A Transformational Christian Learning Community

In spite of the rain, this year’s Oliebollen Festival was a resounding success.

Incredibly, the final tally showed a sizeable increase in profit (approximately $13,000 more than 2021), meaning more funds available for projects to support our students and school community.

“I am not sure if you have you ever been in that awkward situation where you felt as though you didn’t belong?”

Whilst it is incredibly encouraging, success for us is not simply counted in dollar figures. Perhaps most significantly, the Oliebollen Festival is an expression of community as we come together to connect in service. For me, the Oliebollen Festival is an opportunity to see our community in action, and what an incredible testament it is, with our hardworking Oliebollen Committee, volunteers, staff and students. Ultimately, our hope is that our wider community also gets to see an image of a Christ-centred educational community at work and to understand the relational God at the core of our school.

Community and connection matters and it was great to see some of our newer families connecting through attendance, support and volunteering at the event. One of the things that I enjoy about our community is the open expressions of welcome offered by our families. It is easy to underestimate how significant a welcoming smile, conversation and connection is.

I am not sure if you have you ever been in that awkward situation where you felt as though you didn’t belong? Your senses are suddenly heightened and every comment, look, and personal connection matters in a way that perhaps it wouldn’t have otherwise. Human connection and the identification that we feel with a group or individuals has a powerful influence on us. Relationship matters.

“Human connection and the identification that we feel with a group or individuals has a powerful influence on us. Relationship matters. ”

In a school context, we see this expressed in many different ways as students find connection and identity. As students grow and mature, we also see this in the ways that they are able to look beyond themselves and their own interests to express appreciation for the relationship, work and influence of teachers and parents.

As we celebrate the successes of the Oliebollen event and thank our Oliebollen Committee for their diligent efforts, we are reminded of the call of Christian communities to be an expression of Christ at work. As we continue to encourage one another, my hope is that our community will increasingly reflect the transformational potential offered through individual and corporate relationship with God.

Scott Ambrose — Principal

Armed only with some cardboard...

On any given night in our community, hundreds of Tasmanians sleep in a vulnerable state of homelessness.

Statistics indicate that young people aged from 12 – 25 are the largest cohort of those who don’t have secure or safe accommodation.

Earlier this year, senior students Rebekah Boonstra and Tilly Hartog attended a breakfast hosted by the Salvation Army which promoted the Salvos Winter Sleepout and gave information about the vital local work of the Salvos in Hobart. Inspired by the challenge to make a difference, Bek and Tilly returned to our school community and with the support of the Student Council, formed our first ever Salvos Sleepout school group. With a huge fundraising effort including personal sponsorship, bake sales and promotion in our school community, our Salvos Sleepout team raised a staggering $11,465, all of which will go to care for the most vulnerable in our society.

“While the Winter Sleepout called for a sacrifice of comfort and warmth, the lessons we learned about empathy, compassion and kindness towards others made the frosty night and morning completely worth it.”

On a very chilly Thursday night a few weeks ago, 22 of our Year 11 and 12 students gathered in the courtyard at Calvin for the Winter Sleepout. Armed only with some cardboard, sleeping bags and stacks of good will, our students constructed their beds for the night and prepared for a pretty uncomfortable night’s sleep. Around the fire pit, we listened to some stories from members of the local Salvation Army and were struck by how much need there is in our community.

Throughout the gospel, Jesus called those around Him to live lives of radical obedience; to love with extravagance and care with compassion for the poor and those in need. In the past few months, we have been blessed to see so many of our senior students respond to this call and put their faith into action is such a practical and committed way. While the Winter Sleepout called for a sacrifice of comfort and warmth, the lessons we learned about empathy, compassion and kindness towards others made the frosty night and morning completely worth it.

Stelle Carmichael - Head of Students

When Do I Buy My Kid a Phone?!?

The School Council recently provided two parent information sessions with Daniel Sih.

I was lucky enough to attend the first session and felt both informed and challenged by the information delivered. Daniel brought contemporary research, entwined with personal advice with a Christian world view on how and when to deliver technology into our children’s lives. Topics included phones, internet, social media and gaming. Daniel has three children, and has lived the experience of introducing technology to teenage children who are facing pressure from their peers to feel included.

Key information and questions from the session that I found either backed up or challenged my choices as a parent are as follows:

How do behaviours and activities impact our children’s wellbeing?

“Key information and questions from the session I found either backed up or challenged my choices as a parent”

Daniel shared a study with a basic picture graph with smiling faces for things that make our children happy and frowny faces for things that hinder them. The two most impactful ‘smiley faces’ were sports/exercise and religious services. These activities have a positive impact on our children’s physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual health. Other positive influences include print media (reading) and in-person interactions. Pleasingly, working and homework also rated in the smiley face section of the graph!

The other end of the graph was filled with activities relating to technology including, TV, video chat and computer games (moderate frowny faces), through to texting, social media and the internet which can have high level negative impacts on children’s wellbeing and happiness. Daniel talked about technology being designed to target the ‘fight or flight’ component of our brain, hindering development of social and emotional components such as empathy and personal interaction.

How long should children spend on devices?

From his research, Daniel recommended a maximum of 5 hours per week on devices with a maximum of 1 hour in any sitting or 2 hours in any day. He acknowledged that this can be challenging as a parent. I know I will be taking more notice of my ‘5 more minutes’ warning that can easily slip out to 15-20 if the kids are being quiet! Daniel mentioned an idea of using ten ‘30 minute’ tokens and a 30 minute timer as a visual way of keeping track of weekly usage. 

When should we get our children their own phone?

Daniel stated that each family is different and parents should make the decision on when their children get their first phone without pressure to ‘keep up with’ their peers. His personal opinion was to wait as long as you can. Some advice he gave on phones is as follows:

• Phones are designed for adults. When you do get your child a phone, make sure they don’t have full access to all features and accessories,

• Talk to your children about how and when they are to use their phone,

• Buy the phone for your child so you have ownership over how and when the phone is used,

• Apply filters or restrictions to the internet so you are aware of what your children are doing and can restrict access to inappropriate material. The internet provides opportunities for knowledge and information, but also creates pressure from social media, connection with strangers and unfortunately access to pornography and other inappropriate content.

• Modelling good phone use is important for our children’s future habits.

What if this advice has come too late?

As I was sitting in Daniel’s presentation, there were times that I thought, ‘Yes, parent win!’ we’re doing that well, and other times where I thought, ‘Oh no, that ship has sailed…!’ Daniel mentioned it’s never too late to change habits or reign in access to phones and technology, it’s just harder than starting with good habits.

In his book Space Maker – How to Unplug, Unwind & Think Clearly in the Digital Age, Daniel talks about the idea of neuroplasticity. On page 33 he states this is “…a fancy term that simply means that our brain is malleable, constantly reshaping itself to adapt to our conditions… The more you participate in a particular activity, the more your brain adapts to these conditions. Conversely, when a thought pattern or behaviour becomes infrequent, fewer cells reinforce that activity… The brain is a dynamic, adaptive and highly responsive organ that is constantly changing in accordance with our needs.”

On page XVII of the introduction Daniel also mentions, “Digital habits and behaviours can be hard to adjust, requiring a comprehensive evaluation of our world view. In order to shift ingrained behaviours, we need both a personal why and a practical how.” The book uses the acronym SPACE, to outline the principles for successfully navigating the digital world in which we live.

“ Daniel mentioned it’s never too late to change habits or reign in access to phones and technology, it’s just harder than starting with good habits. ”

                S – Set Limits

                P – Plan Habits

                A – Assign Rest

                C – Cultivate Community

                E – Embrace Silence

Daniel mentioned the favourable influence that interacting and talking with our children has on their happiness and wellbeing. This even included talking and interacting with children on or about technology if it creates conversation and connection. He finished with research that eating one meal per day sitting as a family and talking together (without technology) has a positive impact on our children’s development and an important impact on our present and future relationships.

I pray for continued blessing over you and your family as we navigate the many complexities of the digital age.

Blessings

Andrew Nash - Head of Primary