Category: Staff

Calling Our Community

June 5, 2018

If you haven’t already had the pleasure – meet Betty (pictured below with our lovely D&T Teacher Mr Matt Kirby). Betty is part of the School’s Service Learning project which will see the beloved old caravan given a makeover and transformed into a mobile food service to help those less fortunate than ourselves.

Students have spent time fixing the ol’ gal up, along with help from our community and volunteers. Betty is at the stage where she will soon be fitted with a whole new set of cabinetry courtesy of Kitchen Craftsman. Yet before the Kitchen Craftsman team come in, we have to do some behind-the-scenes work and we need your help!

We’re putting the call out to our community to see if anyone might be interested in helping out with donating any of the below items to get Betty one step closer to hitting the road with the School’s Service Learning programs.

If you are able to help out with donations of any of the below items or even time to work on Betty with us, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact Service Learning Coordinator Donna Lund (aka Betty’s best friend) on donna.lund@ststephens.wa.edu.au.

White gloss paint to paint the windows

Kitchen/Bathroom white low sheen paint to paint the interior

Mondall timber sealer to seal the timber floors

Tempered/laminated glass or Plexiglass (plastic) for glass install

Lockwood locks for the doors

Swing up serving window – Gas struts to help swing up the serving window

A pair of hands, or students to help with the painting

Design & Tech Champs!

June 1, 2018

The Design and Tech department welcomed the Year 5 students into their space this week and helped immeasurably with a sustainability project that they are working on. Staff happily gave their time and resources to our children (and adults). We’re blown away by their kindness and generosity. These workshop experiences will definitely be a highlight for so many of our students – and us.

The Year 5 Team

Melanie Thomspon, Clare Palmer, Val Dimovski, Shelly Brookes & Shar Baird

“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” – Hebrews 13:16

Fighting Hunger Together

June 1, 2018

Each fortnight, St Stephen’s School students and staff take two trips into the city to volunteer for the UnitingCare West Food Rescue. After our volunteers collect food from participating cafes around the city, it is distributed to feed members of six UnitingCare West Services such as Tranby Centre each night. Aligning with the School’s motto to ‘Serve God, Serve One Another’, our whole School community are on the roster for the Food Rescue runs, with Principal Mrs Donella Beare recently teaming up with Service Learning Coordinator Donna Lund to gather the goods. UnitingCare West Food Rescue feeds around 11,500 people experiencing homelessness each week.

Digital Learning In The Kimberley

May 29, 2018

Distance is no barrier to innovation at Yiyili Community School in the Kimberley region of WA.

Digital Learning Team members, Mrs Jenny Mallis, Miss Sarah Dirstein and Mr Dylan Usher visited Kimberley at Yiyili Community School recently. The Yiyili staff and students enjoyed using and learning about Robotics, Coding, Augmented Reality and Circuitry.

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” – Hebrews 13:16

The Incite Awards

May 16, 2018

Finalists for the 27th Annual WAITTA INCITE Awards were announced on 13 April 2018, at the Innovation Excellence Lunch Forum & PitchFest.

Abydos, an app developed by ECU researchers and St Stephen’s School, is a finalist in the Most Transformative Impact on Education category. This app meets challenges faced when fractions are challenging to teach and to learn. Abydos is a serious game, however, blending Abydos into the classroom leads to serious fun with fractions. Adapting instantly to students’ strengths, it offers a genuine personalised learning pathway.

We have our fingers crossed for June, when the winners are announced!

Dr Liz Criddle
Deputy Head of Secondary
St Stephen’s School – Duncraig
www.ststephens.wa.edu.au

Sharing a Meal

May 11, 2018

Service Learning staff and students were lucky enough to celebrate the launch of the 2018 Red Shield Appeal, with a breakfast hosted by the Salvation Army at Perth Arena. Over 250 guests attended the event including guest speakers Kim Beazley, Governor of Western Australia and Simone McGurk, Minister for Child Protection; Women’s Interests; Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence; Community Services. Abbey Daly and Sarah Affendi (Year 10), who have just returned from the Indonesia Service Learning Tour, were invited by Service Learning staff to learn more about the Red Shield Appeal’s aim to combat homelessness.

Homeless for a night

May 10, 2018

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be homeless for a night? Well here is your chance to experience sleeping out rough for a night and assisting a worthy cause at the same time. If sleeping rough is not your thing, you can attend the Manna Fundraising event until 10pm.

Manna is a well-established community charity who provides food and support to those in our community who are disadvantaged and vulnerable.

For more information Homeless for a Night

Digital Partnership

May 2, 2018

Yiyili Community School is located 600km inland from Broome in the Kimberley region of WA, yet its remote location is no barrier to innovation.

Staff and students in the K-10 cohort recently enjoyed a visit from members of the St Stephen’s School Digital Learning Team who spent five days passing on digital skills in the areas of robotics, coding, augmented reality and circuitry.

The team also worked with staff in professional development, provided training resources and technical support and updated Yiyili’s devices and programs.

We Remember Them…

May 2, 2018

Anzac Day, 25 April, is one of Australia’s most important national occasions. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.

Yesterday Duncraig held a Anzac Day Service on the Quad.

It was attended by the whole school.

“This is a day not of celebration but of national memory. It’s a day when we learn, and learn again, of the horror of purposeless war. It is a day for looking after your mates, cherishing your home, your neighbourhood and family. It’s a day for realising how rare this wonderful country of ours is and how precious it is.” – Unknown

South African Service Tour Kicks Off

April 10, 2018

After a long flight we have safely arrived in Cape Town, where we received a hearty welcome from District 6’s Guest House. All in all, between flights and our homecoming, we enjoyed three breakfasts. We are all a little heavier as a consequence.
Needing to get the blood pumping, some students pondered on a Table Mountain hike. The teachers however decided shopping at Waterfront will be a better cardio choice, followed by a cable car trip to the mountain top.
The views never cease to amaze, neither does the rotating floor of the cable car.
After a hearty meal at Spur, we headed back home, all in a Zombie haze. Donation packing and organisation lingered and was achieved in one epic group effort. We prevailed. We are all very tired, as so are headed off to bed at 8:00pm.

Gillian Erasmus