Futurum Autumn 2009

S t P aul ’ s futurum GRAMMAR SCHOOL

St Paul’s Grammar School Penrith penrith, australia

No. 45 Autumn 2009

CELebrating 2008 The 25th anniversary of this 1983 school was brought to a happy climax by these three events that have established over the years their own traditions..

Year 12 farewell The carols service Awards This milestone event is remembered by executive members of the senior school Mr David Lindsay and Mrs Rowena Bragg: We have fond memories of the Class of 2008. Their last week of school, as the photo suggests, was a time of celebration and of memories. Teachers enjoy observing students’ growth over their years at St Paul’s. Watching students mature, meeting challenges, working through issues, being ready to leave school as discerning young people all evidence such growth.

We hope our students have been challenged and supported in their understanding of faith, in their worldviews, in their pursuit of service to others and in the development and use of their gifts and talents. We have seen them overcome difficulties, apply themselves consistently and diligently, achieve wonderful results, and show leadership, maturity, global awareness, care of others, care of the environment and even more. We congratulate them and remind them and all of us: ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and future.’ (Jeremiah 29:11)

Head of VAPA Performance, Mrs Cathy Jarman conducting the end-of-year carols service orchestra in the Joan Sutherland Centre, Penrith (pictured above), says of the service: It was a time of celebration, of the birth of Jesus, of a year in which Jesus was centre stage.

The school’s first carols service camp held the week before was a time of real fellowship between students and staff, and set the tone for the service. Centred around the theme ‘The Wonder of Incarnation’ (pictured above), it covered three elements: Light, in which dance figured prominently; Wonder, in which music tutor Jason Hill played his Renaissance guitar; and Waiting, which featured dance and drama. The orchestra included pieces by Bach and Pietro A Yon, and consisted of present and former students and staff members, and supportive members of the community.

This community ‘feel’ was enhanced by the presence in the audience of students, parents, friends, former students, friends and not-yet students starting in 2009. It was an uplifting community event giving glory to God.

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Principal Dr John Collier provides this perspective on the climactic public event of the school year: The photograph above shows some of the 1700 assembled students (from Year 5 to Year 12), parents and staff in The Centre at St Paul’s Presentation Evening in early December 2008.

The one-and-a half hour event was a blend of superb performances and digital presentations of the happenings of the year as can be seen in the photograph above.

In the course of the presentation, Mr Nigel Kleinveldt, who is being deployed by the school in China in 2009, and Mrs Rhonda Robson, who will take the position of Head of the Junior School of Broughton College, were given a standing ovation in recognition of their work as foundation members of the Junior School staff. It was a celebratory ending to a year that featured high quality student achievements, encouraging signs of Christian engagement, exciting initiatives in international education, progress in upgrading facilities, financial stability and staff dedication.

w: www.stpauls.nsw.edu.au | e: info@stpauls.nsw.edu.au | p: +61 2 4777 4888 w: www.stpauls.nsw.edu.au | e: info@stpauls.nsw.edu.au | p: +61 2 4777 4888

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FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dr John Collier delivers his Awards Evening address, December 2008

Reflections on 2008 and the way ahead Dr John Collier looks at how 2008, St Paul’s 25th year, featured as much depth and breadth as one might hope would be in evidence after a quarter of a century: Students excelled academically: one-third of Year 12 were in the top 10% of NSW, and half were in the top 20% of the state. Jacqueline Edwards, the Dux, gained a Universities Admission Index (UAI) of 99.90, the highest result ever obtained by a St Paul’s student, and the third best result attainable in NSW. School Certificate and International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme results were outstanding, with three subject scores of 99% and 49 Grade 7s (the maximum) respectively. NAPLAN results in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 were impressive. Equally stunning was the Year 6 Primary Years Programme Exhibition, which revealed the deep learning attained by upper Primary students in their chosen areas of research.

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A cultural change was effected to assist in attaining results of this level. The traditional vertical (Years 7-12) pastoral tutor group structure was replaced by a horizontal, Year group-based structure.

This new model allowed academic tracking and intervention through the tutor group structure by the Dean of Year, and the tutor. Deans replaced the previous Year coordinator position, being more extensively resourced and exerting more authority than Year coordinators. The new structure also facilitated the developing of age-appropriate pastoral programs. Abandoning a time honoured and successful structure caused some pain of separation. The school continues to consider alternative means of delivering multiage student modelling, mentoring and pastoral care as an adjunct to horizontal pastoral programs.

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A highly significant revisiting of the school’s central Christian mission was achieved through the week-long intensive visit by English Christian education authority, Dr Trevor Cooling, who lectured and workshopped outstanding insights in his field. Dr Cooling has helped the school frame its Christian education programs to be most helpful to contemporary students. In the Junior School, Dr Cooling’s visit was a stimulus to the overhaul of all Christian Education programs, which were integrated with the school’s inquiry paradigm.

Amidst the many individual and group successes in sport and other co-curricula activities, including the performing arts, Rural Fire Service Cadets, Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme participants, equestrian events and chess, the monumental achievement of

the 2008 musical, Barnum, stands out. The quality of student performance i n such an innovative show, which made so many demands in terms of singing, acting, dance, circus craft, script, props and musical accompaniment for such a large cast, was simply stunning.

2008 was another year of building developments. With the assistance of a government seeding grant for capital expenditure, the old performing arts block was entirely refurbished as a spacious visual arts precinct. Old visual arts classrooms were reconstructed as Food Technology, Textiles & Design and Hospitality laboratories.

The residence at 62 Taylor Road, adjacent to the Junior School driveway, was reconstituted as a two classroom Pre-Kindergarten, with state-of-the-art early learning facilities. This provision has varied the normal starting age at St Paul’s to four years of age, with two, three and five day a week places offered.

2008 saw the number of international students at St Paul’s peak at forty-five. The International Student Centre, featuring a classroom and offices, was officially opened during the year. The integration of many of these students into the life of the school through peer group friendships and the Saturday sporting program has been particularly pleasing.

The global economic crisis has provided some stress for families in the second half of 2008 and early 2009. Typically, our school parents have continued to prioritise the education of their children, as a key family investment in their future. In fact, many have been assisted by falling interest rates, falling petrol prices and a government guarantee of bank deposits. When the financial crisis ends, as all ‘busts’ give way to ‘booms’ in time, parents want their children positioned, through St Paul’s development of the whole person, to access the best of life and career beyond the formative school years.

This edition of Futurum chronicles the many successes of St Paul’s current and former students, across a great diversity of areas.

Particularly featured in this edition are student successes in scientific endeavours, based on the multiple talents of our Science staff.

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JUNIOR SCHOOL STUDENT LEADERSHIP

Seated in the Junior School playground (from left) Jessica Hunter, Kate Nelson, Declan Baker and Sam Harris

A SERVANT LEADERSHIP MODEL Junior School Student Leadership Coordinator Mr Tim Harris gives an insight into the leadership camp held at Winmalee Conference Centre on the 11th and 12th February this year:

Jessica Hunter was one of the prefects who attended: The conference focussed on what makes a good leader. Your achievements and goals are what people look up to. Learning how to be a good leader means being responsible. Kate Nelson, who is Head Prefect, added: The best thing was listening to the Year 12 prefects speaking about their portfolios. They were really passionate. The point that came through most strongly to me was that to head, you have to put others first; to be first, you must be last. I also learnt that it

Declan Baker, the other Head Prefect, said: The best thing, as others have said, is learning to be a servant leader. An activity that has stayed in my mind is one that encourages us to trust people. We worked in teams, and each member of each team had a handicap – for some it was a blindfold, for others it was being one-legged, for example.

The aim was to finish a course, even with the handicaps, by working together with what we had. It was not a race; it was just a case of finishing the course with our team. We had to work together and trust each other. Prefect Sam Harris said: We learnt a lot about fundraising, one of our main activities. We need to make an effort, be passionate about it.

When FUTURUM asked what is the hardest thing about leadership, everyone said: Putting myself last.

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In summary, it was a very positive experience that brought a Christian perspective to the students and highlighted the way Jesus was the best example, both in what he said and what he did.

is important to work as a team. When we looked at the learner profiles as they relate to leadership, we learnt a lot about attitudes, particularly the importance of caring for others.

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Prefects and House captains were invited to attend. There were four sessions: on servant leadership, using Jesus’ well-known words (in our heading) from Mark 10; on ‘the fruit of the Spirit’; on good role modelling; and on communicating effectively. Along the way, the students looked at the PYP learner profile and how it can work in with our role as servant leaders, there was personal reflection on understanding ourselves and others; and there was some work on non-verbal messages.

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SCIENCE PATHWAYS

The photo above and right shows Dr Sylvia Persis’ Year 11 IB Environmental Systems and Societies class testing the way non-living things and living things interact to make an ecosystem work perfectly. Comments by two students in the class, Rebecca Novak and Mona Wang, indicate why this class is so large and popular. Rebecca says: ‘I believe we should learn about the environment so that we can face its challenges. In this experiment, we are comparing the ph level in a man-made garden near the school building and the more natural environment here away from the garden. We have also been discussing the way government and religion affect our approach to the natural environment.’ Mona, who came from Shanghai in late 2008 says, ‘I am doing the subject because I care about the environment and I am interested in Science. From this experiment I have learnt names of equipment items and how to use them (in China it was only theoretical), and how the ecosystem works.’

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Opening up an array of options in Science

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One little known story is the excellent work being done in the wide range of Science classes behind classroom doors. From their first days in pre-kindergarten as fouryear-olds, St Paul’s students are observing and analysing the natural cycles of animals and humans. By the time they reach Year 7, they understand much about seasonal and environmental change, energy, construction, the solar system and the human body. In Year 7, the students take a mandatory course for four years with all the strands of Science taught – Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Earth Science for both Board of Studies and the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme. In Year11, they have a choice of HSC Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Science and Physics; and IB Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Systems and Societies (a transdisciplinary subject) and Physics.

These programs are reinforced by highly qualified and experienced staff, as Principal Dr John Collier indicates: Head of Science Mrs Jennie Young and Mr Brad Murphy, in addition to their primary degrees, each has a Master of Astronomy degree; Dr Sylvia Persis has a Doctorate in Biology; Miss Kym Newby has a Master of Medical Science; and Mr Chris Roberts has a Master in Outdoor Education degree.

FUTURUM peered behind these Science classroom doors to see what was happening, sometimes with little notice. First, Mrs Jennie Young outlines an experiment that your correspondent saw being done one day in February in her Year 11 IB Chemistry class: The class is conducting an experiment to work out an empirical formula for magnesium oxide, to combine magnesium and oxygen.

The students are learning to design an experiment, conduct an experimental procedure, take data and reach a conclusion.

Amongst her students were Manisha Dhanji and Jonathan Wong.

Jonathan, who came to the school in Year 3, said: In Year 9, I began to develop a fascination with a natural system that had pattern and order. Chemistry is a subject I was always going to do from then on, though I’m not sure what I’ll do with it – I don’t know what I’ll do when I leave school. I particularly enjoyed an experiment we did where we had to separate a mixture of sawdust, sand, salt and iron filings. It required a great deal of care, just as this present experiment does, but it was successful and very satisfying.

Manisha said: I came to St Paul’s in Kindergarten in 1998. I enjoy Science because I like experimental theory and looking at the way things work. I remember particularly an experiment in Year 9 I designed to increase the efficiency of smoke detectors. I enjoy the freedom to do my own thing, get my own controls in place and deal with the consequences and results of my experiments. In Year 11 I decided to do Chemistry, because I want to do Medicine.

In this magnesium oxide experiment I have been able to see the theory working in practice. Through weighing the original mass of magnesium and the final mass of magnesium, we have been able to calculate the compound’s empirical formula (that being MgO). It

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The photo right is of Cassandra Crunkhorn of Mrs Jennie Young’s Year 8 Science Extension class. Along with the rest of the class, she is here dissecting a lamb’s kidney to find out what it looks like inside: ‘We were to find what the different sections looked like in reality rather than just in diagrams, and to have a close up look at the ureter which is the tubing connected to the bladder and urine pockets in the kidneys. We had been researching and discussing the excretory system of which the kidneys are the main organs. Cutting the kidney into two seemed difficult as it was slimy and kept slipping from our fingers. But when we got into the actual kidney, I was amazed at how simple it was – and yet we make things sound complicated!’

In addition to their subject choices, the Science area is buzzing with projects. Plans are afoot by astronomer Mr Brad Murphy: Later this year is the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s astronomical observations. The plan is to have observations of some of Galileo’s main observations – of the Moon, of the moons of Jupiter and of sunspots. The school’s Science department has set up a weather station, as Science assistant Mrs Glenis Shaddick indicates: A weather station is particularly valuable for HSC and IB Biology and IB Environmental Systems and Society. In addition, it has

considerable importance for the community because the climate in the area between Richmond and Penrith is particularly volatile and distinctive. It will go on the school website so it is readily accessible. I contacted Brett Vilnis, whose business in Richmond deals in such matters and who, as a firefighter, is convinced of its value in this heavily timbered area. The station has been dedicated to my late husband Lindsay, a geologist who had a love of weather and an interest in the environment.

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When FUTURUM popped into Mr Brad Murphy’s Year 11 Physics class, they were working on a spectacular light show, the technical name for which is Reuben’s Tube, which Mr Murphy explains: The pipe of the tube was filled with gas, and the perforations along its length, from which the gas escapes, were lit. The speaker, at one end, was connected to a frequency generator allowing specified frequencies of sound to be generated. The sounds set up waves of flame which can be measured with a ruler and the frequency read, enabling the speed of sound to be calculated. It is a bonus that it demonstrates such relationships of sound in such a spectacular way. Nathan Brasier, a participant in this experiment, says: I’m really interested in the world and how everything works, just like the Physics experiment we have done. My scientific interest has definitely developed in the time I have been at St Paul’s. I’m really interested in doing civil engineering or architecture, in the area of environmentally friendly resources.

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focused on accuracy when measuring the weight of substances and the necessity of following experimental procedure/method.

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A 20 YEAR SCIENCE LEGACY

Mr Antony Mayrhofer with a senior class, assisted by Smartboard technology

FORGING LINKS BEYOND SCHOOL DAYS Mr Antony Mayrhofer came to St Paul’s in 1989 as a specialist HSC Biology teacher: The year after I came, the International Baccalaureate (IB) was trialled at St Paul’s in a few subjects, including my HSC Biology class and, in those first IB Diploma exams in the school in 1991, one of the three students who took the IB Diploma Biology exam on top of the HSC received the top possible grade of 7. In 1992, the full IB Diploma was introduced in Year 11 for the eight students who wished to take it and in these students’ Year 12 results in 1993.

My student Nicole Bryce gained a Grade 7 in Biology, one of only two grade 7s in that first year of the full Diploma. I have kept up links with many former students, and I have here assembled some of those connections.

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Nicole Bryce first indicates her subject choices: I did Higher Level Biology, English and Chemistry, and Subsidiary Level Maths, Geography and Japanese. I completed a Bachelor of Science degree, obtaining 1st class honours in Biochemistry at the University of Sydney. I then worked for two years as a research assistant in the Oncology Research Unit and the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, and then did my PhD there through the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sydney.

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While doing my PhD I worked at the University of Western Sydney (Hawkesbury campus) as a demonstrator in the 1st year Biology lab classes. I moved to the US to do postdoctoral work at St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, then I spent four years at Vanderbilt University in Nashville working on cancer cell migration as a postdoctoral researcher.

Currently I am a research associate in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Sydney in the laboratory of Professor Trevor Hambley. The laboratory aims to modify existing chemotherapeutic drugs so that they are able to penetrate through an entire solid tumour. My role in the laboratory is to develop the biological assays needed to follow drug penetration into a model of solid tumour development that I have developed.

I think the IB at St Paul’s definitely prepared me for university well.

I adjusted quickly and easily to life at university. School was such a supportive environment and isolated from some of the nastier elements of society that I see today. This allowed me to focus on my schoolwork and get the best out of myself. This has allowed me to aspire to higher levels of education and work to the best of my abilities.

Jill Craigie completed her schooling at St Paul’s in 1994: I took a range of subjects with a focus on languages and sciences. After completing Year 12 I went on to do a Bachelor of Science (BSc) at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra. The ANU has a lively and beautiful campus, great resources and excellent lecturers. I began by taking general sciences (Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Statistics) but quickly became interested in molecular biology and neuroscience and specialised in those areas. In my final year I took a humanities subject called ‘The Philosophy of Psychology’ which planted the seed for where I’ve ended up.

I then did a neuroscience honours year to complete my BSc (Hons) at the University of Melbourne, then did various things: waiting tables, and being a research assistant, first in a laboratory and then for a philosopher of science at Monash University. Eventually, I began a PhD at Monash and later worked as a tutor in the Philosophy Department at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, USA. I then returned home, completed my PhD and took up a three year Research Fellowship at King’s College London.

At King’s I’m a part of the Centre of Medical Law and Ethics. I lecture on our Master of Arts in Medical Ethics and Law program and I do research in the area of philosophy and mental disorder.

Working in the forefront of any area of research is a real buzz and I very much like the atmosphere of universities.

What contribution did my school experience make to my life? At St Paul’s I felt a freedom to follow my interests and an

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Lisa-Jane Graham with husband Aaron on their wedding day (left) and Neil Shaddick in Belgium (right)

Neil Shaddick completed his St Paul’s schooling in 1999: My HSC subjects were generally skewed towards the sciences – Chemistry, Physics and 3U Maths. I then completed a Bachelor of Materials Engineering with first class honours from the School of Materials Engineering at UNSW. My first year in industry was in Wollongong at Shinagawa Refractories where I was employed as a research officer in high-temperature ceramics. It was a really good introduction to the working world and a good place to learn the basics. Following that I spent nearly four years at medical device manufacturer ResMed as a manufacturing engineer. This was a really valuable experience as it introduced me to highvolume manufacturing and also the various regulations and controls that come with working in the medical device industry.

Although the learning curve was quite steep, I had a lot of fun working for ResMed as I got to work on big projects with people from Germany, France, Austria and the United States.

For the past seven months I’ve been living in Leuven, Belgium.

I’m currently working with a biopharmaceutical process developer called ATMI LifeSciences. Our major technology is in the use

Why did I take this career up? I figured out that science was my ‘thing’ pretty early on in school and I had some great teachers who not only gave me the fundamentals but also often taught beyond the curriculum into more practical and interesting things.

Strong ethical foundations were something else that school life helped me with. It goes without saying that in the healthcare industry, ethics and values are an essential part of the way we work. Obviously there are guidelines and regulations that must be adhered to but they only go so far and cannot cover every possible scenario. Quite often it’s up to you to make sure that the decisions you make do not impact on end users in a negative way – the ‘she’ll be right’ attitude is something I leave at home on Monday morning and I don’t see it again until Friday night.

Merrin Adams completed her St Paul’s schooling in 1992: I did an honours degree in Applied Science (Chemistry) at UTS and am now a senior scientist in the CSIRO’s Centre for Environmental Contaminants Research. My PhD project is to identify the reason why metal pollutants are toxic to microalgae. Microalgae are sensitive indicators of environmental change and understanding the cause of toxic action that metals have on this aquatic species will improve national decision-making processes used for regulatory assessments of pollution in aquatic environments. My research involves using the synchrotron-radiation light source research facilities at the Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago which is linked to the University of Chicago and the US Department of Energy.

Many of these former students have published research papers, many of which have been presented at conferences in Australia and internationally, and many have received prestigious awards for their research. It is a cause of great satisfaction to the school and particularly members of staff such as Mr Mayrhofer that the school Science classes were the starting point for such accomplishments.

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Lisa-Jane Graham completed her schooling at St Paul’s in 1993 and was fifth in NSW in HSC Biology and school Dux: I am now working in medical research in the Cancer Development Laboratory at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney. When I left university I worked at the Garvan in their cancer program cell cycle group for over two years before travelling around Europe for seven months where I met my husband Aaron and then moved to London where I was working at the Institute of Cancer Research in their CRUK Centre for Cancer Therapeutics on a drug discovery program in collaboration with a company in Cambridge. Aaron and I then decided to return to Australia in 2007 and we are living in Sydney.

of disposable process containers which eliminate the need for cleaning between production batches (which is a major cost to the pharmaceutical industry). If you can imagine producing viruses or drugs inside sealed plastic bags of various shapes and sizes then you’ve pretty much got a basic idea of what we do.

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encouragement to do well academically that has stayed with me.

The fact that my teachers at St Paul’s were very much involved in extra-curricular activities emphasised the importance of being a well-rounded person and ensured that school wasn’t only about getting good grades. St Paul’s was a place where I felt comfortable and supported, the importance of which can’t be overstated.

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STAFF COMMUNICATION TIME

Andrew Tredinnick performing at the St Paul’s Carol Service

Seeing and knowing our culture Each school day starts for staff members with a devotion by a fellow staff member. This short talk given earlier this year by music teacher Mr Andrew Tredinnick is a sharing of some of his thinking on being a Christian teacher of the arts in the 21st century: A verse in Proverbs catches my attention: ‘A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; A God-shaped life is a flourishing tree.’

What does it mean to live such a ‘God-shaped’ life in our 21st century culture?

We have been encouraged to grapple with understanding God on the one hand, and understanding our culture on the other, as Moses had to – and connecting the two. So how do I as a Christian teacher of the arts get connected to my culture and my students, in our pursuit together of a God-shaped life in Christ? Is it even possible for an artist to have a God-shaped life? Aren’t artists secularists by nature and practitioners of frivolity and foolishness, almost by definition? Clowns, entertainers, mavericks, ne’er-dowells, idolaters?

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Yet I think that the artists themselves can show us a better way.

I want to focus now on the culture side of the equation: how do we better understand our culture, in all its depth and wisdom, and darkness and frivolity? How can we wise up, so that we can communicate better? The artists can help us here.

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One theory of aesthetics says that we all – all of us: see sunflowers differently because of Van Gogh’s painting; know Australia differently because of Sidney Nolan’s painting; know city life in Australia differently through the painting of John Brack; or through the poetry of Henry Lawson; know the Holocaust in a new way through the poetry and song of Leonard Cohen and Philip Glass, or through the Diary of Anne Frank, or through Hilary Swank’s portrayal of English teacher Erin Gruwell’s work with LA high schoolers in Freedom Writers; experience fog differently because of the novels of Charles Dickens.

And that these things are true even if we have not directly experienced these works of art ourselves. That is, our experience of fog (or the Holocaust, or the landscape, or history) has been changed by our participation in a culture that has itself been shaped by the vision of an artist. Artists do not just give us new

or nice things to see. They give us new ways of seeing. Even if we are not looking, or paying attention. Our culture is shaped by the perceptions and perspectives of artists.

I could multiply this many times: just through the things that come up in content and references in my classroom – in all our classrooms. Our perceptions are shaped by artists and we in turn transmit these perceptions as we engage with the work of artists – and scientists, and writers, and researchers, and all purveyors and practitioners of knowledge, if you will. And we are artists as we participate in God’s world as sub-creators, in image of the Creator, as Tolkein reminds us.

Moving from the famous artists to our students as artists, who are shaping the perceptions, knowledge and understandings of our culture, now, and leading the culture in the future: I could give hundreds of examples of student work that has moved me, and expanded my knowledge of the world, in dance, photography, art, music, drama, textiles, writing, poetry and song. These are the young artists altering their perception of the world through their participation in art, and altering the perspectives of their peers, their communities, their teachers.

So let’s connect with our culture through the perceptions and experiences of our students. Let’s keep building our awareness of how our art and our culture have shaped us. This will all help us in our choices when we are deliberately shaping a student experience – teaching.

Closing prayer: Lord help us to understand how we and our students participate in a culture that transforms them, and how we and our students transform the culture in which we participate.

Help us to understand what all of this means for us to live a ‘Godshaped life’ in Christ rather than a ‘life devoted to things’. Amen.

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JUNIOR SCHOOL SPECIALISTS

Mrs Kylie Croucher (left) and Mrs Fiona Holman

Bringing experts and expertise aboard Mrs Kylie Croucher and Mrs Fiona Horman bring enthusiasm, experience, expertise and insight into their subject-specific specialist roles in Junior School.

When the Head of the Junior School was looking for specialists to take the load off his teachers from the beginning of this year, we in VAPA saw it as an opportunity to establish a K to 12 dance program. I applied for the job and was offered it. It is a good opportunity to develop dancers at an early stage so we can mould them into the sorts of dancers they could be.

It is a wonderful opportunity to develop skills by experiencing dance in a non-competitive environment and developing a passion

Mrs Hornman is the first specialist sports and PDHPE teacher the Junior School has had and she is looking forward to building on the work that others have done in the past: I studied for a Bachelor of Health Sciences and a Diploma of Education at the University of Western Sydney and have taught PDHPE at schools in this region for a number of years. I am teaching sport and PDHPE because I love the work and I love sport.

I am particularly enthusiastic about distance running and adventure racing – mountain bike riding, kayaking and cross-country running – and took part in the world championship triathlons in New Zealand in 2003 and Hawaii in 2005.

I applied for this position because working with Junior School students has been my dream job since university days. What I’d like to do is develop in kids a love of sport as I have, to encourage teams to get into competitions, to have a strong sport focus in the school and to inform kids of the many sports options available.

FUTURUM asked her what message she had for the children: Get out there and have a go!

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I did practice teaching at St Paul’s in 2005 and was taken on staff in the High School. I absolutely loved working in the Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Faculty. I enjoyed it because the students are beautiful, the staff wonderful and because it is such an innovative and creative place.

for movement. Dance can be an amazing way to express yourself as a person, using the gifts God has given you in your body, in order to communicate with others. It is a really powerful art form.

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Mrs Croucher speaks of this new direction to her work and how she arrived at this point: I started dancing when I was three or four. My grandfather had been a dance instructor. My mother got me into jazz and ballet classes very early and I was involved in musical theatre classes and school productions. I had really good training and performance and experience. I studied for a Bachelor of Arts (Drama Theatre and Performance Studies) and Bachelor of Education at the University of NSW. I did this course because it was an opportunity to combine everything I love – dance and drama – into a career.

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YEAR 12 2008 PROFILE

Year 12 students (from left) William Bleads, school captains Dean Astley and Cassandra Jennison, and Stephanie Sheehan-Beamer; and (opposite, from top left clockwise) Dux Jacqueline Edwards, Duke of Edinburgh enthusiasts Hannah Tompkins and Stephanie Azzopardi, an assorted last-dayof-school group, and dancer Simone Chivas

Meeting the needs of 126 students: class of 1996-2008 St Paul’s is a non-selective school with one of the largest annual intakes of any school in New South Wales. By the time they reach Year 12, St Paul’s students could be doing the Higher School Certificate, International Baccalaureate (IB) and and/or TAFE accredited courses preparing for such diverse tertiary education futures as trade apprenticeships and university places in international studies. Here is a snapshot of some members of the Year 12 2008 over their whole school career and beyond:

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Jacqueline Edwards, Dux of the 2008 class with a Universities Admission Index (UAI) of 99.9, came to the school in 2004 to Year 8 because she wished to study foreign languages, particularly French, and the IB. Her real academic interests at school came through English and her love of reading which led to IB Higher Level (HL) English; her interest in behaviour and motivation, nurtured in HL Psychology; and her fascination with cycles and patterns of history, encouraged in HL History.

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She was ‘very surprised and happy that the years of hard work had paid off; it gave me many options’, she said. She has set her sights on an Arts/Law double degree at the University of New South Wales and possible careers in governmental research or the United Nations. She believes it important to ‘find the perfect balance between study, sport and relaxation’. To sustain study, she needed to spend some time relaxing with friends, exercising at the gym, and watching a movie or TV. Dean Astley was school captain in 2007-2008. He joined the school in Year 7 in 2003 because of the school’s reputation, its sense of community, its extra-curricular activities and that he heard that the teachers were ‘more like friends’. He developed a love of History, English and Chinese, fostered by what he saw as excellent teaching.

He did better in his UAI than he expected, so he plans to do an Arts/Law double degree at UWS, his Arts degree to include Chinese, History and Politics. He has been admitted to UWS’

Western Sydney Aspiring Leaders Program. His school captaincy contributed to building up his independence and his organisational skills, important contributory skills to his possible career and to life in general.

Stephanie Sheehan-Beaman had come to St Paul’s in Year 7 in 2003 instead of attending a selective high school because of St Paul’s friendliness, pastoral care of students and focus on art, music and drama. She participated in the wind orchestra from Year 7, various percussion and drum activities, carol services and the musical Barnum. ‘The school surpassed my expectations,’ she said.

During a gap year in 2009 she will extend her theatre experience by being assistant director of Glenbrook Players’ two plays for the year, play in the Penrith Symphony Orchestra and keep writing songs. She hopes to work part-time in Subway, give piano lessons and tutor English. In 2010, she plans to do a Bachelor of International Studies at Sydney University.

Simone Chivas’ particular strengths in the HSC were in Dance, her real passion, and English. She joined the school in Kindergarten in 1996 and by Year 7, had had experience in all types of dance.

She became involved in the school dance ensemble in Years 7 and 8 and took Dance as an elective in Years 9 and 10. In one of her many competitions, she qualified to go to Germany.

Then tragedy struck – she broke her ankle and tore her hamstring.

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St Paul’s Grammar School Penrith

Danny Soo came to the school in Year 7 to do the International Baccalaureate and Chinese. His first language is Cantonese, his parents migrating to Australia in 1980 from Guangzhou. He had a lot to do with the Chinese overseas students at the school, going back to China on a visit with one of them. He did better than expected in his final examination and is doing a double degree in Commerce (Actuarial Studies) and Applied Finance. He hopes for a career in insurance and superannuation.

Travis Batten came to St Paul’s in Year 5 because he needed more challenge and competition in his schoolwork, which St Paul’s, he found, was able to offer. He was ‘very happy’ with his Maths, Physics and Studies of Religion results in the HSC. He has decided to pursue an interest in flying that comes from his home – his father is a pilot – and which developed with his interest in Maths and science pursuits in Year 11. So he plans to do engineering at

Sydney University: ‘I’ve chosen the flexible engineering program so I can try everything out, but I’m pretty sure I’ll end up in the aeronautical division,’ he said.

Jacob Abela was admitted to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in February 2009, for a Bachelor of Music (Performance/ Musicology), majoring in piano. Having shown an interest in the piano from the age of three, he was attracted to St Paul’s in Year 7 because of its music department.

He specialised in piano at school to the point of getting his AMusA Diploma, and his music interests covered oboe playing, conducting, and being the rehearsal pianist for the school musical. He hopes that his professional training will lead him into chamber music and orchestral conducting – he likes the idea of music being a community activity.

Stephanie Azzopardi was ‘happily surprised’ at her UAI of 99.3.

She had joined St Paul’s in Year 5 when her parents looked around for a school that would provide a good secondary education. The highlights of her years at the school were her friends and teachers and ‘great classes’ in Years 11 and 12, and the Duke of Edinburgh program leading to a Gold award.

She was particularly happy with her IB Higher Level (HL) Economics, HL Business Management, Standard Level (SL) Ecosystems and Society and SL Maths, subjects that equip her particularly for her Bachelor of Commerce at the UNSW. She first developed this interest in Year 9 Commerce and hopes to make a career in accounting, business and finance.

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She began a full-time one-year dance course at the Brent St Studios at Fox Studios in February 2009. She has been auditioning for various dance activities, including Cirque Du Soleil. She might do a Bachelor of Creative Arts at Macquarie University in 2010. She sees school as one of the key ingredients in her career path.

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Although her physiotherapist said she should not dance any more, she worked hard at Dance in Year 11 and managed to get on top of her injuries in Year 12, highlights being her Ricochet performance on stage and selection for inclusion in Call-Back, a presentation of outstanding HSC Dance works. The class was wonderful – ‘there was no competition – we worked hard off each other’.

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MANDARIN CHINESE

Junior School participants, Chinese Day, 2008

a window on an ancient and dynamic culture Since 1989, St Paul’s has offered Mandarin Chinese. In 1993, with the opening of the Junior School, the subject became mandatory from Kindergarten to Year 7. Junior School Mandarin Chinese teacher Mr Samuel Chan outlines the program in the Junior School: The Chinese program puts emphasis not only on teaching the language in the classroom, but also on introducing Chinese culture.

Each year, for example, we present our students to the National Chinese Eisteddfod held in Sydney. Our students achieved excellent results in 2008.

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Chinese Day, one of the most important annual events at the Junior School, creates a cultural environment for learning the Chinese language and motivates our students. For the event in August 2008, the Junior School was beautifully decorated with banners of the 2008 Olympic mascots, lanterns, and Chinese flags.

Students wearing Chinese costumes could be seen everywhere.

While Infants students were enjoying their mini-Olympic Games, the Primary students were queuing up for the photo exhibition on Beijing and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

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Students also had the opportunity to enjoy a delicious Chinese lunch before going to The Centre to participate in an afternoon concert where a great variety of activities were held, including a lion dance, acrobatics, magic, folk dance, singing and poem recitation. The sense of festivity was felt everywhere in the Junior School. We had visitors from different parts of China to join us in this cultural event.

Through the visits of delegations of various Chinese institutions and government departments; student visits from sister schools in China; the international Chinese student program in the High School; and the international Chinese student homestay program: our students have been provided with good opportunities which are essential in learning a second language.

Occasionally, our students are invited to perform in the local

Penrith community because of their understanding of the Chinese language and culture. In May 2008 a group of Year 4 students were invited to sing Chinese songs and recite Chinese poems at the civic dinner to celebrate the tenth anniversary sister city relationship between Penrith City and Beijing Xicheng District, China. It was an enormous success. Mr Li Jiang, leader of the Xicheng District government delegation, also asked the Mayor of Penrith City, Councillor Greg Davies, to pass on his compliments for the perfectly spoken Chinese of our students.

Immersion is an essential element in learning a second language.

A group of Junior School students and parents led by the Head, Deputy Head and our two Chinese teachers are visiting Shanghai and Beijing in April 2009. In Shanghai, we are being received by our sister school, Da Tong, and programs of language and cultural activities are being organised.

Damien Meduri finished compulsory Chinese Mandarin in Year 7 at the end of 2008 which he had been doing since he came to St Paul’s in Year 4 and decided to continue with it as an elective in Year 8: I decided that I would do Mandarin Chinese because it offers many job options. Also, I feel that if I can master Chinese, which is difficult, it should be easier to pick up other languages. The highlights of my Chinese language learning have been taking part in Chinese language competitions, learning Chinese characters in class and the sense of achievement I get from conducting a simple conversation in Chinese.

At the moment, we are revising our knowledge of Chinese characters and sentences. Our Year 8 class has 25 to 30 students.

My big plans for the future include doing Chinese for Year 12 and doing something with my Chinese in a job.

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Former student Eloise Wright takes time out during her university year in China to visit remote Turpan in the far northwest province of Xinjiang; and Jennifer Jiang (right) in class in April 2009

Jennifer Jiang arrived at St Paul’s from the St Paul’s sister school SISU in Shanghai in August 2008 to do a Mandarin Chinese-based International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma: I am doing Higher Level Chinese. Mandarin Chinese is one of the four languages of instruction for the IB, the other three being English, French and Spanish. My main language for the IB is Mandarin Chinese; I also do Standard Level English. Learning Chinese here is very different from the Chinese we learnt in China. There, we used to learn from the textbook. Here, we write lots of essays and discuss Chinese literature. The IB course is quite advanced but most of the 23 students from China in my class are coping quite well.

For my Honours year this year, I am doing research on the history of the Bai peoples of Yunnan province, using a document from the twelfth or thirteenth century that has not been studied in English before. I continue to be challenged by China and its cultures.

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Eloise Wright completed her IB Diploma at the school in 2002, one of her subjects being Chinese: One reason for coming to the school was to do Mandarin Chinese, which I saw as a challenge.

In 2003, I took a gap year at TEDA No 1 Middle School in Tianjin, China, teaching English. I picked up a lot of language and culture there. I then decided to do a double degree program in Arts and Asian Studies at the Australian National University, majoring in linguistics, Chinese language and Asian History. In 2007 this included a year in China, studying Chinese language at Guizhou University and conducting a special project on the colonisation of the Miao peoples of Guizhou province.

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The most enjoyable part of our Chinese lessons is listening to stories and asking questions and discussing with classmates. My English lessons are not too hard. I studied English in China from Year 1 – it is very important in Shanghai, though it was different there – lessons in China focussed on grammar and vocabulary. My English has been improving a lot since I came here. I am doing Chinese language for my IB because I expect to do well in it. I don’t expect to be studying it after I leave school. I expect to go to university in Australia or the USA. I’m not sure what I want to do at university – I like design and painting.

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JUNIOR SCHOOL SWIMMING SQUAD

Scenes from the Junior School swimming carnival (from top clockwise) a race in progress, two happy participants, and a supportive observer Mr Paul Masson

Powering along

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The Junior School set up a development swimming squad for students who were to represent St Paul’s at the HICES Swimming Carnival. The squad, coached by school parent and professional swim coach Mr Paul Masson, rose early every Tuesday morning to train the team in the finer points of swimming competitively.

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‘The squad performed exceptionally well and should be extremely proud of their efforts’, said Mr Masson, as a number of personal best times and results were achieved by a number of students as they made it through to the Combined Independent Schools (CIS) Carnival.

The squad sessions were run on Tuesday mornings between 7.00am and 8.00am and focused on race techniques, dives, turns stroke correction and rules of competitive swimming with an emphasis on what constitutes a disqualification. ‘There is nothing more demoralising that representing your school only to be disqualified,’ says Mr Masson. For the record no one was disqualified on the day.

The students – Emma Plew, Jamie Marhant, Georgia Ambrossi, Jack McNamara and Amy Masson – and parents enjoyed the experience (despite the early mornings) and the results that they

achieved on the day as we look forward now to the 2010 swimming carnivals.

Paul’s daughter Amy started at an early age: I had a frightening experience learning to swim as a toddler and wasn’t until I was four that I returned to the water. At 10 I now train in a coaching squad and compete in events such as 100m Freestyle, 50m Butterfly and the 100m Individual Medley.

Jack McNamara began swimming when he was two: I could float at that age and joined a swimming coaching group called Ripples.

I have represented the school in HICES and CIS.

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LIBRARY FICTION READING

Jack Ettinghausen and Paige McCarry share reading insights

Value adding the written word Has fiction reading a place in this age of information, visual and electronic diversity? High School Library assistant Mrs Jane Crew obviously thinks so:

To me, books have enormous value academically, expanding my vocabulary and improving my comprehension. They have enhanced my imagination, particularly when I discuss them in my reading group. Also, they provide an escape from tough times I might be having in the real world – I am able to enter another

Paige McCarry, now in Year 12, headed straight to the library when she came to St Paul’s in Year 7: I had been a reader of ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian mythology before I came, an interest I developed myself. I have formed a close bond with librarians such as Mrs Crew who was able to steer my reading in such new directions as Maths, Science and creative writing books.

My favourite reading is reality fiction. What I am reading at the moment are such school texts as Jane Eyre and Animal Farm; manga comic books which I share with an informal reading group; fantasy with quick snapshots into monstrology and spyology; and historical fiction.

Why do I read? It is a hobby, one you can curl up with – I usually have a book on me somewhere. It is fun – Morris Gleitzman’s writing is a good example. And it can easily be applied to schoolwork – the writing technique in Marcus Zusak’s The Messenger is a good example.

How does reading compare with TV? I like both. I never really watch TV just to watch it, but rather to watch my favourite shows or sit with the family, though I tend to have a book in my hand while watching. I think that I prefer books to TV because there is so much more that you can fit into a book that you can’t put into TV.

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Jack Ettingshausen first outlines how he developed as a reader: When I was touring the school in 2007 in preparation for enrolling for Year 7 in 2008, I was introduced to Miss Hill who is in charge of the library – I had explained that I was an avid reader, reading some four hours a day, but my reading at that stage was fairly limited to science fiction and ‘how to’ books. In our first library lesson in Year 7, I was introduced to Mrs Crew who introduced me to a whole new world of fiction – history, Christian and fantasy. I now read about five or six books a week, and have a particular interest in Christopher Paolini, David and Leigh Eddings, John Marsden and James Patterson.

world. When I’m older, I’d like to own a personal library. My ambition is to be a lawyer – a lawyer who writes.

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I am a voracious reader. While I do watch some TV, I read some three or four books a week, mostly on Saturdays and Sunday afternoons, and many magazines. I have a background in English literature and young adult fiction, write reviews for the Australian children’s literature magazine Magpies and the school website, and advise students on reading. Each Year 7 is introduced to me as the librarian who can help them with their fiction reading – normally I can find something amongst the 6,600 fiction titles that they like. Two of the students who have value-added their library reading experience in this way are Jack Ettingshausen and Paige McCarry.

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FUTSAL (INDOOR SOCCER)

The winning team with coach Mr Michael Jeffery

Coming out on top Winning the National Championships was a real feather in the cap of the U14 boys’ team at the end of September in 2008. Futsal (indoor soccer) coach Mr Michael Jeffery tells that story:

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The 2008 competition started with the Windsor regionals in which four St Paul’s teams took part. The Futsal teams consist of four field players, one goalie and a number of reserves and is played on a court about the size of a basketball court. The teams were U16 girls, U14 girls, U16 boys and U14 boys, all of which performed creditably. The U14 boys won the Windsor Regional title and qualified for the NSW state championships, despite only having played together for two seasons. They finished the state championships on top of their group, and progressed to the final where they were defeated 3-2 by Hills Sports High School.

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They were then invited to be a NSW representative team to compete in the Australian National Futsal Championships, which were held in Penrith on the 29th and 30th September. The boys continued their fine form, going through undefeated and finishing top of their group. They won their quarter final events and progressed to the semi-finals where they defeated Victoria (2-1) in a very physical encounter which then meant that in the grand final they again came up against a very good Epping Boys’ High School team, whom we had only just defeated earlier in the competition, in the final. It was a tough and quick game with St Paul’s taking the lead early and going on to win 6-4 and in doing so, claiming the title of national champions.

The boys played exceptionally well for the duration of the tournament and gave their all for the team. During 2007 and 2008, they only lost two games, both to sports high schools. The boys in the winning team were: Geordy Armsworth (captain), Matthew Newton, Nick Tagg, Ben Mayer, Matthew Popple, Brandon Diaz, Jake Rivet, Cameron Spanner, Jordan De Mattia and Jak Bukovinsky.

Four members of that winning team, in interviews with FUTURUM, look back on their games. For captain Geordy Armsworth, a top experience was defeating Victoria in the semi-final and thereby getting to the grand final: Ben Mayer, our goalie in that game, saved what looked certain scoring shots on many occasions. This meant we were able to hold them down and win 2-1. We had a number of practice sessions on Thursday afternoons in preparation for these games which enabled us to develop very good team work, a belief in each other, a knowledge of each other and a development of good moves.

The 2009 competition will be a challenge, because we will be playing a level above our age group, U16s. We are keen to keep playing.

For Brandon Diaz, the best experience was scoring a goal in the grand final from halfway: It was late in the game and we were ahead. I was on the left hand side of the field at about half way and a team player passed the ball back to me. As my scoring was not crucial, why not take the risk and have a go from way back? Even though it was a low down shot sent towards goal with a lot of power and therefore hard to intercept, I was still surprised when it went in; I was lucky it didn’t hit anyone.

I joined the team in Term 2 2008 when a regular player was injured and have been in it since. I tend to play in attacking positions rather than defence. Other highlights for me were when we made it to both the state and national finals and scoring goals not only in the national but in the state final as well.

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Geordy Armsworth (centre), Brandon Diaz and Jordan De Matta (right)

Jak Bukovinsky started playing Futsal in Year 7 in 2007: I had played outdoor soccer in Primary school and went to watch the tryouts with friends and was asked to play. Our most challenging game was the semi-final against Victoria. We had played them the day before and defeated them 7-6. They were very determined to avenge that defeat and there was a lot of aggression in the game. Our win was largely the result of stubborn defence – the whole team was big.

FUTURUM asked the players why they did so well: Because of team unity – we are good friends (Brandon). We work well as a team. We have different gifts and use them well. And Mr Jeffery is an excellent coach (Cameron).

There is not just one good player; all members are skilled ( Jak).

Mr Kevin Spanner, son of team member Cameron, tried to be present for every match: My involvement was chiefly as a (very) vocal supporter and fan on the sidelines. The boys were successful because of their talent and teamwork.

They have a good sense of their own place in the team as well as tactics that have worked for and against them in the past.

What really got them over the line in tough games was their tenacious fighting spirit –Other teams may have had a number with better skill but none fought for each other as did our boys. I also think that they believed and trusted in their coach, Mr. Jeffery. The school response to their win was good to see. I was very impressed with Dr. Collier’s personal letter home to each of the boys. I believe it is good for St Paul’s to be widely known in the community as an excellent academic and sports school. It will attract a wider audience to the school.

Mr Jeffery added: Futsal (indoor soccer) teams are trying out for the 2009 Windsor Regional Championship at the end of March and early April.

About 100 are trying out for six teams, as against 60 or 70 last year, so the game is gaining in popularity.

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For Cameron Spanner, the main highlight was scoring 27 goals in the 2008 season: I have been in the team since I arrived at the school in 2007 and usually play striker at the front. My favourite goals were the two I scored in the semi-final game against Victoria. It was a very physical game, with lots of pushing and diving and so forth. Just at the point that Victoria seemed to be gaining the upper hand, one of our players was sent off. By means of a lot of manoeuvring, I was able to start scoring, and we won 2-1 with my two goals. I love soccer in all its forms.

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Getting with the action: (from top clockwise)

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GUIDED INQUIRY

From left, Sally Andrews, Lachlan Price, Cameron Findley and Mrs Yvonne Hammer discuss their research projects

Using inspiring questions to direct our natural curiosity

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Guided inquiry takes learning to another level. Under the guidance of Miss Cathy Hill, Head of Library & Information Science P-12, St Paul’s staff members have participated in an Australian Government Quality Teaching Project, along with 10 other schools, titled ‘Unpacking the experience of designing, planning and implementing Guided Inquiry and its impact, barriers, enablers and outcomes for learning’. Guided inquiry is based on the information search process developed by Carol Kuhlthau which facilitates student inquiry. Several classes have been working with this program.

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Assisted by members of staff, students are entirely responsible for researching and presenting their area of study. The teacher’s role is to ask stimulating questions, direct research to appropriate places, drive the process rather than the content and help the students structure their material. At each stage of the project, students submit research to teachers; it is edited; and it is sent back to the student researcher with questions.

Cameron Findley and Lachlan Johns, now in Year 8, completed a guided inquiry unit on Ancient Egypt. Cameron says: I have been to Egypt with my parents and I developed an interest in finding out about the downfall of Ancient Egypt. Our teacher librarian Miss Hill helped me find ebooks and my mother had a useful book on the downfall. For my presentation before the class, I decided to take the role of a fictional Egyptian army captain of the 4th century BCE reporting to the Pharaoh on the fall of Thebes to Alexander the Great and outlining a strategy to recapture it – an

idea I picked up from seeing a captain’s report to the Pharaoh in the Egyptian National Museum in Cairo. At the back of my report I had Alexander’s supposedly captured strategy maps. The work took me six or seven lessons and some two hours at home. There was a good response from the class, some appreciating the detail in the writing, and some the maps.

I gained a lot from the exercise – an increased knowledge of both Egyptian and general history of the period, an understanding of the value of making a broader historical research of the period in order to understand the detail, a knowledge of how to go about research and more information to add to the family study of Ancient Egypt.

I enjoyed the work – the research was easier than I expected.

Lachlan outlines his project: At first I started writing an imaginary 1922 diary by the famous Egyptologist Howard Carter, but it became too lengthy and involved and, in discussion with my teacher

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Sally Andrews, now in Year 10, was one of four students who participated in a Year 9 Geography Extension focus group at the end of last year – the other students involved were Atalaya Ferrari, Ammie Herrington and Erin Greenaway. Together they investigated the impacts of change in Penrith City over 50 years of development. Sally explains how the group decided on a specific topic: Mrs Hammer helped us to set some framing questions first – What local dynamics caused Penrith to develop from a town into a city? How does population density impact on the city? Have changes occurred because of cultural factors? What factors have caused people to settle in Penrith? What changes are predicted by local government and business owners? This led to discussion about such matters as how Warragamba and other infrastructure projects affected the community, how Penrith developed into a city

while Richmond remained rural, and how urban sprawl resulted in some depressed socio-economic areas with accompanying crime and ‘dysfunctionality’.

From all this I decided, with guiding questions established by our group, to look at how human relations in Penrith were affected by different stages of community development over the last 50 years.

My research took some 25 class periods and 20 hours outside class time and included a summary of key concepts – defining communities, causes of change in communities, the role of interest groups in bringing about change; interviewing a town planner; and investigating such changes as movements of older people out of the area which I could not pursue because of lack of information.

Three hours of library research included the book Bullets to Business which outlines the healthy movement of people away from big coastal cities and the way that this decentralisation can solve infrastructure bottlenecks – as long as governments and nations support decentralised communities where people live close to work rather than focussing resources on the needs of the big coastal cities.

A 20 minute class presentation with a slide show was well received, particularly by staff members. From the exercise I learnt not to make statements without evidence and to differentiate between the value and use of types of sources.

Mrs Hammer considers the value of the program: Guided inquiry is based upon student questioning and promotes the increased capacity for individuals to reflect upon ways of learning. Because asking questions empowers students to integrate different learning disciplines and fosters transferable information skills, this approach prepares students for lifelong learning. It involves students in every stage of learning from planning to the final presentation.

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Head of Gifted and Talented Learning Programs, Mrs Yvonne Hammer, has been involved in the trial of guided inquiry as a framework for research-based learning. Mrs Hammer explains the program this way: In consultation with staff and students, I initiated the process with a group of Year 9 Geography students.

The inquiry process was directed toward a local area study and the group met regularly to research in the school’s Learning Centre.

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Miss Hollis, decided to prepare an imaginary history teacher job application by Howard Carter. The preparation time for this was about five lessons and four extra hours. My class presentation of this was received well because it was not just another lecture; I was acting out a part before the class. I learnt from this exercise that research can be involving and active, and therefore much more enjoyable. Miss Hollis was very helpful in pointing me in the right direction to choose my new topic; and my parents showed a lot of interest, helped me format my material and gave me space to do my own thing. This is what I understand guided research to be about.

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St Paul’s Grammar School Penrith penrith, australia

No. 45 Autumn 2008

SCHOOL COUNCIL PROFILE

Mr Kim Hellyer and family

Mr Kim Hellyer: serving by building Mr Hellyer became deputy chair of the school council in 2006 and has been chair of its property sub-committee since 2003. His Christian commitment and his considerable skills as a builder have been channelled into serving the school. He was first asked how he became involved in the school: My wife and I became interested in the school when our daughter Sarah was to start Kindergarten. Being very happy with the school, we sent our three other children to the school as well.

How did you come to join the school council? I looked over The Centre with Mr David Lindsay shortly after it was completed.

Soon after, the chairman at that time, Mr Adrian Fox, invited me to join the school council in early 2000 and I soon found myself being involved in the properties sub-committee with Gilbert Wright as chair.

What experience did you bring to the council? I left school in Year 10 in 1973 to commence a carpentry and joinery apprenticeship with my father who was a builder. I went on to do the Building Certificate for four years, then completed a building degree parttime in 1985. I joined a commercial builder in 1981 as a building estimator, returned to my father’s business to run operations in 1987, and since 1993 have been Chief Estimator and now Estimating Manager for two commercial construction companies. Some of the projects I have been involved in include the Powerhouse Museum fitout, the Sydney Town Hall refurbishment, the Newcastle Civic Theatre restoration, the Mount Panorama redevelopment at Bathurst and the extensions to the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre in Penrith. I have been able to bring this experience to the properties development at St Paul’s.

What have been the highlights of your time on council? It has been great to be a part of the school’s decision-making. I consider it a privilege to be with school council members who all work together well and whose experience covers a broad range of areas. Having a school principal like Dr John Collier has made our tasks easier as John is extremely professional in all areas of his responsibilities.

w:This edition of FUTURUM has been prepared by Ken Goodlet and 4888 Daniel Weatherhead for St Paul’s Grammar School Penrith

He is also surrounded by a very capable school executive.

One of the many challenges faced by the properties sub-committee is deciding which projects come in which order, given limited funds.

Since I joined the school council the school has acquired property adjacent to the Junior School as a playground area, as well as a second entry which has greatly improved traffic flow in and out of the school. The Performing Arts building, the largest single project undertaken at the school, has been completed; the Visual Arts building refurbishment and extension is almost complete with new facilities for Hospitality, Food Tech and Textiles now in use; and the new Pre-Kindergarten building opened.

What is your hope for the school in the future? My hope is that St Paul’s will continue to be a leading school in providing education to young people, all in a caring Christian environment.

What has the school contributed to your children? The dedication of staff to go the extra mile never ceases to amaze me. My children have benefited from this. One of the opportunities for my children has been the Duke of Edinburgh program. All my children have been involved in this.

What gives you particular satisfaction? I enjoy seeing the end results from designing, planning and construction of projects undertaken at St Paul’s. I appreciate Mr Peter Male’s design and construct capabilities which have allowed many projects to be undertaken that otherwise could not have been afforded. Seeing the benefits to the students of providing new facilities is also very rewarding. If better facilities help such efforts as last year’s school musical Barnum, then it is all worth it.

www.stpauls.nsw.edu.au | e: info@stpauls.nsw.edu.au +61 2 4777 w: www.stpauls.nsw.edu.au p: +61| 2 p: 4777 4888 e: info@stpauls.nsw.edu.au

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