News
Year 11 Camp
Students from our school recently undertook an education tour of the national capital. Students were be given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage, and democracy.
In the warmer days of Term 1, 52 excited year 11 students and 7 courageous LCS staff including Mr Black, Mr Spaulding, Mr Bredenhof, Mrs Goelst, Mrs Reid, Mrs Barracu and Mrs Beattie, got up well before the sun rose and boarded a flight to our country’s capital via Melbourne for four days of intensive cultural and social experiences. Upon reaching Canberra, students (plus their luggage!) boarded our hire coach for the week and were driven to their accommodation on the outskirts of Canberra at Leumeah Lodge. After expressing a desire to visit the KFC directly next door, which was denied at this time, students moved into their allocated rooms, unpacked and, after lunch and finally being able to visit our ‘second’ dining room, changed from their travel attire into their school uniform to undertake the first of our civic visits, by jumping back on the bus and travelling into the political centre of our nation to MOAD at Old Parliament House. During this time, students got see the inner offices of our former Prime Ministers, and their staff, with the technology of the time still sitting on desks, including the obligatory ash tray that no one under 40 was able to identify. There was also an exhibit of political cartoons from the last year on display and we all had the opportunity to try our hand at out artistic best to recreate a newsworthy event of our own from 2023. Following this visit, and the experience of the changeable Canberra weather, we returned to the Lodge, for some downtime and dinner, before venturing back out into the night life of Canberra, swarming onto the local min-golf course where there was much laughter but not many (verified) holes in ones! After whacking coloured balls with sticks, we returned to the Lodge for a well-deserved rest.
After an early start day 1, many were hoping for a sleep-in day 2, but alas, we needed to be up and moving early to make our way to (New) Parliament House. The students were expertly guided through the building and informed on the various features of not only the building, but of how our system of government works, including the opportunity to hear some of our representatives in action in the House of Representatives, sharing their thoughts on the Cost of Living debate before the House. We also had the opportunity to hear from and ask questions to 2 of our own representatives, Senator Wendy Askew and Bridget Archer, who were both quite informative and open to any question, even those about their wages. From there, we made our way under guidance of our coach driver, to a local park before hitting up a DFO for some time shopping and supplementing what had already been provided for lunch. After this short break, we then made our way to the Australian War Memorial which was a solemn occasion. The students heard many stories while visiting different displays of the gallantry of the men and women who have served our country in the military forces and also had the privilege in witnessing the daily Last Post ceremony as well as two students being involved in the laying of a wreath to commemorate those who had served. After a full day out on the road, we made our way back to the Lodge where dinner was enjoyed (at the lodge as well at the second dining room) before a quieter night of activities with many heading off to bed early in the hope to catch up on sleep.
Our third day started off a little bit more relaxed, though a faux pas by Mr Black had the students prepared to jump on the bus about 30 minutes too early! For today, with the civics experiences completed, students slipped into free dress, and we made our way to ANU. The guides there offered great insight to not only life at ANU, but at university altogether and many students (plus possibly some staff) started thinking about the academic journey they are on and what might be the next step. An eye-opener to our students was that ANU is its own self-contained city with all the amenities you could imagine and is stretched out over a campus 11 time the size of LCS (and some think we are spread out!) and that is just a 5-minute walk to the centre of Canberra. After an engaging time with some hands-on experiences in the Science Department, we boarded the bus again for lunch at a local park and a tour of the Embassy area of Canberra with a detour past Government house, before arriving at the AIS. Students were again amazed by the facilities avail for our peak athletes and may have even witnessed one or two future Olympians in training. Students also got another chance to get involved in some hands-on activities across various sporting disciplines as diverse as downhill skiing to basketball shoot arounds. After a long day out and about, we finished off by heading to Canberra Central. Students were given an amount to spend on their own dinners and enjoyed the opportunity to hang out in smaller groups while exploring the shopping centre. When budgets were and leg were exhausted, we loaded back onto the coach and returned to the lodge to hear the third in our series of nightly devotions, before heading of to our rooms to pack, ready for a day of travel on Friday to make our way home.
As stated previously, Friday was a day of travel. After breakfast, we loaded up onto the coach and made our way to Sydney with a brief stop in Berrima for a snack. Once we arrived in Sydney, it was straight into check-in with a short wait for our flight to home to Launceston. Much to Mr Black’s relief, we returned 52 students, plus their luggage, to their parents where they went home for a well-deserved rest after a memorable time away.
We would like to thank the Australian Government for their support of this programme.
The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist the school in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding of $300 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion.
Year 12 Camp
Accompanied by an amazing bunch of young adults and an enthusiastic team of teachers, we headed off on Tuesday morning, 13th of February on a trip to discover more about our nearest mainland city, Melbourne.
The following 3 days were spent exploring some of the local tourist attractions, such as Melbourne’s Skydeck and the Yarra River via a walk and a river cruise. We were privileged to be able to include a quick visit to the Melbourne Museum to see Titanic memorabilia at the Titanic: The Artefact Exhibition followed by an IMAX movie.
An important part of our trip was to consider study opportunities, and having visited UTAS earlier in the week, we had an opportunity to visit the Holmesglen’s TAFE facilities, the University of Melbourne, RMIT, and Monash University.
Our brief time together included enriching daily devotions by Mr Kent, that had us thinking about Joy verses happiness and making life decisions that are grounded in faith. There were also many opportunities to get to know each other better and build community through participation in fun activities such as ice skating, joining in an ‘Amazing Race’ experience around the city, organised by Urban Quest and of course indulging in some “necessary” shopping.
Much of the emphasis, besides having a great time as a group of Year 12’s, was learning to be more independent and responsible. This included navigating around the city via public transport. A few got a little lost at the start, but it didn’t take too long before we all started getting much better at juggling the many variables to ensure we could all return home on Friday afternoon.
Finally, none of this would be possible without the supportive group of teachers. A big shout out to all the staff involved, Mrs Gunn, Mrs Jansen, Mr Kent, Mr Morgan, Mr Stewart, and Mrs Lake, for all their hard work and dedication to our students.
Secondary Athletics Carnival
What an awesome day on the track for our Secondary School last Friday. Students, staff and parents enjoyed beautiful weather at St Leonard's Athletics Complex.
It was a great atmosphere, with the year 12 student band setting the background to the races and events, and we were blessed to have Bloom coffee van join us for the day. It was lovely so see such great sportsmanship and high participation from students, too.
Melaleuca have done it again! Retaining the title for another year. Congratulations!
A big thank you goes to Mr Bosker, our parent volunteers, and staff who made this event possible.
Curious Minds
Last year, Secondary School students Esther and Elizabeth were part of a STEM program for girls called Curious Minds.
This program was created with the intention of providing opportunities to students who live in remote locations with the ability, knowledge and power to dive into the world of STEM.
In a fun and supportive environment, the students grew in confidence and ability whilst expanding their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and their scientific networks.
What an amazing opportunity for Esther and Elizabeth!
Subject Spotlight: 11/12 Psychology
Check out these fun snaps from Mr Hill's TASC Psychology class. Students are learning about random-stratified sampling as part of their psychological research module. They got to eat them once they were done!
Student Spotlight
CELEMENTE REYES
Managing-Director of Barratt's Music (Launceston) Mr. Mark Barratt presented the Barratt's Music Awards to three musicians chosen on the basis of their outstanding 2023 SCSM examination results. Congratulations to Year 12 student, Clemente Reyes on receiving an incredible100% for Grade 5 Contemporary Guitar.
RILEY POWELL & ELLIOT JORDAN-GOSSAGE
Secondary School students Riley Powell and Elliot Jordan-Gossage represented Tasmania in the U15 boys and girls teams at the 2024 Southern Cross Challenge in January in Victoria. The tournament brings together the brightest talent to compete against each other for the coveted perpetual trophy. The 2024 tournament saw teams from, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, and Queensland compete across four days at our newly developed home of Victorian basketball at the State Basketball Centre. What an amazing experience.
Photo & Information courtesy of Basketball Victoria
Welcome, Jensen Catton
Congratulations to our ICT Technician Josh Catton, and his wife Jennifer, on the safe arrival of Jensen. We are so pleased to hear that Jensen is doing well and are excited for big brother and sister Jotham and Jiana as they celebrate having a new sibling. We thank the Lord for being with the family during this time, and continue to pray for them as they settle in to being a family of 5.
Foster Carers Needed
This week some of our staff stumbled across some tiny stray kitties! We are thankful that Just Cats Tasmania agreed to take these adorable creatures, even though they are at full capacity, and encourage any families who would like to adopt a kitty to check out all the available animals they currently have at:
Adopt a Cat / Kitten — Just Cats Tasmania
With the high number of cats, Just Cats are also looking for new foster homes. If you would like more information on how you can be a carer please head to:
Mt Hotham Ski Trip
From the Office
Thank you for being proactive in updating your children’s details in Parent Lounge. We appreciate your valuable partnership. Having information about your child’s most recent swimming level, carnival permission, medical details and emergency contacts are essential for successful and safe camps, carnivals and excursions.
We’ve had a number of queries about how to update a student’s emergency contacts on the system. This is done under Parent Details which then gets fed through to the student’s details. Please find a step-by-step guide to do this here if you have not already completed this step.
Outside School Hours Care - LCS Campus
In partnership with Hope Discovery, we are delighted to offer Launceston Christian School families after school care in 2024.
We understand the pressures and demands families face as they schedule work commitments around schooling.
Hope Discovery is taking enrolments to host after school hours care on LCS premises now, and sessions will begin on Monday the 5th of February, 3.15-6pm, for LCS students aged 4-12.Contact oshc@door-of-hope.org or call 03 6343 4614 for information about pricing and to enrol students. Details in the attached flier.
Bottles Needed for Food Tech Classes
Hi everyone – we have been incredibly blessed with fresh produce coming in for our students to preserve – thank you.
However, with lots of preservation comes a need for bottles, particularly sauce ones.
If you have any spare glass sauce or cordial bottles at home we would love to put them to good use. They can be any size, and the tall passata bottles are great too. You can give them to one of us or drop off at the office or kitchen.
Thank you, Michelle and Michelle
Itinerant Music Teachers 2024
LCS has a number of instrument teachers who take students for individual lessons at school during school hours. This is an excellent way to learn an instrument and can help students make much faster progress on their instrument. It is recommended that student’s seriously contemplating studying music from grades 9 onwards definitely consider having some private instrument tuition to further their overall music advancement. Any student in grades 5 – 8 who are serious about starting an instrument should also have lessons in order to learn crucial proper technique early in their playing life.
Students continuing lessons from last year will be individually contacted by their teachers to organise lessons for the year.
If you would like your child to start having lessons this year please email Mr Stewart (stewartp@lcs.tas.edu.au ) and include the following details;
Students name:
Class:
Instrument to have lessons on:
Contact phone number:
Your contact details (phone and email)
This will be passed on to a relevant teacher who will contact you for further details.
We currently have teachers available for the following instruments:
Piano/keyboard
Clarinet/saxophone and Flute
Guitar
Bass
Brass (trumpet etc)
Voice
Drums
Follow LCS on Instagram
LCS is excited to launch our official Instagram account! Please give us a follow:
https://www.instagram.com/launcestonchristianschool/
Parking @ LCS
Please make yourself familiar with our policy above, but here are some key details around parking @ LCS:
- The turning circle cannot be used for any dropping off or picking up of students before or after school.
- At all times, West Tamar Highway or Windsor Park must be used for the purpose of picking students up from and dropping them off for school.
My Christian School
CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS ARE different.
Our students go into the world with Christian hope in their hearts. A new generation of Aussies who love to volunteer, to serve their communities and to build strong families.
At the heart of this difference is the living Christian faith of teachers and staff. People whose lives model the grace and love of Christ. However, proposals from the Australian Law Reform Commission threaten to change this. Hiring a teacher or staff member at a Christian school because they are actually a Christian may soon be seen as discrimination.
My Christian School is for Australians who believe in this difference.
Together, we can preserve this precious difference for future generations.
Subscribe to show your support and stay informed: www.mychristianschool.au
2024 Tuition Fees are now due
Fee notices were emailed to parents before students commenced, with payment due by the end of February. If you haven’t already done so, please pay your family’s fees by BPay or to the School office. If you would like to pay in instalments and haven’t already arranged a Direct Debit or other payment plan, please contact Jenny at SchoolFees@lcs.tas.edu.au.
Uniform Shop Hours
Monday to Friday
8:30 am - 9:30 am
Wednesday
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
If you have any inquiries regarding uniforms, please get in touch with our Uniform Coordinator, Anne Rixon, at 0400573902
A REMINDER: LCS Uniform Policy - Shoes
Designated sports shoes only
LCS Volunteer Application Form
At LCS, we believe in the importance of fostering a positive, supportive community. We believe that parents and community members are essential partners in achieving this goal, and we would like to invite you to consider volunteering at LCS. We welcome your involvement if you have a specific skill or talent to share or simply want to lend a helping hand.
If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out the form below and return it to the Office/email it to kibbelm@lcs.tas.edu.au together with the required documentation.
Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to seeing you.