Inside this Issue - Redeemer Lutheran College

From the PrincipalChange with ConfidenceA quick trip through Redeemer’sthree decades of history reveals thatthe college has had three principals,seven Chairs of College Council andhas evolved from a high school downthrough a Middle and Junior schoolto become the well-respected Prep toYear 12 College that it is today. Overthe past twelve years in particular,Redeemer has changed and grownsignificantly. Apart from the obvious facilities and programs thatthis heritage has handed down, the greatest legacy from ourpast is a firm adherence to our values and mission. It is indeedRedeemer’s values and mission that have provided the basis onwhich change has been managed and built and this continuesin the present and will do so into the foreseeable future of theCollege. Redeemer’s past therefore has gifted to the Collegetoday a foundation of hope and confidence for embracingfuture challenges, both those that are known and those yet tobe discovered.Redeemer’s steady growth over the past five years, stemmingfrom the establishment of the Junior School, continues unabatedand is a situation for which we should feel truly blest. Thechallenges of managing this growth have been added to byState and Federal Government initiatives such as ‘Year Seveninto High School’ and ‘Australian Curriculum,’ to name butonly two. Such changes necessitate a review of how Redeemeroperates its sub-schools, both academically and in terms ofpastoral care structures and programs. Such a review will notalter Redeemer’s commitment to maintaining at least threesub-schools, and programs that best serve the changing familyand social needs of the Redeemer community. In order to assistwith managing these changes, 2011 is a strategic planning yearat Redeemer and I expect that while this process will commencein earnest very shortly, it may flow over into 2012 before theplan in its entirety can be polished to the satisfaction of CollegeExecutive and Redeemer College Council.“Over the past twelve years inparticular, Redeemer has changed andgrown significantly.”At the end of last year and again at the end of this firstSemester, Redeemer has farewelled some very long servingstaff in Sandra and Bruce Vickers and Mr Paul Constantine.The Vickers and Mr Constantine have each served Redeemerin excess of twenty years and have done so with distinction,clearly seen in their professionalism, loyalty to the College andgenuine care for students and their colleagues. Staff retirementssuch as these, highlight the stability of the past and throwout a challenge to continue to provide excellence of teachingand stability for the future. This year’s significant change inleadership personnel, and after sixteen years the change ofOutdoor Education provider from Concordia Lutheran College(camp Ballon) to Higher Ground (camp Tuchekoi) are examplesof how Redeemer is identifying and embracing its community’sneeds in planning for change. In these decisions Redeemercontinues to commit itself to its goals of providing opportunitiesfor students to be well equipped for life-long learning, have thefoundation that they need to responsibly and creatively servetheir work and wider community, while also growing a desireto serve their family, fellow human beings and their God. Wecontinue to deliberately build on the strengths of the past, whilerecognising that as events and needs around us change we needto find ways to grow so that Redeemer remains relevant to thosewhom it serves.Redeemer is blest by the fact that its College Council for overthree decades has made leadership and policy decisions thatare focused on actioning the values and mission of the College.Such a focus is beyond individuals, it provides great confidenceon which managed growth can be planned.Mr David RadkePrincipalRedeemer Lutheran College | Our Hope is in Christ745 Rochedale Road Rochedale Queensland 4123 | PO Box 6090 Upper Mount Gravatt Queensland 4122Telephone 07 3340 8888 | Facsimile 07 3340 8800 | mail@redeemer.com.au | www.redeemer.com.auwww.facebook.com/RedeemerLutheranCollege | www.twitter.com/RedeemerCollegeA school of the Lutheran Church of Australia Queensland District ARBN 051 602 996 | CRICOS Provider Code 00668M | ABN 40 618 603 690Redeemer Record is a publication of Redeemer Lutheran College © 2011 | Editor: Mr Julian Schubert | Contributions: record@redeemer.com.au2Cover photo: Cast members from the 2011 production of Bugsy Malone The Musical: Luke Borgert, Year 11 (Dandy Dan);Savina Simatovic, Year 11 (Blousey Brown); Jessica Collins, Year 12 (Tallulah); Cameron Walker, Year 12 (Bugsy Malone); Kate Lawson, Year 10 (Fat Sam)