From the Principal

Community Issues

Over the past few weeks, we have been working through some really challenging issues with our school student community.  Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised because the example we have seen from our Government has been appalling and many other descriptive words like reprehensible, unacceptable, disgraceful, shameful …… I think you get my drift.

I have held numerous meetings, as have other LCS School Leadership Team members, with students and parents about behaviour that has been brought to the school’s attention.  There seems to be a common theme around this behaviour.  It amounts to misconduct of a sexual nature. And another constant is the presence of social media and mobile phone use.

What has been enlightening and encouraging is a shift in significant members of our student population taking responsibility for the welfare of their mates by calling this behaviour out.  We have also seen students dropping out of unhealthy chat groups.  And this has also led to some victims being prepared to come forward with their own previously hidden trauma of putting up with things they shouldn’t have to and telling about what has occurred to them.

I salute those students for standing in the gap for their friends and for the culture we are working hard to protect and nurture so that everyone is and feels safe at school.

But with it comes a lot of work in ensuring truth is held up under fire.  We also want to be true to the words of our God to Isaiah in Isaiah 42:3 - A bruised reed He will not break and a smouldering wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. (The Berean Study Bible)

The Bible’s teachings are the foundation on which we learn about right relationships.  The life of Jesus shows us that sin needs to be confessed, wrongs need to be righted, relationships restored for us to move forward as a strong community. I make no apologies for the actions from the school’s Leadership to ensure that the momentum gained from the groundswell of students who have decided that now is the time to place a stake in ground to claim this territory for Christ.

There are many quotes to support the importance of speaking up for those who are vulnerable.  Here are some of the more well known ones.

"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil:  God will not hold us guiltless.  Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."  Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"To ignore evil is to become accomplice to it."  Martin Luther King

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."  Desmond Tutu

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."  

Edmund Blake

But we have also seen an ugly side of protest against evil on the major media channels which has incited hatred and toxicity towards those who have made bad choices.  This too is counterproductive.  I can’t help but think of the example of our supreme saviour, at a time when he was accused of insurrection.  His word to those who would eventually call for the execution of this innocent man were, “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”  I am humbled to the core when I think that Jesus had to endure this torment so that I could be free from the guilt of sin.

So where do we go as a school community committed to the truth of God’s word about relationships. In some aspects its simple. Follow the wisdom of Solomon from Ecclesiastes.  Fear God and obey His commands.

But this is not so simple when we live in a world that is tainted by sin and brokenness.  A world that has seen the truth of God’s plan twisted.

An article I read last week about this twistedness was written by Emma Wood who has a PhD in moral philosophy and is a Research Fellow with Women’s Forum Australia. It is not obvious from Emma’s article that she holds a Christian faith position, but the principles of the significance view of sex are not inconsistent with the Bible’s teachings.  I sincerely hope that by sharing Emma’s views in this forum, we open a conversation with our young men and women about God’s beautiful plan for sex in the deep and intimate relationship of marriage.

It is titled “The significance of sex – can it be recovered through consent alone?”   

And a subtitle “Better ‘consent training’ for students, without the inculcation of the deeper principles that undergird the moral significance of sex, presents further dangers for young women.”

I was sorely tempted to reproduce the whole article but have heard that my ramblings go on and on.  So please click here to read the article.

COVID-19 UPDATE

We are starting to see some signs emerge of a return to the new normal life after COVID.  Part of this confidence comes from the current COVID-19 free status that Tasmania has enjoyed for some months now.  Behind the scenes, the staff at LCS have been preparing for the unlikely event of returning to “Online Learning From Home”.  While this is unlikely, it is prudent to be prepared.  As such, our IT team has been busy creating new Microsoft Teams for each class.  There are 126 of them across the school.  In the event of a sudden return to Online Learning From Home, we would call for a Student Free Day to prepare.  As I’ve indicated, this is highly unlikely in the current situation.  It is good to take the Boy Scout code of “BE PREPARED!”  Interestingly, I googled Boy and Girl Scout Code and found the following: 

There are 12 principles a Scout lives by which is actually considered the Scout Law. "A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent."

Sounds a lot like what we want our students to be in life.

New Way To Ask For Help

Liz Winter and the Compliance Team along with the Board and Leadership Team have approved an updated ChildSafe suite of policies. Professional Learning sessions for all staff will be held in the coming months to ensure these policies are well known to all staff.  In our new policy we have reviewed the processes in place for students to ask for help.  While there are various ways this can be done – talking with Parents, Teachers, Student Wellbeing Staff, Assistant Heads of School, Heads of School, Principal – we have added another way for students to ask for help.  

A new email address studentsafe@lcs.tas.edu.au has been created and these emails will be directed to our Heads of School for their attention.  The notification will received and acted on according to the processes in our policies.

Parent Help

As we have been strategizing about how to be useful in supporting our community in the task of parenting children and young people in our hypersexualised society, we are all navigating, I came across an impressive video resource for parents on a website called Our Kids Online.  This website can be found by clicking here.

Here is the promo script for the video. 

Follow the journey of two filmmaker parents, who accidentally stumbled on the biggest un-had conversation of our time, while researching the pros and cons of handheld devices for their children.

A must-see documentary for every parent on how to protect our kids from online predators and the fallout from exposure to today's genres of hardcore, violent, degrading porn. Featuring some of the world's leading experts in this field.

This film does not include any porn footage or interviews with anyone from the porn industry. It does however, contain some confronting stories and is not suitable for anyone under 16 without the supervision of an adult.

To view the video trailer click this link.

I have purchased a LIFETIME EDUCATIONAL SCREENING LICENCE for LCS to use and am planning to invite groups of parents to a movie night at school. I have previewed this and can highly recommend it as a great conversation starter among parents and more importantly a conversation starter with your children.

Blessings,

Adrian Bosker

Principal