The professional magazine of St Columba Anglican School

Transcription

essence
Edition 3 January 2014
The professional magazine of St Columba Anglican School
St Columba
Anglican School
SCAS ESSENCE JANUARY 2014
essence
PUBLISHER
St Columba Anglican School
Port Macquarie NSW Australia
EDITORIAL
Editor: Julie Cooper
Phone: 02 6581 4188
Fax: 02 6581 4190
Email: [email protected]
CONTRIBUTORS
The staff and students of
St Columba Anglican School
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Circulation: 200
PHOTOGRAPHY
Cover Photograph:
Lindsay Moller Photography
Additional Photographs:
Lindsay Moller Photography
Arran Photographics
Baker Family
Childish Photography
MSP Photographics
Staff and student photographers
PRINTING
Chrysalis Printing, Port Macquarie
GENERAL ENQUIRIES
Postal Address
3 Iona Avenue
Port Macquarie NSW 2444
Australia
Phone: 02 6581 4188
Facsimile: 02 6581 4190
Website: www.scas.nsw.edu.au
ENVIRONMENTAL
SCAS Essence is printed using
chlorine free paper that is FSC
Mixed Sources Certified from
well-managed forests and other
controlled sources and has ISO
14001 Environmental certification.
Inks used in this project are soybased inks, a renewable resource.
COPYRIGHT
All material appearing in Essence
Magazine is copyright unless
otherwise stated or it may rest
with the provider of the supplied
material. Essence Magazine takes
all care to ensure information is
correct at time of printing, but the
publisher accepts no responsibility
or liability for the accuracy of
any information contained in
the text. Views expressed are
not necessarily endorsed by the
publisher or editor.
3
from the principal
the essence of scas
Memo to Principal: "Surround yourself
with only people who are going to lift
you higher."
Leading a school is a team sport. Even
though one person usually gets the credit
or the blame, the quality of the “supporting
cast” usually determines who “wins the
game”. One person can only carry so much
weight before the load gets too heavy. So,
as a school leader, the bottom line is that
you aim to surround yourself with talented
people (often more talented than yourself).
“One way to stay grounded is to surround
yourself with very good people that will
constantly remind you how uncool you
are.”
There is a synergy that is created when
a high quality staff works together. The
standard of what is expected from each
other is raised due to a subtle peer pressure
and this is communicated to new staff. As
a result, a culture of excellence is created
and sustained.
This edition of Essence once again shows
that excellent professionals surround me.
Our staff are not only energetic, they are
innovative, passionate and generous. They
are thinkers as well as doers. They carry
the school’s vision for excellence into the
classroom, the playground and the sports
field. They are the breath of the school.
"Teachers, they inspire you, they entertain
you, and you end up learning a ton even
when you don't know it." - Nicholas Sparks,
Author
Terry Muldoon
Principal, St Columba Anglican School
4
SCAS
2012 2014
SCASESSENCE
ESSENCE JULY
JANUARY
Professional Development:
Relevance, Resistance and Response
"It's all to do with the training: you can do a lot if you're properly trained." - Elizabeth II, Queen of Great Britain
Research confirms that the most
important factor contributing to a
student’s success in school is the
quality of teaching.
Since everybody in education (and
even politics!) seems to agree on
this and most parents want the best
possible teaching for their child, why
is teacher professional development
such a fraught issue?
Unlike many schools we do not do
our professional development using
the “pupil-free day” model. We find
that this makes life a lot easier for our
families:
“Another professional development
day! What an inconvenience!” This
comment rings across kitchen tables,
through grocery store aisles, on the
sidelines at soccer games, and in the
breakrooms in local businesses…..
Families and even employers are
inconvenienced on inservice days
or when the school day starts late or
ends early to provide time for teacher
professional development.”1
Professional development is the most
effective strategy schools have to
meet the expectation that schools will
provide the very best in educational
practice, but it is often seen as adding
to the already heavy burden that
teachers carry in their day-to-day
working lives.
“Most teachers face what Michael
Fullan and Andy Hargreaves (1996)
have referred to as a ‘press of
immediacy.’ In a typical day, teachers
mark stacks of papers, create lesson
plans, complete reports, attend
meetings, contact parents, stay at
school for sporting events, do bus
duty, supervise the canteen, attend IEP
meetings, and on and on.…. The result
is that even when teachers want to
implement a new program, they may
not have the energy needed to put
that program into practice”. 2
With an education system that is
somewhat of a shape-shifter- changing
demands, priorities, curriculum and
responsibilities according to the
political climate or the latest report teachers can feel helpless.
"Professional development, for all
its imposition on valuable time,
is the key strategy that educators
have available to them to continue
to strengthen their practice
throughout their career."
”Often teachers see mandated changes
as add-ons to an already complex job.
Policymakers seldom reform workplace
conditions,
authority
structures,
and culture – central to day-to-day
concerns.” 3
There is no doubt that some resentment
and
resistance
to
professional
development demands stems from
a resentment to the never-ending
pressures to resolve the educational,
social and economic ills faced by
our young people and the negative
perception of the profession by many
Australians.4
Professional development, for all
its imposition on valuable time,
is the key strategy that educators
have available to them to continue
to
strengthen
their
practice
throughout their career.
1 Knight, J. What Can We Do About Teacher Resistance? - Pdkmembers.org
www.pdkmembers.org/members_online/publications
2 Knight, J. What Can We Do About Teacher Resistance? - Pdkmembers.org
www.pdkmembers.org/members_online/publications
The
most
effective
professional
development engages teams of teachers
to focus on the needs of their students.
Professional
development
also
works as a boon to the professional,
reassuring him/her that he/she is not
only doing a job but doing it well. In
a Workforce article, as Bob Nelson says,
"More than anything else, employees
want to be valued for a job well done
by those they hold in high esteem." 5
In the end, despite new buildings,
more computers and tablets, and
facilities, there are very limited options
for a school leader who wants to
improve student performance.
Among these limited choices, good
professional development is the silver
bullet.6
It is not enough for a school to hire
a good/great teacher and hope that
for the duration of their employment
he/she will be able to offer excellent
teaching because he/she has a degree
and some experience.
As the world’s knowledge, employment
demands and social evolution continue
to unfold, the education professional
must continue to learn their “craft” so
as to stay professionally relevant and
be able to engage their students in the
education process.
The school and its leaders must not
only support ongoing professional
learning but demand it as a nonnegotiable if the school is to perform
at a high or excellent level.
Implicit in that demand is the
responsibility to support a range of
professional development activities
including:
3. Huban, Larry. School Reform and Classroom Practice 2013
4. Teachers resist change - Education News - www.theage.com.au Oct 4, 2004
5. Nelson, B. The Ten Ironies of Motivation, 1999
6. Mizell, H. Why Professional Development Matters. Learning Forward, 2010
Standardised PD:
Best used to disseminate information
and skills to staff. Standardised,
training focuses on the exploration of
new concepts and the demonstration
and modeling of skills. It will be used
to:
• Expose teachers to new ideas,
new ways of doing things and
new collegial partnerships
• Model
Best Practices
Professional Development,
in
• Disseminate knowledge and
instructional methods to more
staff at once leading to clear
statements of intent
• Visibly
demonstrate
the
commitment of the school to a
particular course of action
Site-based PD:
Staff work with local (“in house”)
facilitators to engage in more gradual
processes of learning, building mastery
of pedagogy, content and technology
skills etc. Site based PD will focus on
the specific, situational problems
that staff encounter as they try to
implement new techniques/practices/
curricula in their professional roles.
Site-based PD will:
• Bring people together to
address local issues and needs
over a period of time.
• Encourage individual initiative
and collaborative approaches
to problems.
professional development and would
share materials and ideas as well as
discuss challenges and solutions.
This approach to professional
development assists staff to become
models of lifelong learners. This should
be used to complement and extend
standardised and/or site-based PD.
Some of this “training” will be
confronting, some hard to deal with
and some enlightening but in the
end it will be the difference between
being a professional who shapes lives
in a positive manner and a frustrated
“baby-sitter”, dealing with increasingly
disengaged students.
“I hated every moment of training, but
I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live
the rest of your life as a champion.’” –
Muhammad Ali
For teachers to take a step towards
being well-regarded as professionals
and to overcome the “9-3 worker/
too many holidays” attitude many
Australians have towards them, they
must be seen as professionals who
continually work to upgrade their skills
and knowledge.
It will not get rid of the negative
perceptions overnight but it will be
a significant step towards making
the classroom more vibrant and the
opinions of those who really count
- the students, the families and their
teaching peers - much more positive
in regard to education and the
professionalism of teachers.
• Allow more flexible, sustained
and intensive PD.
• Provide ongoing opportunities
for professional learning.
Self-directed PD:
Independent learning, initiated at the
learner’s discretion. Staff are involved
in initiating and designing their own
Terry Muldoon
Principal
5
6
SCAS ESSENCE
ESSENCE JANUARY
JULY 20122014
SCAS
Textiles & Design
Advances in technology have had a
major impact on textiles and design,
and students now have access to a
whole world of design inspiration at
their fingertips. This has made for more
motivated and enthusiastic students
with a wide range of creative ideas
and inspiration.
ESSENCE
JULY 2012
SCASSCAS
ESSENCE
JANUARY
2014
7
As a teacher and lifelong
learner, I am constantly inspired
by the creativity of my students.
The Board of Studies describes the
Textiles and Design Stage 6 Syllabus
as providing "a curriculum structure
that reflects the important role
that textiles play in society. Textiles
protect, provide comfort, have
social meaning, respond to cultural
influences and perform a range of
necessary functions in the textiles
industry and other industries."
As an educator and someone who
is passionate about Textiles and
Design, I am excited that it has
become an increasingly popular
subject choice at St Columba
Anglican School.
I feel fortunate that there are so
many students who have a keen
interest in textiles and who are also
extremely passionate about design.
This is a subject that appeals to many
students as it not only allows them to
be creative, but can also lead them
into a career in design in a range
of different fields. The portfolios
produced as part of the Textiles
and Design course are a reflection
of what is required in a portfolio in
many design industries, and gives
students a great introduction into
design that will be of benefit to them
outside of the classroom.
This year the school has undertaken
a major refurbishment of the
Textiles room, which has had a
custom fitout for Technology and
Textiles and Design. The room has
been set up as both a practical
room and a general classroom,
enabling students to work on
both theoretical and practical
tasks during the one lesson. We
have also had the good fortune
of benefitting from donations of
fabric and other resources from
colleagues and parents, which has
assisted students in their work.
This year we have had a very
motivated group of students
in Stage 5 who have been
undertaking a Textiles Honours
course in their own time, and I have
been delighted to observe their
enthusiasm and inspiration as they
progressed through the program.
We have also been fortunate
to have had The Whitehouse
Institute of Design offering a course
on campus, which has assisted
students with not only design, but
communicating design ideas in
graphical forms, which is an integral
element in all design subjects.
Designers need to be able to not
only create and produce design
concepts, but also be able to
communicate
and
problemsolve a range of ideas to a client
or viewer. The TAS faculty has
been focussing on building each
student's ability to document
and use the design process and
improve their communication skills
through portfolio work, and the
Whitehouse course has greatly
assisted in this process.
Our students work in a range of
context areas through Stages 4
and 5 and then move into chosen
areas of design in Stage 6. Design
and Technology also allows
students to engage in designing
and creating products, systems or
environments, and for students to
do well in Design and Technology
they must consider real needs or
problems they can solve.
Some of the design projects
undertaken by students have
been particularly diverse, including
the design and manufacture of
costumes for our School choirs,
multi media videos to promote
healthy eating for children, canoe
stabilisers for fishing and redesigning
of family backyards.
As a teacher and lifelong learner, I
am passionate about my subjects
and I am constantly inspired by the
creativity of my students.
I look forward to seeing many more
young designers coming through
our faculty at SCAS with the ability
to think outside the square.
Amy Munro
Textiles & Design
Teacher
8
Sharing a
Passion
People are passionate about many things. It could be music, dance,
drama or sport. The most important part of this passion, as an educator,
is being brave enough to share it with others.
St. Columba Anglican School was
lucky in that, when the school first
started, one of the foundation staff
members had a passion for the
great sport of basketball. Mrs Lorrae
Sampson created the foundations in
the early days, forming teams, training
them and entering them in various
competitions. She had a team entered
in most of the age groups in the
weekly Port Macquarie competition.
Five years later I came along, initially
to assist Lorrae in the development
and coaching of the teams.
As time went on I watched the athletic
and social development of the
students involved. It gave students
who may have been disengaged a
structure in which to fit in within
the game and with their peers. It
gave students who may struggle
academically an opportunity to
shine. It also gave students who may
have some behavioural difficulties a
structure in which to develop.
With all of those positives in mind
I decided that it was time to start
recruiting. I started going from class
to class handing out notes to anyone
that looked vaguely interested. Tall
or short, boy or girl, any student at all
was encouraged to give basketball a
go.
It started off slowly. Our original HRIS
representative teams (Year 5/6 Boys
and Girls) were made up of pretty
much anyone who was keen and
included some Year 4 students as well
to make up numbers. The results that
year were fairly forgettable. However,
the camaraderie developed between
the students during the day and
subsequently through the year were
definitely memorable.
Over the next few years the numbers
involved began to rise. Five teams,
ten teams, up to now with 22 teams
and almost 150 students involved in
the Primary School Boys and Girls and
Year 7/8 Girls competition currently
run at the St Columba Iona Centre.
Rock and Roll basketball in the Iona
Centre on Monday afternoon is a great
place to be. Tunes playing, slideshow
of SCAS basketball teams past and
present and students running around
in a full competitive competition is a
fantastic thing to observe.
From time to time it comes to the
point where you look into the mirror
and ask yourself whether you have
passion or bone headed stupidity to
continue the path that you have set
before yourself. I have done this many
times. However, it seems that every
time that I tell myself that I’m an idiot
for doing this, something great will
happen with a result or a student.
With the rise of numbers help was
definitely needed, and who would an
Aussie bloke call upon but a mate to
lend a hand. Tony Harrison was that
mate and he may regret the day he
agreed to coach a team or two. That
team or two was generally four, plus
three morning coaching sessions.
Victories are great and our rise in the
HRIS competition is something that
I’m particularly proud of. From our
first year when we lost most of the
games we played to last year when
our 3/4 girls won, our 3/4 boys came
second and our 5/6 girls and boys
came third and fourth respectively.
These are things to hang your hat on.
Many others now assist with the
many jobs linked to running your
own competition. We currently have
many teachers, students and parents
who volunteer their time to make the
competition run smoothly.
However, the thing that really gets to
me is when a student who has never,
in their young lives, had any desire to
be involved in any athletic endeavour
runs out on to the court and catches
the bug.
The socially inept student who finds
their place among their peers and
the supportive culture that has been
developed throughout the years
comes to the fore and that student
is accepted as a member of a team.
I have seen this many times and it is,
just between you and me, the part of
this whole experience that I am most
proud of.
I love it when students return to
help train and coach the younger
students. I love that there is a positive
culture being developed through this
programme that has spread through
so many students involved. A culture
where a younger student can look at
an older one as a mentor, a fountain of
knowledge and someone who spreads
the positive culture.
Although I have currently only
mentioned the positives there will be
times when you have to cut a student
from a representative team or deal
with a disgruntled parent, student or
maybe even a whole association. It is
important, during these more difficult
situations, to remember why you spend
so many hours every week on this task.
The students are the ones that matter.
Positively influencing their lives. Giving
them a passion to hold on to during
difficult times. Giving them a place
where they belong.
I looked into a student’s eyes recently.
She was deciding whether to play
during the current season. I said to
her that I wanted her to play and that
others wanted her to play. She looked
at me with disbelief. She came to a
training session, she came to a game.
Now she is there all the time. Never
misses a training session or game. She
has found a place where she belongs,
where she is accepted. It is something
I wish for everyone and I try to spread
this through my passion... Basketball.
Mar ten Hilber ts
Basketball@SCAS Co-ordinator
Director of Primar y Pastoral Care
9
10
What is our competitive
advantage at SCAS?
SCAS commenced in 2002 with seven
staff. In 2003 staff increased by 140%. In
2013 110 full/part-time staff are employed
with approximately 80% of those teaching
staff. The annual labour cost for 2013 is
$8.2 million, and is the most important
and controllable asset (Noe, Hollenbeck,
Gerhart, and Wright, 2013, p. 99), and the
school’s core competitive advantage.
Background
The school’s rapid expansion has
resulted in HR procedures being created,
implemented and reviewed as needed.
The school’s growth has been taxing on
maintaining its culture. Its success can
be partly attributed to the successful
management of creating its ethos,
culture, brand marketing and its ability
to attract, select and keep high quality
staff. However, system strain due to
growth is becoming more evident, while
psychological contracts and employee
engagement is at risk (Noe et al., 2013, p.
23).
The Principal is visionary, a Level 5 leader
as outlined by Caldwell, Truong, Linh,
and Tuan (2001, p. 176). As technology,
sustainability and globalisation of
education impacts our delivery and
customer base, investigations into
securing the school’s future, through
strategy formulation and strategy
implementation as discussed by Noe et
al. (2013, p. 75) is being determined by an
external growth strategy. An emerging
strategy as outlined by Dyer and Reeves
(1995) is developing. Innovation and
expansion into new markets has lead
to ‘soft’ changes (Cavagnoli, 2011) and
recent joint ventures with independent
schools, registered training organisations,
TAFE and two universities. This has raised
organisational and cultural differences
that also need to be managed, (Noe et
al., 2013, p. 93) as well as stress as outlined
by Cavagnoli (2011). This year a new
Professional Excellence and Innovation
Centre (PEIC) has been established to
provide quality visionary professional
development
opportunities,
where
staff can participate at all levels from
participant to designer and presenter.
The Industrial Landscape
The teachers’ enterprise agreement has
a centralisation organisational structure
and departmentalisation control (Noe et
al., 2013, p. 163) with a functional structure
imposed. Due to these structures
a framework of high commitment
management has developed (Sahoo et al.,
2011, p. 23).
"As a Christian school, the school
also has a corporate social
responsibility."
The agreement is approximately 4%
higher than the government and
systemic catholic education sectors,
the competitors, but as argued by
Savaneviciene and Stankeviciute (2011)
higher pay does not necessarily translate
into employer loyalty or job satisfaction.
Other extrinsic rewards exist, such as
three weeks additional “non-term time”,
Long Service Leave flexibility and "worklife balance” initiatives.
As a Christian school the school also has
a corporate social responsibility (CSR).
App, Merk, and Buttgen (2012) cite ethical
or moral implications of strategic human
resource management (SHRM) are a critical
factor in organisation performance and
employment strategies. The employee
value proposition (EVP) must continue
through the employee life cycle (ELC) to
enhance and sustain the competitive
advantage of the organisation (App et al.,
2012).
The Workplace Gender Equity Act
(WEGA) 2012, which replaces the Equal
Opportunity for Women in the Workplace
Act 1999, expands gender equity,
flexibility availability arrangements and
obligations. Our School now with over 100
employees is required to report annually.
WGEA requires attention immediately
as compliance is expected by May
2014. Indicator 4 concerning flexibility
has implications (Dransfield, 2013).
Compliance will result in more effective
staffing decisions and demographic
diversity for our HR.
Existing HR Practices
HR planning is the “process of sizing
the organisation in terms of type and
number of employees to meet current
and future strategic objectives” as stated
by Wordsworth in Nel, Werner, Du Plessis,
Fazey, Erwee, Pillay, Mackinnon, Millet and
Wordsworth (2012, p. 175). HR planning has
a critical impact of our school’s ability to
compete (Noe et al., 2013, p. 232).
Staff initially were attracted to the
school because of career opportunities,
its impending growth, coastal position
and work environment. In 2004 over
500 applications were received for eight
positions. The school’s reputation has
grown, yet applications have decreased
dramatically with 13 applications
considered a fantastic response for a
vacancy this year.
Savaneviciene and Stankeviciute, (2011,
p. 922) argue that SHRM is considered a
critical element of organisational success
and an important characteristic of high
performance
organisations.
SHRM
practices include job analysis/design,
recruitment, selection systems, training
and development programs, performance
management systems, reward systems
and labour relations programs (Noe et al.,
2013, p.85). The school is now poised to
analyse their current practices to enhance
staffing decisions.
HR Coach (2013) STAR Workplace Program
survey results allows targeted SHRM
planning for the current workforce in
two affective areas of commitment and
job satisfaction which are considered
essential for organisations to gain
competitive advantage as outlined by
Savaneviciene and Stankeviciute (2011, p.
922). The survey results enable SHRM to
proactively develop a framework that
supports proper linkages to HR planning,
recruitment, selection, performance
management,
motivational
and
compensation structures to enhance and
sustain its competitive advantage.
The Shared service model (Noe et al., 2013,
p. 8) is the current HR strategy adopted.
Presently HR information systems (HRIS)
software is being investigated to assist in
HRM delivery.
The STAR Workplace Report (2013)
analysed
and
benchmarked
results to identify strategies and
improvements that could be targeted
for ongoing improvement and employee
engagement. This process will be
repeated annually to assess HR goals and
assist in HR planning priorities. The STAR
Workplace survey results indicated that
employees’ bottom 5 Indicators for lack
of satisfaction are:
1. Efficient planning and decision
making process
61%
2. Receiving constructive feedback
on my performance
61%
3. Training and development for
my job
63%
4. Professional development in
my job
64%
5. Opportunities for
advancement
65%
The Employee Report Summary of Principle
Key Areas and Rating are as follows:
Analysis
1. I know what I am accountable for80%
2.Receiving customer feedback 66%
3.Flexibility in work arrangement 72%
4.Receiving constructive feedback
on my performance Total 61%
70%
Planning
1. Knowing how the business is
performing and future direction 72%
2.Efficient planning and decision
making process 61%
3.Opportunities for advancement 65%
4.Training and development for
my job 63%
Total 65%
Partnership
1. Effective management team 2.Comfortable, safe, clean work
environment
3.I am trusted
4.Interesting challenging job Total 67%
83%
86%
88%
81%
Links
1. Ability to satisfy customer needs 81%
2.Efficient workplace 69%
3.Formal communication process 67%
4.Remuneration/pay and bonuses 73%
Total 73%
You - Contribution
1. Positive work environment 2. Recognition and praise 70%
70%
3. Recognition of my contribution 67%
4. Professional development in
my job 64%
Total 68%
Total Current
Rating: 71% Employee
Satisfaction
11
However the school must also continue
to attract high quality staff as well as
addressing the critical issues of diversity,
gender equity and the ageing workforce
implications.
Future HR planning to
effective staffing decisions
enhance
Competition for high quality employees
is likely to become an increasingly
important issue as discussed by (Wilden, et
al., 2010, p. 56) particularly in the teaching
profession. The Ministerial Council for
Education, Early Childhood Development
and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA) report
highlights the large proportion of the
teaching workforce will retire in the next
decade and forecast critical shortages.
Statistical Data and Analysis
Staff ages range over four generations.
HR Coach (2013) surveyed staff through
the STAR Workplace Program in 2012.
Participating Employee Survey Data:
Effective design and application of
HR policies and procedures for the
school’s future success and competitive
advantage means linking SHRM to
employer branding as a means to attract
and retain a high quality workforce.
The school must consider innovation,
quality, cost, leadership, employing the
right people, develop HR strategies, and
resourcing developing and rewarding
these as part of HR strategy for our
continued competitive advantage (Sahoo
et al. 2011, p. 26).
Number of Employees: 75
Number of Managers: 12 (16%)
Number of Females: 54 (72%)
Number of Males: 33 (44%)
Number of Gen Z (1989 – 1994): 1 (1.3%)
Number of Gen Y(1978 – 1988): (52%)
Number of Gen X(1965 – 1977): 39 (29%)
Number of Baby Boomers (1946 –1964): 21
Number of Veterans (1929 – 1945): 1
SHRM contributes to organisational
performance and thus is inextricably
linked to the school’s future success.
Opinion is that this is no longer an
option but an imperative (Fitz-Enz, 1998,
p. 81). The evolution of HR as outlined by
Matthews in Bartol, Tein, Matthews, and
Sharma, (2008, p. 391) states that SHRM
focuses on aligning HR activities to the
strategic business focus.
16% of the workforce are managers.
44% of the workforce is male, 75% are
executive, 83% of middle management in
secondary school are male, while primary
middle management is 100% female. Staff
ages range over four generations with
29% in the 1929-1964 age range. There
is negligible representation of cultural
diversity (1.9%) and disability (1.6%).
Shifts have emerged to proactive,
strategic planning and cultural change
and the overall importance of HR as part
of organisational management.
"Staff turnover is less than 4%
each year since inception."
Staff turnover is less than 4% each
year since inception. This evidences
intrinsic rewards are on offer within the
organisation (Noe et al., 2013, p. 214).
Strategically the school must continue
to retain current employees motivating
them to keep performing at a consistently
high performance level.
Research demonstrates that “high
performance HRM systems had a
significant positive effect … on overall
financial performance, productivity and
turnover.” Caldwell et al., (2010, p.172).
High-performance work systems must
be considered as research cites increased
productivity is the result (Noe et al., 2013,
p. 54). “The productivity and retention of
an organisation’s HR base is to achieve
economic efficiency and effectiveness
and ensure long-term viability” (App et al.,
2012 p.265).
12
Staff contribution to decision-making is integral to internal nonpecuniary non-instrumental system of rewards (Cavangnoli
2011, p.115) enhancing commitment, enthusiasm, belongingness
and motivation. Cavagnoli (2011) highlights how rewards assist
in the creation of a culture of common values and beliefs and
therefore an important consideration besides the motivational
and retention aspects.
A transitional matrix is needed to assist in outlining subject
teacher demand forecasts. By 2016 teacher shortages could
mean that creative and innovative measures of the traditional
workforce by considering overtime, outsourcing, reorganisation
of job design could assist. The use of a transitional matrix would
indicate future retirements, promotions, voluntary turnover and
terminations (Noe et al. 2013, p.196).
The school has adopted a range of initiatives to meet current
employees’ varying needs through flexible work, leave flexibility,
parenting/carers provisions, health and wellbeing programs,
childcare, and school-fee assistance to increase employee
satisfaction, commitment and loyalty. To retain talent, further
flexibility considerations, and a career matrix would assist the
ageing workforce dilemma.
Conclusion
The school’s success rests with linking the organisational
strategic goals with SHRM and will assist in enhancing the
school’s competitive advantage.
As cited by Jones (2010, p. 268) the school’s recruitment and
selection processes have had a developmental role in building
a quality workforce and has determined our overall effective
competitive position thus far.
Forecasting and gap analysis
Action plans to predict future shortages and surpluses means
accessing quality data of current workforce. A Staff Chart, skill
inventory and replacement chart would assist in succession
planning (Nel et al., 2012, p. 184-5). A leading indicator is the
predicted growth of 210 students by 2016 thus the forecasted
labour demand is 18 FTE teaching positions for secondary and
nil growth in primary staff.
Jan e t G e ro nimi
Emp l oye e R e latio ns
Manager
References
App, S. M. Merk, J., & Buttgen, M., (2012). Employer branding: Sustainable
HRM as a competitive advantage in the market for high-quality employees.
Management Revue, 23(3), 262-278. Retrieved from:
http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.
aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=79964685&site=ehost-live
Bartol, K. T. Tein, M., Matthews, G., & Sharma, S., (2008). Management: A
Pacific Rim Focus (5th Edition ed.). (D. Fowler, Ed.) Nth Ryde, NSW, Australia:
McGraw-Hill.
Cavagnoli, D. (2011). A conceptual framework for innovation: An
application of human resource management policies in Australia.
Innovation: Management, Policy @ Practice , 13 (1), pp. 111-125.
Caldwell, C. Truong, D. X., Linh, P. T., & Tuan, A. (2010). Strategic human
resource management as ethical stewardship. Journal of Business Ethics,
98: (1) , 171-182. Retrieved from:
Dyer, L. &. Reeves, T. (1995). Human resource strategies and firm
performance: What do we know and where do we need to go? International
Journal of Human Resource Management 6(3), 656-670.
Department of Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts. Better
Workplaces Employer Resource Kit. Tasmania: Department of Economic
Development, Tourism and the Arts.
Døving, E. &. Nordhaug, O., (2010). Investing in human resource planning:
An International study. Management Revue, 21(3) , 292-307. Retrieved
from:
Dransfield, J. (2013). Flexibility in the Workplace: What is reasonable?
How Fare Should You Go? New IR Laws for HR Managers Managing your
Workplace 18th Natiional employmet Law COnference (pp. 69-86). Sydney:
Schofield & Associates.
Fitz-Enz, J. (1998). Human Value Management. san Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
France, V. P. (2012). The strength of the employer brand: Influences and
implications for recruiting. Journal of Marketing & Management , 3 (1), 78122.
HR Coach Pty Ltd (2011) STAR Workplace Report Saint Columba Anglican
School 14/1/2013 Australia
Jones, R. (2010). Managing Human Resource Systems (2nd Edition ed.).
French's Forest, Australia: Pearson.
Nel, P. W., Werner, Du Plessis, Fazey, Erwee, Pillay, Mackinnon, Millet &
Wordsworth (2012). Human Resource Management in Australia and New
Zealand. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
Noe, R. Hollenbeck, J., Gerhart, B. & Wright, P. (2013). Human resource
management: Gaining a competitive advantage (8th Edition ed.). Boston:
McGraw-Hill.
McCarthy, J. M., Van Iddekinge, C. H., & Campion, M. A. (2010). Are highly
structured job interviews resistant to demographic similarity effects? .
Personnel Psychology, 63(2 , 325-359. Retireved from:
http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.as
px?direct=true&db=bth&AN=50386800&site=ehost-live
Savaneviciene, S. & Stankeviciute, Z. (2011). Human resource management
practices linkage with organisational commitment and job satisfaction.
Economics & Management, 16 , 921-928. Retrieved from:
Sahoo, C. K. Das, S., & Sundaray, B. K. (2011). Strategic human resource
management: Exploring the key drivers. Employment Relations Record,
11(2) , 18-32. Retrieved from:
The Ministerial Council for Education. (n.d.). 2013 http://www.mceecdya.
edu.au/verve/_resources/part_f.pdf . Retrieved from:
www.mceecdya.edu.au
Ulrich, D. B. Brockbank, W., & Ulrich, M. (2010). Capturing the credible activist
to improve the performance of HR Professionals. . People & Strategy, 33 (2),
, 22-30. Retrieved from:
Wang, D. &. Shyu, C. (2008). Will the strategic fit between business and HRM
strategy influence HRM effectiveness and organizational performance?
International Journal of Manpower, 29(2), 92-110.
Wilden, R. G. (2010). Employer branding: Strategic implications for staff
recruitment. Journal of Marketing Management, 26(1/2), 56-73.
13
Inclusion and Support of
Students with Special Needs
Providing Access for All: Planning for All
“Inclusive education is really about fostering an education system that is accessible to children of all ability levels and
embraces the participation of the whole community in the education process.” Nathaniel Stewart, Peace Corps Volunteer
I believe that this quote reflects the way
in which the St Columba Anglican School
community embraces the inclusion
of all students. The staff at SCAS are
passionate about providing an inclusive
environment and working together
with the community to ensure positive
experiences for every student.
Early in 2013 SCAS received funding
from the Federal Government under
the “More Support for Students with
Disabilities (MSSD)” initiative. To utilise
this funding a committee was formed
comprising Mr Andrew Philpott (Learning
Support Coordinator), Ms Elissa Strahley
(Secondary Representative) and myself
(Primary Representative). All staff at the
school were very positive about further
developing the school’s commitment
to inclusive education. The Committee
surveyed staff and identified key areas to
work on. The aim has been to continue to
build on staff skills and knowledge as well
as practices for working with all students.
"Inclusion is as much about (special
needs) kids reaching their potential as
it is about ‘normal kids’ reaching their
compassion potential." Sky King
At SCAS we aim to foster acceptance
in all students and this is interwoven into
many programs. Staff meet regularly to
discuss opportunities that will support
students with special needs as well as
build understanding in others.
At our school the pastoral care of students
is paramount. Dialogue between staff
as well as with outside agencies and
professionals is ongoing. This includes
teachers engaging in team meetings
and discussions with the Learning
Support Team. Staff also liaise with
Professionals in the community such as
Psychologists, Occupational Therapists,
Physiotherapists,
Speech
Therapists,
Educational Consultants, Behavioural
Optometrists and Early Intervention
Agencies. Such communication ensures
that students’ individual needs can be
planned for.
Within the school environment staff aim
to enhance the physical, emotional,
social and academic development of all
students. Whilst teachers plan for this on
a daily basis in their classroom, a variety
of activities and initiatives outside the
classroom support such development in
special needs students. Examples include
social skills groups, use of the vegetable
garden, teleconferencing with the Royal
Institute for Deaf and Blind Children, the
Minilit Literacy Program, building design
such as ramps and the installation of
equipment to allow access to the upper
Stage One Playground.
‘‘At SCAS we aim to
foster acceptance in
all students’’
The
school
community
promotes
inclusion and supports the development
of special needs students through the
extra-curricular program that is provided.
An amazing array of activities are on
offer to students. These include: camps,
choirs, music groups, bands, drama,
dance, chess, Tournament of the Minds
and
many
sporting
opportunities.
Participation in these activities can result
in tangible, positive outcomes for all
students.
The staff are committed to all children
having access to the curriculum inside
the classroom so as to reach their
potential. To achieve this goal, staff aim
to differentiate the curriculum to ensure
that it is delivered at a level appropriate
to individual students. The funding
recently received has allowed greater
collaboration amongst staff to work
towards this goal.
The Learning Support Team also play a
vital role within the School. The Learning
Support Teachers and Teachers Aides
provide support for students with
special needs within the classroom as
well as withdrawal from the classroom
to work on individual goals. They too
are an important component of the
collaboration that exists within our school
community.
Working closely with parents is seen
as a pivotal aspect of building and
maintaining inclusive education. From
the initial contact with families, the
enrolment and orientation process and
then during the ongoing education of
students, parents are seen as an integral
part of their child’s education. Regular
communication with parents ensures
that the specific needs of students are
being addressed. This takes various forms:
planning
meetings,
teacher/parent
interviews, diary comments and contact
via email as well as at drop off and pick
up times. Forging an open and respectful
relationship with parents ensures success
for students.
Part of our ongoing commitment to
students with special needs is their
transition to the next level of schooling.
Staff begin and build on relationships
with the child, parents, professionals
and teaching staff who work with
individual students. The aim is the sharing
of information and the formulation of
individualised plans that ensure a smooth
and positive experience as each student
moves into and within the school.
“The successful inclusion of children
with disabilities and special needs in
our school system relies on the belief
that all children have equal access to a
quality education. Inclusive education
isn't a program, a place or a classroom.
It is a way of understanding and living in
the real world. Because, in fact, this is a
world that has people of all different sizes,
shapes, colours and abilities.” Nicole
Eredics - Inclusive Advocate
At St Columba Anglican School we do
live in the real world and we take our
responsibility for educating all students
seriously. I am proud to be a part of such
a dedicated team of staff that provides
a rigorous and comprehensive approach
to inclusive education for the young
people of the Hastings area.
D o nna Hur s t
Pr imar y Teach e r
14
A student's perspective of
changes in educational technology
When I started school, the most
technology we had in the class room
was a PlayStation 1 console, which one
of my friends brought in for show and
tell. We didn’t even turn it on, although
I think that was as much to do with
the lack of a TV in the classroom than
anything else. Occasionally our teacher
would drag out an overhead projector
and while she was setting up we’d
make shadow puppets on the projector
screen. Birds, dogs, people, we could
make anything with shadows, telling
stories until we had to actually learn
something from our teacher.
the way of tech support for using your
own device, and the WiFi was patchy at
best.
Compare that to classrooms now,
only 10 years later, with Projectors,
TVs, Computers and all the kids with
their own iPads. The possibilities of new
teaching, both in terms of method and
content are endless.
During his HSC, my brother almost never
took his computer to school, using the
iPad for everything that he might have
once used his computer for.
I’ve managed to bridge the introduction
of technology into education in my
schooling — certainly up until Year 7 and
8 I used very little, other than the odd
occasions I got to bring in Dad’s laptop
to school, and using the computers in
the computer labs. In Year 6 I had an
18 MB(!) USB drive, the size of my thumb.
Now I don’t even have a USB drive
thanks to Dropbox.
The first computer that I had pretty much
as my own was a Power Macintosh
7300/200 from 1997, running Mac OS 8.
I played some weird wireframe game
involving some form of tank like vehicle,
and made some (terrible) drawings in
ClarisWorks. My brother had a slightly
older Apple laptop, and we used to
make documents for pretend businesses
and send them to each other on Floppy
Disks, to be reviewed and edited.
By the time I started school (in 2001),
my family had two blue iMacs — one
for Mum and my brother, and the other
for Dad and me. We would come home
from school (my brother Matt is two years
older than me) and play Nanosaur and
Bugdom, instead of watching horrible
kids' TV shows like most of our friends.
Okay, I still watched the Wiggles and Hi5, but they were cool... Or not. Anyway,
as a family, we were essentially early
adopters in comparison to most of those
around us.
When I first started taking a computer to
school regularly, back in 2008, I was the
only person in any of my classes to do so.
I used it to view PDFs of my textbooks in
class and work on assignments in Pages,
Keynote and Numbers. There was little in
By the time I was in Year 9, the use of
computers at school had skyrocketed,
but by then my brother and I had a new
toy to share — an iPad. We had one
months before it was even available in
Australia, thanks to some friends who
were on holidays in America just after
the launch and brought one back for
us. It was amazing. To be able to take
notes, view textbooks and work on
assignments in such a small package
was fantastic.
I had to go back to using a computer
more at school during this time, which
was fortuitous, since I really needed it for
subjects like Music, and Multimedia, in
which I was composing, editing photos,
‘‘The first computer that I had
pretty much as my own was a
Power Macintosh 7300/200 from
1997, running Mac OS 8.’’
and making movies, and really needed
software like Aperture, Final Cut Express,
and Garageband. During Year 9 and 10 I
amassed huge amounts of data related
to school due to my ever increasing use
of technology in my education.
My Chemistry teacher is a huge
advocate of using technology for
education. His Moodle page for our
preliminary HSC Chemistry course is
wonderful. There are past papers,
worksheets for homework tasks, various
pages for each topic full of video and
images, and forums, quizzes and image
uploading tasks for all the modules of
the course.
This really is what education should
be about - having access to shared
resources, communication channels,
and
clear
information
available
whenever you need help.
This, of course, isn't standard across all
subjects. However, other technology is
still coming into education. The use of
devices such as iPads and laptops are
giving more interactivity to our learning,
allowing easier access to resources.
For example, in Physics we've been
using the excellent Soundbeam app
to look at waves and how they can
be changed, without needing to use
the oscilloscope. It means we can all
look on our own devices (iPads, iPods,
iPhones) and look at the signal at the
same time rather than having to crowd
around the single piece of equipment
we would normally use.
One of my favourite uses of technology
is what we use in Music. We use Dropbox
extensively to share documents, music,
assessment
information,
feedback,
and submission of assessments. It just
works. Each member of the class has
a shared folder between our teacher
and themselves. Within that we have all
of our work for each topic, allowing us
to get feedback as we complete tasks,
and get resources quickly.
If we are composing for example, our
teacher can listen to our work and
suggest changes or check on our
progress diaries to see what stage
we are up to. This constant feedback
network means that we can move
faster through our work, without the
limitations that normally exist in ease of
communication between students and
teachers.
Content
creation
is
increasingly
becoming a part of school in all
subjects, whether it be Science, Art,
Geography or Music. Group tasks
seem to be a common theme with
the creation of content. Making a
website about a global conflict in
Geography or making a video about
the functions of one of the body's
systems in Science.
This form of learning — collaborative and
interactive — lets you develop a better
understanding of the topic by taking
your own path and finding answers.
While open ended learning may be
difficult when you are first exposed to it,
it allows the student to tailor their own
learning to discover exactly what they
want to know.
Asking your own questions can lead to
a greater level of focus, because the
answer is what you want to know. Not
what your teacher wants you to know,
not what the government determines
you need to learn. What you want to
know. That's powerful. I love knowing
the answers to my questions - I love
asking questions; and that's where
there can be an issue. Having time for
yourself, and exploring your own ideas
and thoughts.
Our current eduction system in Australia
is based around (like many other
countries, I assume) a syllabus that
defines what content must be taught
and when that must happen. Currently,
there is some work taking place on
this, as a national curriculum is being
introduced some time in the next few
years, to align all the states and ensure
that the same topics are being covered
everywhere. However, new learning
methods do not seem to be addressed.
In fact, one of the great components
of New South Wales' curriculum may
vanish. Many subjects have Extensions
that can be taken in Year 12, while
English and Maths have Extension 1 and
Extension 2 courses that start in Year 11
and 12 respectively, offering flexibility
in the level that can be studied. These
extensions also give a good platform for
university courses in the same areas.
I do Extension 1 Maths, and I'm also now
doing Extension 2 Maths. However, I
wasn't sure whether I would do Extension
2 at the end of Year 10. Having done
Extension 1 for Year 11, I wanted to at
least have a go at Extension 2. Under
the new curriculum, this can't happen.
You may have to choose four units or
two units at the end of Year 10 and start
whichever you choose in Year 11. For
some past HSC candidates, four units
has been too difficult, while they have
wanted more of a challenge than Two
Unit presents. That's where Extension
1 (Three units) comes in. Perfect for
someone interested in Maths, and with
a good inclination for Maths but not
necessarily interested in doing a degree
focused heavily on Maths. The Extension
1 courses in both English and Maths are
great if you are good at either subject
as they are an excellent way to get
another good mark towards your ATAR,
helping you achieve a higher mark,
perhaps allowing you to get into the
course you are interested in.
Four units in either subject (I will focus
a bit more on Maths as that is what I'm
doing) is a higher level again over Three
Unit, predictably, and isn't necessarily
something that would be done just to
boost your marks (however some do still
do it solely for that reason). Extension 2
is normally done if you really like Maths
and have an aptitude for it. You get
into more abstract theories such as
imaginary numbers which will probably
only interest you if you actually love
Maths. I'm not planning on doing a
degree in which highly complex Maths
is required - Architecture - but I'm sure
some level of complexity may manifest
itself in more complex design work. I'm
doing extension Maths as much for fun
(shocking!) as I am for the knowledge
and marks it will (hopefully) get me.
That brings me to another point. Learning
needs to be about enjoyment and fun.
If learning is fun, then you can connect
with the content more easily, and reduce
procrastination. When you procrastinate
you are (from experience) avoiding
doing something boring or irritating by
doing something fun. Hopefully you
aren't just avoiding thinking hard about
something. If learning about something
is fun, you are more likely to just want to
do it. I've found that to be one of the
best things about Music as a subject. I
love composing and would happily do
it in my spare time. Heck, I even do it
to procrastinate from other subjects!
But I'm doing work when I do it, just as
practising my instruments is now school
work. Making your leisure activities your
school work has its benefits because it
gives you an outlet that isn't a 'waste' of
time in so much as it still counts towards
your future tertiary education.
However, it is important not to make
your leisure activities stressful through
this application of weight to them.
Especially in creative pursuits - Art,
Music, Dance - this feeling that it counts
for something and is worth marks can
stop it from being an enjoyable activity.
And you really need to have outlets from
school work. So you need to be careful
that all your outlets don't become part
of your school education.
For the most part, sport isn't assessed in
terms of your ability in a specific sporting
event — subjects such as PDHPE and SLR
look at sport as a whole - which means
it can be an excellent release. Sport is
great as an outlet because it makes you
physically tired and lets you forget about
other things while you do it. I cycle a bit
and I've found it to be really helpful to
take my mind of other things and just
ride. I often go with a friend which is
great fun because you can experience
it together or at least have some good
time to chat. I also love to get outside
and ride to different places to look at
my surroundings — interesting houses,
gardens, landscapes — which I think
helps clear my mind of school work.
I'm sure my lower level of talent at
cycling is really a good thing given the
purpose it has in my life. I'm not likely to
get into competitions and have to go
anywhere for it, but I'm good enough
to be able to have fun and enjoy doing
rides.
My school has a broad range of extra
curricula activities such as bands, choirs,
sport teams, academic teams, and
honours groups. I participate in four
bands, two choral groups, a varying
number of sporting teams (Season
dependent) and I'm currently in the
only honours group available to me Leadership. All of these things give me
great enjoyment and make every day
at least a little different to the last. I do
all these activities for essentially the
same reason. I love it. I love interacting
with others through music, I love to work
together with my friends in a sporting
team and I love to learn about new
things. All these activities fulfil my want
for more.
15
This drives back to my discussion about
education and its purpose, outcomes,
and techniques. Convincing people
to yearn for information, knowledge,
and understanding is what needs to
be done, while still providing some
direction.
Open ended learning comes to the
fore here. If students are simply asked
to research a broad topic, with a focus
on one element - Discrimination in
Australian History for example — it gives
students the opportunity to learn about
something that relates to them or they
are passionate about, while still ensuring
they learn about something deemed
important. I don't think that Australia
would be willing to adopt this somewhat
radical system at this stage, because of
the risks that certainly are involved in
major change. I would love to find out
how this would work, but does a specific
syllabus giving minute details on each
and every topic that must be learnt fulfil
this need? No. However, it is easy to
assess on a large scale.
And I think that is what this comes down
to - comparisons between students,
teachers, regions. The government
just wants statistics, and the universities
want effective, standardised criteria by
which to rank students. But is assessing
people based on a specific criterion
the best way to determine who will fit
a tertiary educational course? It does
mean everyone does the same test so
it must be fair mustn't it? Not necessarily.
People have strengths and weaknesses.
So perhaps that's what electives are for.
Not quite. Each elective still has stringent
criteria for what must be taught, and
generally speaking, there is not enough
time within the two years over which the
courses are taught for extra material of
interest to each student to be slotted
in, and then it would be 'impossible' to
assess. Not really impossible, just harder
and less standardised across various
educational institutions.
Education appears to be turning into a
production line, — at least in the older
years — creating easy to compare
students with the same knowledge,
information, and skills. A great society
needs to have diversity, and education
needs to be the start of that: learning
to be different, thinking for yourself and
finding your own interests. This world has
a few challenges facing it. We need
to innovate. We need to see what is
possible. We need people who are
willing to be different, people who aren't
fighting anything to be different, but
accepted because they are different.
An drew B ake r
Stu d e nt
Year 12 2013
16
RUGBY: THE FINAL FRONTIER
Thinking back to my own childhood it is amazing how
much has changed in 25 years. Parents were far more
relaxed with regards to what kids could do after school
or on the weekends. Often I would get together with the
neighbourhood kids and go off into the bush to make a
cubby house, tree house or base of some sort. Or a trip to
the vacant block for a hard fought game of footy, soccer or
cricket. The only restrictions from our parents were that we
had to be home before dark.
When we were alone in the bush we would have play
fights, sword fights with sticks and lots of wrestling. This
was the perfect way to test your strength and skill on your
mates to see where you stood in the pecking order. In a
way we were preparing ourselves for the possibility of a
real fight in the future. Just like young males in the animal
kingdom who play fight with each other after watching
the adult males fight for the females, they are preparing
for the future.
Rugby is the last bastion, one of the few places kids can
pit their strength, skill, speed and aggression against
others of a similar age. The Rugby field is a place where
parents are not allowed to step in; only a referee is able to
undertake this role and sort out any foul play. The Rugby
field is also a place where kids can learn to be adults,
make lifelong friendships, learn leadership skills, conflict
resolution skills, build self-esteem and learn controlled
aggression. They will fail, succeed, get knocked down and
get back up again. They will experience fear, adrenaline,
elation, anger and excitement all in the first five minutes
of a Rugby match.
Once the game is over they shake hands and make a
tunnel for their opponents to run through while clapping
them off, thanking them for a hard match and feeling
glad the war is over for another week, then waking up the
next morning feeling sore and bruised but happily telling
anyone who’ll listen about their battle scars with pride.
Today we have the phenomenon of “Helicopter Parenting”,
where the parents are hovering metres away from their
child, ready to step in and resolve any conflict or situation
that occurs, rather than letting the kids try to solve things
themselves. I admit that I can be guilty of this myself with
my own kids. Unfortunately parents today have little
option but to watch their child’s every move for fear of
being seen as a negligent parent.
Whether we like it or not, people have been fighting
against one another since the dawn of time. As society
becomes more sophisticated and educated, more and
more freedoms are being taken away in the name of
safety, sending physical violence underground or into the
darkness of a car park at night. Rugby is a tough game that
hopefully will live on and not be taken away because of
the chance of injury.
So many kids today don’t have the same options to “let
off some steam”, test their strength on friends or have a
wrestle. They are constantly being told to keep their hands
to themselves in a “hands on” world where we touch
everything, including the computer screen!
Whenever a parent asks about the dangers of their child
playing Rugby I like to point out that the biggest danger
will be during the drive to and from the game, but nobody
seems to worry about that!
Public liability has also taken away many opportunities for
kids to be kids. Imagine the uproar if a school reintroduced
boxing as a sport! It just wouldn’t be allowed. In the past
many schools and even famous universities celebrated
their boxing champions, who were also good scholars
and fine gentlemen outside of the ring. Nowadays kids
organise fight clubs where two people fight while being
surrounded by others who are filming them and cheering
for blood, then posting the fight on youtube!
Rugby is the last
bastion, one of the few
places kids can pit their
strength, skill, speed
and aggression against
others of a similar age.
In my opinion, the world is a better place with Rugby in it!
Luke R ichards
Rugby Co ach
Primar y Teacher
17
Google Communities
What are Google Communities you might ask? I believe they
are online links to the most amazing people and learning
environments. You can follow pre-established
groups,
individuals or organisations, but best of all you can create
your own student learning environment or professional
learning environment. Google communities are just that,
world wide communities of like minded people creating links
for a common goal.
To give you an example I follow a number of communities
that help you to keep up with the latest uses for technology
in education, thinking critically and being innovative. Each
community tries to serve a particular purpose.
The communities that I have created are a summary of all
of the websites and links that I have found to do with being
creative in the classroom. My community, like many others,
has a content list so that it is easier for you to find information.
Some of them are about Google Chrome, iPad apps, lesson
links, art ideas, new teacher links, technology and change,
science lessons, YouTube links and the list continues. I also am
a moderator (help to run, update and add to) a community
that was started by a teacher in America. Communities link
with each other and help to add and build what will benefit
the concept behind that like-minded community.
To then build on this students can add comments and links
to the community. Your more tech-minded and academic
students can assist the rest of the class. Once they find a
good site that you have not already added they can add it
and make a comment about it.
This concept of Google communities can help to build your
subject resources and once created you can continue to
build it. You as the teacher are the moderator and can see
every action made by the students. The whole concept of
your community will build professional knowledge and open
wider pathways for learning. You could link your community
with university students and lecturers and open up a global
learning environment for your students and peers.
Google communities have many and varied uses for
Secondary school teachers. I encourage you to get onto
Google Plus and search for a topic you are interested in. I
have found interesting Science, History, PD Health, and lots
of technology based communities that might interest you.
If you are interested and would like some help setting up or
simply finding one, I am more than happy to assist. Happy
Googling in 2014.
The most exciting aspect is that you can add to all of this and
you can create your own learning community. This could be
used very effectively in the Secondary school area. At this
point in time you need to be 13 and over to join Google Plus
as this is how you access Google communities. I created a
community before I realised this and that is the whole reason
I am sharing it with you.
As an example: the Year 5 students selected a country from
around the world to study. I then created my community.
I linked all of the websites that I felt were a good place to
start for the students' independent study. This was to assist
the students who find it hard to research or who have limited
literacy skills. The student can login to Google Plus, go the the
community and follow the one you have created for them.
You simply add a link to the websites you have selected.
Lisa Gooding
Director of Primary Curriculum
and Primary Teacher
18
English
and how it got that way
More than 300 million people in the world speak English and
the rest, it sometimes seems, try to. Any language where the
unassuming word fly signifies an annoying insect, a means of
travel, and a critical part of a gentleman’s apparel is bound
to be trouble.
The complexities of the English language are such that
even native speakers often have trouble. In the sentence “I
am swimming.”, swimming is a present participle. But in the
sentence “Swimming is good for you.”, it is a gerund – even
though it means exactly the same thing.
Contrastingly, in comparison to many other languages, English
is quite flexible and simple. In German, if you wish to say you,
there is a choice of seven words. A Korean has to choose
between one of six verb suffixes to accord with the status of
the person addressed. And mercifully our nouns are free from
gender. So if you ever wanted to know why our language is
the way it is, things like how you can be overwhelmed and
underwhelmed but can’t just be whelmed or why we say
the word colonel as if it has an r in it, please read on. And
Irregardless is not a word regardless of what you think.
Basically the History of English begins with the Celts, the ancient
people living in Britain prior to a series of invasions. Whilst these
invasions were probably not so great for the people at the time,
they were quite excellent for the growth and development of
the English language.
Part 1 - The Roman conquest or vene, vidi, vici
"I came, I saw, I conquered" is a Latin phrase which reportedly
comes from Julius Caesar's declaration respecting his
campaign in Britain (55-54 BC). We don’t know much about the
Celtic language, as it was an oral language, but the Romans
who merged with the Ancient Greek language, had a welldeveloped formal language structure and are responsible for
giving us a variety of Greco-Roman terms such as sum, sub and
pro. We still use Latin expressions like vice versa, pro bono and
carpe diem, which according to Jack Black is ‘yolo’ (You Only
Live Once) for smart people. But Latin is well and truly a dead
language. The real history of English begins with the departure
of the Romans and the arrival of various Germanic tribes.
Part 2 Anglo Saxon or What Ever Happened to the Jutes?
The departure of the Romans (c.410) and the arrival of Germanic
tribes (c.450) like the Angles, Saxons and Jutes provided a
much more useful vocabulary than Latin could offer, because
Anglo-Saxon, as the language came to be known, was mainly
made up of words for simple everyday things like house,
women or loaf. Four days of the week Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday and Friday are named after Anglo-Saxon gods.
Meanwhile, Christianity became quite popular with the AngloSaxon people and while the church was mainly responsible for
education, it operated using the Latin alphabet. This allowed
the Anglo-Saxons to take on words from Latin like martyr, bishop
and font. There is an irony here where Anglo-Saxon ideas were
being written not in their original alphabet called ruins, but in
the Latin alphabet, which is almost identical to our own.
Part 3 Along Came the Vikings
These Danish invaders gave us more action words like drag,
ransack, thrust and die. The Vikings started to invade around
800 AD. Whilst they were known for their fierce fighting they
were also into give and take; two of the approximately two
thousand words they gave English. Old English did not sound
or look like English today. Native English speakers now would
have great difficulty understanding Old English. Nevertheless,
about half of the most commonly used words in Modern
English have Old English roots. The words: be, strong and water,
for example, derive from Old English, which was spoken until
around 1100. Beowulf is the title of an Old English heroic epic
poem, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most
important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.
Part 4 The Norman Conquest or Excuse my French
1066 saw the Battle of Hastings and
the first English king: William the
Conqueror of Normandy. William
brought new concepts from across
the channel like the Normand
language and the Doomsday Book.
French became the language of
the aristocracy and popular with
official business: cuncile…council
(c.1125),
parlement…parliament
(c.1290), judge (c.1290), jury
(c.1400) evidence (c.1300). Latin
was still used ad nauseam in the
church, but the common person
spoke in English. Words like cow,
sheep and swine come from the English-speaking farmers;
while the a la carte version beef, mutton and pork (c.1300)
come from the French. All in all, English absorbed about ten
thousand words from the Normands. After the 100 Years War
between France and England by around 1453, English took
over as the dominant language in England, but with many
French words added. This language is called Middle English.
It was the language of the great poet Chaucer (c.1340-1400)
author of the Canterbury Tales, but it would still be difficult for
native English speakers to understand today.
Part 5 Shakespeare or 2B or Not 2B
Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden and distinct
change in pronunciation (the Great Vowel Shift) started, with
vowels being pronounced shorter and shorter. From the 16th
century the British had contact with many people from around
the world. This, and the Renaissance of Classical learning, meant
that many new words and phrases entered the language. The
invention of printing also meant that there was now a common
language in print. Books became cheaper and more people
learned to read.
According to the history books, about 2000 new words
and phrases were given to us by William Shakespeare
(1564-1616). He gave us handy words like eyeball and
puppy; and more fancy words like dauntless, besmirch and
lacklustre. He also gave us expressions like ‘flesh and blood’
Merchant of Venice III i; ‘green eyed monster’ Othello III iii;
and ‘breaking the ice’ The Taming of the Shrew I ii. Now it’s
possible that other people used these words and phrases as
well, but Shakespeare showed us how rich and versatile our
language can be.
19
Part 6 The King James Bible or Let There Be Light Reading
In 1611 ‘the powers that be’ (Romans
13:2) gave us a new translation of
the Bible. A team of scribes with ‘the
wisdom of Solomon’ (Luke 11:13)
tried to make the Bible ‘all things
to all men’ (1 Corinthians 9:22). This
new bible went from ‘strength to
strength’ (Psalms 84:7) and gained
popularity in a language even ‘the
salt of the Earth’ (Mathew 5:15) could
understand. The King James Bible
gave us a number of expressions and
metaphors still around today.
Part 7 The Science of English or How to Speak with Gravity
Scientific discoveries started flourishing in the 17th century
and so too the language. People like Thomas Boyle (16271691) and Isacc Newton (1623-1727) formed the Royal
Society in 1660. At first they worked in Latin, but found
English the more common and logical language to work in;
words like acid (1626), gravity (1641) and electricity (1646)
had to be invented along with these new discoveries.
Part 8 Colonialism and the English Empire or Pip Pip and All That
With English now the language of science, the bible and the
people, England seemed to want to take over the world asking
for only wealth, natural resources, true obedience and taxes
without representation. Looking for gold in the Caribbean gave
us words like barbeque (c.1660), canoe (c.1550) and cannibal
(c.1550). In India words like yoga (c.1820), cumber bun (c.1610)
and bungalow (c.1670) began to appear. In Africa the English
added words like voodoo (c.1850) and zombie (c.1871).
From Australia the English took words like nugget (c.1852),
boomerang (c.1827) and walkabout (c.1828). The English
language was now spoken by over 400 million people leaving
new varieties and accents to develop all around the globe.
20
Part 9 The Development of the Dictionary or Can
You Say Lexicographer
From the moment the English landed in America in 1607,
they needed new words to identify what they found. Names
like moose, racoon and squash were borrowed from Native
Americans. Spanish also had an influence on American English
(and subsequently the world’s English), with words like canyon,
ranch, stampede and vigilante being examples of Spanish
words that entered English through the settlement of the
American West. Waves of immigrants to the US also brought
words like cookie and coleslaw from the Dutch, later the
Germans arrived selling pretzels from delicatessens and Italian’s
eating pizza and pasta. There was also a new language of
capitalism with bottom line and blue chip or white collar with
freeways and subways under construction. Interestingly words
like fall instead of autumn, diapers and candy instead of
nappies and lollies were from the original British vernacular.
The first dictionary appeared in the US in order to preserve and
define its language. Noah Webster (1758–1843) spent decades
of research in compiling his dictionaries. His first dictionary, A
Compendious Dictionary of the English Language, appeared
in 1806. In it, he introduced features that would be a hallmark
of future editions, such as American spellings (center rather
than centre, and honor rather than honour, etc.)
In Britain, Doctor Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language
took him nine years to write from 1746-1755 with over 42,000
entries. However, words kept being invented and in 1857 a new
book with standardised spelling (I so wanted to use a ‘z’ there)
was developed taking over 70 years to finish. This was the
Oxford English dictionary, first published in 1928 and continues
to be updated.
Part 10 Technology and communication or LOL
In 1972 the first email was sent and soon the Internet arrived.
This brought typing back into fashion. No one had to download
(1980) anything before or use a toolbar (1991) or set up a firewall
(1990). So why bother writing a sentence when an abbreviation
would do (by the way why is the word ‘abbreviation’ so long?).
In My Humble Opinion became IMHO; By The Way became
BTW and For Your Information FYI how can LOL mean Lots Of
Love and Laugh Out Loud at the same time? UG2BK you’ve
got to be kidding. May I just say that an email is not a text and
im is not a word.
In the 1500 years or so since the Romans left Britain, the English
language has become inspired. It was consolidated through
a variety of invasions and later spread to every part of the
world. English has shown a unique ability to absorb, evolve and
propagate - after foreign settlers got it started, it developed
into an entity of its own, first invading by the high seas then
by high-speed broadband connections, appropriating words
from over 150 languages and establishing itself as a global
institution. There are now more students of English in China than
there are people in the US, Australia and Canada combined!
All this despite an archaic written alphabet and a spelling
system with more exceptions than rules.
But don’t be disheartened if you are a native speaker of
English. We have more words at our disposal than most other
languages, as such it takes fewer words to communicate
ideas because we have a greater choice. And in the words
of Bill Gates: “If you could read and understand this, thank a
teacher; if you read it in English, thank a soldier.”
A Brief Chronology of English
55 BC
Roman invasion of Britain by Julius
Caesar.
AD 43
Roman invasion and occupation.
Beginning of Roman rule of Britain.
436
Roman withdrawal
complete.
449
Settlement of Britain by Germanic
invaders begins
450 480
Earliest
known
inscriptions.
1066
William the Conqueror, Duke of
Normandy, invades and conquers
England.
c1150
Earliest surviving
Middle English.
1348
English replaces Latin as the
language of instruction in most
schools.
1362
English replaces French as the
language of law. English is used in
Parliament for the first time.
c1388
Chaucer
starts
Canterbury Tales.
c1400
The Great Vowel Shift begins.
1476
William Caxton establishes the first
English printing press.
1564
Shakespeare is born.
1604
Table Alphabeticall, the first English
dictionary, is published.
1607
The
first
permanent
English
settlement in the New World
(Jamestown) is established.
1616
Shakespeare dies.
1623
Shakespeare's First Folio is published
1702
The first daily English-language
newspaper, The Daily Courant, is
published in London.
1755
Samuel Johnson publishes his English
dictionary.
1776
Thomas
Jefferson
writes
American
Declaration
Independence.
1782
Britain abandons its colonies in what
is later to become the USA.
1828
Webster publishes his American
English dictionary.
1922
The British Broadcasting Corporation
is founded.
1928
The Oxford English Dictionary is
published.
from
Old
Britain
Local
inhabitants
speak
Celtish
English
manuscripts
writing
Old English
in
Middle
English
The
Early
Modern
English
the
of
Kevin Mills
Head of English and
LOTE Faculty
Late
Modern
English
The Creative Classroom
Throughout 2013 my class produced
some of the most amazing and cool art
works.
I found - yep - Pinterest, and wow what
fantastic results were achieved.
The class really got behind the activities
and everyone was highly involved,
even the students who said initially that
they didn't enjoy Art or couldn’t draw.
We started our year by drawing portraits
in the manner of an American Artist,
James Rizzi. The results were outstanding
and the students couldn’t believe what
they could produce.
We moved onto patterns and became
quite creative by adding to the
beginning designs.
Perspective drawings pushed the
boundaries of the students' basic
skills. We started off with simple pencil
drawings to understand the concepts
of how perspective works in relation to
vanishing points.
To teach this concept I used a link to
YouTube and the students followed the
tutorial as I modeled and explained
the procedure, and they produced
excellent results.
Lisa Gooding
and Primary Teacher
21
22
It's tough being a teenager
I enjoy a bit of mountain biking and
though a real novice, I have often
found myself flying down a huge
hill with little control and praying
I’ll make it down safely! Teenage
years to me are a bit like down hill
mountain biking, especially when
you don’t have the adequate
skills to navigate them with style...
dodging rocks and potholes with
little time to stop, reflect or gain
control.
It’s tough being a teenager and
looking back on my own teenage
years, I get a great sense of relief
at having reached the more level
ground of adulthood better able
to dodge the rocks and negotiate
the potholes.
Within the school setting, it strikes
me that we want teenagers to
gain more than just a head full of
facts to pass various exams. We
want them to be equipped with
the knowledge and skills to survive
their teenage years, even to thrive
through these years and healthily
develop into full adulthood.
Yet to survive and thrive they must
be able to negotiate the rocks
and potholes on the way and to
bounce back stronger, smarter
and better from the inevitable
knocks and falls. The knocks and
falls are not just inevitable, they
are essential - through hard times
we gain resilience and learn the
lessons to successfully negotiate
our way to level ground.
Unfortunately, at a time when
adult relationship support is really
important to help teenagers build
resilience it is also a time when
these relationships with significant
adults are commonly strained.
They are strained in part because
we adults find it hard to understand
why teenagers behave in their
odd teenage ways. Indeed the
teenagers do not understand it
either - they just do it! We adults
have forgotten and probably
never really understood our
teenage-selves anyway.
In reading for this article I have
been staggered at the insights
of research on the developing
teenage brain - it explains a lot!
Powered with raging hormones
and fast changing brains our
teenagers need all the help
they can get and we need all
the help we can get to help
them!
In my chaplaincy role at SCAS,
as with previous chaplaincy roles
at a girls’ boarding school and
several years of church youth
leadership, I am amazed at how
much teenagers want to just
talk about their issues (parents
may be surprised by this but it is
a stage when they naturally look
to other adult role models and
confidantes).
So often there is nothing anyone
can do about their situation, and
even when primed with solutions
it is not what they are looking
for. What they want and need is
support, having someone to trust,
to listen, to reflect with and to
encourage them to keep going
when giving up is tempting.
That is, having someone who is on
your team and who is there in the
hard and confusing times.
In a recent seminar with Year 8 girls
we explored the practices of being
kind, tenderhearted and forgiving
(I admit to plagiarism from the
Bible: Ephesians 4:32 where Paul
wrote, “Be kind, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another as God in
Christ forgave you.”).
Particularly at this stage girls can
be harsh with each other, fickle
in their friendships and able to
cause much hurt and damage.
These words strike at the core
of destructive ways of relating
and provide powerful resources
for building constructive ways of
relating and personal resilience.
They help us manage negative
feelings and summon a valuable
honest humility. They capture
the power, knowledge and skills
to get up and move on without
being resentful and permanently
damaged, or causing that to
others.
It is tough being a teenager. They
need to learn the constructive
approaches that will help them
successfully navigate teenagehood as they fly through it, often
without the control, skills or style
we would wish for them - but
hopefully with great support from
the significant adults around them,
treating them with the qualities
I hope they will in turn learn, of
kindness, tenderheartedness and
forgiveness.
Hannah Dobos
Secondary Teacher
23
24
CONTEMPORARY
SCAS
ESSENCE JANUARY
MAGAZINE
2014MONTH 20XX
Creating an excellent
learning culture
Lisa Gooding
and Primary Teacher
Motivation, enthusiasm, a willingness to want to learn, excitement when new concepts are discovered,
peer learning, self direction, retention of knowledge; wow what an experience. That is what we are
all out to achieve.
The learning environment of a
classroom can vary greatly but
the culture you create can be
transformative for all of the students
involved. But not necessarily all at
once. It can be created by connecting
many different factors or layers
including the educational ethos,
physical learning environments and
the structures that are set up and
established throughout the entire
process. The key to the success
of a transparent environment is
adaptation, flexibility, review and
evaluation. Creating an excellent
learning culture in the end relies on
student engagement, a willingness to
share their learning with family and
the wider community and feeding
on each other in a collaborative way
as new knowledge and skills are
acquired.
became familiar with Google Docs
and Google Presentations to replace
Word applications.
It is also important to have a high
quality, sound learning program that
is effective, reviewed and evaluated
for the potential of making a real
difference. Your values, beliefs and
principles as a whole help to establish
the culture and underpins the design
and opportunity for learning and
as a result influence the behaviour,
engagement and attendance of
students.
Over time the expectation that I
had for each student grew with
their rising engagement and
willingness to participate. Reluctant
learners became involved and open
questioning became more frequent.
Throughout 2013 I set out to revamp
the learning environment within
my classroom, just one step at a
time. My first goal was to include
the integration of technology as
a tool to help enhance the level
of engagement, enthusiasm and
retention of information. Google
Drive was introduced and students
The first positive spin came about
with its collaborative capabilities.
Immediately
students
became
engaged and willing participants in
sharing ideas and working intently
on small tasks. The outcomes were
positive on all levels as the students
communicated more openly in
verbal and written discussions. Clear
guidelines were given and specific
time frames allocated to each task.
‘‘Reluctant learners became
involved and open questioning
became more frequent.’’
This built the emotional well-being
and learning relationships of the
students within the classroom.
The core outcomes remained the
same, but the means to an end began
to change rapidly. In Term One Year
5 students had to review and write
persuasive texts for the NAPLAN
examination taking place in Term Two.
Persuasive texts are not easy to write
when given a random topic. Once
brainstorming was complete and the
specific structures reviewed students
had a starting point.
I wanted the students to see that the
structure always remains similar from
one topic to another and that because
they would be given a random topic
it was not to put them off. I chose a
random topic and asked the students
to write their text. So far quite normal
and no great change. The topic was to
convince the reader to purchase their
coloured brick over another.
The willingness to develop better
ideas and motivation changed when
I introduced using iMovie to make an
advertisement. The students had to
turn their text into an advertisement
and to convince the viewer to buy
their product. As a result the text
development was outstanding and
the eagerness to participate was
very exciting to witness. The overall
outcomes in terms of written quality
and an increase in skill and knowledge
was excellent.
Throughout the year student
engagement continued to grow as
the integration of inquiry learning
programmes were developed and
added to the standard units of
work. The introduction of Minecraft
was a successful adaptation to the
Australian History unit.
These are some examples to how the
culture of a learning environment can
create excellence. A culture where
creative thinking, active engagement,
increased outcomes and a promotion
of home to school links became
the norm. Education in our modern
digital society is in constant change
due to how students learn and how
lessons are taught.
Technology is a driving force behind many
of the world's changes and innovations.
Traditional learning is being transformed,
teachers across the world are sharing
common visions and connected classrooms
are becoming more common.
In 2014 try something new, be innovative
and encourage your students to think
creatively. Develop means for collaboration,
active discussion and see what your
students produce. Start off small, share your
ideas and encourage each other. It has been
wonderful to be a part of such a fantastic
learning culture.
Witnessing students enthusiastic about
learning, trying to build on their knowledge
and skills and forging ahead way beyond
expectation has made my year incredibly
worthwhile.
25
26
Creating a Vibrant
Chaplaincy Team
I’ve never had any interest in
gardening. I can distinctly remember a
recent event while visiting my mother;
her ‘overreaction’ when our dog ran
through her garden bed and snapped
off some new shoots on one of her
plants. I thought to myself, ‘What’s
the big deal? They’re just plants right?
Growing back is what they do.’ A short
time after this plant-breaking visit, my
wife and I moved into our first home.
We had built the biggest home we
could afford for our growing family,
which meant that we had absolutely
no money left to do anything except
to build the house itself. No fences, no
paths, no grass, no landscaping and
certainly no gardens. We effectively
moved into a house on a pile of dirt.
Little did I know at the time that the first
seeds of ‘gardener’ had been planted
in my wife’s conscience.
Dial back to the 18th of September
2004. This is a day of special import for
me. It is both my birthday and the day I
was offered a job at SCAS. The campus
was small and the cohort even smaller.
At the time we only had classes up to
Year 10 and I was employed to teach
Science, Mathematics and Christian
Studies. In many ways the campus was
little more than a few buildings on a pile
of dirt.
As that first year unfolded I was struck by
the opportunity the school provided for
me to partner with the Chaplain, Rev.
Duncan in encouraging the students
to consider the Christian message
and to grow in their understanding
of the Gospel. At the end of that first
year I penned a letter to the Principal
reflecting on what we had achieved,
but also on what I’d like to achieve in
the future. I felt like we had scattered
some seeds, but that in order to see the
seeds of the Gospel flourish in the school
community more fully, we needed to
make some changes. The Principal
responded that day and scheduled
a meeting with me in his office. He let
me ramble about some of the ideas I
had before cutting me off gently and
saying, ‘‘This sounds fantastic Scott,
you’d better get to it!’
That meeting took place on the last
day of my first year at SCAS. I walked
home pondering what was unfolding.
Had I just signed up to a mountain of
extra work willingly? Clearly I needed a
break, I mustn't be thinking straight!
That afternoon I was greeted by an
interesting sight. My wife was standing
alongside a rather large looking pile
of dirt. Just your ordinary, run of the
mill, stock standard pile of dirt. She
murmured some words I’d never heard
her say before, ‘I think we ought to
build a few gardens’. Ok I thought,
how hard could it be? ‘Let’s do it’, I
said. A few hours later as I was swinging
off the end of the shovel I thought to
myself, ‘Have I just signed up to a
mountain of extra work willingly, what
sort of a break is this?’ But, over the
course of the summer, through sweat
and toil, came progress and joy. The
garden bed took shape and seeds and
seedlings were planted. The pile of dirt
that had seemed worthless and out of
place had suddenly become the focal
point of my mornings. I would eagerly
watch each day to see which plants
were flourishing and which ones were
in need of extra attention to help them
grow. The gardening bug had begun
to bite.
But, why all this talk of gardening? I’m
not the first person to use the allegory in
order to illustrate a point. The greatest
teacher in history chose to use the
exact same metaphor in order to make
one of his most important points about
how to grow the kingdom of God.
In Matthew Chapter 13 Jesus speaks
some sobering words to his growing
group of followers. He said to them,
‘A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As
he was scattering the seed, some fell
along the path, and the birds came
and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky
places, where it did not have much
soil. It sprang up quickly, because the
soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun
came up, the plants were scorched,
and they withered because they had
no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns,
which grew up and choked the plants.
8
Still other seed fell on good soil, where
it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or
thirty times what was sown.
The point is striking isn’t it? The seed that
is sown is the constant while the soil it’s
sown into is the variable, (I couldn’t help
mixing in a little scientific terminology
here)! In the parable 100% of the seeds
hit the ground, 75% make a start, but
only 25% flourish. What is it that makes
the difference? The quality of the soil.
As my time at SCAS continued to
lengthen, so did the campus and so
did the number of students. We were
constantly surrounded by literal piles
of dirt as buildings like the Rogers,
Jenkins, Macarthur, Phillips, Iona and
Trade Training Centre were completed
and occupied. But these are only
greenhouses
that
accommodate
growth. We could be excused for
likening these structures to the soil
in Jesus’ teaching and claiming
that through our quality facilities our
students flourish. But this would miss the
point. The physical campus has little to
do with the nurturing of our students.
No, Jesus’ point was that the soil in
the parable represents the hearts of
people. Therefore, the ministry team at
SCAS sees every student through the
27
Scott Hazelton
Science/Christian Studies
Year 12 Patron
eyes of Jesus in this parable. We don’t
know the full details of every student’s
background. We don’t know where
they have been, what they have done,
whether they have been drawn to our
school community, or driven to us from
harder times. We don’t know what state
their heart is in or how soft, hard, rocky
or receptive they are to the message of
the Gospel. It’s not necessarily our job
to carry out any soil testing, but it is our
delight and privilege to plant a seed.
A seed that we pray will take root and
begin to flourish. But what is the nature
of that seed? What seed is Jesus really
identifying in his famous parable from
2000 years ago?
euphobia. But what is it that catches the
eye? For me it’s the complementarity
that arises from variation. Such a vast
array of seedlings have flourished
into adult plants to form a garden
of striking beauty. And what’s the
common denominator? (excuse the
mathematical terminology now); soil.
Good soil has made all the difference.
But I was supposed to be discussing
the seed wasn’t I? Yes, and no. In
Jesus’ parable the seed and soil must
be discussed together. The seed is the
constant (Jesus later explains that the
seed is God’s word), but the soil is the
variable.
Jesus put it this way:
John 12:24 ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless
a grain of wheat falls into the earth and
dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it
bears much fruit’.
This is the gospel, this is the seed.
Through the death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ, forgiveness and restoration
is open to all. This is the seed that the
chaplaincy team are thrilled to be
entrusted with. This is the seed that is
planted during Chapel services (of
which we have 5 every week from
K-12), Christian Studies classes (of which
there is one hour every week for every
student K-10) and lunchtime groups (of
which there are 5 each week K-12). The
question of course is how deeply has the
seed taken root?
As a chaplaincy team, we’re never
sure. But over the years as the SCAS
garden has grown and flourished, more
and more feedback has slowly trickled
in. In May of 2013, the following email
welcomed me to work on a Monday
morning. It read:
Dear Mr Hazelton,
In order to answer that question I need
to take you back to my garden.
In fact, I need to take you back to
my wife’s garden. While I was the one
who did the heavy lifting, she was the
one who planned, nurtured, fertilised,
weeded and cared for all the seedlings
in her garden.
One of the things my Father says to
us when he visits is, ‘You’re so lucky
gardening here, everything thrives on
the coast!’ In many ways he’s right. As
long as you’ve got some quality soil
and a bit of sunlight, most things tend to
grow here. But there’s a big difference
between growing and flourishing. Only
when my wife discovered the need for
continued soil improvement did our
garden take off. You can see the glory
of her work in the photo! I have even
learned the names of these flowers;
from elephant ears to angelonias, from
ivy to mondo grass and azaleas offset by
As a chaplaincy team, we are
determined to preach the same
message that Jesus did (the seed is
unchanged) while all the while tilling
the soil of our students’ hearts in order to
prepare them for this planted seed.
So, the seed is vitally important, but
in many ways it’s the easy part! The
message of the Gospel is breathtakingly
simple. God is a Gardener; (did you ever
notice that the opening and closing
scene of the Bible is one of a Garden?)
We have all contributed to the demise
of his garden, but like a wife who lovingly
tends her seedlings, he would not give
up on the project he started.
So, in order to redeem (buy back) his
garden and restore it to its former glory,
he sent his son to deal with the mess the
garden was in. He did this by dying the
death we all should die, and then rising
(or germinating) to new life as conqueror
of sin and its consequence; death.
I just wanted to tell you I got baptised
over the weekend! And to thank you for
the 20 minutes of Chapel each week
throughout my time at SCAS! Please tell
Reverend Duncan for me and send him
my thanks as well both for Chapel and
for the Christian Studies classes (I don't
have his email unfortunately). I hope
everything at SCAS is going well!
Now that’s an email! It’s not the norm
and we know full well that this kind of
response is not for every student that
walks through the gate at SCAS. But
what the students have come to know
when they walk through that gate is
that they’re going to hear authentic
Christianity taught and demonstrated
each week in a way that is palatable to
them. They have now come to expect
it. They deserve it, they even demand it.
The key to vibrant chaplaincy is twofold;
know the seed and know the soil. It has
been one of the greatest honours of my
life to get to know the many soil types
that populate the SCAS garden. As long
as the soil keeps coming, the seed will
keep being planted. You see, after 9
years I’ve learned something new; God
has given me an appreciation for many
soil types, a love of The seed and an
authentic passion for gardening.
28
Namaste Nepal
When I was in my early twenties, I had
a romanticised notion of my future as a
volunteer worker. I believed that I would
travel the world and live in developing
countries using my privileged upbringing
and education to improve the life of the
people in these communities. That was
before the reality of marriage and raising
children.
In 2013 the dream that I had once
harboured of volunteering in developing
countries, became a reality. Fortunately,
the romanticised vision I once held of
being a volunteer had dramatically altered
and my experiences in Nepal have even
further influenced my notions of what it
means to volunteer.
When I was accepted into the Global Vision
International (GVI) program to teach at
the Little Daffodils School in Pame, a small
school of approximately 400 students,
situated about 40 minutes drive from
Pokhara in Nepal, I thought that my role
would be to assist in improving the English
of the students and teachers and to help
the teachers at the school improve their
delivery of the curriculum. While this was
in fact the work that I performed on a dayto-day basis, I learnt that the ‘real’ volunteer
experience was more about connecting
with the community. It involved learning
about their lives, building relationships,
playing with the children, cooking and
eating with the community and becoming
a part of the community’s festivals, culture
and religion. Teaching was only to be a
minor aspect of a much bigger picture and
as I embraced the daily life of the school
and community I found that a bond of
friendship and understanding grew which
completely changed how I would define
the term ‘volunteer’.
When I boarded the plane for Nepal in
September 2013, I thought I was prepared
for my Nepali experience. I had travelled
to developing countries before and
did not see how this trip would be any
different to my previous adventures. But I
was completely wrong. I was not going to
Nepal as a tourist, I was going there to work
and live in the community. There would be
no reliable electricity, washing machine,
fridge, hot showers or flushing toilets. To
my horror, there would also be no using
toilet paper for the next 18 days!
The exhilaration and trepidation I felt at
this time was overwhelming and I can
remember reflecting on the quote by
Nietzsche, ‘that which does not kill us
makes us stronger’. With this thought
embedded in my memory I embraced the
entire experience and was forced to step
outside of my comfort zone.
The Little Daffodils School, where I spent
most of my time while in Nepal, was set up
18 years ago by Lekhnath, a local teacher.
Lekhnath realised that an education was
out of reach for many of the people in
the community, but especially for girls.
The enrolment of female students is
encouraged over that of male students
because employment opportunities are
limited for women in Nepal. Also, it is more
difficult for young girls to get a higher
education as quite often they are expected
to marry young rather than stay in school or
go on to university. The more English girls
possess and the higher their education,
the more acceptable it is for them to hold
higher, or better paid positions within the
Nepali workforce.
‘‘This experience further
reinforced my belief in
education being able to
transform the world.’’
The School also hires mainly from the
local community and many of the women
teaching at the School were unemployed
housewives before being given the
opportunity to train as teachers. While
education is the primary focus of the
School it was evident that empowering the
community was also of a high priority.
GVI’s aim in having volunteers work with
the Little Daffodils School is to help the
students become proficient in English
by introducing English practice activities
across all of the subjects and demonstrating
to the teachers how to apply these
activities to their classes. I was paired with
a most inspiring young Nepali woman,
who had an excellent command of English
grammar. While I introduced her to new
teaching strategies to engage the students
rather than constantly using the textbook
and the rote learning style characterised
by the Nepali education system, she taught
me how to communicate with the locals
in Nepali and about the exquisite culture,
language and history of Nepal. She also
taught me a few things I did not know
about English grammar.
The first day I walked into the grounds of
the Little Daffodil School I was perturbed
at the peeling paint on the exterior and
interior walls, the lack of play area, the
crowding of 40 students into a classroom
half the size of an average sized classroom
at SCAS, the unbearable heat in the
classrooms and inadequate bathroom
facilities. However, the aspect of teaching
that I found most difficult was the lack of
resources. The students had a notebook
and a textbook, and the teacher had a
blackboard or whiteboard and whiteboard
marker. One small computer room was
available for scheduled class use but due
to the heat the computers were not always
accessible.
I remember teaching a Year 9 Geography
class about our Indigenous population and
having the entire class crowded around my
MacPro as I showed them a YouTube video
about an Aboriginal Dreaming story. The
students were in awe as they immersed
themselves in the story that came to life
through the technology. As I watched these
students engaging in something that we as
teachers take for granted in our teaching, I
realised that I had forgotten how hard it is
to teach without all of the resources that
we have available at SCAS.
For a few days towards the end of my
volunteering I had the opportunity to
work at the Children’s Paradise Child
Care Centre in Pokhara that caters for
students with intellectual and physical
disabilities. Many of the students at this
centre live in disturbing circumstances
and hence, also have incredible
emotional problems.
I was fortunate to work with a 10-yearold girl, Nikita, who had been born with
Spina Bifida. Nikita was an enthusiastic
learner who was hungry for knowledge.
Prior to coming to the centre she had not
left her room for a year. Nikita’s mother
would not allow her to be educated
away from the home, nor socialise with
other children, except for her brother.
Being born a girl in Nepal can be a
disadvantage but having a physical
disability such as Nikita’s is devastating
in relation to education and future life
outcomes. GVI worked hard to get the
family to allow Nikita to attend the centre
and start her education. This young
girl’s determination and struggle to
receive what we consider as the normal
necessities of life continues to inspire me.
29
Cheryl Dimmock
HSIE Teacher
Year 10 Patron
When I decided to volunteer as a teacher in
Nepal my intention was to use my gift as a
teacher and in some very small way improve
life for the children and their families. I also
knew that this ‘improvement’ would only be
a diminutive ripple in a vast ocean.
On reflection, I believe my involvement
as a member of the community and
establishment of a trusting relationship
with the local people and the students at
the Little Daffodils School and Children’s
Paradise is by far the most important
and rewarding aspect of my volunteer
experience. I went to Nepal thinking that I
would be giving something of value to the
community of Pokhara, and I hope that I did,
but it was me who was given the greatest
gift. I left Nepal exhausted and humbled by
the experience and far more appreciative of
everything I have in my life.
Little Daffodils School, Pame, Nepal
I found volunteering as a teacher in Nepal
to be hard work because I had to step out of
the comfort of everything safe and familiar
to me, but it was worth every moment
of discomfort. The experience further
reinforced my belief in education being
able to transform the world.
I suppose my reason for going to Nepal and
volunteer teaching can be summed up in
the words of Dr Seuss, ‘Unless someone like
you cares a whole, awful lot. Things aren't
going to get better, they're NOT!’.
NEPAL
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal,
is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia.
Capital: Kathmandu
Currency: Nepalese Rupee
Prime Minister: Khil Raj Regmi
Population: 27.47 million (2012)
Official Language: Nepali Language
Government: Federal republic, Federation, Republic
Nikita
St Columba
Anglican School
Faith † Hope † Truth † Love
3 Iona Avenue, Port Macquarie
NSW 2444 Australia
Telephone: (02) 6581 4188
Website: www.scas.nsw.edu.au

The professional magazine of St Columba Anglican School

Transcription

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