Right gear, wrong job...

It is exciting to see building work and redevelopment underway around our School campuses.

The demolished space that was our Primary Administration is being rebuilt, our new primary classrooms are on schedule, and the Maintenance Teams are transforming our grounds. The building works in particular have brought new teams of workers onto our School site, separated by safety fencing and keenly observed by our students.

With my hi-vis vest on one morning last term, I was taking a tour of the building site with our site foreman whilst the primary students enjoyed the playground before the start of the school day. Spotting me on the ‘wrong side’ of the fence, a few of the students waved, looked quizzically and then asked the questions that were troubling them:

“What are you doing over there, Mr Ambrose?”

“Are you working there today?”

I quickly reassured the students that I wouldn’t be working there today, and in fact, I was unlikely to be particularly helpful for the electricians on site that day. In the mind of a group of seven and eight-year-olds, my location and hi-vis vest suggested a possibility that was simply not reality. It is relatively easy to look the part, much harder to maintain the image without the right skill set. In fact, there is nothing more unnerving than being put in a position beyond our own abilities.

Today our students returned to school, all looking the part in their uniforms. For some, we know that turning up is not as easy as it might appear and the fear, whether real or imagined, that they don’t have the knowledge or the skills to succeed in a given situation (whether that be academic or social) might be very real. Understanding that just because you look like you are meant to be somewhere does not mean that you are feeling like you belong.

When we understand this, we realise that our efforts to know and understand our students better are critical to support their engagement with school, peers, and their own learning. In this, we rely on our partnership with parents and the flow of communication that enables us to keep each other (parent and school) informed about the challenges that impact upon our young people. When we hold the perspective that each of our students is a spiritual being, a unique creation in the image of our God, we establish a vital foundation for all that we do as a school. That sense of value for one another is a powerful way to build a community. The central focus that this places on our individual relationship with God also gives a purposefulness to our activities as followers of Jesus.

As Term 2 starts, I am sure that you will join me in praying for our young people, your children, as they continue to grow in knowledge and understanding and in “the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

Scott Ambrose - Principal

Relationships Matter

Early in the school year, I came across two students who were new to our School.

Walking together and obviously enjoying each other’s company, I assumed that they had a well-established connection with one another. Interested to find out, I asked them if they had known each other prior to starting at Calvin. Their response surprised me. They quickly told me that they had only met each other on the Orientation Day. That short interaction had been enough to spark a connection that grew into a friendship in the first days of the new school year.

Knowing how challenging it can be to start something new, it is encouraging to see students find ‘their place’ as they build relationship with peers and teachers. For some, this can take time. A parent recently told me that her child liked to watch and observe before committing himself to relational connections and this is exactly what he did, reminding me that I need not have been concerned by his initial quiet period of observation. There isn’t one best way to engage but relationships remain critical to our growth and development as human beings.

That building relationships has become more challenging for a generation retreating into virtual connections, is perhaps observable in our increasingly child-free ovals and streets on weekends. The American social psychologist Jonathan Haidt notes that, for many of our ‘hyper-connected’ young people, face-to-face interaction can be increasingly difficult. He suggests that even when they “…appear to be doing something in the real world, such as sitting in class, eating a meal, or talking with you, a substantial portion of their attention is monitoring or worrying (being anxious) about events in the social metaverse”[1].

“There isn’t one best way to engage but relationships remain critical to our growth and development as human beings. ”

Apart from the important job of putting limits on screen time, ensuring that we as parents and educators are present and engaged is one of the positive ways that we can support our children. I am constantly encouraged by the effort that our teachers make to build relationship and connection with our students. This doesn’t mean that the teacher is their best friend of course, it is not that type of relationship, but it does mean that our students are in a place where they are known and seen. Parent surveys indicate that this is a big part of the reason why Christian schools are growing. Our parents value the relationship and care offered by Christian schools and are flocking to them[2]. If you would like to share or hear more stories about how Christian Schools are impacting the lives of this generation, take the time to visit and support MyChristianSchool.au.

We value the connection with you and your child. As Christian educators, our values are clear and reflected, in part, through the strength of our community and relationships. Relationships matter and Scripture reminds us of this when it says that ‘we love because (God) first loved us’. For me, this is a reminder that we are created to reflect our Maker through relationships and that our relationship with God is shown through our care and concern for others.

Scott Ambrose - Principal

[1] J.Haidt cited in P.Kelly (30 March 2024); “Big Tech and the shock to childhood”; the Weekend Australian Magazine, p.13

[2] V.Cheng (3 January 2024); “Hopes for 2024: Flourishing Christian Schools”; Eternity Magazine

The best story of them all

As an English teacher and a Mum, some of my best memories are of reading books with my children.

Stories such as Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy, Where is the Green Sheep?, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt were on regular rotation in our house and even now, I think I still have some of them memorised! The stories we share with our children have the ability to form some strong and important foundations for lifelong literacy and learning.

One book we read often was Dogger, by Shirley Hughes. Dogger tells the story of Dave, a young boy with a scruffy, much loved toy called Dogger. Dave and Dogger are inseparable; they walk the big kids to and from school and they cuddle up in bed each night. However, one day tragedy strikes and Dogger goes missing. There are a wonderful few pages of the whole family searching every cupboard and under every bed to no avail (I definitely related to these scenes!) Despite the best efforts of his family to console him, Dave feels heartbroken without Dogger.

A few days later, a miserable Dave is at the toy stall at the local school fair. Under a pile of books, trains and second-hand toys, Dave spots Dogger, sitting on the table with a 3 pence price tag! Desperate to buy back his beloved toy, Dave races to find his big sister Bella to help him, but alas – by the time they return to the toy stall Dogger has been sold to another girl.

Bella and Dave race to ask the girl if she would sell him Dogger, but she refuses. Bella, who has just won a giant teddy bear in a three-legged race, comes to the rescue by trading her new teddy bear to the girl in return for Dogger.

Dave hugs Dogger tightly, and promises to never lose him again.

As we move towards Easter, an event of central importance in the Christian faith, I think the story of Dave, Bella and Dogger draws our hearts to remember God’s goodness and redemptive grace. Dogger reminds me of the love of God; despite our sin, imperfection and scruffiness, we are deeply and eternally loved by God. When faced with a price that Dave could not pay, he raced to Bella, who in a beautiful act of sibling care, redeemed Dogger at her own personal cost. This is a reminder for me that our need for redemption is past what any of us could achieve on our own; instead we are offered “the free gift of God [in] eternal life in Christ Jesus” Romans 6:23.

As our school community celebrates Easter this year, it is my prayer for each of our students and their families that they may be both challenged and comforted by the great love of God and the work of Jesus on the cross to bring grace, forgiveness and redemption; the very best story of all.

Stelle Carmichael - Head of Students