Welcome
Messages from our Executives
Dear Alumni,
Each year, Christian School leaders gather in Canberra in May to attend the Christian Schools National Policy Forum. The Forum provides an opportunity for Christian School leaders to connect with and hear from Members of Parliament, as well as a range of other speakers. In view of the current concerns with the proposals from the Australian Law Reform Commission that would greatly limit the religious freedoms of faith based schools if enacted, it was particularly encouraging to hear from the Shadow Minister for Education, Senator Sarah Henderson.
Please see below for an excerpt of Senator Henderson’s speech.
The rights of parents to choose the way in which their children are educated is a sacred and ancient right. When St Paul travelled across the Mediterranean 2,000 years ago, he found small but growing Christian communities passing on their faith to their children.
Throughout the Middles Ages and after the Reformation, Christian schools sprang up all over Europe as a testament to the Christian commitment to education. It is fitting, then, that the first schools in Australia were Christian schools. Rev. Richard Johnson, the first chaplain to the colony of New South Wales, established an Anglican school in 1793.
The freedom to educate one’s children in accordance with one’s faith is inseparable from the freedom to worship in accordance with one’s beliefs. This is not only a matter of common sense, but it is also a matter of international law. Article 18(4) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provides that signatory States should “undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardians to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.”
For many Australian parents, being able to send their children to a school which genuinely adheres to the tenets and beliefs of their faith is essential to their exercise of religious freedom. It will indeed be a tragic day if the government – this government or any future government – wrenches this freedom away. So, together, we might fight to ensure this does not occur.
It is one of the great and enduring lessons of history that freedom is most often strangled in the name of safety or security.
Under the banners of non-discrimination and equality, the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) Inquiry into Religious Educational Institutions and Anti-Discrimination Laws has so far produced a consultation paper which has many Australians very worried about the future of religious education in this country.
The consultation paper’s draconian vision has drawn almost unanimous rebuke from faith leaders, religious schools, legal experts, and peak bodies.
For example, the Inquiry’s third term of reference cites the importance of ensuring that religious educational institutions can continue to build communities of faith in accordance with their beliefs; but the ALRC’s current law reform proposals would actively undermine the capacity of religious educational institutions to do this by curtailing the freedom of these institutions to hire staff on religious grounds.
Being able to hire teachers and other staff who share the ethos of a religious educational institution is fundamental to the capacity of that institution to build and maintain a community of faith.
This is not just important in the context of religious studies classes but also in consideration of the holistic form of education being provided by religious schools. A community of faith is not built by chaplains alone, but by a whole body of people – all working together – to live out their faith with integrity.
The shadow of the ALRC’s final report, to be released later this year, looms over us all. Gatherings like this one are an essential to convey the message to the government that schools of faith – and the families they serve – will not stand by and allow their role in our nation to be undermined.
My prep teacher was the late and wonderful Sister Celestine at Sacred Heart College Geelong. She was a legend – a caring, engaging and gifted teacher who made her mark on literally thousands of five year olds including me. We need a nation which puts every single teacher on a pedestal.
I want to finish on this message – religious schools are not a threat to our children, but a gift to their future. They are not a threat to diversity, but proof of its success.
The continuing presence of religious schools is also a reminder that the purpose of education is more than just the satisfaction of metrics and standards, student employability, or some other measure of material success.
They are a reminder that education also has a higher purpose—the cultivation of wisdom and a love of knowledge for its own sake.
They are a reminder that the purpose of education is, as Plato said, to teach us to love what is beautiful.
Let us continue to pray for our law makers, that they may be mindful and respectful of our faith traditions, and make laws that will preserve our religious freedoms.
Every blessing
Mr. Peter Sheahan (Principal)
Indigenous Reconciliation
As many of you are aware, May 27 – June 3, every year, is Reconciliation Week, “a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia”.
There were a number of chapel, assembly and devotional messages undertaken across both our campuses and at Narre Warren South, for the first time, both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags were flown alongside the Australian Flag. Additional flagpoles are also planned for the Wantirna South Campus to enable the flags to be flown there.
The College recently released our draft Reconciliation Action Plan which includes a number of other initiatives in support of reconciliation with our indigenous peoples and what we may be able to do in our College community to create a welcoming and safe place for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and to foster greater understanding of their culture and history. Please continue to pray for wisdom, insight and understanding for our Governments, our Indigenous leaders and our whole nation, particularly as we prepare for a referendum vote on the Voice to Parliament.
Below is an excerpt from the Waverley Christian College's Reconciliation Action Plan:
We seek to respect and value the culture, knowledge and experiences of First Nations Peoples.
We are committed to creating and maintaining a school environment that empowers ATSI students to feel valued, respected and culturally strong.
We profess our desire to see change in our school and in Australian society, more broadly, where indigenous cultures are to be explored, acknowledged and appreciated by all Australians and particularly for the betterment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
(Images in this article were taken by Anishtha Chelliah, (WCC 2019), whilst on a College tour to Yalata, South Australia and her works form part of the College Arts Collection)
Alumni Survey
One might think that once you leave Waverley Christian College that you have minimal impact on the College’s programs. Not so! We believe that one of the measures of quality Christian Education is how well our graduates are prepared for life beyond schooling. Have we prepared you well for the challenges that come to our developing faith as Christians in the tertiary education sector? Was our careers guidance beneficial? Did we provide opportunities for the important skills for the world of work? What did the College do well in your supporting your faith formation? What could it have done better? These are all important questions that we are seeking your help with so that we can improve our programs for our current and future students. Please consider filling out our recently released Alumni Survey. You don’t have to answer every question, any feedback is always helpful. So, if you have been out of WCC for more than five years, we would love to hear from you. Your voice is important to us.
Mr. Rod Ramsay (Deputy Principal)
Big questions do more than (re)introduce wonder and excitement to students. The ultimate goal of big questions is for learners to develop big ideas, big answers, big understandings, and big learning.
Big questions can also serve as a jumping point for further and deeper learning, “the rabbit hole”. Such understandings are answers, lifeworthy answers, the largest and the most important answers we have for the lives learners are likely to live, big in insight, action, ethics, and opportunity.
-David Perkins Harvard Graduate School of Education
Often the classroom can become a place where answers are deposited to students and questions become subordinate. I wonder what a question centered classroom would look like? I can imagine that a question focused classroom would be a place of exploration and excitement, as students begin to imagine and wonder about the multitude of possibilities. As a school, we are committed to developing this type of learning across all subjects. We do not want our students to simply learn content or memorise aspects of curriculum but rather delve into the world of faith and thinking, as it informs their life and is expressed through deep questions and positive actions.
Both Primary and Secondary sub-schools are moving toward the work of Dr. David Perkins, Dr. Ron Ritchhart, and Mark Church to name a few, who have contributed within an organisation called Project Zero, from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Together they have developed models and teaching tools such as, Teaching for Understanding, Cultures of Thinking, Making Thinking Visible and the Power of Making Thinking Visible. This approach aligns with our Christian teaching philosophy as it helps students express their inner thinking visibly and helps teachers to affirm or redirect their learning toward deeper understandings and bigger questions.
Coupled with this new approach, our teaching staff have continued to work hard in building a deeper focus on our biblical literacy, ensuring that our Christ-centered curriculum remains a priority.
UPDATES
South Wing Project
During the Easter break, the builders have continued to work on the South Wing project. The South Wing will connect our current Secondary Wing with the Oval wing and Library and provide more classrooms for our students. It will contain a Common Room for our Year 12 students, hold a specialised Careers space and provide a variety of much needed new study areas. Currently, the concrete foundations have been completed and the walls are being erected.
Annual ANZAC Chapel Service
On Thursday 27 April (11:10am) the College held its annual ANZAC service for Year 3-12 students in the Citylife auditorium. At the same time our Junior Primary had their own ANZAC service in the PAC, where Alison Greave, our Head of Primary, read ANZAC Ted by Belinda Landsberry.
Light FM Visiting Wantirna South
On Friday 26 May, the Wantirna South Campus hosted the Light 89.9. The program included activities and games for Primary students as we promoted Food Allergy Week (21-26 May), bringing to attention the many students that manage anaphylaxis across the College.
Alumni 5 Year and 20 Year Reunion
It has been such a privilege to be a part of our College Alumni events this year. On the 16th March we held our 20 Year Alumni reunion where former students were able to reconnect with teachers and old classroom friends. It was encouraging to meet new people and hear the stories that were recounted as the night progressed.
On the 17th May we held our 5 Year Alumni reunion at the Knox Club. It was good to share a meal together and hear from Miss van Hulst, who spoke on the woman who suffered from hemorrhages in the Gospel of Luke and the importance of reaching toward a faith that heals and saves.
Mr. David Lepileo (Head of Campus, WS)
Greetings to all our NWS alumni.
OPEN MORNING
Alumni students will remember our Annual Open Mornings. We recently held our 2023 Open Morning on Tuesday, 2nd May. This year, we had more than 45 prospective families visit the College. In addition, we had 40 current families visit their children in their classes during the Open Morning.
School tours were conducted by student leaders who were delighted to showcase the College and share in all the new developments. The Primary and Secondary music students provided a variety of musical performances for our guests. The Year 10 Food Studies students provided a delicious assortment of sweet and savoury treats for our guests to enjoy. For the first time at an Open Morning event, we had our SPARC café in the MPC foyer and families where able to receive a barista made coffee and homemade cookies that the SPARC students made. We also introduced to the school community our ‘WCC Teddy Bear Ambassadors’ in the MPC foyer, who were there on hand to welcome and greet children and provide special treats to those who had come.
SECONDARY PRODUCTION
Our Secondary Production of “The Sound Of Music” will take place in August in Term 3. Rehearsals are well underway, and this production will be a fantastic event. Students from both casts are eagerly awaiting their chance to perform and we recently held a Sound of Music dress up day and Lunchtime Festival to raise additional funds to offset some of the costs of putting on such a large-scale event. I warmly invite all our Alumni to come along and enjoy this Production with us. (More details here)
FACEBOOK PAGE
Please remember that our NWS Facebook page provides regular updates about school events, fundraising initiatives, student success stories and other information of interest. Past students are encouraged to join our Facebook page if they are interested in keeping up to date with what is happening at NWS.
STAFF UPDATES FOR 2023 :
Mrs Sarah Lodder (nee Harrison) is on maternity leave; she gave birth to twin boys, Samuel Henry Bernard Lodder and Elijah Hadley Edward Lodder, they were born 5th January 2023.
Mrs Maria Lole (nee Fanous) is on maternity leave, she gave birth to a girl, Kalia Lole who was born 25th January 2023.
Miss Julia Greab married Mr Ben Pedley on the 7th January 2023
Mr Callum Haughey in our LEAPS department and his wife Stephanie had a baby boy Levi in 25th February 2023. Mr Haughey is now studying to become a teacher.
Mr Luther & Mrs Rachel D’ Sa welcomed their twins, Isaiah David and Indiana Faith on 17th March 2023.
ALUMNI REUNION (CLASS OF 2018)
We recently had a 5 Year reunion for the 2018 Alumni group at “The Hill” in Berwick. Thank you to the 2018 Alumni who came along and supported this event. Some current and former staff attended this event including myself, Mr Woolnough, Mr Dearness, Mr Radun, Mrs Swanevelder and Madame Taher. Mr Munyard, who is now the Deputy Principal at Maranatha Christian School, popped in for a brief visit to say Hi to everyone. Mrs Ponnusamy, who now works at Flinders Christian Community College was also in attendance. It was a fantastic evening of catching up with former students, reflecting on their time at the college, and hearing about what they are doing 5 years after leaving Waverley. I shared during the formalities and provided some updates on things that were happening around the school, including some of the changes to our staffing. It was a most enjoyable night for all who attended. Alumni who were not able to come to this reunion are encouraged to join us in 5 years’ time at the 10-year reunion!
I finish with this word of encouragement for you all, found in Joshua 1:9, Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Every blessing.
Mr. Mark Crnkovic (Head of Campus, NWS)