2021 Term 2, Week 7

Last Friday night saw a gathering of some 60 past students, from the first graduating Class of 1964 to the newest alumni, the Class of 2020. They came to farewell Blocks 1 and 2, and the front part of the Library.

After a trip down memory lane, we gathered in the Tooth Lounge to share stories from the past. The mischievous tricks the boys used to get up to in the 1960s and ‘70s. Geoffrey, not accustomed to public speaking, admitted to the crowd that it was him who hid behind the sliding blackboards before the “Master” arrived. He was lucky not to have lost a hand, or worse, as the board came crashing down behind him. Those were the days!

There was almost a tear in a few eyes as the alumni fondly reminisced their years at St Paul’s School. Blocks 1 and 2 were “cutting edge” facilities “back in the day”. Sadly, the buildings have well and truly passed their used by date and really don’t adequately cater for the needs of today’s students. So, in a little over two weeks, they will be gone.

As the buildings have some undisturbed asbestos in them, they will be demolished over the three-week break while there are no students on campus.

The campus is going to look somewhat desolate when we return.

Once complete, the new building will dominate the School. The facilities within it will be used by all the students, and indeed, the wider community.

A robust consultation process has occurred over the past 12 months to design the building. Underpinned by our pedagogical framework (way of teaching – Realms of Thinking), students from across the School, as well as staff, have had considerable input into the design of the spaces, both internal and external. It is a building that will support Realms of Thinking (teaching for creativity), interdisciplinary learning and our third pathway, the entrepreneurial pathway.

Practically, the new building will house two new hospitality kitchens and teaching areas, a larger café (Sippers), the Secondary School Library, IT teaching classrooms, a 210-seat presentation space, a Possibility Hub, the Centre for Innovators and Entrepreneurs (CIE), and teaching spaces for staff to support the growth of their practice.

While the existing buildings will be demolished in the holidays, we don’t anticipate the new building to commence until mid-September. It will take 12 months to construct.

Dr Paul Browning

Headmaster

In its simplest form, holistic education is defined as “concerned with educating the whole person – body, mind and soul – to develop his or her fullest potential”. At St Paul’s School, this is expressed in our commitment to Realms of Thinking AND Ways of Being.

In some ways, holistic education may be seen as a ‘return to basics’. With a concern for not only intellectual, but also emotional, physical and spiritual development, holistic education is a lot like the paideia of first-century Greece, a term used to describe the process of becoming fully human. Increasingly, holistic education is also expressed in an emphasis on character development, in schools that have a vision to teach “children to become good people and good students at the same time”[1].

Whether or not a school (or system) subscribes to a holistic ideal depends largely on their view of the purpose of education. In our view, a holistic education enables the flourishing of the whole person, as opposed to simply meeting economic needs (by giving future workers the information and skills they need for direct entry to the workforce, or for further training) or even the transmission of cultural values. At St Paul’s School we are committed to holistic education, not because knowledge and skills are unimportant, but because they need to be “embedded in a wider vision of who I am called to be”[2] (Smith, 2016). Or, as Michael Fullan concluded in an important paper published this year, “In our ever-complex and contentious world, we can no longer afford to separate wellbeing and learning”[3].

Let me put it another way. A great education does not have to be a matter of “either … or”. Holistic education really is a case of Realms of Thinking PLUS Ways of Being.

Mr Nigel Grant

Executive Director of Faith & Community

[1] Garber, S. (2014). Visions of Vocation.

[2] Smith, J.K.A. (2016). You are what you love.

[3] Fullan, M. (2021) The right drivers for whole system success

Altitude Day is a Leadership training event organised by the YLead group. YLead offer this opportunity to Year 9 students around major regional centres and across the capital cities in Queensland, the ACT and New South Wales. The Brisbane event saw schools from across the Brisbane Metropolitan area come together to share ideas on leadership, learn how to develop a plan in relation to leading change and setting goals within their own schools and to hear from a number of high achieving young people who have acted as agents of positive change within their own communities.

Our St Paul’s students had the chance to meet and discuss leadership initiatives with their peers from other schools and in so doing developed ongoing leadership networks. The guest speakers who addressed the students included Jacqui Bell, an ultra-marathoner, who has completed ultra-marathon races across all seven continents in a single calendar year; Mikhara Ramsing who is a social entrepreneur working in the area of social and cultural diversity; and Ben Pettingill, a blind Athlete and motivational speaker whose unique story based on his own struggle to overcome the difficult hand he has been dealt resonated with our students tremendously.

The day was a wonderfully positive experience for our students and hopefully the lessons learned will transform into positive projects these students will lead within our own community here at St Paul’s into the future.

Students selected – Tick!

Clients confirmed – Tick!

DLV 3.0 designed and scheduled – Tick!

Excitement and Enthusiasm -TICK

DLV 3.0 is in full swing. Students have now chosen the client they wish to work with and we are pleased to announce the program for 2021.

This year, we have two fabulous clients that have interesting stories and challenges for the students:

Medline Australia – ‘We provide quality medical products with superior value to healthcare providers and end users, improving patient care and enhancing the quality of peoples’ lives’.

University of Sunshine Coast –‘Moreton Bay is the first full-service university campus ever built in the region, delivering more education opportunities for local students. USC Moreton Bay’s 16,000 sqm foundation facility has everything you’d expect from a world-class university – all conveniently located within three levels under one roof.’

We have commenced with team challenges, team goal setting, and values creation. Challenge one, saw the students assuming multiple roles to determine if the Harry Potter book series should be banned or not banned based on banned book criteria. Lots of healthy debate!

Next session, students will get the chance to meet their client representatives and the engagement begins.

More information is available on our Design Led Ventures website.

Dr Renae Jones + Mr Tim Osborne (DLV Facilitators)

Students will be performing a range of styles from pop to Baroque and avant-garde to Latin jazz so it’s sure to be an entertaining concert series.

In Round 2, students compete in the following categories:

Monday

Years 7-9 Woodwind/Brass

Years 7-9 Vocal

Years 10-12 Woodwind

Years 10-12 Brass

Years 10-12 Piano/Guitar/Percussion

Tuesday

Years 7-9 Piano/Guitar/Percussion

Years 7-9 Strings

Years 10-12 Vocal

Years 10-12 Strings

All adjudication decisions – made by our special guest, renowned double bassist and lecturer Helen Russell – will be announced at the conclusion of each concert. The winners of each section will automatically be through to the Final on June 18, and the remaining finalists will be announced on Wednesday, June 9.

We wish the following musicians all the best in their sections next week!

Years 7-9 Vocal

Katie Phyo

Matilda Semmler

Serena Lun

Charlotte Noy

Imogen Heath

Years 10-12 Vocal

Cheyenna Davidson-Collins

Kathryn Payne

Eloise Horsfall

Nivrithi Bhaskar

Naomi Colledge

Grace Spinks

Philippa Wright

Alexis Mylan

Jessica Semmler

Jennifer Spinks

Cooper Motum

Damon Poletto

Alice Lowther

Years 7-9 Woodwind and Brass

Madeleine Kugleman

Layla Heard

Shivani Deoji

Bradley Boag-Hodgson

Jasmine Marshman

Rowan Farrugia

Saraniya Srivigneswaran

Hannah King

Mollie Endicott

Vanessa Lowe

Lachlan Rogers

Years 10-12 Woodwind

Jasmine Wong

Sophie Pitstock

Liana Sadamiano

Shirley Chen

Lachlan Schulze

Connor Lowe

Years 10-12 Brass

Liam McGregor

Michael Alletsee

Sameel Deoji

Callum Heard

Lucas Nguyen

Years 7-9 Piano/Guitar/Percussion

Jacinta Alpaslan

Georgia Petterson

Sanjita Kurapati

Reuben Spinks

Jaydn Morgan

Eamon Wong

Thomas Robertson

Years 10-12 Piano/Guitar/Percussion

Aman Lai

Hayden Younger

Izaac Samuel

Blake Schramm

Rohan Platts

Chloe McConaghy

Cooper Manderson

Joshua Crawford

Emily Tang

Zara Narayan

Brandon Cairns

Blair Shu

Years 7-9 Strings

Gordon Tang

Emma Linton

Jay Lin

Alexander Horvath

Max Hering

Bridget Grace

Stella Grace

Matthew Linton

Years 10-12 Strings

Eleanor Sith

Patrick Chen

Jasmin Simpson

Anneka Platts

Ben Hering

Sophie Riley

Belle Smibert

Stephen Horvath

Evie Lillas

Have you considered becoming a homestay family?

• Families are paid a generous daily rate for hosting
• Long term and short term hosting opportunities 
• A rich cultural experience for both visiting students and host families
• Great opportunity for students studying a language at school
• Ongoing support from the International School Staff
• Homestay Coordinator available 24/7 for emergencies

For more information or to register your interest, please visit our website.

All Year 12 students and parents/carers are invited to attend this presentation.

Topics covered will include:

• The application process
• Tertiary studies in Queensland
• Upgrading pathways for Year 12 students
• Course providers