Pacific Streams Autumn 2013

PACIFIC

A FREE Publication of Pacific Hills Christian School

Autumn 2013

MAKE. DREAMS. RISE.

SINGING IN THE DESERT • ONE NIGHT ONE LIFE EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED • BE SMART PHONE SMART 1 AUTUMN 2013

PACIFIC

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School Days

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Let’s Be Learners

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Synthesis Of Life

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Singing in The Desert

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Be Smart Phone Smart

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Make. Dreams. Rise.

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Floods & School

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Welcome To Pacifica

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Expect The Unexpected

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One Night One Life

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Profile: Lilli Langton

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Now And Then

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Profile: Justin Cox

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Sport

ON THE COVER PHCS Captain, Grace Phillips.

Pacific Streams is produced by Pacific Hills Christian School for school families and the school community. Pacific Hills Christian School 9 Quarry Road Dural NSW 2158 Phone: (02) 9651 2733 Fax: (02) 9651 3513 Web: www.pacifichills.net Email: pacificstreams@pacifichills.net An activity of Pacific Hills Education Limited ABN 001 832 282 CRICOS 04230G.

In this Five things to discover in this issue of Pacific Streams

Mission

1.

Once upon a time two of our new teachers were once students at Pacific Hills.

2.

You can do some dumb things on a smart phone.

3.

Living and studying in both North and South America isn’t a prerequisite for joining our School Board but….

4.

Week 2 was Week 1 at Pacific Valley Christian School where the big wet washed Week 1 clean away.

5.

Choppy conditions aren’t enough to stop three of our students swimming five kilometres in open water and finishing in the top 10.

Musical

Meet

03 AUTUMN 2013

School Days

THINGS THAT HAPPENED

First Day of School Some steps are big especially when you are only little. We all say welcome to the awesome new students in Kindergarten and to all the new students in the School.

School Camps Out on the water with your mates – is there a better way to start the new school year? The first week of term saw all Senior School away on Year Camps – and Year 10 sailing on Lake Macquarie.

Swimming Carnivals It’s not summer and school without Swimming Carnivals. All our carnivals, Junior, Middle and Senior, went off without a hitch.

Captains We think our School Captains are pretty special. We especially like and appreciate all they do for our School in taking care of students and leading from the front.

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Signage From time to time we all feel the need for better communication. We are hoping the new sign at the School entrance will help the School’s communication.

Let Us Be Learners

DR EJ BOYCE PRINCIPAL

All truth is God’s truth. Within the field of knowledge there is universal truth and there is relative truth. What we cannot comprehend that God reveals, is still the truth. God is unchanged and unchanging and His Word never changes.

God is our Teacher, the One in Whom we put our trust as He is completely trustworthy. God, as our Creator, has prepared for us to both know Him and to know about Him. At all times we should celebrate the wonder of the reality that God created us, knows us, loves us and wants what is best for us as His creation and as His children. As Christians we are taught that, “We are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph 2:10).

In our humanity we must acknowledge the sovereignty of God for He is our Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, Lord and Judge.

We need to come to Him by faith as it is His way to do so, acknowledging that it is only by His grace that we can learn of Him so that we understand His will and purpose for each of our lives and for the lives of the communities in which we live.

In our humanity we are weak, vulnerable, poor and incapable of living fulfilled lives without God and His power, strength and understanding. As we read in the Bible, when we are at peace with God we have embraced that, “Which passes all understanding” (Phil 4:7). In our humanness we have much ignorance and yet much potential as we come to God for His wisdom, understanding and knowledge.

In our lives as learners we have many teachers. We have the wonderful world of creation, which God has given us to enjoy, appreciate and celebrate. The Word of God is also our teacher as from the Word we learn of the person, purposes and power of God. The Son of God, the Christ, is our Teacher who became Immanuel, God with us (Matt 1:23), Who is the manifestation of God in His glory, being full of grace and truth (John 1:14). The Holy Spirit of God is also our Teacher from Whom we learn, Who convicts us, counsels us and trains us according to God’s way. Each of us also has teachers from history and from our contemporary world, who display something of the character of God and who reflect, therefore something of the truth that God has given to us.

As we learn of God and His will and His way, through His creation, through His Word, through His Son, through His Holy Spirit, and through the lives of others, we are being transformed in a process of personal spiritual formation. This change that is occurring in each of our lives as we listen to God’s truth coming to us in various ways enables us to grow towards maturing in faith, understanding and commitment. In this way we move from the known to the unknown, from the practical to the spiritual, from the ordinary to the extraordinary.

Therefore, we celebrate that we are privileged to be learners.

As we allow ourselves to be learners and as we engage in the art of growing in knowledge of God, so we are best prepared to worship our God. As we learn we are enabled, empowered and motivated to serve. As we are built up in the faith that has come to us as a gift from God by His grace, so we will follow the example and teaching of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, Who taught us that we have two particular responsibilities in living as a human being under God; we are to bring glory to God by the thoughts, actions and words of our lives, and we are to bless others as Christ’s ambassadors so that they too may learn to know God and to worship Him.

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AUTUMN 2013

’s About the Author I have had the privilege of living in various countries. I am a New Zealander by birth but have a little bit of El Salvador in me as I grew up there for a number of years. I have also spent significant periods of time in the United States of America, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Last but not least, I have had the privilege of living in Sydney since 1999 and now call Australia home.

I was going to be a teacher or a lawyer and the latter won out.

I studied law in Auckland, New Zealand with a brief stint at Arizona State University before graduating and commencing practice. I have practiced law ever since and am currently a partner at Holding Redlich. Not only do I enjoy the practice of law but I am also grateful to the law because it is through studying law that met I met Michelle whom I was blessed to marry in 1997.

I was first introduced to Pacific Hills in 2000 through Dr Boyce and a former Board Chairman, Phil Weldon. We were and still are members of the same church, West Pennant Hills Community Church. I have had a long association with Pacific Hills as a director and count it a privilege to have done so.

The synthesis of all my life’s activities that I have written about is a journey which requires continual work from my end and grace from God’s end.

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Mr Stephen Trew BOARD CHAIR

H

aving a synthesis for the whole of our lives is critically important.

This is what allowed the Apostle Paul to be content in all circumstances, whether good or bad. There must be a synthesis between all our activities.

This can’t be achieved by uniformity between all our activities but rather a unity of attitude and vision across them all. In other words, why we do one activity is exactly the same reason why we do another. This is what provides unity.

This means that there must be a unity between what we do on Monday morning and what we do on a Sunday morning.

Both are equally as important and should be infused with the same attitude and vision. This need for unity in all aspects of our lives is captured by a statement of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian at the time of the rise of Nazi Germany, who said this: “Only he who cries out for the Jews may sing Gregorian chants.”

Where there is a chasm between our “Monday” and “Sunday”, between our various activities, this will be destructive of the contentment of which, the Apostle Paul speaks. An attitude of service and worship was what unified those circumstances when the Apostle Paul was well fed as well as when he was hungry.

His ability to maintain the same attitude in both these types of circumstances was what allowed him to say that he was content despite the circumstances.

Where this unity is not present then we mentally limit God’s work to the “Sunday” of our lives. If this is the case, there should be no surprise that we then see greed, deceit and many other negative values growing and then dictating our conduct in the “Monday” of our lives. If this describes your experience then ask yourself whether what you revel in on Sunday is the same as you do on Monday. The harsh reality is that if you want to avoid apathy, drudgery and the like you need the “Sunday” attitude on your “Monday”.

This is not a new topic. It is one that Jesus raised and the Apostle Paul also wrote about. Jesus told His disciples they needed to have an attitude of service and that “whoever wants to be first must be your slave”, drawing on what would be His own example of dying on the cross.

Jesus expressly said that this attitude was completely different to the leadership approach that the disciples could observe from the leaders of the day.

The Apostle Paul describes the proper attitude that is needed to ensure there is a synthesis in our life’s activities in this way: “...whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” In a more particular passage dealing with work the Apostle Paul says that when we work we are in fact serving the Lord and working for the Lord, who is our ultimate master or boss.

If you do accept that this is the case then there will be a synthesis between our “Sunday” and our “Monday”.

Within what the Apostle Paul was explaining there were the ideas of service, worship and reward. Bill Peel makes this important point: “The world says we must have power to be successful. But God says we go to work not to be served but to serve, no matter where we are on the corporate ladder.” In addition, the Apostle Paul says that worship is also the reason we work. We don’t work just because of what we can get but rather our ultimate priority must be the worship and honour of God. In addition, we need to have an attitude of reward, but it is different to what you may expect. Again, it is not about the money but about the ultimate eternal reward that we will receive from God. This is a complete mind shift. The attitudes of service, worship and eternal reward are ones that do drive a synthesis of life and a unity of attitude across all that we may be called to be engaged in.

These attitudes are not limited to just work but apply to all activities. What is the proper attitude to study and further education or being involved in church sponsored mission? The same unity of attitude can and should be present. It can also be present even in the recreational activities that we engage in and enjoy.

If we don’t focus on the priorities of these attitudes across all our activities and allow a dichotomy between our “Sunday” and “Monday” experiences, there will be consequences for us. We will not have the contentment that the Apostle Paul talks about. More specifically, we may find that we don’t have a sense of purpose in what we do, have consistent doubts and uncertainty around whatever we choose and ultimately we will allow wrong motives to drive our choices. All this equates to accepting second best in our experience with God. God knows what is best for us and has given us clear guidelines in the area of vocation for us to be our best for His glory.

07 AUTUMN 2013

Singing in the desert NEW MUSICAL - OLD STORY

It’s always with a sense of excitement that we embark on a whole school musical at Pacific Hills. The School has a rich history of performance and has presented shows as varied as the story of the Cat in the Hat, in Seussical, to Annie. Yet this particular show takes the School on a fresh and exciting journey of creating our own musical. Using, with permission, the songs from the DreamWorks cartoon Prince of Egypt, the show has involved us developing our own script and writing six original songs.

How many times have you stepped into a journey, not quite sure where it will take you, not quite sure if you have all the pieces of the puzzle that are needed to complete it, yet certain that as you step out God will provide?

As we contemplated embarking on creating our own musical that was very much how I felt. I immersed myself in the journey of Moses as he tentatively spoke to God and begged to be let off the task of leading a nation out of slavery.

My desire in putting this musical together is to capture the heart of Moses as he tries to obey God, and for those who take part, either as performers, part of the production team or as the audience, to meet and understand the God who is just the same today as when He parted the Red Sea for Moses and the Israelites.

James Sieff plays the role of Moses in his debut performance in musical theatre. As the cast have explored the journey of Moses there have been many chances to consider the character of Moses as a leader. The show explores Moses in both his strengths and his frailties, as he is fearful, humble and merciful. So often in the Old Testament God gives us a picture, a snapshot of the deliverer to come, Jesus. I can imagine God saying – “See this man, his heart reveals what my Son is like”.

120 students, staff, parents and past students are involved in putting together our musical extravaganza. Students across Junior, Middle and Senior School are working together to present the opulence of Egypt, the trauma of the slaves, the humanity of Moses and the power of God. Choreographers, lyricists, musicians and artists from amongst the School community have worked together to dream and create. It is an enlivening process to move from imagining a song to hearing it fully orchestrated and sung with 100 voices. And in the midst of the strong message we hope to have you laughing at dancing Egyptian priests, lively Midianite girls and celebrating with Jethro. While we are currently still in rehearsal, we are incredibly excited to be moving towards our performances in mid May.

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Being smart with your ‘smart phone’ Mrs Lauren Graham SCHOOL COUNSELLOR

Let’s be clear, I am not an IT guru, and this is not a piece on the latest android technology. That is not what I mean when I refer to being ‘smart’. No, this is an article born out of recent counselling observations and the heartache witnessed when people make split second decisions with lasting consequences.

As a counsellor working with young people over the past decade, it has been impossible not to notice the way that technology generally, and phones specifically have grown in popularity and influence. Back in 2005, not many students carried phones to school, and of those, not many had high resolution cameras.

How things have changed! These days, education has embraced technology and students can actively use phones in a classroom context.

Obviously, the efficiency, convenience and speed with which research can be done are mind-boggling... What previously took painstaking foraging through endless books and journals is now instantly collated and displayed. Limitless possibilities for how this can be used to enlighten, educate and elucidate young minds abound. There is much that is edifying about such a technological awakening.

However, you will, no doubt, have heard of the current phenomenon of ‘sexting’, that is “the sending of sexually explicit photos, images, text messages, or e-mails by using a cell phone or other mobile device” (Dictionary.com). Indeed, these same phones, which put to good use are aiding in the advancement of our children, can also be exceptionally powerful tools for all the wrong reasons.

As has been said before, ‘with power comes great responsibility’, to which I add that ‘just because you can, does not mean you should’. Unfortunately, it seems that many young people today lack the maturity, wisdom or boundaries to understand the

consequences of ‘sexting’. What can seem like a trivial laugh in texting an inappropriate pic, is actually one of the most foolish things a ‘smart’ phone can do.

The danger lies in the lack of control that comes with pressing ‘send’. Where you may presume you are texting one person on one phone, the reality is that once you have passed your image on, you have no further control over who it is forwarded to, where it may be posted or who, along the line of ‘viewers’ may save themselves a personal copy. Many young people learn this the hard way and regret, shame and remorse often seem to accompany stories of ‘sexting’.

So, what can be done? How can we help our children to make ‘smart’ choices? The first suggestion is not to be ignorant about these matters yourself. Don’t equip your child with a phone without understanding it’s capability. If this means researching yourself, then do it. Only a well informed parent is in a strong position to advise and guide their child.

Secondly, make sure you have frequent, open and honest discussions with your children about these issues. Talk about ‘sexting’ and why it is dangerous. Discuss a plan for what to do if they are asked to send a photo and make sure they know that they can approach you in such a situation.

Thirdly, encourage your children to be appropriately protective of their bodies. In a culture which promotes low or no boundaries, we want to teach our children to respect their bodies and enact thoughtful boundaries as to who has access to them, visually or otherwise.

“Just because we can, does not mean we should”... May we continue to prayerfully support one another, as we seek to guide our children in making choices that are smart, sound and safe, not only with their phones, but in all areas of life.

09 AUTUMN 2013

The vision of OneMaker is to inspire our young people to create and perform to the best of their ability and to instill in them a life-long love for the Arts, as a way of glorifying our Creator in Heaven.

OneMaker Academy is a new Pacific Hills venture with goals to support and extend the Creative and Performing Arts for students both within our school and in the community. We are excited to provide opportunities for extraordinary performance and enjoyable learning for creative students of all ages and levels.

The Academy provides a safe environment for developing a creative hub that engages with likeminded industry professionals and businesses to come and share new insights and ideas; this is the creative hub we envision for our students where their faith and artistry can be at work.

Private and group lessons are available for all instruments and all levels. OneMaker features large recording facilities and opportunities to join a wide variety of bands and ensembles including choirs and many more representative performances. Experienced, professional conductors and tutors who mentor and motivate students to achieve their best lead all classes, bands and ensembles. OneMaker also offers a wide range of performance opportunities in both large and small eisteddfods, festivals and showcases. Students are nurtured and encouraged to excel in well-rounded learning experiences and industry opportunities.

Our internationally experienced dance tutors offer weekly classes in Hip Hop, Break Dancing, Musical Theatre, Contemporary, Jazz, Ballet and Acrobatics. Other specialised classes include Cara Mayan movement classes for adults, Prep and Early Childhood Movement Therapy – “MiniMakers”. All students will have the opportunity

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to be involved in various eisteddfods, showcases and workshops with artists and choreographers from ‘So You Think You Can Dance’, The Queensland Ballet and other professional companies from Australia and overseas.

The OneMaker, instrument hire scheme makes learning an instrument affordable. All of our brands are the world’s premier instrument brands and the cost includes maintenance and repairs throughout the rental period. If the instrument is in need of maintenance or minor repairs, we will issue you with a replacement instrument upon exchanging the current instrument.

We have partnered with the Wesley Institute: Tertiary College for Training, Wesley Vision Valley for our Band Camp program, Encounter Presents: Events for International Artist performances.

There are others who have partnered with us to influence the creative industry for students and professionals through sponsorship, developing programs and advertising, locally and around the nation.

Join with us to expand the footprint of extraordinary creative industry opportunities for students and professionals.

For further information on the services that OneMaker Academy can provide to you, your family and your community, contact us on 9651 0710 or via email at info@OneMakerAcademy. com.au.

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AUTUMN 2013

In the Midst of Floods God is Good and Students are Learning School started with a splash for Pacific Valley Christian School in 2013. The School was closed for all of the first week as a result of the major flooding of the Maclean and Yamba districts. As students returned and school got underway we realised another significant milestone when for the first time we commenced with over 100 students. Our facilities have also increased with the Junior School building project being completed at the very end of Term 4 last year. We continue to be amazed and thankful for God’s wonderful provision for our school community.

With the growth of the School we have required new staff. Once again we have seen God’s provision in this and we have been blessed to be able to welcome four new teachers to our school community. They are looking

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forward to getting to know the families and students that make up our school community.

Despite the wet start to the year we were able to hold our annual evening Swimming Carnival. This event provided a great opportunity for our new families to be welcomed into our school community.

We were thrilled to see our students starting the year focused and motivated in their learning. It is a blessing and a privilege to walk into the various classes across the school and see the students responding, thinking, analysing and striving to make the most of the talents and abilities that they have been given. As a staff we are looking forward to seeing how God grows us and our students and what He does in the midst of our community in 2013.

Meet, chat, go online, read or simply hang out in a world of arts fused with coffee fragrances from around the world.

Isn’t it time your senses went on an adventure?

Welcome to Pacifica

YOUR VERY OWN COMMUNITY CAFÉ Located next to the school’s Reception, Pacifica is an artistic café, a community outlet, where you may enjoy espresso coffee and a range of single origin coffees from Ethiopia, Brazil, Columbia, Guatemala, and Kenya.

Art, Coffee and Chat Designed to feed the creative side of you, Pacifica will soon feature a gallery where you view and enjoy art works and sculptures by our community of artistic students, parents and staff. It’s a place where you just turn up, feel at home, and be yourself. Occasionally you might even drink your coffee with a good dose of live music provided by our own homegrown talents (after school hours). The café will operate Monday to Friday: 7:30am to 4pm.

Mark Ratnam is the café manager. He is an experienced chef and was the past manager at AIR Coffee in Castle Hill.

Volunteers, We Need You! Your café needs volunteers to keep it functioning at its optimum. We need you. If you are a parent, grandparent, staff or friend of the school and can spare some time during your week and are willing to be trained in working in a café to offer service excellence, we would love to have a quick chat with you. To find out more or to volunteer please contact mratnam@pacifichills.net Isn’t it time you let your senses go on an adventure?

13 AUTUMN 2013

Mission

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED When we prepare our students for mission trips one of the many things we try to ready them for is to expect the unexpected.

The ability to be adaptable, adjust to change and not panic when presented with the unexpected is invaluable and the Kenya Mission Team took this ability to new heights recently.

In early December ’12 a team of 18 students and staff went to Nairobi to serve among the people living in what is considered the largest and poorest slum in Africa. Together with our friends from African Enterprise we were looking forward to living out our faith in the most simple and practical ways. Our projects included digging and building toilets that would serve more than a dozen families. It was not glamorous by any means but when we were told that most had to walk a kilometre to access a toilet shared by as many as 1000 people we were keen to do our best.

Our relationship with Dorna Education centre in Kayole slum continues to be a special blessing. As a School community we sponsor a number of the students enabling them to attend school and also providing a hot meal that may be the only one they receive each day. The team improved the learning environment by painting the walls, cementing the dirt floors and providing blackboards for every classroom.

For many of the team it was a joy to meet Enoch, the driver of the ambulance that Pacific Hills donated in 2011. Enoch shared his passion for what he is doing. His joy and energy to serve God in this way was overwhelmingly evident.

We visited Riverbank Academy for orphans in Kayole slum where 26 children attend. We were greeted with songs of praise and worship from the children that brought tears to our eyes.

Our brief was to build a toilet but when we saw the condition of the school building we realised that God had bigger plans for us.

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We gathered together and agreed that, with a few days work, we could build a new school that would cater for twice as many children.

One of the most confronting experiences the team has in Kenya is taking food parcels to families who have a parent suffering the final stages of HIV/AIDS. The opportunity to pray together and provide a simple gift brings encouragement to the family while opening the eyes of the team to the plight of our Kenyan brothers and sisters.

Unfortunately, the mission trip came to an abrupt end when the unexpected and unwanted intruded. After our home visits we were heading back to our accommodation and made an impromptu stop at the local markets. There was a heightened sense of excitement and anticipation as the team mixed with locals and purchased a collection of items to take home as gifts and keepsakes. Little did we know that a well-known gang had been informed of our presence and were waiting back at the van for us. Young men in a crowded market brazenly demanded our belongings and held us at gunpoint. It was a terrifying experience for all and we are thankful to God for His protection during the incident.

We were unfortunately caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Surprisingly as a team we bear no hard feelings toward the young men who are simply a product of life in a desperately poor environment. While it may take some time to emotionally come to terms with the incident we are more committed than ever to continue to support and serve among our brothers and sisters in Kenya. We have been privileged to administer God’s grace over many years and will continue to pray for guidance as to how we should move forward in the light of what went down in 2012.

Reaching Out

ONE NIGHT ONE LIFE Students at Pacific Coast Christian School were challenged by Chaplain Rachel Thompson to make a difference to others in some small way.

One Pastoral Care Class was challenged to raise funds for preventative cancer awareness in the Solomon Islands. Mrs Hawkins’ Pastoral Care Class devised “One Night, One Life”, a BBQ and Disco to raise money for the cause.

The students dressed as many and varied fictional characters - from Prince Charming to Minnie Mouse.

Even the teachers got in on the act with Fred Flintstone and Bert from Mary Poppins making an appearance.

Student Sophie said, “We had great fun organising the night. Everyone pitched in and helped. One of our classmates comes from the Solomon Islands and his sister has been diagnosed with cancer. This is what prompted us to research the health situation in the Solomons. We raised approximately $500.00 and had a great night”.

Representing the School, Mr Michael Sainsbury travelled to the Solomon Islands to present the donation to the Solomon Islands Branch of Soroptimists International who received the gift on behalf of the Pap Smear Clinic at the National Referral Hospital.

Nurse Manager, Catherine Arahuata, said the assistance is timely and they appreciated the help. “We will use this money to buy equipment that is running out that the moment.” Soroptimist spokesperson, Meri Porowai, thanked Pacific Coast Christian School students for the donation saying it boosted the organisation’s work to fight against cervical cancer in the country.

15 AUTUMN 2013

Lilli Langton

JUNIOR SCHOOL CAPTAIN Tell us about your family I have a great family. There are 2 adults and 2 children. I have a younger brother Tom, who is in Year 3. He loves to bounce on a pogo stick and have fun. My mum’s name is Cass and she works at my church, she is lovely. My dad also works at my church and they run the creative and worship. I have a dog called London, she is a labradoodle and very smart.

How would you describe yourself?

Happy. I hope people would say I am caring and thoughtful too.

What do you like doing in your spare time?

I love to sing and dance and have fun. I enjoy reading and playing on my typewriter. I am starting to learn the violin and am so looking forward to it. I like to be with my family - playing board games, hanging out and watching movies.

Tell us something funny or unusual about yourself that not many people would know.

When I was little I used to go to Danish Kindergarten.

What would you do if somebody gave you a million dollars?

I would invest some of it to help my parents when they get older. I would give some to my church and some to the poor people to make their lives better. I’d also buy myself a trip to Paris.

What would you like to do when you grow up?

When I grow up I would like to be a professional singer and actor or a worship pastor.

What’s the hardest thing about school?

This year it is being the Junior School Captain and managing my responsibilities without my friends thinking I don’t care about them.

What’s the best thing about school?

I love Pacific Hills. It is a very good school. I like the teachers, my friends and learning.

If you could use only one word to describe God, what would it be?

Indescribable 6 of Lilli’s Favourite Things Food: Mangos Song: ‘Alive in Us’ by Hillsong Young and Free Holiday: Disneyland - but I am going to Paris one day I hope and I am sure that will be my favourite.

Place: Paris Smell: Peaches Day: My birthday - March 5

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Congratulations Congratulations to Emma Knowles (Yr 12/2007) who received First Class Honours and the University Medal for her work in English. Emma is studying a Combined Arts/ Law degree at The University of Sydney. She completed work on the Arthurian Legend and in Old English. Emma took a year off from Law to complete a year of Honours study in Arts.

Emma hopes to continue her English studies as a PhD student when she has completed her Law Degree.

Congratulations to Charmaine Choy (Yr 12/2007) and James Vilimaa (Yr 12/2007) on their recent engagement.

James and Charmaine plan to marry in March 2014.

Congratulations to Danielle Stoker (Yr 12/2007) and Chris Alderson on their recent marriage.

Robyn Logan

Mikaela Ellis

Describe yourself in three words.

Inquisitive, observant and creative.

What is your most lasting memory of being a student at Pacific Hills?

Kenya Mission December ‘05 with a group of my best friends was the most incredible experience. When I share with other people my experience in Kenya, they always seem astonished that I went there on a school trip.

5R CLASS TEACHER What is your most lasting memory of being a student at Pacific Hills?

I have a few! But to narrow it down, being warmly welcomed as a new student in Junior School in 1997. Also, being not only taught, but encouraged and inspired by the dedicated teachers.

Why did you decide to become a teacher?

I’m passionate about encouraging young people to stay on the path that leads to abundant life. I don’t see teaching as simply imparting knowledge to help students ace their exams, find a good job and live an average life. I want to instil in their hearts a passion for life-long learning and the value of an authentic, life-changing relationship with their Creator and Saviour.

What’s your favourite thing about teaching?

Seeing students thrive and become confident, skilled, independent and enthusiastic learners.

What are the personal qualities you look for in your students?

Students who are respectful to others and themselves.

Students who always give their best effort and perceive challenges as opportunities for growth. Students who are not ashamed about their faith and continue to do the right thing, even when others may not be. Students who look beyond themselves and are accepting and inclusive of others.

KB CLASS TEACHER

Are you still in contact with any past students from your time at Pacific Hills?

Heaps! We’ve stayed very much in contact. We did a lot together during our time at school – such as going on mission together.

Why did you decide to become a teacher?

I didn’t really know why initially. If you told me when I was at school where I would be now, I wouldn’t have believed you, but here I am and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

What’s your favourite thing about teaching?

The “uh-ha” moments - when things make sense.

Sometimes you literally see a child’s eyes change when they finally understand, a real ‘light bulb moment’.

What are the personal qualities you look for in your students?

I love teaching Kindy because the children are so excited to learn. They are curious and always want to know more.

A willingness to learn is an attribute I love to see in my students.

17 AUTUMN 2013

Justin Cox

JUNIOR SCHOOL SPORTS COORDINATOR When someone asks you to tell them a bit about yourself, where do you start? I was faced with this question recently, and I found myself going straight to my passions. Being the mad sports fan I am, I always like watching or debating the “top 5” of particular sports, achievements or plays of the day.

It got me thinking what are my “top 5” passions? At the risk of putting readers off side, I won’t rate them in order but will instead discuss all five to give you some insight to what drives me and what has brought me to Pacific Hills Christian School as a PDHPE teacher.

Sport has always been a big part of my life. I love playing and watching all sorts of sports and even flick onto the lawn bowls when there isn’t any other sport on at that time. My parents encouraged me to be active and I tried to compete with my older brother in the backyard as much as possible. When my careers advisor at school asked me what I wanted to do after school, I didn’t know but I made the comment that I love sport. She offered the suggestion of being a sports teacher and that sounded ok to me so I pursued it.

My family is another passion of mine. I have a great relationship with my parents and God has blessed me with a beautiful family of my own. Upon moving into the Hills area I actively sought employment locally so that I can be home more with my wife and kids to be the Dad and husband I want to be.

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My relationship with Jesus is a passion that has developed over many years. I first asked Jesus into my life at age seven and have been on a journey of exploring and understanding my faith ever since. I believe God has a plan for my life and right now, I feel that I am following that plan by being here at Pacific Hills Christian School.

I have a passion for justice. I think it comes from my name Justin which means ‘just’. I have been an advocate for Indigenous people travelling to Moree in northern NSW for the past eight years leading student mission trips at my previous school. I desire to see people treating each other with mutual respect, demonstrating empathy and the love of God towards each other.

Finally, I have a passion for young people. I believe growing up in this world can be tough and I want to share some of my experiences to help students through it. I have been involved in running youth group, directing camps, coaching sports teams, leading mission trips and many other extra-curricular activities as a way of building relationships with students.

I know that we all have different passions and I believe God instils these in us to use for him. I believe God wants me to use my love of sport, my desire for justice, my passion for young people and family to be a teacher. I believe he wants me to help shape young lives and to point them towards a relationship with him because he is the base from which my other passions flow.

Rising Stars

AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL OPEN WATER SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS LAKE MACQUARIE 2013 The thought of swimming continuously for over an hour in Lake Macquarie, fighting the windy choppy conditions, would have most of us adamant it would never happen.

However, for three of our girls the 5 km challenge was too enticing and when their coaches suggested they compete for the experience they all agreed that it would be fun.

Competing at any national event brings together the elite from around the country. In a field of fifty swimmers Hannah Payne (U/13), Maddison Carnegie (U/16) and Emma Payne (U/18) swam against the tide for over an hour to complete the gruelling course. Finishing would have been an achievement in itself, finishing in the top ten was a result all three had never really contemplated.

Such was the commitment of each girl that not only did they finish but all three placed in the top ten with Emma picking up a silver medal.

Congratulations to our rising stars.

Pursuing The Dream RUGBY LEAGUE

For rising Rugby League star and Pacific Hills Year 11 student, Hayden McWilliam, 2013 has provided an opportunity to pursue his childhood dream. He has been a regular member of the North Sydney Rugby League development program since he was very small hoping that it may lead to a pathway into the NRL (National Rugby League).

Since the demise of the famous North Sydney Bears more than a decade ago, the club has been competing in the New South Wales Cup and has been associated with South Sydney Rabbitohs as their feeder club for many years.

Selected as a half-back/five-eighth, Hayden has captured the interest of the Rugby League fraternity who see a big future for this talented junior. He was just 16 when he was selected as a member of the North Sydney SG Ball (U/18) squad, which will allow him two years to develop his skills and strength before having to compete against the professional players.

Hayden has all the qualities to succeed in this demanding sport and we wish him well as he uses his God given gifts to pursue his dream.

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