DOVE
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WHAT’S INSIDE THRIVING IN A VUCA WORLD: EMERGING TRENDS IN EDUCATION UNLOCKING CREATIVITY: LESSONS LEARNED FROM BEING BI-VOCATIONAL #BEMOREYOU: CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2021
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS College staff and students, Helen Burns (Communications Officer) Sarah MacQuillan (Marketing and Communications Manager) ART DIRECTION Sava Hatzi (Design Vault) FRONT COVER ARTWORK “Self-portrait” Lara Levichkina (Year 12) PHOTOGRAPHY College staff and students
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
WHAT’S INSIDE 2
Message from the Principal
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All Saints’ News
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iving in a VUCA World: L Emerging Trends in Education
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nlocking Creativity: Lessons learned U from being bi-vocational
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Community Spotlight: Divya Bhardwaj, P&F President
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Staff Spotlight: Nic Keskinidis, Head of Futures
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tudent Spotlight: Georgia Blackbeard, S Environment Captain
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The College Foundation: Securing our Future
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WACE Results: Class of 2021
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21st Century Childcare
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Finding Joy!
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Welcome to our new-look 2022 Autumn Winter edition of The Dove!
With borders now open, we are hopeful of our regular practices gradually being allowed to resume. As part of that, we are working towards re-establishing links with the world, as appropriate, and have
LCOME In addition to our usual general news items and a celebration of our graduating class’ results, this edition includes a series of ‘opinion pieces’ as well as interviews with various members of our community – staff, parents and students – that we are sure you will find interesting. And as what was a scorching summer gradually and seemingly reluctantly made way for the relative gentleness of autumn, and we look back upon Term 1, I feel nothing but the greatest admiration for the ASC staff, students and community for their resilience and their buoyancy in this, our third year of responding to COVID-19. Term 1 certainly saw some quite unprecedented activity for us with, for instance, masks being mandated across Years 3 to 12 and many events cancelled or reimagined (and how wonderfully positively all our students responded), with the College becoming the contact-tracer for our community (and heartfelt thanks to all families for your support and understanding of that process).
been reconnecting in recent times with our partners in, for instance, Brisbane, India and Boston. In addition to those historic COVIDrelated mandates for the College to enact, Term 1 also saw another piece of (happier!) history for the College with the opening of our Fremantle / Walyalup campus, The Studio School. This ground-breaking initiative for students in Years 10 to 12 has drawn much interest across the nation, and we are truly delighted with the progress of our pioneering class and so very grateful to all those staff charged with the establishment of this progressive new entity. We are pleased and proud to be able to provide another contemporary educational option for West Australian students. While very mindful of current cost escalations across the building industry, the ongoing and prudent development of our beautiful campus and its facilities continues with a range of works earmarked for this
year. Our exciting tripartite Waabiny project (grounds / maintenance shed, Junior School car park and Childcare Centre) is progressing well and is featured in this publication. Also featured in this edition is the College’s Foundation, the fund into which all families pay upon enrolment at ASC. Sometimes described as like a superannuation fund for the College, this entity has the legal and financial authority to manage donations, bequests and other investments with the objective of providing for the College’s longer term financial security. In addition to this ‘future-proofing’ role, the Foundation has in recent years been kindly providing an annual grant to the College to assist with a range of projects and initiatives. Our community is most grateful for all that the Foundation does and contributes, now and over the decades. And grateful is certainly what I feel as I look back across the term that was, and as I reflect on the strength that we derive from community. My sincere thanks to all the members of our community for your positivity, support and understanding in these strangest of times: I hope you enjoy the wonderful sense of community that is captured in the following pages.
Belinda Provis College Principal
NEWS
VEVINA IS FAST-TRACKED TO UNIVERSITY
Vevina Yang (Class of 2022) had a momentous start to her year, receiving news that she had been accepted into The University of Western Australia (UWA) to study a Bachelor of Music as an early entrant. Discussing her journey to date, it is clear that Vevina has had a passion for music for most of her life. “I started playing the piano when I was four, and I also play the violin as a second instrument which I started when I was nine. I’ve always had a passion for music ever since I was young. It’s always been in my daily life and it’s what I know,” said Vevina. Joining the College orchestra and ensembles in Year 7, music was a big part of Vevina’s life at All Saints’. These programs allowed Vevina to hone her musical talents. Later, several opportunities presented themselves, including an offer to join the Symphony Orchestra.
Discussing the news of the UWA acceptance letter, Vevina mentioned she was surprised, overjoyed and nervous all at once. “My parents were really thrilled! I told my friends about it, and they were pretty shocked, but were very supportive too,” said Vevina. After studying a Bachelor of Music at UWA, Vevina would like to continue her studies to attain her Masters degree and a PhD. Her career aspiration is to become a musician, performer, music teacher or music examiner. “I haven’t really figured it all out yet, but I know with certainty that my future plans will involve music,” said Vevina.
ASC SUMMER BASKETBALL RESULTS
This season was well and truly a ‘slam dunk’ for our Junior Basketball teams. An incredible 17 out of our 36 teams made it through to the Semi-Finals of the Willetton Junior Domestic Basketball Summer 21-22 Season. A further eight teams made it through to the Grand Finals, and five of our teams won their Grand Final! See below a recap of the Grand Final highlights: • ASC 001 Under 18 – B2 Boys pulled off an amazing win against the top Apollos team. They played a smart game, claiming the 43 – 34 win. • ASC 013 Under 18 – B Girls put up a dominant performance, despite being a player short, showcasing great passing and shooting to win 42 – 20. • ASC 035 Under 18 – C Girls put up a solid score to win comfortably against Bullets 39 – 13. • ASC 011 Under 16 Boys played an outstanding game against a tough opponent and won 27 to 20 against a Puma team.
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• ASC 015 Under 14 Boys had a slow start to the game but managed to hang on to win by one point against Apollos. • ASC 022 Under 16 Boys lost by only one point. It was an absolute nail-biter with the game coming down to free throws. • ASC 032 Under 12 – B1 Boys had a tough game against the top team and were level for the first half. The boys put in a commendable effort all the way until the end, which was fantastic to see, but unfortunately lost to the Roadies. • ASC 030 Under 12 – B3 Girls had a very challenging game against the top team, Roadies. They played with a great deal of spirit and sportsmanship but unfortunately lost their game. We can’t wait to watch our teams in the Winter Season. If you are interested in learning more about the ASC Basketball Program, please contact Sports Administrator, Mr Mike Pinker: mike.pinker@ allsaints.wa.edu.au
AWARDS
JADE DESTREMAU’S HUMANITARIAN MISSION
Jade Destremau (Class of 2021) recently departed from Perth on a 68-day sailing trip to France. Now, Jade and four others have led a private humanitarian trip to the Ukraine-Hungary border to aid Ukrainian refugees in conjunction with the Order of Malta and NonGovernment Organisation One Village Transformed.
Commenting on the trip, Jade said, “It was a very valuable experience as it took me far out of my comfort zone, and I realised quickly that all the privileges of my life in Australia (fresh food, showers, a nice bed, phone service) are not necessary to live. In fact, I was still very happy, even without all those things.”
The humanitarian trip departed from France in a four-car convoy on 31 March 2022 with an aim to bring essential aid materials requested by the war effort to the Hungarian border town of Zàhony. It returned to France with 30 Ukrainian refugees who will stay in French safe houses and organised lodgements.
Jade and her father set up a GoFundMe page prior to departing on their trip to help cover expenses, such as food and petrol, and to provide necessities for the refugees on the way back. Any surplus money will be distributed among the families of the Ukrainian refugees.
“Because we live so close to the conflict, just a mere 16hour drive away, we felt that we could not stand by and watch our almost-neighbours suffer when we have the opportunity to offer direct and tangible aid,” said Jade.
Jade had a goal to raise $12 000, and we are pleased to report that this goal has already been exceeded. Our Old Saints were honoured to support Jade with her journey and donated $5 000 to the cause.
To prepare for the trip, Jade and her father completed a 68-day sailing voyage from Fremantle to France after graduating from All Saints’ last year.
BOARD MEMBER JOY SHEPHERD RECEIVES OAM Congratulations to Board member, Joy Shepherd, who was recognised in the Australia Day 2022 Honours List for exceptional service in our community. Joy received a Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia in the General Division at a special Investiture Ceremony in April 2022. This year marks the highest ever percentage of women recipients (47 per cent) and 45 per cent are for service to local communities.
NEWS
SWAGGERING BACK FOR SEASON 2!
It was a part in The Sound of Music as an 8-year-old that sparked Year 12 James Bingham’s passion for acting. He enjoyed the experience so much he was inspired to start acting lessons and star in several short films before his agent suggested he audition for a new Apple TV+ show called Swagger, based on the early life experiences of the legendary basketball player, Kevin Durant. James’ initial self-tape audition caught the eye of the show’s producers in a worldwide casting search to find the right fit for the role of Drew Murphy, a character from the well-heeled part of town who is key to bringing the team together in the show. The producers received 5 000 audition tapes, including James’, who was just 14 at the time. “I did some self-tape auditions, then they asked me to send some footage of me playing basketball. So, I did that and then I got home from school one day and my mum told me we were off to LA for a chemistry read! We literally jumped on a plane that night and spent two days in LA so I could audition.”
WEDDINGS
One of only two international actors in the cast, James had to train hard to play basketball at a high level. “I only played casually before, but I did enjoy the game. I had to train hard before I left for the US and during filming, I trained six to seven times a week. Plus, I had
T H E T H E
Our Vocal Tutor, Carolyn Wilkinson (née Thomas) and her fiancé, Steve, were married on Saturday, 9 April at Fridays Studio in West Perth, surrounded by friends and family.
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to juggle my school work. I left ASC for one and a half years to film and during that time I studied with SIDE (School of Isolated and Distance Education) so that I could carry on with the Australian curriculum.” Filming the first season was a significant experience for James. “I was only 14 when filming started, so my mum or dad would come with me, and they were incredibly supportive; all my family were. As an international actor, my castmates also made me feel really welcome and helped me with playing an American high schooler; they became like a second family. It was a great experience being on set. We keep in touch now that I’m back in Perth.” While back in Perth, James returned to ASC and is studying a Certificate IV in Business as well as continuing with his other passion – music. He plays in multiple school bands and likes to record his own original soundtracks. James will be leaving ASC in June to film the second season of Swagger. “Acting is 100% the career I want to pursue. I am so excited to head back to the US and film the second season. Hopefully, I can relocate at some point in the future.” From all at ASC, we wish you the very best for your future acting career, James!
Junior School teacher, Nadia Howells (née Dalecki), and her fiancé, Gareth, were married on Friday, 4 March 2022 at Matilda Bay in Crawley. Nadia said, “It was the most magical and memorable day of our lives, and we haven’t ever smiled or laughed that much.”
BABY NEWS
A MOST INFLUENTIAL EDUCATOR
Our very own Esther Hill, Dean of Teaching and Learning and Director of Djoowak: The Beyond Boundaries Institute, has made The Educator’s inaugural list of Most Influential Educators in Australia.
skilled in inspiring others and sharing that vision. This includes being the West Australian champion for the New Metrics for Success project, spearheaded by the University of Melbourne Assessment Research Centre.
The top 50 education leaders who have had the strongest impact in creating a reformative teaching and learning culture in the last 18 months have been included in a report for publication.
Esther is one of the most outstanding educators in Western Australia. Her influence in the sector is significant due to the respect with which she is held by other educators, and also due to her professional generosity; she is always willing to share and help others along the journey. These exceptional attributes are powered by Esther’s unswerving commitment to the next generation.
A place on the list is a clear affirmation of a candidate’s focused work and dedication to rising above the unique challenges in the education landscape. Esther has continued her leadership as Director of the Beyond Boundaries Institute and its Advisory Group. Bringing together the creative and expert minds of Australia’s foremost educators and thought leaders in the Advisory Group brings value not only to All Saints’ College, but also to the wider education community. Esther has been one of the driving forces in establishing The Studio School (TSS), an Australian first model of personalised studio learning in Fremantle, Western Australia. Focusing on the individual student and personalising pathways, TSS offers an alternative to mainstream schooling structures and systems through a studio model that sees students combining their studies with real-world projects and engagements. Esther has unparalleled vision for what is possible in education. She is truly visionary in her approach and is
In February, Senior School teacher, Adam Goor, and his wife, Jennie, were fortunate enough to welcome Austin into their family. “He has brought so much joy into our world already!” said Adam.
Said Esther, “I am so proud to be part of the inaugural Most Influential Educators list. It is an honour to serve the All Saints’ College community, a community that is committed to innovation in education and to supporting young people to thrive through their education. I am grateful to have the opportunity, supported by Belinda, our Board, our incredible staff and partners both within and outside of education, to be part of a team that continues to innovate and go beyond established boundaries. It has been so rewarding this year to see The Studio School established and see the first cohort of students thrive in this alternative education environment.” Congratulations to Esther for achieving this outstanding accolade!
Events Manager, Lucy Simson, and her fiancé, Will, welcomed a baby boy to their family in April! Raffy (short for Rafferty) arrived early and caught them slightly unawares, however he is continuing to thrive!
Junior School teacher, Iola Knight, was thrilled to welcome a grandson and a granddaughter into the world earlier this year. Her grandson Finnley Peter Marriott was born on 12 February, 2022, and her granddaughter Emilia Jane Knight was born just over two weeks later on 1 March, 2022. Iola said, “I am doubly blessed!”
THRIVING IN A VUCA WORLD:
EMERGING TRENDS IN EDUCATION By Esther Hill Dean of Teaching and Learning Director of Djoowak: The Beyond Boundaries Institute
We used to talk about preparing our young people for the VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) World without a sense of what the issues and challenges they might face could be. The past two years of COVID-19 – lockdowns, closed borders, economic uncertainty and political unrest – have provided a context for this expression and an impetus and urgency for the work of schools to ensure they are truly well-prepared. The following provides a brief insight into some of the significant and emerging trends in senior secondary education in Australia.
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THE KNOWLEDGE/ SKILLS VS CAPABILITIES DEBATE Central to global narratives about education in the COVID and post-COVID age, is the emerging exploration of an education that goes beyond the traditional learning of knowledge and skills of the industrial age of education, to ensuring there are opportunities for application and, more recently, enabling a greater emphasis and focus on the development of the complex capabilities. The Alice Springs Declaration (The Mparntwe Declaration) provides a blueprint for the directions of the Australian education systems. It made bold statements regarding the changes needed in curriculum, teaching practice and educational outcomes. In The Mparntwe Declaration, Goal 2 remains with only slight adjustments. Goal 2: All young Australians become confident and creative individuals, successful lifelong learners, and active and informed members of the community. The declaration identifies that students need to be, ‘Confident and creative individuals who..’, ‘are resilient and develop the skills and strategies they need to tackle current and future challenges’; ‘are able to recognise, adapt to, and manage change’ and ‘show initiative, use their creative abilities and are enterprising’. Further, ‘successful lifelong learners who.. ‘are productive and informed users of technology as a vehicle of information gathering and sharing, and are able to adapt to emerging technologies into the future’; ‘are creative, innovative and resourceful, and are able to solve problems in ways that draw upon a range of learning areas and disciplines and deep content knowledge’; ‘are responsive and adaptive to new ways of thinking and learning’; and ‘are able to plan activities independently, collaborate, work in teams and communicate ideas.’
A further reference to the importance of capabilities development is made in the declaration’s commitment to, ‘delivering world-class curriculum and assessment’, highlighting the centrality of capabilities to an education that supports students to become responsible, confident and capable contributors to the knowledge economy.
The curriculum supports students to become responsible local and global members of the community in an interconnected world and to engage with complex ethical issues and concepts such as sustainability. As a foundation for further learning and adult life, the curriculum includes practical skills development in areas such as ICT, critical and creative thinking, intercultural understanding and problem solving. These skills support imagination, discovery, innovation, empathy and developing creative solutions to complex problems. They are central to contributing to Australia’s knowledgebased economy. These broader learning goals that encompass a greater emphasis on the development of complex capabilities present some challenges for a senior secondary education system that often feels clogged with the requirements of preparing students for ATAR exams. However, it is clearly a goal that is becoming more of a priority and was recently articulated by Milligan, Mackay and Noonan (2022) as prioritising the capacity, ‘for every learner to master knowledge in depth in areas of interest, but also how to apply that knowledge, to use it to add value to the community, to keep learning in the face of change, and to develop transferrable general capabilities that will stand them in good stead irrespective of their path in life’. At ASC, we have never seen an either/ or in the debate over knowledge and skills vs capabilities. Our work currently explores the ways in which all the knowledge and skills students learn can be developed and applied within rich contexts that are nested within the development of capabilities; with all these domains represented and shared through a learner profile.
THE MOVE TOWARD A LEARNER PROFILE All Saints’ College is the only Western Australian school selected to participate in the New Metrics project with the University of Melbourne. Emerging from this work are two significant and linked projects – the first being the development of a set of measurement and assessment tools for enabling the assessment and reporting of students’ development of complex capabilities. This work is seen as a significant step toward shifting our systems’ emphasis on the traditional knowledge and skills as we measure what we value and what we are able to measure. Supported by the University, 2022 sees ASC trialling the assessment and reporting of students’ development in two important capabilities: Learner Agency and Collaboration. The second significant project to emerge from the work of New Metrics is the development of a Learner Profile, with the aim that every student should leave school with a ‘transparent, trusted, useful, authorised, comparable, and inclusive learner profile, representing standards of learning attained in a range of domains’ (Milligan, Mackay and Noonan, 2022). A Learner Profile would aim to represent the broadness of a students’ growth and development in domains that include, but go beyond, the academic. This would include students’ capabilities and be substantiated with evidence of their engagement, participation and development in a broad range of areas that are not represented in current reports. As examples, this might include students’ growth and development in drama productions, debating teams, coaching roles, their employment outside of school and the leadership roles they have undertaken. Significantly, students would play a role in developing their learner profile and selecting and showcasing their distinctive and unique abilities, interests and experiences. At ASC, we see the Learner Profile as a significant platform for
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students to present their growth and development across their senior years in the rich variety of opportunities they take up during their time at the College and we are excited about developing and trialling our initial versions in 2022.
THE PLACE OF ATAR Whilst the ATAR continues to serve its purpose and is trusted as an efficient and broadly fair tool for ranking students for the purpose of admitting students to competitive university courses, it is facing a number of significant challenges. Firstly, the COVID world has seen universities respond to the crisis by providing and promoting a range of alternative entrance opportunities for students. These new and emerging ways to enter university include pathways programs, VET entry, special consideration processes, early offer schemes and portfolio entrance schemes. Secondly, whilst the ATAR is an efficient tool for ranking students based on their performance in course work and externally set exams, it is criticised in terms of ensuring that students are selected for university courses based on suitability and a student’s capacity to persist in an area of interest. As expressed by the Tertiary Admissions Centre in NSW, ‘The ATAR is an efficient and effective measure of academic achievement and potential, but it does not consider equity issues and says nothing about a student’s life goals, passions and broader personality, beyond being resilient, motivated and organised enough to have achieved the HSC. What’s missing in the current debate about ATAR is balance.’ Thirdly, a significant challenge that has seen students drifting away from the ATAR in Western Australia is the considerable stress that the system of assessment and examinations creates for many of our young people. Combined with the opportunity of alternative pathways, WA has seen a fall to only 46.6% of students taking up an ATAR pathway in 2021, with many young people deciding to take a different path for wellbeing and balance reasons.
At ASC, we have focussed on the ATAR+ approach for a number of years and so we are confident any shifts away from the centrality of that approach will see our students wellplaced with each student carefully considering their pathways to explore and build their unique strengths and capacities and achieve their goals.
EDUCATION FOR AGENCY AND FLOURISHING In the global knowledge economy, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation (OECD) has an increasingly influential role to play in determining the goals, practices and outcomes of education systems. In 2018, the OECD released its framing paper, The Future of Education and Skills: Education 2030 which contains the OECD Learning Framework 2030 – a vision and some underpinning principles for the future of education systems. The Framework attends to two significant needs in education: the need for broader education goals for individual and collective wellbeing, “Education needs to aim to do more than prepare young people for the world of work; it needs to equip students with the skills they need to become active, responsible and engaged citizens.” South Australia has recently taken up the challenge from the OECD of redesigning its Senior Secondary schooling with a focus on flourishing and agency. Seen as a first mover in Australia to reimagine their system for a new age, South Australia has placed wellbeing at the centre of their design with six key elements: Zest for life, Agency, Deep understanding and skilful action, Human connectedness, Ability to transfer learning and Belonging as the key aims of the students’ final years of school. In South Australia, ‘Thrive’ is a learning entitlement. A key focus for us at ASC in 2022 is on building students’ capacity to develop agency and, of course, to ensure that wellbeing is at the heart of all our programs.
REFERENCES & FURTHER READING GOING BEYOND BOUNDARIES AT ASC The establishment of Djoowak, The Beyond Boundaries Institute at ASC in 2018 had the aim and focus to ensure that the College is leading in ensuring that we are at the forefront of conversations about education and its emerging directions. As we examine these emerging trends, we can feel confident not only that we have a deep understanding of how they do and are playing out in schools across the globe, but also that we are leading conversations to ensure that we contribute to these emerging trends; thus ensuring that our young people have the best opportunities to thrive in the V.U.C.A. world and have the benefit of educational innovation, supported by sound research and expert partners as the basis of a world-leading education.
OECD. (2018). The Future of Education and Skills: Education 2030
(CAGEC), C. o. A. G. E. C. (2019). Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration
Milligan, Mackay and Noonan (2022). Framing success for all: a proposal about regulatory arrangements for certification in Australian Senior Secondary schooling.
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LESSONS LEARNED FROM BEING BI-VOCATIONAL By Emily Bridget Taylor English Teacher
Three years ago, I made the decision to apply to teach part time. I was terrified. I was scared because it felt like a very counter cultural thing to do for someone in their mid-twenties (at least, in my mind it felt counter cultural). I felt a lot of social pressure to work as much as possible, to make as much money as possible, to buy a house as soon as possible, and then do whatever people who own houses do. Applying for a reduced teaching load felt audacious – especially given that I wanted to use the extra time to write a novel. I recommend you do not tell anyone you are writing a novel, if you are. Keep it a secret. I didn’t and learnt the hard way that if people think you are odd for working less (especially when if you do not have kids – what will she do with the time?), when you add in that you are writing a novel, the awkwardness of the exchange increases tenfold. Oh, really? they ask quizzically, backing away like you are a specimen in a petri dish that might infect them. Luckily, All Saints’ did not see it as odd that I wanted more space in my life to explore my creativity. Instead, to my delight, they were enthusiastic about it. The approval letter arrived in my email inbox, and a whole new terrain – and way of life – opened up before me. To say I learnt to use the extra time perfectly, straight away, would be a lie. It was strange to go from a highly structured workplace to developing a personal project within the freedom (and distractions!) of home. I am still trying to figure out what it looks like to effectively embody being bi-vocational: a writer and a teacher, at the same time. And while I have not figured out the
perfect way to balance teaching with impressive daily word counts, what the last few years have taught me are invaluable lessons in what it means to develop your creativity. Over time, my adventures in exploring my own creativity greatly enriched my approach to fostering this important skill in my students. Creativity has been increasingly identified as a skill, state of being, and mindset worth cultivating and measuring in the school system today, as it emerges into its modern iteration. The late Sir Ken Robinson acknowledged this when he wrote, “Creativity is as important as literacy.” It is one of the core capabilities we focus on at All Saints’ College in our mission to prepare students to make a positive difference in our world. Creativity, in my opinion, is simply the act of making something new, and I think that we only need to turn on the evening news to see that the 21st century presents immensely complex problems – problems that require new approaches to solve. Where do we start though, in terms of helping our young people develop this important capability?
IN MY QUEST TO OVERCOME THIS FEAR FOR MYSELF, THE ADVICE I GLEANED FROM OTHER WRITERS AND CREATORS HAD A COMMON THREAD.
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Being in the position of writing every day gave me the opportunity to interrogate this conundrum. For a long time when I first started being bi-vocational, I suffered from writer’s block and a sense of shame, because I could not always seem to work on my book consistently. Some days, I would be ‘in the flow’. On others, I would stare at the blank page listlessly. These unproductive days were hard because I had taken on a financial sacrifice to write, and there I was struggling to actually do it. I had to learn how to create in an effective, sustainable way – in a way that meant I could go to bed at night feeling satisfied with my word count, and proud of the way I had shown up in the classroom. I began to lean more into why I was struggling, and realised fear was at the core of it. Fear of getting it wrong, making a mess, and failing. The idea of writing something bad horrified me. The notion of someone reading my work if it was less than perfect stopped me from trying at all. Even the notion of me reading my own work, and not liking it, had the power to set on full writing paralysis. I see this same fear in my classroom. The fear of getting it wrong is a huge creative blocker for the English students with whom I have the privilege of working. In comprehension assessments, students often fear they are not reading an image or text correctly, so they will panic and write whatever comes to mind without brainstorming first. The same can be said for their approach at times to other classroom work – whether it be sharing an idea or going for a unique approach to a composition. The fear of getting it wrong can create a chokehold on making something new. It also prevents the important practise time that making a mess gifts them. In my quest to overcome this fear for myself, the advice I gleaned from other writers and creators had a common thread. We can’t conquer the fear of failure until we
are sure that it is safe to fail. We need assurance that we will not be met with disaster, ridicule, shame and hurt if we stuff things up. Now, we can never control the reactions of others to our creative ideas. We may in fact encounter very negative ‘reviews’ of our creations. How then do we make ‘failure’ safe? The answer that came to me, over time, was that you cannot control the reactions of others. What you can control is creating a safe space within for dealing with failure – an emotionally resilient inner world. I have come to believe we will see powerful creators emerge within our young people in direct correlation with how resilient we empower them to be in the face of failure. Teaching creativity is not necessarily about fostering talent or encouraging only good ideas. It’s about building within young people an emotional capacity for risk taking. The more we nurture their resiliency and emotional health, the more creative risks they will feel safe to take, and the more power they will have to finish things and create sustainably over a long period of time. When we normalise failure being a necessary and important part of the process, and refer back to this again and again, and vulnerably share when we ourselves do less than perfect work, beautiful things can be safely brought to life. The stumbles and ‘getting things wrong’ will no longer be seen as red lights but as the ‘signs of life’ that something new is being brought forth. Many people pay lip service to the notion of ‘flearning’ (failing is learning) but have strong negative reactions to things not looking perfect, immediately. How can we change our reactions to the necessary learning stumbles young people encounter in their quest to make new things, so that they feel more empowered to innovate?
we help students develop inner emotional resilience is an enormous one. Certainly, there is a range of strategies to try. One practice that has most helped me to overcome my perfectionism and fear of failure is journaling. And no, I do not mean diarising what I did in a day. I mean creating a ritual in which you sit down prior to creating and write down all the negative stories that are holding you back. This could be a negative story such as ‘I don’t have any unique ideas’, or ‘Nobody will ever read my work.’ Once you have listed these negative stories, on the other side of the page, respond to them with positive stories – things you would say to encourage a friend. For example, the follow up stories to the negative stories I gave as examples could be, ‘I am a magnet for good ideas’, and ‘Those who need my work will find it.’ While at first this feels like a list of silly lies, it is a powerful and positive psychology exercise that can build inner resiliency and belief. I can definitely say that with my first poetry collection being released this month, it is a practice that helps bring forth the work. I feel convicted that emotionally resilient people who are free to create will make work that helps to free others. It’s a chain reaction and makes what we do as teachers so rewarding. For this reason, I feel really grateful to work at a school that prioritises student wellbeing, and allows their staff to take risks, because it is a culture I believe will see young creators thrive. I feel sure that the more we nurture ourselves and do the inner work of rewriting negative stories, the more prolifically, abundantly, and joyfully we can all create, and – who knows, perhaps solve some of those urgent problems we face. Even if it is simply to help each other feel less alone.
Beyond controlling how we positively respond to the ‘flearning’ of our young people, the question of how
Scan the QR code to purchase Emily’s debut poetry collection, Remedy.
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
DIVYA BHARDWAJ PRESIDENT OF THE PARENTS AND FRIENDS’ SOCIETY
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Growing up meant never-ending seasons of joyful and memorable experiences of moving to different countries every three years. At one point in my life, I could only speak two languages, ‘Arabic’ and ‘Shona’ – very different to Hindi and English that my parents spoke. This exotic change in culture, lifestyle and environment was often confusing and challenging. It wasn’t long before my parents realised that their Arabic-speaking Indian girl with a ‘thick African accent’, needed to have a value system which would be foundational to her existence. They taught me the importance of being comfortable, even though I was different and emphasised that my unique self and upbringing would allow me to connect with people from different parts of the world. They helped me build a ‘value system’ which I took with me wherever I went. I learnt to turn my confusion into curiosity and challenges into courage. We tend to forget that leadership is not about speaking the loudest and saying the most. It is about enabling, motivating and inspiring our team by sharing stories about our own unique journey to deliver the best results as a team. As a part of the All Saints’ family (parent of two children (Pre-Primary and Pre-Kindergarten), it is my absolute pleasure and honour to be the President of the Parents and Friends’ Society (P&F). I have a long-term interest in contributing towards the College’s mission through application of my professional skills, networks, agility, transparency, boldness and humility while fulfilling my passion for community service. The values of empathy, respect, integrity guided by humility and compassion, and the courage to be ourselves resonates very strongly for me. As an initial step towards espousing these values, P&F held its first strategy meeting to align with our vision and to get to know each other’s unique self. In this session, I learnt interesting facts about each member of the P&F executive team. David’s passion includes raising four wonderful boys, enjoying sports on the weekend and going on adventures to new destinations, while taking as many photos as possible.
After living overseas for 24 years, for Anthony, ASC has been key to the family fitting into life in Perth. Being part of the P&F is a way for Anthony to contribute to the after-school activities that make ASC more than just a school. Pooja is delighted to be able to contribute to ASC and the wider community through P&F for yet another year. She is passionate about initiatives undertaken by Catalyst: Centre for Service and Social Enterprise to support the emotional and social wellbeing of each student while fostering a strong sense of social justice to make a positive difference in the world. Allison loves to watch her kids participate in the activities they love. She especially enjoys helping create social connections amongst ASC families through her role as Parent Social Coordinator. Kate loves gardening and landscaping in her spare time and enjoys coaching sport at ASC. She relishes the opportunity to give back to the ASC community that has given so much to our kids. Meagan has been a part of P&F since 2017 and has been part of Catalyst: Centre for Service and Social Enterprise. Lucy is keen to learn from the active parents in P&F to contribute to the community. She loves yoga and meditation which keeps her calm and balanced and hopes to promote ASC and P&F across different communities. Nicola enjoys playing hockey and taking her kids to sport. She also finds her volunteering with St John Event Health Services enjoyable and rewarding, being able to give back to the community. Ursula used to play saxophone and sports. Now, she loves cooking, cleaning and spending time with her children and will be starting yoga classes soon. She joined the P&F in 2018 when her children joined the school. Melanie is a lover of ‘The Arts’ – Music, Dance and Drama. She has always enjoyed volunteering for anything relating to the Arts at ASC and feels she is making a difference in our community.
Gayatri is introverted by nature but loves cooking and music. She enjoys being part of the ASC family and tries her level best to give back to the community. Ali’s key areas of interest are innovation, entrepreneurship and sport, and finds it a privilege to contribute to the ASC community in these areas through the P&F. We all got together for a Strategy Day at the end of March to work through our vision and plans for the coming year. Our collective vision is ‘To be seen as a reliable partner and a conduit between parents, the community and the College, in order to enhance everyone’s experience at All Saints’ College.’ Our key objectives are: • To foster and enhance community spirit within the College; • To promote in every way the welfare of the College and its students; • To support the ideals of Christian education for which the College stands; and • To provide a forum at which parents and friends may raise concerns and issues relevant to the College. We have big plans in 2022 to strengthen partnerships with the College and community, to yield innovative and extraordinary outcomes and be the trusted voice of the parents. Some of our key initiatives include creating a stakeholder management and engagement plan, crafting a clear communication strategy and focusing on key fundraising events. I am very excited to get to work in my role as President this year and look forward to supporting and enhancing the important function of the P&F in the College community. Divya Bhardwaj
CPEng, PEng, GAICD, PMP P&F President
To contact the P&F email pandf@allsaints.wa.edu.au
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
NIC KESKINIDIS HEAD OF FUTURES
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It’s a great honour and privilege to be at All Saints’ College as the new Head of Futures, after working in various schools and system sectors spanning over 22 years. Fundamentally, my role involves encouraging students to imagine their potential futures and enable learning opportunities that will provide them with the tools to create these futures. Recent findings from an Organisation for Economic Co-operation (OECD) study has shown there’s a ‘strong association across multiple countries between teenage thoughts and attitudes about their imagined futures in work and positive employment outcomes in adulthood.’ (OECD Education Working Paper No. 258) Some of the day-to-day tasks of my role include career and course counselling, individual pathway planning, preparing and coordinating career expositions and other career related activities, and curating career information to suit student needs. I also manage the delivery of the Life Skills curriculum from Years 8 to 10 which aims to develop capabilities to make a positive difference not only in their own lives, but also within their own community and the wider world. My approach to the work I do revolves around three interconnected elements that impact on one another. The first of these elements is ‘self-awareness’. The second is ‘life-long learning’. The third is ‘work exploration and creation.’ Self-awareness is about knowing yourself. It’s a neverending quest of understanding your own motivations and attitudes towards various areas of life. A key aspect of self-awareness is the identification of one’s own values. If students can adhere to a set of values, this acts as a compass to guide them through rapidly changing and uncertain times. Student wellbeing and social interaction also plays a key role, in that if students have a positive self-concept, there’s a greater chance this could also lead to constructive relationships which may benefit society as a whole. It doesn’t matter what age you are; I believe we are all on a journey of continual self-discovery, bringing with it challenges, excitement and curiosity. Life-long learning is the second element and which, in my opinion, underpins the core business of any school. It can be argued that a school-aged child’s main ‘occupation’ is that of a student, with the practice
of learning being the essential associated ‘job task.’ The reality of the situation is that a student’s time in school is significantly consumed with assessments that may impact on them in various ways, not least of all their self-efficacy. Lent, Brown and Hackett’s (1994) pioneering work in the area of Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) suggests that “An individual’s occupational interests also are influenced by his or her occupationally relevant abilities, but this relation is mediated by one’s self efficacy beliefs.” It must also be stated that learning doesn’t confine itself to just the classroom and that experiences outside schooling environments are essential parts to a holistic life-long learning journey. Work exploration and creation is the third element which focuses on students undertaking deliberate practice in imagining and experiencing their working futures. This involves investigating labour market trends, occupations, industries, immersing themselves in workplace cultures and engaging in career conversations. One of the major conclusions coming from the OECD Career Readiness team stipulates, “When students explore, experience and think about potential futures in work, they can often expect to achieve better employment outcomes as young adults.” (How Youth Explore, Experience and Think about their future; 2021) As mentioned earlier, self-awareness, life-long learning, and work exploration are interconnected and are not mutually exclusive. They all inform one another. The challenge is being able to harmonise these three elements so that students are enlightened enough to see a path for themselves that brings excitement and joy. Learning experiences can unlock new awareness of the outside world. More importantly, it can unlock a new self-awareness within a student. When you see yourself as someone who has the potential to learn successfully this can have a profound impact on your self-awareness as well as your imagined working future. As the Head of Futures, I am grateful to be able to help students build purposeful pathways in an effort to realise their career aspirations.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
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The role of Environment Captain is an important one in our Student Council and in 2022, Georgia Blackbeard has assumed the mantle. Georgia tells us how she is endeavouring to help reduce the footprint we have already created and how she wants to help future generations learn better ways to treat the environment. 1) WHY IS ENVIRONMENT CAPTAIN A GOOD ROLE? WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT IT?
GEORGIA BLACKBEARD
E N V I R O N M E N T C A P TA I N
I think being Environment Captain is a great opportunity to find your passions and undertake projects with the many like-minded people you can find within the College. There is a lot of freedom, so you can focus on any areas you like and there are many people willing to support you through the process.
2) WHAT PROJECTS DO YOU HAVE COMING UP IN 2022? Upcoming in 2022, I have the idea of building a connection with Kaarakin, the Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre. It is still in the very early stages, but it is something we are working towards as a sustainability/ arts project. Some of the ideas we have had include the possibility of an art exhibition, a film night (to raise funds for an upcoming documentary), a cockatoo tattoo day – or even a drone photo shoot where students will get to dress up in black and red clothes standing in the shape of a black cockatoo (we’ll see how that one goes). We want to help raise as much awareness as possible so this documentary can come to life.
3) WHAT HAVE YOU DONE ALREADY? We took part in the Schools Clean Up Day which was a great way to get students involved in learning about the impact of rubbish on their local environment, while also letting them play a role in cleaning up their community (school). During Tutor Group, each class was assigned a different area of the College and
students were provided with rubbish bags to collect rubbish. It was great to see the outdoor learning staff also being involved while off campus and getting students to clean up the campsite. At Sustainability Club, we have added a new activity to our rotations which is a wellbeing walk around the College, giving students the chance to get some exercise while being outdoors and cleaning up the campus at the same time. Due to the many COVID-19 restrictions, we have been limited so far this year, but we are hoping this will soon change and we can move forward with some of our ideas.
4) WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT? Every Monday at The Hangar, a group of students from both the Junior and Senior Schools meet up for the newly-merged Sustainability and LEO Club. We get to take part in many activities/projects such as wellbeing walks (which is an opportunity to be in nature, get some exercise, and collect rubbish!), bird watching/bird counting, Precious Plastics and even some plant propagation. The team is very welcoming, and it would be great to see more of you down there! Even if you are unable to commit to joining the meetings every Monday, you are still very welcome to get involved with our projects and activities. If you are interested, please contact Rebecca. Chapman@allsaints.wa.edu.au to be added to our Microsoft Teams group.
5) WHY IS ENVIRONMENT CAPTAIN AN IMPORTANT POSITION AT THE COLLEGE? WHY DO YOU LIKE LOOKING AFTER THE ENVIRONMENT? I like looking after the environment because the damage is something that we as humans have caused. By doing something, as a College, we can help to reduce the footprint we have already created and try to help future generations learn better ways to treat the environment.
THAT FEELING when you push yourself not rush yourself
DIVERSITY IS IN OUR DNA
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SECURING OUR FUTURE
A separate legal entity to the College, the Foundation was established with a specific purpose to benefit the College and support its mission. The Foundation has legal and financial authority to manage donations, bequests and other investments, with the objective of providing for the College’s longer term financial security. It has a number of Board members in common with the College Board and receives executive and financial support from the College’s Director of Business and Administration. Alongside investment returns, another of the Foundation’s primary sources of revenue is the Endowment Fee which is payable by every family upon enrolment at the College. The Foundation receives 100% of this Fee which provides a solid base for investment activities which, in turn, generates ongoing returns in support of the College. Chair of the College Board, Mark Stickells, notes, “The Foundation is overseen by a board of Directors and works closely with the College’s Principal and the Community Development team. One of its aims is to support the College’s growing culture of benefaction and philanthropy.” Mr Stickells added, “Further, while the Foundation has a strategy and purpose that is necessarily longer term in its approach, it has already delivered benefits to the College community, supporting several key programs and initiatives in recent years by way of a modest grant it gifts to the College, annually.” “The Foundation’s annual grant to the College has been most beneficial
to so many areas of the College,” said Principal, Belinda Provis. “The grant has contributed, for instance, to scholarships and to bursary support in extraordinary circumstances, to funding an organ in the Chapel and a coffee machine in Wanju Café, and to sponsoring Djaaliny, the College’s guest speaker program for the community, to name but a few.” Other areas that have benefited from the Foundation’s grants include the College’s academic-in-residence program as well as Restless Curiosity, a fund that supports ASC staff’s ongoing studies. Over the years, the Foundation has also contributed to The Leader in Me wellbeing program, the establishment of HotHouse Company, the cost of providing a sprung floor in our Dance Studio and a new playground in the Early Childhood Centre. It has further supported ASC’s Mindfulness pilot program and Runway, the pop-up shop for students’ entrepreneurial activities. The Foundation is also pleased to sponsor the College’s annual Valedictory Dinner for its graduating class and their parents, amongst many other worthy programs. “We are most appreciative of the original founders and indeed all those who have subsequently served on the College Foundation,” said Ms Provis. “All Saints’ Foundation has been managed so very well – it is in a very healthy position for the longterm, especially considering our relative youth as a school. Its annual grants in support of the College’s programs and initiatives have meant we’ve been able to progress some projects more quickly than we may otherwise have been able to do.”
COLLEGE FOUNDATION MEMBERS
Established in 1987, only two years after the inaugural graduating class of ‘Old Saints’, the College’s Foundation was an early and very important commitment by the founders of ASC to address and strengthen the financial position of the College in the longer term.
Mr Mark Stickells
Ms Bronwyn Baker
Mr Mark Balding
Mr Cameron Brown
Rt Rev Kate Wilmot
WACE RESULTS W E C E L E B R AT E T H E FA C T T H AT :
25%
44%
of our Class of 2021 achieved an ATAR of 95 or above
of ASC students achieved an ATAR of 90 or above
7% of All Saints’ eligible Year 12 cohort achieved an ATAR of 99 or above
WE CELEBRATE WITH OUR ATAR DUX, KELLY SNOW, WHO WAS ONE OF JUST 15 STUDENTS ACROSS WESTERN AUSTRALIA TO ACHIEVE THE PERFECT SCORE OF 99.95, AND WITH OUR 2021 ATAR PROXIME ACCESSIT WINNER, LUCAS HO, WHO ACHIEVED 99.85.
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GENERAL EXHIBITION
Congratulations to Holly Baker, Harry Laycock, Kelly Snow and Emilia Traverso on being among the top 50 highest WACE achievers in the state and recipients of General Exhibition awards. 2
SUBJECT EXHIBITION
Subject Exhibitions are awarded to the student who achieves the top mark in Western Australia in a subject in the WACE exams. We congratulate Lotte George who was awarded the Subject Exhibition for Biology and Hugh McGuire who was awarded the Subject Exhibition for Drama.
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SUBJECT CERTIFICATES OF EXCELLENCE 8
Subject Certificates of Excellence – awarded to those in the top 0.5% of candidates based on the examination mark – were awarded to: • Biology: Lotte George and Emilia Traverso • Chemistry: Harry Laycock • Drama: Hugh McGuire • English: Harry Laycock • Mathematics Applications: Kelsey Biddulph and Harry Laycock • Psychology: Michelle Thesman
COURSE LEADERS All Saints’ College also celebrates the breadth of its success, achieving ‘course leader’ status in a range of subjects. (This status is awarded to schools based on the percentage of students whose marks are in the top 15% of all students taking that course.) In 2021, All Saints’ College achieved ‘course leader’ status in: • • • • • • • • • • • •
Accounting and Finance Biology Chemistry Computer Science Drama French: Background Language Geography Mathematics Applications Mathematics Specialist Physics Politics and Law Psychology
(N.B. To be eligible for 'course leader' status, schools must have at least ten students enrolled in the course: it is worth noting therefore, that in 2021, ASC ran 28 Year 12 courses, including 9 ATAR courses, with fewer than ten students.)
VET ACHIEVEMENTS In addition to a broad curriculum offering of ATAR and General courses, All Saints’ College is proud to ‘broker’ for our students a range of tailor-made Vocational Education and Training (VET) opportunities, and in 2021 we celebrated the fact that many of our students sought and achieved 63 qualifications: • Certificate II – Automotive Vocational Preparation: Emily Koziniec, Matthew Mulcahy, Callum Stickells, William Tomlinson, Ethan Walker, Taj Wright; Furniture Making Pathways: Liam Doherty, Tyler McPhee, Michelle Williams; Retail Cosmetics: Shania Franchina; Sport and Recreation: Emily Koziniec; Sports Coaching: Nathan Adcock, Holly Attwater, Jacob Feist, Liam Fukumoto, Thomas Gerovich, Emily Koziniec, Elizabeth McGuire, Benjamin Robinson, Alana Sivacolundhu, Jamé Speechley, Hugh Wilson, David Wu, Jasmine York. • Certificate III – Applied Language: Cooper Byers, Nicholas Deleanu, Hannah Greaves, Jogitheshwar Shivakumar, Kelly Snow; Beauty Services: Shania Franchina; Events: KC Leevers, Victoria Sandford, Sophie Smith, Tahlia Stone, Harry Watson; Information, Digital Media and Technology: Jared Fallon, James Gant, Chen Jeffrey, Tahlia Stone; Screen and Media: Angus Balloch, Riley Butson, Cooper Byers, Christopher Doak, James Gant, Elyshia Gault, Myles Keeffe, Tyler McPhee, Matthew Mulcahy, William Robinson, Callum Stickells, Tahlia Stone, Felix Torralbo Straton, Ethan Walker, Drew Whittington.
• Certificate IV – Allied Health Assistance: Georga Ellison; Business: Riley Butson, Aditi Kulkarni, Julien Ladeira, KC Leevers, Victoria Sandford; Musical Theatre: Harrison Ion; Preparation for Health and Nursing Studies: Charlotte McNamee, Sophia Young.
CERTIFICATES OF DISTINCTION AND MERIT Certificates of Distinction and Merit are awarded to each eligible student who, in their last three consecutive years of senior secondary WACE enrolment, achieves: 190-200 points (Certificate of Distinction) and 150-189 points (Certificate of Merit). The points are accrued from 20 Year 11 and Year 12 units, 10 of which are from Year 12. Congratulations to the following ASC students who achieved these awards for their consistent achievement:
DISTINCTION Holly Baker, Tashie Baker, Kelsey Biddulph, Cara Brown, Adelynn Chambers, Lotte George, Tiara Heng-Chin, Lucas Ho, Eliana Hullett, Zoe Johnston, Spencer Jones, Yogi Kumar, Harry Laycock, Claudia Marsh, Hugh McGuire, Lauren Pitcher, Nicholas Sacca, Vienne Seneque, Jogitheshwar Shivakumar, Kelly Snow, Tristan Tan, Michelle Thesman, Emilia Traverso, Aditya Ullas Chandran. MERIT Steele Baker, Georgie Blevin, Sophie Brown, Silas Butler, Olivia Clinckers, Rachel Cole, Nicholas Deleanu, Jade Destremau, Zakaria Ebrahim, Jared Fallon, Liam Fukumoto, Thomas Gerovich, Jacob Gray, Harrison Ion, Isabelle Jeminson, Ashley Lance, KC Leevers, Isobel Lindsay, Asha McDonald, Tara Mishra, Ewan Moles, Remi Pearce, Madhav Rajesh, William Robinson, Sophie Smith, Jagaannadhan Sundar, Matthew Tomlinson, Ashley Tsang, Michelle Williams.
WACE RESULTS
CONT...
At ASC, we believe there are as many definitions of success as there are students at the College. Students also have the opportunity to be involved in a wide range of other awards, leadership and College activities to add to a diverse experience. Some of the amazing achievements of our class of 2021 include:
SCHOOL CURRICULUM AND STANDARDS AUTHORITY – ENDORSED PROGRAM ACHIEVEMENTS: Australian Music Examinations Board • Practice of Music Grade 6: Olivia Clinckers. • Practice of Music Grade 8: Zoe Johnston. • Theory of Music Grade 3: Olivia Clinckers.
Department of Transport
• Advanced Open Water Diver: Hamish Hillier.
Royal Life Saving Society WA Inc. • Bronze Medallion: Caitlin Attwater, Holly Baker, Cooper Byers, Nicholas Deleanu, Jade Destremau, Elyshia Gault, Hamish Hillier, Asha McDonald, Remi Pearce, Michelle Thesman.
School Curriculum and Standards Authority
• WA Recreational Skippers Ticket: Hamish Hillier.
• Elite Sports Performance: Mitch McKell, Vienne Seneque.
Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award
• Off-campus Enrichment Program: Ella Augustin, Elley Dymond, Kian Hart, Tara Mishra, Alyssa Unwin.
• Bronze Medallion: Olivia Clinckers, Elley Dymond, Myles Keeffe, Imogen Khinsoe, Tara Mishra, Ewan Moles, Madhav Rajesh, Jogitheshwar Shivakumar, Michelle Thesman, Felix Torralbo Straton, Michelle Williams. • Silver Medallion: Dante Barrett, Elley Dymond.
Leeuwin Ocean Adventure Foundation • Youth Explorer Voyage: Dexter Payenberg.
Prodigy Learning • Microsoft Office Specialist Excel: Kian Hart • Microsoft Office Specialist Outlook: Aamir Patankar, Monet Williams. • Microsoft Office Specialist PowerPoint: Kian Hart, Yogi Kumar, Aamir Patankar. • Microsoft Office Specialist Word: Caitlin Attwater, Jade Destremau, Monet Williams.
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• Workplace Learning (78 hours): Riley Butson.
INNOVATIVE STUDENT SCHOLARS PROGRAM (ISSP) The ISSP offers a select number of exceptional students the opportunity to engage in tertiary learning at Curtin University and earn university credit while they are still at school. Units of study: Introduction to Astronomy, Planetary Science, Typography, Game Design Introduction, Human Structure and Function, Accounting the Language of Business, Legacies of Empire, Evidence Informed Health Practice. • ISSP students: Steele Baker, Rachel Cole, Nicholas Deleanu, Lotte George, Bailey Hardy, Ashley Lance, Jacob Powell, Madhav Rajesh, Jagaan Sundar, Michelle Thesman.
DON’T CHANGE YOU #BEMOREYOU DIVERSITY IS IN OUR DNA
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21ST CENTURY CHILD CARE By Ben Fitzpatrick
Director of Marketing and Community Relations
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All Saints’ College has a term for the handful of students each year who graduate having completed their entire schooling at the College: commencing in either Kindergarten or Pre-Primary, these students graduate Year 12 as a ‘Collegian’ – only 28 students attained this title from the Class of 2021.
In the future, a new term may need to be applied, with the possibility of a student attending the College from six months old and going all the way through to graduate Year 12, spending close to 18 years of their life within our community.
When speaking to Penelope, it’s clear to see and hear the passion and enthusiasm she has for this project, which will be located at the far end of the Junior School carpark and will provide a new connection to the somewhat isolated Aquatic Centre.
This opportunity will be afforded to families, from 2024, as the integrated Childcare Centre comes online to welcome the first of hundreds of new and existing families.
“It’s around our philosophy of being connected to community and the real world. Often, childcare centres can be very closeted; they can become their own little world. Whereas we were very strategic in our proposal to make it part of the community,” Penelope said.
According to Penelope Crane, Dean of Junior School, the Childcare Centre was a concept that Principal Belinda Provis mentioned in their first ever one-to-one meeting back in 2013. “My first conversation with Belinda in my office, when we were talking about the Junior School and next steps, included: What about a childcare centre?” The need for a Childcare Centre is borne partly from the need to be able to offer full-time Kindergarten to families and increase the capacity for Pre-Kindergarten from one day a week. “About eight years ago, we started providing one day per week for our Pre-Kindergarten students. By having that one day, and four days of Kindergarten, those classrooms are used every day of the week.” “At enrolment interviews, parents often ask if there’s any scope to have more Pre-Kindergarten days available for their child,” said Penelope. “There are several services currently offering full-time Pre-Kindergarten and, as a College with a strong reputation in the early years of education, the Childcare Centre seemed to be a very natural way of expanding what we do here.”
“Our vision is of a connected campus where the Childcare Centre, Early Learning Centre and Bush School will all be together in the same precinct. Parents will also have ready access to other facilities too, such as Wanju Café – all part of an inclusive community that you won’t find at any other childcare centre around!” The Childcare Centre is to be the focus of a multimillion-dollar project that includes two separate but related capital works initiatives which will see the establishment of a new Grounds and Maintenance Facility and the addition of 52 new parking bays in the Junior School carpark. The College’s Director of Business and Administration, Melanie Mason, said it was an easy decision to bring the three projects together. “To satisfy the planning requirements dictated by the size of the new Childcare Centre, we had to be able to provide a certain number of car parking spaces. However, we also had to remove a handful of bays, due to the location of the Centre,” said Melanie.
“Our Feasibility Study provided only one suitable location for the new car park and that was on the current site of the now extremely old Grounds Facility. A need for a new facility had already been identified in the Campus Development Plan which was the catalyst we needed to bring the three projects together,” she said. The College’s Grounds, Maintenance and Facilities team is currently situated in various locations around the 19-hectare campus which provides several complexities for the team and their interdependencies. Said Melanie, “One of the major benefits of this new facility is that it will not only cater for the developing needs of the Maintenance, Grounds and Facilities team, it will also house a Theatre Workshop and a central receivals hub for vital support operations that are managed every day, such as goods and service contractors. “It will see the bringing together of all the personnel and equipment from these areas, allowing for better collaboration, and improved storage efficiencies, whilst at the same time freeing up valuable teaching real estate on the campus.” College families are likely to enjoy the expanded number of parking spaces available as a result of this project, with 52 additional bays to occupy the site of the current Facilities Workshop which will be demolished. “Parking space is at a premium and we are luckier than most schools with the space we already have but these extra bays will certainly help during the peak drop off and pick up times,” said Melanie. However, it is the Childcare Centre that will be the focal point of the project. Godden Projects, with architects Matthew Crawford and Tom Godden working in collaboration, have been selected to deliver a design which will be stunning, yet rooted firmly in the overarching ethos of the College and the land upon which it sits. “I think one of the key points is around it being sympathetic to the landscape. It’s very much about acknowledging
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that we’re on Gabiljee, Whadjuk Noongar land. We need to be very thoughtful in the way we create this footprint,” said Penelope. “We sought input from our students early on. We had several drawings and artistic impressions created by our Year 5s, as part of an inquiry. They met with the architects, and they talked to them about what is important to them.” “The ASC philosophy of Early Childhood is strongly centred on play-based, child-centred learning that has a focus on nature and inquiry. The new building is very much about creating a welcoming space for families – a beautiful space – that will look impressive and inspire people to think “Wow! This College greatly values the education of our youngest,” she said. The reception area will encourage child agency, a focus at the College, with a dedicated area for children to be able to speak with the adults and be listened to with respect as they get ready for another day. Babies will take residence closest to the entry; a deliberate decision so that parents can go straight in to settle or feed their child. As the children progress in age, they will gradually move through the rooms with the oldest children overlooking the wider campus from the highest point in the Centre. “It’s going to be a beautiful space, and it’s also going to be practical because when it’s raining, or the sun is too hot, the children are still going to be able to play outdoors protected from the elements. It is very much around the needs of the children and their phases of development, the natural milestones.” The first stage will be to build the new Grounds and Maintenance Facility, starting around August 2022. Once completed (around March 2023) the old grounds shed will then be demolished which will free up that location for the building of the new car park. The building of the Childcare Centre will be the last stage in the project and is still subject to final sign off by the College Board.
“My vision is of a connected campus where the Childcare Centre, Early Learning Centre and Bush School will all be together in the same precinct.
“We have proceeded with much caution, guided by our Quantity Surveyor, team of architects, and the College Building and Grounds Committee in relation to the effect of escalating costs in the construction market,” said Melanie. “The design team is continuing to monitor this ever-changing situation with regular feedback being given to the College Board, who are ultimately the decision-making body on capital projects.” Assuming a 2024 completion date for the new Childcare Centre, it is conceivable that the Class of 2039 could see the first ever students progress from childcare through to Year 12. Penelope understands that
the College will have some children leave the College Childcare Centre to attend other schools. However, it is important to ASC that all families feel connected and a sense of belonging to the community. “The Pre-Kindergarten students will become our transition year. Some will naturally move into Kindergarten at the College, and others will go elsewhere,” she said. “Our aim is for our Childcare Centre children to feel they’ve experienced something very special, and if they do move on elsewhere that they leave with a good feeling about their time with us. Of course, we also hope to welcome them back if they decide to return later in their school life.”
FINDING THE
Finding and celebrating the joy in life is an important life skill! With ongoing COVID-19 restrictions throughout Term 1, the ASC community found many ways to create moments of joy through an array of events and activities. From petting zoos to pancakes, our students had many joyfilled moments!
Bond visits
Bubble Morning
Pancake Lunch and
Flipping Competition
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Donut Day
Holi Festival
Petting Zoo
Popcorn Day
Nachos Lunch
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY Kia. Noongar Boodja. We would like to acknowledge the deep and ongoing connections that the Noongar people have to the land that our school is built on. We give our respect to the traditional owners of this land and promise to do our best to take care of it, both today and in the future.
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