Monthly Archives: October 2017

St Stephens meets the Governor General of Australia

October 31, 2017

A wonderful time was had by all on the recent HASS Canberra Tour.  This tour was made possible due to the funding and support of the Australian government.  The financial support provided through the PACER contribution alleviated financial stress and allowed more students to participate in this excellent learning experience.

Students were privileged to have a personal meeting with the Governor General of Australia, His Excellency, the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove.  Immediately after, Sean MacMillian played a beautiful piece of music in the Drawing Room. Recent guests to this room include former President, Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II.  Our students then lost themselves in the Australian War Memorial and followed this with a visit to New and Old Parliaments. Other Canberra highlights included CSIRO, Anzac Walk, Mount Ainslie, Australian Institute of Sport and Questacon.

Students then travelled to Melbourne and after a night walk in central Melbourne and Federation Square, woke up early to visit the Islamic Museum.  Students were given the opportunity to see the contributions of the Islamic community and were interested to find Muslims have been in Australia before Federation (1.1.1901).  Students asked engaging questions which dispelled many myths they had about the Muslim community.  Students then went to the Melbourne Gaol to experience the grim history of the colonial prison system.  Students were then impressed by the lights of Melbourne via the Eureka Skydeck.  Our second last day involved a visit to Sovereign Hill where students saw gold poured and went down an old mine.  They were also excited to see see the original Eureka Stockade Flag.  We ended our trip with a tour to the MCG and shopping at the Victorian Markets.

Verity Palmer and Matt English both agreed that they felt privileged to be involved on this tour and enjoyed themselves due to the excellent behaviour of our students. The students were joyous, courteous and an excellent representation of St Stephens. I hope parents and the school are as proud of their behaviour and care shown to each other on this trip as I was.

Leeanne Shanks

Humanities and Social Sciences

“The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” – Proverbs 18:15

Service Learning Excursion for C5

October 27, 2017

On Thursday C5 went on a Service Learning Excursion to St Nicolas Anglican Church in Warwick.

What is Service Learning you may ask? Its a form of experiential education where learning occurs through a cycle of action and reflection as students. . . seek to achieve real objectives for the community and deeper understanding and skills for themselves. In the process, students link personal and social development with academic and cognitive development. . . experience enhances understanding; understanding leads to more effective action.

Student Benefits of Community Engagement

Learning Outcomes

  • Positive impact on students’ academic learning
  • Improves students’ ability to apply what they have learned in “the real world”
  • Positive impact on academic outcomes such as demonstrated complexity of understanding, problem analysis, problem-solving, critical thinking, and cognitive development
  • Improved ability to understand complexity and ambiguity

Personal Outcomes

  • Greater sense of personal efficacy, personal identity, spiritual growth, and moral development
  • Greater interpersonal development, particularly the ability to work well with others, and build leadership and communication skills

 

“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.” – Acts 20:35

Tour Morning

October 26, 2017

Selecting a school is a major decision. It is less about predicting the sort of person your child will become and more about providing them with a diverse range of possibilities which will enable them to experience success within a safe and secure learning community.

To develop an understanding of St Stephen’s, we warmly encourage families to attend one of our Tour Mornings. These mornings give families the opportunity to see the School ‘in action’. Many families comment that these tours have allowed them to experience the intangible qualities of St Stephen’s educational offering, beginning a valuable and long-lasting partnership between home and school.

Families are welcome to attend both the Primary Campus, and Secondary Campus. Prospective students are very welcome to attend with their parents or guardians. Places at these Open Mornings are limited, so bookings are essential.

Even though the weather was wild and windy it didn’t stop perspective families coming along. Parents were greeted by Principal Donella Beare and Registrar Gayle Pieterse, School Executive were introduced followed by a short briefing from the Primary School Head, Mrs Tracey Gray, and then Head of Secondary, Mr Bruce Titlestad.

This was followed by a walking tour of the campus, concluding with morning tea. Our Registrar and other key staff members were available to answer any specific questions the families may have.

For more information: Admissions Information

Courage to Care

October 26, 2017

St Stephen’s students showed their Courage to Care by attending an exhibition at ECU.  Students were instructed how a closed mind and a closed society led to the Holocaust and the murder of six million Jews and 5 million ‘undesirables’.  Students completed practical and engaging activities which challenged their concept of being an upstander instead of a bystander. The concept of being an upstanding citizen is an idea which Australian’s have often expressed as many believe everyone should get a ‘fair go’. Student realised that by becoming a bystander, horrible and irreversible damage can be caused within a society. As Edmund Burke stated ‘the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing’.

Leeanne Shanks

Humanities and Social Sciences

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6

Bike Safety

October 26, 2017

 

As we edge towards finer weather, we are sure to come across more bicycles on the roads around St Stephen’s. Please remind your children of the importance of obeying road rules, particularly around local, busy intersections. Students riding to and from school should be encouraged, but also reminded that standard road rules applying to motorists also apply to cyclists using or crossing a road.

 

Mr. Andrews

“God is our refuge and strength,an ever-present help in trouble.” – Psalm 46:1

Indonesia Bali Life Foundation Service Tour 2018

October 26, 2017

St Stephen’s School would like to announce its inaugural Indonesia: Bali Life Foundation Service Tour 2018 open to students currently studying in Years 9 and 10 (Years 10 and 11 2018). Bali Life Foundation is a small charity based in Jimbaran, Bali where they care for and educate young disadvantaged children and youth.

Our students will engage in volunteer work at the orphanage as well as the Bali Life support services within the locality of central and southwest Bali. These services include Suwung Community School, Bali Life Sustainable Community Garden, Kuta Street Kids and Mothers Program, and the Training and Education Community Centre.

The tour will consist of 16 students and 3 staff from across both campuses and will be departing 17 April, returning 24 April, 2018 (first week of the April holidays). The approximate cost of the tour will be $1200.

We will be seeking expressions of interest from students in October 2017.

Ms Donna Lund, Coordinator of Service Learning

 

First Lego League

October 26, 2017

As you may have heard, St Stephen’s has been selected to host the First Lego League tournament on Saturday November 4. This is a dynamic day of coding, robotics, problem solving and collaboration among teams of young people trying to solve some pretty exciting and complex challenges.

 

 

 

Pictured below is the Duncraig Secondary team in action under the direction of Mr Corcoran.

 

 

Maggie Dent Visit

October 26, 2017

It was lovely to have Maggie Dent speak at our Carramar campus last night. In her typical witty Maggie Dent style she shared anecdotes and information about nurturing kids’ hearts and souls to an interactive crowd. This was a special event organised by the Duncraig Primary School, supported by St Stephen’s School.

Maggie’s experience includes teaching, and counselling. She is an advocate for the healthy, common-sense raising of children in order to strengthen families and communities. She is a passionate, positive voice for children of all ages. Maggie is the author of ten books, several e-books and a prolific creator of resources for parents, adolescents, teachers and early childhood educators, and others who are interested in quietly improving their lives. She is the mother of four sons and a very grateful grandmother.

 

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6

Fund Raising for the South Africa Tour

October 25, 2017

Students in Primary were invited to a Sausage Sizzle at lunchtime.

The sizzle was a fund-raising event for the South Africa tour coordinated by Mr Osbourne.

Judging by the long queues it was a lip-licking success.

Well done to everyone involved!

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” – Peter 4:10

 

Explore Careers

October 25, 2017

Many of our graduates will work in retail and we always like to point our students towards career entry points. While the information below is specific to a particular retail chain, the value in bringing it to the attention of students and their families is in increasing awareness of the range of careers and starting opportunities in large corporations.

Join the team and have the opportunity to work on meaningful projects, both large and small, in our stores, distribution centres and store support centre.

Find out more here