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Family Profile - The Morris Family
The Morris Family
Who is the Morris family?
Melanie – Regional leader for ReachGlobal (Christian mission organisation) and Manager of Policy, Advocacy and Communications at the Australian Diabetes Educators Association.
Peter – Ministry coach for ReachGlobal and General Manager – Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) program at Reconciliation Australia.
Sam – Year 6 and excited to start in the Senior School next year. He loves animals, science and nature (he launched a podcast called Conservation for Kids for his Year 6 Exhibition!)
Madeleine – Year 4. She loves arts and crafts, music (playing three instruments!) and drama. Ben – Year 2. He loves soccer and playing outside.
Alexandra – Pre-K and excited to start Kindergarten next year! She loves everything pink and snakes (really!)
Phoenix – 2-year-old labrador. He loves walks in the bush and destroying valuables.
Where are you from? Where have you lived previously?
Between the six of us, we have 12 passports from three countries! Peter was born in Australia but spent most of his adult life in the United States. Melanie’s dad was in the US army, so she grew up in different places, including most of her first 12 years in Germany. Sam, Madeleine, and Ben were born in Washington DC. We lived in the city centre, where we enjoyed visiting the White House and all the great museums there. We then moved to Costa Rica in 2015 to work for a Christian organisation, ReachGlobal. We got to enjoy the beautiful beaches, rainforests, and coffee fields. Alexandra was born in Costa Rica (so she is a triple citizen of Australia, Costa Rica and the US!) and we moved to Australia in 2018.
Why did you choose to send your children to St Paul’s?
It started with a coffee cup! When we moved to Australia, we lived for a short time in missionary housing provided by CMS. Every morning, Peter drank coffee from a St Pauls Grammar School keep cup. We had never heard of the school before, but it planted a seed.
Melanie’s teacher in Germany, Mrs Ellen Alquist, was one of the teachers who founded the IB program, and it was always an approach to education we valued. Sam had attended an IB school in Costa Rica and when we started searching for school options here, the coffee mug and Melanie’s childhood experience came together!
In the relatively short time you have been part of the St Paul’s community, what are the things you have discovered that you value about the school?
We value the commitment to quality education, helping our kids to think creatively and preparing them to be lifelong learners. We also appreciate that the kids can apply their learning from the perspective of a Christian worldview. We value the welcoming environment. It is lovely that the kids know the teachers and are known by them.
The kids love breakfast at the café (we’re there every Wednesday morning while the older two have Junior School band practice!)
How do you like to spend time together as a family?
Having lived all over the world, we love travelling and we love spending time together as a family. We are also big on traditions. We celebrate half birthdays (with half a cake on the six-month mark of everyone’s birthday), we continue
US holiday traditions, and each week we have family rhythms like movie night and game night.
We also love learning together. We read the Bible together, read books together, visit museums and explore nature.
What are some things you find challenging as parents (or as a family)?
Distance is a big challenge for our family. It has been hard not to be able to visit family (or travel for work) for the past three years. Time is another challenge. Balancing work, church, activities for all the kids, and still finding time to rest, refresh, and have fun is a real challenge.
What has been a highlight for your family in 2022?
After five years away from Costa Rica, this year we were able to attend a conference and connect with old friends and favourite places. We all loved the animals, beaches, and rainforests. Everyone remembered how much they loved speaking Spanish (and how much work we need to be doing to keep it up!).
What is your family looking forward to in 2023?
We’re looking forward to big milestones (Senior School for Sam and Kindergarten for Alexandra!) and we are planning our first return trip to Washington DC since 2017.
