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Prospectus

Since the opening of LORDS in 2012, I continue to be in awe of the incredible collaboration between our families and staff. It is this collaboration and the recognition of the partnership between home and school which continues to serve each and every one of our students so well throughout their educational journey.

Whether you are looking at Prep or even our kindy program with LORDS Little Wonders, considering the start of secondary school, moving into the area or looking for a change of school, I welcome your enquiry and trust we can answer all your questions.

Choosing a school is a big decision, and it is one with which we are honoured to help you. Please feel welcome to meet with us and share your story. LORDS certainly has plenty to offer and we are eager to explore a possible future at our school for your family.

We encourage all our students, staff and members of our community to explore questions that allow them to consider how they can make a positive difference to the world. We refer to these questions as the LORDS Big 3:

• What would you like to create?

• What problems would you like to solve?

• How would you like to serve?

Through exploring these questions our students are developing skills to ensure they can contribute to community and the world of work and vocation in a meaningful manner. We refer to these attributes in our LORDS Learner Profile, which include the following: Social/ Environmental Learner, Independent Learner, Effective Communicator, Quality Producer, Creative / Critical Thinker, Collaborative Learner and Community Contributor.

We offer strong supportive pastoral care for all Year levels within a Lutheran ethos of values- based education. Service Learning is integral to our sense of who we are and we work alongside many community organisations in the areas of aged care, homelessness, inclusivity and the environment. Students learn how they can make a difference both locally and globally.

The performing and visual arts are integral to a holistic education and our students have many opportunities to display their work and perform within our school community and beyond including our school musical (held every two years) and our Arts Festival (held in the alternate year).

Sport also plays a big part in our ethos with many opportunities for recreational and competitive activities at all levels.

Spiritually, we encourage our students to develop a strong understanding and connection to their faith with Christian Studies compulsory from Prep through to Year 12. Regular chapels are held each week with whole school services held throughout the year.

Thank you for taking the time to consider LORDS. Please feel welcome to contact us with any questions about how a LORDS education will best suit your child.

Jodie HoffPrincipal

Welcome to LORDS

LORDS is a co-educational K-12 School that focuses on learning and students reaching their potential in a Christ-Centred environment.

Our vision is for a community that focuses on:• Learning for life• Serving with hands, head and heart• Developing relationships with God, others and self

Our Vision

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Pastoral care is a key part of the LORDS culture. We acknowledge that the world is not perfect and at times, relationships may become damaged or broken. While it is important to teach and model building positive relationships, it is equally important to rebuild broken or damaged relationships in a peaceful and respectful manner. Through Restorative Practices, our staff work with students as required to learn how to resolve and deal with conflict to repair, rebuild and restore relationships enabling all to move forward with dignity.

Pastoral care is continually delivered via our Class and Pastoral Care (PC) teachers with

support from our leadership team including our Junior School Coordinator, Junior School Pastoral Care Coordinator, Middle & Senior School Pastoral Care Coordinator, School Chaplain, School Counsellor and Principal.

In the Middle and Senior Schools, students have pastoral care most mornings of the week during which their PC teachers facilitate a range of activities including circle time, buddy sessions with younger classes, devotions and reflections, as well as helping students develop their time management, organisation, personal and study skills.

Pastoral Care

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FacilitiesAs a young school, LORDS has an exciting building program which mirrors our growing enrolment numbers. Our spacious learning environments are air-conditioned and our classrooms are fitted with large screen Apple touch TVs along with Agile Learning furniture to create and sustain classrooms that encourage growth mindsets and support Project Based Learning.

Our campus includes specialty learning environments for hospitality, textiles, design technology, music, visual arts and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) as well as sporting facilities including outdoor courts, covered basketball/netball court, circuit training equipment (an outdoor gym) and a very large sports oval.

Transport ServiceLORDS offers a private bus service with a number of buses providing school transportation from surrounding areas.

As a neighbouring property to Queensland Rail’s Ormeau Station, LORDS has a secure gate system providing students with direct access to the train platforms servicing the Gold Coast line.

Outside School Hours CareLORDS offers Outside School Hours Care both before and after school on site as well as Vacation Care programs during school holidays. Hours are from 6:30am – 6:00pm week days.

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Kindergarten LORDS Little Wonders Kindergarten

The LORDS journey can start as young as 4years of age at our dedicated five-day fortnight kindergarten program, LORDS Little Wonders.

Here, within a beautiful secure environment, children experience growth through play and encounters with nature as well as through many facets of experiences in learning. These challenges and adventures form the basis on which leadership, opportunities, respect, diligence and service will grow during their schooling years.

Recently, LORDS Little Wonders was rated Exceeding by the National Quality Standards (NQS) for going above and beyond what is expected at the NQS level.

LORDS Little Wonders provides:

• Participation in a quality early learning education program delivered by a qualified teacher

• A smooth transition to the Prep environment

• A focus on developing students’ innate creativity and curiosity in a wide range of rich learning environments

• An early learning focussed outdoor environment to enhance opportunities for gross and fine motor skills development

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From the very start, life at LORDS is an engaging, fun-filled educational journey, where academics are held in high regards alongside social and emotional development within a purposeful Agile Learning environment.

Specialist lessons in Japanese, music and physical education start in Prep and continue throughout the primary years alongside English, maths and STEM (Science, technology, engineering and maths) as well as studies of society and environment.

In addition to the academic curriculum, students can join a number of choirs and ensembles, a junior school musical (every two years) and a Junior School Band program.

Junior School students have the opportunity to participate in an inter-school sports competition (Year 4-6).

A weekly Homework Club is available for Years 1 to 6 after school and there are a number of co-curricular clubs and sporting opportunities for our students.

Lunchtime ‘just for fun’ clubs provide additional recreational activities during the day with story telling, pavement art, skipping, gardening, Uno, construction and chess to name just a few.

Social and emotional development is underpinned by our Play Is The Way (PITW) program in which students are encouraged to develop the skills necessary to make strong choices about behaviour and interactions with others.

LORDS follows the Australian Curriculum and uses a framework from Lutheran Education Australia for the teaching of Christian Studies.

Junior SchoolOur Junior School encompasses Years Prep to 6

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Prep YearPrep is the first formal year in the continuum of lifelong education and our approach to teaching this Year level is the holistic development of the learner – spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically.

Therefore, our curriculum endeavours to cater for different learning styles and offers a variety of experiences to develop each child as a lifelong learner.

The Prep Program also fosters the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes, which will assist in further learning.

LORDS applies the Australian Curriculum as the basis for our learning and teaching program while assisting each child in making a smooth transition to school life. This is achieved through co-operative learning in the classroom, providing a feeling of security away from the home environment and familiarisation with routines, physical amenities and membership of the wider school environment.

In Prep, specialty lessons in physical education, music and Japanese are introduced. A swimming program runs for students during Term 4.

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Middle and Senior Schools (Years 7 to 12)Agile learning is again an important focus within our learning spaces in our secondary school and encourages our students to further develop a growth mindset and engage in enquiry-based learning.

LORDS follows the Australian Curriculum and uses the Christian Studies framework developed by Lutheran Education Australia.

Students are welcome to receive extra support for specific subjects through planned tutorials and study hall opportunities during break times.

Service Learning is integral to a LORDS education and through Years 7 to 12 there are many opportunities for our students to engage and learn about needs within our local and global communities and work on ways in which we can address those needs.

Our co-curricular program continues to expand and includes opportunities for participation in choirs, ensembles, bi-annual school musical, dance, visual art, Kokoda Challenge, soccer, netball, debating, public speaking, chess, stargazers club, robotics and STEM.

LORDS is part of the AGCC sports program which includes other Gold Coast secondary schools participating in round robin teams competition on a weekly basis in sports such as soccer, futsal, basketball, netball and volleyball.

Across both Middle and Senior Schools, each student receives their own locker and must bring their own laptop under our BYOD program.

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Middle SchoolOur Middle School encompasses Years 7 to 9 In Year 7, our main focus is on helping students transition to a secondary school mindset. Instead of expecting these new high schoolers to jump straight in at the deep end, we gradually introduce them to their new learning environment.

Year 7 students are taught by two key teachers in addition to specialty subject teachers and complete a core curriculum which runs throughout the year. These key teachers work with students to help them begin more regular study and homework (a key proficiency in secondary school), as well as support students in thinking and operating in a way which will help them to succeed in the secondary context.

Year 7 students also complete a series of ‘rotations’ allowing them to experience eight additional subjects which gives them a taste of new subjects they may not have studied before. This enables them to make more informed decisions when choosing electives in Years 8 and 9.

Students in Years 8 and 9 continue with a core curriculum but are also able to choose electives from two lines, which run for one semester each. The elective subjects allow students to lay the foundation for further senior school study by completing multiple units in one discipline, or to ‘try out’ various subjects to find out if they would like to continue them in senior secondary years. Some students take on certain electives, such as textiles or hospitality, to learn important life skills.

Electives are available across a robust array of subjects including Business Studies, Drama, Visual Art, Graphics, Japanese, Psychology, Robotics & Coding, STEM, Independent Investigation Units, Hospitality, HPE, Legal Studies and Music.

In Year 9, students also have opportunity to start conversations about their possible senior and post-secondary pathways. While it is ‘early days’ still, it is important that Year 9s understand they will be choosing subjects in Year 10 that will prepare them for their senior studies and beyond. At this level we open up conversations about the ATAR system, vocational pathways, including VET studies and school-based apprenticeships and traineeships, and other blended options.

The main philosophy at LORDS is to keep as many future study and career options open to each student for as long as possible.

During these years, the brain embarks on a stage of phenomenal growth creating the need for families and educators to work together with an emphasis on students’ emotional and social growth to enable them opportunity to achieve academically. As such, the need to walk alongside our students collaboratively with their families and support them through their social and emotional growth is every bit as important as encouraging them to do well in their studies.

Senior SchoolOur Senior School encompasses Years 10 to 12

Our Senior School students continue to build on the foundations of Middle School and start to choose electives which will provide them with their post-school pathways whether that be vocationally orientated or tertiary studies.

Considered consultation is held with each and every student with senior staff and our pathways advisor to ensure their final years at LORDS provide the best options for their future beyond our gates. With smaller cohorts and exceptional staff/student ratios, LORDS provides a strong and supportive academic focus.

Senior School students have opportunity to engage in leadership roles and are encouraged to continue contributing to their school and local community, as well as engage in sports to provide a holistic and balanced education.

In addition to required subject offerings such as

English and mathematics, LORDS also offers a variety of general subjects in disciplines including science, performing and visual arts, Japanese, business, humanities, physical education, design and engineering, as well as applied and vocational choices in English, mathematics, hospitality, industrial technology, sport and recreation, arts and religion and ethics. Students can also complete certificate or diploma studies or engage in school-based traineeships and apprenticeships alongside their school subjects.

This broad subject offering provides our students with the flexibility to pursue either an academic pathway through the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), vocational pathways or a blend of both. All students graduating from LORDS are encouraged to complete their Queensland Certificate of Education awarded by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA).

68 Mirambeena Drive, Pimpama, QLD 4209Phone: (07) 5540 8888Info@lords.qld.edu.auwww.lords.qld.edu.au

Lutheran Ormeau Rivers District School (LORDS)