THE WEST AUSTRALIAN LIFTOUT MONDAY, JULY 21, 2014 • 1
St Stephen’s SchoolSERVE GOD SERVE ONE ANOTHER
www.ststephens.wa.edu.au
ADVERTISING LIFTOUT
2 • MONDAY, JULY 21, 2014 LIFTOUT THE WEST AUSTRALIAN
Editor: Louise Allan Design: Michelle Nunn Advertising: Rajesh Kulkarni 9482 3567
St Stephen’s School
A message from the Principal Over our 30 year history, St Stephen’s School has
become one of the largest schools in Australia
with more than 2700 students and 400 members
of staff across three geographical sites.
While three quarters of the almost 300
graduates continue with their studies at
university, St Stephen’s School is also the largest
Vocational Education and Training provider in
Western Australia. Further, St Stephen’s School
has also been recognised nationally for its care
and support of all students, especially those with
learning diffi culties and disabilities.
As a Christian community, education as an
exercise in growing people and growing faith is a
natural expression of who we are.
As we inspire learning that transforms and
empowers lives, our desire is for everyone to be
alive in the adventure of learning as they aspire
to live lives of purpose.
While our graduates consistently achieve
excellent academic results, families choose
to bring their children to St Stephen’s School
because of the kind of person they would like
their child to become.
We catch our humanity from each other and
it is the humanity of our school as a Christian
community that has ensured our success over
these past 30 years. Curriculum comes and goes,
but the nature of humanity remains the same.
- Mr Tony George, Principal, St Stephen’s School
At St Stephen’s School we aim to “grow
people” and the St Stephen’s Institute aims to
“grow staff ” because relationships are at the
core of who we are and what we do.
The institute works with teaching and non-
teaching staff across the multiple campuses of
St Stephen’s School to develop and build their
capacity by supporting them in their professional
growth in a variety of ways including:
• Staff and leadership development
• Coaching
• Mentoring
• Talent identifi cation, recruitment, induction
and management
• Evaluation and goal setting opportunities
• Career mapping and training
• Facilitation of a number of conferences and
symposiums including our annual LeaderCon
(for the 70 leaders of the school) and
StaffCon (for all 400 staff of the school)
• Creating partnerships with universities and
other educational institutions that benefi t our
school community
• Assistance for staff towards further studies
(fi nancial and/or time)
• Providing a coordinated approach across
St Stephen’s School for professional
development and ensuring that teachers’
standards are met and enhanced
through engagement with ongoing
professional learning
• Teacher cadet program
• Staff wellness program
• Parent engagement seminars
• Community events to enhance teaching
and learning.
The St Stephen’s Institute is about building
capacity, building connections and
building culture.
For us it is about making a difference in the
lives of others, giving back to the community
by ensuring we are passionate about teaching
and learning, and understanding that we have an
obligation to be excellent for the sake of others.
- Mrs Donella BeareDirector, St Stephen’s Institute
Launch of St Stephen’s Institute
Where children can learn, growSt Stephen’s School is an independent co-educational Christian school of the Uniting Church for Kindergarten to Year 12 with an enrolment of 2727 students. The School’s campuses are located in Perth’s northern suburbs of Duncraig and Carramar.
Providing a school where children can learn and grow into people of Christian character and integrity was at the heart of the founders’ intent when the fi rst brick of St Stephen’s School was laid in 1983.
Today, the School’s founding vision remains core and is embedded in the fabric of the School as it strives to fulfi ll its mission of ‘growing people, growing faith’ for our ever-changing world – a world that needs people who aspire to live with purpose.
To this end, St Stephen’s School teachers strive to make every student’s learning an adventure. Enlivened by Christian purpose, they provide a caring and challenging environment with innovative education and community service programs which engage students in the adventure of learning and serving.
As the School enters its fourth decade, it is committed to ‘changing the world one mind at a time’ by ensuring the adventure of learning begins at St Stephen’s School – an adventure where students aspire to live with purpose.
ADVERTISING LIFTOUT
Reverend Des Cousins appointed as Chair of Council
1981
Reverend Marie Wilson appointed as Chair of Council
1984
Reverend Owen Roberts appointedas Chair of Council
1986
Doug Lambert appointed as Chair of Council
1994
Carramar Campus Opens (pre primary to Yr 8)
2001
Reverend Gavin Collinson appointed as Principal
1989
Duncraig Secondary School opened 1984
John Allen-Williams appointed as
Foundation Principal
1983
1988
Duncraig Foundation students graduated
Lorraine Paul appointed as Chair
of Council
2001
Duncraig Primary School opened
1993 Dr Glenda Parkin appointed as Principal
2002
iDay 2014 is our annual digital learning
conference designed to enhance teaching and
learning. During the day our staff take part in
numerous workshops designed to make the
most of the digital mobile technologies available.
There are more than 50 workshops
offered including learning management systems,
digital creation, online tools, social networking,
blogging, presentational tools, stories from the
classroom, controversial ideas and numerous
software applications. We have guest presenters
from Winthrop, Sharp, Seqta, Apple, Microsoft
and Datacom, incorporating international and
local presenters.
iDay July 24
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN LIFTOUT MONDAY, JULY 21, 2014 • 3
SERVE GOD SERVE ONE ANOTHER
The St Stephen's Institute annual staff conference focuses on our model of a relationship-centred approach to teaching and learning.
The conference is a two-day professional learning event that all St Stephen’s School staff participate in.
This year, keynote speakers include Melinda Tankard-Reist who is well known for her work on the objectifi cation of women and efforts to address violence against women and Tim Costello who is a sought after voice on social justice issues, urban poverty and reconciliation.
This conference will be held at our Carramar campus.
Sta Con July 21 to 22
ADVERTISING LIFTOUT
From L-R: Dr Liz Criddle (Director of Teaching and Learning), Mr Brian Plowman (Director of Wellness), Mr Stuart Wesley (Parent Coach)
Teacher Cadet ProgramThe contemporary education landscape is
changing. It is no longer good enough for a
graduate to only be knowledgeable in their chosen
area of curriculum study, they need to be skilled
in communication, able to navigate the world of
social media and to clearly understand they are
the most signifi cant adult in a student’s educational
life. With this in mind, one of the cornerstones
of the St Stephen’s Institute is our Teacher
Cadet Program. This program is open to all new
graduates and sees each cadet employed full time,
however they only teach part time with the rest
devoted to training and development under the
guidance of a mentor teacher.
Ideas around the Cadet Program such as
classroom observation, meeting students at
their individual points of need, and knowing how
students learn are not limited to new graduates
and this is another area of focus for the Institute
as we have been working to develop communities
of practice both within St Stephen’s School and
with partner schools and tertiary institutions. The
Cadet Program runs alongside our set classroom
observation and mentoring work that the Institute,
including our Director of Teaching and Learning,
undertakes on a day-to-day basis. These initiatives
contribute to St Stephen’s School being an
employer of choice for many prospective staff.
WellnessThe appointment of a Director of Wellness
to the St Stephen’s Institute recognises the
importance of health and wellbeing initiatives
to create a workplace culture that supports
and encourages all staff to fl ourish and thrive.
The defi ned and focused approach provided
by positive psychology research has informed
the way that the Institute operates in this area.
The holistic approach of positive psychology
for all members of the school community is
beginning to gain momentum at the various
campuses of St Stephen’s School. Some
examples of this are:
• Partnership with NIB Health
• Corporate gym memberships
• Planned health expo to target areas of
health concerns
• Workshops on nutrition
• Workshops on personal fi nances
• Lunches for staff on wellness theory
• Seminars on coaching and the link to
positive psychology
One of the most important aspects of the
Institute’s wellness initiatives revolves around
the role of personal coaching to assist in the
evaluation and goal setting process.
The old adage, “it takes a village to raise a child” reinforces the notion that parents are not enough for the raising of a healthy child.Extended family and friends, sport coaches, music teachers, pastors and youth leaders to name a few all share, albeit to a lesser extent, the role of shaping young lives. The education of a child, as a part of their development, is not the job of the school alone. Once again, it is a team effort, a partnership between the school, the student and the parent. The latest research demonstrates that when parents are engaged in their child’s education the child does better. In light of this, the St Stephen’s Institute recognises the need to encourage
and challenge parents to be the best parents they can be and to engage with their child’s educational experience all for the sake of better outcomes for the child. To facilitate this, a Parent Coach has been employed as part of the St Stephen’s Institute to work with the School community to foster a deeper sense of community engagement. The Parent Coach meets one on one with parents to support them in the journey of parenting, provides workshops and seminars to increase parenting competency and works with school staff to ensure that the partnership between school, student and parent is optimal.
Parent Coach
Desmond Mitchell appointed as
Principal
2007
Caryl Roberts appointed as
Principal
2009
Hepburn Heights Duncraig ELC opens 2011
Carramar Kindergarten
opens
2013
Carramar Foundationstudents graduated
2005
St Stephen’s School recognised as one of the safest schools in the country
2013
Governor McCusker recognises the school’s Change the World Program
2013
Michael van Drunnen appointed as Chair of Council
2007
Tony George appointed as Principal
2011
2012
Only school in WA to be awarded with the National MindMatters award
St Stephen’s Institute offi cially launches
2013
Dr Brian Handley appointed as
Chair of Council
2014
4 • MONDAY, JULY 21, 2014 LIFTOUT THE WEST AUSTRALIAN
St Stephen’s School
It is with great pleasure that St Stephen’s
School announces the purchase of a rural
property 8km south of Dwellingup.
After a period of due diligence, investigation
and extensive discussion, the decision was
made to purchase the 46ha area, which is
adjacent to both the Munda Biddi Trail and
Bibbulmun Track.
The property boasts extensive native forest
and 800m of Murray River frontage, perfect for
adventure activities, water sports and targeted
educational programs.
The School intends to sustainably develop
the property for school camps, leadership
development programs, team building and
student retreats.
We also anticipate family groups may be able
to camp on the property in the future.
We look forward to the enrichment that this
acquisition will bring to the school community.
Nanga Bush Camp
Two exciting projects of the master plan for the coming triennium for both Duncraig and Carramar campuses are expected to be completed by the end of 2017.
The Oceans Centre is essentially a geographically contextualised science facility for the Duncraig Secondary campus that capitalises on the unique location of the campus in proximity to the Indian Ocean, Hillarys Boat Harbour, the Aquarium of Western Australia and WA Fisheries. While the Oceanographic Centre will provide everything a standard science facility provides, it has the added advantage of being able to incorporate Geography, Design and Technology, Food Science and Physical Education.
By focusing attention on oceanography, the facility may boast signifi cant features such as a wave tank, display aquarium and aquaculture that serve to inspire students to take up the sciences.
The Business Management and Accounting Centre is designed to invest in the School’s extensive Vocational and Education (VET) Programs.
The intention of the centre – to be built at our Carramar campus – is to bring together VET and Western Australian Certifi cate of Education business and accounting related courses, including Business Studies, Economics, Politics and Law, and Retail Management into one centre that will offer both standard and alternative pathways to university.
The Business Centre would seek to extend its offering of courses and services beyond our students to include parents through evening seminars and breakfast presentations.
Oceans Centre and Business Centre
ADVERTISING LIFTOUT
St Stephen’s Press has celebrated the School’s 30th Anniversary with the publishing of Staying True written by Dr Phil Ridden. Staying True tells of the people and events which have shaped the fi rst three decades of the School’s life.“It is written from the standpoint of a fair-minded participant-observer. The issues are honestly presented in a good lucid readable style. This book makes an interesting and original contribution to the history of education in Western Australia. I’ve enjoyed reading it and I warmly congratulate the author.”
- Geo rey Bolton AO
30thAnniversaryBook
St Stephen’s Global is a branch of St Stephen’s
School that focuses on developing international
programs of service learning and enhancing
educational opportunity throughout the Indian
Ocean Rim.
Not only do we live in the most highly-populated
time zone of the world, but we are the only
western city in the region of the Indian Ocean
Rim – a region that contains two thirds of the
world’s population in only one quarter of the
world’s circumference.
The opportunities for Western Australia are
immense because of our unique geographical
location.
This creates a unique opportunity for St
Stephen’s School to make a difference through
service learning and the provision of ongoing
educational development as a global provider of
educational services to the region.
The school has already commenced this process
by offering teacher professional learning and
student tours to Malaysia and Cambodia.
The school will also host a Round Table
Conference of key Indian Ocean Rim education
stakeholders in November 2014 where it will
plan a 10-year program of learning and service
opportunities for the region.
St Stephen’s Global
Top Related