2022 Term 1, Week 9

St Paul’s School values a holistic education. Our purpose is to prepare resilient global citizens who are innovative thinkers, with a heart for servant leadership. Our three core values are faith, learning and community.

We are interested in the development of the whole person, their character, the ability to think creatively, their values and beliefs, and their academic achievement: all these pursuits are part of what learning at St Paul’s School means. We have high expectations on all our students to achieve their very best in every area of endeavour.

Last year, 35 of our students scored an ATAR of 90 or above. Five topped the state in their subject, scoring a perfect 100% in their external exams. Remarkable, considering the disruption to normality those students experienced during their senior years.

What made me proud of the 2021 cohort was their resilience. Two years disrupted by a global pandemic. They didn’t give up. They took responsibility for their learning. They responded positively to every lockdown. They used the experiences to strengthen their resolve. They continued to learn, no matter what. A true testament to the character of those young people.

However, ultimately, an education worth having isn’t about a number. You cannot put a number on the things that really matter in life, including a unique individual who has been created in the image of God. An education worth having is one that prepares you for a life of thriving, that helps you understand who you are and what you were made for, that opens doors for the next chapter. What I am prouder of are the choices that those graduating students are making. The pathway they have chosen to take because they are passionate about something and want to contribute to something bigger than themselves.

My congratulations to the class of 2021. You are an inspiration to all those who will come after you at St Paul’s School.

Dr Paul Browning

Headmaster

St Paul’s minted the NFTs and is in the process of transferring ownership to the top six students from last year’s graduating class in recognition of their academic performance.

Each NFT depicts a unique design of the School’s Realms of Thinking – a unique and acclaimed approach to learning pioneered by St Paul’s School which helps students master the basics while also growing their capacity to ask better questions, navigate challenges, develop empathy and spark their imagination.

Harvey McIntosh, one of our top performing Year 12s from 2021 has already added his Realms of Thinking NFT to his digital portfolio. Well done, Harvey!

You can learn more about NFTs and the School’s approach here: https://www.stpauls.qld.edu.au/brisbane-school-launches-nfts-to-build-students-digital-portfolios/

This week our Year 12 Visual Arts students visited the Qld Art Gallery and GOMA to see APT10 (The Asia Pacific Triennial).

This week, we have been raising $ to donate to a school that was badly affected in the recent floods. Each day the Service Team have been selling ice blocks and today our funds from our free dress day will also go to this collection. Well done students and thank you to everyone who has supported the cause and donated.

Mrs Keyt and the JS Service Captains.

President: Kathy Wright [email protected]
Vice President: Ben Myers
Secretary: Lisa Heard [email protected]
Treasurer: Lyndall Schulze [email protected]

The Music Supporters Group is looking forward to working with the SPS Music Department in 2022 helping to showcase the amazing talent we have here at St Paul’s.

We are greatly encouraged by the new families joining the MSG crew as committee members from both Senior and Junior School.

Please contact me via the email above if you have any questions or queries

Kathy Wright
Music Supporters Group President

Yui is the first short term visitor to attend St Paul’s in over two years now. Yui is from Kanagawa in Japan and is visiting for two weeks. During her stay she will attend English classes, visit the Junior School and High School Japanese language classes and attend two excursions to the Botanic Gardens, Planetarium and Australia Zoo.

Yui is having a great time so far and loves her homestay family who are a St Paul’s family and have been doing an amazing job of welcoming Yui and helping her to experience the Australian lifestyle.

Welcome Yu!

In fact, it was a year marked by upheaval, adaptation and a number of firsts.  His move to live and study at St Paul’s School involved moving country, adapting to a new way of life within a different culture, learning to function in an additional language both socially and in his learning, settling into a new school,  fitting into a new family and a different  ‘home’ dynamic. He also had to ‘hit the road running’ regarding looking after himself independently, not to mention coping with changes in climate, food and inevitable feelings of isolation.  The learning curve was steep for a young lad from South Korea but he was determined to meet this adventure head on.  And that is exactly what Chris has done successfully now for nearly 20 years!

My mother wanted me to earn English for my future and be exposed to a wider global world.

Then: 2006 –Chris and mates on Yr 12 Graduation Day!	Now: Chris Park, Architect

As Chris now reflects:

Without your parents during the teen period, it’s hard and you are exposed to a lot of uncertainty and worry and possibly dangerous things. You just have to live and accept good and pain without knowing you are stressed. It’s up to you because you don’t have the same care you had back in your country.

Chris worked hard on his English in St Paul’s International School from term 1 2003 and transferred into the main school in term 4 that year. He says:

All teachers at SPIS were lovely and friendly.

However, he goes on to admit:

I remember going to get fish and chips, sneaking out during lunch time. They didn’t know! Lucky we didn’t get caught!

Chris joined Year 9 for the final term of 2003. That was more like an extended orientation period, experiencing first-hand what it was really like to be in main school classes. He was getting ready for the senior years ahead.

The next three years are now a bit of a blur of study for Chris. One standout memory is of a specific English lesson:

I had to write a story in English, I can’t remember the teacher’s name but she was fabulous at teaching.  I had to act in front of everyone and I did a real good job with clapping at the end and my teacher loved it.

His memories of sport are not as positive.  He recalls:

I remember I threw up during a swimming carnival because I accidently started too early and then went too fast for 100m free style.

Chris graduated from year 12 in 2006 and was accepted into the University of Queensland.  He says:

I have Master of Architecture degree and have worked in numerous architect firms. I am now involved in workplace design and have a BIM management role. I also have started my own design company focusing on residential projects.

For general interest you can contact Chris at Building & furniture design company. Chris:p Soul Design www.chrispsoul.com.au

Chris is also now married and still lives and works in Brisbane:

I still keep in touch with most of international students that I went through SPIS with. All of us international students had the same experiences even if they were from South Korea or Japan or China or other countries.  We still share stories together over Facebook.

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.

Parents and caregivers are always welcome to visit our Junior School library before and after School. Now that COVID-19 restrictions have eased and parents are welcome back on campus, we’d like to invite you all along to a special session to reconnect with other parents and caregivers who have children in the same Year Level as you.

So beginning on Monday, 14 March we are inviting all of our Year 3 parents and caregivers to visit the library before School with your children. We’d love to see you there!

Janelle Hamling and the Junior School Library Staff

Please bring 2 books (in good condition) to School from Wednesday, 23 March, there will be a collection box in your classroom. On Swap Day, Wednesday, 30 March you can pick 1 book to swap them for. The other book will then be donated to St Helens State School in Maryborough which was affected by the recent flooding.

St Paul’s School is hosting a University Showcase on Monday, 28 March where current Year 11 and Year 12 students are invited to come and speak to representatives from local Universities.  The event will be held in the Walker Centre during Periods 5 & 6 and is a great chance to ask questions and gather information about possible opportunities once they leave school.   

President: Kathy Wright [email protected]
Vice President: Ben Myers
Secretary: Lisa Heard [email protected]
Treasurer: Lyndall Schulze [email protected]

The Music Supporters Group is looking forward to working with the SPS Music Department in 2022 helping to showcase the amazing talent we have here at St Paul’s.

We are greatly encouraged by the new families joining the MSG crew as committee members from both Senior and Junior School.

Please contact me via the email above if you have any questions or queries

Kathy Wright
Music Supporters Group President

SPS Rugby starts in Term 2 and we kicked the season off with our Welcome to Rugby event on Friday night. Thank you to the RSG committee and everyone that came along to support us! If your child is interested in joining Rugby, please email our Head of Rugby at [email protected] or [email protected] to sign on. Go Pumas!

Rugby Easter Camp

St Paul’s Rugby Supporters’ Group is pleased to announce that an Easter Rugby Camp will take place during the school holidays, for all TAS players in grades 7-12 who intend to play in Term 2. This is an opportunity to refresh skills, reignite the spirit of rugby, and to provide the kickstart to what will hopefully be a full and successful 2022 season.

See more details on the flyer here.

Save the dates

Do you want brand exposure for your business/product to a captive audience of both present and past students, as well as family and friends? Do you want to help grow Football at St Paul’s for both our Girls and Boys teams?

Please consider sponsoring the SPS Football so we can help our children get the most out of their Football experience at St Paul’s. Please email [email protected] for a sponsorship proposal document.

The Netball Supporters’ Group (NSG) are seeking new members to join our group.  While all executive roles have been filled, we would welcome new parents to learn how we operate and bring fresh ideas, to help us continue to support our daughters playing SPS Netball into the future.

If you can join us, please email the President of the NSG, Glen Guy, at [email protected] to receive the meeting link.