2022 Term 1, Week 3

The new building, our Innovation Centre, has begun to rise out of the ground and will begin to take shape over the next few months. But perhaps the most exciting project for this year and next is the partnership with Melbourne University’s Assessment Research Centre we have just begun.

Over the last decade we have been researching and developing our unique way of teaching and learning: Realms of Thinking. Realms of Thinking are approaches to learning which help students master the basics while also growing their capacity to ask better questions, navigate failure, develop empathy, and spark their imaginations.

Realms of Thinking is a collection of 16 dispositions necessary for creative, innovative and entrepreneurial thinking. Teachers deliberately incorporate these dispositions into their planning and classroom activities so our young people are equipped with the skills and dispositions they need to thrive in the new economy.

Melbourne University has become our research partners for the next stage of development for Realms of Thinking: A Learner Profile. If we truly value what we do here at St Paul’s School, we should be reporting on the Realms of Thinking dispositions to you as parents.

The work with Melbourne University will develop tools to assess each of the 16 dispositions enabling us as educators to show you as parents how your child/ren are developing the skills necessary for their future employment. The result of the research will be a Learner Profile, a more comprehensive report that will not only tell you how your child is achieving in each curriculum area, but also how they are progressing in the development of the Realms of Thinking dispositions, and ultimately, the character traits identified in our Ways of Being framework. Essentially, the Learner Profile will give you a holistic view of your child’s development.

There is a huge amount of work to do over the next two years to achieve this, but it is exciting work. It feels a little like a new beginning for education.

Dr Paul Browning

Headmaster

In this short article, I’d like to elaborate on the place of Character and Virtues within the Ways of Being framework. As the word “holistic” suggests, a holistic education is concerned with the development and wellbeing of the whole person – body, mind and soul. To that end, Ways of Being comprises a range of virtues, capabilities and understandings which help to ensure that students develop as young people of character.

Why do we place such emphasis on character? It is because we believe that, in the end, an education should not be judged on what a student knows, nor even on what a student can do. Rather, we are interested in what type of person the student is becoming. Many of you would have heard me say before, that I agree with Martin Luther King Jr., who said –

A good number of schools and educational systems around the world share our views on the centrality of Character Education. In the United Kingdom, for example, the body which appraises school performance (Ofsted) defines character as –

“a set of positive personal traits, dispositions and virtues that informs students’ motivation and guides their conduct so that they reflect wisely, learn eagerly, behave with integrity and cooperate consistently well with others”.

Don’t you love that? Wouldn’t you love to see your children develop to become young men and women who reflect wisely, learn eagerly, behave with integrity and cooperate with others?

At St Paul’s we have developed a Character Framework, which promotes ten virtues. In coming weeks I’ll speak a bit more about each of those virtues in turn.

Mr Nigel Grant

Executive Director of Faith & Community

You can access the Saturday 12 February away game v Ormiston sports draw here.

Turning 25 in 2022!

SPIS Celebrates 25 Years of International Education at St Paul’s School

Come with us on a pictorial ride across the years.

Part 1: The Beginning 1997-8

St Paul’s International School (SPIS) located in the old Headmaster’s house.

The SPIS High School Preparation Program began with a class of 4 students taught by one teacher who was also the Director – Ms Debbie Kemish.

However, very soon that small class grew. Here learning English in the ‘garage’ classroom.

Needing time out of the classroom to deal with growing enrolments and administration, Ms Kemish then needed an additional ESL teacher and Mrs Terese Reese filled that role.

As the International Education sector in Australia expanded, the innovative SPIS High School Preparation Program was recognised with a Federal Government visit by then Prime Minister, John Howard.

It is wonderful that these students from Hong Kong, Chile, China, Finland, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, and South Korea can finally commence their studies in Australia after such a long wait. Over the past two years we have seen the eight virtues of the St Paul’s Character Framework demonstrated by our entire community, including our students, teachers, parents, homestay families, agents, friends, classmates, and staff – Compassion & Kindness, Honesty & Integrity, Patience, Perseverance & Resilience, Diligence, Loyalty & Faithfulness, Humility & servant-heart, Courage and Respect. We are so proud of our St Paul’s family. While we welcome our new and returning students, we also acknowledge the incredible resilience and courage demonstrated by our current students who have still not been home to see their families in over two years now. Our international students contribute so much to our community, and we are delighted to see everyone here on campus celebrating together once again.

Welcome back students!

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.

This collection is designed to support you, whether you are a student, parent or staff member, in your wellbeing journey. Our school is a Ways of Being school and as such we promote the importance of mental health and wellbeing.

In the Wellbeing collection you will find books on healthy eating, building resilience and self-esteem, living with confidence, and even surviving Year 12.

Here are just a few of the new books in the Wellbeing collection. You’ll find them all on display in the Secondary Library at the moment. You can also view the entire collection on the Library Pulse.

The benefits of reading are greater than just better comprehension, spelling and writing ability.

Reading can help improve vocabulary, memory, sleep, attitude, creative thinking, and test scores, even in subjects other than English.

Reading contributes to the broader focus on St Paul’s School’s unique Realms of Thinking approach to learning – helping students master basics while growing their capacity to ask better questions, navigate challenges, develop empathy, and spark their imaginations.

Here’s some of the points I raise when parents ask me about reading:

Reading is reading

Whether it’s a fiction book, graphic novel or audiobook – reading is reading and your child still obtains those important benefits. Children don’t have to be reading the classic novels to make progress. Graphic novels are driving reading interest among students recently because they offer visuals that accompany bite-sized chunks of text. These novels are easy to follow and quick to read and build critical thinking skills as readers interpret the visuals and navigate the text and images. Graphic novels cover multiple genres so I’m certain there’s one out there for your child. They’ve also changed a lot since the comics of our youth. Smile by Raina Telgemeier is a great example – it’s the Harry Potter of graphic novels that introduced so many children to the wonder of reading – but there is a graphic novel to suit every reader.

Audiobooks count

We know reading is reading but listening can also be reading. Audiobooks have opened a new dimension to reading. They’re a great way for reluctant readers to keep their reading alive. Some students don’t enjoy the thought of having to sit and read and some genuinely find the task difficult. Audiobooks are a fantastic alternative which research shows still provides the many benefits of ordinary reading. There’s a great quote from Don Katz, the founder of Audible, about audiobooks that says: audiobooks are for when the hands are busy but our mind is free. While your child might be doing their chores, travelling on the bus to school or walking the dog, they’re able to make their way through a book. Improved accessibility means it’s easier than ever for your child to try audiobooks – our school library has a platform that allows students to access audiobooks for free from anywhere on any device.

Just 10 minutes per day

Reading doesn’t have to be considered a chore. You don’t have to set aside an hour every day to make reading count. Ten minutes of reading per day is enough to create a good reading habit – it’s that simple. Keep a book handy in your lounge room or next to your bed. If you can see it, you’re more likely to pick it up and read for 10 minutes or even longer once the book takes you on a journey. Don’t forget the influence that parents can have on their children’s reading habits. A child will take notice if they see a parent enjoying a book.

Try not to push too much

We know that parents only want the best for their child’s education but forcing students to read often makes them less interested. Texts are set for many classes but that doesn’t mean that every child will be interested in that book. How can you reignite the spark and love for reading? Help children set up a cosy reading space at home, talk to them about what you are reading, ask them about the characters or the plot of their book, or offer them a new way of reading something they’re interested in. Reading for pleasure is powerful and enjoyable, and it’s important to remind students of this.

Reading creates so many opportunities for children. A child’s engagement with reading might change along their life and that’s okay. If you are trying to support your child and build their reading habit, you’re not alone – there are plenty of resources to help parents wanting more information. Here are just a few:

• Our St Paul’s School library website: https://www.stpauls.qld.edu.au/library/
• Our library home page and catalogue: https://stpauls.concordinfiniti.com/library/portal
• Our ebooks and audiobooks for secondary students: https://stpauls.eplatform.co/
• Our SPS library Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/spslibrary/

And here are some links to research around the benefits of reading:

• https://natlib.govt.nz/blog/posts/keeping-teens-reading
• https://theconversation.com/how-to-get-teenagers-to-read-42757
• https://www.booktrust.org.uk/globalassets/resources/research/reading-for-pleasure-in-secondary-schools-literature-review.pdf
• https://theconversation.com/six-things-you-can-do-to-get-boys-reading-more-104140

Come and connect with other St Paul’s families as we continue to make St Paul’s a great place for children.

Email [email protected] for the Webex login details.

The meeting will either be held on campus or via zoom depending on COVID-19 restrictions. Please stay tuned for an update.

Welcome Head Coach Ash Playford

We’re thrilled to welcome Ash Playford as new Head Coach St Pauls Tennis and Coops.  Ash brings a wealth of experience and knowledge, having been former Nudgee College Head Coach and GPS Tennis Coordinator.  The TSG looks forward to supporting Ash as he gets to know our school, players and program.  We’re also lucky to still have the awesome Brett Page assisting Ash with team training and off-court activities.

School Championships Date Claimer – Sunday 27 March

The School Championships (girls and boys Middle and Senior School players) is tentatively planned for Sunday 27 March – mark your diary!  More information to follow closer to the time.

Next TSG Meeting – Tuesday 15 March

Our next meeting will be held online, Tuesday 15 March 2022, 7.30pm.  We’re a very small, friendly group who are keen to welcome new members with fresh ideas on how we can enhance the tennis program.  If you would like to join us, please email [email protected] to receive the meeting link.

TSG Facebook Page – photo contributions welcome

We share information and photos on our TSG Facebook page – don’t forget to follow us!  If you take photos at match days or training sessions you’d like to submit for the page, please send them to [email protected]. Please note, for privacy reasons, we cannot post photos that show the faces of children from other schools.

When 20/02/2022 to 27/02/2022 from 9.00am to 11.00am

For more information call Jeremy on 0407 626 007

Come and Try: U6 – U16

Free
February 6th 8.30 – 9.15am
February 13th 8.30 – 9.15am

Come and Try: Aged 3 to 5 in 2022

Free
February 20th 8.30 – 9.15am

For more information, please see the flyer here.