In my last newsletter article, I mentioned the prospect of some warmer, drier weather. Despite Spring ‘officially’ commencing its season on 1 September, we have still needed our wet weather gear, and resolve to stay warm. Some impact to our scheduled outdoor activities has resulted from the inclement weather; however, despite this, our students and staff have managed, re-scheduled and embraced the changes positively, demonstrating their flexibility and resilience.

College tours continue to thrive, with students and staff participating in sharing ‘our LJBC story’ with prospective families. Word of mouth is often cited as the reason families consider bringing their children to our College, which is a testament to the positive experiences shared by existing members of our community.

Our Primary students have enjoyed a range of activities from Book Week to Languages Week. Our Year 4s began the first of their AQWA sleepover camps and the Year 6s headed off to camp in the Swan Valley. The Year 1 classes visited Joondalup Library, during which a copy of our 30^th Anniversary History Book A Bright Light was presented to the Library on behalf of the College to contribute to the history of the City, and so that others can enjoy learning about our journey. We received the following note of thanks from the Library:

Dear Mr Sonneman-Smith

A short note to thank you so much for the kind donation of a copy of your recently released A Bright Light - thirty years of Lake Joondalup Baptist College 1991 - 2020.

Congratulations to you all on the exceptional work you have undertaken and the most beautiful book you have created.

Please be assured that we will be delighted to include it in our Local History collection and we look forward to sharing it with the general public as soon as possible.

One of the highlights for students this past week was inviting Dad’s to enjoy a Fathers’ Day breakfast and activities. In the Primary school they enjoyed a range of activities and a Bacon and Egg Roll, while in the Secondary school Father’s Day was also celebrated in the Technologies Café area, where a large crowd of Dads were served by our Foods and Hospitality students.

In sports, Year 3-6 students participated in their pre-athletic carnival events, and on 31 August, with a timely ‘break in the weather’, students and staff enjoyed participating in the annual Lapathon to raise funds for the House of Hope – Africa. Great sounds of enjoyment were heard from the Eastern Oval!

As our Year 12 students move closer to the conclusion of their school journey, the balance between work and play is important. The annual Grad Slam of sporting events with staff v students has again created a healthy, competitive spirit of participation, support and celebration. On behalf of the staff I congratulate the students who have done what no other group have been able to accomplish, winning the “Grad Slam” with a thrilling victory in the Rugby to seal the cup.

The Library has extended hours to provide Year 12 students with additional study session opportunities, with staff supporting them as they complete their final few weeks ahead of the exam period.

Our Author-in-Residence, Norman Jorgensen joined us in the Secondary Library for a week, engaging with the Year 7, 8 and 9 cohorts and sharing his love of books, especially history, with most of his stories located in Western Australia.

Students and staff have been busy preparing for Create, including the Visual Arts exhibition, and the Primary Learning Journey which are coming up soon. Don’t miss these opportunities to share in these celebrations of student works and performances across The Arts Learning area.

Our upcoming PCA Networking Breakfast on Friday 15 October 7-8.15am in the Sports Centre, for Parents and Collegians and senior secondary students, provides a great opportunity to consider networking with others in our communities, and for those students who may be considering careers or work experience. This is a great chance to meet those in our community who might give advice and direction. If you are a parent looking for ways to connect to others in the College, this is always a wonderful event.

This week the LJ@home learning plans have been sent to all parents as part of preparation and school readiness before the Term 3 holidays, should the College ever need to shut down. These plans have been updated and reflect lessons learned both as a school community and lessons learned nationally and internationally. Our curriculum teams in both the Primary and Secondary schools are here to assist with any concerns or questions you might have.

We regularly reflect on our mission and motto to Seek Wisdom, Act Justly, Love Mercy and to live by our values of Kindness, Fairness and Respect, and to ask ourselves what it means to us and our College Community. It is wonderful to witness the evidence of this as we see students, staff and the wider community sharing and supporting each other to reflect this purpose out into the community. This week our Secondary Chaplaincy team highlighted “RU OK” day and later in the term the Year 12 Student Council will bring awareness to mental health through the Black Dog Institute awareness day. These strong, student led initiatives demonstrate the wonderful qualities and hope present in our young people, in whom we can all be proud.

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden”

Matthew 5:14 (NLT)

God Bless

Paul Sonneman-Smith

College Principal