2010 Spring Futurum

AUTUMN 2010

St Paul’s Grammar School No. 49 AUTUMN 2011

This year, students and members of staff have immersed themselves in cultures very different from our own. Why have they done it? What new insights did they gain? How has the experience changed them?

ITH NR PE

ST P AU L’S

AR SCH MM OO RA L G

In C h r i st o Fu t u r u m

ISSUE 48 SPRING 2010 St Paul’s Grammar School Penrith 52 Taylor Rd, Cranebrook NSW 2749 Locked Bag 8016, Penrith NSW 2751 Australia

Contact st paul’s phone: +61 2 4777 4888 fax +61 2 47774841 info@stpauls.nsw.edu.au

www.stpauls.nsw.edu.au 2011 Term Dates Term 1 Wednesday 2nd February to Thursday 8th April Term 2 Monday 2nd May to Friday 24th June Term 3 Monday 18th July to Friday 23rd September Term 4 Monday 10th October to Thursday 8th December

term 4 Events in 2010 Carols Service - Q Theatre 6th December 2010 Soujurn Dance Concert 19th November 2010 Presentation Evening Wednesday 8th December 2010

written & Edited by Ken Goodlet ken.goodlet@stpauls.nsw.edu.au

CONTENTS THE PRINCIPAL A world of learning experiences

ARNHEM LAND TOUR JULY 2010 A visit to the Mumeka homeland CHINA TOUR APRIL 2010 A commitment to China and things Chinese ITALY ‘TOUR’ MAY 2010 Pre-K ‘travels’ to Reggio Emilia MEd STUDENTS’ PRIMARY CLASS VISIT Learning for life TANZANIA, MALAYSIA, EUROPE, EGYPT St Paul’s serves across the world CHINA ON LEARNING Chinese opinions on good and bad education JOURNEYS WITH GOD How staff faith experience plays out in school HIGH SCHOOL NETBALL A growth in numbers, skills and commitment VEGIE HEADS From water tank to planting to eating THE JUNIOR SCHOOL MULTI-PURPOSE BUILDING Building a new precinct for our future FORMER STUDENTS Work, study, marriage, family JUNIOR SCHOOL MATHEMATICS Learning without being aware of it FRIENDS OF ST PAUL’S PROFILE: REV. CHRIS CULLEN Building a community of school parents

3 4 6 8 9 10 12 14 16 17 18 20 22 23

Design & Photography by Daniel Weatherhead daniel.weatherhead@stpauls.nsw.edu.au ______________________________________

do you have news for Futurum?

Do you know of any happenings around the community of St Paul’s?

We would love to hear your feedback.

Please send us an email at: futurum@stpauls.nsw.edu.au

Cover photo New-found friends at Mumeka, Arnhem Land: Baso (2nd left) and Francelea (2nd right) holding hands with St Paul’s students Katrina Blackett (left), Sarah Smith-Wade (centre) and Veronica Mitchell (right)

Changed your address?

Please email us at: development@stpauls.nsw.edu.au

WELCOME TO OUR SPRING FUTURUM FOR 2010.

FUTURUM seeks to inform the reader of what the school community is doing and thinking at some depth, rather than skimming over the surface.

This edition, typical of recent editions, provides a number of articles on a significant theme, along with articles on a range of other activities in the school community. The focus this month, addressed by the Principal on page 3, is internationalism, a key preoccupation that permeates many aspects of this school’s educational program.

We read the words of many members of the school community in this edition.

There are some 70 interviews recorded here, first and foremost from students, and also members of staff, parents, former students and other people associated with the school. One of many fascinating articles records ideas on education of St Paul’s Chinese parents living in China, students in Chinese schools and heads and a former headmaster of sister schools in China.

Another is the God journey of some members of staff and how this works itself out in the classroom.

Read and enjoy – and let us have your impressions.

THE PRINCIPAL

A world of learning experiences In his first year as principal of St Paul’s, Mr Paul Kidson has been busy not only working on the nuts and bolts of school affairs, but on the relationships he and the school have established overseas. In this article, he focuses on his recent trips to China and Europe.

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Mr Kidson at a meeting at St Paul’s with principals, deputy principals and educational bureaucrats from Hunan Province, China

In September I flew to China as part of our international education program. St Paul’s has had an association with China for nearly two decades.

Over that time, we have established and developed sister school relationships, undertaken cultural tours and enrolled hundreds of students into St Paul’s. Many of those students have gone on to tertiary study and to successful professional careers, both in Australia and back in China.

There is no doubt China plays an important part in the contemporary geo-political world, but it would be a limited view of ‘internationalism’ if China was the only focus.

St Paul’s seeks to develop an international understanding of the world that takes in far more than just our special relationship with China; while some of our students were on tour in China earlier this year, others were on the Europe cultural tour, exploring other countries which have also played significant historical and cultural roles in our world.

represented, there were so many aspects of our experiences of education that were similar. I also appreciated the opportunity to attend workshops by presenters from Poland, Italy, Israel, Denmark and Egypt. Learning from one another’s different experience enriches us all, and that is part of what makes an international perspective so valuable.

I had the privilege of speaking at an international conference in Paris earlier this year; it was extraordinary to lunch and converse with a lecturer from Germany, a district supervisor from the US, a middle school principal from Canada and a research student from South Africa. Despite the different countries and backgrounds

In this FUTURUM, you will see a world of engagement across many countries. These stories remind us not only of the diversity of our world, but that the challenges of our world require us to act, however and wherever we can.

ARNHEM LAND TOUR JULY 2010

St Paul’s and Mumeka children fraternising on a dusty basketball site – with a soccer ball!

A visit to the Mumeka homeland Some 20 students from Years 8 and 9 with eight adult supporters visited Arnhem Land in the July 2010 holidays, one highlight of which was staying in the Mumeka homeland.

Leader of the expedition Mr Anthony Head gives this background: I came up with this idea in 1999 and went on a fact-finding tour last year; the detailed planning has taken 12 months.

An advance party arrived three days before the students arrived on 30 June then, after time around Darwin, Manukala Wetlands and Jabiru, we drove to Mumeka homeland. After a side trip to Maningrida, we went back to Mumeka.

The remaining five days were at a range of sites including Cahill’s Crossing, Anbangbang, Cooinda, Adelaide River, Litchfield National Park, Darwin, Bathurst Island and back to Sydney on 10 July.

I think there was general agreement that Mumeka was the most moving and challenging experience. I was expecting it to be a traditional Aboriginal environment, but no; I know it was a Christian community, but did not expect the Christianity to be so all-pervasive.

Staff member Mrs Kirrily Leask summarises her experience at Mumeka in this way: You miss the entrance to the Mumeka homeland unless you know it is there. We did. Twice! There is nothing to tell an idle traveller. Just a dirt track off into the scrub and a couple of buildings hidden away ‘over there’. The morning after we arrived at Mumeka we could

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see the strewn plastic bottles and empty tins and piles of rusting , derelict cars. . . thin, rangy dogs. . . runny eyes and skin infections. . . dirt and dust. . . people who speak two other languages before they begin learning English, a teacher two days per week. . . only communal pit latrines. . . a community where Christ had come and dwelt among them. . . with solar power and a generator and a 200 watt amplifier that would belt out Christian worship music any hour of the day or night. . . where the women and girls spontaneously dance to these songs.

We shared in the life of a community with nightly three and four hour worship services, taking communion of damper dipped in a common cup. We formed concentric circles with this community and moved around greeting and shaking the hands of all the people; the sign of peace. I saw my own, all-too-often compartmentalisation of the sacred and the secular and a culture that appeared to make no distinction between the two.

Staff member Mr David Hastie tells of his experience during a worship service at Mumeka: After a few more songs, suddenly another pastor from Maningreda, David, summonsed me to the microphone. Give a spontaneous testimony. I nervously approached the stage, now totally outnumbered in a cultural sense, and gave the most sincere and spiritual testimony of my twenty five years of Christian faith.

Barely audible, I spoke of my time growing up amongst the Kamilaroi, and how I had lived in racism, even though my father was the vicar. Now there was a sickness in us, the Ballander, for what we did to the Binging and other indigenous nations. We all needed healing, in the

AUTUMN 2010

As part of his talk on the Holy Spirit in the Last Days at the Mumeka church service, team leader Mr Anthony Head (centre) asked brothers Andrew (left) and Nicholas Coulshed (right) to read Psalm 23 in the Kuwinjku language which the Mumeka people understand

great spirit of oneness in Christ that Jimmy had been talking about. I sat back down in the dirt of Mumeka, and realised in tears that my heart was healed. I was reconciled to the past. About then the generator ran out of fuel, and all went dark. Ooooo, was heard around the camp, but no-one did anything.

Jimmy started laughing. We were in the dark, surrounded by campfires of the Binging Kuninku, beneath the silent testimony of the stars. Ancient language, unbroken since the age of the last glacial maximum, chattered joyously around the circle. It sounded like they preferred this light. Heartland. Most Australians, clinging to our coastal cities, do not know this exists in us. Nor did I, oh so well read, until that night.

The students who went had a range of impressions. Haley Lord, reflecting on the experience at Mumeka of the very long church service said: I could not stay awake, but gee, they were having fun!

Andrew Brady, reflecting on the experience, said: I was expecting, wrongly, that they wouldn’t wear clothes and I didn’t expect the region to be so remote. I can now pick up on racist jokes better; I have come to see that happiness does not depend on the things you are able to buy – they were happy in their sense of community and their land. And their long church services had everyone involved which was a lot of fun and easier to remain focussed.

Bethany McVaigh said: I was expecting greater segregation, but the kids were all over us and they took us to their families – the family thing is very strong. I was impressed by the way everyone was

involved in the worship and the fact that God is ever-present for them – we tend to forget God. Sarah Carroll said that she went because she wanted first hand experience of Aboriginal culture: I wasn’t expecting things to be so dirty.

But they are so relaxed and happy to live like that. It would take some getting used to. I was amazed at how they kept worshipping for so long.

Veronica Mitchell also wanted to become more familiar with Aboriginal culture: I appreciated their sense of community and their affectionate nature. I learnt to appreciate what I have, but also valued their openness and happiness. I began to form real friendships and would have liked more time to build on them.

Their Christianity is very open; not at all self-conscious.

Staff member Mr Steve Coote summarises the experience in this way: It was in no sense a contrived cultural experience. It was a soul-changing trip.

I felt there was unfinished business. To change our attitudes we need an Arnhem Land.

CHINA TOUR APRIL 2010

A commitment to China and things Chinese Heather said: I came to St Paul’s Grammar School in 2005. My interest in China came because my grandmother is Japanese so I have always been interested in Asia and we had a great teacher of Chinese at school.

I’m glad I decided to go on the China trip; it was such fun. The best thing for me was the people. Everyone, even in public parks, was so friendly. At Teda I had a buddy who said to call her ‘Teda’. When I went to her house for a meal, her grandparents, parents and an aunt were there, and I felt like a member of the family. I have Teda’s email and we’ll write to each other, and I made lots of friends amongst the girls, including with some Korean girls studying there. Bargaining was also fun, and gave me a chance to try my Chinese. I was overawed by the fact that the buildings of the cities have such a history, that there was an ancient culture all around us.

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From left: Dylan Busst, Noah Minor and Heather Taylor

St Paul’s longterm commitment to China going back to the days of former Principal Dr Steven Codrington, is reflected in the following three students and three staff members who are representative of the school’s interest in China and things Chinese.

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These six were touring China in April 2010 and were interviewed by FUTURUM both during and after the tour. 15 students spent 15 days in Shanghai, Tianjin and Beijing visiting sister schools Datong Shanghai High School and Teda No 1 School in Tianjin, as well as sightseeing and shopping. Three of the Middle School Australian students who appreciated China, its people and its culture were Dylan Busst, Heather Taylor and Noah Minor.

Noah said: I came to St Paul’s Grammar School 11 years ago in order to learn Mandarin Chinese from Kindergarten, compulsory at the school. When I heard that a group of students was going to China, I was keen to go to practise my Chinese and get an understanding of the culture. Highlights for me were seeing the Beijing historic landmarks, seeing how two big schools in China worked, and shopping and bargaining in Chinese. Friendships were set up, particularly with the one student that we were coupled with, our ‘buddy’, and going to the buddy’s home for dinner was special.

It was a surprise how relaxed and friendly towards us the Chinese people were.

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Dylan said: I have been enjoying learning about Chinese language, people and culture since I came to St Paul’s Grammar School in 2000, so I thought a trip to China would be a great experience. It was. It fulfilled all my expectations. The food, people and bus rides changed my perception of China. The highlights for me were trips around Shanghai and getting to know Chinese people. My Chinese student buddy in Tianjin, Harry, was someone whose thinking I got to know well. His dream is to show Chinese culture and development, both new and old, to the world. When I went to his family apartment, the family was keen to know about Australia.

I’d like to go back to China. I love China and its culture.

The three students all said they’d like to go back to China, perhaps in a gap year at the end of their High School years, Dylan saying he might go back for an extended period for Chinese language study. The Principal at Datong said she would love to have the students come back, so the feeling was mutual.

Also on tour in April were 23 members of staff and their spouses, an indication of the level of interest in things Chinese on the part of school staff. Three members of staff with long-term association with China, Mrs Ruby Holland, Mrs Ruby Li and Mrs

AUTUMN 2010

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Staff members who took part in the April China tour interviewed below are, top left, Mrs Ruby Holland and Mrs Ruby Li; and Mrs Glenda Clapin, bottom left; and St Paul’s students making Chinese dumplings at Teda No 1

Glenda Clapin, were interviewed during flights within China. Mrs Holland, who has since retired as school Vice-Principal and Director of International Relations, said: I first became interested because I had to discuss subjects with Chinese students in my role as Vice Principal (Curriculum) in 19971998. Mrs Ruby Li and I went to China at this time, the first of a number of combined visits.

We were also able to get Chinese teachers to come to St Paul’s for three-monthly periods, a great help to them and to us. It was a great help when an English as a Second Language specialist, Mrs Catherine Corry, came in 2006, and the coming of Mr Adrian Gan who was keen on in-servicing staff, interaction with exchange students and the hosting of visiting delegations of staff and students, enabled the program to take off. By 2007-2008, when the opportunity came for staff members to go to a sister school in China, many members of staff were keen to go. By 2009, the school had an international student centre and, despite the large number of Chinese students (over 40 in the middle of 2010), finding homestay places has not been overly difficult.

I believe it is important in the education of students to be confronted by the other, represented by Mandarin Chinese in the school, by students and teachers from another culture and by the International Baccalaureate program. The International Student Program committee has brought a really vibrant international focus to the school, through which the best of both the Chinese and Australian cultures have been manifested.

Mrs Ruby Li is the China liaison and marketing director for St Paul’s and brings a wealth of experience and understanding of the land of her birth and its people to this role: I came to Australia in 1987 as an interpreter for a medical delegation from Zhejiang Province, took a casual job as an interpreter here and applied for permanent residence the next year. In 1993 I began teaching at St Paul’s and have been connected with the school’s China program since 1997.

When Mrs Holland became Co-ordinator of the International Student Program that year, I became Director of China Liaison and Marketing. I still do the job and want to continue, which means I must be happy doing

it at St Paul’s – I believe the job and the school have made me more beautiful in my mind.

For Director of Compliance Mrs Glenda Clapin, a big highlight of the tour was visiting some of the 20 Chinese teachers who came for short stays at St Paul’s and lived with her and her family: This was a wonderful experience. Many loved getting into the kitchen. We often made a strong emotional connection, even when language could have been a barrier. They loved the open spaces where we live. In September 2008, Shanghai student Mona Wang began staying with us and she has become involved in all our family activities as well as bringing her friends home from school. There are real riches in beginning to understand another culture at this level. There have been rich blessings in starting to understand another culture at this level. We believe hospitality is something we are called by God to do and we would gladly offer hospitality to another overseas visitor in the future.

ITALY ‘TOUR’ MAY 2010

You can have a worthwhile cross-cultural experience without actually travelling overseas – particularly if you have a teacher who is observant and has been there. So our Pre-Ks took a virtual journey to Italy, sampling life there.

Pre-K ‘travels’ to Reggio Emilia

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DIRECTOR OF PRE-KINDERGARTEN Mrs Lisa Bonazza explains how it came about that her Pre-K students ‘travelled’ to Italy: I recently went to Reggio Emilia in Italy to partake in a study tour of the town’s world renowned early childhood educational philosophy. We have been inquiring into people around the world – in Lebanon, Egypt, Vietnam and the United Kingdom – and looking at their housing, food, clothing and culture. Of course, we had to do Italy. So, one day in May 2010, we invited the children to come to Pre-K with their bikes (A familiar mode of transport in Italy) so we could ride to the village of Reggio Emilia.

Mrs Bonazza explained that wherever they travelled, they put the country’s flag in their ‘passport’. Sarah explains: Here is my passport. It has flags from Australia, the Australian Aboriginals, Italy, Lebanon, Vietnam, Britain and Alaska. We had to paste the flags into our passports. We heard the story of Pinocchio and we made our own Pinocchio.

and the celebrations they have. It is a first step in bringing to the children a knowledge and awareness of the world around them and its varying cultures, providing something to build on in a school where internationalism is so important.

Mrs Bonazza explained: This experience at Reggio Emilia was part of a unit of work entitled: Where in the world are you and what are you doing? The inquiry focuses on what people eat and wear, the houses they live in

We viewed a slide show of images that I took while in Reggio, children brought in fruit, vegetables and other items for the market, we cut out euro notes and coins so we could ‘buy’ things at the market and even ate lunch at the piazza underneath umbrellas. We had an amazing day.

It really felt like we were in Italy. Last week we flew there on our ‘aeroplane’ with tickets for our flight and water being served by our hostesses (teachers). We have even made pizza from scratch and today we are making gnocchi!

Two of the 32 students who ‘travelled’ to Italy were Sarah Hogan and Luis Harmata: We brought our bikes with us (Sarah). We cut out money (Luis). We buy stuff (Sarah) – apples, pears, oranges, bananas (Luis), pasta (Sarah). We got to Italy by setting up aeroplanes. I flew the plane. I checked that everyone had seat belts and life jackets. I told everyone on the speakers we were going to Italy (Luis). When we got to Italy, we rode to the bakery (which was our library) where we bought bread (Luis).

Mia Petal (left) and Sarah Hogan have fun spaghetti painting

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MEd STUDENTS’ PRIMARY CLASS VISIT

event that had changed the world.

Class member Andrew McCormick explained what he was doing: I was actually working on my project when they came into class. I took them to my work and showed them ‘Where we are in place and time’, a pretend city during World War II where the little ‘pretend men’ were fighting. This illustrated the suffering of war on those engaged in it.

Taylor Phillips had a World War II theme too: I showed the students my research on why the war started; the way Hitler wanted more land. I concentrated on the effect the war had on those who were not fighting – the lack of food, the shortage of men, the terrible suffering that made it difficult for people to talk about the war. I felt pretty sad. It raised such hard questions in my mind as: Why do people do this?

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5B class teacher Mr Tim Harris, in conversation with some of his students

INQUIRY changes the world

Learning for life

WHEN A GROUP OF 5TH YEAR Masters of Education students came to St Paul’s in Term 2, they were invited to visit, among other classes, a Year 5 class which had been working on the topic: ‘Significant events that changed the world’ in their International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) . Their class teacher, Mr Tim Harris, takes up the story: I said to the class, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we take our work to the students rather than wait for them to look at our work displayed?’ So they went to the students when they came into the room and guided them to their work and took the initiative in explaining what they had been doing. Each student had chosen a project topic on a significant

Molly Reid and Annabella Laurel had chosen the topic of Jesus’ death: We showed them our presentation on video.

They asked lots of questions – Why did you choose this topic? Because we were asked to choose a significant event that changed the world and we thought this was one. Why are you doing it on video?

Because we could not get all those acting the story together at the same time.

What did you get out of the assignment?

We were surprised that people wanted to be part of our video. How did it get you thinking? We were surprised at the way people’s attitude to Jesus changed at the end. We have no real answer for this change; it is a mystery to us.

One of the MEd students wrote, in part, this response to what was seen here and in other classes: What interested me most was how everything in the IB seemed to be delivered within a conceptual framework – that is, that the students in the IB don’t simply learn content, but content within a broader context. I got the impression that the IB is all about relevance to life and learning for life, and I found these ideas much more evident in person than in the unit.

I was also interested in the comments that were made about how the religious ethos of the school was integrated with the IB. Students were encouraged to freely explore and question their faith and that this often resulted in students’ beliefs becoming stronger. I can see that your school encourages inquiry rather than indoctrination, and in a way that still supports the school’s Christian mission.

It’s something I was really impressed by.

TANZANIA, MALAYSIA, EUROPE, EGYPT

European and Egyptian cultural tour, April/May 2010 Convinced that learning about a culture is no replacement for experiencing it, Director of Studies Mr Cameron Nunn organised a cultural tour of England, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, and Egypt for 52 students, parents and members of staff that took place in April/May 2010. The photo above shows the group on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral London, with (at left) Mr Nunn, who mentioned the baroque architecture on a grand scale and the tombs particularly of the Napoleonic period as carrying important cultural messages. Participants were exuberant in their comments on the tour. Sarah Roberts (Year 9) described it as ‘amazing; extremely exciting; we were always doing something’; and Laura Hall (of Year 10) said, ‘It was the best experience of my life. I got to meet so many people; I saw my teachers in a new light – so funny.’

ST PAUL’S SERVES ACROSS THE WORLD

In addition to the cross-cultural tours of China and Arnhem Land featured in previous pages of this edition of FUTURUM, a wealth of other connections with the world were taking place:

Tanzania student and staff service learning program, April 2010 14 Year 11 students and three staff travelled to Tanzania in East Africa to work in partnership with local communities to improve schools and school buildings, partner with orphanages and a street children’s home, develop further a relationship with a secondary education for girls and observe living conditions in one of the world’s poor countries. A briefing at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, trekking on Mt Meru (5th highest in Africa) and a safari rounded off the Africa part of the trip, which also included seeing the sights of Amsterdam. Student Jordan McVaigh comments on the service component of their time in Tanzania, first at the primary school at Jamhuri: Here we painted classrooms and in turn brightened up some miserably dull Dulux-deprived classrooms. Then, the following day, with shovel, bucket, gloves and some very basic construction site-appropriate Swahili language, it had come time to earn our keep. The objective was to aid Tanzanians in laying the foundations for a dining hall and classroom in the local school Mzalendo. We quickly assumed a production line in which we passed on rocks (hulking boulders is perhaps more accurate) and bowls of concrete. After four days of this, having slowly seen the project progress, we had succeeded in completing our objective.

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AUTUMN 2010

Mr Jayson Paterson, Cardiff, Wales, May 2010 St Paul’s Head of Visual and Performing Arts Mr Jason Paterson (front right) at the IB Diploma Grade Award Meeting in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. Mr Paterson is a Chief Examiner in Visual Arts and is seen here with other examiners from such countries as Chile, France, England, Germany, Greece, Costa Rica, Portugal and Argentina.

Mr Antony Mayrhofer, Cardiff, Wales, June 2010 Mr Mayrhofer, in his role as worldwide IB Principal Examiner Biology, was setting the final Biology grades for the northern hemisphere schools at the IB Curriculum Centre during a one week stay in Cardiff in June.

Mr Ken Goodlet, Tawau, Malaysia, July 2010 Editor of FUTURUM Mr Ken Goodlet at the 2 July 2010 Malaysian launch of his history of the town in Malaysia where he taught 40 years ago, photographed at the launch with some of his students from the 1960s and 1970s, many of whom assisted in research for the book.

Mr Cameron Nunn, Kew, England, June 2011 Director of Studies Mr Cameron Nunn (rear, third from right) at Government House Sydney for his award, along with 22 others in the photo, of a 2010 Westfield’s NSW Premier’s History Teachers’ Scholarship by the Premier Mrs Kristina Keneally and Minister for Education Mrs Verity Firth, for the purposes of travel and study. Mr Nunn’s area of PhD investigation is convict children between 1787 and 1834 and he will be travelling to London in June 2011 to examine documents relating to the convict hulk, the Euryalus, that are held in the National Archives at Kew.

CHINA ON LEARNING

Chinese opinions on good and bad education Caption for any photos or images used on page

Teda No 1 principal Mr Wang Yan Rui (seated right, centre) with other Teda No 1 & St Paul’s staff members

How do Chinese people view the western world of education?

Some insights with from our Chinese friends.

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FUTURUM interviewed students and administrators in Chinese schools and parents in China of students now at St Paul’s to get some answer to this question.

While the ten interviewed are hardly representative of the views of the 1.3 billion Chinese people, there are insights that are worth thinking about.

First, Mr Wang Yan Rui, principal of Teda No. 1 Middle School in Tianjin and school inspector: The government is generous to schools in the Special Economic Zones (the cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Shenzhen) so, although this is a local area school in Tianjin, we can afford to pay teachers more and so get the best teachers. I think a lot about how I can get teachers to pass on their wisdom to students. I don’t think of students as products; they are to be served, not produced. How can students be served better? If my teachers can serve students well, the students will improve their work. So how can I work with teachers to make them better?

By loving the teachers – making good food

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for them, giving pregnant staff members lots of fruit, for example. If the teachers are loved, they will love the students. They will show this to the students by creating good learning platforms, by being motivated to do their best, and by giving extra help to students not doing so well.

FUTURUM observed that Mr Wang, a survivor of hard times during the cultural revolution when he developed a genuine care for others, is a much-loved principal by both teachers and students.

Three of his students, Zhou Weichen, Carol Qi Xuan and Mary Wu Ning, were interviewed. Carol said: I am leader of the student union this year. I was chosen as leader by the students after giving a speech in which I said that serving others was the job of leaders. I coordinate and manage the many different groups in the school that include, for example, volunteering, study and discipline. After school I’d like to go to Beijing Foreign Language University and become an interpreter – though my Mum said not to go too far away! Weichen said: I started volunteering in 2006 and am now leader of volunteering in the school and a member of the student union. There are 18 students in the volunteering group. The theme this year is help for children with heart problems, particularly from poor areas. I help because it makes me happy to be doing something useful for society and to see the smiles on the faces of children who are not strong enough to join in many activities When I leave school, I hope to study life sciences at university that will enable me to help people. All three agreed that they were happy at Teda.

Mr Young Minghua was principal of Shanghai Da Tong High School from 2000 to 2007 and this is the school with which St Paul’s has the longest sister school relationship: I started teaching at this 98-yearold, 1200 strong student school in 1971 and have seen the school change in that time. It has become more democratic. But we have a long way to go. It has also become global.

We now have sister school arrangements with 30 schools worldwide. I have come to love the school and, although I was offered higher salaries to go elsewhere, such money was meaningless to me. What gives me most satisfaction is, that when students graduate, I find they are well equipped to serve the country.

Both principal Wang from Teda and Mr Young from Da Tong were conscious that the need for student creativity and initiative challenged the Chinese tradition of compliance and an examination system that gave insufficient time for discussion and thinking. Mr Young said optimistically, however, when considering the need for real thinking and creativity in the school

AUTUMN 2010

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The parents of our Chinese students who were interviewed recently in China: above left, in Shantou, south-east China, Mr Zheng Shao Wen, with his wife (left) and Pastor Li Riuchang and his wife; and above right, Madam Mary Zhou Yun (top) and Mr Benny Jiang

system: We are handcuffed but we can dance!

Mrs Sheng Yaping, the new principal of Da Tong, has a saying in her office that represents the new non-dictatorial style of leadership that provides space for students to be themselves: If you work as a leader, be soft and gentle as water; still strong drop, drop, drop.

What do the parents of St Paul’s Chinese students think about education and that of their children?

Mrs Mary Zhou Yun said: When my daughter finished Middle School, she did well enough to get into a good school here, but she wanted to go overseas because we felt that education here was too conservative; she wanted freedom to choose her own course of study.

She looked up the internet and chose St Paul’s for herself. I told her that she would need to improve her English, and that she would have to deal with the people around her in her new

situation, but I have been happy with how things have worked out, particularly with her homestay.

Deputy General Manager of the Radisson Plaza Xing Guo Hotel in Shanghai Mr Benny Jiang said: Travelling to the US and Australia in 2003 changed my view of the world and I became keen for my daughter to understand Western culture. In the Chinese education system, people keep studying but there is often no creativity and, when they get to university, they don’t know how to work without supervision.

My daughter herself found out about St Paul’s through the school she was at here in Shanghai where St Paul’s had a joint venture.

At first when she arrived at St Paul’s she was nervous and found it hard to understand some subjects, but the staff have been encouraging, she is happy with her homestay, she has won a prize for a design she did and she is very happy in Australia.

Mr Zheng Shao Wen, a highly skilled interior designer and architect, explains why he sent his daughter to St Paul’s: I sent her because I feel that traditional education in China destroys the students’ creativity; they follow the ‘format’ of examinations and, when they come out, they can’t do anything. I want students to learn not only how to be fed a spoonful of food, but how to make the food.

At first, I criticised Western education because I did not understand it; but then I realised that the West taught students how to use their brain. I want education to teach children how to learn.

Rev. Li Riuchang is a pastor of some 7 churches in the city of Shantou: My daughter wanted to study in St Paul’s when she heard about it from me. I believed it was right to send her there because the style of study is more open in Australia and I wanted her to have a Christian education. She has settled well into her studies.

JOURNEYS WITH GOD

How Staff faith experience plays out in school Staff members at St Paul’s bring life-changing experiences with them into the classroom.

Here are just a few of those stories.

someone killed, would I forgive them?’

That very service, the priest told of a girl who was assaulted badly and, before she died, forgave the perpetrator. It was a magical moment for me and I was baptised as a result.

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How has this experience affected my teaching? I now see every child as unique, a creation of God – even the students I don’t so easily relate to, I respect more, am less judgemental and more aware of my own weaknesses.

And the view I have always had that learning another language brings greater understanding, less discrimination and more loving of those who are different has been reinforced by my new-found faith.

Rev. Peter Wilson and his daughter Elizabeth address those present at the commemorative service for wife and mother Roslyn

SCHOOL PASTOR MR PETER Wilson’s wife Roslyn was diagnosed with cancer in April 2008 and died on 24 October 2009. Throughout the family’s suffering and bereavement, there was significant prayer and practical support from school and church.

Peter sees the whole experience as impacting on his ability to help others in these ways: I found I had increased empathy and identification with those who had experienced similar events. Also, Roslyn and I made the choice that we would share our journey openly with staff and students in chapels, staff devotions and class discussions which had the effect of giving others freedom and permission to share their stories and ask support in ways they might not otherwise have done.

Moreover, I was able to speak on such matters with more credibility to those within and beyond the school community and be heard.

More fundamentally for me, the issue is

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the relevance of God to life’s questions in general and the credibility of faith as a life choice. The benchmark is: Does faith work in the hard times as well as the good? A simple prayer is: ‘God, I don’t understand but I trust you.’ I believe God is good all the time, not just when good things happen. The ultimate evidence of that is Jesus who came to heal and identify with our suffering in his death.

Languages teacher Mrs Jenny Chen first went to church with her husband even though she was not a Christian to see how she would feel: I felt nothing so stopped going. But when I began teaching at St Paul’s in late 2007, I appreciated the staff communication times where I felt welcome and enjoyed the sense of community, awakening an interest in Christianity. I talked about these things to the school pastor and particularly appreciated his caring for his ill wife. I admired, too, my husband’s Christian witness in being such a caring person. One day on the way to a church service, I asked myself, ‘If I had a child that

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Year 6 teacher and school parent Mrs Robyn Wotherspoon became a Christian in 2002 as a result of reading the school pastor’s column each week in Revelations: I was looking for an explanation for why things were as they were and what he said made sense to me.

I began going to church and really wanted to know more.

How has it affected my life at school? It gives my relationships a framework, giving me permission to go deeper with kids and staff than I would otherwise have done.

For example, it becomes my business to really find out how my children are feeling, to greet children individually, that it is okay to be kind, that we can establish a relationship of trust. Also, while debate can take place freely in class, I have confidence in the moral stance I can take as a Christian.

Science teacher Dr Sylvia Persis has long felt a strong connection between her faith and God’s creation: Growing up in a Hindu environment in India, where nature is seen as precious, I as a Christian never took God’s creation for granted. The materialism I found when I came to Australia seemed to

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Clockwise from top left, Dr Trevor Cooling, during the time of his St Paul’s visit this year, with staff member Dr Mary-Robyn Lane; staff member Mrs Jenny Chen at her baptism; and staff member Dr Sylvia Persis (second from left) with a class working on environmental matters

rate environmentalism as of secondary importance, a view that I have sought to combat and a reason I think God put me in this school. I feel free here to express the view that God, humans and all the created order are inter-related.

Some of the issues debated in class are: Do we have the balance right between intrusion and environmental sustainability in the former Defence site south-east of the school, in our response to shark attacks, in the provision of green bags versus plastic bags, and in the mix of buildings and native greenery in the school? In the case of our Chinese students, do we balance government intervention and private/public partnership correctly in caring for God’s world?

St Paul’s educators are people of conviction, foremost in matters of faith and truth, the four members of staff above being typical. Dr Trevor Cooling, Professor of Christian Education at Canterbury Christ Church University

UK, the facilitator at a St Paul’s staff development week in early September, was addressing the issue: ‘How do educators at St Paul’s stand true to their convictions in the classroom, while respecting students’ needs to be their own people, developing and owning their own world view and engaging in a world of diversity?’. Here is a FUTURUM version of Dr Cooling’s answer: The apologetics approach to Christian education, characterised by transmission of ideas in a persuasive, didactic, monolithic way, often produces in a school environment hostility, boredom and dissent in the threat it imposes on the emerging adult’s integrity and ability to engage in a meaningful way with different world views.

On the other hand, the hermeneutic approach to such education, characterised by interpretation and explanation, encourages students to understand that different approaches to key questions arise from different world views, that committed positions to controversy

have validity, that the shared values in a school are really shared and not imposed, and that meaning and significance in every subject area are transformed by a committed world view. In other words, committed Christian educators should be transparent in their commitment but respect the integrity of the emerging young adults with whom they share values, subject content and themselves in a hospitable way. Out of such respect and care on the part of the adult can come student commitment with enthusiasm and without antagonism, the available research shows.

HIGH SCHOOL NETBALL

Netball at St Paul’s is going from strength to strength.

growth in numbers, skills & commitment Caption for any photos or images used on page

ST PAUL’S NETBALL COORDINATOR Ms Peta MCPherson is a former St Paul’s student: I started playing netball when I was five and have been inspired by the game since I was 13. I took a break from the game in 2007 to study for the HSC. After that, I became interested in coaching, becoming a coach at St Paul’s in 2008. Since 2009 I have been coordinator. The Bachelor of Commerce course I am doing in human management has been helpful in my role as a coach.

There has been a steadily increasing interest in netball at St Paul’s. In 2008 we fielded three teams, last year four and this year five – a senior, two intermediate and two junior teams. I am involved in fitness and skills training of the girls two afternoons a week and in matches for half a day on Saturdays. Three teams reached the semi-finals and one the grand final this year. Next year we hope to field two senior and two junior teams. The challenge will be to have two intermediate teams, because sport is not a requirement from Year 9 onwards.

For the students, the rewards are the opportunity to socialise with others that they would not otherwise meet, and the school pride generated. For me, the enjoyment is having an opportunity to teach about a game I love.

Amy Beaumont of Year 12 has been playing for five seasons since Year 8: I have been in the senior team this year. We had done well enough to be put up two divisions this year, but failed to get into the semi-finals. My best experience has been winning the premiership in 2008. It has been good to see so many more students becoming

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involved and the way a lot of friendships have been built up. I plan, along with my team-mates, to continue playing outside the school when I leave next year and so continue our legacy. Ellen McCallum in Year 10 started playing last year: I joined because my friends were playing and, as I already played basketball, I thought netball would go well with it. Our Intermediate B team reached the grand final. We improved considerably this year, because we have stayed together and, as we plan to stay together next year, I expect we’ll continue to improve. Laura Hall of Year 9 joined because she heard the girls were having so much fun: I tried out for the seniors team and was accepted.

The Junior B1 netball semi-final team

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It was good to get to know the older girls. My positions are wing defence and goal defence. I was selected to play in the combined schools teams. Sarah Roberts of Year 9 is completing her third season: What I like about the game is that it is so energetic and there is a real sense of community there. There was general agreement from the girls that many who play outside the school are intending to join the school teams, particularly as they are doing so well.

Coach Mrs Phoebe Dunn reports on the highlight of the year, the Intermediate B grand final game referred to by Ellen above: The played an extremely exciting game against Oxley College at Minto. Being the only St Paul’s netball team to make it to the grand final this season, the pressure was on to represent the netball cohort.

The girls played exceptionally well especially in the first half, though they unfortunately lost, 25-35. Ellen, Hannah, Eliza, Laura, Kate, Tavia and Liz impressed everyone with their great defence and attacking skills along with some incredible shooting from Samantha and Caitlyn. It was a fantastic game to end an incredible season. Congratulations to the girls for making it that far through the competition with the hope that the girls will take it all the way next season!

VEGIE HEADS

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experience with san choy bau. We began Term 3 by turning our lovely lettuces into a wombok salad for consumption by the staff and the Vegie Heads themselves.

Vegie heads admire the fruits of their labour

water tank to planting to eating It all began with a $2500 state government grant in 2008 for a water tank to provide water for a garden that would grow vegetables with the help of students.

This seed money has morphed into raised garden beds and the Vegie Heads, as Mrs Anne Rogers explains: Some 25 to 30 students from Years 4 to 6 are the Vegie Heads. They have volunteered to compost, plant, water, weed, harvest, cook and eat. Four or five work each day, and each person comes once a week. The group conscientiously collects fruit and vegetable scraps in the Infants and Primary eating areas with a view to making compost for the vegetable gardens. In Term 2 we harvested the most beautiful bok choy and had a wonderful cooking and eating

Year 6 students Georgia Smith and Monica Marzouk are Vegie Heads.

Georgia said: I joined because I had done something similar in my previous school, and my friends were joining. I have learnt how to plant properly. It has been fun. And the food we have prepared has been fresh and good.

Monica said: I have learnt a lot – how to plant and how to pick. And it has been fun. I think it was a good idea to join Vegie Heads – while having fun we are helping the environment. Year 5 students Elly Hibberd and Aleyna Harnett are also involved. Elly said: Picking and looking after the plants were the main things I learnt. The best thing was looking after them; the worst thing was getting the compost! Aleyna said: I became involved because I thought I’d learn a lot and it would be good fun. I learnt how to pick and how to look after the plants. The best thing is having a chance to take the vegies home.

Mrs Rogers has a very enthusiastic band of helpers. She has plans for the future: I’d like a compost tumbler. The present compost bin does not process the compost quickly enough and attracts pests. I’d also like to build a worm farm for the gardens. And it would be good to have chooks to process the scraps, as well as get eggs. There is enough enthusiasm to have more vegie gardens, and perhaps flowers as well.

THE JUNIOR SCHOOL MULTI-PURPOSE BUILDING

The new Junior School Hall: above, the frame being erected in April 2010; opposite page, all taken in late October 2010, clockwise, top, the interior space looking toward the stage; the sourthern apron, looking east; Before and After School Care, looking east; and Junior School Reception, looking south

BUILDING A NEW PRECINCT FOR OUR FUTURE The Junior School Hall will be ready for occupation at the start of the 2011 school year. At a time when value for money with regard to construction in schools is being questioned, St Paul’s has managed to avoid some of the well-publicised limitations placed on other schools.

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HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL MR NIGEL Walker provides this report on our $3 million commonwealth government grant building: The benefits to staff, students and parents, who are eagerly awaiting the opening, is apparent by looking at the facility’s features.

It will provide a multi-purpose hall with entry foyer, comfortably seating a minimum of 550 adults in chairs, a fullsized basketball court with collapsible rings, a large automatic roller door leading to the playground, a large stage, a PE store, a chair store, a PE office, audio-visual equipment, and lighting equipment. Currently there is no large, indoor meeting place in the Junior School area. The hall will be used for assemblies; chapels; indoor lessons requiring space such as PE, Dance, and Drama; small, medium and large scale performances and gatherings; an after-school care play area; and many other uses.

There will be a quality canteen. The current canteen in the Junior School is housed in a demountable building. The roller window in the new canteen will lead to a large undercover area and, apart from serving as the Junior School canteen, will also function as a catering

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kitchen for other major school community gatherings such as musicals.

There will be a strategically-located after- and before-school care room.

This large room with a small kitchen and storage has been purposely made accessible to the Kiss n Drop area, making it easy for parents on those early mornings and late nights. Easy access is made to the floodlit playground and the new hall.

There will be four individual tuition rooms. Currently, budding Junior School musicians and dramatists must walk, accompanied by their tutor, all the way to the other side of the campus. The tuition rooms will mean more time for tuition and less time for walking.

There will be user-friendly reception and sick bay areas. The current reception is housed in a demountable building. The new reception area will be located next to Kiss n Drop, allowing ease of access for parents. It includes a walkup ‘letterbox window’, meaning parents will not need to come all the way into reception should they wish to just drop something off. The new sick bay will be equipped with two beds and a sink.

Other facilities to be constructed include students’ toilets (accessible to the playground on the western side), adults’ toilets and showers, administration offices, a staff room and kitchen, an interview room, a conference room, and an IT room. All in all, a large, comprehensive educational package at a pleasingly economical price tag.

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ST PAUL’S ALUMNI

Life journeys full of richness and diversity.

Former students Holly Downes (above left), Matthew and Lucienne (nee Ingold) Willis with baby Mackenzie, and opposite page clockwise from left, John Neil, groom James Breckell (centre) with former St Paul’s students mentioned in the text, Krista King and Alex Yang

Work, study, marriage, family HOLLY DOWNES (IB CLASS OF 2002) is now a full-time musician who gained her Bachelor of Music Performance (Classical Double Bass) in 2006: I have always travelled a lot through music: China with Worldview and Denmark with the Sydney Youth Orchestra when I was in Year 11 and subsequently Europe with the Australian Youth Orchestra in 2004 and 2007. I then went backpacking and ended up living in Edinburgh, Scotland where I played and recorded with a singer/songwriter amongst other things.

2009 was a busy year, with the completion of a Graduate Diploma of Psychology from Melbourne University. During the mid year break I went back to Scotland where three of us teamed up – a guitarist, a violinist and me on double bass – to form The String Contingent, which gave its first gig in that July.

This year The String Contingent went full-time writing, rehearsing, recording and performing at folk music festivals, acoustic music venues and house concerts around Australia. We also toured New Zealand in May and Scotland in the northern early spring. We are having a great time and supporting ourselves financially. What motivates me?

I want to give back what I have learnt

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from people around the world; I believe that if you have a talent, it is best to use it; and it is an act of joy to give pleasure to those who come to hear us. We write all our music which shows our diverse influences including Scottish fiddle music, American bluegrass and classical aesthetics and thankfully it seems to appeal to people! Judging from the response of the student audience for The String Contingent’s performance at St Paul’s, it is a successful formula.

JOHN NEIL of the class of 1997 is currently working in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet on health reform: When I left school I had no idea what I wanted to do! I ended up studying Arts at the University of Sydney, doing subjects I had enjoyed at school – History, Government and Economics – and majoring in Ancient History and honours in Government. I was accepted into the Department of Treasury graduate program in 2002 to work on commonwealth-state financial relations.

After 4½ years I felt I needed a change and so moved to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. I never really had a plan. I have been working on the Council of Australian Government’s health reform deal that was ultimately signed

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in April 2010 (the National Health and Hospitals Network Agreement), providing briefing and policy analysis on health reform options. I am currently working on the implementation of these reforms.

The most worthwhile opportunity in the job has been the chance to work on the development for the beginning of a reform agenda in a critical area of government policy (health) that has such a large impact on the community. It was a lot of hard work and the hours were pretty brutal at times (70-80 hour weeks were pretty common for about four months between January and April) but seeing agreement being reached between the commonwealth and the states on an area of policy you have been involved in is really satisfying.

JAMES BRECKELL (HSC class of 2003) married Jessica on 7 August 2010 at St David’s Anglican Church Blaxland: The wedding was taken by Canon John Campbell, the former Junior School Principal. Present at the wedding were (from left) Mark Bolas (HSC 2000), Gordon Fowler (HSC 2002), me (HSC 2003), Owen Breckell (HSC 2000) and James Cox (HSC 2004).

LUCIENNE (NEE INGOLD) AND MATTHEW WILLIS started going out at Year 11 camp in 2001 and were school captains together in 2001-2002: Our son Mackenzie Jack Willis was born at 1.37pm on 1st September. He weighs 3.98 kg and measures 53cm. We are over the moon, as are both sets of grandparents and the extended family.

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ALEX YANG (IB class of 2009) had applied for a University of Sydney scholarship while still in Year 12: I did not feel confident. I filled the scholarship form in immediately after my IB trials.

They were looking for high marks, what extra-curricular activities we were involved in and the reasons we were studying our particular discipline. I think it was significant that I had been involved in an IB CAS program. It seems to have helped that I was passionate about Mathematics, my discipline. At the award ceremony earlier this year, it was emphasised that the university was looking for people who were passionate about their subject. It is a one year scholarship that pays university fees and living expenses. I love what I am doing. I had started a combined Mathematics/Law course, but I early realised that it was Mathematics that was really challenging and interesting to me, so I dropped Law. KRISTA KING (class of 2002) showed dedication and excellence in many areas of sport while at school – in athletics, swimming, hockey and

water polo, pursuits that tie in with the profession that she has taken up: I completed my five year degree in Chiropractic Science in November 2009 and am now working as a chiropractor. I chose chiropractic as I thought I’d like more of a hands-on job rather than sitting behind a desk all day, and I liked the idea of meeting and helping a variety of people. Once I began my studies I realised that chiropractic can help people of all ages with a whole range of medical issues. I continue running, which helps me to stay fit and healthy and to clear my mind. I’ve also found that any sporting injuries I’ve had since becoming a chiropractic patient myself are resolved much more quickly.

My career is very challenging and rewarding. Watching a client who has begun to heal arrive with a smile on their face, and reporting that their pain is reducing and they are able to play tennis again, or play with their grandchildren, or simply sit or walk without pain, makes it all worthwhile.

JUNIOR SCHOOL MATHEMATIC

multiplication and division throughout the day, the students taking hold of what they knew and moving on from there. . . there were warm-up games [then] real world interaction. . . preparing a class party fairly. . . a series of steps to get there. . . problem-solving. . . four different groups. . . party time!. . . reflection: Why did/did not the party work?. . . how to use [mathematical] skills to solve problems. . . assessment. . . It was a really motivating and engaging unit; it captured their skills.

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Staff member Mrs Corinne Day (left) working with parents at the parent seminar

Learning without being aware of it Some 150 parents came back to class on Thursday 27 May to attend information seminars that underline the importance of inquiry, reflection and the mastery of the ‘basics’ in the school’s Mathematics program.

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Some comments were: We all run in the same direction [by engaging in this seminar]. . . ‘Maths possesses not only truth but beauty,’ said Bertrand Russell (Head of Junior School Mr Nigel Walker); We are on a journey ourselves to make Maths richer and better. . . it is amazing; it is full of patterns; Maths is full of potential (Head of Curriculum Mr Chris Wyatt).

Miss Emma Bate covered Year 2, Mrs Corinne Day Year 4 and Mr Tim Harris gave a Primary school snapshot. Miss Bate gave this example of how Maths works at the school: The central idea was grouping and regrouping to solve problems. . . an immersion activity was distributing lollies in different quantities, which caused uproar, then grouping, and making it fair for everyone. . . the concept was change, which involved

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Mrs Louise Redman, who has a son Angus in Year 1, attended the information seminars: It was a good introduction for parents, giving us an understanding of Mathematics at different stages of the Junior School.

Mathematics is made relevant by relating it to everyday experiences rather than textbooks. It is not a distinct subject for my son in Year 1; the boundaries are crossed between subjects by the students doing such interesting everyday themes as ‘shelter’, and the learning of mathematical concepts like multiplication and subtraction take place almost without the children being conscious that it is happening. This engages the children to want to learn. And the more parents understand about the way concepts are conveyed to the children, the more they can be involved and encourage their children to learn. Even my six-year-old Googles mathematical concepts – he is so interested in them.

It helps that he has grown up in this environment from the time he did two days a week in Pre-K. By the time he reached Kindergarten, he was at home in such a learning environment. The way Mathematics is done at St Paul’s is very much about understanding; not the rote learning that I had at school.

I am a big fan of the Primary Years Programme (PYP) of the International Baccalaureate with its emphasis on inquiry, based on the child’s natural curiosity. Every time there is an information night at the school, it is an opportunity to find out a little more about how this works in not only mathematics, but in all areas. Apart from all the other advantages of the school, the PYP has justified my sending Angus to the school; it is wonderful to see him learning without being aware of it.

FRIENDS OF ST PAUL’S PROFILE: REV. CHRIS CULLEN

The parenting role can be shared and made easier when school parents work and talk togethe.r

Building a community of school parents REV. CHRIS CULLEN BECAME President of The Friends of St Paul’s, Caption for any photos or images used on page the school parent organisation, at the beginning of this year. His background is a Social Sciences degree with majors in Psychology and Sociology and a Bachelor of Ministry from Morling Theological College, as well as administrative experience in IBM and a construction company. He speaks first of how he came to be in the school’s drawing area and how he came to be involved in the school: My wife Catherine and I and our four children moved to the area when I became pastor of Kurrajong Baptist Church at the beginning of 2008, having come from a ten year stint as pastor of Riverstone Baptist Church (I also work part time as office manager of the Christian Venues Association, which runs camp sites that St Paul’s students are involved in). I found out about St Paul’s through St Paul’s parents whose children played cricket with my son.

My wife and I were impressed with what we heard and what we saw on the website and at the beginning of 2009 sent our children Emma (now in Year 9), Melanie and Ben (now in Year 7) and Steven (now in Year 4) to the school. We wanted our children to have a Christian education and we felt a large school would give them more academic and cocurricular options. The school has been a good experience for them: they settled in quickly, have done well and have thrown themselves into the school’s activities.

Mr Cullen then spoke of his involvement in Friends: We wanted to have input into the school, so Catherine took reading groups and I began attending Friends’ meetings at the beginning of last year. I had offered to look after the Spring Fair this year, but I was nominated instead as President.

Clockwise from left, Chris, Emma, Melanie, Catherine, Steven and Ben Cullen

He then talked of what he hoped could be done by and within the organisation: My priority as a Christian is building a sense of community amongst families in the school so the school is a better place where there is a sense of belonging. If in the process we raise money, that is a bonus that contributes to the community character of the school. In pursuing this community aim, I would like to see the meetings less taken up with business, much of which could be handled by empowered sub-committees who report to the main meeting, and more with visiting speakers dealing with such topics of interest to parents as raising teenagers and cyber safety. In the course of dealing with such

issues of common interest and discussing them, we will be drawn together, I believe, and grow as a group and as individuals.

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