Principal Appointment

The Board of Christian Schools Tasmania is pleased to announce the appointment of Scott Ambrose to the role of Principal at Calvin Christian School. 

Scott’s appointment was made following a nationwide recruitment search where candidates from both Tasmania and the mainland were considered.

Scott’s name would be familiar to many in our community, with Scott having served as the Deputy Principal at Southern Christian College (formerly Kingston Christian Community School) for the past 13 years. 

Scott holds a Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours, a Bachelor of Teaching, a Graduate Certificate and Diploma in Indonesian and is currently undertaking a Masters’ Degree through Monash University. 

During his time at Southern, Scott has held the following roles: Acting Principal, Deputy Principal, TASC Liaison Officer, Head of Faculty – Languages and IB Diploma Programme Coordinator and History and Languages Teacher. Prior to his appointment at Southern, Scott was an Asian Studies Tutor at the University of Tasmania. 

In addition to serving as SCC’s Deputy, Scott is also the Tasmanian State Delegate for the Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Association (AFMLTA) serving as the State President for the Modern Language Teachers Association of Tasmania for two years. Scott is a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society, Modern Language Teachers Association of Tasmania and the History Teachers Association of Victoria. 

Scott is married to Sonya and they have five children. Scott has been an active member of Hobart Baptist Church for over twenty years where he currently serves on the Church’s Leadership Team. Scott has been a Youth Group Leader at Hobart Baptist and also serves as a Leader at Hobart Boy’s Brigade. 

Scott comes highly recommended, and we are truly blessed that he has accepted this very important role with Christian Schools Tasmania. 

Scott will commence his new role as Calvin’s Principal on November 9, 2020.

We would like to take this opportunity of thanking Mrs Ineke Laning who has done a truly amazing job serving as the School’s Acting Principal since Iain Belôt’s departure at the end of 2019. Ineke will be providing Scott with a handover during November and then we are finally releasing her to take a very much deserved retirement! 

Scott Parnham President
Christian Schools Tasmania

David Gillman CEO
Christian Schools Tasmania 

Being Prepared for the Unexpected

Ten minutes of our lives this week were spent in a fire drill. These drills are to practise what to do in the event of an actual fire.

No one enjoys the disruption, other than students who may believe they are suffering more in their Maths lesson or perhaps in writing an English essay. 

There are good reasons for holding a fire drill, and as I stood in my position at the front entrance of our school, dressed in a less than flattering cap and fire vest, I found myself reflecting on the value of being prepared for whatever life might throw at us: examinations, loss, fires, floods, pandemics. But many of life’s happenings are unexpected and cannot be prepared for. The first half of this year has certainly proven that.

Sometimes we are reminded that we cannot be in charge of what happens in life. Many in our community have suffered greatly this year, and I would like to express my sympathy for those who have in recent times lost jobs, income, security; those who are now needing to rebuild lives; those who have not been able to celebrate life events as we have been used to. 

However, there is one truth that has not been affected, and that is the promise of a future with Jesus. With Him we can live lives that are fulfilling, are safe and have purpose. Furthermore, as we have already shared in the Calvin Newsletter, God has and will turn all things around for good for those who love Him. 

“I am thankful for our partnership with our community, for staff who have worked so incredibly hard, for our students who have persevered in their studies...”

For example, in our preparation for 2021, we realise through providing distance learning in the Secondary School that we are now better equipped to offer online courses to students in other Christian schools’ senior classes and in partnership with them, we can also offer a greater selection of subjects to our students. The Primary School have also upskilled and are excited about the closer connections with families.

We have also found ourselves praying more fervently and worshipping together, recognising that our God is our strength, our hope and our ever present help. It is always good to be reminded that we need our God. It is easy to become complacent, to take Him for granted, to be so consumed by the busy-ness of life that we do not give Him first place in our lives. Paul says, ‘Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you’ (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Clearly, I did not realise when I first wrote about worship in this forum only five months ago that we would be tested on the importance of putting God first and trusting Him through tough circumstances. I am thankful our Father is in control; and I am thankful for our partnership with our community, for staff who have worked so incredibly hard, for our students who have persevered in their studies, for the Board and CST who have been generous towards families in hardship, for online facilities, and much more.

The fire drills, both in the Primary and Secondary Schools went very smoothly. Life isn’t always like that but we are truly blessed. May God bless you as you enjoy the school break with your children. Please pray for our school community; we all need to be refreshed for the second half of this year.

Ineke Laning – Acting Principal

Counting the Cost

Our guest speaker at the secondary virtual assembly this week was Sam Gough, the university pastor at Wellspring Anglican Church in Sandy Bay. Sam is a Calvin Alumni and was a student in one of the very first classes that I taught as a young teacher of Humanities!

After leaving Calvin, Sam went on to study medicine at the University of Tasmania before beginning his career as a doctor at Launceston General Hospital and the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.

But Sam didn’t come to Calvin this week to talk about his medical career. In fact, he ‘retired’ from medicine at the age of 32 and commenced the role that led him to our assembly.

Sam came to our assembly this week to share with the students the reason he made this change: he was following a higher calling. In his work as a doctor, Sam was able to help address the physical needs of people for the duration of their earthly life. In his work as a University Pastor, he is able to address the needs of people both in their earthly life and in the life to come.  

Sam now works with international students from a variety of cultural and religious backgrounds, but primarily from the Indian subcontinent. At the start of the COVID-19 crisis, many of these students were unable to access the government benefits that would allow self-sufficiency during the crisis, and this troubled Sam. Over the past few months he has spearheaded the Show Hope campaign that serves hot curries and fresh food to around 300 university students per week. In managing huge quantities of food and a large group of volunteers each week, Sam and his team are addressing the physical and spiritual needs of these students during the difficult COVID-19 lockdown period.

I wonder if Sam, sitting in his school desk at Calvin 25 years ago, could have imagined that he was destined for this role in June 2020.

The Bible is full of characters who have had similar career and life transformations. Is it possible that Joseph, Moses, Jonah and Jesus’ disciples could have imagined how their lives and vocations would have changed once they aligned to God’s will and took on an eternal perspective?

In Romans 11:33 Paul wrote ‘How great are God's riches! How deep are his wisdom and knowledge! Who can explain his decisions? Who can understand his ways?’

“Following the call of Jesus often comes at a personal cost...”

Paul (at that time known as Saul) experienced a significant career and life transformation on the road to Damascus. I have no doubt that Paul, like Sam, could not have imagined the changes that would occur when a person allows God’s will to change the course of their life.

Late last year, Ineke Laning agreed to postpone her impending retirement in order to take on the role of Acting Principal at Calvin. She, too, allowed the depth of God’s wisdom and knowledge to change the expected course of her life.

Following the call of Jesus often comes at a personal cost. I am sure that Sam and Ineke, like the apostle Paul, have counted the cost when reflecting on their changed circumstances. But in allowing the unexpected ways of God, we become the people that God intended us to be. Our vocations and aspirations—supported by the unique personalities and gifts with which He created us—become aligned with His will and purpose.

As always, C.S. Lewis explicates this wonderfully. ‘The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become—because He made us. He invented us. He invented all the different people that you and I were intended to be. . .It is when I turn to Christ, when I give up myself to His personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own.’

In the Secondary School, we will be supporting the Show Hope campaign over the next few weeks and donating funds, warm clothing and blankets to those in need. We will also be raising funds through a gold coin donation free dress day next Wednesday.

You can learn more about the Show Hope campaign via their Facebook Page or visit their Go Fund Me page.

Bonny Moroni – Head of Secondary