ASA News | Semester 1 2023

President’s Message

How Anglican schools interact with Anglican agencies and the Church

The roles of service and character are inevitably linked in Anglican schools: serving others builds character, while strong moral character issues in service. Both are about relationships, in that our character is bound up with how we treat others and service is about working with others. Both are about learning as well.

- The Reverend Dr Daniel Heischmann

In my many years of teaching and leading in schools, I have continually witnessed young people caring deeply about others and our highly complex world. Many demonstrate courage and depth of character as they seek to understand how we can build a more just and sustainable world.

As role models and hope bearers, we have a responsibility to provide our students with the understanding, skills and tools to connect with others and contribute to solutions now. This is also imperative for their wellbeing.

Anglican schools have the wonderful opportunity to work with Anglican agencies and local churches to engage our students in a wide range of projects that reflect our school values. In this edition of ASA News you will have the opportunity to read about many interesting initiatives.

Through community engagement, young people witness the benefits of collaboration and how we achieve better outcomes when we work together.

In learning about the work of other Anglican schools, my hope is that we will be further inspired and open to new possibilities in our own schools. These stories also reflect how proud we are to be Anglican schools and more Christ-like as we think of and help others in our work. They also provide important contacts, so if you are interested in learning more about specific initiatives, please reach out to your colleagues in these schools. In doing so, we continue to build our networks.

Thank you to all who have contributed to this edition of ASA news. I wish you all the very best for the remainder of this term and look forward to seeing you in Canberra for our Re-emergence Conference.

Our ASA conference will be an exciting opportunity to reconnect in person to learn together and enjoy each other’s company. I look forward to seeing you there!

Mrs Debbie Dunwoody President, Anglican Schools Australia Principal, Camberwell Girls Grammar School

CEO’s Column

Dear Colleagues

Living our values through the Strategic Plan

During Term One, we were thrilled to launch Anglican Schools Australia’s new Strategic Plan. If you missed the launch, please take a look at the short video clip here

purpose of supporting Anglican schools in living their Anglican identity.

SUPPORTING

Anglican Schools Australia

Our Core Purpose is clear – To serve, support and connect Anglican schools in living their Anglican Identity. This Core Purpose, and indeed the whole Strategic Plan focuses around 4 Core Activities:

Firstly, and centrally – Anglican Identity. Our strategic intent is to promote and support schools in living your Anglican Identity. We’ll do this by providing more resources in this area, and by providing networking opportunities for people across member schools who have a desire to be enhance their school’s Anglican identity.

Our second Core Activity is Supporting Chaplaincy. Chaplains are central to the faith, worship and wellbeing of our schools. Throughout the life of this plan, ASA will be seeking to both support and connect our existing chaplains, and to assist our member schools by supporting the recruitment of new chaplains. Working closely with the Anglican Church nationally and locally in this work will be key to its success.

The third Core Activity is Engagement through Advocacy. Our intent is to have a broader engagement with the Anglican Church, its Agencies such as Anglicare and others, as well as with government, industry and business. Our advocacy is in areas related to our core

The fourth and final Core Activity is Sustainability and Growth. Our intent over the life of this plan is to ensure ASA’s sustainability through membership growth, security of our financial position, and ensuring our operational continuity.

Details of our Strategic Plan can be found on the ASA website. You should have received an email from us earlier this year providing an overview of the Plan. One thing about Anglican schools is that we clearly and publicly state our values for the world to see. If you go onto a school website, you’ll find a series of words (and often accompanying statements) which the school uses to communicate to its community and beyond what it holds dearly and how people should treat one another. By placing such values ‘front and centre’, it means that people can assess the authenticity of a school in living the values they proclaim in living its Anglican Identity. A review and restatement of a school’s Core Values is an important reminder for us all that if we say our school values mean something, then others should expect that we’ll live this set of values, and they can reasonably hold us accountable for so doing.

The development of our new Strategic Plan provided an opportunity to reflect on what we see is important to our organisation - what we believe, what we hold dearly, and how we expect people will treat one another. Some changes were made to these Core Values to reflect ASA in the 2020s.

ASA’s Core Values are:

Inspired by Christ, we embrace

• Service

• Integrity

• Inclusion

There’s no better time for us all to be reminded of the awesome privilege and responsibility as Anglican schools to proclaim the Gospel through story, worship and deeds, therein living your school’s stated values in and through the school and wider community.

Ensuring ASA’s sustainability through membership, financial and operational growth.

Promote and support our Anglican Identity, connecting schools and people. Increase Chaplaincy capacity

Broader engagement with the Anglican Church and its Agencies, and with Government, Industry and Business.

School News

SCHOOL APPOINTMENTS

PRINCIPALS

Ms Jane Danvers, Kambala School, NSW

Ms Emily FitzSimons, Overnewton Anglican Community College, VIC

Mr Allan Guihot, St Columba Anglican School, NSW (commencing July 2023)

Mr James Laussen, All Saints Anglican School, VIC

Mrs Adele Ramsay, Tara Anglican School for Girls, NSW (commencing January 2024)

Mr Luke Ritchie, St Andrew’s School, SA

Ms Narelle Umbers, Ivahoe Girls’ Grammar School, VIC

CHAPLAINS

The Reverend Victor Adams, Cobram Anglican Grammar School, VIC

Mr Jesse Fitzgerald, William Clarke College, NSW

The Revered Kesh Govan (Old Boys’ Chaplain), Churchie, QLD

Ms Nicky Hay, Kambala School, NSW

Mrs Erin Juers, Shelford Girls’ Grammar School, VIC (effective July 2023)

Ms Neave Kemp, Kambala School, NSW

The Reverend Michael Lane, Walford Anglican School for Girls, SA

Matthew Roberts, Wollondilly Anglican College, NSW

Father Dan Talbot, Canterbury College, QLD

The Reverend Graham Thomas, Arden Anglican School, NSW

The Reverend Theo van der Nest, Overnewton Anglican Community College, VIC

The Reverend Peter Waterhouse, Brighton Grammar School, VIC

DEPARTURES

PRINCIPALS

Ms Wendy Lauman, St Hilda’s School, QLD

Mr Geoff Marsh, The Riverina Anglican College, NSW

Mrs Susan Middlebrook, Tara Anglican School for Girls, NSW (effective December 2023)

Mr Ross Whelan, Thomas Hassall Anglican College, NSW (effective December 2023)

CHAPLAINS

Ms Claire Cheeseman, Shelford Girls’ Grammar School, VIC

Ms Fiona Isaacs, Kambala School, NSW

Mr Nick Price, Scone Grammar School, NSW

The Reverend Michele Yuen, St Peter’s Woodlands Grammar School, SA

CEO’s Column continued

The Management Committee and I look forward to working with you as together we bring to life this exciting new Strategic Plan for Anglican Schools Australia.

Annual Conference

Our Annual Conference is only a month away. Please REGISTER NOW if you haven’t already done so. Canberra will be welcoming us with its winter beauty on August 4-5, with the Chaplains’ Networking Day and Leading in an Anglican School Day held on August 3. The local ACT Committee has put in a lot of work for this first face-to-face Conference in four years, with an outstanding array of speakers and a wonderful social and networking program.

Please register as many as your school can afford to attend. Sponsored places are available for any member school which might be seeking some support. Please contact the ASA Office for the sponsorship form.

Don’t forget that Virgin Australia is ASA’s airline travel partner and has excellent fares to Canberra from all over Australia. Bookings can be made directly through Orbit World Travel to access ASA’s special pricing.

See you in Canberra!

The Reverend Peter Laurence OAM Chief Executive Officer

EDITOR’S NOTE

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 750-1000 words and news articles of 350 words, together with a selection of high quality digital images of 300 dpi. Please email submissions to media@ anglicanschoolsaustralia.edu.au Submissions are published at the discretion of the Editor.

Cover Images:

Main image - Raymond House, Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School, VIC

Inset - Donating to Anglicare, Gippsland Grammar School, VIC

www.anglicanschoolsaustralia.edu.au

Living our Anglican Identity

By Ms Elisabeth Rhodes, Principal

| President of the Association of Anglican Girls Grammar Schools of Victoria and The Reverend Fiona Raike | Chaplain Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School, VIC

On the first Tuesday of March each year, Lowther Hall’s 850 students from Kindergarten to Year 12 leave their usual Earlsbrae blue school wardrobe items at home and don casual clothes. They pay $4 each for the privilege of a free dress day and the $3,400 raised is donated to Anglican Overseas Aid to support their work supporting women experiencing violence in Kenya West or to specific emergency relief appeals that are the focus of the organisation in a given year.

On the first Tuesday in December, on the annual ‘Celebration Day’, girls from across the School bring toys for distribution by Anglicare. The Cultural Centre stage is filled with items that have been purchased and the day culminates in a Chapel Service for the whole school during which a representative from Anglicare speaks to the school community about the work being done to support local families in need.

Our year is intentionally bookended by these two events connected to Anglican agencies. Why? Well, partly because they ground us as a community in three of our most important school values: Living out our school motto, “not for ourselves alone”, through a proactive demonstration of social responsibility; Having individuals

work together for a common good and; Engaging in the global, national and local community. But these particular values could be met in a variety of ways through a variety of partner organisations – and indeed, at other times of the year, they are – be it via fundraisers for the Australian Himalayan Foundation, participation in period positivity campaigns, food collection for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre or through other student led initiatives developed via the House system or by the Social Justice Committee.

Our commitment to ongoing engagement with Anglican Overseas Aid and Anglicare is because we are, proudly, an Anglican school. It is reflective of another of our school values which speaks specifically to embracing

our Anglican context. Whilst it is important to us that the girls have a voice each year in crafting a dynamic and responsive program of philanthropy and service, it is equally vital that these flexible elements sit within a framework that is anchored in our Anglican identity.

The valuing of our Anglican context and the recognition of Archbishop Lowther Clarke and the Diocese of Melbourne in the establishment of Lowther Hall also informs our ongoing connections with the archbishop, with St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne and with other bishops and clergy across the school year.

Perhaps the most public of these connections is through the Girls’ Voices of the Cathedral Choir. Established in 2016, with choristers drawn from Years 5 to 10, the choir travels into St Paul’s to participate in Evensong each Wednesday after school and also attends each Sunday for a morning or afternoon service (alternating with the boys’ choir) during school terms. There are also special services, such as at the recent Commemorative Choral Evensong marking the Coronation of King Charles III, or state memorial services which see the girls combine with the rest of the Cathedral choir to provide music.

This program provides incredible opportunities for the girls to develop their choral skills and their general musicianship but it also requires a high level of buy-in from the students and families (a six- year commitment to 7 hours a week of rehearsal and service time) and strong support from the School through the provision of staffing and vocal programs. Without a firm foundation in the School’s values, this would be hard to sustain. It is the case, however, that the Girls’

Voices of the Cathedral is one more way in which we can live out our Anglican identity, honour our Anglican beginnings and maintain our Anglican context.

These factors also inform the links that Lowther Hall has made with bishops and with local clergy, whether it be at the annual Senior School Easter Eucharist Service (to which local clergy are invited to assist with the dissemination of bread, wine and blessings), through voluntary service by Anglican clergy on the School Council or by the involvement of the area Bishop at the School’s Commencement and Leadership Commissioning Services throughout the year.

Perhaps more than anything, however, Lowther Hall’s commitment to ongoing engagement with Anglican agencies, institutions and individuals is driven by our mission to equip girls for meaningful participation in the adult world. We seek to educate our girls for the whole of life and in so doing we want to expose and connect them to organisations and people to which they can anchor themselves in their lives beyond school. Not only in their continuing faith journeys, their existential questioning, in their dialogue and in their debate but also in their service, their philanthropic decisions and the honing of their own values, it is our hope that in Anglican agencies and Anglican elders, our girls will find wisdom, compassion, leadership and thoughtful modelling from which they can gain inspiration for the remainder of their lives.

Images:

LH Image - Celebration Day.

Above - Year 12 dedication.

Reflections on the 2022 NAES Conference

As the result of receiving a professional development grant, given in memory of one of our Melbourne Bishops, I was fortunate to be able to attend the biennial National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES) Conference in San Antonio, Texas in November last yeari

The conference takes place every two years and is the major gathering of the NAES with more than 500 delegates attending. The program is structured around a keynote address and a series of workshops.

Attending the conference was a wonderful experience and I learnt so much from being there. If I was to summarise my key takeaways from the conference they would take the form of two questions:

1. How to nurture and encourage Anglican identity formation by comparing and contrasting Episcopal Schools in the United States with Anglican Schools in Australia?

2. How can Anglican schools be more intentional around issues of inclusion?

1. How to nurture and encourage Anglican identity formation by comparing and contrasting Episcopal Schools in the United States with Anglican Schools in Australia?

Australia has around 155 Anglican schools that educate around 177,000 students. A quick back of the envelope calculation suggests that on average Anglican schools have over 1000 students per school.

The United States has 1,200 Episcopal schools educating 160,000 students (133 students per school on average). While there are more than a thousand Episcopal schools compared to Anglican schools, they educate around 20,000 thousand fewer students than we do here in Australia. Anglican schools are on average a whole lot larger than Episcopal schools.

The NAES estimates that around 25 per cent of students in Episcopal schools are Episcopalians. With many Anglican schools the percentage of Anglicans it would be lower (11 per cent of students at my school identify as Anglican).

Student numbers can make for considerable difference when considering questions of Anglican identity formation. Being smaller in size means it is easier to gather the whole school together and to meet as a whole school much more frequently. Chapel is part of the daily rhythm of a number of Episcopal Schools rather than the weekly rhythm of many Anglican schools.

Greater frequency of chapel means more chapel presentations. A number of sessions at the conference looked at creative suggestions for what you can do in Chapel. I found these presentations really helpful. As

The Reverend Andrew Stewart | Mentone Grammar, VIC

well as observing Christian festivals some Episcopal schools use chapel to celebrate non-Christian religious festivals such as Diwali as a way of connecting with their non-Christian students. Smaller student populations also helps facilitate students having the opportunity to speak at Chapel. A number of Episcopal schools have impressive programs to help students prepare and deliver a Chapel address.

2. How can Anglican schools be more intentional around issues of inclusion?

Inclusion is a given in our Anglican schools. Anglican schools are open to everyone and it is taken for granted that every student will be made welcome and included. Inclusion is such a given that it is often an unstated one. Anglican schools don’t seem to be as structured and intentional around issues of inclusion as Episcopal Schools are.

The NAES devotes a lot of time and energy to ensuring that Episcopal schools are intentional communities when it comes to inclusion. For example they produce a number of statements and guidelines such as the ‘Principals of Good Practice for Equity and Justice in Episcopal Schools’ document and the NAES Statement on Inclusion and Episcopal Identityii

The NAES actively encourage every Episcopal school to have a DEJI (Diversity, Equity, Justice and Inclusion) Officer. Their role is to ensure that being inclusive is the lived reality of the school and the lived experience of every student. A number of conference workshop sessions focused on how the DEJI Officer can work in conjunction with the chaplain drawing on Episcopal language and values to help make their schools more inclusive places.

When it comes to inclusion there is no disjunction between the attitude of the Episcopal church and the attitude of Episcopal schools. This disjunction is a challenge that we currently face in Australia when it comes to issues of inclusion and human sexuality.

I came away from the conference with the impression that Anglican schools would really benefit from a unified national approach when it comes to inclusion backed up with the kind of supporting statements, guidelines and policies that they have in place in Episcopal schools.

While the costs involved make it challenging for Australians to attend the NAES Conference, if you can attend a future conference (the next one is in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in November 2024) I am sure you will find it as rich and rewarding learning experience as I did.

iThe author is grateful for the Melbourne Anglican Diocesan Schools Commission for the provision of the Bishop Barbara Darling Grant and the support of his school, Mentone Grammar, for the opportunity to attend the conference. He is also appreciative of the warm and generous hospitality of the NAES network.

iihttps://www.episcopalschools.org/article/principles-of-good-practice-for-equity-and-justice-in-episcopal-schools/

Bishop’s visit inspires

On the last day of Term One, Canberra Grammar School was honoured to welcome Diocesan Bishop Mark Short as the guest speaker for the Senior School Easter Chapel service. During the service, Bishop Mark spoke about the Easter message of peace that Jesus brings and how faith can help us experience that peace, even in times of fear.

Bishop Mark’s background in journalism and leadership in the Bush Church Aid Society were also discussed during an interview. The service included a commissioning moment where diocesan licences were presented to The Reverend James Coats and Mr David Smart as Chaplain and Lay Chaplain in the School, following a recent reconfiguration of the chaplaincy team.

The School’s Chamber Choir and Chamber Strings Orchestra provided a moving rendition of the Easter Song, and the service ended with the uplifting singing of

In Christ

visit has strengthened the relationship between the School and Diocese, and his interest in the School has been widely appreciated.

In fact, Bishop Mark’s words had a profound impact on some students. Two students emailed the School shortly after the service, seeking advice on visiting a local church to explore faith further. Bishop Mark’s visit provided a valuable opportunity for students to reflect on the Easter message and deepen their faith.

Alone. Bishop Mark’s

Canberra Grammar School, ACT

Taking Action

St Mark’s Anglican Community School, WA

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead

There is a growing recognition of the importance of the principles of diversity, equity, justice and inclusion (DEJI) to the success of peacebuilding efforts around the world. It requires tackling head-on the challenges peacebuilders face and addressing important questions.

The St Mark’s Year 5 Global Citizenship Club did just this when they took part in an action project as MEG Global Citizenship Student Ambassadors last year. The project was aimed at addressing the problem of homelessness in our community, incorporating the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals of No Poverty, No Hunger and Good Health and Wellbeing.

As part of their project, students had the opportunity to interact with members of the Grace Café, an Anglican organisation in Joondalup that provides meals, provisions and social connection to those in need. Relying solely on volunteers and donations to operate, Grace Café provides over 1,500 meals per year.

Through the School’s long-standing relationship and continued interactions with members of the Grace Café, the students explored essential topics such as leadership, advocacy, and the significance of volunteers. The discussions highlighted the tangible impact of the students’ contributions to individuals in need and helped guide the choice of activities for their action project.

Over the course of the year, the students drew on help from the School Community as well as beyond the school gates to collect pantry items and cook meals for the Grace Café,

managed the collection of items to make hygiene bags, orchestrated the collection of buy back clothing donation bags and organised the yearly Christmas Toy Appeal. By engaging with Anglican agencies like the Grace Café, the students gained firsthand insights into the importance of supporting the community and the power of their collective actions in effecting change.

St Mark’s Learning Diversity and Inclusion Teacher (Y2Y8), Enrichment/Coordinator Learning Service and Global Citizenship (Primary School Y2-Y5) Tracey Toovey said every child’s voice had the power to shape the world.

“When students advocate for others, they create a symphony of compassion, justice, and change. Empowering primary school children to advocate for the poor is important because it cultivates empathy, fosters active citizenship, amplifies marginalised voices, develops critical thinking skills, and inspires long-term change,” Mrs Toovey said.

“It equips the next generation with the tools and mindset necessary to create a more compassionate and equitable world.”

The project has provided an invaluable learning experience for students, allowing them to recognise that not everyone enjoys the same resources and privileges. They developed a deeper appreciation for the power of student voice in driving meaningful change and cultivating empathy towards those facing homelessness. This initiative also emphasised the importance of being grateful for their own circumstances.

Welcome from the 2023 Conference Chair

I am delighted to invite your participation at the 2023 Anglican Schools Australia (ASA) National Conference in Canberra. Senior leadership from Australia’s 160 Anglican schools, and the churches and communities that support them, will gather in our national capital from August 4–5, 2023.

We are excited to finally be able to gather face-to-face, on the lands of the Ngunnawal People, who have been meeting here for thousands of years. Canberra provides a myriad of national institutions, which are the perfect backdrop for our gathering and learning. Our conference attendees are looking forward to the many opportunities to network with their peers across the two days.

The program features creative thinkers and inspiring speakers, who will share their deep knowledge of the independent education space and provide exciting ideas for delegates to take back to their schools and communities across Australia.

For the past few years, we have all had to learn how to stay connected, while remaining apart. After the disruption of the past few years, our conference theme –Re-emergence – could not be more fitting.

We will explore the opportunity, innovation and connection that can re-emerge during uncertainty, and how this challenges us and allows us to consider the following questions:

• How can we prepare for individual and collective re-emergence?

• What role do tradition, shared stories, and the wisdom of others play?

• How can our school communities support individuals and groups to see hope and possibility?

• What do we take forward with us, and what do we leave behind?

• How do we respond to worry and fear?

• How can we ensure that justice, equality, and sustainability are part of our reemergence?

I do hope you will take this opportunity to be involved in the Anglican Schools Australia 2023 National Conference, as we imagine, learn and re-emerge together.

Mrs Fiona Godfrey OAM 2023 Conference Chair Principal, Radford College

Keynote Speakers:

Dr Julia Baird

JOURNALIST & AUTHOR

Dr Brad Tucker

ASTROPHYSICIST | COSMOLOGIST

Dr Donna Cross OAM

BEHAVIOURAL SCIENTIST

Mr Thomas Mayo

AUTHOR

The Most Reverend Geoffrey Smith

PRIMATE OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA & ARCHBISHOP OF ADELAIDE

Mr Brennon Dowrick OLY OAM

FORMER OLYMPIAN

Registration Fees

Registration is now open for the 2023 Anglican Schools Australia Annual Conference, Re-emergence. Early Bird will close on Friday 30 June 2023, book and pay before this date to secure the discounted registration rate.

Please note all prices are displayed in Australian dollars and inclusive of GST. Before registering, please view the Event Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

If you are having any trouble with the registration process please contact the Conference Manager, BCC Management (03) 7031 9900 or info@bccm.com.au

Networking Events

Sharing the light and love

“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

Considering the importance of sharing the light and love of Christ with others, Hume Anglican Grammar school works closely with Anglicare to reach out to the community members. Teachers, students, and parents wholeheartedly respond to the donation appeals made twice a year, mainly during Christmas and in winter. The collected items are sorted out by the students and put the containers in the van sent by the Anglicare office.

It has been a great experience of working together passionately towards fulfilling the needs of the homeless, aged, lonely people, who approach the Anglicare for help. Apart from the formal donation drive, some families and teachers do contact Anglicare and offer their donations in personal capacities. This shows that the school has been successful in implanting the justice perspective into the thoughts and hearts of the school community.

Anglicare is very central to the hearts to our students. Last year the primary students sent the profit they made through their market exposure to Anglicare, and the school is looking forward to doing so again this year.

The school is also supportive to the local parish, St Peter’s Anglican Parish, who has been instrumental in the inception of the school. The school youth group prepared palm crosses in their gathering close to Good Friday, for donating to the parish. Every Sunday, the church services are held in the chapel of the school, and the school keeps the doors open for church activities during the week.

Hume Anglican Grammar school works alongside the Diocese, in fulfilling the vision and mission of the Diocese and responds positively to each invitation extended to the students, principal and chaplain.

In March 2023, the Archbishop invited the Anglican schools to the Anglican School Forum to share the experience of being an Anglican school. Being a highly multicultural school, our students expressed their experienced and expectations, which were well-received by the Diocese. The Archbishop has again invited the student representatives to the Diocesan Ministry Conference in June. We are looking forward to an active participation, along with the Priests of the Diocese.

The Reverend Dr. Satvasheela Pandhare, Associate Chaplain | Hume Anglican Grammar School, VIC

Tradition in giving

St Peter’s Woodlands Grammar School, SA

Each year the students and families at St Peter’s Woodlands Grammar School look forward to donating festive food and nonperishables to the Anglicare food drive.

Bringing in food to place under the Christmas tree during Term 4 has become a much-loved tradition of the school as they help make the festive season a little brighter for families facing hardship.

Can the Chapel

‘Develop partnerships with Anglican agencies and schools’: This is number two on the Tasmanian Anglican Diocesan vision statement. It places the importance of these entities and their relationship to the forefront. To this end, the Hutchins school actively looks for opportunities to partner with Anglican agencies across the state.

One way we partner is with Anglicare Christmas Appeal. Having families doing without can be a hidden issue in our school and so it is not readily thought of. Traditionally the appeal was a slow process, taking place late in the year with some students unable to participate. Last year we decided to make some strategic changes, illuminating the issue earlier and beginning the appeal in Term 3 and throughout term 4 to collect food items for Christmas.

In 2022, it was decided rather than use the Anglicare Christmas Appeal title, we would call the appeal ‘Can the Chapel’, and we allocated sections of the chapel wall to the various School Houses. With a new name and the added

This year the School stepped this up a notch. When she began in her role, Principal Helen Finlay started a new tradition with the annual Christmas on the Green. Last year more than 600 people attended the outdoor event.

The evening features Christmas Carols, performances from the School Choir and bands, a visit from Santa Claus and of course the sharing of the Gospel message. Last year students decided to also include a new toy drive, placing a trailer for donations at the gates that was quickly overflowing with brand new toys.

The children and community felt great satisfaction at the thought of happy smiling children on Christmas day as they opened their gifts. Giving is such a wonderful representation of Christianity in Action as we strive to never forget the true meaning of Christmas.

dimension of interhouse competition, we saw a greater number of items from across the school being donated. The visible piles of foods that appeared seemed to spur groups forward into increasing their own giving.

Anglicare Care public liaison Margaret Savage assisted us in our venture and visited multiple times to speak to each of the Houses and to the various sub schools showing stories of the plight of Tasmanians doing it tough. She also had the students complete an interactive task of pricing a collection of groceries to highlight the costs that some people face everyday, and especially over the Christmas period.

These stories from local people were important to help develop the understanding of the issues for many. In the end, it was the biggest donation of goods we have made for this event.

The Reverend Lee Weissel, Chaplain | The Hutchins School, TAS

Year 6 students collect their House contributions from their Years 3-5 students

Non Nobis Solum - Not for ourselves alone

St Hilda’s School, QLD

The St Hilda’s Junior School Village embraces every opportunity to consider the needs of others, embracing our motto Non Nobis Solum meaning ‘Not For Ourselves Alone’. The girls at St Hilda’s strive to demonstrate the school values of love, compassion, hope and grace.

Encouraged by the Junior School Representative Council students support Anglican agencies across the Gold Coast through involvement in the St John’s Crisis Centre, Abri Aged Care and the Story Dogs program.

St John’s Crisis Centre supports people experiencing hardship. The School supports them through weekly donation of vegetables for meals. Girls donate vegetables in a basket with a sign that reads “Alone I am A Vegetable, But Together We Are a Meal”. This serves as a reminder of the power of a small donation and the ability to make a big difference in the lives of others through simple acts of kindness.

St Hilda’s has a strong connection with Abri Aged Care, visiting to spend time with residents, have a chat and participate in activities. The girls enjoy connecting with the residents, listening to their stories and learning from the wisdom and life experience of the residents.

In addition to supporting Gold Coast Anglican agencies, we also help the wider community. We support Story Dogs, which aims to develop the confidence of young readers by reading to Wendy and her dog, Lucy. St Hilda’s girls raised money to support the Story Dogs program and sponsor a St Hilda’s School jacket for Lucy, making her an important part of our school community.

Double celebration in commissioning

Overnewton Anglican Community College, VIC

On Saturday 29th April, Overnewton Anglican Community College celebrated the appointment of College Principal, Ms Emily FitzSimons, and Senior Chaplain, The Reverend Dr Theo Van der Nest, at a Commissioning Service held at Overnewton’s home church, St Paul’s Cathedral, in Melbourne.

Overnewton staff, students and community members present were welcomed to St Paul’s Cathedral by The Reverend Canon Robert Vun, Canon Missioner, and enjoyed a special service presided over by The Most Reverend Dr Philip Freier, Archbishop of Melbourne and Metropolitan of Victoria.

Elements of the order of service were led by members of the College Leadership Team and Student Executive, including Ms Anne McNaughton, Deputy Principal and Head of Canowindra Campus, and Mr Rob Huntington, Deputy Principal and Head of Yirramboi Campus, Charlie Biberhofer and Eliza Dowie, College Co-Captains, Gabrielle Edwards, Chair of the Student Representative Council, and Cooper Silverstein and Olivia Omotosho, Middle School Co-Captains.

Other distinguished guests who took part were Mr John Durow, Chair of the College Board, Ms Eleni KarantzasSavva, College Board Member and parent, The Reverend Carmel Hunter, founding parent of Overnewton Anglican Community College, and Reverend Robert Koren, Area Dean of the Hume Deanery.

Those in attendance were treated to beautiful musical items throughout the service. Mr Mark Slavec, St Paul’s Cathedral Organist, skilfully accompanied the Procession, while Mrs Carolyn Herndandez, Overnewton’s Head of Performing Arts, led the Overnewton Anglican Community College Senior Choir and instrumentalists to perform songs special to the College and an original work,

‘Commissioning Song’, that she especially composed for the service. The many talents of the musicians in the Overnewton Anglican Community College String Orchestra, led by Prudence Jury, were also on show. Joining Overnewton in January of this year, Ms Emily FitzSimons is an experienced educational leader who previously held positions such as Director of Teaching and Learning & Director of the Centre for Learning, Research and Innovation at The Geelong College, and Director of Learning and Teaching Excellence at St Peter’s College in Adelaide. A passionate advocate for the holistic development of young people, Emily’s values align closely with Overnewton’s commitment to fostering a positive, inclusive and courageous school culture, where each child is known and cherished for their uniqueness but, importantly, is also called to be an aspirational, thoughtful and compassionate contributor to the world.

“It was a special and humbling day for Reverend Theo and I on Saturday, when so many of our college community gathered in support of our Commissioning Service. St Paul’s Cathedral is a magnificent building and having the Anglican Archbishop preside over the service was special indeed.”

Ms FitzSimons

From left, Senior College Chaplain, The Reverend Dr Theo Van der Nest, The Most Reverend Dr Philip Freier, Archbishop of Melbourne and Metropolitan of Victoria, and College Principal, Ms Emily FitzSimons

We’re on track for a carbon-neutral portfolio by 2030

We’ve made exciting progress towards our goal for a carbon-neutral portfolio by 2030.

Last year we announced an ambitious target: a carbon-neutral portfolio by 2030. The climate warnings are clear, and we can’t ignore them — it’s time for drastic action. As well as the environmental impact, inaction on climate means economic systems will face major disruption. We need to make a paradigm shift in our economic models to protect our members’ retirement savings.

We are delighted to announce that our work over the last 12 months has confirmed that a carbon-neutral investment portfolio by 2030 is achievable. We’ve also set an interim target: by 2025, we aim to reduce carbon in our portfolio by 35%. By using the collective capital of committed NGS members, we will support companies building sustainable, lower carbon businesses, while aiming to improve on current average long-term investment returns to secure the retirement of our members.

As we continue towards our target, we maintain our core purpose to act in the best financial interests of our members. As an Industry SuperFund, this duty is paramount and is considered and reflected in all the work we do.

Since making our announcement just over 12 months ago, we’ve hit the ground running and have made exciting progress towards our goal. We’ve recently released a comprehensive member update to let you know what we’ve done so far and what this work tells us.

We’re proud of the work we’re doing in this space — our carbon-neutral by 2030 target is yet to be matched by any other super fund. We hope that our ambition and achievements encourage others to take greater steps towards a brighter future for us all.

You can get up to date with our progress and find out what we’ve achieved so far at ngssuper.com.au/cnupdate

If you’d like to chat with our team, you can call our Helpline on 1300 133 177 Monday to Friday, 8am–8pm (AEST/AEDT).

On the way towards our net zero target by 2030.

Find out how we’re tracking and what we’ve done to date as we embark on our decarbonisation journey.

We recognise that this is the moment in history to take drastic action to to address climate change. That’s why, just over 12 months ago, we announced our ambitious target to transition our portfolio to carbon neutral by 2030. We’ve since set an interim target — by 2025, we aim to reduce carbon in our portfolio by 35%. We’re excited to fill you in on the progress we’ve made so far, and what we have planned for the future. Find out what we’ve achieved so far at ngssuper.com.au/unpdate

A Doubter’s Guide to World Religions Stages

5–6

An intelligent, thought-through understanding of the teachings, history and beliefs of the world’s major faiths is relevant and necessary in our modern age—arguably more than ever. While the questions each religion has attempted to answer throughout the ages remain the same, the answers offered vary enormously.

Now fully revised and for the first time with a teacher’s manual, A Doubter’s Guide to World Religions explains the central beliefs, history and areas of agreement and disagreement of the world’s major faiths, in John Dickson’s compelling and engaging style.

Duration

7 lessons offering at least a term’s worth of work.

A true sense of community

Peter Moyes Anglican Community School, WA

Within the close-knit community of Peter Moyes Anglican Community School and St Gregory’s Parish, the Chapel of St Gregory’s stands as a cherished spiritual space for school students, staff, families and parishioners to come together for worship, celebration and collaboration.

The relationship between Peter Moyes Anglican Community School and St Gregory’s Parish has grown in strength over the years, becoming a shining example of partnership between Parish and School.

St Gregory’s Parish Priest, The Reverend Peter Hotchkin, was appointed to the role in January 2021, and immediately set about building a strong relationship between the School and Parish.

He played a key role in developing a renewed Memorandum of Understanding between the School and the Parish, solidifying their commitment to work together for the benefit of the wider community. His involvement in this process led to an invitation to become a member of the School Council.

Father Peter believes that the Anglican identity and ethos of the School are paramount.

“For me, the comprehensive Anglican Identity of the School means being a place of acceptance, inclusion and open-heartedness. Values we see lived in the life of Jesus. I bring that Anglican Identity to the Council and want to help the School continue to grow in that direction,” he said.

“The Diocese of Perth and the Anglican Schools Commission had been planning the relocation of the Parish of Quinns-Butler to School grounds for more than 10 years, ultimately finalising the transition in 2019.

“The Chapel is visually striking both inside and outside and makes more of an impression than the Parish imagined. The Chapel is high on the grounds and people can see us from many directions. It is pretty difficult to miss a huge Cross on a sandstone building on the top of a hill. The

Cross, illuminated at night, stands lovingly as a beacon of faith over the local community.”

Father Peter says that from the very beginning, Peter Moyes Anglican Community School had been exceptionally welcoming. The staff’s attendance and warm welcome at his Commissioning as Parish Priest demonstrated the School’s commitment.

Both the School and Parish actively seek opportunities to engage with one another.

“The School supports us with publicity for our Christmas and Easter services, our weekly Holy Communion services, Pancake Day, School Holiday Fun Days, and our annual fundraising fete. I’m also invited to attend significant events in the life of the School, and currently I’m covering the role of School Chaplain while he is taking Long Service Leave,” he said.

School families and alumni have also embraced St Gregory’s Chapel as a sacred space for Baptisms, weddings, and funerals. This partnership between the School and the Parish has allowed families within the school community to celebrate and honour these important milestones within the spiritual setting of the Chapel.

“Old Scholars come back to the School for these life events because the School was a place of encountering God and the Chapel is a connection to their spirituality,” Father Peter said.

“As a Parish and a School, together we are working hard to enrich the life of each ministry and community role, to support each other, and to demonstrate an inclusive and welcoming Anglican Identity in the community.”

Fundraising milestone within reach

St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School is closing in on raising $100,000 for Anglicare WA’s Street Connect Program thanks to the vision of a passionate staff member and the dedication of a charitable cohort.

When Mr Ian Thompson assumed his role as Head of Year 10 in 2010, it was obvious to him that the students were committed fundraisers who were eager to lend their time and money to a myriad of worthy causes. However, he identified a gap in their philanthropic endeavours.

“I noticed that the girls were doing a lot of meaningful fundraising, but it was a bit here and there. I thought it was important for them to have something to focus their fundraising on. I also recognised that although we were an Anglican school, we didn’t have a fundraiser in place to support Anglicare WA,” Mr Thompson said.

“I found out about Anglicare WA’s Street Connect program, which seeks to help homeless youths aged 15 to 25. Given that our Year 10 girls are 15, there was a connection there.”

It would have been easy for the students to simply donate to the worthy cause, but Mr Thompson thought they would better understand the plight of the people they were helping – and gain a greater appreciation for the good work that the Street Connect team does – by experiencing what a night on the streets might be like. Hence, St Mary’s annual Year 10 Sleepout began.

“In 2012, we had our first sleepout on campus. Sixty-four girls attended that first sleepout under the Senior School Library. The sleepout grew rapidly from 64 girls in the first year to almost the entire cohort participating just two years later. Now, it is truly part of our Year 10 cohort’s culture and identity,” Mr Thompson said.

Every sleepout begins with a moving presentation from Anglicare WA’s Street Connect team and a tour of the

Street Connect Bus, which is stocked with information on services and referral resources, and provides food and useful items, including freshly made sandwiches, water, pregnancy tests, condoms, first aid kits, hygiene packs and sleeping bags. The girls then have soup and a bread roll, to replicate getting a meal from a soup kitchen, before sleeping outside on sheets of cardboard in their sleeping bags, usually on the school’s tennis courts.

“They get to understand the reality of what some people go through,” Mr Thompson said.

“In the morning, they acknowledge that it was an uncomfortable night – but it’s only one night in their lives. I tell them; ‘imagine doing that every night’.

“One of the terrible things that happen to young people is when circumstances rip away their hope. I think that when you take away someone’s hope it cripples them. Anglicare WA’s Street Connect team gives these people their hope back. They find them housing, get them educated and help them to find jobs. They help them to build a life that they never thought possible.

Mr Thompson

“The Street Connect team are truly special and we are so proud to support them. For a single school, and more specifically a single year group, to raise close to $100,000 for one charity, I think that’s magic. It’s an incredible thing that has grown beyond my hopes and expectations.”

St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School, WA

Toys, Tucker and Take Love

Danebank Anglican School for Girls, NSW

Danebank’s relationship with Anglicare has led to many community-based projects that have helped our girls to fulfil the school motto Ut Prosim That I may serve.

Over the last eight years, Danebank has participated in Toys and Tucker in support of Anglicare., filling a truck with their donations of toys. Food and other Christmasrelated goodies.

A group of students also make an annual trip to the warehouse to help assemble and pack hampers, gaining an integrated experience of the process and an insight into the benefits these bring to families. Hampers supply families with everything they need for a Christmas celebration, including food, gifts for children and wrapping paper.

This year, Danebank is working with Anglicare for the first time on the Take Love project in which students are paired with a nursing-home resident. Students form initial connections through virtual (Zoom) visits, allowing the pairs to get to know each other.

The girls are paired with residents from Woolooware Shores Nursing home and are excited to meet their residents. This experience allows students to foster relationships with elders and to understand their social needs. Another exciting initiative this year has been the work we have done together with Anglican Aid. Students organised a fundraiser for Syria and Türkiye after a devastating earthquake hit these countries earlier this year, with money going directly to assist people in both these countries. Activities like this not only help people in need, but help students to better understand the hardships faced by people around the world. Our girls develop empathy and realise that service extends beyond our immediate local community, and that they can have a powerful impactful on the global community.

Oaktree connection continues legacy

Shelford Girls’ Grammar, VIC

Shelford Girls’ Grammar partners very closely with Oaktree Anglican, our local parish. As Shelford is a school that promotes their multi-faith, inclusive environment it is a blessing to have such involvement from the church.

The church across the road, St Mary’s is the main site for the Oaktree parish. Students attend Chapel programs within the church and enjoy walking across the road to the beautiful old bluestone church.

Celebrating the School’s 125th this year highlights the historical connection to the church. In 1920 Shelford was handed to the then St Mary’s Church, where students used the site’s Jubilee Hall for their studies. The school was supported by the church for some years. The parish helped to purchase the land for Shelford, providing Shelford it’s permanent home in 1922.

With the support of the Vicar of Oaktree, students began returning to the church in 2021 for the Chapel program after an eight-year hiatus. Offering Chapel in the church is an integral and intention part of our Chapel program, giving students the opportunity to step into the church and find a space that offers safety and open dialogue about issues they are currently facing.

Oaktree staff team also attend occasional services and come across to Shelford for various lunchtime faith discussions or major school events. This partnership means that staff and students recognise and stop to chat with the staff at Oaktree. We are also grateful to have major Easter and Christmas Services for our Junior School, where families are invited into the church space to watch student performances.

Images: Main Image - 100 years Helenslea. Above - Junior School nativity

Strengthening community bonds

Coomera Anglican College and Gold Coast North Anglican Parish share a strong history of community engagement and a common mission. In recent years, the two institutions have worked together to strengthen their partnership, resulting in a spirit of cooperation that has benefited both the College and the Parish.

The College’s Primary Lay Chaplain, Mrs Rachael Stelzer, and Religious and Values Education (RaVE) Teacher Ms Lucy Maud have played an instrumental role in fostering this partnership. Together with Reverend Gary Smith, a Coomera Anglican College Council Member, they have worked to build strong ties between the college and the parish.

One of the highlights of this partnership was the participation of a group of parish volunteers at Coomera Anglican College’s ‘Under 8’s Day’ in 2022. This annual event celebrates the learning and development of young children and promotes the importance of early childhood education. The event focuses on play-based learning and provides opportunities for children to engage in activities that foster creativity, problem-solving skills and socialisation.

Parish volunteers worked with Mrs Stelzer and Ms Maud to organise a fun activity for the young students, which

involved blowing bubbles. The activity brought joy and laughter to the children and provided an opportunity for the parish volunteers to be part of a larger community.

This year, the Gold Coast North Anglican Parish is taking the partnership to the next level by hosting an event called “What do Anglicans believe?” The event is designed to provide interested families with an opportunity to learn more about the Anglican faith and to connect with the St Matthew’s congregation. The event will be held at the St Matthew’s church building, located next to the College campus. It will feature food, fellowship, and conversations about baptism, the Eucharist, and confirmation.

The Coomera Anglican College Faith and Spirituality team is excited about participating in this event and building on the strong relationship between the college and the parish. They believe that events like this help to create a sense of belonging and community, which is essential for the healthy development of young children.

Coomera Anglican College, QLD

Honouring David Ford: A True Champion of the Community

Bishop Druitt College, NSW

Bishop Druitt College (BDC) has recognised the long-serving commitment of its Chair of School Council David Ford by dedicating the new senior building in his name. The newly named facility is a fitting tribute to a man who has devoted his time and energy to the betterment of BDC and its students.

Mr Ford has had a deep association with BDC, devoting more than two decades to the College. David’s daughter was one of the College’s first teachers and David has served as a member and Chair of Council, as well as being a College grandparent, with his grandchildren graduating in 2015 and 2018.

Mr Ford embodies the spirit of the BDC community and has been involved since its inception, through his business and church life. His unwavering commitment to the college, coupled with his extensive involvement in the Anglican Church, makes him a well-known and respected figure in the community.

David’s involvement in the Diocese of Grafton Bishop in Council and Synod spans several years, and he has also served as the previous Chair of Anglican Funds Grafton Diocese (AFGD). David is part of the ministry team at St John’s Anglican Church in Coffs Harbour and a member of the Anglican Parish of Coffs Harbour Council.

Inspired by David’s favourite scripture, the Beatitudes, this special reflective prayer written by Chaplain, The Reverend Nic Hagon was shared at the opening of The David Ford Centre:

Blessed are the peacemakers, the ribbon cutters, the joy bringers.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for what is right, the careful planners, the deep thinkers.

Blessed are the pure in heart, the hope seekers, the path creators.

Blessed are those who mourn, the truth tellers, the change makers.

Blessed are the pure in heart, the curious, the wonderers, and those looking for something beyond.

Blessed are the meek, the unnamed, the humble, the ones on the way.

David Ford’s selfless dedication to BDC and his community sets an inspiring example and The David Ford Centre will stand as a testament to the importance of community involvement and the vital role it plays in shaping the future of our youth.

Church Partnership

Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School has a long and rich history with our local church, St James’ Ivanhoe. We do not have our own chapel, so we use St James’ for all our Junior School and Senior School Services. The old church attached to the newer building is called the Parish Hall, and we also use that for drama lessons, House Meetings and small theatre productions. Our ELC shares a fence with the church, and most of us use the walkway alongside the church as a short cut to the main shopping street. I’ve even seen groups of older students having their lunch break on the steps of the church, as though the church is really ours!

During World War Two, our school moved into the church hall and students had all their classes there. The school building was being used as a hospice. Over the years since then our school and the church have continued to work together. We have helped them upgrade their sound systems and now they enjoy the screen and modern technology during their Sunday and mid-week services. In 2003 the school year commenced with a moving service for the dedication of the Centenary Stained-Glass Window by Bishop Andrew Curnow. The artist, Glenn Mack, incorporated symbols representing the School and Parish into the three themes of the window, ‘women’, ‘achievement’ and ‘music’.

As well as sharing buildings and resources, the school and church like to support one another in more personal and faith building ways too. We have a long-standing tradition of the church nominating a member for our School Board. This is usually the Minister, and this year we formally welcomed The Reverend Mike McNamara to the position. He is continuing the tradition of opening each Board meeting in prayer, asking for God’s wisdom and guidance in their governance. For the last few years, the youth minister from St James’ assisted us in leading the Friday lunch-time Christian club ‘Mustard’. This has strengthened the fellowship between us and the church, and more recently we invited The Reverend Jessica Cheung to share with the group about her work in the church and her very interesting prisons ministry.

At the start of every year, I take the preps classes across the road to St James’, so they can feel familiar with the space before their first church Junior School Service. They love looking at the stained-glass windows and counting how many crosses are in the church building – more than 20. They often notice the Chinese signs and the baptismal font; they are very curious about what everything is. We are so thankful for the support of the clergy and staff of St James’, it is great to be able to pray for each other’s ministries and work together in Gospel Partnership. It is encouraging to me that we can, together, “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1, 2)

By Mrs Jenny Sonneman, Chaplain and Teacher | Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School, VIC

Above: The School Board, welcoming The Reverend Mike McNamara Right: Rose Window in St James’ Ivanhoe

Preps visiting the church with Chaplain, Jenny Sonneman

New Principal welcomed

St Andrew’s School was pleased to welcome its new Principal, Mr Luke Ritchie, earlier this year. With over 20 years of experience in education, Mr Ritchie previously held leadership roles at some of Australia’s leading schools, including Canberra Girls Grammar School, Prince Alfred College, and most recently, as Principal of Annesley College. During his tenure, he made a significant impact on quality personalised learning, progressive experiential learning, record enrolment growth, significant master plan works, and outstanding external evaluation results from the International Baccalaureate Organisation.

As a proud South Australian, husband, and father of four, Mr Ritchie has dedicated his career to delivering exceptional learning experiences for young people and building capacity in his community. His commitment to fostering a culture of excellence in education is reflected in his passion for creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment that empowers both students and staff to reach their full potential.

With Mr Ritchie’s extensive experience and proven leadership skills, St Andrew’s School is well-positioned to continue its tradition of academic excellence, pastoral care, and holistic education. The St Andrew’s School community is excited to welcome Mr Ritchie as their new Principal and looks forward to the positive impact he will have on the School and its students.

A Catalyst for Service Learning

John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School, WA

The founding of a new program, Catalyst23, has provided an official focus for service learning at John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School (JSRACS). The program, coordinated by Mr Dale Kelly, aims to create opportunities for students to learn about the needs of the community, develop relationships and learn through service.

The foundational connections began through a new relationship with Anglicare’s YShac program. YShac provides assistance and crisis accommodation to young people between 15 to 20 years old who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness, and 16 to 25-year-olds who need transitional accommodation. The program is now an important part of Year 7 service learning.

Students have spent time working on the gardens at the

St Andrew’s School, SA

YShac facility as part of their Year 7 camp and will continue this work through a Hospitality mentorship program facilitated by Mrs Carleen Edwards to pre-pack meals for YShac residents. As well as serving the community, students have also learnt more about the importance of Anglicare and YShac, and the stereotypes associated with homelessness.

Anglicare’s annual School Sleep Out is another event that provides an opportunity for students to give back. Leading up to the event the School’s Anglicare Ambassadors run an onsite Pop Up Op-Shop where donated clothing is sold for the price of a gold coin donation, with remaining clothes donated to Anglicare Op Shops.

Anglicare Ambassadors also work within the school community, volunteering during school holidays to address staff during their Professional Development Week. The Ambassadors recently ran a simulation that educated staff on the experience faced by many homeless people and how organisations such as Anglicare assist people in obtaining basic needs such as food and water, crisis accommodation and basic identification that others take for granted.

The School aims to grow Catalyst23 by two year groups each year, to eventually have a fully focused, academically linked and socially driven service learning program for students from Kindy to Year 12. Program Coordinator Dale Kelly hopes the program influences students who are truly aware of their role within communities and the strength that they can offer through servant leadership.

Anglican connection to service

Each year Cobram Anglican Grammar School partners with Anglicare to support disadvantaged members of the local and surrounding community.

Initiatives include a Grocery Grab and Winter Appeal. The Grocery Grab involves the school’s Captains actively encouraging shoppers to purchase an extra item during their shop so it can be donated to those most in need over Christmas.

The Winter Appeal involves Year 12 students participating in a winter sleepout in the school yard to experience some of the hardships associated with being homeless. Lucas Strawhorn, a 2022 Year 12 student, said the School’s last sleepout had been an eye-opening and moving experience – far removed from the normal comforts of school and home.

“Being able to loosely replicate what many homeless people in Australia go through was definitely very awakening in our minds in terms of sleeping outside,

being in the cold and waking up in the same clothes from the day before. It was a very unique experience and I’m glad I did it,” Lucas said.

While the sleepout aims to raising awareness for homelessness, the School also collects non-perishable food items and basic living essentials to donate to the Winter Appeal each year. The goods go to Moira Foodshare to distribute hampers. This year half of the donated items will be given directly to the Anglican Parish of Cobram for emergency care packs for the outreach program at St Margaret’s Church.

The School’s values of Integrity, Endeavour and Community, means it is a priority to work in unison with both Anglicare and the Anglican Parish of Cobram to serve its local community.

Cobram Anglican Grammar School, VIC

Working with Anglicare

Living our School motto

St George’s Anglican Grammar School, WA

Students at St George’s Anglican Grammar School seek to live the school motto of ‘Wisdom, Grace, Service’. Every year, a new group of Anglicare Ambassadors bear witness to the idea of service by participating in a variety of service-learning activities working closely with Anglicare WA.

These can range from collecting hygiene packs for the homeless, donating non-perishable goods to Foodbank WA through their work with St George’s Cathedral or being involved in the Optus Stadium Sleepout which raises much needed funds for the Street Connect Bus which support youth homelessness in Perth.

As a vertical school located in the heart of the CBD, St George’s students experience the plight of homelessness on their way in and around the city. The drive to support others is a constant focus for all students, not only the Anglican Ambassadors, and this year we will be raising money by ‘wearing hoodies for the homeless’ to raise funds and awareness of those suffering from homelessness.

The concept of service will expand further this year with eight students joining an Anglican School Commission (ASC) system service learning trip to All Saints Anglican School in Samoa.

In preparation for this trip, the students are creating literacy dice to help them in their work with the students in the classrooms of All Saints Anglican School, Samoa. Cut from large pieces of foam, the dice have been labelled with key literacy question words. Our hope is that these tools will support the students’ learning and will complement the strong focus on literacy already in existence within the school. We also hope to build conversations, connections and help make learning fun.

Commitment to Community

Canberra Grammar School, ACT

Canberra Grammar School has continued its long-standing support for the Anglicare Pantry Appeal, which seeks to assist families and individuals in need by collecting non-perishable food and essential living items.

As a Whole School Appeal, the drive unites the Tutor Groups, Houses, and classes, with more than 5000 items donated each year. The collected items are loaded onto school buses and trailers and delivered to a large warehouse at St John’s Reid, where the School’s Service Council helps volunteers stack the shelves before the items are distributed to those in need.

The generous support of our students is inspiring,

and we look forward to positively impacting our local community this winter. We know more community members will require our help and encouragement with the weather getting colder. We hope our continued involvement in the Anglicare Pantry Appeal will inspire others to join us in making a difference.

The School’s involvement in the Pantry Appeal reflects the school’s values of community and service.

Working with Anglicare

Ambassadors embrace masterclass

By Ms Wendy Keene, Service Learning Coordinator | Hale School, WA

In May, Anglican schools from across Perth gathered at Hale School for the Anglicare WA Ambassadors Advocacy Masterclass. Each school sent representatives from their Year 10 cohort, known as the Anglicare Ambassadors, to delve into the topic of advocacy and its importance in our society.

The students learnt about the different types of advocacy and considered the forums and the impact these have had throughout history.

They then formed groups with peers from different schools and set about making a plan to deal with particular issues using a range of forums. It was important for the students to consider background and context when setting their aim and adopting their strategies. As part of the process, they also needed to consider their allies and barriers, which broadened their scope and perspective.

Hale School student Maximilian Ventrice said he was excited by the opportunity to put his interest in helping others into action.

“I decided to become an Anglicare ambassador because I have always loved helping those in need and participating in services to help the community,” he said.

“In the advocacy masterclass one thing that I learnt was that I should be promoting more ideas and addressing more

issues with my cohort. I have thought about how I will put this into practice at school so that students will be more engaged and interested in possibly helping the cause.”

Some of his ideas included presenting evidence of the issues at school assemblies and engaging students through interactive activities.

“Advocacy can amplify the issues of underrepresented communities and can be used to mobilise the school community in order to help organise campaigns. Advocacy can be utilised to reach a wider audience using various communication channels and help bring meaningful change.”

As an Anglican school with the motto of ‘Duty’, Hale students are encouraged to be involved in service learning and the vast majority of students volunteer to do so.

From left, Mia Anderson (Peter Carnley Anglican Community School), Maximilian Ventrice (Hale School) and Sam Brampton (Christ Church Grammar School) at the Anglicare WA Ambassadors Advocacy Masterclass in April.

Maximilian Ventrice, Hale School student

Strong bond with parish

Frederick Irwin Anglican School, WA

Frederick Irwin Anglican School (FIAS) has established a strong and meaningful relationship with its local Anglican parish, Christ’s Church Mandurah, fostering a sense of community and service among its students. This relationship has resulted in numerous collaborative efforts that benefit both the students and the church.

The church has welcomed the students’ assistance at the annual Anglican fetes held at Christ’s Church which serve as important fundraisers for the church and community. FIAS students have also shown their commitment to the community during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, assisting parish members with technology including the SAFE WA app.

One of the most significant displays of the partnership is the Frederick Irwin-led service. Students actively participate in this service, leading prayers, singing hymns, and contributing in other ways. This opportunity allows them to develop their spiritual connection and take on leadership roles within the Church community.

Head of Christ’s Church Mandurah, The Reverend Canon Ian Mabey, commended the School and expressed his appreciation for the involvement of the students and their families, and the School’s Principal, Mrs Tracey Gray.

School chaplain, The Reverend Canon James Tabor, said the students’ involvement in the local Anglican parish enabled them to witness firsthand the strength of

community beyond their school years. This exposure to service and fellowship contributes to the students’ personal and spiritual growth.

Symbolising the enduring bond between the school and the church, there is a beautiful stained-glass window at the parish that was donated by Frederick Irwin Anglican School many years ago. This window serves as a physical representation of the strong connection between the two institutions.

Ten years of support

Clarence Valley Anglican School, NSW

This year Clarence Valley Anglican School celebrates not only its 25th Birthday but its 10th year of supporting Anglicare in our community.

Principal Karin Lisle said the School’s relationship with Anglicare began when one Year 5 class decided that there was a need for assistance for people in our community. The class planned and collected many food items and toys as the Christmas season was approaching. At the end of a few weeks the class of 15 students had collected more than 50 items to donate.

“Because of the success of this small venture, the next year the whole primary school was involved, and the secondary school joined the following year. Our Anglicare Christmas Hamper Appeal (PK-Year 12) was born....and the rest is history,” Mrs Lisle said.

Over the years, students have collected and assisted in the packing of hampers for families in need and we have worked together closely with the staff at Anglicare to ensure the items they most need are collected.

The team at Anglicare have shared inspirational stories of how they have been able to help families through the distribution of donations, while the School has received heartwarming personal feedback from community members.

As the community has faced floods, fires and COVID, the School has collected items to help the needy, including a massive drive for Lismore flood victims of knickers, socks and pyjamas, which averaged more than a thousand items collected.

“Our school is passionate about assisting families and members of our community and our relationship with Anglicare enables our students to see real life service and the benefits of being a part of a community that cares,” Mrs Lisle said.

“We look forward to further engagement with Anglicare and other organisations within our community.”

A history of service

Christ Church Grammar School, WA

Christ Church Grammar School is committed to building a culture of empowerment and a strong commitment to service among its students.

A number of students participate in the Service in Action program in which they travel to remote regional areas and work as teachers’ aids in classrooms. There are also numerous student-led charity initiatives for various not-forprofit organisations. The relationship between the School’s values of Care and Compassion, Respect, Integrity and Excellence and its longstanding relationship with Anglicare WA is palpable.

In recent years, students, staff, and the wider Christ Church community have been involved in numerous Anglicare initiatives, including the School Sleep Out for Youth Homelessness and the Christmas Appeal. The School has a series of events that it conducts with all proceeds going to Anglicare. These events include the Prefect Push and an initiative titled ‘Wolsey at Work’ where students seek paid work in their community, such as walking pets, cleaning cars and mowing lawns, to connect with local community members while fundraising for Anglicare WA.

Within the School, there are dedicated Anglicare Ambassadors, who inform their classmates of upcoming programs and rally for contributions. It is not always a donation of money – sometimes goods – as with the recent Anglicare collection for personal hygiene items, such as clothing, bedding, and toiletries. The School’s Anglicare

Early start to giving

Gippsland Grammar School, VIC

Gippsland Grammar St Anne’s Early Learning students are exploring the concept of caring for others by donating non-perishable food items to Anglicare for families in need.

ELC Director Lisa Burgess said by encouraging the students in the Centre’s four-year-old ‘Transition’ program to contribute, helped the students understand the concepts of social justice and empathy.

“We encourage the children to reflect on how lucky they are to have a home, warm clothes, education, loving families and food,” Mrs Burgess said.

“Children are never too young to learn about these important themes that we hope they will carry with them through their lives. By making a donation, they have a tangible example of how they can make a difference.” Mrs Burgess

Working with Anglicare

Ambassadors sort the items into boxes to send them to Anglicare WA for distribution to the community in need.

The Christ Church Alumni are also involved. The School’s oldest group of Alum, who are affectionately referred to as the ‘Unforgettables’ continue to give back to the community. The group make and buy toys which they donate to Anglicare WA at their annual Unforgettables’ Christmas lunch. The gifts are distributed to families in need, so that children have a gift to open on Christmas morning.

This tradition was started by Old Boy Roger Metherell, class of 1948, who was a member of the Melville Woodturners for almost 20 years. He would lovingly hand craft and paint toys at home throughout the year, including wooden building blocks, trains, and riding horses on wheels, in the lead up to the Unforgettables Christmas lunch.

The Old Boys’ ongoing involvement with Anglicare WA, some 70 years since they left the school, is testament to the culture of Christ Church Grammar School.

Christ Church Old Boy Roger Metherell (’48), showcasing his handmade toys to donate to Anglicare WA (2017).

Gippsland Grammar Early Learning Centre students Hailey De Silva (left) and Arlo McGeogh (right) collected food items to donate to Anglicare.

New Principal at the helm

Coomera Anglican College, QLD

On February 24, 2023, Coomera Anglican College welcomed its second Principal, Mr Patrick Innes-Hill, in a commissioning ceremony attended by the College’s staff, students, and the local community. The event was witnessed by members of the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane, the Anglican Schools Commission, Principals from various Anglican schools in South-East Queensland, local councilors, parents, and students.

During the ceremony, Mr Innes-Hill committed himself to the trust and responsibility of leading the College, ensuring that students, staff, and the College would thrive under his leadership. He pledged to seek God’s guidance and strength in fulfilling his significant responsibilities as the Principal of Coomera Anglican College.

Mr Innes-Hill is a highly regarded educator and leader with 30 years of experience in education. He previously served as Principal at Emmanuel and Josiah Colleges on the Gold Coast and was most recently the Head of Cape Byron Rudolf Steiner School. He holds a BA (Hons) in English from Kingston University in London, an English Post Graduate teaching qualification from the University of East Anglia, and a Masters in Education (Leadership and Applied Linguistics) from the Open University in the

In his vision for Coomera Anglican College, Mr InnesHill envisions a College that values every person’s dignity, breadth, and depth of education, joy, hope, and meaningfulness that enables students to make a real difference in the world; A College that will nurture young adults who possess an enterprising curiosity, an undefeatable spirit, tenacity in pursuit, readiness for sensible self-denial, and above all, compassion.

Mr Innes-Hill said he was excited to join Coomera Anglican College and be a part of its next chapter of development, building upon the foundation laid by the College’s Foundation Principal, Dr Mark Sly.

United Kingdom. He is also a Lay Reader in the Church of England.

Celebrating the sacraments together

This year, students at St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School and Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie) had the opportunity to participate in a joint community celebration of the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion.

The two schools have a long tradition of collaboration across the sporting, cultural, social and philanthropic arenas, and the inaugural sacramental service was an extension of this relationship and the schools’ shared Anglican faith.

The service was held in St John’s Cathedral with around 50 students in Years 4 to 6 from both schools gathering with their families, alongside Bishop Cameron Venables and representatives of both St Margaret’s and Churchie’s educational leadership teams. Siblings from St Aidan’s and Somerville House were also welcomed to participate.

St Margaret’s Chaplain, The Reverend Jazz Dow and Churchie Senior Chaplain, The Reverend Jessica Grant jointly led the service, assisted by Churchie’s Prep Chaplain, Stephanie Cotroneo.

Reverend Jazz said the joint sacramental service helped to expand students’ awareness of faith as community.

“The sacraments of Baptism and Admission to Holy Communion are about initiation and participation in a global spiritual community,” she said.

“By uniting our schools to celebrate these sacraments, it highlighted and affirmed for students that these steps are not just something that happens in the school environment but are actually part of something much bigger.”

Reverend Jazz

St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School and Anglican Church Grammar School, QLD

Two decades of partnership

More than two decades ago, St Mary’s Church Busselton and the founders of Georgiana Molloy Anglican School (GMAS) began a close and enduring relationship, which continues to flourish today, according to GMAS founding member and past Chair of Council, Eleanor Lewin.

“The relationship between GMAS and St Mary’s Church is a happy and thriving one,” Mrs Lewin said.

All three previous principals of GMAS were active members of St Mary’s parish, attending services regularly and participating in the life of the parish, including serving on the Parish Council.

To support the school’s staff and students, St Mary’s hosts various services such as a School Eucharist at the beginning of each term for staff and a Eucharist at the end of the year for Year 12 students and their parents. The church also welcomes students each year on Pentecost Sunday for Confirmation, which is attended by the church’s parishioners.

As part of its commitment to the school, St Mary’s presents Bibles to Year 6 students and scholarships to outstanding musical students each year. The students perform at the Sunday morning service, adding to the church’s musical worship.

Additionally, the Junior School students make an annual visit to the church to learn about its history and famous stained-glass windows. They also visit the Heritage

“Volunteering means helping others and being the best person you can be.”

Vanessa, Year 10 volunteer

This sentiment is shared by Holly also in Year 10, who believes that volunteering not only allows her to give back to the community but also provides an opportunity to assist others who are overcoming challenging times.

With this spirit of generosity, GMAS students, St Mary’s and its parishioners engage with the school’s community by assisting regularly in the Church Op Shop and volunteering at Cliff’s Kitchen, a weekly community lunch held in the St Mary’s Family Centre. Senior members of the church visit the Early Childhood Centre annually to participate in classroom activities, singalongs with the Little Georgies, and enjoy morning tea.

Graveyard to read the headstones of pioneers buried there, including Georgiana Molloy and her two children.

Georgiana Molloy Anglican School, WA

Playing at St Mary’s Eucharist

Visit to GMAS

Holly and Vanessa

St Mary’s Anglican Church

Buddy Up for support

By Ashleigh Day, Service Learning Program Coordinator | St Peter’s College, SA

Aligning with our core School values of Truth, Respect and Service, an array of service learning opportunities are embedded in our curriculum. With a focus on providing authentic and relational activities that promote personal growth and benefit the needs of the wider community, this year the School has started an after-school respite program called Buddy Up.

Funded by the School, Buddy Up aims to support parents in our greater community who have a child living with a disability by giving them a well-deserved afternoon off. The children who join us are supported by our senior students (their buddies), parents and staff at the School in a safe, warm and friendly environment that meets the children’s needs. Together, the buddies participate in activities including crafts, cooking, treasure hunts, reading and games. The children have afternoon tea and dinner with us before they are picked up by their parents at 7pm.

The Term 1 pilot was a wonderful success with positive feedback received from the families, students and parents involved. Through supporting their buddies, our students developed valuable critical thinking skills and empathy and all involved found the experience both rewarding and humbling. This term we have seven children joining us on a fortnightly basis buddied up with 14 students.

Here are some testaments from some of the participants involved in the program:

“It is difficult to be empathetic of other people’s everyday challenges when you have no direct experience. The respite care helps break down barriers and ignorance of our young SPSC men.” Andrew (parent volunteer)

“It was the highlight of William’s week, every time.” Danielle, mother of William (age 10)

“I was so amazed by the genuine kindness and support and welcome I felt from your parents and students. It not only allowed me a couple of hours to myself, I had a lovely time engaging with the parents – something I do not get much chance to do being a full time working single mum of a child with additional needs. Charlotte had an absolute ball and chatted non-stop about her experience on the way home.”

Julie, mother of Charlotte (age 10)

“I thoroughly enjoyed the experience provided by this program. It took me out of my comfort zone, as it was challenging and not something we can do every day. Seeing the benefits, including making a new friend, and providing respite for their parents was a rewarding and humbling experience. I would recommend this program to any students or parents who love a challenge and experiencing something new.” Zig (Year 11 student)

Blue Cross a meaningful mission

Manning Valley Anglican College (MVAC) has a long history of fundraising for a variety of mission agencies such as Anglican Aid Abroad, the Anglican Board of Mission and Samaritans (the Newcastle Diocesan Anglicare entity). Mufti days entailing gold coin donations, selling pancakes on Shrove Tuesday and take-home mission money boxes are some of the ways in which MVAC has generated funds for mission.

MVAC has a deep sense of belonging within our local community. One of our local mission initiatives is that of Blue Cross Emergency Relief. The program is named for the neon blue cross at the top of the tower of the local Anglican Parish Church of Saint John the Divine and is run by local parish every Wednesday. Recently our Year 12 MVAC students not only raised money for Blue Cross Emergency Relief, but went shopping with the funds raised to purchase tinned goods, toiletries and non- perishable items to stock the parish pantry.

The students also helped by working in the local Anglican op shop, the Blue Cross Shop. The income generated by the Blue Cross Shop goes to the Blue Cross Emergency

Relief as well as to other parish ministries and national and international missionary endeavours. This initiative makes a direct difference to our local families in need. It is important for our students to connect to community and understand how their service contributes to our community outside the College grounds.

Manning Valley Anglican College enthusiastically engages in these ministries of care and mercy as a way of expressing obedience to Jesus’ command: ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew chapter 25, verse 40).

Mr Greg Anderson, School Chaplain | Manning Valley Anglican College, NSW

Pilot project for intercultural understanding

Trinity College, SA

Trinity College is thrilled to have been selected as a recipient of a Together For Humanity’s Intercultural Understanding Partnerships Program (ICUP) grant. The College has received $10,000 to fund a project that addresses an intercultural challenge at the College as well as consultation time with intercultural experts from Together For Humanity’s SA partner organisation, The Abraham Institute.

Together For Humanity is a not-for-profit provider of educational services that works with schools to combat prejudice and advance belonging and inclusion and The Abraham Institute is an educational organisation that promotes interfaith and intercultural dialogue and understanding.

The opportunity to participate was identified by longserving teacher Mrs Pat Fabian who, in addition to working with international students attending the College, has spent many years teaching English as a Second Language. In her role as a teacher, she was familiar with a number of challenges students and families from culturally diverse backgrounds often face while attending school, including language and communication barriers, diversity in religious practices and customs as well as a lack of a local support networks. A desire to offer support for these students and their families was the driver to apply for the grant.

As Facilitator of the project, Pat is working with Principal of Trinity College Blakeview, Mrs Karen McMahon, Principal of Trinity College Senior, Mr Steven Bousfield, teacher Mrs Marnie East and Cultural Liaison Officer Mr Michael Akech.

“We worked closely with The Abraham Institute to design a project that will improve the learning and wellbeing of our students and help us build an even stronger, more cohesive school community,” Mrs Fabian said.

After consultation with parents, the group chose to establish a Middle School Homework Club at Trinity College Blakeview as their pilot project. The Homework

Club offers a quite space for students to review, practise and develop skills in a supportive environment out of school hours. The club was established in Term 1 this year and has proved so successful, a Senior School Homework Club is set to begin this term.

“As a multicultural College our goal is to build strong relationships with our students, parents and staff, increase intercultural understanding within the College and ensure all student have the opportunity to reach their full potential.”

Mrs Fabian

“We are thrilled with the success of the Blakeview Homework Club and are keen to see the success repeated at our Senior school this term. We also plan to increase opportunities for parents and families to engage with the College by establishing a welcoming drop-in hub as well as working towards increasing and refining our communication with parents and the wider community.”

The project will roll out over the next 12 months. Future plans include professional development sessions for staff to develop better intercultural understanding, increased parental attendance at College information sessions and other events, as well as building stronger links with community organisations, services and agencies to assist the College in early identification of needs and to collaboratively plan targeted support for students and families.

Tradition warms the heart

By Mrs Virginia Warner | St Luke’s Anglican School, QLD

The Anglican Men’s Society Lenten Soup Night is a Bundaberg tradition that warms the heart and nourishes the soul. The meal is lovingly prepared by men of the parish before being piped in by a local bagpiper. The chefs presented their soups proudly, before the St Luke’s Anglican School students served the soup, under the careful tuition of Russell Cobb.

Advocating for others

Witnessing the interactions between our Year 12 students and members of the congregation, and the shared joy and learning was indeed a special highlight. Bishop Jeremy Greaves spoke about the Hope for the Future of the Church, provoking deep reflection about our church of today and tomorrow. Bishop Jeremy spoke about the dynamic tensions of honouring church traditions and the importance of embracing new ideas and approaches to meeting people where they are, instead of waiting for our younger generation to enter the church building on Sunday.

Earlier that day, The Reverend Kate Ross led the Easter Service at St Luke’s, and Jenny Moreny from the congregation received the donations of our Lenten Pantry Appeal. These traditions help to build connections across our flourishing faith communities and reinforce the understanding that we are all part of a wider church.

We are truly blessed to be a connected community that is inclusive and intergenerational. Students are enriched through our times of worship at Christchurch, and through the invitation to serve the community through the Dorcas Soup Kitchen.

As part of the Camberwell Girls Grammar School ‘Upskill’ program, Year 7 and 10 students learn about advocacy. They explore questions such as: What does it mean to be an advocate for people, or for nature? What makes for effective advocacy? How might advocacy be creative?

These questions were at the heart of a Year 10 workshop led by Anglican Overseas Aid (AOA) Chief Executive Jo Knight, and resourced by the Mustard Leadership Australia, a group that supports Christian fellowship in schools.

Jo gave examples from her own extensive experience in advocating on behalf of a range of people. One interesting focus was on ‘craftivism’. Jo gave the example of a campaign calling for action on climate change. This campaign involved supporters handknitting colourful scarves, (the use of colours illustrating 101 years of climate data), which were then gifted to Federal MPs.

At the time of the Year 10 workshop, AOA was part of the Fight Famine campaign. Students learned about the dire level of famine in a number of countries, and heard the story of a woman named Mali from Ethiopia. They were then invited to write their own messages to Monique Ryan MP, using paper plates as the medium. Jo subsequently took the messages to Canberra as part of the delegation including Fight Famine and Micah Women Leaders. Following this, Monique Ryan displayed the plates in her electoral office in Hawthorn.

Camberwell Girls Grammar School, VIC

A Vision for our Church

By Nicholas Townsend, Deputy Head of Junior School | St

Vision for St James Anglican Church: An inclusive Christian community, serving one another, the School and the wider community.

With 118 staff and 996 students, an opportunity awaits for St James’ Anglican School and the St James Church to serve the local community together. The St James Church and its parishioners are keen to grow the church and to work closely with the School, which led to a group of parishioners and school staff meeting for a visioning session. The group shared positives and identified areas for improvement. It soon became clear that the Church seeks to build closer ties with the School and to increase its membership base of a younger generation, in particular. Together with coffee and cake, the group chatted and brainstormed. What became apparent was that inclusion was important. Our community is diverse – not everyone is Christian and some people do not know a lot about Christianity. We need to educate our community and spread the message that wherever you are from, however you identify, you will be welcomed in our church!

Some of the more practical ideas were shared with the School Executive and a plan was devised for ways in which St James Church and St James’ Anglican School can work together to reach a wider community. The first of these will come to fruition in May – a coffee morning

for parishioners and parents. Selected students from the Early Learning Centre will also attend to foster the diversity of the School and church.

Advertising was another key area for improvement, including sharing the topics of the School’s Christian and Values Education. These include more exposure in the School newsletters, the posting of worship times on the School social media pages and the sharing of church services at assemblies. Sharing with the School’s parent body about the importance of faith was highlighted as a priority. This will begin later in the year with an update to the St James’ Anglican School website with information and videos about the significance of the Eucharist in the Anglican faith and how to participate respectfully.

Other ideas included; excursions to St George’s Cathedral; setting up a Facebook page for the St James Church and; having student work samples on the topic of faith displayed around the School.

Many thanks to Phil Ridden from Phil Ridden Consulting for leading the visioning session and challenging our thinking.

James’ Anglican School, WA

Images: A Chapel Morning Tea for parishioners hosted by the ELC and catered by Hospitality students.

Beyond Queenslea Drive

Christ Church Grammar School, WA

The opportunity to study abroad is a truly unique experience that enriches a student’s life in many ways. In 2023, Christ Church Grammar School will re-introduce the Beyond Queenslea Drive (BDQ) Exchange Program for Year 10 students, following a break due to the pandemic.

Participating in an exchange program is a fantastic opportunity for students to increase their cultural awareness, gain new experiences and skills, and appreciate different cultures.

One of the key benefits of the School’s exchange program is the opportunity for students to be immersed in a different school and education system. Students gain new perspectives on their own education and learning as well as develop beneficial study habits and techniques.

Exchange programs are not just about academic learning, social experiences are just as important, and BQD students have the opportunity to meet and interact with students from a diverse range of backgrounds. These interactions offer an incredibly enriching experience for students who build friendships around the world. Many students also have the chance to explore nearby parts of the country when school is not in session.

When living in a foreign country, exchange students learn to navigate new and unfamiliar situations without their usual support networks. This can be challenging, however it nurtures life skills such as resilience, adaptability, and problem-solving.

Typically, Christ Church Grammar School exchange students travel to their host school in pairs, which provides support and an opportunity for shared experiences. Students learn to live with others either in a school boarding house or with a host family and undertake a normal daily school routine for a school term.

The first wave of exchange students for 2023 left Christ Church recently and are headed for the United Kingdom, France and South Africa.

North Queensland Anglican Schools

Music Festival

By Samantha Johnson | Trinity Anglican School, QLD

Eleven students from Trinity Anglican School (TAS) Cairns were excited to travel to Townsville to take part in the inaugural North Queensland Anglican Schools music festival, hosted by The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James.

The concert featured selected student musicians from the four Anglican schools in North Queensland – Whitsunday Anglican School (Mackay), All Souls St Gabriel’s (Charters Towers), Cathedral School of St Anne and St James (Townsville) and Trinity Anglican School.

TAS students spent a day on the road before their first rehearsal at the Cathedral School to familiarise themselves with the music. Students were involved in either the Wind or String ensemble and spent time practicing in their respective groups.

The following day was spent on more focused practice, with musicians splitting off into sectionals and spending lots of time on rhythm and feeling the internal pulse of the music. The staff, led by Professor Rob McWilliams as Ensemble Director – Concert Band, Heidi Newell as String Ensemble Director, and Katherine Menkins as Vocal Ensemble Director, were wonderful, as were the music staff who assisted.

Sunday morning was the day of the concert, with a final morning rehearsal before it was time to perform. With outstanding performances from the Wind Ensemble, the Choir and the Strings, it was hard to believe that students from four Anglican schools had only began rehearsing together for the first time less than 48 hours ago. Music has a way of bringing all kinds of people together.

We all learnt so much from the experience and it was truly amazing to hear the improvement made across the rehearsals that led to a magnificent concert finale. The opportunity to meet other students from other regional Anglican Schools with shared interests and then to work hard together across the weekend to make music was really satisfying. Our thanks to The Cathedral School who were wonderful and generous hosting the Anglican school music community over that weekend.

Mother’s Day Chapel

By Father Chester Lord, Junior School Chaplain | Brighton Grammar School, VIC

The Brighton Grammar Junior School honoured and celebrated mothers by hosting a special Mother’s Day Chapel service. Boys were given the chance to reflect on the importance of their mums by sharing reflections, displaying photographs, and presenting art that demonstrated their love and devotion for their cherished mothers.

Mothers were also invited to participate in the liturgy by reading, praying and reciting poetry. The choir sang a specially chosen piece, which was beautifully executed, and four appropriate hymns were also sung. Each mother in attendance received blessed Singapore orchids. St Andrew’s Church was filled to capacity, before the boys escorted their mothers back to the Junior School where they enjoyed some fun and meaningful Mother’s Day activities and treats.

WWI Cannon a reminder

Brighton Grammar, VIC

At the end of Brighton Grammar’s 140th year, a mystery almost as old as the school was solved.

After an initial search, irrigation technicians digging along the oval perimeter have come across a part of the fabled BGS cannon, a captured Ottoman cannon gifted to the school by the Australian government after the First World War. Missing for a long time, it appears the cannon was disassembled, before being buried as landfill on the oval.

Only one piece has been found so far, but it’s now certain; the rest of the cannon is there.

The case of the missing cannon has captured the imagination of students throughout the years, and with the discovery of the recoil barrel it is hoped the rest of the cannon can be found.

The cannon is a relic, a worn out, discarded part of history, but it also holds a particular significance for the school community.

It is believed to have been captured in Damascus by the legendary Australian Light Horse Brigade commanded by an Old Boy of the School, Brigadier General William Grant (OB 1889).

During a recent Anzac Day service, Secondary School’s Chaplain Father Peter Waterhouse used the cannon’s recoil barrel as a symbol of sacrifice to remind the students about the memories of those who have served. In light of the fading memories of the World Wars, the cannon’s inclusion serves as a poignant reminder that we should never forget our place in history and the importance of keeping the casualties of war in mind.

Values inspire building

A new Senior Learning Centre has been named for the Foundation Principal of Richard Johnson Anglican School. The new Paul Cockrem Senior Learning Centre is a university-styled space for Year 11 and 12 students which was officially opened in Term 1 by The Honourable Ed Husic MP.

The building was a challenging project, built in a very tight site and construct a new building over a narrow staff carpark and merge the new roof line with an existing building.

The Centre includes five classrooms, a large breakout area and a set of comfortable nooks. The Centre also includes a quiet study area, a staffroom, two small seminar rooms and three offices.

Principal Alan Dawson said: “At RJ, we are committed to growing learners, connecting hearts, and building community. The designers on this PCSLC project were asked to draw inspiration from RJ’s identity and core values, as well as the themes of globalisation, connection and growth.

“We always strive to foster a love and willingness to learn in our students whereby we seek to improve their learning outcomes and resources. This resulted in the provision of an exciting and engaging facility that enhances student learning and collaboration.”

“The PCSLC is a fantastic, flexible learning environment. My favourite aspect is the whiteboard tables, which offer an interactive and collaborative approach to learning.”

Kisna Pental, Year 12.

“I like the new PCSLC as it provides the Seniors with a welcoming and comfortable space that has inspired collaboration and made learning more enjoyable, particularly amidst our preparations for the HSC.”

Lailani Wells, Year 12.

Richard Johnson Anglican School, NSW

Embracing the experience

By The Reverend Christopher Lewis, Chaplain | Canberra Girls Grammar School, ACT

At Canberra Girls Grammar School (CGGS) Service Learning is an integral part of student life. Students engage in a variety of opportunities, such as Embracing Ministries, a chaplaincy unit in the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn which is dedicated to supporting young people with disabilities.

Our students regularly participate in Embracing Ministries’ holiday programs, working as mentors alongside children with disabilities. Collaborating with Embracing Ministries allows students to engage in Service Learning that challenges their ideas of what it means to be a person and helps them to learn that a person living with disability is not defined by their disability.

The program is available to year 9–12 students, who are provided with comprehensive training prior to engaging in the program. Leadership development is a core feature, giving students the opportunity to move from mentor to leadership roles.

One student participant said working as a mentor and then a leader at the holiday program had been an amazing experience.

CGGS is committed to continuing and improving its Service Learning partnership with Embracing Ministries, to provide our students with opportunities for personal development and growth.

“Working with the kids was challenging at times, but the help and support provided by Andrea and her team helped me to understand what a blessing it was to be a part of the experience.”

Student

“Stepping up to the role of a leader seemed difficult at first, but my two years’ experience as a mentor made it easy to not only connect with the kids but have fun and enjoy my time with them.”

Student

Induction of Father Philip Bentley

By Mitchell Fox, Chapel Prefect | All Souls St Gabriels School, QLD

At the start of the term we were blessed with the much anticipated arrival of our new Chaplain, Father Philip Bentley. The Installation Service was presided over by The Right Reverend Dr Keith Joseph (Bishop of North Queensland) with the support of The Very Reverend and Venerable Dr Kenneth Lay. The service was also attended by representatives from St Paul’s Anglican Church, Charters Towers, as well as other invited guests.

Chad and Page Houses had the honour of providing a Serving Team for the Chapel Service and the Year 11 boys and girls did a marvellous job. Along with the thurifer team and the bell ringers, all of the serving team are to be commended for their service to the school. In addition to inducting Father Philip, the Paschal Candle was also blessed by Bishop Keith and placed at the front of the Chapel, where it stayed until after the season of Easter.

Father Philip has presided in numerous Chapel services, including the very important ANZAC Day Requiem Mass, and is quickly adjusting to the life of an All Souls St Gabriels School Chaplain. He has continued to preach The Word of the Lord incredibly well and bring everyone in the School together for our weekly worship.

Whilst this is the start of a new chapter for the school, we must also give thanks to Father Kenneth who, every week for close to a year, came out to our school and presided

over both Senior and Junior School Chapel services, a role that has since been passed onto Father Philip. I shall leave you now with a thought that is embodied by the numerous traditions such as this that we have at our school: “Let those who drink the water remember those who dug the well”.

Serving at home and abroad

By Mrs Natasha Clark, Chaplain | Roseville College, NSW

While service learning has historically been associated with overseas trips, the last few years have encouraged students to look closer to home. Working with the Anglican Church has enabled Roseville students to put love into action locally, in Sydney and around the world.

As a part of the Virtual Visiting program, Year 7 students engage in weekly conversations, sharing a virtual morning tea with Anglicare aged care residents, experiencing inter-generational connection, learning and community. The program has enabled our students to understand how something as simple as a conversation can be a powerful act of service.

To learn about their city more broadly, Year 11 students have partnered with St John’s Darlinghurst and Rough Edges to understand and respond to homelessness in Sydney. Students volunteer weekly at the Rough Edges Cafe, providing hospitality to those sleeping rough. The café is described as “a lounge room for people who may not have a lounge room”. For our students, it has been an opportunity to meet and learn from a new community, understanding the reality of life in their city for so many.

Education also means equipping students to be effective global citizens. The College partners with schools in Bunda, Tanzania to support girls’ education. Supported by Anglican Aid, Shalom Primary School and Bunda Girls Secondary School provide a safe education for more than 300 students. Each year, our youngest Rosie girls celebrate 100 days of Kindergarten with a service initiative to fundraise for these schools. In 2023, we were delighted that a family from the College had the opportunity to visit the schools in person; the first opportunity since Covid.

Partnering with the Anglican Church in service learning gives students the opportunity to see, and participate in, the love of Christ in action at home, in their city and around the world.