ASA NEWS
July 2019
Photo: Meg Hansen
President’s Message
Have you ever noticed how quickly time passes when you are doing something that you enjoy? The noted Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls this flow: “a state of concentration or complete absorption with the activity at hand and the situation. It is a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter”.
Feature Articles Health and Wellbeing: The High Stakes of being a Principal. . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Work out for Wellness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 A Reconciliation Journey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Sea of Hands for Reconciliation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Students Prepare to Tackle Mental Health. . . . . . 32
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President’s Message Being a Principal is certainly busy and at times all-encompassing, but the rewards are high. You would be ineffective in the role, however, if you allowed your complete attention to be drawn to only one element of your work. There is no doubt, however, that the two years that I have been fortunate enough to be President of ASA have passed very quickly and have given me great joy. So perhaps rather than achieving ‘flow’ I have simply enjoyed the experience of the role. However, just as all good things come to an end, my time as President is up and this will be the final time I write the President’s Report for ASA News. At the Annual General Meeting at the Hobart Conference, I will pass the baton to President Elect, Mrs Judith Tudball; a fabulous educator and most worthy President. In the busy role of Principal and the multiple demands and expectation that go with that, it is sometimes hard to find a good balance in your life. The same can be said for all who work in our schools. Our roles are demanding and it is easy to lose sight of the need to look after ourselves appropriately. Education is a service industry. People who work with children are very good at making sure we meet the needs of those in our care. Looking after others is second nature to those who work in schools. Looking after ourselves often takes a lower priority. What does looking after yourself look like? People often talk about work-life balance, but this does not mean spending equal time at work and at home. There are many elements to consider and they will differ for individuals according to your circumstances. It is probably more appropriate to think about work-life integration, where you aim towards finding harmony between different aspects of your life so that the benefits from each area support and strengthen the others. Exercise, healthy eating, sleep, family time, rest and relaxation are all important non-work elements in achieving harmony. We know the benefits of each and the key role they play in strengthening the others. Sometimes busy people in schools neglect one or more of these. Diet can suffer when people are busy and do not take the time to stop to
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eat healthy food, and exercise is often the first thing to go when the pressure comes on at the busiest time each term. We are all intelligent people, and know what we should be doing, yet we often have trouble putting the theory into practice. Wellbeing is a hot topic at the moment. There are many organisations sending schools details about staff wellbeing programmes and packages. There is plenty of research and survey data telling us about increased stress levels, increased burn out and people leaving education due to anxiety and depression. It would be easy to form an impression that we are not coping in our work, and that things are looking grim for educators, but that is obviously not the case. However, with the current focus on mental health and wellbeing in education, it is perhaps timely for us all to slow down, breathe deeply and consider ways of making our own wellbeing a priority in the coming mid-year break. If we take good care of ourselves, we are far better equipped to look after for those in our care. There is a good reason why the airline safety drills suggest you put your own oxygen mask on first before assisting others. As always, I want to thank all who contribute to this excellent publication. It is a privilege to read about the many wonderful things happening in our schools. Thank you to those who send articles and those who encourage others to do so. Finally, I offer a huge thanks to Aila Dann, our Communications and Community Relations Manager, who spends so long ensuring that ASA News is such a fabulous publication. Best wishes for second half of the year. I look forward to seeing you in Hobart in August. Thank you for your continued support of ASA. Dr Mark Sly President, Anglican Schools Australia Principal, Coomera Anglican College
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CEO’s Column The opportunity of gathering annually ‘in conference’ as Anglican school leaders, governors and pastors is something that lies at our very foundation. That is how we came together in the first place and it is a valued part of our network today. Some would say it is an essential part of Anglican Schools Australia’s purpose. In so many ways, they are right. Our entity has evolved over time. Starting as an informal gathering almost three decades ago, we took the form of the National Anglican Schools Consultative Committee (NASCC). We were formally constituted in 1999 by the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia as the Australian Anglican Schools Network (AASN) until we ‘rebranded’ as Anglican Schools Australia in 2011. From the beginning, at the heart of our mission has been respectful dialogue. On matters of faith, our church is broad, and our memberships reflects that breadth. Yet we have always cherished opportunities to meet, discuss issues of importance to Anglican schooling and fellowship with one another. ASA News provides an opportunity for stories to be shared, for views to be expressed, for the good things happening across Australia in Anglican schools to be aired. This regular publication put together by Aila Dann (our Communications and Community Relations Manager) is significant in promoting the many stories of our schools and people. Facebook is another tool to achieve connections, so I hope you have ‘liked’ ASA on social media! Yet in 2019 with every possible form of electronic communication, nothing beats our annual face-to-face conference. As the President has urged, we hope to see as many colleagues from each state and territory in Tasmania in August. First rate speakers will engage and challenge us without doubt, thanks to the good work of Conference Chair Dr Rob McEwan and his Tasmanian-based Committee. This year, a new feature at the Conference will be the various ‘Student Celebration’ presentations. Student voices from across Australia will be telling their stories in relation to service, a key part of an Anglican school’s mission. The times spent in respectful dialogue, often over food and drink to nourish and sustain us, will be equally valued times at this and every conference. Indeed, it could be argued that the relationships we establish or renew as we meet annually ‘in conference’ are what truly sustain our network of Anglican schools and we as Anglican leaders, governors and pastors throughout the year.
Negotiated Benefits for Schools A reminder that all schools have access to significantly beneficial pricing for individual and school groups travel through Orbit World
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Travel https://anglicanschoolsaustralia.orbitworldtravel.com I refer you most particularly to the Orbit School Groups website, specially designed for ASA Members schools https://asa.orbitworldtravel.com. au ASA hopes that you might consider Orbit to organise any of your school’s next group tours and trips. Central to our agreement is the strong and valued partnership we have with Virgin Australia. They cover Australia, the South Pacific, the USA and Hong Kong with their extensive fleet of aircraft. Through their partners Singapore Airlines, Delta Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Hong Kong Airlines and others, schools can get pretty well everywhere in the world under ASA’s special pricing and benefits agreement. I am pleased to advise you that from 1 July, Singapore Airlines has expanded their offering available to ASA member schools. As well as providing discounted airfares to Asia, the UK and Europe, Singapore Airlines now offers discounted airfares in all travel classes to North America. They join Virgin Australia and Delta Airlines as the airlines of choice to the USA. Access to ASA’s negotiated benefits comes through Orbit World Travel. Orbit World Travel, Virgin Australia and Singapore Airlines will have stands at our Hobart Conference. Make sure you go and talk with them about special offers as well as ongoing benefits.
Change of Guard The term of office for ASA office-bearers is two years. At the Annual General Meeting on Saturday, 10th August, held during the Hobart Conference, Dr Mark Sly well conclude his term as President and Mrs Judith Tudball will take on the role. The AGM will also elect a new President-Elect. The Management Committee is proposing Mrs Debbie Dunwoody (currently the Victorian Representative on the Committee) as the next President-Elect. A biography on Debbie is included in your AGM Papers which will be separately emailed to all Member schools. I take this opportunity to thank Mark for his leadership of ASA over the past two years. Balancing these responsibilities with his ‘day job’ of Principal at Coomera Anglican College in Queensland has been demanding. Mark’s wise chairing of meetings and good counsel between them has ensured that ASA’s work has been well attended to under his presidency. I welcome Judith into the role and look forward to working with her over the next two years, and thank St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School in WA for enabling Judith to undertake the role of President.
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Workshops and Paper Our ground-breaking paper on the Anglican identity of our schools was published in the last edition of ASA News. The author, The Reverend Dr Dan Heischman, is touring four capital cities (Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne) to speak to his paper. Dan will also make a keynote presentation at the Hobart Conference. You are warmly invited to attend the nearest workshop to you. All workshops are free and details for each are as follows: •
Sydney – 29th July 11.30am at The Anglican Schools Corporation
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Perth – 30th July 9am at Wollaston Conference Centre
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Adelaide – 1st August 9am at Serafino
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Melbourne – 2nd August 9am at Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School
For more information, refer www.anglicanschoolsaustralia.edu.au
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Copies of the paper Enhancing our Anglican Identity will be made available at the Conference. They will also be sent to every Member School. See you in Hobart! The Reverend Peter Laurence OAM CEO, Anglican Schools Australia
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School News
Editor’s Note
SCHOOL APPOINTMENTS
CHAPLAINS
PRINCIPALS
The Reverend Robert Koren, Overnewton Anglican Community College, VIC
Ms Katrina Brennan, Shelford Girls’ Grammar, VIC (effective January 2020) Ms Natalie Charles, Mentone Girls’ Grammar School, VIC (effective January 2020) Mrs Anne Dunstan, Guildford Grammar School, WA (effective January 2020) Mr Nick Jones, Cathedral College Wangaratta, VIC (effective January 2020) Dr Timothy Petterson, Shore School, NSW Mr James Tamblyn, Pedare Christian College, SA (effective January 2020)
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The Reverend Craig Tubman, St Andrew’s Cathedral School, NSW
DEPARTURES PRINCIPALS Mrs Anne Dunstan, Pulteney Grammar School, SA (effective December 2019)
CHAPLAINS The Reverend Megan Curlis-Gibson, Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School, VIC (effective July 2019)
Anglican Schools Australia invites principals, chaplains and teachers, as well as chairs, governors and friends of Anglican schools to submit articles for publication in ASA NEWS. We are particularly interested in publishing articles about school Religious Studies, Service Learning and Indigenous programs. We welcome submissions of feature articles of approximately 10001500 words and news articles of 400-600 words, together with a selection of high quality digital images of 300 dpi. Please email submissions to adann@asc.wa.edu.au. Submissions are published at the discretion of the Editor.
The Reverend Peter Wrench, St Andrew’s Cathedral School, NSW
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Health and Wellbeing: The High Stakes of being a Principal By Dr Toby Ford
Dr Toby Ford is an experienced medical practitioner working with his company Ford Health in the area of resilience, performance and wellbeing. He has recently completed his service as a council member of a large private school in Queensland. In this feature article, Dr Ford examines the need for school leaders to prioritise health, support and wellness.
Is the Principal a Unique Executive? In the Principal Health and Wellbeing Survey, 2019, by Associate Professor Philip Riley and colleagues at Australian Catholic University, Victoria , there were a number of reoccurring themes across its eightyear data sets, which remind us of the complex responsibilities that are confronted by the leader of a school these days. From an increased pastoral role in the lives of students to the long working hours and ever-growing list of stakeholders to engage with, those responsibilities are only increasing in complexity. With 20 years experience of providing wellbeing and resilience services to senior leaders, I can attest that there are many factors to take into account
Welfare Attention There is a worldwide trend for schools to play an increasingly important pastoral role for not only the students, their families, staff and the greater community surrounding the campus. Expanding the mantle of care for each group of stakeholders is both a push and pull activity. Schools recognise the greater value and advocacy to care for their communities in broader ways. At the same time, our broader school community is looking for advice, support and direction in life skills and coping with modern busy family schedules. That means growth in emotional intelligence for students, resilience training for teachers and parenting advice for parents. When integrated as a package, they can be a differentiator for a school in the crowded marketspace. As public schools chase the tails of the lower private school performers, invariably parents (the consumers in this case) want more value for their dollar. And parents are increasingly are voting with their feet when they don’t see benefits like this coming from their investments. In the commercial world, employers say that as their staff look for diversity, flexible work practices, positive workspaces, they may return in favour of this support of life skills, and that this often comes with productivity gains.
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Today, more companies are seeking welfare activities for staff to enhance cultural engagement and improve morale. This seems fair, when the boundaries of work can be stretched through travel, technology and competition. Younger workers are driving welfare changes as a feature of ’what can you do for me’, while older colleagues may be less inclined to grumble, particularly if they are concerned about ageism as a reality.
Stakeholder Maps At the helm of the school, the Principal must navigate their stakeholder map on a daily, sometimes even by the minute basis. It makes most of the maps seen in the corporate and commercial world seem very simple. Corporate executives may well have customers, shareholders, boards and the likes to battle with, but nothing quite mobilises the same peaks of confrontation, negotiation, reconciliation, rehabilitation, authoritarianism, compromise, engagement, reward, recognition and satisfaction the modern Principal experiences in their routines of leadership.
Working Hours Most executives in commercial settings work similar hours to the Principal of a school. Some work more on average. However, in the main, a Principal can usually sleep in their own bed every night, whereas more than of 87 per cent of commercial executives travel at least fortnightly, sometimes over 100 nights per year away from home. This creates a complex array of destabilising lifestyle habits, unless they can create self-management plans to exercise, sleep, relax, eat properly and contain their email access when away from familiar structures of the office and home. The advent of mobile phones, laptops and home office stations, can mean that not only is the Principal on duty 24/7, they can enable themselves to access their world of school 24/7 or be available to be accessed by stakeholders. I believe this access is double-edged, because for each benefit, one can also see the cost, as fatigue and reduced downtime chew into important relationships, marriages, relaxation and recovery.
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It is important for all leaders to set boundaries and within those structures keep regular periods of privacy, reflection and time for thinking. We encourage on-call rosters, SMS messaging to filter inbound calls and email sorting to prioritise notifications. After all, most leaders are paid to think creatively and innovate constantly. This can not be done when overwhelmed, inundated or submerged in daily loads.
Hierarchical versus Incomplete Leadership Style As more leaders are loaded with more data and information to process in shorter timeframes, their brains become clearing houses, processing things rather than storage and retrieval devices. So, the reduced ability to recall experience to solve new problems, which have never been seen before, can render the Principal more likely to wonder if all their accumulated understanding of educating students along the way to the top is worth much. This is particularly evident when Profit and Loss balance sheets, Human Resource vagaries, political questions, ethical dilemmas or religious challenges, cause new and more intense heartache than those previous tasks undertaken in their journey to the top. Without external education, such as role playing in School Council settings or coaching and mentoring, mistakes can be made easily in the high stakes game of being Principal. There is rarely room between rooster to feather duster and communities can have long memories and short fuses. They can adopt the blame game when teams don’t win, or academic scores flounder or resources aren’t constantly being upgraded. Acona et.al. HBR, 2007, calls the hierarchical promotion of a person up the food chain from supervisor, manager to executive and finally leader as formation of the complete leader. By this she means that all you need to know you learnt on the way, therefore your knowledge is complete and one is competent. This implies the head of school should know a lot about everything and can assume to be the ultimate adviser to others. Within this model, this can range from the autocratic centralist to the decentralising democrat, with each maintaining controls of their communities through fear or interest based on assumed status. However, this is dangerous. Increasingly data is excessive, information is incomplete, knowledge unformed, and timeframes for turnaround decisions are shorter. With the emergence of the less submissive, more independent younger generations who are less amenable to rigid controls and who come with an awareness of the rights of the individual over the rights of the group, it is hard to action hierarchical style without ramifications. Nowhere is this more evident, than when a Principal is first promoted. It is then that the Principal might resort to self-analysis and, like our commercial executives, discover that if knowledge is incomplete it could mean incompetency, and for that reality, who else might be watching and see this unfold.
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The failing of the hierarchical leadership model in modern times is why we see some business leaders behaving irrationally or badly. Social withdrawal displays of unnecessary anger, moodiness, or overt assertiveness can be misinterpreted as bullying when the cause is something that needs to be resolved from within. The alternative in the words of Acona, is the opportunity to explore incomplete leadership style. This is the leader who discovers, they no longer need to be an island. It is not only preferable to see oneself as part of a larger archipelago of people with different skills and traits, sharing knowledge and ideas through the mediums of technology, it is essential to survival and prospering. The leader who can disconnect internally this concept of ‘incomplete’ from ‘incompetent’ and instead introduce boundaries and limits to reduce the unrealistic expectations of ego and pride, will create buoyancy and resilience. These are the abilities to embrace discomfort, find meaning in adversity and build islands of confidence in a sea of self-doubt.
The Intact Leader Through 20 years of observational research in monitoring performance and productivity of executives, we realise all leaders are similar across all sectors and industries. This may surprise those in education. Like doctors and nurses from my profession, we can attribute certain peculiarities to our kind. Ours may well be embedded in the Hippocratic Oath “to do no harm”, which makes us different to other leaders. In education, it may be embedded in the requirement to nurture and protect. However, what is universally important is that when leaders feel intact physically, mentally, medically and spiritually, they are less vulnerable, they cope better and are more adaptable and resilient. And this is what their communities want of them, so they can set the tone and the example for others to follow . In today’s busy world, the higher one flies, the less oxygen there is to breath and some may be led to believe there are more oxygen thieves afoot. But what remains in the competitively isolating role of Principal is the need for collegiate support of them as much as their collegiate protection and support of those they lead. Leaders may often be incapable of organising their own health requirements citing they are too busy, it won’t happen to me, or I will wait till I retire. By then health is not an asset, but most likely a corroding liability. Once the last chalk is washed away, the mortar board hung up and the speech day complete , the single greatest legacy a school could give a Principal is to have assisted them in small ways to elevate the worthiness of looking after their health intactness. It is their health that will give them more choices to live well beyond the school gates.
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NO JOINING FEE
LOUNGE MEMBERSHIP It's time for the 2019 ASA Conference in Hobart on 9-10 August. Virgin Australia is happy to announce we will waive the Lounge Joining Fee of $200 for 60 days from 1st July 2019. Staff from ASA Member schools can purchase annual lounge membership for $325. That's a total saving of $425 when purchasing a Virgin Australia Lounge Membership through ASA.
For further details and to purchase lounge membership, contact your ASA Lounge Coordinator at accounts@asa.wa.edu.au July 2019 ISSUE •
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Perth College Staff Work Out for Wellness Perth College, WA
Perth College staff are getting their heart rates up in a new initiative to enhance their health and wellbeing. As an extension of the School’s InsideOut self-leadership program, teachers are invited to take a break once a week (through their DOTT time) and opt-in to activities such as boxing, Konga or a ‘walk and talk’ around Mount Lawley. Less intense options include lawn bowls at a nearby community club, cooking with Years 11 and 12 students, practising golf swings on the school oval, meditation, power stretching, and morning tea or lunch on the lawn. Principal Helen Aguiar said the program was being trialled during Term Two and was designed to ensure the staff lived the same positive psychology principles as students. “Teacher quality is acknowledged in literature* as a factor that exerts a significant influence on student educational outcomes,” she said. With teachers expected to prepare students for a complex world by developing their creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking and collaboration skills whilst simultaneously delivering a mandated curriculum and assessing and reporting against this**, Ms Aguiar believed it was imperative to consider teaching wellbeing.
“For a teacher to teach well, they must be well,” she said. “We’re role-modelling what we teach to the girls across all year levels through InsideOut as we seek to create a flourishing school community. “Unfortunately, not all sessions can be offered at a time when staff are not teaching, however, we have incorporated some social activities into recess and lunch breaks to hopefully capture more people.” Ms Aguiar said staff ‘champions’ continued to explore how to further enhance staff wellbeing and engagement with the support of the School Leadership Team. The staff social club also focussed on wellbeing to maintain high spirits and promote collegiality. *Glewwe, Hanushek, Humpage & Ravina, 2011; Hattie, 2012; Naylor & Sayed, 2014; Rowe, 2003 **Gonski et al., 2018; Yong, 2012
TAKE A BREAK: Perth College Home Economics teacher Thomas Beebe is all smiles with Senior School students Madeline and Emma.
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Staff Wellbeing at Barker Barker College, NSW
With a desire to have our staff thrive at Barker College, we wanted to look beyond “candles and yoga” and seek to understand sustainable staff wellbeing within a Christian context. We understood it was essential that the work environment is conducive to good mental health and supportive for all our staff. In late 2018, Barker partnered with CommuniCorp, an external consultancy provider which specialises in promoting workplace psychological health and safety to conduct a ‘health check’ of the current state of the School’s work environment. A staff engagement survey was undertaken and a discussion process to understand current impacts on work roles and work practices, to uncover concerns that may be contributing to areas of workplace stress or poor health, and to identify improvements to current workplace or role practices. The findings led to a focus on sustainable staff wellbeing for the School’s newly implemented strategic plan. In 2019, Barker commenced initiatives to enhance an environment that is conducive to good mental health and supportive for all staff. These initiatives include; proactive return to work programs for non-work related illnesses and injuries, the establishment of a staff wellbeing reference group to design a wellbeing policy and
framework which incorporates the physical, emotional and spiritual domains of wellbeing, and a leadership training strategy designed to upskill Heads of Department in people leadership. It also included a focus on embedding a culture of continuous feedback, a simple yet effective framework for continuous conversations and performance appraisal to provide growth opportunities, professional development and career pathways for all staff. Raising mental health awareness, decreasing the stigma of mental illness and providing a framework for which to initiate a conversation is another component of a healthy workplace. Over 60 support and teaching staff have now completed the Adult or Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training which assists in acquiring the skills to support a student, a friend, family member or co-worker who may be developing a mental health problem or in a crisis. Barker College is at the beginning of our sustainable staff wellbeing journey and seeks to continue to establish practices that are conducive to sustaining a whole school approach to health and wellbeing.
Staff Wellbeing a TREAT at Firbank By Kate Major, Director of Wellbeing | Firbank Grammar School, VIC
The work of John Hattie (et al, 2015) has revealed that the major sources of variance in student achievement are: Student: 50 per cent, Home: 5-10 per cent, School: 5-10 per cent, Peers: 5-10 per cent, and Teachers: 30 per cent. Apart from the student themselves, teachers make the biggest difference to student achievement. Part of the reason teachers make such a big difference is because of the relationships they build with their students. One of the strengths that Firbank has is how much our staff care about their students and their work. Our teachers are emotionally invested in the lives of their students. This care can ultimately impact on the wellbeing of our staff. Teachers need to have measures in place to look themselves so that they can do their work. Our organisation needs to look after our staff so that the school can optimally function. Teachers are among those professionals with the highest levels of job stress and burnout across many countries (Gallup, 2014). Teachers,
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nurses and physicians were the professions that recorded the highest levels of stress. In the recent Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey (2016), the two leading causes of stress were: the sheer quantity of work, lack of time to focus on teaching and learning and emotional labour. To address this Firbank have been piloting the Therapeutic Relaxation and Enhanced awareness Training (TREAT) wellbeing program for staff, run by Health Care professional and Firbank parent, Jo Gibbs. The focus of the program is on staff self-care and, most importantly, it’s not an adjunct token program run on the side but would, potentially, form part of the way we teach and learn. TREAT is designed for workplace professionals to help re-calibrate, re-energise and focus while they are working. TREAT is based on mindfulness principles, stress and body awareness, rest and restoration, self-compassion and neuroscience and education. Jo has recently returned from Amsterdam where she presented the TREAT program at the International Conference on Mindfulness. Jo is the founder and director of Treat Healthcare and currently runs regular ‘Treat’ programs and sessions for the Alfred Hospitals as well as medical, school and various workplaces.
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Staff Wellbeing at St Mary’s By Felicity Monck, Head of Psychology Services | St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School, WA
Like the foundation of parental health in family functioning, the wellbeing of school staff is fundamental to a positive school culture and therein to student wellbeing. At St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School, the Psychology Services Department has embarked on a staff wellbeing program aimed to increase the happiness and flourishing of our staff. In addition to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by Anglicare WA and the 3Fs (flu shots, fitness and fruit) we aimed to grow staff knowledge of the science of positive psychology and therein the elements of wellbeing and the various activities staff can pursue to foster and maintain their own wellbeing. Our aim is to be contributory, educative and invitational. In 2018 we launched the inaugural ‘Staff Wellbeing Week’ with the theme ‘Growing our PERMAculture’. We foreshadowed the week with a whole-school presentation to which all staff were invited, from administration and maintenance to teaching staff. In this presentation, we showcased some snapshots of recent positive psychology research underpinned by the seminal work of Martin Seligman’s PERMA theory which later formed the foundation of the week’s activities. Each element of PERMA is measurable and teachable. At the presentation, staff were invited to measure their own PERMA by undertaking the Wellbeing Lab’s online PERMAH workplace survey or one of Penn University’s PERMA surveys and to discover their strengths by completing the VIA Strengths in Action Character Strengths survey in preparation for the week. Four weeks later we launched the week’s activities which were intended to be educative and experiential. Each day focused on a different element of the PERMA theory and staff received a daily email with reading material about the wellbeing element and strategies on how to grow this element in their lives. Over the week, amongst many things, staff were invited to: savour a pleasant moment, share their character strengths with colleagues, hug someone, get a short massage, attend a lunchtime screening of funny YouTube videos, acknowledge the achievements of colleague,
TOWARDS WELLBEING: Head of Psychology Services Felicity Monck.
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eat a shared lunch together and reflect on the ‘why’ of their work. The English Department collaborated on a bibliotherapy display of literary interventions (reading suggestions) to grow PERMA, and our Medical Centre nurses offered health checks. To promote relationships, we rearranged the senior staff dining room tables and chairs and the Executive kindly devoted a staff briefing to music, games and chatting. It was a lot of fun, achieved momentum and staff reported feeling valued and cared for. This year, in response to feedback from staff, we have endeavoured to provide a more consistent approach to punctuate the year with learning opportunities and to keep staff wellbeing firmly on the radar. We have maintained a similar approach to ground learning opportunities in theory and this time, drilled further down into the idea of happiness at work. We have presented the work of Dacher Kaltner and Emiliana Simon-Thomas of the Greater Good Science Centre and their model, PERK: Purpose, Engagement, Resilience and Kindness and have selected each domain as a theme for each term. In Term 1 we presented to staff about the power of purpose and how knowing your purpose can both increase happiness and assist in transcending difficult times. We introduced staff to the work of Amy Wrzesniewski from the Yale School of Management and her Job Crafting exercise. Staff learned how they may intentionally alter and regroup elements of their work duties to achieve more of their purpose and derive more meaning and job satisfaction. In Term 2 we reviewed key concepts from the science supporting engagement (flow and character strengths) and our Education Technology Integrator presented to staff on how to engage intentionally with technology, reduce its distractions and achieve more ‘real life’ in life. We also got the massage therapists back in and timed their visit during peak report-writing season. In term 3 and 4 we will pursue activities to develop staff resilience and foster kindness respectively but the activities planned are a trade secret until then. Different people will derive wellbeing from each of the PERMA or PERK elements to varying degrees. A good life for one person is not necessarily a good life for another. There are several routes to a flourishing life and we hope that from our contributions, staff have learned, tried and are using activities to grow their wellbeing towards flourishing at work and in life.
STOP AND ENJOY: St Mary’s staff during Staff Wellbeing Week.
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Emphasis on Wellbeing at St George’s St George’s Anglican Grammar School, WA
A recent staff survey has set St George’s Anglican Grammar School on the path of a three-year plan to introduce new initiatives for the health and wellbeing of staff. The survey by the School’s Staff Wellness Committee will provide direction for a series of initiatives for staff in Perth’s CBD vertical school. Principal Gary Racey said the CBD location of the vertical school meant that there were endless possibilities for self-development. “We aim to be a welcoming, safe and supportive Christian community
which provides a safe place for students and staff to collaborate and work together,” he said. “An emphasis on well-being and pastoral care has seen the introduction of varied student and staff programs catering to the needs of our school community. The implementation of a staff wellness program aims to provide social, mental and physical well-being activities for staff.” A range of on and off campus events are in the planning stages and include family days, team building challenges, professional development days, teacher and administration appreciation days and the opportunity for guest speakers to present in areas crucial to the needs of today’s society.
NEW DIRECTION: St George’s Anglican Grammar School staff get set to undertake a series of new wellness events.
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10 YR PLATINUM PERFORMANCE 2009–2019
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For further information about the methodology used by Chant West, see chantwest.com.au
4055 (0619)
ngssuper.com.au 1300 133 177 Issued by NGS Super Pty Limited ABN 46 003 491 487 AFSL No 233 154 the trustee of NGS Super ABN 73 549 180 515
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The NGS Scholarship Awards are Now Open! NGS Super is offering members the chance to win one of six $5000 scholarships to help their dreams take flight through a professional development course, a project or initiative. And there’s no geographic barriers – this opportunity can take you anywhere. If you currently work in the independent education sector and have a burning desire to enhance your professional development while making a tangible contribution to improving quality of education and the sector at large, this scholarship could be the kick-starter you need.
Enter now! Simply head to the NGS Super website and answer this question: How will your professional development course or initiative enrich your career and help you make a tangible contribution to the education sector? Applications are open for NGS Super members until Monday, 2 September 2019, with all winners to be announced on Friday 4 October - the eve of World Teachers’ Day.
About the awards At NGS Super, we’re committed to supporting our members achieve their goals and pursue their dreams, no matter how big or small. The Scholarship Awards give you the opportunity to help fund your activity of choice. Past scholarship winners have gone on to do amazing things like taking their students to Africa to rebuild an orphanage, teaching and training teachers in third world countries and building makerspaces for students in their own school. Six scholarships will be awarded across the following categories: •
Teacher category (three scholarships)
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Management category
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Support staff
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Judges’ choice
Spotlight on last year’s winner Diana Webster, a recipient of the $5000 scholarship award in 2018 from Abbotsleigh School in NSW, used her grant to support a project close to her heart: she participated in a teacher-training course in Uganda where she shared her knowledge to help upskill local teachers. This also helped to develop her own teaching and leadership skills. Importantly this helped Diana gain a wealth of knowledge from her peers abroad and a deep appreciation for education in empowering others. Read her full story here. The NGS Super Scholarship Awards open 1 July and close 2 September 2019.
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New Principal for Canberra Girls Grammar Canberra Girls Grammar School, ACT
Canberra Girls Grammar School is proud to announce the commissioning of Principal Anna Owen as the 15th standing principal in a long line of trusted education professionals dating back to 1926. Bishop Mark Short of the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn officially commissioned Mrs Owen at St Paul’s Anglican Church on Friday, 10th May. Mrs Owen believes there is a bright future for the school and honoured her predecessors on the day. “We never forget those people, places and organisations that shape us and this school is one such place. It shapes and is shaped by those who attend as students, but equally shapes and is shaped by those who accept the call to engage,” Mrs Owen said. “I accept humbly, and with great depth of feeling, the invitation to join the Canberra Girls Grammar School community as the 15th Principal.” With a belief in the importance of educating girls and young women, Mrs Owen said she was privileged to be able to seize this opportunity at such a unique time in the school’s history. “Our purpose is to educate girls. Our intent is to develop young women that are able to articulate what it is to be well-educated, who understand the great responsibility of receiving a great education and who insist on living ethically and purposefully,” she said.
“A good friend of mine put the role of schools such as ours best, her name is Loren Bridge and she said: Simply put, every aspect of a girls’ school is tailored to girls and how they learn, without competition and social pressure from boys, and this is enormously empowering for girls.” Mrs Owen now takes the reigns of a historical vision of core beliefs focussed on delivering education, compassion and kindness, security and inclusivity, dignity and respect. “We do reflect and we reflect with pride, but equally with hope and confidence in the future,” she said. “I am committed to honouring our Anglican and service-minded foundational values, our wholesome untainted history, our purposeful past, and will not tread on the past to get to the future, but look ahead and guide our school through the future opportunities and challenges because I know who we are, and we never forget where we came from.”
COMMISSIONING: Anna Owen is commissioned as the 15th Principal of Canberra Girls Grammar School.
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Shore Appoints New Headmaster Shore School, NSW Shore School have announced the appointment of Dr Tim Petterson as its new Headmaster to replace the long serving Dr Timothy Wright, who will retire at the end of this year. Dr Petterson is currently Principal of St Philip’s Christian College Port Stephens, a position he has held for the past six years. Previously he served in a number of teaching and leadership positions at The King’s School in Parramatta. Chair of Shore School Council Reverend Stuart Holman said that in a high-quality field of applicants, Dr Petterson stood out as the person best suited to lead the next chapter of Shore’s growth as a leading comprehensive school in Australia.
Significant Milestones 2019 marks a significant milestone in each of the following schools: Sydney Church of England Grammar School (SHORE), NSW
130 years
St Peter's Collegiate Girls' School, SA
125 years
The Armidale School, NSW
125 years
Mentone Girls' Grammar School, VIC
120 years
Mosman Church of England Preparatory School, NSW
115 years
Calrossy Anglican School, NSW
100 years
Firbank Grammar School, VIC
100 years
Gippsland Grammar School, VIC
95 years
St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School, QLD
90 years
St Paul's Collegiate School, NZ
60 years
The Illawarra Grammar School, NSW
60 years
Georges River Grammar, NSW
35 years
Macarthur Anglican School, NSW
35 years
Trinity College, SA
35 years
Canon Hill Anglican College, QLD
30 years
John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School, WA
30 years
John Wollaston Anglican Community School, WA
30 years
Woodcroft College, SA
30 years
Bishop Druitt College, NSW
25 years
He began his teaching career at The King’s School, where for more than a decade he taught Business Studies, Commerce, Science and Biblical Studies, and held the roles of Academic Year Coordinator and Housemaster. He was also involved in the Cadet Corp and coached rugby, cricket and athletics.
Sapphire Coast Anglican College, NSW
25 years
St John's Anglican College, QLD
25 years
St Luke's Anglican School, QLD
25 years
St Peter's Woodlands Grammar School, SA
20 years
St Philip’s Christian College, a K-12 co-educational school with a student population of 710, has experienced considerable success with Dr Petterson as Principal. The School has enjoyed growing academic success, many high-calibre staff have joined the faculty, a new site Master Plan was developed and extensive building works on the academic precinct and associated infrastructure are nearing completion.
The Riverina Anglican College, NSW
20 years
Lakes Grammar - An Anglican School, NSW
15 years
Shellharbour Anglican College, NSW
15 years
Wollondilly Anglican College, NSW
15 years
“Dr Petterson is a proven leader and Christian educator with deep experience developing and nurturing teaching and learning environments of the highest order. He has an outstanding record for evaluating and improving teaching and learning, and for curriculum and program leadership,” Reverend Holman said. “Importantly, Dr Petterson emerged through the search process as someone who embodies the virtues we associate with Shore: humility, perseverance, courage and service. He is passionate about Shore’s commitment to excellence in a rounded education spanning curriculum, co-curriculum and pastoral care. “We are delighted to appoint someone of Dr Petterson’s calibre to lead Shore and look forward to welcoming him to the Shore community.” Dr Petterson has a PhD in Textiles Technology from UNSW, an MBA from the AGSM, a Graduate Diploma of Education from Charles Sturt University, and a Diploma of Biblical Studies from Moore Theological College.
Trades Norwest Anglican Senior College, NSW
5 years
Commenting on his appointment, Dr Petterson said: “I hope to be a leader who inspires the pursuit of excellence, who supports the needs of both students and staff and who draws the community together around a common vision.” Dr Petterson is married to Susan and they have two children. He takes up his appointment in early 2020 and will be the eighth Headmaster of Shore.
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ALL TOGETHER: From left to right, Trinity College Principal Mark Simpson, Uncle ‘Moggy’ Sumner and current parents Joanne and Shannon Southam.
Trinity Celebrates National Reconciliation Week Trinity College, SA
As the first independent school in South Australia to commit to a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), Trinity College is committed to a range of actions designed to support reconciliation. For Trinity College, reconciliation is not just about supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students but also about building a common understanding, while we continue to listen and learn on our journey towards reconciliation. In our pre-school, local Aboriginal artist Scott Rathman completed three large murals. Scott created the murals based on feedback received from parents, caregivers, grandparents, staff and students when asked what word or colour came to mind when they thought of the pre-school. Scott then told their story through his art. The students were very interested in the progress of the mural, looking at how far it developed from day to day and since its completion; it has become an inspirational backdrop to their learning environment. During National Reconciliation Week, Trinity College welcomed special guest Uncle ‘Moogy’ Sumner from the Ngarrindjeri community to teach students through Dreamtime stories the importance of knowing the history of our place, knowing the land and knowing the stories that make our place what it is today. Student Leaders celebrated the theme Grounded in Truth: Walk Together with Courage by planting a ‘truth tree’ and using the ‘walking together’ metaphor to guide class activities. Junior School students created beautiful murals and there were many examples in classrooms of student work that focused on the global need to be inclusive in our dealings with each other. Junior students discovered the book, The Unlikely Story of Bennelong and Phillip by Michael Sedunary, that tells one of Australia’s most
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important and intriguing but little-known stories of the friendship between Captain Arthur Phillip and the Aboriginal man, Bennelong. Indigenous music group The Deadly Nannas, who perform songs in their native language (as well as in English) that share important parts of their heritage and history, also treated students to a performance. On Mabo Day, Kira Bain from Tauondi Aboriginal College taught Year 7 students the basics of the Kaurna language as well as a few dance moves and greetings. The College also launched a special First XVIII Indigenous Football Guernsey designed, in consultation with Aboriginal Elders, by current Year 9 student Aaron Walker whose heritage is with the Adnyamathanha community in the Flinders Ranges. Finally, in a grand finale, 800 students from early years to Year 10 students gathered on our oval to form the Australian flag and the word ‘together’, that then morphed into the Aboriginal flag and the Kaurna word for together ‘kumangka’. The use of the flags and language was the idea of Year 10 student Noah Lunau who also took the opportunity to use his drone skills to film the event as the student flags morphed between the Australian flag and Aboriginal flag.
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BIRDS EYE VIEW: The Aboriginal flag created by 800 Early Years to Year 10 students during recent National Reconciliation Week celebrations.
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NEW DESIGN: From left, Trinity First XVIII Captain Alistair Walling (Year 12), Adelaide Football Club player and old scholar Wayne Milera (2015), Aaron Walker and Trinity College Football Co-ordinator George Gregory show the new Indigenous Football Guernsey.
3-5. STORY THROUGH ART: Aboriginal artist Scott Rathman created murals in the pre-school. 6
LEARNING KAURNA: Kira Bain from Tauondi Aboriginal College teaches Year 7 students the basics of Kaurna language on Mabo Day.
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Indigenous Artist Inspires at Korowa Korowa Anglican Girls’ School, VIC
National Reconciliation Week was celebrated from 27 May to 3 June by schools and individuals around Australia. Korowa Anglican Girls’ School in Melbourne welcomed Hayley Millar-Baker, a Gunditjmara woman and artist, for an art workshop with the Senior School students. Korowa’s Head of Art Nikki Fowkes said this year’s theme of ‘Grounded in Truth, Walk Together with Courage’ resonated because one of the values of the School community was ‘courage’. “I wanted to take this opportunity to recognise the significant contribution of Indigenous artists such as Hayley Millar-Baker, and to invite our girls to learn from a contemporary artist,” Mrs Fowkes said. Millar-Baker first decided she wanted to be an artist when she was five years old, encouraged by her Prep Teacher. She works with photographs of Country, personal and family photographic archives and digital technologies and employs a variety of narrative techniques. Her work examines personal and collective stories of Aboriginality and contemporary culture. Her Melbourne Art Tram delighted crowds around Melbourne during the 2018 Melbourne International Arts Festival and she has exhibited widely during her career, including the Sydney Festival and the 65th Blake Prize.
Students were asked to create collages which portrayed a narrative based on their family culture. The students’ artworks depicted an array of symbolic and literal imagery that created a visual aesthetic, articulating the notion of their family’s origins. “Working with a contemporary artist stretched and challenged our girls to try new techniques and media. They were especially fascinated to hear the themes behind Hayley’s work,” Mrs Fowkes said. “Hayley was an inspiring artist for our girls to meet, and I look forward to welcoming more artists to Korowa.” National Reconciliation Week is framed by the anniversaries of two significant milestones in our reconciliation journey - the successful 1967 Referendum (27 May) and the 1992 High Court Mabo decision (3 June).
ORIGINS: Korowa students worked with Indigenous artist Hayley Millar-Baker to create collages based on their family culture.
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A Reconciliation Journey St John’s Grammar School, SA
Over the last 10 years, St John’s Grammar School has developed a significant connection with the community of Pipalyatjara (‘Pip’) in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands, in the remote North West of South Australia. Each year in May, a small group of students trek by bus from Belair in Adelaide to Pipalyatjara Anangu School, negotiating the two-day marathon journey, the last 500km of which are red, sandy, corrugated roads, to reach the small township. Our goal has always been to give our students the opportunity to connect with students from the school there, and to form lasting friendships, which transcend the different experiences of each group. The transformation made possible for both our students and children from Pip has been the central goal of our program. While at this remote school, St John’s Grammar students support the local kids with their learning, particularly with literacy. There are plenty of games shared, music concerts always feature and the new native garden complete with fire pit (perfect for sharing some kangaroo tail) was a combined project completed last year. The visit to Ninuku Arts Gallery is always a highlight, and St John’s Grammar has invested in a number of pieces over the years. Well-known local Adelaide photographer and past parent Meg Hansen has been a regular guest on the trip and captured hundreds of superb images. Both Meg’s stunning work and the collection of outstanding artworks were featured in a special Exhibition at St John’s Grammar in May this year. Guest artists from the Pip community, such as Sally Scales (Artist and Deputy Chair of the APY Lands Executive Board, 2018) and her mother Josephine Mick (Artist and Former Chair of NPY Women’s Council), have spent plenty of time at St John’s Grammar. In addition, St John’s Grammar has hosted a number of groups of young Indigenous students who have thoroughly enjoyed their time at the school. As part of this inter-school and inter-community partnership, we believe that true reconciliation can come when our students grow into
adults who are not just advocating for an idea, but on behalf of their friends in a community that has opened its arms to them. The wider focus on reconciliation and engagement with Aboriginal people and local Kaurna culture has been a significant extension for our school beyond the ten students and staff who attend each year. Our opportunity to feed back into our local community in Belair, through the Colebrook Reconciliation Park (formerly a home for removed Aboriginal children – the Stolen Generation) has included supporting local community events at the site and running our own student-led history events. The school now appoints Reconciliation Ambassadors in both the Junior and Secondary Schools and over a short period of time the work done in this space has been enlightening – resulting in the development and implementation of the first student-led Reconciliation Action Plan in Australia. Forging that understanding of Indigenous culture, leading to a rich respect and an appreciation of its diversity, has always been front and centre of our Ambassador’s plans. A host of events such as Indigenous Art Exhibitions, Reconciliation Community celebrations and a myriad of inter-school workshops have not only been the mechanisms for their goals but a way of bringing Indigenous voice and talent into school life. This is student agency played out at its best, with young people driven to make a difference and setting the agenda their way. Recently the 2019 APY Lands group returned from their trip with their own unique and exciting stories to share. This trip shapes young lives. So many of those who venture north come back with new future pathways in mind, the compass now pointing to political pursuits in social justice and Indigenous affairs.
Photo courtesy Meg Hansen.
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Jake’s Story Year 10 student Jake Kuchel was on the School’s latest trip to APY Lands and his reflective speech at Assembly captures the essence of this claim. When you think of the word ‘reconciliation’, you most likely think of the re-establishment of a relationship. However, in the context that we most often hear it in this country, I consider it to be less about ‘re-establishment’ and far more about the urgent need to build and promote a harmonious relationship between the broader Australian community and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Reconciliation needs to be about understanding. Understanding the past and the events that have created a division. Understanding that the past is not an indicator of the future, but a learning tool to redirect the future. For me, reconciliation must be about building positive, respectful relationships. This means having an open-minded, non-judgmental perspective on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. As the first Australians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people deserve recognition. For about 60,000 years, they have been custodians of this land. Throughout this time, they have developed a rich cultural heritage. When we acknowledge these people as the traditional custodians of this land, we are opening ourselves to their culture and their rich history behind it. It is only then we can truly appreciate these amazing people for who they are. I was fortunate enough to attend this recent St John’s Grammar trip to the APY lands. Ten students left as nervous, uncertain and unaware school children. But we came back as open-minded, respectful students eager to do as much as we can to create a more reconciled Australia. I believe this is due to the welcoming, openhearted and generous nature of these amazing people who for one week welcomed us into their lives. I hope somehow you too can experience and understand just how wonderful these people are, and together we can build a more reconciled Australia. This is certainly going to remain a key mission in my life.
Photo courtesy Meg Hansen.
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Educational Group Travel for Anglican Schools Australia Orbit World Travel are delighted to introduce Katerina Dzvezdakoska, Manager for Educational Group Travel, and your dedicated Anglican Schools Australia group specialist. Katerina has over 20 years’ experience in the travel industry with an expertise in the educational travel. Anglican Schools Australia now has your own Educational Group Travel website. As well as a team of specialist school group consultants, Orbit has developed a website that is dedicated to servicing the travel requirements of the schools. Launched in February this year, the ASA website provides teachers and academic staff the ability to research, plan and book your next School Group Tour. Whether you choose one of our set itineraries or prefer to create your own travel learning experience, we can help!
asa.orbitworldtravel.com.au Choose from more than 40 ready-to-go itineraries Or let Orbit create a trip tailored to your needs We cater to all subject areas from music and culture, to sport and STEM Travel in Australia and around the globe Teacher resources and planning tools Information sessions and FAQ for teachers and parents
Katerina Dzvezdakoska, Manager, Educational Group Travel 1300 063 280 asagroups@worldtravel.com.au 26 asa.orbitworldtravel.com.au
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Grounded in Truth, Walk Together with Courage Barker College, NSW
Reconciliation involves acknowledging the past, connecting in the present and inspiring the future. At Barker College and Darkinjung Barker, our vision is to uphold, celebrate and promote the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to our society. We create opportunities for Indigenous people to participate in all aspects of our community and the life of the School. During National Reconciliation Week between May 27 – 31, students and staff participated in a range of activities, culminating in the launch of the School’s Reconciliation Action Plan during a whole School event at lunchtime on Friday 31 May. Students enjoyed dance performances from the Darkinjung Barker students, along with the playing of the Yidaki (didge) by two of our own staff members.
What is a Reconciliation Action Plan? A Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) is a formal statement of commitment to reconciliation. The RAP articulates a vision for practical reconciliation within the Barker College community. The aim is to increase student, parent and staff support for Indigenous education initiatives. Importantly, a RAP provides a framework for implementing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures crosscurriculum priority K-12 as required by the Australian Curriculum. The RAP is designed to lead to a higher level of knowledge and pride in Indigenous histories, cultures and contributions amongst staff and students, embedding respect for the world’s longest surviving cultures and communities within the Barker workplace and curriculum. Members of the student body and teaching and support staff met throughout Term 1 to develop the RAP. The group have worked together to identify the School’s current actions relating to reconciliation, and to determine what else might be done. The Bible guides us in the way we relate to all people: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second most important commandment is this: ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment more important than these two. Mark 12:30-31
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Sea of Hands for Reconciliation Lakes Grammar an Anglican School, NSW
Lakes Grammar marked Reconciliation Week this year with a sea of hands, examining the theme ‘Grounded in Truth – Walk with Courage’. In the Senior Schools students watched a clip about Eddie Mabo and then discussed the courage it would take for one Aboriginal person to fight the High Court of Australia and have the Mabo decision be recognised. Students learnt that in order for reconciliation to take effect, we need to acknowledge the dark truth of our Australian history and walk together to reconcile the past.
LOOKING ON: Jezebel Navusolo and Aimee Butcher learnt about the fight for recognition by Eddie Mabo in Reconciliation Week.
The students created a ‘sea of hands’ in the shape and colour of the Aboriginal flag. We were reminded that we pray for courage in our school prayer and that no matter what age we are, we are called to the conversation of reconciliation as participants. The School’s Mental Health Advocacy Program (MHAP) team made the hands, with the guidance of the ever-amazing Mrs MacLarty. Meanwhile, several of the Indigenous students in the Junior School have enjoyed participating in the Dhinewan Mentoring Program with Jonathan Wright and Mrs Wallace, one of our Junior School teachers, this term. The students have looked at a range of topics in the program each week including culture, artifacts, art and identity. The program culminated in a smoking ceremony at the K – 6 Assembly held in NAIDOC Week, as well as a performance of the Darkinjung Welcome Dance and the Honeybee Dance, telling the story of the native bee in Australia as it relates to Indigenous culture.
SEA OF HANDS: Han Cox and Izaac Hucker in the Sea of Hands created in the shape and colours of the Aboriginal flag.
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GETTING READY: Nate Brownlaw gets ready for the performance.
CULTURE AND DANCE: Lakes Grammar Indigenous students performed to mark NAIDOC Week and the conclusion of The Dhinewan Mentoring Program.
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Remembering the Coolamons for Reconciliation Firbank Grammar School, VIC
To mark Reconciliation Week, students and staff at Firbank Grammar took part in a number of activities including a smoking ceremony and art instillation by renowned Yamatji artist Robyne Latham. The two-day art installation piece, named ‘Remembering the Coolamons, highlights the history of the Stolen Generations.
.About the Artist Robyne Latham is a Yamatji woman originally from Western Australia. An academic and fine artist, Robyne holds a Master of Fine Art from Monash University, a Diploma of Education from Edith Cowan University and a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art) from Curtin University. Robyne’s work is represented in the collections of the National Gallery of Victoria, Deakin University, La Trobe University, the Koorie Heritage Trust museum, the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, John Curtin Gallery and the Berndt Museum at the University of Western Australia. Robyne’s works span the media of ceramics, sculpture, public-art installation, performance, painting and theatre-set design.
The Firbank community were invited to create a clay Coolamon that was hand-decorated and placed within a sacred circle. This sacred circle remains in place over two days as a silent reminder of the coolamons that laid empty throughout the years. Remembering the empty coolamons affords the opportunity for all people, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to come together and acknowledge the transgenerational trauma and loss of the Stolen Generations; for the children, their families and their communities. The Coolamon is a wooden vessel used throughout Australia by Aboriginal men and women to collect fruit, nuts and grain. Often etched with intricate and culturally significant markings, coolamons are used to cradle newborn babies. In this context, the Coolamon, empty of baby, stands in witness to the trans-generational pain of loss suffered by the Stolen Generations of Australia.
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A Walk for Reconciliation St George’s Anglican Grammar School, WA
On Friday 31 May, a group of St George’s Anglican Grammar School students from Years 9-11 joined more than 3000 community members for the Walk for Reconciliation. The students walked from RAC Arena to Yagan Square in support of seeking truth and reconciliation. Students heard about the connection of the Whadjuk Nyoongar people to the land and joined in with cultural activities; adding to a mural, listening to music and watching dancers share their culture, amongst others. Year 10 parent Carlene said it was a proud moment for the School to have student, teacher and family representation at the Walk for Reconciliation. “The students displayed an open heart and mind in their behaviour and interactions during the walk to learn about Aboriginal cultures and why reconciliation was important,” she said. “The students interacted with Noongar Elders in a respectful and caring way asking thoughtful questions and participating actively in all areas. The school stood side-by-side with community members in a show of strength and solidarity.” Year 10 student Cozi said it was enlightening to see the amount of people who were still impacted by the events of the past, and how we could continue to reconcile and work towards a better future.
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2019 LIFE AWARDS: From left, Acting CEO Relationships Australia Tasmania Michael Kelly, Julia Gandy (Stay ChatTY), Prefect for Mental Health and Wellbeing George Scott, Headmaster Dr Rob McEwan, Mitch McPherson, James Rice and Katharine Pullen from Stay ChatTY and Michael Ferguson MP.
Students Prepared to Help in Tackling Mental Health The Hutchins School, TAS
A student-led initiative at The Hutchins School to train senior students in Youth Mental Health First Aid has filled an important need for young people to feel adequately prepared to support their friends dealing with mental health issues. Head of Senior School, Mr Roger McNamara, outlines the School’s journey in providing education and support for their students which culminated in winning the 2019 Tasmanian LiFE Award for SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY Outstanding Contribution to Suicide Prevention by a Young Person/s. The Tasmanian Suicide Prevention Community Network (TSPCN) is a network of community members, service providers, organisations and government representatives who are working together to reduce the rate and impact of suicide in Tasmania. The Tasmanian LIFE Awards, supported by the TSPCN, are a wonderful way of recognising the outstanding work being done by so many individuals and groups in Tasmania looking to have a positive impact on the local community regarding mental health and suicide. Through our work with Relationships Australia and Speak Up! Stay ChatTY, The Hutchins Senior School were asked to enter the Tasmanian Life Awards in the category for Outstanding Contribution by Young Persons. The success of this nomination is testament to the work our student leaders have done over a number of years to raise our students’ awareness of mental health issues.
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There has been a concerted effort to build a culture of understanding around mental health, including suicide prevention and the importance of looking out for our own mental health, as well as being mindful of how we contribute to the mental health of others. An extension of this is having the courage to engage in genuine conversations with friends about how they are travelling, particularly when we notice a change in their demeanour. Our work over the last few years, particularly that done with Speak Up! Stay ChatTY as our chosen charity in 2018, has contributed to normalising these conversations. Speak Up! Stay ChatTY founder Mitch McPhearson had, over a number of years, done a significant amount of work with one of our Houses in their pastoral program and the Prefects of 2018 wanted to extend this work to the entire school having lost one of their own peers to suicide in the previous year. In 2018, Mitch was not only a regular visitor to our school sharing his story at different events for staff, students, parents and carers, and highlighting positive actions to put into effect to enhance mental health, his story also served as the impetus for many Prefect-initiated fundraising and awareness raising events and activities.
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This 2018 focus included a specific Prefect portfolio for Mental Health with regular mental health tips provided on our communication screens around the Senior School, and a Mental Health/Wellbeing survey being delivered to the whole Senior School to ascertain our students’ preparedness to engage in conversations with friends and determine how equipped they felt to provide assistance and guidance. The results of this survey supplemented the information we have garnered over the last few years with the Mission Australia Youth Survey and enabled us to target future directions to assist our boys. The next step in this journey took place earlier this year when we had a number of Year 10-12 students participate in a two-day Youth Mental Health First Aid Course. This course is a natural progression from raising awareness and normalising the conversations that need to take place, and it enables us to address the challenge that revolves around how to have this conversation and how to refer friends to someone more skilled to assist. Involvement with this course is first and foremost about our students developing their own skills and understanding of mental health and being aware of how to look after themselves and their immediate friends. Following their successful completion of the course all participants were invited to consider becoming a Mental Health Contact Officer in
support of their peers in the Senior School. This initiative of our current Prefect for Mental Health and Wellbeing, George Scott (Year 12), is a support role using the skills that were developed through the course and these boys were presented to the student body at a recent Headmaster’s Assembly. In many instances, students in this position will be a first contact for students seeking support, with the focus of the role being mainly as a supportive listener and someone who can point other students in the right direction for further help. Contact Officers will be supported by the School Counsellor and the Head of Senior School in an ongoing basis that will include fortnightly check-ins for debriefing, reviewing what was learnt in the Youth Mental Health First Aid Course and hearing from guest speakers to enable ongoing learning and support. The interest in the Youth Mental Health First Aid Course, following the first intake and completion, has been quite extraordinary and as a result we are already looking at running a second course later this year. As a school we are now committed to offering this course on a yearly basis and continuing to support our young men in their own mental health and in understanding how they can support the mental health of their peers.
LEARNING: Students participating in the two-day Youth Mental Health First Aid Course.
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Do It For Dolly Trinity College, SA
Dolly’s Dream is an organisation set up in memory of Amy ‘Dolly’ Everett, aged 14, who took her own life after an extended period of bullying. Dolly’s Dream aims to empower and educate our community to prevent bullying and cyberbullying. This year Stevens House at Trinity College embraced Dolly’s Dream as their chosen charity and has worked to raise funds and awareness of the serious effects of bullying. So far this year, Stevens House has raised over $600 for this charity. During the inaugural Do it for Dolly Day on Friday 10 May, Junior School classes and all Houses at Trinity Gawler River recognised this day through discussing the importance of being kind to one another, embracing kindness stickers and valuing Be Kind bookmarks.
A video was created about why supporting Dolly’s Dream is so important. Students agreed that the message needed to be clear and powerful to make an impact so as many voices as possible were included. You can see the student’s video on the College website at www.trinity.sa.edu.au/news.
Also during the day, to commemorate and celebrate the life of Dolly Everett, staff and students also made a bold statement about bullying by forming the shape of a butterfly on the school oval to signify a time of change. United they stood in support of Dolly and sent a strong community message that bullying does not belong.
Head of Stevens House Mrs Shannon Caire said: “We will continue to raise awareness and educate about the impact of bullying and build and strengthen the support we provide our students. We aim to extend the Dolly’s Dream message within the community to voice a stance on bullying.”
DOLLY’S DREAM: Drone footage of the butterfly created by the 793 students at Trinity College Gawler River on their school oval to support Dolly’s Dream.
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Chaplain’s Column By The Reverend Helen Creed
Someone once asked Sir Edmund Hillary if there was ever a moment when he thought he would not make it. Hilary said that, in fact, he never looked to the top of the mountain. He did what he could do, every step of the way, and trusted that following this process would take him to the top. Some years ago now, at an ASA conference, I found myself riveted by the stories of a key-note speaker who described himself as a “washed up rugby player”. It was Nick Farr-Jones AM, a member of the team that won the Rugby World Cup against England. Nick was speaking about a particular tour of England which included some great wins, but also miserable losses; he could not work out why. On the way back to Australia, and considering stepping down as captain, he sought out counsel from a trusted peer. This person didn’t hesitate: “The games when you played badly, your focus was on the scoreboard; you were too desperate to win.” Nick went on to talk about the importance of staying focused on the skills and judgements and trust and processes that are the reason we “play well”. What is needed is not players constantly looking at the scoreboard, but players who are clear about their role in the game and who put their energy into each part of the play. Jesus was very aware of the human tendency to want to get to the finish line as quickly as possible, to be seen to be a winner. His beautiful words in Matthew 6:25-34 show his understanding of the way that worries are overwhelming his disciples. These words also reveal Jesus’ deep conviction that the processes of life, under God’s blessing, can actually be trusted. From this perspective, the challenge of life is not winning, but working out what is worth doing! “But strive first for the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6:33)
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Our contemporary culture is largely focused on winners, on great scores, on glorious achievements. And while our schools seek to celebrate progress and beauty of all kinds, it’s hard not to imbibe the messages of the culture that surrounds us, and that is within us: within each of us! Schools too can be ‘too desperate to win’, a stance that turns a good sort of pressure into a bad sort of stress. It’s at the core of our work as Anglican schools that we deconstruct the messages of our surrounding culture: to ask, again and again . . . What is important to us? What really matters to us, and why? These are big questions but they have very practical, immediate implications for how we talk to our students, what we spend time on, and how we support staff. The following words, by the Jesuit Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955), speak directly to me - as a teacher, chaplain and 21st century human being - and I offer them in the hope they might speak to you too. “Above all, trust in the slow work of God. We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We should like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new. And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability— and that it may take a very long time. And so I think it is with you; your ideas mature gradually - let them grow, let them shape themselves, without undue haste. Don’t try to force them on, as though you could be today what time (that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will) will make of you tomorrow. Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be. Give Our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.” May God bless us all with the awareness of what is truly satisfying in our lives, the courage to live without constantly looking at the scoreboard, and the confidence to live with the incompleteness that is our human lot!
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Reflections on the Footsteps of Jesus Pilgrimage By Felicity House, Principal | Peter Carnley Anglican Community School, WA
Before I ventured to Jerusalem, I thought I knew a reasonable amount about the Holy Land. The stories and pictures from Sunday School were clear in my memory and the text of the scriptures played through my mind. As it turned out, our pilgrimage was far from anything I imagined. Arriving in Jerusalem for Holy Week, the pilgrims from WA Anglican Schools Association (WAASA) schools were joined by others from the USA, New Zealand and Australia. The Footsteps of Jesus course was hosted by St George’s College, Jerusalem with a Jordan Study tour following on for those who were able. As pilgrims our intent was to explore the life of Jesus and to deepen our faith as we journeyed with our hosts through events and sights of Holy Week and the Holy Land. Over the following two and a half weeks we travelled across Israel, passing into the West Bank and heading north through the Jordan River Valley to beautiful Galilee. We retraced the steps of Jesus from his birth in Bethlehem to his death on the cross and resurrection. The Course Director, The Reverend Canon Mary June Nestler, a priest, lecturer, theologian and archaeologist, filled our minds with content and context to appreciate the experiences unfolding in front of us. Our Course Chaplain, former Dean of St George’s College, The Reverend Dr Graeme Smith, together with The Very Reverend Canon Richard Sewell, Dean of the College, filled our minds and souls with readings, prayers and liturgy. Israel is a land of contrasts. On our first day we ascended The Mount of Olives, gazing east into the distance, looking beyond the Judean wilderness to the Dead Sea and the Jordan River Valley. Turning to the west, the scale changed dramatically, as we could view the sites of Jesus’ last days in relatively close proximity, taking in the Kidron Valley across to the City of David and up to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Flanigan.
Travelling north, we spent several days in Galilee. Staying at Beatitudes, we explored the sites where Jesus would have enjoyed time with his closest friends and followers. Sailing on the Sea of Galilee may sound like a fun trip for tourists but as pilgrims we contemplated Matthew 13. The words of John, Luke, Matthew and Mark brought significance to our reflections at Capernaum, Tabgha, Magdala, Nazareth and Mount Tabor. Wading in the Sea of Galilee, sitting in the wilderness listening to the wind as it whirled eerily around us and bearing witness to dozens of pilgrims renewing their baptismal vows in the Jordan River, are moments that will stay with me forever. As we walked the way of the cross along Via Dolorosa on Good Friday, our group grew in number as other Christians joined us for prayer and readings. What did the pilgrimage mean to us? The answer would be different for all, but we were honoured to have the opportunity to intertwine the steps we are taking on our own faith journey with the steps taken by Jesus himself. We were reminded that God had called us to take part in this pilgrimage and it is our duty to go back and spread the word. As Christians we came to see the world through the eyes of Jesus and we will never see the world in the same way again.
In the weeks ahead we explored sites near and far in context with the scriptures. Palm Sunday was the highlight of our pilgrimage to Jerusalem. After sharing Eucharist at St George’s Cathedral with the Archbishop of Jerusalem, The Most Reverend Suheil Dawani and the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, The Most Reverend Mark Strange, we joined the Palm Sunday procession from Bethphage. It took us from the Mount of Olives, through the Kidron Valley, past the Garden of Gethsemane through Lions Gate and St Anne’s Church. Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world took part, singing, carrying crosses and palms. Later in the week many of us were moved by the Maundy Thursday vigil at Gethsemane. The large numbers of young people gathering to mark this holy time gave us hope for the future of the church. And they went to a place which was called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here, while I pray.’ Mark 14:32
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Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Flanigan.
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A single trusted provider for critical, education focused internet and cybersecurity services. CyberHound, now part of Superloop’s security team, have been delivering cybersecurity solutions to schools for over 20 years. Combining the power of the proven CyberHound cybersecurity solution with Superloop’s award winning connectivity network enables us to deliver a full range of education focused internet, security and cloud services. What does Superloop offer schools: • One provider to deliver all cybersecurity and internet requirements. • Access to education specific pricing for secure internet solutions. • Extensive network coverage enabling us to provide flexible and reliable connectivity options for more schools. • Enhanced support and development resources to deliver innovative solutions.
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Students Prepare for a Technological Future Gippsland Grammar School, VIC
A collaboration between Gippsland Grammar Old Scholars, Hugh Williams and Martin Bean, has led to a new DigiTech subject for Year 7 students being piloted in eight Victorian schools. CS in Schools is a philanthropic initiative to support teachers to confidently deliver computer science, including coding, to secondary school students, and Gippsland Grammar teachers and students are already benefitting. Backed by RMIT University, it supports teachers, developing their confidence and competence through in-class professional development, provided by volunteer industry professionals.
WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE: Gippsland Grammar old scholar Hugh Williams addressing Gippsland Grammar 2018 Valedictorians last year.
Program Founder and Gippsland Grammar 1986 alumni, Dr Hugh Williams was previously Vice President of Google Maps at Google and has held executive roles at eBay, Microsoft, Tinder, and Pivotal. He is an Adjunct Professor and Distinguished Fellow at the Melbourne Business School and an Adjunct Professor at RMIT University. He addressed Gippsland Grammar’s graduating class of 2018 at last year’s Valedictory dinner.
Dr Williams said he was excited about the potential of the program to create real change and support today’s students in their future careers.
Vice Chancellor of RMIT University and fellow alumni, 1982 Gippsland Grammar graduate Martin Bean, has given his official support to the project, meaning it becomes part of RMIT‘s Policy and Impact Portfolio.
“The pilot program will put volunteer software engineers in the classroom alongside teachers and together they will deliver a coding subject and learn from each other.”
“Many of the important and best paid jobs of this and the next generation will require computational thinking. Even if a student doesn’t study computer science at university, it’s essential they have the basics because just about every job will be changed by technology,” Dr Williams said.
CODING EXPERTISE: CS in Schools volunteer Zach Wingrave works alongside Year 7 students and teacher Edward Wilson.
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HEADING TO NATIONALS: The Year 7 Team placed first in Queensland with team members including Toby Chippendale, Mischa Mossman-Postula, Sidney Marshall, Dominik Beveridge, Amelie Borman, Ryan Glennon and Mary Donnan.
CHAC up for the Challenge at Da Vinci Decathlon Cannon Hill Anglican College, QLD
Cannon Hill Anglican College, Brisbane (CHAC) is revelling in being recognised as the highest-achieving school in Queensland at this year’s da Vinci Decathlon, the most demanding academic school competition in Australia. Now in its seventeenth year, the da Vinci Decathlon is open to students from Years 5 to 11 and is designed to celebrate the academic gifts of Australian youth by providing a stimulating and challenging competition run in the spirit of an Olympic Decathlon. Events held across the country focus on problem solving-skills, creativity and higher order thinking skills, with students forming teams of eight to tackle 10 disciplines: Engineering, Mathematics, Code-breaking, Art and Poetry, Science, English, Ideation, Creative Production, Cartography and General Knowledge. Competing against almost 200 teams, CHAC achieved its highest ever results, with the Year 7 team crowned State Champions, and all Year 8 to Year 11 teams awarded 2nd place overall in their division. The Year 7 team will now represent CHAC and Queensland at the National da Vinci Decathlon in Sydney during July.
winning three 1st places in Drama, Ideation and Code-Breaking and Year 5 receiving 2nd in Science and 3rd in Cartography and Code-Breaking. The Secondary school teams also achieved particularly well in English, Science, Code-Breaking and Engineering. Gifted and Enterprise Education Coordinator Ms Barbara Mossman said the outcomes further highlight the College’s commitment to educational excellence. “These results are testament to the excellent work that takes place daily in classrooms around the College,” Mrs Mossman said. “It is impressive to note that this is the fourth year in a row that a team from the College has won a State title and progressed to Nationals. At this higher level, our students will compete against some of the top schools from around the country.
Adding to the list of outstanding achievements, the College’s Primary teams also achieved their highest results ever, with the Year 6 team
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Tasmanian Charity the Beneficiary of Students’ Courage Launceston Grammar School, TAS
A record-breaking $37,000 was donated to Tasmanian-based charity St Giles as a result of Launceston Grammar School’s 56th annual Walkathon. Year 12 students walked 80km in 24 hours to fundraise, with the donation used to purchase augmentative communication technologies which will enable those with severe Cerebral Palsy to be able to communicate. Launceston Grammar Headmaster Richard Ford said the School was immensely proud of its students, who completed the walk to raise what is believed to be the largest sum donated in the event’s history. “Our students’ courage and genuine desire to look beyond themselves is truly inspiring,” Mr Ford said. “Each year we see our students grow as individuals and as a steadfast community looking outward to the needs of others. I am proud of the Launceston Grammar students.” Year 12 student and Prefect Lachie Moore, who has Cerebral Palsy, believes it is important to raise awareness of Cerebral Palsy as a condition. “Throughout my life, I have noticed how much of a difference it makes when people have an understanding of what Cerebral Palsy is, and equally, an understanding of how to treat those with the condition in daily life,” Lachie said.
Walkathon History The Walkathon grew from a challenge by former United States President, John F. Kennedy, that a fit man should be able to walk 50 miles in 20 hours. Recent research has established that the challenge actually predates Kennedy and can be traced back to Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt, 26th US President (1901 – 1090). Kennedy shared Roosevelt’s interest in health and fitness and decided to investigate the fitness of his White House staff by putting the challenge to them. He informed his Secretary for State Pierre Salinger that someone from amongst the staff would have to do the walk, someone who would inspire millions of out of shape Americans to do the same thing. Eventually it was Robert Kennedy, the President’s brother and US Attorney General, who took the challenge on, along with four of his aides from the Justice Department. The walk started in sub-zero temperatures but by the 35 mile mark the last of the aides had dropped out. Kennedy went on to be the only one of the five to finish the distance. The walk was widely reported in the world press and appeared in the Launceston Examiner where it was read by headmaster Don Selth. He put the challenge to the prefects over a breakfast meeting, and it was taken up by them. The Walkathon is now an annual event on the Launceston Grammar calendar.
“It is important that people with Cerebral Palsy are treated with the respect, decency, and humanity that they would receive if they did not have the condition. “It’s also important to know that every person with Cerebral Palsy is unique, and by fundraising, we are enabling people with this condition to express themselves in ways not possible before.”
The entire school rallied behind this year’s Walkathon, with key events run across both the School’s Junior and Senior Campuses including a Maker’s Market, Cocktail Night, and an ice bucket fundraiser.
RAISING AWARENESS: From left, Year 12 students James Curran, Lachie Moore and Chack Kadima during the Walkathon.
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GROUP EFFORT: This year’s Walkathon took in King’s Bridge.
ON THE ROAD: Year 12 Walkathon participants at Customs House.
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St Margaret’s Student Making a Difference St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School, QLD
When flood waters inundated North West Queensland earlier this year, Emily Curr – Year 11 boarder at St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School in Brisbane – experienced the devastation firsthand yet looked beyond that and saw a whole community in need – a community she set out to help. Emily is from Yelvertoft Station in Mt Isa. Her family also owns two properties in the Julia Creek area and lost 70 per cent of the 5000 head of cattle which were grazing on those properties at the time of the floods. Despite this heartbreak, or perhaps because she fully appreciated its impact, Emily organised a Flood Relief Charity Luncheon which was held in the Julia Creek town hall on Sunday 5th May. Emily said initially the idea was just to arrange a small luncheon to give people in the community a chance to come together, have something to look forward to and help sustain one another through what was a devastating time for everyone in the region. “I saw how much it affected my Dad and I thought it would be beneficial if we could hold an event where everyone could come together, have the opportunity to talk to others and just enjoy the camaraderie of the whole community,” Emily said.
HELP AT HAND: Year 11 boarder Emily Curr organised a flood relief charity luncheon for her community.
The idea grew with over 250 tickets sold to the event and celebrities such as Radio 2GB presenter Alan Jones, Australian Idol singer Mark Vincent, rugby league legend Billy Moore, and Hugh Bowman, jockey of champion racehorse Winx, attending the luncheon. Alan Jones wrote on his Facebook page of Emily’s organisation of the event: “It was not good, it was incredible.” The event also attracted sponsorship and support from many areas, including Teys Australia, Suncorp, Northern Rural Group, St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School, Panda Pearls and Sisters of the North. Proceeds raised from the raffle were donated to the Cloncurry based charity Sisters of the North to assist flood affected farmers. St Margaret’s Acting Principal Karen Gorrie said she was very proud of Emily’s efforts. “It is truly heart-warming to witness Emily’s charity and compassion in serving the Julia Creek community in their time of need,” Ms Gorrie said. “Her actions are the true embodiment of the Christian values we instil in students at St Margaret’s and we are so proud of her drive to make a difference in her community.”
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Emily Curr, her father Marcus, radio presenter Alan Jones and singer Mark Vincent were all on hand to support Emily’s community luncheon to help out those affected by floods.
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ACHIEVEMENT: Georgiana Molloy Anglican School Head Girl Hannah Bowden has been named the 2019 Lions Australia Youth of the Year.
Going Places: Lions Australia Youth of the Year Georgiana Molloy Anglican School, WA
Georgiana Molloy Head Girl Hannah Bowden has been named the Lions Australia Youth of the Year for 2019. The Youth of the Year project is designed to give young people the opportunity to develop their leadership, networking and public speaking skills, ahead of their chosen higher education or career pathway. After being crowned the State winner earlier in the year, Ms Bowden travelled to Geelong to represent WA at the national finals, held during the Lions Multiple District Convention in May. She competed against five other finalists, only to take out the national title. GMAS Principal Ted Kosicki said that the school community was exceptionally proud of Ms Bowden’s achievements and ongoing association with Lions. “Hannah is a very articulate young lady who can convey her thoughts about currents matters at hand through facts, feelings, values, insights
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and intuitions. She is a very valued member of this school community,” Mr Kosicki said. Keen to pursue a career in politics and international relations after she graduates from GMAS, Ms Bowden believes in seeking out and making the most of the many opportunities and experiences on offer, both at GMAS and in the wider community. “Our education can be whatever you want to make it. It can take you halfway around the world, it can inspire you. Education is sport, service, music, arts, maths, science, and politics. Education is every single time you learn something new,” Ms Bowden said as she addressed her peers at a Secondary School assembly. “You absolutely have the ability to pursue your goals, your passions.”
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Connecting Creativity and Community All Saints’ College, WA
For a fourth consecutive year, All Saints’ College hosted a community fundraising art exhibition with proceeds from the sale of artworks donated to its Service Learning partner organisation, Nulsen Group. Running from 21 June to 19 July 2019, the Re-Connected Exhibition features more than 150 works created by All Saints’ College students, parents, grandparents, staff and alumni, as well as Nulsen residents. As in previous years, artists who participated in the 2019 exhibition were asked to respond with their own interpretations of the theme ‘connected’. However, this year for the first time there was an environmental focus, and they were also encouraged to incorporate recycled materials into their donated artworks. Eighty-nine of the works in Re-Connected were created by 24 Nulsen residents with disabilities during their art classes at the Victoria Park Centre for the Arts. Held over four weeks, these classes were made possible by some creative and entrepreneurial Year 5 students at All Saints’. As part of a Service Learning project last year at the College, students in Year 5 were given $2 of start-up capital which they had to use thoughtfully and creatively to maximise their money for charity.
CREATIVE RESULTS: Nulsen Youth Patrons and All Saints’ College Year 10 students, Zoe and Zakaria, with residents Audrey and Keith. Photographer: Jon Hewson – Community News.
All Saints’ annual $2 Project covers many learning areas and skills including Mathematics, Business and Economics, and Entrepreneurial Learning—a large focus for the College. The Year 5 students made a total of $5 725, which they then democratically voted to give to Nulsen and help fund the organisation’s art classes.
The purpose of the Nulsen Youth Patron Program is to increase awareness among students and the wider community about those living with a disability and aims to develop a passion for service in students.
Nulsen Group Manager Partnerships and Communication Ms Danica Wieman said the art classes gave residents the chance to explore their creativity and the exhibition allowed them to share it with the community.
“Nulsen Group is grateful for the thriving partnerships it has developed with All Saints’ and other schools and business corporations in the community. Without their continued support, our enriching school programs and workshops for residents would not be able to continue,” Ms Wieman said.
“Creativity is something that transcends barriers, and our residents gained new techniques from the two-hour workshops and experienced joy when producing unique works of art for potential buyers,” she said.
Head of Catalyst: Centre for Service and Social Enterprise at All Saints’, Mr Scott Corbett, said the exhibition was just one way of expressing the significance of the College’s connection with Nulsen.
All works featured in the exhibition are available to purchase through an online auction, with all proceeds from sales going towards helping Nulsen continue their incredible work of providing support and care to people of all ages with complex disabilities.
“The exhibition is an annual College event that brings together a wide cross-section of our community through a love of art,” Mr Corbett said.
The College has developed a strong partnership with Nulsen Group over the past five years, mainly through the Nulsen Youth Patron Program—a creative leadership development program that sees Year 10 students support the organisation in a variety of ways including house visits, fundraising events and educational activities.
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“The partnership with Nulsen provides students with the opportunity to engage in real-world learning and to work with a real charity and clients, making a tangible difference to the lives of others.” The online auction for the Re-Connected Exhibition will be live until 5pm on Friday, 19 July. To learn more and to place a bid on the artworks, please visit www.allsaints.wa.edu.au/auctions.
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COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS: Nulsen Youth Patron and All Saints’ College Year 10 student, Ashley, with a Nulsen resident.
ALL SMILES: Nulsen resident, Delores, painting her artwork for the Re-Connected Exhibition.
FUN THROUGH ART: Nulsen resident, Rick, painting his artwork for the Re-Connected Exhibition.
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Service and History Entwined By Jennifer Venhuizen, Head of Humanities Faculty | William Clarke College, NSW
William Clarke College is a Christcentred community that seeks to develop extraordinary learners with a passion to serve others. So, when planning the Europe History tour to Germany and Italy during the April school holidays, it was essential that students also had an authentic opportunity to serve. Our experiences in Rome included all the iconic sites such as the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Palatine Hill and Rome Forum. It was a contrast to the sights, food and culture of Germany where the focus was on the Nazi Germany era, visiting a concentration camp and experiencing Stage 6 Modern History perspectives. On Easter Sunday we attended mass at St Peter’s Square officiated by the Pope. In the afternoon we walked to the outskirts of Rome, away from the tourist precincts towards Rome Termini train station, where we increasingly saw homeless people on the street who were begging or trying to make themselves comfortable for the night with their limited belongings. The smells and sights were a stark contrast to the places we had previously visited. The service component of the Europe History tour was to run the homeless kitchen for a night and give the usual staff/volunteers the evening off. Caritas has opened a food canteen in Rome to support the needs of the homeless, weakest and most disadvantaged people through activities inspired by Christian values. Providing meals supports the objectives of promoting self-respect and establishing a welcoming relationship with the needy. When we arrived at the
HELPING HAND: William Clarke College students were honoured to serve the disadvantaged during their History tour in Rome.
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canteen we noticed large, bright red lettering across the dining room wall which stated ‘… lo aveto fatto a me’, translated ‘Every time you did these things to one of these my little brothers, you did it to me’, from Matthew 25:40. One of the standout features during our visit to Caritas was how they provided a dignified and safe environment for the needy which motivated us to serve humbly and wholeheartedly. We were moved with compassion by the long queue waiting outside in the cold. We helped those who were disabled, we swept floors, washed dishes, served food and enjoyed conversations where English was spoken. We listened to heartbreaking stories from people who were sleeping rough because of their limited access to employment and social welfare services and lives disadvantaged through a range of tragic circumstances. By the end of the meal service, we realised we had helped feed up to 500 needy people. This service experience was significantly rewarding, having a profound impact on students and teachers with many remarking that it was one of the main highlights of the tour. It was a privilege to serve and an honour to love the disadvantaged in this practical way. Our canteen manager thanked us wholeheartedly with hugs, encouraging us that we had made a difference on this day and welcoming William Clarke College to return. Headmaster Scott Marsh said the opportunity to serve close to 500 meals had actually been quite an emotional experience. “While the History tour and traveling throughout Europe was an amazing experience, watching the students show deep care for the many different people that attended the shelter throughout that evening provided a profound reminder of the greater purposes of what it is we do; teach and lead in a way that ultimately, equips young people to understand that their gifts and talents are God given and to be used in service of others,” Dr Marsh said.
HISTORY ON SHOW: Students and staff visited some momentous historical sites during their History tour in Europe including the Colosseum in Rome’s city centre.
REWARDING: Even after a hard night in kitchen, Alexander Driscoll, Eric Wright and Ethan Georgiou had huge smiles after being part of such an emotional experience.
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The ANZAC Trek All Souls St Gabriel’s School, QLD
The 2019 Souls ANZAC trip in April was an opportunity for students, parents and staff to experience the journey of the Australian ANZAC’s and pay respect to those lost in the war. The journey started in London with a visit to Runnymede Air Forces Memorial and sightseeing around London with a special trip to Windsor Castle. By day five the group had reached Ypres Salient in Belgium and had an opportunity to explore the battlefields. More than a million men were killed in Ypres Salient, which was home to some of the biggest battles of World War I. The group visited Flanders Fields Museum, the 5th Australian Division Memorial at Polygon Wood, the German Cemetery at Langemarck and Menin Gate, where they laid a wreath on behalf of the school at The Last Post Ceremony.
were lucky to have visited the Chapel the morning before. After travelling to Istanbul in Turkey, Day 12 started with a visit to Gallipoli which was a five-hour drive along the seashore, passing the waterways that the British, French and ANZAC troops were intended to secure during the Gallipoli campaign. They trekked to ANZAC Cove, North Beach, Shrapnel Gully, Lone Pine, The Nek, Quinn’s Post, Chunuk Bair and many more, experiencing the cemeteries which are the resting place of thousands of ANZAC’s.
After travelling south to Somme, they visited the Battlefields of Fromelles, The Australian Memorial Park, VC Corner Cemetery, Fromelles Cemetery and Museum and the battlefield of Bullecourt.
The group had the opportunity to visit many graves of those connected to the school including that of school beneficiary Major General Edward Feetham. One of the most senior British soldiers to be killed in World War I, Major General Feetham is honoured in Australia, as the namesake of one of the House at All Souls St Gabriel’s. His young brother John was Bishop of North Queensland from 1913-1947 and established All Souls’ School in 1920.
The tour experience was an emotional one and was heightened after a visit to the Notre Dame in Paris on the day it caught fire. The students
The Feetham family motto, and the motto of the School’s Feetham House is Tanax Proposti, meaning ‘Equal to the task’.
Students also got to experience ‘Life on the front-line’, dressing in full World War I kit with marching drills and authentic activities.
PAYING RESPECTS: Zoe Donaldson and Michael Meteyard leave an Australian flag.
NAMESAKE: Past and present students from All Souls St Gabriel’s Feetham House visited the grave of Major General Edward Feetham at Picquigny in France. CULTURAL STOP: Staff and students at the Notre Dame in Paris.
TRIBUTE: The tour group at Ataturk’s tribute at Gallipoli.
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LIFE ON THE FRONTLINE: Former student and parent Davin Marshall in World War I outfit.
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IN REMEMBRANCE: Cadets from JSRACS joined School and Army Chaplain Brad Galvin at the service.
A Time to Remember By The Reverend Brad Galvin | John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School, WA
One of the great traditions at John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School (JSRACS) is to make time in our busy school calendar to commemorate ANZAC Day. Each year we have three services across our two campuses where students have an opportunity to serve the broader school community. Students are encouraged to be involved in these services in many ways; presenting the Acknowledgement to Country, leading the School in prayer, reading history, poems and the Bible as well as the laying of the wreath. In the Secondary School, students who are members of the local Army, Air Force or Navy Cadet units serve in a more unique way. These cadets are given permission by their units to parade as a Catafalque Party accompanied with drums, and one of our senior students plays the bulge for the Last Post and the Reveille. It’s an incredible moment to witness, when the whole secondary cohort walks from the Gymnasium to the flagpole in complete silence as a sign of respect to those that have fallen serving our country. Anzac Day provides us with an opportunity to encourage our students to reflect and remember the great sacrifices of those who have gone before them. We want them to remember the men and women who
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died on the battlefields of the world. Diggers who paid the ultimate price for the freedom we enjoy today and who didn’t make it home. We want them to remember Old Scholar Private James Thomas Martin. James graduated from JSRACS in 2008 and was was a member of 7th Combat Engineers Squadron and died on the 29 August 2012, while on operations in Afghanistan. To give your life for a worthy cause is something incredible and rare. On ANZAC Day our students have an opportunity to remember Australian soldiers just like Private Martin who were willing to do the unthinkable – give their lives for the freedom of others. And what makes their sacrifice even more incredible is that these soldiers gave their lives, not only for their mates and their generation but for the liberty of all generations. They sacrificed their lives for all people, from all walks of life and backgrounds. They died for people they never knew and that is something very special.
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School and Army Chaplain Brad Galvin shows students around the military display on ANZAC Day.
THE LAST POST: The bugle is played at the Junior School service.
Soldiers from the 13 Combat Services Support Battalion , 13 Brigade, visited to talk with students about ANZAC Day.
As an Anglican school, ANZAC Day also reminds us of another great sacrifice. It reminds us of the great sacrifice of God’s son, Jesus Christ. At JSRACS we remember how Jesus gave up his perfect life, came to earth as man and died on a cross. And just like those who have died on the battlefields around the world, Jesus’ death was for all people, from all generations and from all walks of life. But what makes Jesus’ death even more striking is that his sacrifice was not just for his mates, friends, family and fellow countrymen. No, Jesus also died for his enemies. The Bible puts it like this, God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners [rebels – enemies of God], Christ died for us. Romans 8:5 This is a profound aspect about Jesus’ sacrifice. He died for his enemies. When we were still enemies of God, Jesus died for us. That is pervasive, universal love. By trusting in Jesus, God offers us true freedom, forgiveness and peace. Peace with God and with each other. Let us remember these two great sacrifices – the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for us on battlefields of the world and for Jesus who gave his life for us on a Roman cross.
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Villers-Bretonneux Cross a Symbol of Courage St George’s Anglican Grammar School, WA
St George’s Anglican Grammar School was privileged to display the Villers-Bretonneux Cross at the 2019 ANZAC service held at St George’s Cathedral. The Cross is an historical cross made in France in 1918 to commemorate the valour and courage of the West Australian 51st Battalion at the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux, that turned the tide of that war. It is kept in safe keeping in the Soldiers Chapel of St George’s Cathedral. The moving Service was an opportunity to remember those who have, and continue to, serve our country. Current serving member and parent, Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Beck, spoke to the school community about his time as an active serviceman and what ANZAC day means. The student speakers chose to participate as they either have ancestors who fought on both sides of the World War or family members who continue to serve.
TO COMMEMORATE: Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Beck and St George’s Anglican Grammar School students with the Villers-Bretonneux Cross at St George’s Cathedral.
Wreaths were laid to honour the Aboriginal ANZACs who served Australia, all Australian men and women who served and sacrificed their lives for Australia as well as to recognise both former foes and allies with whom Australia fought. A wreath was also laid for Australians who lost their lives or have been injured in peace keeping missions for Australia.
Federation Ballroom, Hotel Grand Chancellor Hobart, Tasmania 8 August 2019 Chaplains’ Networking Program and Emerging Leaders’ Program
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WELCOME BACK: Bishop Kate Prowd officiates at the commissioning of Reverend Fiona Raike.
Lowther Hall Welcomes Chaplain Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School, VIC
On Friday 5 April, representatives from across the Lowther Hall school community gathered to celebrate the commissioning of Reverend Fiona Raike, who joins Reverend Emily Fraser as a Lowther Hall Chaplain. Bishop Kate Prowd officiated at the service which was attended by all students, staff, School Council members, and parent and alumni representatives. As part of the commissioning service, a gift was presented to Reverend Raike from each part of the school community in a demonstration of support and connection. Reverend Raike served on the teaching staff at Lowther Hall almost 30 years ago, prior to seeking ordination and is now teaching Philosophy and Religious Studies classes alongside her chaplaincy duties.
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It was cause for celebration that five ordained women participated in the service, once again sending a message to the girls present that there are fulfilling career pathways available to them in areas more traditionally occupied by men. In the Easter Eucharist that followed the Commissioning, the readings and songs celebrated the special role that women played during the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
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SONIC BLISS: Singer Darren Percival worked with Lindisfarne students before performing to a sold-out crowd.
Sonic Bliss for Lindisfarne Musicians Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School, NSW
For over 20 years, Darren Percival has made a living from his voice, but it wasn’t until his performance on the The Voice in 2012 that he really found his audience. That audience grew when he delivered three days of workshops with the students of Lindisfarne, culminating in an evening performance showcasing the works of the Lindisfarne students and Darren’s own love of Ray Charles. Darren worked with students in the Senior Choir, Rock Band, senior music classes and smaller ensemble groups to help develop their music and bring his experience and unique talents to the Lindisfarne stage. Darren really enjoyed his time amongst the talented Lindisfarne students, rarely taking a break as he provided his wealth of experience to the students. “It was 72 hours of abundant sonic bliss. Being in the presence of talented young artists brings the light we all need to find our way forward on this creative journey,” he said.
“He showed us how to get more connected, to breath as one ensemble in order to perform as one voice in the Choir. He told us that it doesn’t matter who is watching, or what they think of our performance, but to just have fun and let loose and enjoy ourselves,” she said. The event culminated with a feature performance from Darren where he performed some Ray Charles hits to a sold-out Lindisfarne crowd. His energy and engagement with the audience will certainly see him return to Lindisfarne in the future as continues help develop the next generation of musical talent.
Year 10 Music student Tori Aston had the privilege of working with Darren as a member of the Choir and the Rock Band. She was also one of three students, alongside Jemma McNicoll and Chelsea Redman, who performed as Darren’s back-up vocalists for his evening performance. “The experience was amazing. Darren was really funny and extremely inspiring. His journey and how he didn’t think he would make it until he did, was wonderful to hear. He was so down to earth with who he is as a person,” Tori said. Tori worked with Darren as a member of the Choir and their focus was on working together as one group.
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BEARS ON THE STAIRS: Lowther Hall students collected teddy bears for the World Vision initiative.
Bears on the Stairs Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School, VIC
Senior School Faith and Worship and Social Justice Prefects at Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School worked with their Junior School counterparts recently to support World Vision Australia’s ‘Bears on the Stairs’ initiative, in conjunction with St Paul’s Cathedral. Girls across the School donated new teddy bears to be sent to children fleeing their homes due to conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Teddy bears were also sent to local Asylum Seeker Charities. “This initiative was exciting to us because we felt it was important to reflect on, and understand, the difficult challenges and situations refugee and asylum seeker children find themselves in each day,” Year 12 Faith and Worship Prefect Marie Villani said. “In supporting this initiative, we were able to actively demonstrate our motto, Non Nobis Solum (not for ourselves alone) and support our community on a global level.”
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At Lowther Hall, Faith and Worship and Social Justice Committees work closely together to broaden students’ perspectives and understanding of religious and world views, and ways in which they can do something to assist. With these ideas in mind, the opportunity to support World Vision and work alongside St Paul’s Cathedral was extremely important. “We were proud of the girls’ efforts in donating over 300 bears and were happy to see everyone get involved and support such a worthy cause,” Marie said.
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Keeping the Faith Alive John Wollaston Anglican Community School, WA
Students at John Wollaston Anglican Community School are benefiting from a new Bishop-in-Residence program. Principal Anne Ford developed the initiative in response to the long-term absence of a School Chaplain. Working with the Anglican Diocese of Perth, the program was developed with the purpose of welcoming the Archbishop and Assistant Bishops to the School for several days throughout the year to spend time with students and staff in both formal and informal settings.
WELCOME VISITOR: Archbishop Kay at the Easter Service.
Visiting Bishops have participated fully in the life of the School including attending a Year 12 Parent Student Breakfast, leading Staff Reflection and Chapel Services, meeting with student leaders and visiting classrooms. Students from all years have enjoyed their time with the Bishops, asking a variety of questions relating to their role in the Church, God and the Bible. In addition, the Archbishop presided at the School’s Easter Service and will return to lead the School’s 30th Anniversary Founders’ Day Service in August. So far this year the School has had the pleasure of welcoming The Most Reverend Kay Goldsworthy AO, Archbishop of Perth and The Right Reverend Jeremy James tssf, Assistant Bishop of Perth. We look forward to welcoming The Right Reverend Kate Wilmot, Assistant Bishop of Perth later in the year.
IN RESIDENCE: Bishop Jeremy at the Year 12 Parent Student Breakfast.
SPECIAL SERVICE: Archbishop Kay during a Primary Chapel Service.
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WELCOME TO THE VIRGIN AUSTRALIA LOUNGE
Exclusive offer for Anglican School Australia The Virgin Australia Lounge is a stylish and practical space to YLVLW SULRU WR 9LUJLQ $XVWUDOLD GRPHVWLF ÀLJKW GHSDUWXUHV The Lounge is designed to cater for the different needs and UHTXLUHPHQWV RI RXU YDOXHG PHPEHUV DQG JXHVWV )HDWXUHV DQG EHQH¿WV • Buffet menu with fresh, tasty breakfast, lunch and dinner options • All day barista coffee and snacks in selected lounges • Premium wine and beer selection available after 11am • Complimentary WiFi access and power throughout • Individual workstations and desktop computers • Print, fax, photocopy and mobile phone charging services • +LJK GH¿QLWLRQ WHOHYLVLRQV ZLWK )R[WHO DQG IUHH±WR±DLU programs • PressReader, newspapers, business, sports, leisure and lifestyle magazines • 6HUYLFH GHVN RIIHULQJ ÀLJKW LQIRUPDWLRQ DQG VHUYLFHV • Private meeting rooms available for hire at competitive rates, plus communal meeting spaces†Virgin Australia Lounge locations Adelaide
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How to purchase your lounge membership 1. Anglican Schools Australia employees must join Virgin Australia’s frequent flyer loyalty program Velocity. Velocity is free to join at www.velocityfrequentflyer.com 2. Email your name and Velocity membership number to your LMS
coordinator: Kerry Campbell - kcampbell@asc.wa.edu.au 3. Your LMS Coordinator will submit your lounge membership nomination. 4. You will receive an email directly from Velocity with a link that you can click on to make payment. Payment needs to be made within 30 days.
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Schools Shine for Australian Education Awards Anglican schools are well represented in this year’s Australian Education awards, featuring in 15 of the 17 eligible categories.
Best Professional Learning Program Radford College, ACT
Best School Strategic Plan St Paul’s School, QLD
Secondary School of the Year – Non-government Korowa Anglican Girls’ School, VIC Trinity Grammar School, Sydney, NSW
Primary School of the Year – Non-government Korowa Anglican Girls’ School, VIC St Paul’s School, QLD
Regional School of the Year Snowy Mountains Grammar School, NSW Whitsunday Anglican School, Mackay, QLD
Boarding School of the Year Ballarat Grammar, VIC Snowy Mountains Grammar School, NSW
Best STEM Program St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School (Warragul Junior School), VIC
Best Student Wellbeing Program Ballarat Grammar, VIC Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School, VIC St Paul’s School, QLD
Best Use of Technology Coomera Anglican College, QLD
Innovation in Learning Environment Design Mentone Grammar School, VIC The winners will be announced at the Australian Education Awards Gala Dinner in Sydney on 16 August .
St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School, QLD
School Principal of the Year – Non-government Belinda Provis, All Saints’ College Perth, WA Dr Paul Browning, St Paul’s School, QLD Ros Curtis, St Margaret’s Anglican Girls’ School, QLD
Primary Principal of the Year – Non-government Angela Drysdale, St Margaret’s Anglican Girls’ School, QLD Sandra Hawken, St John’s Anglican College, QLD Sally Ruston, Abbotsleigh, NSW
Teacher of the Year Ronnelle Sanders, St John’s Anglican College, QLD
Department Head of the Year Bek Duyckers, Perth College Anglican School for Girls, WA
Best Co-Curriculum Program Radford College, ACT Snowy Mountains Grammar School, NSW St Andrew’s Anglican College, QLD
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CELEBRATE: Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School is a finalist in the Best Student Wellbeing Program category.
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Korowa Continues to Raise the Bar Korowa Anglican Girls’ School, VIC
Korowa Anglican Girls’ School in Glen Iris has been announced as a finalist for ‘School of the Year’ in the NonGovernment Secondary School and the Non-Government Junior School categories of the Australian Education Awards. In 2018, the non-selective school won ‘School of the Year’ in the NonGovernment Secondary School category and has continued to raise the bar on excellence. “We’re focused on giving our students real-world opportunities and skills,” Principal Helen Carmody said. “We have partnered with other schools, universities, industry and not for profit organisations to deliver programs which will create a generation of thinkers, designers and entrepreneurs.” The School was the first to participate in an innovative #SheHacks coding and design week with Girl Geek Academy, as part of the work experience program for Year 10. In 2018, two Year 9 and 10 teams attained first and third place at the Shanghai International Youth Science and Technology Expo for their app supporting students with dyslexia. The School was a case-study for the Department of Education Digital Grant program and recognised for its leadership in this area. The Junior School undertook an extensive refresh of existing programs and structures, resulting in a program which is based on skill progression and links core subjects with the wellbeing program. These innovations led to the nomination for ‘Junior School of the Year’.
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“In the Junior School, girls can utilise the state-of-the-art STEAM Lab; enjoy our revised experiential learning program; join STEAM Club, diving, athletics or tennis; participate in our fortnightly swimming program and attend school holiday Code Camp. The experience in the Junior School reflects the current educational research of supporting the whole child and the emotional, social and academic needs of a 21st century learner,” Head of Junior School, Joanne Barker said. The transformational improvement at the school is due to a strong focus on data and research, as Helen Carmody explains, “The continued use of data to plan, develop and better understand our students and their needs is our guiding principle.” In collaboration with a range of experts, the School is researching which of its programs best develop mental toughness, the impact of mood on learning achievement and the importance of resilience in the workplace. School-based research has led to the development of a Korowa Critical Thinking approach, designed to create a culture of autonomous thinkers and learners.
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Wellbeing a Top Priority at St Paul’s St Paul’s School, QLD
Rather than following trends of other schools and educational programs, St Paul’s is a pioneer which creates its own frameworks aimed at providing a truly holistic education, which focuses on who each child can become, rather than a narrow focus on standardised knowledge and skills. Recently this approach to student wellbeing was recognised in a national forum. The School was named as a finalist in the category of ‘Best Student Wellbeing Program’ in the National Education Awards. Commenting on the award nomination, Executive Director of Faith and Community, Mr Nigel Grant, said “It is very exciting to see our holistic, integrated approach to student wellbeing acknowledged in this way. We are committed to seeing each child flourish, and that involves the formation of their character as well as the development of their mind and body”.
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This is achieved through the School’s unique student wellbeing program called Ways of Being. This program has five components: 1.
Character and virtues
2.
Values and ethics
3.
Physical health and wellbeing
4. Mental health and wellbeing 5. Spiritual formation At the heart of Ways of Being is the relationship between each child and their teacher(s). In the primary school, the classroom teacher is responsible for integrating Ways of Being into the overall learning program; however, in the secondary school it is more complex, with a House-based pastoral care system of vertical tutor groups complementing the academic program. Also central to Ways of Being is the St Paul’s Character Framework, comprising ten virtues which all members of the community are encouraged to demonstrate. Complementing this is our Choices and Consequences Framework, which guides students in ensuring there is coherence between their behaviour and their beliefs.
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St Mary’s New Chaplain: Richard Pengelley By The Reverend Richard Pengelley | St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School, WA
It has been a rather full six months since my resignation as Dean of St George’s Cathedral. After having both knees replaced in early January, my recovery has been interspersed with moving house, travel, conference work and lots of family time. I now feel ready and excited about commencing in the role of Chaplain of St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School, which I did on 24 June 2019. I am aware that I am inheriting a very healthy chaplaincy after Gerry Nixon, Terry Curtis and Joyce Poulson’s (continuing) ministries. I am looking forward to working alongside Judith Tudball and her team. My wife has worked at the School for nearly a decade and our eldest daughter is an Old Girl so I am well aware of just how good an educational community St Mary’s has been for a very long time. I have also been part of the service learning experience of St Mary’s girls for a number of years in Cambodia.
NEW TEAM: St Mary’s Principal Judith Tudball and School Chaplain The Reverend Richard Pengelley.
However, I am also aware that even institutions as healthy as St Mary’s face some very real challenges. Having just completed a national tour as MC, presenter and advisor to the Positive Schools Mental Health and Wellbeing Conferences, we had talks and workshops on topics such as: the use of mobile phones and social media in schools; cyber bullying and safety; developing a school culture based on kindness and forgiveness; the relational classroom based on inclusion and diversity; joining in, fitting in, belonging and the cost of competition; and teaching our children to own and tell their own stories. In an age of relentless ‘image making’ I believe that chapel, chaplaincy and pastoral care have a role to play in developing mindfulness, self-care, spiritual reflection and time to meditate upon what is really important. I also believe that a comprehensive school-wide commitment to service learning locally, nationally and internationally is one of the best antidotes to mental health issues and self-absorption. Serving others is one of the best ways of gaining a better perspective on our own lives and issues. It also taps into the extraordinary vision and energy of young people, most of whom, from my experience, want to make the world a better place. Finally, I believe that the timeless stories, songs, values and rituals that an Anglican school offers to its community can add a depth of experience that informs a truly holistic education. In both celebration and sadness, we become aware that there is nothing our loving God has not experienced in the person of Jesus Christ. I look forward, once again, to sharing the journey with an excellent and committed school community.
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NEW CHAPLAIN: The Reverend Richard Pengelley.
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Science Inspires as Emma’s Star Rises Bishop Druitt College, NSW
A rising star in the world of Science, Bishop Druitt College Year 12 student Emma Serisier is set to travel to Phoenix, Arizona to represent Australia at the International Science and Engineering Fair, the largest pre-university science competition in the world. Emma will be part of a team of nine students competing against over 1,800 students from more than 80 countries. Emma entered the Young Scientists Awards in 2018 with her research into the use of domestic chickens as bio-recyclers of household food scraps.
YOUNG SCIENTIST: Emma Serisier.
She compared three things: 1.
soil without the chickens
2a. soil with the benefit of the chickens consuming commercial food 2b. soil with the benefit of the chickens consuming food scraps that have been bio-recycled She found that this had major economic and environmental benefits by examining nutrient levels and friability of soils using bio-recycling of food waste, compared to the use of commercially made food and soil, untouched by chickens. The Young Scientists Awards committee are able to include a Rural Young Scientist category through the sponsorship provided by the Sapphire Foundation. Their mission is to inspire rural students to discover the beauty and joy of Science and Mathematics and to assist them to achieve their potential. Emma’s prize covers all expenses to the USA for the competition. Additionally, the Foundation supports rural teachers by providing a teacher scholarship to the competition and Bishop Druitt College teacher, Ms Alison Hollier, won this scholarship. Emma has the benefit of working in a team who are supported by expert mentors, including Ms Hollier. They also travelled to Sydney for a practice presentation in front of a peer review panel comprising a team of mentors and industry representatives.
READY TO GO: The Australian team prepares for the International Science and Engineering Fair.
“Emma spoke passionately and confidently, answered some very tough questions about the validity of her investigation and its value to society. We are so impressed with Emma and know she will do very well and we wish her good luck in this prestigious international competition,” Ms Hollier said.
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Anglican Schools Australia PHONE 08 9286 0290 EMAIL asa@asc.wa.edu.au WEB www.anglicanschoolsaustralia.edu.au
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