ASC NEWS | ISSUE 65 | SEPTEMBER 2019

News Issue 65 September 2019

Featuring from the ceo • JOHN Wollaston ANGLICAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL • ST JAMES’ ANGLICAN SCHOOL • MULTICULTURAL EVENTS • INDIGENOUS ENGAGEMENT• english • INAUGURAL SAMOA TRIP • CALENDAR • ANGLICAN IDENTITY

From the Chief Executive Officer THE REVEREND PETER LAURENCE OAM

Dear Colleagues

Another 30th Birthday!

At the time of writing, I have come from a wild, wet, windy and cold evening at Optus Stadium.

No, not to see the mighty West Coast Eagles defeat the Adelaide Crows or North Melbourne (nor beaten by Hawthorn or Collingwood)! In fact, I was surrounded by over 300 students from ASC and fellow Anglican schools of Perth, all bunkering down for the night at the Anglicare Schools’ Sleep Out. They were joined by 50 teachers and another 50 Anglicare volunteers.

Wow, what a night!

Over $88,000 was raised for Anglicare’s Street Connect Program. I understand that John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School raised the largest amount of funding support. A big thank you to all students, staff and supporters for all ASC schools who battled the elements to experience just a taste of what many in Perth have to experience every night.

The only thing better than one birthday is two in a year!

Congratulations to John Wollaston Anglican Community School which joins John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School in celebrating their 30th anniversary. Technically, the two schools opened in different years, JWACS one year before JSRACS, but it is a very ‘Anglican’ thing to count differently!

The partnership between ASC schools and Anglicare WA is long and strong. Our Eastern States schools also work with their local Anglicare teams. Of course, Anglicare also provides the Employee Assistance Program for our 14 schools Australiawide. This is an important and valued service to all staff in ASC schools … thank you, Anglicare, for your mission to serve others, especially in their time of need.

For the record … I didn’t sleep over. All power to the 400 young and not-so-young people who did. Bless you.

Contents From the CEO 2 Feature Schools 4 Feature Themes 8 Curriculum: English 12 Calendar 13 A Samoan Partnership

14

Anglican Identity 16 COVER: The 30th Birthday Celebrations at John Wollaston Anglican Community School

2

Tuesday, 13 August was a huge day of celebration at JWACS, with Archbishop Kay presiding at a full-school Eucharist. This was followed by the burial of a time capsule, to be opened in 25 years. Can you imagine what people in 2044 will think of some of the memorabilia recovered from 2019? What we think is modern will be ‘prehistoric’ by then! But what won’t have changed will be the ‘human factors’. Students will still be learning and laughing, painting and playing. The School’s core values, inspired by Archdeacon John Wollaston in the 1800’s will still hold true. The motto will still be ‘Seek wisdom to know the truth’… words of wisdom which are timeless. The fabric of JWACS and all our schools will look different, but the substance of teaching and learning, pastoral care, Anglican worship and service to others will remain. JWACS Founders’ Day concluded with fun activities for the students which seems a fitting end to a significant celebration. Happy 30th Birthday, John Wollaston Anglican Community School.

The Reverend Peter Laurence and John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School Principal, Mr Jason Bartell with staff and students from JSRACS at the Anglicare Schools’ Sleep Out at Optus Stadium.

Honouring Mrs Barbara Godwin the ASC Chair Those of us who were in Hobart last month for the Anglican Schools Australia (ASA) Annual Conference were privileged to share in the honouring of our Board Chair, Mrs Barbara Godwin OAM. At the Conference Dinner, Mrs Godwin was awarded ASA’s most prestigious and cherished award, Life Membership. It has only been awarded to three other recipients in recent years.

Mrs Godwin was acknowledged for her work in Anglican education for almost 45 years in Australia, as a principal, deputy principal, administrator and governor. Over the past 35 years in particular, Mrs Godwin has been at the forefront of Anglican education in WA and nationally through her work with the ASC. As the founding Principal of St Mark’s Anglican Community School, she pioneered a model of Anglican schooling that has now been replicated Australia-wide, making an Anglican education a possibility for many families who may not otherwise have been able to access it.

But her involvement has extended beyond St Mark’s, with significant service to educational boards and committees, including serving on school councils, well-known national bodies, including the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA) and the Independent Schools Council of Australia (ISCA), and as a member of the Management Committee of the Australian Anglican Schools Network, the predecessor to ASA, to name but a few.

In 2014, Mrs Godwin was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division for her services to education and the Anglican Church in Australia.

With a career that has spanned from the Bahamas to Australia in a wide range of roles, she has been a constant leader and contributor to Anglican education. In 2006, Mrs Godwin joined the ASC Board and has been our Board’s Chair since 2008.

New Principal for Cathedral College Wangaratta I am delighted to congratulate Mr Nick Jones on his appointment in July as the next Principal of Cathedral College Wangaratta, following on from Mr Adrian Farrer. Nick is currently Deputy Principal Pastoral Care at John Wollaston Anglican Community School.

We look forward to celebrating his commissioning at CCW in early 2020 and to acknowledging this in a future edition of ASC News.

Anglican Schools - WA and Beyond One of the privileges of being part of the ASC is that we also are the ‘home base’ of Anglican Schools Australia. Since 2008, our office has been the national headquarters of the peak body for the 160 Anglican schools across the states and territories of Australia, serving almost 160,000 students. Recently, over 300 of us gathered in Hobart for the annual conference, celebrating the biblical theme of ‘Awe and Wonder’.

The concept of ‘being national’ is not unusual for ASC people … after all, we were the first schools’ group in Australia to own schools in more than one state. Today, of course, we celebrate the richness of our mission in three states … our home base of Western Australia, as well as Victoria and New South Wales.

Our primary responsibility is to continue to support our 14 outstanding schools. In years to come, we will open new schools in WA and beyond. Our mission commands us to do so. Jesus called on his followers to “Go into all the world…”, and so we must. We are a not-for-profit, faith-based schooling organisation, not a corporate ‘listed’ company. Our purpose is solely to serve the young people, families and staff in our schools. Our mission is to serve those who serve in our schools … our schools of today and tomorrow, schools whose purpose is to be distinctly Anglican in identity. How blessed we are to have such a clear mission and purpose as teachers and administrators, chaplains and governors.

Our vision is clear … To fulfil the Gospel imperative to teach and live the faith and nurture the young by strengthening and growing low-fee Anglican schools as centres of excellence in teaching and learning, pastoral care, worship and service.

As she moves towards a well-deserved second retirement at the end of the year, all in the ASC family congratulate and sincerely thank Mrs Godwin for a lifetime of Christian service.

The Reverend Peter Laurence OAM

ASC NEWS September 2019

3

Feature School

John Wollaston Anglican COMMUNITY School Celebrating 30 Years of Education Today marks the 30th birthday of our school and, like any milestone, it gives us the opportunity to reflect on the past. I would like to think that our gathering is reminiscent of the first thanksgiving service on this site in 1988 when 150 members of the local community proudly gathered with Bishop Michael Challen to celebrate the turning of the first sod and the blessing of the site which was undeveloped farmland.

For the past 30 years, John Wollaston Anglican Community School has delivered a high quality, caring, inclusive, Christian education to families in Kelmscott, Armadale and surrounds. On Tuesday, 13 August, staff and students celebrated Founders’ Day with a whole school service led

by The Most Reverend Kay Goldsworthy AO, Archbishop of Perth. Special guests included The Reverend Peter Laurence OAM, School Council members and long-standing members of the school community.

Principal Anne Ford, now in her 19th year at the helm of John Wollaston, has overseen great change as the School has grown and matured. Her Founders’ Day address honoured the past and acknowledged the responsibilities of the custodians of today. An extract from her speech follows: 4

Much has happened since then, of course, as the School has developed and matured to accommodate enrolment growth and community expectations - much like the local region which continues to undergo significant transformation. From modest beginnings, we now have excellent facilities, recreational spaces that are the envy of our inner suburban counterparts, diverse programs and a strong reputation for academic and pastoral excellence. We now have Old Wollastonians who are making their mark in diverse careers locally and abroad, including on our staff, and Old Wollastonians who have chosen to enrol their children at the School. We have members of our community who joined the School in 1989 and are still actively involved. Our longest serving staff member, past parent and now grandparent, Carol Lander, is the School’s Archivist. Carol is opening the Archives Office every day this week and I urge you to visit and look at the vast array of photographs and paraphernalia spanning the School’s 30 years.

There is an African proverb that states, ‘If we stand tall it is only because we stand on the shoulders of many ancestors’. This morning, it is fitting that we give thanks for the work of our forebears, our ancestors, including those who had a vision for the establishment of our school and those who followed: the Anglican Church, the Anglican Schools Commission, community leaders, School Council members, Foundation Principal Victoria Morgan, Chaplains, staff, students and parents who have shaped and sustained the growth of John Wollaston Anglican Community School.

We stand tall because of a strong heritage. During the past 30 years, we have transitioned from a rather insular world to one that seeks to provide an enriching, broad education to support young people to be truly global citizens. I want to thank all of you, too, for the part you are now playing in the development of our School. At most assemblies, I urge you to give your best and participate wholeheartedly in school activities and events.

Such participation is not only enjoyable at the time, but it creates memories that you will reflect upon years later.

Thank you for the positive spirit, enthusiasm and care that you show towards one another in both good and challenging times.

Thank you for welcoming newcomers, for being inclusive and for giving generously to those in need. How you develop as young people is as important to me and my staff as it is to your parents and wider family.

Today, as we celebrate the people who have shaped the School of today, those on whose shoulders we stand, consider that in 25 years’ time, when we are all long gone from John Wollaston Anglican Community School, we will be the ancestors for the community of 2044. Our legacy won’t be about the facilities we built, rather our personal qualities that helped shape the positive culture of our great School.

To that end, as you know, we will be burying a time capsule this morning. In it is a variety of material reflecting our time, our era at John Wollaston. Thank you to those who have contributed.

I leave you with the final paragraph of my letter to the School community of 2044 which has been placed in the time capsule.

It is a privilege to lead John Wollaston Anglican Community School whose namesake,The Venerable John Ramsden Wollaston, was such a respected pioneer of the Anglican Church in Western Australia. His hard work and faithful dedication are epitomised in the School’s core values of Respect, Responsibility, Honesty and Commitment. It is my wish they continue to hold true in the future. Best wishes to all who teach, learn and support our fine School in the years ahead.

Ms Anne Ford Principal

ASC NEWS September 2019

5

Feature School

St James’ Anglican School As St James’ Anglican School celebrates its five-year anniversary this year, it is amazing to see how far it has come: from humble beginnings of 20 staff, 148 students and a dustbowl campus to more than 600 students, nearly 70 staff and new buildings being completed every few months! With the Junior School nearing capacity, we continue to attract high calibre students from the surrounding area.

Clearly, St James’ is the school of choice in the greater Alkimos area.

The building landscape at St James’ St James’ continues to attract new enrolments that trigger the expansion of the buildings on our site. The recent Stage 3 development, including the two-storey Senior School classroom and specialist rooms, our Design and Technology classroom, our Science re-fit and a new double gymnasium, has seen our ability to offer a wide variety of subjects expand immeasurably.

This also allowed the original Administration building to be converted into a canteen, keeping the bellies of the Orange Army full.

2020 will see our first Year 11 cohort take the initial steps along the pathway to graduation. These students will be in the enviable position of small class sizes and attention to detail from highly motivated staff. The expansion into Year 12 will see us embark on another building program. The Trade

6

Left: St James’ students at the Anglicare Schools’ Sleep Out Below Left: Stage 3 Senior School Below Right: Students with SJAS Principal, Mr Adrian Pree

Centre will quadruple in size with the extension of facilities to support non-ATAR pathways. In addition, the design process has begun for Stage 4. This will be a similar building to Stage 3, with classrooms dedicated for use by English, Humanities, Performing Arts, Music and Research. There will also be a wide range of flexible learning spaces with movable walls, allowing adaptability in the future as the needs of education evolve.

Greenfields school sites are always exciting, as they allow the landscape to continually change with the needs of the students, the school community and the ever-changing winds that blow in education.

Years 11 and 12 are on the way!

To complement the depth and breadth of the Year 7 to 10 curriculum, next year, St James’ will offer a wide variety of ATAR, General and VET courses to reflect the needs of our students.

This is such an exciting time for the School, with passionate St James’ staff eager to work together to encourage every student to succeed in their chosen pathway. Supporting the education of our students is the priority at St James’.

Complementing the academic curriculum is a holistic pastoral care program, where students are encouraged to attain their personal goals and develop skills which will contribute to them being successful adults. Students are provided with opportunities to participate in activities that enrich their learning and expose them to the skills and qualities needed to succeed in a connected, competitive and ever-changing workforce.

Exciting new learning opportunities are on the horizon Service Learning is the new frontier being forged at St James’. From our partnership with Anglicare WA (including student Anglicare Ambassadors, taking part in the School Sleep Out and collecting donations for Y-Shac) to making meals for The Salvation Army and participating in the Uthando Project in conjunction with the St James’ Anglican Church, students from across the School have the opportunity to give back and help those in need. Along with numerous fundraising activities for charities across the globe, St James’ also now offers students the chance to complete the Duke of Edinburgh Award, an initiative that our Senior School students have embraced in droves. As the Service Learning program expands even more, under the guidance of Mrs Stacey Syme, we are excited to see where our students choose to take their volunteering and charitable endeavours.

Mr Adrian Pree Principal

ASC NEWS September 2019

7

Feature Themes

Peter Moyes Anglican Community School At Peter Moyes Anglican Community School, we recently celebrated Languages Week with a range of events designed to raise awareness about the importance of learning a second language. We were fortunate to celebrate the week with six exchange students from The Margie School in Surabaya, Indonesia.

Languages Week commenced with Middle School students participating in various Indonesian games such as sack races, marble spoon races, and a Sepak Takraw (using a rattan ball) competition. The Indonesian Consulate organised a Gamelan Music workshop, where students learnt the Indonesian dance Kuda Lumping taught by the exchange students. In addition, Peter Moyes students designed batik bookmarks in the library and their own calico bags with the theme of Sustainability in Diversity.

Our school cafe featured Nasi Goreng on their menu to support our theme. Our cooking rooms were also busy with students attempting to make their own Indonesian green pancakes called Dadar Gulung.

The Margie School students and their teacher visited various Primary School classrooms to share stories, language, culture and dance. Together with the Year 6 students, they created a range of poetry, followed by making and drinking Es Campur, a delicious Indonesian fruit drink.

To finish the week, the Year 10 Indonesian students and our exchange students participated in an Amazing Race across Perth.

Students completed various challenges in Indonesian as they made their way around the city. This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to put their Indonesian language skills into practice! They visited various locations such as the Indonesian Consulate, St George’s Anglican Grammar School and Elizabeth Quay.

We are incredibly grateful to the Margie School students for helping us experience their Indonesian culture and look forward to more visits in the years ahead.

Multicultural Events in ASC Schools

8

Trinity Anglican College Year 6 students from Trinity Anglican College accepted the Ration Challenge during Refugee Week to learn about refugees and the reasons many seek asylum in Australia. The Ration Challenge was designed by Act for Peace, a charity that works with refugees around the world to demonstate what it’s like to eat rations a Syrian refugee in Jordan might eat.

Trinity students eagerly sought sponsorship from friends and relatives to support their fundraising goal and were very excited to receive their food ration box containing the same foods that Act for Peace distributes to refugees.

The ration box comprised rice, lentils, dried chickpeas, tinned sardines, tinned kidney beans and olive oil. It wasn’t much but the students were soon at work in our Food Technology kitchen making flatbread, hummus, rice and beans for their shared lunch and recess. It’s the second year that Trinity students have participated in the challenge, with students raising just over $7,100 this year.

Some students didn’t like the food options and others embraced the challenge. But, whichever category students fell into, they all learned more about the plight of refugees around the world and were a little more grateful for their wholesome meals the next day.

The Ration Challenge followed on from Harmony Day earlier in the year when the College was a sea of orange to celebrate Australia’s cultural diversity.

Cobram Anglican Grammar School The educational community of Cobram Anglican Grammar School celebrates, supports and acknowledges the importance of cultural diversity through many multicultural activities.The whole-school assemblies regularly feature students delivering a segment, My Story. This year, students from a variety of cultures, including Cambodian and Iraqi, have spoken in front of the whole school, heightening students’ cultural sensitivities with their stories. It has been a wonderful initiative, providing an opportunity for students to hear about different cultural backgrounds.

Indigenous culture is also represented throughout the School. Recently, one of our Middle School teachers, who is from the Wiradjuri people, was invited to facilitate traditional Indigenous activities for students from Foundation to Year 4 to commemorate NAIDOC Day. This was followed by an ASHE Festival. ASHEFEST is a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and community. It is organised each year by the students of the Academy of Sport, Health and Education as part of their VCAL studies and, this year, students from Years 5 to 10 participated in an Indigenous Cultural Day. The success of this experience of ASHFEST secured the School’s commitment to this event well into the future.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander students from Foundation to VCE are regularly and successfully involved in the local Dungala-Kaiela writing awards.

As part of an ongoing resolve to engage in Indigenous cultural awareness, Cobram AGS teachers and members of resident Yorta Yorta and Wiradjuri tribes recently painted an external wall of a junior classroom with significant tribal symbols as a gift to the School community.

ASC NEWS September 2019

9

Feature Themes

Indigenous Engagement in ASC Schools

St Mark’s

Anglican Community School As part of the Year 4 Extension group studies, students were asked to design and plan a grant proposal for the installation of a new play area, inspired by Aboriginal people’s connection to Country. One of the groups, comprising Matilda Raymond, Ava Wicht and Cara Kennedy (below), were successful in their proposal to the Western Australian Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries’ PALS initiative. Their grant, valued at $1,000, is being used to bring their design for the Indigenous nature play area to life. The area will be a meeting place with natural seating for use during recess, or while taking lessons outside. An Aboriginal Education officer will be invited to the School to help students construct a humpy and all students will have access to branches and leaves to build their own.

Plans also include the establishment of an Indigenous garden, with each plant labelled with its Aboriginal name and an explanation of how the plant is utilised by the traditional custodians of the land on which St Mark’s is built, the Whadjuk Noongar people.

As part of the Year 4 Visual Arts curriculum, students observed the work of the Kira Kura artists of the Kimberley region and were introduced to Indigenous art styles, symbols and materials. Students then created an artwork based on what connection to Country means to them, or they could take inspiration from a special place where they feel happy and safe. Students worked with earth colours, incorporating Aboriginal symbols and styles.They had the option of using paperbark as their canvas.

10

Swan Valley

Anglican Community School At Swan Valley Anglican Community School, we wholeheartedly embrace and are extremely proud of the cultural diversity within our School community. We recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have extraordinary contributions to make to Australia in every aspect of life and we are committed to encouraging our Indigenous students to realise their full potential throughout their learning journey with us. Our Indigenous engagement initiatives are aimed at bridging the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

Recognising the value and meaning of Indigenous knowledge and culture is critical for our vision of a school that affords equal opportunities to all.

It is important for Indigenous engagement to go beyond the boundaries of just a specific day or week of the year, but rather is embraced and encouraged throughout our daily interactions.

For thousands of years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have cared for, been part of and lived with the land. Their knowledge of plants, animals, seasons, and the stars has been passed down from generation to generation and, today, Aboriginal people continue to share their cultural knowledge. At Swan Valley Anglican Community School, students of all cultures are given opportunities to learn from the traditional custodians of our beautiful country.

Recently, our Junior students attended the production Djinda Kaatijin by Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company. The Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company has evolved from its establishment in 1993 into a respected cultural leader and artistic hub for Aboriginal people. Yirra Yaakin means ‘Stand Tall’ in Noongar and Djinda Kaatijin means ‘To Understand Stars’. Through a mix of traditional Noongar dreaming stories and contemporary Indigenous storytelling, Djinda Kaatijin explores the importance of the stars and how they are culturally important to us all. The performance took the students on a journey through the Milky Way to learn about the Seven Sisters (Pleiades), linking various tales from countries around the world, including India, Spain, and Scotland, back to Noongar astronomy.

Students were thoroughly entertained and inspired by the performance. We encourage everyone to take the time to connect and engage with the traditional custodians of the land on which we live and to learn from their cultural knowledge. It will bring the land, plants, animals and sky alive for you!

ASC NEWS September 2019

11

Curriculum

St George’s Anglican Grammar School St George’s Anglican Grammar School, located in the Perth CBD, has access to some of the finest state-of-the-art facilities the City of Perth has to offer. Being centrally located, students are immersed in a dynamic and unique educational landscape, where the City is the School’s Campus. In English, students have the opportunity to connect with the City of Perth Library and the State Library of Western Australia.

The City of Perth Library, a short walk from the School, spans 3,500 square metres over seven levels and provides exceptional resources and learning spaces for students. The State Library is responsible for collecting and preserving WA’s documentary

heritage, general reference and public lending library services, and supporting the public library network in Western Australia.

The support this provides to the students and contributing to the English learning outcomes is invaluable.

Year 7 to 12 students follow the national curriculum in English and participate in activities such as Night at the Museum which transforms an entire level of classrooms into an interactive display, with suitably attired personas from the Ancient World.

Write a Book in a Day has offered students the opportunity to develop their inner author and formed an essential part of the English curriculum for the past three years. A range of Englishbased excursions and incursions further enhance the curriculum.

English Language and Australian Cultural Studies (ELACS) for the WAUFP and English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD) for WACE provide international students with an array of English options.

Initiatives in English

Frederick Irwin Anglican School Communication skills and literary appreciation remain high priorities in the Frederick Irwin Anglican School English program.

The English Department runs a variety of events and workshops throughout the year in order to provide opportunities for students to hone their creative writing skills. Students are encouraged to enjoy creativity; they have participated in Workshop Days with authors and enjoyed sessions with the Bell

12

Shakespeare troupe. Year 10s develop their communication skills in the Rotary Four-Way Speech competition while the Year 10 Creative Writing elective remains very popular as it allows students to explore their creative potential through writing and exploring multi-modal mediums. Additionally, a new Story Creative Writing Workshop is now well established in Year 8.

Finally, Primary and Secondary students come together to share their enjoyment of reading during Book Week.

Calendar

Calendar Highlights Term 4, 2019 OCTOBER 14 PMACS ECU Preparation Course commences 17

CAGS

PAC Official Opening

18 CCW VCE and Resource

Centre Official Opening

24 PCACS Year 12 Valedictory 24 JWACS Year 12 Gift of a Candle Service 25

EACS

Chess Congress

28-1 SVACS Italian Week

NOVEMBER

Peter Carnley Anglican Community School’s (PCACS) signature Voyager Program was launched in 2019 and is designed to be a Specialist Academic and Music Program providing unique learning opportunities for our talented students.

Voyager is a selective program for students displaying an aptitude for Music, Mathematics, English or a combination of the three. Voyager is designed to engage, extend, challenge and inspire the brightest young minds.

English teacher, Mr Dejan Dukic, has been instrumental in setting up the English component of the program and is enthusiastic about giving students an opportunity to explore the joys and craft of the English language, “Students selected in the program will be embarking on a journey of discovery as they learn to appreciate the subtleties and nuances of human expression. By taking part in specialised extension classes, students immerse themselves in literature and enhance their talent for investigating, digesting and creating works of note”, Mr Dukic said.

The program across all three learning areas has been tailored to suit students commencing Year 7 in 2020 and, following the selection process, students were invited to the Voyager Activities Day where they had an opportunity to meet with specialist teachers in the program and other like-minded students.

5

JSRACS Art & Design Exhibition

Opening Night

5 TAC Trinity Gift - handicap race 12-13 SMACS This is our World Junior School production 28 SGAGS On the Roof Concert

DECEMBER

3 FIAS Carols in the Quad 3 SJAS ELC Nativity 6 GMAS Christmas Fair 11 CCW Carol Service in Holy Trinity Cathedral

Staff are excited about what this will bring to the School: “This program will not only foster the development of students’ individual talents but it will be flexible and inclusive, challenging our students to achieve at the highest level.”

More information about this exciting program can be found on the School website. www.pcacs.wa.edu.au/voyager

ASC NEWS September 2019

13

What’s On

A Samoan Partnership A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE OF A WHOLE NEW CULTURE Over the 2019 July school holidays, a group of adventurous students from four ASC schools travelled to Samoa for a Service Learning trip to All Saints Anglican School in Apia. From Cathedral College Wangaratta, four students in Year 10, Ava Quartermain, Ben Hausser, Madeleine Coatsworth and Ned Taylor, ventured out of their comfort zones to experience the wonderful culture and hospitality that Samoa has to offer.

The trip was for two weeks and consisted of some sightseeing, immersion in Samoan culture and, of course, our time at All Saints Anglican School.

Some of the highlights were: • An overnight visit to Lalomanu on the west coast of the main island, including a visit to Togitogiga waterfall, Tu Sua Trench (far right), Piula Cave Pool and snorkelling over some beautiful, pristine coral reefs •

isiting the cultural village in Apia and experiencing a traditional Samoan V welcome as well as preparing and trying traditional foods

•

visit to the museum in the house of Robert Louis Stevenson (top of this A page), author of Treasure Island, followed by a walk up a mountain to his grave

•

unday worship at All Saints Anglican Parish, followed by a traditional S BBQ lunch

•

visit to the Australian High Commissioner’s office, where we found out A more about the High Commissioner’s role and Australia’s involvement in aid to Samoa.

The main purpose of the Service Learning trip was to be involved in the life of All Saints Anglican School. Our focus was with the Years 6 to 8 classes, helping with numeracy and literacy activities. Each day after lunch, our students would sit with their Samoan buddy who would read from a library book and then write a few sentences in their workbooks to check their comprehension of the book. There were also maths activities that the All Saints students enjoyed and the younger classes participated in activities that students brought from Australia.

The Reverend David Jones

14

The trip was a wonderful experience for me to see what it’s like to live in a whole new culture.

I also had the opportunity to have a wonderful group and to meet some amazing people who I am happy to say are my friends.

Ned Taylor (Cathedral College)

Above: The future and current CCW Principals, Mr Nick Jones and Mr Adrian Farrer

Press Release from the Government of Samoa The High Commissioner, Her Excellency Sara Moriarty, welcomed a number of Anglican school students to the High Commission on Wednesday, 17 July 2019. Ten students from Australia were selected to take part in a service learning experience in Samoa through the Anglican Schools Commission (ASC). The schools included Peter Carnley Anglican Community School, Esperance Anglican Community School (both in Western Australia), Trinity Anglican College (New South Wales) and Cathedral College, Wangaratta (Victoria).

Samoa was an amazing experience that I will never forget. It taught me how to be independent and step out of my comfort zone. It was a fun and exciting experience and I highly recommend applying for this experience.

Natalie Clarke (Peter Carnley Anglican Community School)

Since 2018, the ASC has had a Memorandum of Understanding with the All Saints School in Apia, supplying learning materials and resources from Australia. This is the first time students have travelled to Samoa to experience the country first-hand. H.E. Moriarty said it was great to hear what the group had learnt about Samoa, and how the students were conducting service-learning through teaching sessions at All Saints Anglican School in Moto’otua.

“It was special that they highlighted the respectful Fa’a Samoa lifestyle and their friendly introductions to the Anglican church community,” H.E Moriarty said. “We welcome partnerships such as these, where Australian community bodies are working with local groups to strengthen the Pacific’s vision for a region of inclusivity, sharing of knowledge and peace. As part of the Blue Pacific, this region is our home, and our communities, schools, church communities and cultures are deeply intertwined, as is our future.”

Samoa was an incredible experience. We met some amazing people in Samoa and created friendships that will last for many years. If I could go back, I would in a heartbeat.

Audrey Hayes (Trinity Anglican College)

ASC NEWS September 2019

15

Anglican Identity

From the Chaplains

My role as Senior Chaplain at John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School (JSRACS) began this year and I soon noticed that an area of excellence at JSRACS is the student-led service learning activities which recently focused on homelessness.

Mr Esben Kaas from Anglicare raised awareness about homelessness and how the Anglican Church is tackling this growing issue through Anglicare Street Connect. As a community, we raised funds by selling donuts and hot chocolate as well as having a free-dress day where students from K-12 wore their pyjamas to school. Students from the Primary and Senior Schools were encouraged to give a gold coin donation for the work of Anglicare and the Middle School students brought in tinned food, which was donated to St Bartholomew’s House. The week ended with 29 students sleeping rough at the Anglicare WA Schools’ Sleep Out at Optus Stadium.

As our Year 12 students head towards their final exams, our Chapel services have reflected on dealing with worry. While worry is a mental health concern, it is also such an issue for spiritual health that the most frequently repeated command in the Bible is Do not fear or Do not be afraid.

In Matthew 6, Jesus asks his disciples, Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? We all know the answer to that question. Jesus doesn’t want people to put energy into worrying. He doesn’t want us to lose our capacity for joy, thankfulness, deep relationship and mission and become people who are stressed, distracted, self-centred and full of fear.

His challenge instead is to shift our focus to God and join with him to build a kingdom of love, joy, compassion and peace. Jesus says if we do this first, then what we need most will be given to us.

At JSRACS, we teach our students the Gospel and encourage them to live it. We challenge them to love others just like God has loved us, which is ultimately seen through the work and person of his son and our saviour, Jesus Christ.

In Philippians, Chapter 4, Paul reminds us that some other antidotes to worry include pouring our hearts out to God in prayer, giving thanks in all circumstances and meditating on what is beautiful and true.

And, above all, remembering that God is with us always. Then will come God’s beautiful gift of the peace that passes all understanding – which will guard our thoughts and feelings and keep us close to Jesus. May God grant this gift of peace to all senior students in our ASC schools who are preparing for final exams, and indeed all to of us who find ourselves in a place of worry.

The Reverend Brad Galvin Chaplain, JSRACS

The Reverend Liz Flanigan Chaplain, JSRACS

The Apostle John wrote, Let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4: 7-8

16

I’ve noticed of late how people are outraged: outraged at a whole manner of things from decisions in sport, the price of power, road rules, traffic, and sometimes even religious commentary.

People are outraged and offended more than ever in my opinion. All this outrage reminds me of the great painting called The Last Supper by well-known artist Leonardo da Vinci.

Have you ever googled this painting and seen the images that pop up on your screen? You can find versions for The Simpsons, Star Wars, Marvel, Lego... pretty much anything! Some even portray a supper table overflowing with wellknown fast foods.

It’s an outrage and I’m sure many are offended by the desecration and sacrilege to religion and art.

But, if you think about it, that painting is (as much as anything) about someone’s dying wish. It is about Jesus which greatly enhances its significance and impact.

Amongst the images of The Simpsons and Marvel superheroes, you also see groups of friends in contemporary settings re-enacting the same picture. The point is, Jesus wanted to be with his closest friends at an important time of his life and share a meal with them, just like we still do today.

Aren’t we fortunate to have art to make us think, to inspire outrage and to teach us lessons?

Pax. Father Earle Chamberlain Chaplain, GMAS

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