ASC NEWS | ISSUE 63 | APRIL 2019

News Issue 63 April 2019

Featuring from the ceo • PETER CARNLEY ANGLICAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL • ST MARK’S ANGLICAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL • PARENTS IN ASC SCHOOLS • STUDENT LEADERS • NATURE PLAY • BEAZLEY MEDAL WINNER: VET • CHRISTIAN PURPOSES DAY• CALENDAR • EASTER MESSAGES

From the Chief Executive Officer THE REVEREND PETER LAURENCE OAM

We stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers of the Islamic faith, other faiths and none in Christchurch, New Zealand after the shocking massacre of 15 March. I was sitting with our 14 Principals in the ASC Boardroom as news broke… as for you, many emotions filled us, not least deep sadness for lives cut short. A time to pause for reflection and prayer.

Beazely Medal: VET

WA Apprentice of the Year

It is always a joy and privilege to be part of the School Curriculum and Standards Authority Awards presentation, held in February each year at Government House. The occasion was especially meaningful this year as the Governor of WA and our Minister for Education presented Jess Haydon with the Beazley Medal: VET, for the top vocational education and training student in WA for 2018.

Jess also received a VET Exhibition when he graduated from Swan Valley Anglican Community School (SVACS) last year.

Today, he works for Ertech as an apprentice on Barrow Island off the Kimberley coast. An article on Jess can be found in the biography section of this edition of ASC News.

Contents From the CEO

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Feature Schools

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Feature Themes

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Biography 12 What’s On

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Curriculum: Nature Play

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Calendar 15 Easter Messages from the Bishops

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COVER: Jess Haydon and Caitlin Whittle from SVACS. PHOTOGRAPHER: David Baylis – Community News

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As with so many of our schools, SVACS has strong and highly regarded VET programs. They also celebrated the news that Year 12 graduate Caitlin Whittle won the WA Schoolbased Apprentice of the Year 2018 at the Australian Training Awards. Her study interest was in hospitality.

Caitlin clearly has many talents, as she served in the School’s 2018 student leadership team as Chapel Captain.

First Graduate in Master of Chaplaincy Studies It is a joy to acknowledge that after three years of study on three continents, The Reverend Jean-Pierre Schroeder (a Chaplain at Peter Moyes Anglican Community School) is Australia’s first graduate in the highly regarded Master of Chaplaincy from Cardiff University in Wales.

Jean-Pierre (or J-P as he is known) undertook studies on campus in Wales and at satellite schools in Hong Kong and Perth. This world-leading course brings together Chaplains from all walks of life and many countries. Their study together makes them more effective ministers of the Gospel and carers of all, wherever they serve.

Congratulations J-P.

Amana Living’s Thomas Scott Hostel and students in Years 5 and 6 from John Wollaston Anglican Community School have come together as part of a unique project for the 2019 Amana Living Arts Festival. Called Sharing the Experience, the six-week project involves residents and students gathering stories that are then told through visual art, photography, song and storytelling. It will culminate in a performance at the School in early April.

LEFT: Students Sophie Lewin and Caleb Walker with Glorie Godfree

New Enterprise Agreement Teaching and support staff in our 14 schools are employed under one of four Enterprise Agreements. The largest number of staff members is employed under the WA Enterprise Agreement, covering all teachers in our 11 WA schools. After a vote from teachers to endorse the new Agreement, it now sits with the Fair Work Commission awaiting consideration for Registration. The 2019 Agreement contains a number of new benefits for our teachers, including: • improved personal leave and carers’ leave entitlements • improved compassionate leave entitlements • additional provisions to accommodate teachers managing family and domestic violence • improved redundancy provisions Some 20 years ago, the ASC linked teacher salaries to their counterparts in the WA Department of Education. Today our teachers are paid 2.5% above their state education counterparts, in recognition of the responsibilities of working in an ASC school. Accordingly, remuneration rates do not form part of our enterprise agreement negotiations. We look forward to the registration of the new WA ASC Agreement, which has a life of three years from the date of registration.

Strengthening Anglican Partnerships After 24 years as CEO of Anglicare, Mr Ian Carter AM has stepped aside to pursue other interests in the sphere of social justice and to allow a new CEO, Mr Mark Glasson, to steer Anglicare into the future. Among so many initiatives during his tenure, Ian was instrumental in establishing the very successful Anglicare Ambassador program, supported by others, including Mr Garth Wynne (then Headmaster of Christ Church Grammar School, Claremont and now Head of Christ’s College, Christchurch NZ). Anglican schools raised nearly $250,000 in 2018 for the Anglicare Street Connect bus, with $82,000 coming in one night at the August sleepout at Optus Stadium.

Another member of the Anglican CEO’s group is Ms Stephanie Buckland, CEO of Amana Living and Chair of the St George’s Anglican Grammar School Council. Stephanie and her team have worked with a number of Anglican schools in recent years, most notably this year with primary students and staff from John Wollaston Anglican Community to develop the Amana Living Arts Festival (see photograph above).

It is a great joy to see ASC students and staff engaging in partnerships with both these WA Anglican agencies.

Christian Purposes Days First term commenced with our inaugural Christian Purposes Day for the Victorian and NSW ASC schools. Held at Trinity Anglican College in Albury, teachers came together to hear from a variety of speakers, including Mr Phillip Heath AM, Head of Barker College in Sydney. Next term, our WA colleagues will gather for their Christian Purposes Day at HBF Stadium on Monday, 29 April. This year’s keynote speaker, Saroo Brierley, whose story is told in the movie Lion and the book A Long Way Home, will provide much thoughtful input during the day.

Principals’ News On 14 February, the Archbishop of Perth, The Most Reverend Kay Goldsworthy AO, commissioned Mr Ben Lomas as the fifth Principal of Peter Moyes Anglican Community School (PMACS).

It was announced in March that Mr Kerr Fulton-Peebles would be retiring as Principal of Esperance Anglican Community School in July. Kerr has given exceptional leadership to the School since his appointment in early 2013. His dedicated service to EACS and involvement in the wider Esperance community have been noteworthy. We wish Kerr and Margaret well as they return to the United Kingdom.

Later in the same week, Mr Adrian Farrer’s resignation from Cathedral College Wangaratta (CCW) was announced. In making the announcement, the Chair of the CCW Council, Mr Mike Noble, said, “We will be forever grateful for Adrian’s dedication, integrity, leadership, vision, passion and strong Anglican faith”. We thank Adrian and wish the Farrer family every blessing as he returns to Melbourne to become Headmaster of Trinity Grammar School, Kew in 2020.

Finally ...

We’ve now come to the end of first term, the Lenten Term as we once called it. As you pause for refreshment, we are afforded a little time to reflect on the cross of Christ and its significance in human history and lives. It is a message of hope because of the resurrection. It is that message of hope that we share daily in our schools. ASC schools are resurrection communities …. hopefilled, joyful places of learning, laughter and life. May you journey through Palm Sunday and Holy Week to the cross and empty tomb with hope in your hearts.

Every blessing

The Reverend Peter Laurence OAM CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

ASC NEWS April 2019

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Feature School

Peter Carnley Anglican Community School IMAGINE WHAT WE CAN BE Creating a positive future begins in human conversation. The simplest and most powerful investment any member of a community or an organisation can make is to begin with other people as though the answers mattered.

William Greider

The staff of Peter Carnley Anglcian Community School (PCACS) commenced 2019 with an Appreciative Inquiry Summit (AI).

The Discovery Phase

The purpose was to reveal and acknowledge the individual and collective positive capacity of PCACS through the process of group collaboration and one-to-one appreciative interviews. In sharing stories of themselves at their best, staff illuminated the life-giving threads that are at the core of who they are within the community. In speaking out their hopes and dreams to one another, they uncovered a vibrant vision of how they want the school to be: a vibrant community of people, connected deeply to one another, their environment and their world. This was the Discovery phase.

The Dream Phase

The core task of the second part of the summit, the Dream phase, was to bring to life the greatest desires and visions of who we want to be as a community and an organisation.

Firstly, staff were invited to share their dreams for the future and collaborate on writing a dream statement that expressed their shared desires.

PCACS is a leader in contemporary education. Innovation is at the forefront of the school’s success, incorporating modern teaching and learning environments and creative indoor/outdoor spaces. The community of staff, students and families are committed to the pursuit of excellence

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and all members achieving their personal bests. At PCACS, we celebrate the diversity of students’ skills, interests and abilities. Table 8 Secondly, tables were tasked with presenting their dreams creatively to their colleagues. This resulted in 3D models, skits, raps and even a spontaneous protest! We saw a tree of opportunity being filled with colourful birds, masks, extraordinary sensory gardens bought to life, poems and a lighthouse – PCACS as a beacon in the local community.

It is clear from the creative presentations and shared dreams, that the staff at PCACS want this community to be inclusive, environmentally responsible and at the leading edge of contemporary schooling in Western Australia and beyond.

There is a strong desire to embrace and passionately live the core values of the school expressed through the Anglican tradition.

The Design Phase

The core task of the Design phase is to generate projects and innovations that will create the foundation for who they want to be as they journey forward. The appreciative inquiry process invites the group to create the social architecture of the school, meaning the systems, structures, governance, job descriptions, workflows, tasks, strategic alliances, best practice and so on that define the culture, values and potential of PCACS.

Far left: Staff from both campuses gathered in the Calista auditorium for the Summit and staff got creative with their dream statements.

Left: Graphic scribe, Ben Crappsley, shared his visual documentation of the day’s Inquiry for reflection and forward planning.

The Delivery Phase

The final part of the summit, the Delivery phase, saw staff organise themselves into teams to plan a pencil sketch of inspired actions, innovations and projects that will help PCACS reach the shared visions and dreams expressed throughout the day. These projects are now the driving momentum towards change as the future appears compelling and achievable.

• PCACS as a green school that not only embeds sustainable practices, but also creates synergy between indoor and outdoor spaces with built structures and nature-based pedagogy • PCACS as leaders in contemporary pedagogy with highly trained educators who are passionately invested in the development of the whole child • PCACS as the “Jewel in Kwinana” by welcoming and developing meaningful and practical connections with local community, industry, business and government

• PCACS as an organisation that is clearly identified by its Christian values expressed through servant leadership, service learning and social and environmental justice • PCACS as a truly cohesive K-12 school where students and their families embark on a learning journey with seamless transitions from the first day of Kindy through to Year 12 graduation • Staff at PCACS nurture an enjoyable yet professional workplace where all staff are encouraged and practically supported to reach their greatest potential

Resources Graphic Scribe from AI Summit • Ben Crappsley – artist and teacher - bcrappsley@hotmail.com

Good guides for ‘Appreciative Inquiry’ • Whitney, D. D., & Trosten-Bloom, A. (2010). The power of appreciative inquiry: A practical guide to positive change.

• PCACS as an organisation which values strength in diversity Berrett-Koehler Publishers. and invites all people to join in creating a vibrant community of • Hammond, A. (1998). The thin book of appreciative staff, students and families inquiry.2nd ed. Thin Book Publishing Company: Bend, OR. • Ludema, J. D., Cooperrider, D. L., & Barrett, F. J. (2001).

Appreciative inquiry: The power of the unconditional positive • PCACS as an engaging and professional workplace where all question. Handbook of action research, 189-199. staff are encouraged and practically supported to reach their greatest potential

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Feature School

St Mark’s Anglican COMMUNITY School The drone industry is one of the fastest growing technology industries in the world, and presents a wide range of job opportunities, including in film and television; property marketing; events; surveying; mining, oil and gas; multimedia productions; engineering design; mineral exploration; environmental research and monitoring as well as mapping (2D and 3D) and photogrammetry; agriculture; asset inspection and emergency services.

WA’s first Drone Piloting Course St Mark’s values the development, implementation and use of technologies to enrich the curriculum and provide flexibility to its delivery, and engagement of students in learning. We are working to empower students to become cooperative and collaborative workers, dynamic problem-solvers, creative and critical thinkers and digitally literate citizens.

St Mark’s is the first school in Western Australia to introduce the Certificate III in Aviation (Remote Pilot – Visual Line of Sight) as part of our Senior School offerings. Through the course, St Mark’s is set to deliver a future-focused program that appeals to (and inspires) students in both General and ATAR pathways. The program is a fantastic opportunity for students to think and work in different ways and gain accreditation towards achievement of their WACE.

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Successful completion of the course will provide students with a skill set to achieve a nationally recognised qualification, leading to career opportunities in an innovative and rapidly developing industry. It is exciting to be able to offer a hands-on approach to learning in an authentic and exciting STEM context.

The course will run under the auspices of the St Mark’s Science Department. There is significant interest in the course from students and, in 2019, the initial year of the program, St Mark’s is running two classes. The St Mark’s Parents & Friends’ Association provided generous funding to cover the cost of the drones and other equipment required for the program.

The school-based course introduces students to the exciting world of drone technology and flight. Students will learn how to fly a drone through the AVI30316 Certificate III in Aviation (Remote Pilot – Visual Line of Sight) with the objective of becoming CASA-approved Remote Pilots. This nationally accredited qualification provides students with the knowledge and experience they need to confidently enter one of Australia’s fastest growing technology industries.

To this end, St Mark’s is partnering with Skills Generation, a Queensland-based RTO https://www.skillsgeneration.com. au/ and the Perth-based company, Autonomous Technology https://www.autonomoustechnology.com.au/. Autonomous Technology specifically designed the HuBBLe drone for use in secondary schools, providing a hands-on approach to learning technology around autonomous systems.

The HuBBLe’s software allows students to tailor the drone to their developing skill sets as they progress through the program. The course stimulates students to learn to use the technology, think outside the realms of what is possible and gives them the hands-on skills required to develop the piloting skills that are required by industry.

Drone Technology in the Junior School All schools have mandated expectations of the Australian Curriculum with specific relevance to Digital Technologies.

ICT capabilities are becoming increasingly valued in a rapidly changing world.

With an ongoing commitment to real-life, experiential learning for the real world the introduction of drone technology into the Junior School in 2018 made perfect sense. Watching young people engage with tools of this nature is a reminder of children’s abilities to quickly learn and adapt to new technologies. Appropriate use of technology is almost intuitive to them.

Year 4 students begin their foray into the digital world by learning basic coding, including coding a robot and a drone, while students in Year 5 begin their program looking at aerodynamics and principles of flight.

As their inquiry develops, the students will move from investigating paper planes to using a Digital Flight Simulator, and review the relevant laws, regulations and safety. After they have successfully navigated the flight simulator and conducted comprehensive safety checklists, they will be able to begin working directly with the Parrot Mambo Mini-Drones, including flights, launching, following courses, performing tasks and solving problems during flight. Students complete the program by learning how to code for the drones.

Although the drone program in the Junior School is only in its second year, the level of students’ engagement, their level of responsibility and the rapid growth in their level of inquiry has affirmed the School’s commitment in this regard.

ASC NEWS April 2019

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Primary Theme

Parents in the Primary Classroom

John Wollaston Anglican Community School Juggling a classroom and providing each student with individual attention can be difficult at times but “many hands make light work” which is why parent-inclusive classrooms are welcomed and encouraged at John Wollaston Anglican Community School.

activities and sight words as they begin to expand their literacy skills. During units of inquiry parents are invited, as ‘experts’ in their careers, to address the students. Parents, students and teachers work together to explore each child’s Learning Journey.

Parents are presented with many opportunities throughout the year to get involved in their child’s class and work alongside the teacher. From school excursions and sporting events to literacy assistance in the morning, parents are active members of the school community.

Staff facilitate parenting workshops throughout the year on a variety of contemporary educational issues. A 2018 Digital Technologies Workshop was most successful in familiarising Primary parents with various robots and coding practices used by students.

Parent participation in the Primary School is quite diverse.

Parents love to get involved with their younger children, pulling up a chair and nestling in for story time or classroom activities at the start of the school day. In the Early Learning Centre, parents can nominate to go on the roster to be a parent helper, assisting with classroom activities including arts and crafts.

In Year 1, parent helpers assist students with guided reading

In the Secondary School, students completing a Certificate II in Hospitality operate a weekly breakfast service in the Chalk Café.

The Parents and Friends Committee, parents and staff gather to share a meal and lively conversation every Tuesday as the Chalk Café becomes the heartbeat of our School community. Parent involvement at John Wollaston occurs in the classroom and beyond.

Trinity Anglican College We are blessed with some wonderfully-talented parents who are very generous with their time – and what Junior School child doesn’t love seeing their parent in the classroom?

The biggest areas of parental engagement in the classroom are our literacy and numeracy programs, where parents are invaluable for listening to students read, assisting with writing and playing literacy or numeracy games. Additional help during the classroom rotation enables teachers to focus uninterrupted on small-focus groups.

We are grateful for parents of all professions and skill levels. To coincide with our blended unit on community and people who contribute to our community, parents have shared their experiences in a range of professions. Students have heard from police men and women, firefighters, doctors, dentists and nurses. They have learned about animal behaviour and safe practice around dogs from parents who were dog trainers; they were visited by parents who drove their heavy farm machinery into the playground to coincide with a unit on transport, and recycling was investigated courtesy of a parent who managed Albury City Council’s waste recycling body.

We also encourage parents to help on days of significance – cooking pancakes for students on Shrove Tuesday, leading Indigenous awareness during NAIDOC Day and playing the bugle at our ANZAC Day service.

Learning opportunities for our students are boundless when there is a strong relationship between parents and school. We think parents are a rich resource worth nurturing.

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St James’ Anglican School The most overwhelming key to a child’s success is the positive involvement of parents. Jane D Hull, Governor of Arizona.

At St James’ Anglican School there are numerous ways parents can be involved in their child’s education. In the early years, parent volunteers are appreciated for their help with listening to students reading, helping with small groups, cutting up daily fruit and assisting on excursions and camps amongst other things.

What are the benefits of this help? The obvious benefit is that it assists the teachers, which in turn benefits the students with such things as daily help with reading. In a busy timetable this can be hard to achieve whilst also delivering the curriculum.

Perhaps the greatest benefit is the proven understanding that children do better in school when parents, teachers and students work together. Parents have a greater appreciation of what the teacher does and of what their child’s day is like. Studies have shown that students whose parents have volunteered in the classroom achieved better results over time.

Finally, in our increasingly diverse society, the chance to learn from our community is massive. Parents come in and share stories about their jobs, background and culture. We recently had grandparents share their experiences as ’10-pound poms’ who emigrated to Australia in 1967; what a truly rich learning experience for our students. We thank all our parent volunteers and encourage others to be involved as it can be rewarding and beneficial for all involved.

Cobram Anglican Grammar School Parental involvement in a child’s journey through school is critical to foster social, academic and emotional growth. For Junior and Middle school at Cobram Anglican Grammar, the aim is to involve parents wherever possible to enhance that community feeling.

We acknowledge that the first teachers of all children are their families. Every child commences school with some understanding of oral language, skills, behaviours and values which their families have instilled in them since birth. Building on these relationships between school and home at Cobram Anglican Grammar School is extremely important, and we welcome and encourage our parents into our classrooms in wherever they can be of assistance. For students from Prep to Year 6, this is often during our literacy and numeracy sessions where parents support the delivery of the program and, on occasions, offer special interest support.

In addition, families and community members offer support to students across all year levels in a variety of specialist areas, including agriculture, languages, sport, music, automotive, art, wood and metal work. Further, we are aware that the classroom can be everywhere and not just confined to the four walls of a specific room. This idea of the community being a classroom offers another layer of learning to the structured environment of a classroom. Cobram Anglican Grammar is proud to be heavily involved in our local community which, coupled with the time invested in parental involvement, enriches the education of our students.

ASC NEWS April 2019

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Secondary Theme

Developing Student Leaders

Esperance Anglican Community School Like many schools, Esperance Anglican Community School has School and House Prefects who are elected by their peers and staff to serve the community. The importance of this service is emphasised through their formal commissioning in a dedicated Chapel where the concept of service as the heart of leadership is emphasised. The assembled Prefects then have to take their commissioning oath to reinforce the point: I promise to uphold the values and traditions of the School, demonstrating in my leadership the importance of hard work, humanity, humility and humour in service to the community.

Applause from the School is used to indicate not just pleasure and approval but is also a demonstration of support for the Prefects from the entire school community. These young leaders run School assemblies and assist with Chapel services; assist in hosting visitors; run activities such as art, media and sport clubs; initiate service-learning opportunities; and, this year, they helped to run the newly formed Student Representative Council (SRC).

The SRC provides leadership opportunities for students from

each year group and meets regularly with the aim of helping to make the School community even better than it already is.

We embrace the Design for Change approach, which is now established in Australia after successes in Asia. Members of the SRC engage in seminars to establish what is going well in the School and, from this positive base, look at what could be improved. This unfolds through a series of steps in which the SRC FEELS what they would like to see working better, IMAGINES how this could be achieved and what it would look like, and then DOES something to make sure progress is made.

SHARING this initiative with others is also part of the process. In the past, student leaders have used this method to bring about change as diverse as pedestrian safety in the car park area, providing meaningful activities for students during recess and lunch, and raising awareness of the plight of refugees.

We hope that, through these means, a wide cross-section of our School community has the opportunity to exercise servant leadership and provide the means by which they can contribute more widely and effectively in their own communities outside school.

Cathedral College Wangaratta For the first time in the history of the College, we were able to officially commission our House Captains with all three sub-schools in attendance. Our House Captains and School Captains represent not only the student body, but also the whole school and our core values. A formal process is followed with submissions, applications, speeches and interviews and students are to be commended for the courage and aspiration to nominate for their House.

In March, we held the first in a series of Leadership Days to discuss what strengths and skills are necessary to be a good leader. We were fortunate to have Federal Member for Indi, The Hon Cathy McGowan AO, join us for the morning and guide the session. Ms McGowan described a leader as someone who can create a figurative garden where people are well-nourished, well cared for and surrounded by companions who help them ‘bloom’. Further, she stressed

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the importance of also allowing those companions to grow and become self-empowered; great leaders focus on creating more leaders. At its heart, Ms McGowan’s main idea of bloom, where you are planted, asked our leaders to focus on building a vision and working with both individual and collective strengths to inspire, encourage and grow.

We were also privileged to have the 2018 School Captain, Alex Race-Stelling, reflect on what he believes are essential values for any individual. He stressed that each student has significant influence on those around them so it is important to remember the impact of one’s words, behaviour and actions on a whole community. In his time as School Captain, the values of belonging and responsibility strongly resonated, and he encouraged our 2019 leaders to foster these, and other values, as they shaped their own leadership style.

St George’s Anglican Grammar School A true leader is someone who earns respect through their rightful actions and mass following without any dictatorship.

They inspire others to follow their footsteps and become a guiding light. They carry the torch of wisdom and enlighten society and, in doing so, lead others to the path of progress and growth.

The aspiring student leaders identify they are a caretaker of their elected position, be it Head Boy, Head Girl, International Student Representative, Service Captain or House Captain.

They are not only a representative of their School and House but a representative of every person who has held that position before them.

St George’s Anglican Grammar School invests wholeheartedly into the personal development and leadership of every single student, particularly the Student Guild. This prominent group of students are a representative student body that devote themselves to the growth and progress of the students around them, empowering others through their position.

Head of Pastoral, Hilton Hardman, defines a leader as “a mentor who sets certain benchmarks and seeks to achieve those benchmarks by allowing people to judge them according to their actions and endeavours. Their goals are set, and all effort is put towards achieving those goals without compromising their ethics and morals. This is the true mark of a great leader.”

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Biography

ABOVE: The Reverend Peter Laurence OAM, Anglican Schools Commission CEO; The Hon Sue Ellery, Minister for Education and Training; Jess Haydon, recipient of the 2018 Beazley Medal: VET; The Honourable Kim Beazley AC, Governor WA; and Ms Melissa Powell, SVACS Principal

Jess Haydon wins the Beazley Medal: VET Swan Valley Anglican Community School student, Jess Haydon, has been awarded the prestigious 2018 Beazley Medal: VET, the State’s top honour in student achievement for vocational education and training.

Jess was recognised for demonstrating the most outstanding overall performance for a Year 12 student in a VET Certificate ll or higher, as well as his other WACE achievements.

Principal Melissa Powell said the Beazley Medal capped off a fantastic year for Jess who was the Swan Valley Anglican Community School Year 12 Dux: VET and also the youngest finalist for the 2018 Vocational Student of the Year at the WA Training Awards.

“Throughout Year 12, Jess juggled four days a week at school with one day a week spent off campus completing a Certificate II in Civil Construction with his host employer Ertech,” she said.

“He also studied English, Maths, Career and Enterprise, as well as completing a Certificate ll in Engineering Pathways and a Certificate ll in Visual Arts. Jess was an exceptional student who committed to achieving his best in both the workplace and at school.”

Ms Powell said Jess was one of Swan Valley Anglican Community School’s Foundation Students, starting in PrePrimary in the school’s first year in 2006.

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“Over his 13 years at the School, Jess grew immensely in confidence and maturity. He demonstrated perseverance and determination, was loyal and generous by nature, and was always willing to selflessly contribute to the wider community,” she said. “We are so proud of Jess. He is a fabulous role-model and he is clearly a leader of the future, no matter where his career takes him.”

Jess said his time at Swan Valley Anglican Community School had helped him to believe in himself and follow his dreams.

“Hard work doesn’t hurt you, it helps you get on top. If you want something, just go for it. My message to other students is to learn as much as you can about whatever you are interested in. Push yourself to be the very best that you can be,” he said.

Ms Powell said Jess, who secured a job with Ertech on Barrow Island, is a fine representative for the School’s core purpose and values. “At Swan Valley Anglican Community School, we promote an aspirational culture where we inspire our students to be the best they can be, whatever pathway they choose. It is our priority to guide our students to identify opportunities and reach their individual goals. We want our students to be happy, fulfilled, and achieving their best,” she said.

What’s On

Christian Purposes Day FOR ASC SCHOOLS IN THE DIOCESE OF WANGARATTA

ABOVE: Mr Phillip Heath; the panel LEFT: Bishop John Parkes AM celebrating the Eucharist; The Reverend David Jones; Mrs Shea Doyle

On Tuesday 29 January, over 250 staff from Cathedral College Wangaratta (CCW), Cobram Anglican Grammar School (CAGS) and Trinity Anglican College (TAC) arrived in the multi-purpose hall at TAC for the inaugural eastern Christian Purposes Day. The day followed a pattern familiar to their WA colleagues but with some local variations. Networking over morning tea and lunch meant walking through the campus to the new Senior School Centre and having the opportunity there to mingle in stage and faculty groups.

The keynote address was given by Mr Phillip Heath, Headmaster of Barker College, Hornsby, who drew on his deep faith, vast experience and great passion for encouraging students, including Indigenous students, to show us the importance of ‘one student at a time’.

Our first eastern Christian Purposes Day allowed an opportunity for our three school communities to come together as one at the start of the academic year; to share ideas, continue to make beneficial professional connections and be reminded of the support that exists throughout the ASC network. It was the perfect platform to prepare for reentering the educational classroom and remind ourselves of our true purpose as teachers.

Phillip Heath’s honest and at times vulnerable reflections of his own time in education and his main message of ‘one student at a time’ is a message that has stayed with me throughout Term One and whenever I am working with individual students, teachers, as well as groups of students and faculties. The day itself and the consequent conversations continue to remind us of the vital importance

of real relationships in the classroom and within all school communities to allow learning to occur.”

Mrs Brigid Perkins, Cathedral College Wangaratta Following Phillip’s keynote address, a panel under the guidance of the CEO considered Phillip’s challenges and how they might resonate within each school. The day continued with short presentations from Mrs Shea Doyle (CAGS) and The Reverend David Jones (CCW), before everyone joined with Bishop John Parkes AM in Eucharistic worship.

Christian Purposes Day at Trinity Anglican College, Albury was a great way to start the year off. What was evident straight away was the number of people in attendance.

Having so many teachers from Anglican schools all together made everyone feel a part of something that is strong, and continuing to grow.

It was great to catch up with staff from other schools during morning tea and lunch, where collegial conversations were made easier by the KLA signs. I am grateful to be given the opportunity to listen to someone of the calibre of Phillip Heath, as his main messages of inclusiveness and empowering student voices filled me with motivation to get back to school and help our students on their journeys.

Finishing with the Eucharist fully completed the day’s journey, and I left the day having learnt plenty about myself, my peers, Anglican education, the Anglican Church and the Anglican Schools Commission.

Kale Watkins, Cobram Anglican Grammar School

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Curriculum

John Septimus Roe Frederick Irwin Anglican School Frederick Irwin Anglican School has developed and promoted nature play in recent years by utilising the Walker Learning Approach in tandem with improved playground facilities. Head of Primary (Meadow Springs), Sue Skehan, has seen the benefits first-hand: “We have seen our younger students develop skills such as creative problem-solving, cooperative play and better understanding of risk-taking through our nature-based play activities. The approach has been a great success for us.”

By creating the opportunity for more unstructured outdoor activities, schools are helping to counteract the trend of children spending more time indoors (often with electronic devices).

Research has shown that too much time spent indoors during early childhood can lead to an increase in childhood obesity and depression. By engaging in more physical activities and risktaking in a controlled environment, students can improve resilience and develop better mental health.

Sue Skehan, again: “We have found a more balanced approach to learning is really beneficial at the primary level and our goal is to create the opportunity for students to work seamlessly between indoor and outdoor learning spaces.” With the recent addition of a new nature playground at the Halls Head Campus and related community events such as the hosting of Walker Learning Expert, Dr Kathryn Murray, Frederick Irwin continues to build on this innovative approach to primary education.

Exploring and Learning with Peter Moyes Anglican Community School

In the PMACS Primary School, we aim to use the Nature Play environment in and around the School. However, the challenge is taking advantage of the learning by intentionally bringing the outside into the classroom. As a result of an AISWA study tour to Scotland with Clare Warden, we continue to enhance our nature pedagogy and have implemented Beach School with our Year 3 students.

This year, the Beach School focus is on dangerous creatures as the students wanted to know what dangerous creatures lived in and around the beach and around the waters in Western Australia. They currently want to know what first aid is required to treat bites from these potentially ‘dangerous creatures’ and how they could inform the community and treat themselves if bitten.

This learning utilises the nature play activity by developing students’ interests and ensuring that they have voice and choice in what they are doing. We want our students to do the cognitive heavy lifting as they wonder, investigate, analyse, make connections and take meaningful action so that their learning is relevant, authentic and more pertinent to today’s child.

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Georgiana

Anglican Community School

Calendar

Calendar Highlights Term 2, 2019 APRIL 29 International Mud Day is celebrated all around the world; it began in 2009 at the World Forum for Early Childhood Care and Education when a teacher from Perth and one from Nepal got together to discuss the challenges of playing in the mud within their own contexts. The aim of the day is to connect children around the world through the earth, by playing in the mud. It is a day when children, and their teachers, celebrate nature, the outdoors and mess, by getting really muddy!

Mud, jumping in puddles, mud pies, making a mess – it’s all part of a childhood that is rapidly decreasing in the lives of our children. When asked, we were surprised to discover that some of our students had never jumped in a puddle or slid around in the mud, so we set about making it happen. Mud pools, mud kitchens, paintbrushes, water and hoses became the main ingredients to our Messy Mud Day. While some took a little while to warm up, others jumped in straight away and relished that squishy in between your toes feeling that mud provides. Messy Mud Day is now a permanent event on our calendar - one that everyone looks forward to.

Nature Play

ASC

Christian Purposes Day •••

MAY 1

PMACS

ANZAC Service

2

SVACS

Senior School Production

3

SJAS

Dedication of the Senior

School Building 3

FIAS

ANZAC Service

3

SMACS

ANZAC Service

3

CAGS

Meals on Wheels

3

TAC

“Phantom of the Opera”

3

CCW

Top Arts, Melbourne

10

WAASA

Year 12 Student Leaders’

Reunion, Archbishop’s House 13

SGAGS

St George’s Day celebrations

18

JSRACS

Open Day

19

JSRACS

“Rising Star Concert”,

Government House

Molloy Anglican School

23

GMAS

Georgiana Molloy’s

Birthday / Biggest Morning Tea

24 & 25 ASC

Principals & Senior Staff

Retreat, Diocese of Wangaratta

27

ASC

Reconciliation Week

29

CCW

Social Enterprise Markets •••

It’s unstructured, imperfect, diverse, ever-changing and wild. It’s in direct contrast to the more traditional classroom setting, and yet it offers a learning environment that knows no bounds. The ‘right to the wild’ is one which is actively embraced by Georgiana Molloy Anglican School, particularly among the younger year levels where the outdoor spaces have been designed to provide as many natural elements as possible. Whether cloud watching, treasure hunting or tree climbing, barely a day passes when GMAS students can’t be seen out and about, exploring and experiencing the 15 hectares of open-planned land the school is situated on.

Head of Primary School, Mrs Kathryn Campbell, believes the natural world offers a valuable learning resource unlike any other: Nature allows students to feel, to heal, to wonder and to thrive.

It makes them whole in body and mind. It provides the perfect classroom environment for discovery and research. It creates communications between worlds and the opportunity to experience growth, change and regeneration first hand. Nature is truly a wondrous gift from God.

JUNE 7 & 8

ASC

Principals & Senior Staff Retreat, WA

11

TAC

Evening of Jazz

14

PCACS

Founders’ Day

19

ASC

Annual Piano Competition, PMACS

21

JWACS

Open Morning

24

PMACS

Careers Pathways Week

30 EACS Country Week

ASC NEWS April 2019

15

Anglican Identity

Easter Messages

In addition to enabling learning and teaching, memory has a remarkable way of making our past vividly present. A song, a photograph, a fragrance, a scar, a recipe, or even a sensation can trigger our memories and transport us back to a time and place that is now beyond us. Every year, the Church invites us to call to mind and locate ourselves in the saving events of Holy Week and Easter by taking up the palm branch, the towel and bowl, the bread and wine, the wood of the cross, and the joyful proclamation that ‘He is risen’.

By this annual remembrance of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection, we ourselves become re-membered - that is, united more closely to Christ and his risen life as members of his body.

As we journey into and beyond Holy Week and Easter, may we learn to live out the paschal mystery as if it were always present to us - ‘as if Christ died yesterday, rose today, and will return tomorrow’ (Martin Luther).

Happy Easter. +Kay

Holy Week and Easter are very significant events for Christians and at the core of Christian faith. Holy Week commemorates Jesus Christ arriving in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, his teaching that week, washing his disciples’ feet and their last Supper together, his praying and betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane and his arrest, false trial and crucifixion under the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate on Good Friday.

Easter Sunday, three days later, is when Christians celebrate Jesus being raised from the dead.

What makes these events special is that Christians believe that Jesus Christ was not only human but also the Son of God and part of the Triune Godhead. The New Testament claims that Jesus died to show the sheer extent of God’s love and forgiveness for all people and for all time. His resurrection demonstrated that what he claimed about himself, and about God’s love and forgiveness, was totally true. Sceptics have set out to disprove these events, arguing that perhaps Jesus Christ did not really die, or that he did not come back to life, but a number have ended up becoming Christians themselves. Holy Week and Easter are very good news about how much God loves us, about hope and about eternal life.

I wish you a very happy and blessed Holy Week and Easter! +Ian

The Most Reverend Kay Goldsworthy AO Archbishop of Perth

16

The Right Reverend Dr Ian Coutts Bishop of Bunbury

I write in the aftermath of the tragic events which took place in Christchurch on 15 March. For we Christians, the celebration of new life at Easter comes only after the journey of Holy Week culminating in the desolation of the cross. We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in New Zealand as well as our Muslim friends throughout the world, as we grieve this senseless act of violence on a community at prayer. This is a Good Friday moment, a time of tears and pain, and it is too soon to say much more.

It is necessary however to call out language and behaviour which promote fear and hatred which provide the medium in which terrorist violence is nurtured.

The Gospel tells us to love our neighbours as we love ourselves. The Easter message is that love conquers hate. Love conquers fear. Love conquers alienation. Love conquers all that damages the human body and undermines the human spirit.

In the final analysis, love conquers death itself.

Let us then, after the example of Jesus Christ, Risen, Ascended and Glorified, commit ourselves to a life of extravagant love so that, as best we can, we leave no room in the communities we share for hate or violence or prejudice to grow. +John

The Right Reverend John Parkes AM Bishop of Wangaratta

The Anglican Schools Commission Inc 5 Wollaston Road, Mt Claremont, WA Postal Address: Po Box 2520 Mt Claremont WA 6010 P (08) 9286 0290 F (08) 9384 5023 | info@asc.wa.edu.au | www.asc.wa.edu.au