, LEARN, RESPECT. We are currently learning about how we can show RESPECT towards one another.  

Our final ‘Be’ next week is “Be Full of Hope” then we’ll move onto the concept of being an ‘Upstander’ that helps children know how to be an Upstander rather than a Bystander.

Parent Teacher Night

Teachers are looking forward to the Parent Teacher Nights coming soon. This is a great opportunity for teachers and parents to meet to discuss their child’s progress and learning needs. Please respond to the email/letter that you receive from the school. We look forward to meeting with you then.

Parents also seek to enrol their children into other years levels, such as Year 3 and Year 11, in order to become a part of the caring, Christian community immediately, having perhaps moved to the area or in need of a change.

There are still positions available for 2020 enrolments into non-traditional intake years and the school has encouraged applications to be made as soon as possible, so that the school will continue to operate efficiently and fulfil its purpose in providing affordable Christian education.

Year 7, as part of their Geography studies, have investigated the cause and effects of the disaster.

Australia played an important role in the aftermath, sending in professionals to assist.

Mr Cross put together an interesting presentation showing our students photographs that were taken whilst he was there, and explained the effects on Japan and the people.  7B were riveted by his experiences and asked some very well thought out questions. It is such a privilege to have families come and join us in the classroom at times. We were very appreciative.

Mrs Jackie Haralambou

Even better is the amazing news of how Jesus defeated death and came back to life to defeat sin! These books are available to order online and each household can order up to 3 books, have them delivered - all for free!

Maybe your children would benefit from their own book, or perhaps you can give a copy to a friend or family member who doesn’t know Jesus as Saviour of the world.

Mr Nathan Asher
School Chaplain

The area is the largest and most diverse estuarine wetland complex in NSW, representing around half of the remaining mangrove area near Sydney, and most of the salt marshes remaining in the region. The wetlands are of special significance to migratory birds that travel from as far as Russia, Korea and Japan on their annual migratory journeys.

Memorable highlights were traversing through mangrove swamps, avoiding the plagues of mosquitos, dodging the many spiders in their webs, evading jumping ants and trying to keep worksheets dry in the rain. While the excursion was certainly no ‘walk in the park’, students learnt valuable fieldwork skills like conducting transects to investigate biodiversity and used scientific apparatus to measure environmental factors that shape the ecosystem such as soil and water pH.

One slightly alarming factor that was observed was the amount of rubbish that is deposited onto the wetlands when the flooding king tides recede. What a pertinent reminder that our rubbish really does end up in our water ways and the implications of the need for us to carefully manage and protect this spectacular world that God has given us!

Mr Scott Newton

After drawing the tough competitors of Inaburra, the girls played an amazing match with lots of clean passes and solid shots on goal. Inaburra scored early in the first half with a seemingly lucky shot. The Shire Christian team fought back with an amazing support run by our forward Isabella Fanous, scoring a header to even the score. However, a few minor injuries and a late goal from Inaburra saw the game just out of reach for the Shire team.

The team will now prepare for the Zone and State gala days next term.

The Girls Under 15s team also played on the day, in a trial match against Inaburra. The matched ended in a one all draw, a good result in the lead up to the gala day in Term 2.

Mr Brendon Arthur

Coach

The Gospel (Good News) we have been commissioned to preach is based on a few fundamental truths: we are all born with a heart that is at enmity with God and that is prone to claiming the ‘right’ to run our own lives instead of submitting to his ‘rightful’ rule as our Creator; this condition, that the Bible calls ‘sin’ separates us from him as the Source and Author of Life, for all eternity (Romans 3:23; 6:23); Jesus is the ONLY remedy for this separation, and faith in him is the ONLY means by which we can experience Life as God intended it to be, and Eternal Life beyond the grave (John 10:10; 14:6; Acts 4:12). This sounds a simple enough solution to a universal problem, and doesn’t require any great effort or achievement on our part, but only a child-like recognition of our need of a Saviour (Rescuer) and a turning to him in repentance-and-faith to take hold of the hope he offers (John 1:12-13; 3:16, 36; 5:24; etc).

But this is where the problem starts! In Australia, we have been progressively and cleverly brain-washed into the ‘accepted’ view that all religious ‘ideologies’ are true in themselves because ‘I can decide for myself what is true and what is false, what is right and what is wrong’ - there is no such thing as ‘absolute truth’; it is a logical impossibility. The implication of this is that, if I try to proselytise my neighbour by telling him that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only hope for life after death, the only escape from hell, then I am guilty of ‘hate speech’, because I am being intolerant of his personal belief system. The very emotive term ‘hate speech’ has become the most effective way of discrediting and silencing evangelistic Christian witnessing, the very task that Jesus has urgently committed to us until he returns.  The saddest aspect of this is that my motive for sharing the Good News about Jesus with my neighbour is my great love for him, and my desire to rescue him from his heading for hell. I am reminded about Jesus’ account of the rich man who, having experienced what hell was like, was desperate to warn his five brothers about where they were heading before it was too late for them too (Luke 16:19-31)!

Sadly, also, some misguided ‘christians’ ARE expressing hatred to people of other religions, by their careless speech and (often violent) actions, and it is easy then for the media to label ALL genuine Christian evangelistic activity as ‘far right extremism’ or ‘white supremacy’ ideology, and thereby discredit it. The media, and especially uncontrollable social media, make it very difficult for us to get the message out that our genuine motive is love, and that our Saviour warns us against using violence or any physical pressure to establish the correctness of his cause. Rather, Jesus’ manifesto is summarised by the Apostle Paul like this: “Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:16-21). And let us always remember that our God IS sovereign, that he has already established Jesus as Lord over the whole of Creation, that he has declared, “…  I will build my church, and the gates of Hades [Hell] will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18), and that he has provided us with powerful spiritual weaponry with which to achieve his purposes (Ephesians 6:10-20).  How much, and how earnestly, are we wielding the weapon of prayer, both personally and corporately, in the face of everything that is happening around us?

Bruce Christian

Hands at Work build relationships with the local churches in the community and then provide volunteer care workers who serve the Lord by going to these churches to care for the children in a holistically way.  The children are provided with the 3 essential services for life, being food, education and basic healthcare. 

We are excited to continue to connect with Kara McLaughlin and Brianna Batterham as they serve with Hands, both in prayer and financially. Kara was on staff here a number of years ago and has shared her experiences of working in Africa on many occasions during her brief breaks. As one of our Alumni, Brianna has just started her journey serving in Africa this year. A video from Kara and Brianna will be shown to the students in the next couple of weeks, explaining how this support will help them serve the children in Africa moving forward.  Other information about the more practical operations of the day will be communicated with parents shortly.

We have a fairly solid connection with Hands at Work in Africa as other members of our community have travelled to serve with them such as James Kerr, another Alumni student. We look forward to seeing what God has planned as his love is shared across the globe. 

Please log in to your Bigpond account by following this link and follow the steps below as shown on the attached image to make Shire Christian School a ‘safe sender’.

 1)   Once you are logged in to Bigpond click on the settings icon

2)    Click Mail on the left panel

3)    Click Safe senders

4)    Enter contact@shirechristian.nsw.edu.au into the box

5)    Click +Add to make Shire Christian a Safe sender

Please make sure you have followed this process to ensure future emails are received.

If you click on the junk folder inside your webmail you should be able to see previous emails from the school. You can right-click on these emails and click ‘this is not spam’ to move these emails into your inbox.

We apologise for the inconvenience that has been caused and hope that this process will resolve the problem.

If you require further assistance, please phone the school on 8525 5111 or email communication@shirechristian.nsw.edu.au

But when is my child old enough to be given their own mobile phone?

In 2012, the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed children as young as five years old owned a mobile phone – two percent of children aged between five and eight years old, and 29 percent for children aged five to 14 years. This figure is likely to be higher now!

For many parents and carers, five years old would seem too young. For others, it might offer them peace of mind and security to know they can keep in touch with their child—especially in an emergency.

The right age for your child will depend on their level of maturity. It’s worth asking yourself the following questions before handing over a digital device.

 • Does my child have a good sense of responsibility?

• Are they able to stick to the rules?

• Do they show a good understanding of actions and consequences?

• Do they come to me or another trusted adult when they are distressed or encounter problems?

For younger children it’s best to start with a mobile phone without internet access, and introduce a smartphone when they demonstrate an appropriate level of maturity. Some younger children might argue that they are ready for a smartphone, especially if their friends already have one. But it’s worth holding out until you feel confident that your child is mature enough.

My child has their first smartphone – now what?

When your child receives their first smartphone it’s a great opportunity to instil safe online behaviours early on, so they can carry these skills through to their teens and beyond.

Here are some tips for getting them on board with good online habits.

Establish rules at the outset with clear boundaries 

Talk about expectations and the consequences for not meeting these rules. Depending on the age of your child, you might want to set up a written signed agreement which lists the rules.

Here are some you may want to agree on:

• No phones after a certain time (i.e. 8.00 pm) – unless in an emergency.

• Keep to daily screen time limits (i.e. 1 hour per school night).

• Family time is a no-phone zone (i.e. dinner).

 • Do not share your passwords with others – apart from parents.

• Do not share your real name (or full name), age and address when posting, talking to strangers or on sites where anyone can see it.

• Be kind to people – treat people on the phone as you would face-to-face.

• Do not take or share photos of others (including friends) without their permission.

• Tell a parent or another trusted adult if anything makes you feel uncomfortable, or if a stranger contacts you online.

• Do not purchase or download an app or game without talking to a parent first—especially as these often have minimum age requirements.

Use technology tools to help set the boundaries to keep your child safe 

Use parental controls to help manage your child’s device and the types of content they can access.

Most devices come with parental controls and offer a range of features:

• iPhone: Go to Settings > General > Restrictions. Here you can disable apps or features, prevent access to explicit content and specific webpages.

• Android (Google Play): Go to Play Store >Settings > Parental controls. Most Android phones use Google Play as the digital marketplace for purchasing apps and accessing content. Through Google Play you can restrict the content your child can download or purchase from Google Play.

• Google’s Family Link is an app for parents to help manage their child’s device and account and offers additional layers of protection. It enables parents to set screen time limits, review app permissions (such as their camera, location, contacts), block apps and approve downloads, block sites and filter content.

• You can also check with your mobile service provider if they offer any parental control tools. 

Activate any privacy settings and safety features available on the device, in web browsers and apps. In some cases you can do this through parental controls or when installing apps on their phone. Carefully consider permissions and whether apps really need to access your child’s location, contact list, messages and other features.

Help your child set up a pin or password to lock their phone. In addition to protecting their personal information, this will ensure that no one else can use their phone. 

Help your child set up strong and unique passwords for their apps and websites. Even if the phone is locked, apps and websites can be accessed from other devices.

Communicate openly with your child, establish and maintain trust 

Most importantly, communicate openly with your child about their phone and online use. It’s not possible to supervise your child 24/7 and no technology tool is 100 percent effective in protecting them from online risks. So it’s really important to establish and maintain trust.

• Talk openly and regularly with your child about their online activities. Show them that you are interested in how they connect with friends, who they talk with and the type of sites they visit.

• If you are using parental controls, be upfront about this and get them on board. Let them know that these can be reviewed and changed as they get older and they continue to demonstrate responsible behaviour.

• Talk about positive online behaviour and about respecting others online. Encourage your child to think carefully before they post, text or share comments or photos so they don’t hurt or upset others. Remind them there is a real person at the end of the screen.

• Encourage your child to come to you (or another trusted adult) if they are upset because of an online experience, even if they think they are to blame.

Information from the eSaftley Commissioner. Visit esafety.gov.au/parents to learn more. 

Medicine Information Evening at Caringbah High School 30 April 2019 6.00pm – 7.30pm School Hall – Students and Parents welcome.  Register @  http://bit.ly/2NyoqPB

NSW Police Force – Recruiting Information Sessions 

Saturday 13 April 2019
Time:  9.00am - 12.00pm
Tickets available 8.00am 29 March 2019

And

Saturday 15 June 2019
Time:  9.00am - 12.00pm
Tickets available 8.00am 31 May 2019

NSW Police Headquarters, 1 Charles Street, Parramatta

Attend an information session to find out more about being a NSW Police Officer and the recruitment process.  Sessions are generally run at Police Headquarters, Parramatta. Due to limited availability and space, bookings will be accepted from prospective applicants only.

https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/recruitment/news/information_sessions

Police Recruitment Process

Learn about the process and the requirements here:

https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/recruitment

UNSW Built Environment Workshops

18 April. 9.00am to 4.00pm

10 July. 9.00am to 4.00pm

18 July. 9.00am to 4.00pm

For years 10, 11 and12, incorporate Design, Architecture, Planning and Construction to solve a real-world challenge. The workshop aims to investigate better solutions to enhance the lives of children and elderly living in a city

18 April register here: https://www.events.unsw.edu.au/event/experience-unsw-built-environment-workshops-0

10 July register here: https://www.events.unsw.edu.au/event/experience-unsw-built-environment-workshops-1

18 July register here: https://www.events.unsw.edu.au/event/experience-unsw-built-environment-workshops-2

University of Notre Dame – Getting to Know Nursing EveningTuesday 14 May. 6:00pm – 7:30pm
160 Oxford St, Darlinghurst

Dreaming of a career in Nursing? Come along to our ‘Getting to Know Nursing’ event and find out why Notre Dame is ranked the Number 1 University for Overall Quality of Educational Experience in Australia (QILT).

At this session, you will have the opportunity to:

• Learn more about our nursing program and unique admission process
• Meet the Dean and other academic staff
• Chat to current nursing students about life at Notre Dame
• Explore our purpose-built Darlinghurst campus
• Apply directly on the day

Places are strictly limited. Please register below or contact us on 02 8204 4404 or sydney@nd.edu.au for further information.

https://www.notredame.edu.au/events-items/getting-to-know-nursing

ACU Passion for Business – Early Entry Program Now Open

Let your values create value. Our Passion for Business (P4B) program gets you guaranteed early entry into an ACU business course, so you can focus on completing school with the knowledge you’ve been awarded a place in the degree of your choice.

  an early conditional offer from ACU before receiving your ATAR/OP from the Tertiary Admissions Centre and prior to completing your final exams

  access to our Academic Skills workshops, CareerHub and networking events

  study abroad opportunities

https://www.acu.edu.au/study_at_acu/pathways_and_entry_schemes/year_12_student_entry/passion_for_business

Meet People in These Different Finance Careers - Videos

Economist

https://studentedge.org/career-life/find-a-career/economist

Chartered Accountant

https://studentedge.org/career-life/find-a-career/chartered-accountant

Business Analyst

https://studentedge.org/career-life/find-a-career/business-analyst

Finance Broker

https://studentedge.org/career-life/find-a-career/finance-broker

7 Paths to Computer Science Careers

Meet 7 people taking wildly different paths to a career in computer science, ending up in unexpected places

https://careerswithstem.com.au/7-paths-computer-science-career/

RMS Traineeships and Apprenticeships are offered in:

Traineeships and apprenticeships are offered across a number of different fields, including:

• Business Administration Traineeship (Sydney, Grafton, Port Macquarie, Wollongong, Ballina, Newcastle, Dubbo)
• Civil Construction Traineeship Road Marker (Grafton, Tamworth, Dubbo, Wagga, Hay)
• Civil Construction Apprenticeships (Cooma, Goulburn, Glen Innes, Hay, Narrandera,)
• Bridge Carpenter (Ballina, Newcastle, Bega, Goulburn, Wagga)
• Signal Technician (Russell Vale, Newcastle)
• Plant Mechanic (Broken Hill, Tamworth, Holbrook, Newcastle)
• Painter (Sydney Harbour Bridge)
• Boilermaker (Newcastle, Sydney Harbour Bridge)

More background information is at:

http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/about/careers/working-with-us/employment-programs/apprentices-trainees.html

Essential Energy Apprenticeships

If working outdoors and in a team environment is appealing to you, an apprenticeship with us may be the perfect way to kick start your career.

During your apprenticeship you will work towards a trade qualification while learning on-the job. Your apprenticeship journey will be supported by a great crew and a professional training team.

If you would like to express your interest in our 2020 Apprentice intake, please register online. We will then keep you up to date on when applications open.

https://www.essentialenergy.com.au/careers/apprenticeships?fbclid=IwAR15NDniwqTy8_Dl6SYsRWXApDKKqY4AOnxLxBwZLr1RFmdvD44WK47fLvc

Qantas Group Pilot Academy

We train our pilots to the highest standards and we can draw on almost 100 years of aviation experience. We want to help shape the next generation of pilots and that’s why we’re establishing the Qantas Group Pilot Academy. It will open its doors in 2019 with an initial intake of 100 pilots, and once it’s fully established we aim to train up to 500 pilots a year.

We expect the typical entrants to be high school or university graduates with a strong academic performance. After 18 months of classroom, simulator and real world flight training you’ll graduate. The training could lead to employment with one of the Qantas Group airlines, including Jetstar.

https://www.qantas.com/au/en/about-us/our-company/pilot-academy.html

Australian Federal Police Entry Level

How to go about applying for entry level positions.

https://www.afp.gov.au/careers/entry-level-recruit-policing-and-protective-service-officer-recruitment

Join their Facebook Recruitment group for info and updates at:

https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=www.afp.gov.au%2Fcareers%2Fentry-level-recruit-policing-and-protective-service-officer-recruitment

Teach in a Rural NSW School 

Years 10 -12 who are interested in becoming a teacher in a rural NSW school? The NSW Department of education is offering scholarships to school students with a guaranteed permanent job, financial assistance throughout the course of study and 6,000 appointment allowance and $7,500 per year of full time study. Head to this website to find out more:

https://www.teach.nsw.edu.au/getpaidtostudy/teach-rural-scholarships

Enter here to receive alerts and updates:

https://nsw.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=1b73da7775cca263240290668&id=c01c5cfffe

NIDA Autumn School Holiday Classes13 to 27 April

Years 7 to 12 NIDA offers introductory through to advanced courses for children and young people during the school holidays in a variety of disciplines including creative play, drama, acting on screen, music theatre, singing & acting, public speaking and more.

https://www.open.nida.edu.au/holiday-classes

UTS - Discover Sport and Exercise

Thursday 18 July 2019, 1.00pm

Registrations haven't opened for this session yet. Please email health@uts.edu.au if you want to be notified.

https://www.uts.edu.au/future-students/health/why-health-uts/events-and-brochures/discover-sessions

UTS - Discover Midwifery

Wednesday 17 April 2019, 5.30pm | Register

Discover Nursing

Wednesday 17 July 2019, 5.30pm | Register

Wednesday 13 November 2019, 5.30pm

Registrations haven't opened for this session yet. Please check back in late July 2019.

Get a taste for what you can study in health at UTS at one of our Discover Health sessions. Find out more about our courses at an info session, then head on a tour of our world-class facilities.

https://www.uts.edu.au/future-students/health/why-health-uts/events-and-brochures/discover-sessions

ACU Elite Athlete and Performer Program

The Elite Athlete and Performer Program (EAPP) is designed to give students who are top sporting or artistic performers the tools they need to achieve balance across their active and academic lives.

The program comes with a range of benefits, including:

• adjustment factors to your entry score
• early timetabling
• academic support (deferred exams, extensions, special considerations)
• access to travel grants and scholarships.

https://www.acu.edu.au/student_experience/student_life/elite_athlete_and_performer_program