Secondary Years, Tarneit

Goodness and Mercy

'Goodness' is one of the fruits which God's Spirit places in all of us, and like all virtues, needs to be nurtured and grown within us. Psalm 23, which begins with "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want", gives us an insight into what living with goodness might look like. In the middle of Psalm 23, we are told that our souls will be refreshed by the Lord who guides us along the right paths. The last verse of this psalm concludes with: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." A life filled with goodness refers to a lifestyle characterised by integrity and helpfulness, a life with high moral standards.

This week I spoke to the Year 10 girls about living a good life, acting with integrity, and being the best versions of ourselves by always striving to do the right thing. Schools, like any community, can only be "good" places when all members of the community pull together for the greater good of everyone. In other words, we are only as good as our weakest link.

So how can our students make sure they are not the "weakest link" (displaying 'Goodness', doing the right thing):

Come to school prepared
Arrive on time (classes start at 8.50, therefore students should be at school by 8.45 am every day)
Make sure iPads are charged at home the night before
Ensure you have completed your homework the night before
Wear uniform correctly (as per uniform guidelines)
Blazers and ties worn to and from school
No makeup or jewellery, and every male clean shaven
Sports uniform should only be worn on PE days
Follow teacher instructions respectfully
Accept uniform reminders graciously
Demonstrate manners in all interactions with each other
Remember to say "please" and "thank you"
Holding doors open for others, waiting your turn
Being kind to one another
Forgive each other when someone has been hurt
Take pride in oneself and one's community

As the psalmist says: "Goodness and mercy with follow us all the days of our life" when we follow God's guidelines which apply to all of us at all times.

Joanne Wegener

Head of Secondary

Future Wyndham Workshop

On Wednesday 21 August, six members of the SLC team visited the council chambers of Wyndham City Council to participate in Future Wyndham, Voice of Young People Workshop. At this event the students examined the current 2040 vision for Wyndham and contributed their ideas to what should be the priorities for Wyndham as we head to 2050.

Students met the mayor and worked with students from other local schools. The event gave insights into the work of local government, and the power of youth voice in identifying needs for the future.

The GNLC students identified the following three priorities for Wyndham:

Wellbeing and Safety
Education and Employment
Transportation and Facilities

Students had the opportunity to present their proposals to the mayor for consideration.

Joanne Wegener

Head of Secondary

Year 7 Dragsters

Year 7 students wanted to share some incredible dragsters from our science and technology classes! Our students have embarked on an exciting project to design and build their very own dragsters. This hands-on experience is teaching them about the fascinating world of physics and engineering in a fun and interactive way.

The students are learning how to create their dragsters to be as fast and efficient as possible. They are discovering key concepts like aerodynamics, drag, friction, and mass - each playing a crucial role in the performance of their dragsters.

This project is not only teaching students valuable science and engineering principles but also fostering teamwork and problem-solving skills. They’re working in groups, brainstorming ideas, testing prototypes, and tweaking their designs based on what they learn.

Thank you for supporting our junior scientists and engineers.

Richard Rocek

Technology Teacher

Year 9 NAPLAN Certificates

In March students across the country sat NAPLAN tests and earlier this term results were sent home to parents. NAPLAN results are used to help determine effectiveness of our teaching programs and to inform strategies at a whole school, class and individual level.

After reviewing the results from Good News Lutheran College, we are thrilled to see significant learning growth across our students, with 57% of all our Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students achieving at least one score of 'exceeding' placing them in the top band of NAPLAN results.

The Victorian Government present Certificates of Achievement to Year 9 students, recognising excellence of students who achieved a result in the top band for Reading or Numeracy, or both. Today in our Secondary Years Assembly we presented these certificates to our Year 9 students with over 40 students among the recipients. Congratulations to all of the students for their efforts in the NAPLAN test.

Tracy Williams

Head of Learning

Term 3 Parent Support Series

A reminder that Elevate Education offers Free Parent Webinars that are designed to help parents support their child's studies at home.

The Term 3 webinars are listed below:

4 September 6.30pm: How to help your child improve their note taking
18 September 6.30pm: How you can support your child during exams

Joanne Wegener

Head of Secondary