Issue 28 12.09.2012

The Power of the Tongue “Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire ... With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings ... this should not be.” James 3:5-6,9,10

The 7th February, 2009, was a dreadful day in Australia’s history. In Melbourne, the temperature soared to 46.4 degrees, and the wind exceeded 100 kilometres per hour. The state had just endured a heatwave and the country was tinder dry. It took just a few sparks and disaster struck. 4,500 square kms of land was burned, 173 people died, 414 people were injured.

Could a tongue do such damage? The Apostle James says it can.

When you say hurtful things to or about another person you can’t underestimate the damage it does. It’s like lighting a fire in their lives. I remember a student who was teased because he was large. Mostly he shrugged it off, but sometimes his guard slipped and he lashed out in anger at those who caused him so much pain. Another friend of mine says a teacher told him he was stupid and would never amount to anything. He carries the emotional scars as an adult. Which do you remember more? Compliments or put-downs? The tongue is a dangerous weapon and can be a power for evil.

But just as the tongue can destroy it can also build up. Your helpful, wholesome words of love, praise, kindness, gratitude and encouragement bring out the best in others. Your words empower them to be the best they can be. Your tongue can bring life and healing. The tongue can be a power for good!

Consider then God’s tongue. God speaks his word to us, and by his word he saves us. He forgives us, he makes us his own children, he calls us his friends, he blesses us. And he gives us his word of love to speak to others. God said to his son Jesus, “You are my son whom I love, I am well pleased with you.” Now, through Jesus, he says that to all of his people. Let that word ring in your ears and fill you with joy every day of your life!

Pastor Matthew Wilksch

Dear Parents, This week we are enjoying the Book Fair in the library, which has been transformed into a Reading Celebration, with many good books, fun novelties and posters to buy and enjoy. The library is open before or after school until Thursday afternoon. Swimming continues again this week, which may mean significant changes to your child’s routine. Classes who have swimming lessons do not have specialist lessons in the same week, but they catch up in the following week. This means they will have no sport, creative arts and German one week, and then double to following. An essential quality for anyone working in a primary school is ‘flexibility’! Best wishes, John Dow Acting Principal

Prayer suggestions:

We give thanks for the courage and ability of the Paralympic athletes, and the way they inspire us to do our best.

We pray for our students, that they will enjoy a strong and purposeful finish to the term.

Also pray for the following families:

Donner, Doecke, Dimech, Davies,

D’arcy, D’alessandro, Crowder P

& E & Downing

Book Fair You are invited to visit the library to

view and purchase goods from the Book Fair. It is open before and after

school, finishing Thursday night. All

students have now visited the fair and have filled out a wish list for anything

they ‘wish’ to purchase. The students also had the opportunity to meet a very special character, Clifford

the Dog. Families are under no obligation to

purchase. We do have EFTPOS facilities or wish lists can be brought to school with money or details

recorded. If you have any queries, please ring me at school. Mrs Zadow - Librarian

Borrowing The whole school will be borrowing on Friday this week as the Book Fair will have ‘disappeared’ by then. Next week will be borrowing for holidays so we encourage you to help the students return their books. Thanks

Year 5/6 Boys SAPSASA Basketball

Tomorrow (Thursday) St Michael’s SAPSASA

Boys Basketball team will be competing at

Morphett Vale in the Finals round in the Knockout

Competition. We wish Mr Phillips, Skeate Grivell

(coach) and the boys all the best.

Friday Chapel Service This week, Kylie Johns will launch Operation Christmas Child boxes in Chapel. We look forward to her presentation and the involvement of families in supporting those in need. There will be more information provided to you after Friday. You are welcome to join us for Chapel at 9am in the Worship Centre. We also will be watching a special presentation from the Year 6’s & 7’s with regards to their Chinese Studies.

Closing Service

Closing Worship for the end of term will be held in the

MORNING at 9am (not an afternoon service). This

change is due to the involvement of the Year 2’s who will

be swimming later in the day. This will be a special service

where the Year 2’s will lead us in response to their current

unit of inquiry. Their central idea is: ’There is global

inequality in the distribution of resources necessary for

human survival.’ You are invited to join us for this special

service.

In Sympathy Our thoughts and prayers are with the Kemp family (James 4R, Samuel 1S) as they mourn the death of Rebecca’s mother late last week. May God cover this family with comfort during this time.

Uniform Shop Update Now would be the time to start to prepare for term four. Next term we change back over to our Summer uniform. This also includes the compulsory wearing of hats but there will be a two week grace/change over period. The uniform shop will be open on the first day of term from 8.45am and then ongoing on a Friday but why not start to prepare now? A full listing of this can be found in the School Directory or on our website.

We are also looking for someone willing to move into the role as Uniform Shop Co-Ordinator for 2013. If you are interested or know of anyone who may be interested please call Peta Byrne on 0437 790 448

Pedal Prix 24 Hour Event This weekend is the third round of the Pedal Prix HPV Super Series. St Michael’s will be sending a team of 21 students to compete in this massive 24 hour event. Some students have already advised the school of their intention to leave early on Friday but all children MUST be signed out when leaving, as per school policy. The race begins on Saturday 15

th 12noon and concludes on

Sunday 16th at 12noon. Parents, families and friends

are all invited to come along and support the team. Good luck to all those competing this weekend.

Yr. 7 Uraidla Lightning Carnival Yesterday the netball team won 3 out of 3 games. The team were all good sports and the matches were played in good team spirits.

This year we entered a mixed football team. We played

Gumeracha, Hahndorf and Oakbank and won all games.

In the year 7 soccer matches we also played 3 matches. We played against Oakbank, Hahndorf and Waldorf. We won the first and last game and Drew in the 2nd game.

Canteen Helpers 2012 Term 3 Week 10

Monday: 17th September Justine Clinton

Wednesday: 19th September

Narelle Schaefer & Sharon Zander

Friday: 21st September Michelle Williams & Jenny Longmire

Daniel Mueller – ALC Student Hi, my name is Dan Mueller. I am studying pastoral theology at Australian Lutheran College (ALC) in North Adelaide, and as part of my course I am undertaking a week-long field placement at St. Michaels which began, Monday 10th of September.

The pastoral theology course is five years in total, and I am nearing the completion of my first year. The intention of my field placement is to learn about the purpose and role of Lutheran schooling. I thank you for the opportunity and invitation your school has extended.

I have spent much of my life in Brisbane, Queensland. However, from 2008 until just prior to commencing my studies at ALC, I was living and working in the Netherlands, Europe. While overseas I enjoyed my job writing software for helping doctors in hospitals to diagnose cancer. But it seemed God had different plans, and I soon found myself back in Australia, studying at ALC. I am married to Jenny, and we have a bright-eyed six month old son.

I am looking forward to the short interaction we will share, which I’m sure will be mutually beneficial. Blessings, Dan Mueller.

2013 Enrolments

Parents are reminded of the school fee policy which

states that families must give a term’s notice of

intention to leave the school (or they will be invoiced

for a term’s fee). As we are approaching the final term

of the year it is important that you notify us in

writing by the end of this term of change in

enrolment.

LLL Banking Please note due to next week being the last week of term there will be no banking. Banking will however resume in week 1 of term 4. Thank you.

Attachments for this weeks edition: Yr 2 Walk for Awareness Day EFM Promotion School Holiday Activities Hahndorf Cricket Club Registration Day Hahndorf Lutheran Netball Club Presentation Night

Curriculum Matters Hope

The Year 7's presented their learning and knowledge last week at Exhibition. Many of the students dealt with difficult subjects and researched sad times in history. This week, students have been reflecting on their learning through assessment tasks and activities. After inquiring into such significant events of the past, students were asked to record their hope for their future world. Some of the responses included:

My hopes for the future..... - that we do not repeat past mistakes....World Wars,

massacres, terrorism, find cures for diseases - solutions to problems....war, poverty, racism.... - that we no longer have racial discrimination.....but equal

rights - that there is financial equality Jack

My hope for the future is that all discrimination of

people is eliminated and that all people are given the

same respect and rights. I hope that no matter what

colour or race, people will not mock them or pay

them out. I think that as all races grow, people will

respect them and honour them in the same way.

Olivia - no World Wars, no guns, equal rights,

countries-friends, Australia shouldn't be fighting, end of poverty - share resources, communication used to bring peace - NOT violence

- from little things, big things grow Chloe's group

What wise words from our students. We may not all agree with all their sentiments but I admire their thinking and have no doubt on the positive influences they will be on their future world. In closing, a statement from a world leader:

‘Hope...Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope! In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us.........A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead.’ BARACK OBAMA, 2004 DNC Convention

Mrs Jayne Zadow

Teacher/Librarian

School Crossing Monitors 2012 - Term 3 Week 10

AM: Danica Male, Kate Riches

& Tianna Faulkner

PM: Tom Hill, Oliver Grivell

& Maddy Johnston

From the Community Carer

Tegan Howard

My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights. Proverbs 3:11-12

Imagine you are standing on the roof deck of a skyscraper.

There are no railings, the wind is blowing and the building

sways. Where would you be? You would probably be in the

center where you could gather some feeling of security. Now

imagine there are high sturdy railings around the edge of the

roof deck. You walk over to the railing, push on it a few times

to make sure it is sturdy and will hold. Now you feel secure to

stand by the edge, maybe even to look down or out into the

beyond. Those railings really changed the experience for you,

didn't they? You went from feeling insecure to feeling secure

just by having a firm boundary around you.

Apples. Parents. Some things are much better firm than soft.

Firmness is not cruelty. You can be firm and kind, firm and

loving, firm and fair. Your child’s security is relative to the

firmness of the boundaries around them. It is one thing to

set a boundary, but another thing all together to firmly

enforce and follow through with that boundary. My parents

are many things, but they are not pushovers. When they set a

boundary and a consequence, they followed through every

single time. Even though I sometimes wished that they would

slip up once or twice and let me off from the consequence,

deep inside it gave me a sense of security. I knew that their

word was real, and they expected mine to be the same.

Follow through is not always easy. I am sure you have all had

times where it would just be simpler, more convenient and

definitely more peaceful for everyone if you let your child

off the hook and gave in to what they want. You might tell

yourself that it’s only a small thing, that in the end it doesn’t

really matter. But the more you let the small things slide, the

harder it is to enforce the rules and boundaries when it

comes to the big things. I am not talking about coming down

like a ton of bricks on your child for every single thing they

do, but I am talking about making sure that the boundaries

and limits you do set are firmly enforced. Being firm but fair

with your boundaries provide your children, and the whole

family with great security

From the Year 3KM Class

(Mrs Kruger/Moseley)

During the last half of the term, the Year 3’s have

been investigating the concepts of functions,

connection and responsibility by using the human

body as our knowledge vehicle. We found out how

each body system works and how they connect to

each other.

We even made little version of ourselves to show

our learning. During fitness time we have talked

about our responsibilities to look after our body

systems so we have been doing skipping to increase

our fitness.