Dear Parents and Staff:

Wow, what an amazing and busy start we have had to the new school year, 2017. It seems

hard to believe that we are half way through the first term already. Let me take this

opportunity to say a heartfelt "thank you" for the welcome you have given my family as we

have joined the community here. We are encouraged by your spirit and enthusiasm for

Christian education as evidenced by your partnering with us already.

I view my role as Principal to be one of guiding and directing our school in the achievement of

the Strategic Plan. The strategic plan team (Alexis Bachmann, Allison Day, Rob Mientjies, Steve

Müller and myself) have worked diligently with the School Committee to produce the Strategic

Plan 2017. Copies of this plan were distributed at the parent information meeting and are still

available at the front desk. Several steps have been taken already to turn this plan from

strategic to operational.

Our first priority for the year has been to affirm the heart and soul of Faith Baptist Christian

School, the ACE program. Teachers and staff have had a review of learning centre

procedures and are conducting a self-assessment in each classroom in this regard. We will

further this with a third party audit to ensure consistency of standards across the whole school.

We are committed to maintaining the "DNA" of the school with Christian, Individualized,

Mastery learning. Thank you for your on-going support of this approach. This was very clearly

affirmed in the Strategic Plan and we are getting enquiries almost daily from families looking

for this model.

Term 1 has seen the startup of a number of activities including Visual Art, Music, Sport and

Chapel/Assemblies. Students are enjoying these opportunities for learning and really

engaging in each activity. We have implemented a new structure for Chapel featuring a

message, music, and missions. Our theme for the year is "Being a Servant" and this has been

Romans 15:5-7 NIV

our focus in Scripture memory and Chapel. It is good to see parents coming along to worship

with us in Chapel and we would encourage more to do so if possible.

This is the first newsletter in a new format aimed at improving our communications with the

whole school community. You will see some new features being added including a focus on a

different area of the school in each edition. We will also be introducing the staff and

reminiscing about former students while celebrating their current success in the community.

The annual school calendar has been drafted and copies of this are available at the front

desk and will be on the website shortly. The calendar for Term 1 is included here.

Thank you, again, for the great start we have had to the school year. Your partnership with us

and your support means so much. While we depend on God for His provision, He expresses His

love for us through you in many ways.

God Bless,

Steve Sauvageot

Principal

Focus on Junior Primary

My name is Rachel Perchard and my role is

Teacher for the Junior Primary Department. I love

history, walking, reading and inventing new

healthy recipes.

Jennie Sauvageot helps out in our class and is our

music instructor. She really enjoys working with our

students, and also works tirelessly with our School

Curriculum Committee.

Karen Sengstock has a heart for children. She is our

Learning Support Coordinator she thrives on

helping students achieve and reach their goals.

Karen loves the colour green and chocolate.

Karen Robson is our PREP Instructor and

technology expert. She loves to travel and

renovate.

This term, we are enjoying a variety of things, amongst which are swimming (learning

to float and swim with a board), playing cricket, making calendars, and learning to

get along well with each other.

In our visual arts project called “In the Gallery” the children will create a 2D portrait

using colour and line to express feelings.

The grade1students have completed a health project called “A Little Independence,

Good Choices and Healthy Me.”

The grade 2 students have completed a health project called “My Classroom is

Healthy, Safe and Fun.”

We will also be doing a geography project called “Special Connections” wherein we

discuss the connections of Indigenous people with Australia and also how the children

in our class are connected with our country and other places throughout the world.

The Learn to Read Programme is well underway for Grade 1 and the Prep Reading

Readiness Programme is also well underway, with our PREP students having so much

fun learning about growing up and families and doing art and craft that relates to the

sounds they are learning.

Spotlight on Staff: The Fuentes Family

Hola! My name is Jose Fuentes Omana, and I teach Year 8/9 at Faith Baptist Christian

School. I am from Venezuela (South America) and came to Australia in 2010 to study

English. This is my second year as a secondary teacher. I completed my Graduate

Diploma in Secondary Teaching at Christian Heritage College and a Master of

Engineering Science at University of Queensland. Before becoming a teacher I worked

as an engineer for six years in different industries, putting into practice my academic

science knowledge. I chose secondary teaching so I could have a positive influence

on the lives of students and encourage them to learn and use their knowledge to

serve others as Jesus said in His Word.

Hei! My name is Guro Fuentes, and I am from Norway. I came to Australia in 2012 to do

my Master of Medical Biotechnology at Queensland University of Technology. Prior to

this I had worked 6 years as a secondary school teacher in Norway, focusing mainly on

Mathematics and Science. After finishing my degree at QUT, I was awarded a summer

research scholarship to do research at UQ. Towards the end of my research I was

offered a teaching position at Good Shepherd Christian School, and started working

there as a Mathematics and Science teacher for Year 7-12 until I went on maternity

leave. I work 3 days per week at Faith Baptist Christian School, mainly in the Year 10-12

class, but will also be supervising the Visual Arts classes. I believe that God had sent us

to Gladstone for a reason, and we wish to partake in His work in this town.

Hola/Hei/Hello! I am baby Andreas, and I am almost 15 months old. Right now I am

busy being a baby, going to play groups, and spending time with my Nonna Carmen

while mummy and daddy are at work. My mummy and daddy speak to me in

different languages, so that when I grow up I will be able to understand both sides of

my family. I like reading books, singing, playing with water and sand, talking, and

going for walks.

Where Are They Now?

Malachi McPhail graduated from FBCS with a Year

12 Certificate in 2012. Malachi always enjoyed sport

at school and also participated in the local

basketball league in Gladstone through his teenage

years, thanks to the encouragement of Mr Joshua

Gill. Malachi lives in Rockhampton and is in his final

year of studying a Bachelor of Exercise & Sport

Science at CQU. He is currently working at Vector

Health in Rockhampton as a sports coach. Malachi

also works and volunteers for the Rockhampton

Basketball Association.

Malachi and his girlfriend Sarah are assistant

coaches for the Under 12 boys & girls rep teams for

Rockhampton. Malachi loves meeting new people

in his job at the gym and loves supporting people

with their exercise programmes. Malachi would love

to one day coach a famous sports team overseas.

Coach Malachi teaching our junior development class the importance of stretching

as part of our cool down.

Uniforms

Thank you for your support in achieving a good standard of wearing the uniform,

especially to those parents who called in to seek clarification. Positive partnership

makes things happen. The following photos have been added to the uniform

specification list and are included here to provide clarity. Parents are encouraged to

come in if further clarification is needed. We are very pleased with the standard

achieved so far. Thank you.

We Need You

Throughout the life of the school we have had a wonderful team of volunteers who

have come in and helped the staff with all manner of things. We would not be able to

function without them. This year is no exception. If you feel that you would like to help

out on a voluntary basis please come and see the office staff as your help would be

much appreciated. Once we get a list of volunteers we will then be running an

induction program – this will enable both staff and volunteers to work and

communicate well together.

TAFE students

Congratulations to Tiara Sengstock for completing the

Certificate II in Hairdressing. This qualification reflects the

role of individuals who work as salon assistants and are

compliant in communicating in the workplace, interacting

with and providing service to clients and assistance to

colleagues. Well done, Tiara!

Congratulations to Ylenna Neill-

Ballantine for successfully

completing the requirements to

be recognised as a Microsoft

Office Specialist for Office Word

2013. Ylenna has also fulfilled the

requirements for Certificate II in

Rural Operations, with Equestrian

Electives.

Preparations are being made for the Year 3, 5, 7, & 9 National Assessment Program

Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) Testing, which will be conducted on the 9th, 10th, &

11th of May. Your students have been registered for these tests.

It is very important that you child is at school on these days. If you have any questions

please contact your child’s teacher.

DROP-OFF & PICK-UP PROCEDURE

For the safety of our students, please be aware of our drop-off and pick-up procedure:

Drop-Off

1. Progress in the loop to drop off area and allow children to safely disembark. Remember

to watch out for all traffic and pedestrians.

2. Exit carpark as indicated above.

Pick-Up

1. Join the loop.

2. Stop and pick up your children if they are ready (staff will direct children to your car).

3. If your children are not ready, rejoin the loop so that no one has to navigate around

you. Watch for all traffic and pedestrians.

PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN THE STAFF CARPARK. Children have been known to run across the

carpark when they see their family’s car parked there. If you need to park, please use the

Parent Carpark as indicated above.

PLEASE DO NOT STOP OUTSIDE THE JUNIOR PRIMARY BUILDING ENTRANCE, as this forces cars

to navigate around you.

Please DRIVE SLOWLY and NO OVERTAKING at any time while in the school car park.

Staff Carpark Only

NO PARKING Parent Parking

Church

School