School Ethos

Mission
St John’s Lutheran School / Concordia College exists to provide a vibrant and challenging education for all our students within a caring, supportive community and seeks to foster in them a living relationship with Jesus Christ.

Vision
Sharing Jesus' Love, Learning as we Grow.

To be a leader in Christian Education St John’s Lutheran School / Concordia College will:

•  embody and engender a passion for learning and service
•  emphasize the vital importance of personal relationships in all aspects of life
•  provide a safe, supportive environment within which the well being of students will flourish
•  provide opportunities to encounter God and celebrate his love for us
•  model servant leadership
•  be an innovative learning community that practises continuous research, reflection and development
•  value, nurture and extend the unique abilities of all students
• reach out to students and their families with the love of Jesus
•  work in a spirit of open cooperation with all our community partners to build unity and trust to achieve positive outcomes
• empower students to be caring, resilient individuals who value social justice and who seek to improve the world

Purpose
St John's Lutheran School Highgate, established by St John's Lutheran Unley Congregation, supports parents in their God-given responsibility of providing a Christian education for children of St John's Lutheran Unley Congregation and members of the community.

A Christian education is a total education that develops the whole child in body, mind and soul. The school's objective therefore, is to establish a safe, caring and happy learning environment in which the child can:

• grow in faith and love of their Saviour
• know that they were created with special gifts and talents to develop, enjoy and use to God's glory and the benefit of others
• develop co-operation and group skills of sharing, leading and supporting to maximise their learning
• accept responsibility, use initiative, creative thought and action
• feel confident and develop skills to solve problems
• strive for excellence and work conscientiously towards their full potential in all areas of the curriculum
• learn to set goals and evaluate their progress
• be open to change and be able to discriminate for learning.

History
St John's Lutheran School Highgate was established by St John's Lutheran Unley Congregation in 1952 to support parents in providing a Christian education for the children of members of the St John's Church community. It began with nineteen students and one teacher. These students were taught in a one classroom building.

In July 1972 the congregation decided to build a completely new school. In Febuary 1973 a new building consisting of an administration block, seven teaching areas, and a resource area was opened.

In 1984 additional accommodation was provided with the building of three more classrooms and an activity centre. The school hall together with art room, music room, special education facilities, and kitchen area were completed in 1987. The hall and adjacent areas, which have recently been extended and refurbished, cater for a range of programmes, including art, drama, choir, physical education, music, science, assembly, chapel, and Out of School Hours Care.

St John's is fully double streamed from Reception to Year 6.