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'Follow the Star' Christmas event - 29 November 2024 – Tickets on sale now!
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Continuing with my newsletter series, we again visit our mission statement and it’s role in inspiring and directing a community. It has been a rewarding process to use our mission statement and Pillars of Purpose to stimulate and facilitate discussions on what our community sees as our distinctive and how this shapes our direction as a College.
Whilst we are viewing and unpacking our mission statement with a strong focus on the future direction of the College and the development of a new 2024-2027 strategic plan, it is timely to take a moment to look back on the past and reflect on our origins. As families would be aware, 2023 is a year of significant milestones, perhaps the most notable being the 40th anniversary of St Andrews Christian College. I recently had the privilege of meeting with the founding principal of St Andrews Christian College, Meryl McEwen, to learn more about our humble beginnings as a College in 1983. As a founding principal and with the support of Alan Harman as the founding board chair, Meryl was one of several pioneers in the expansion of Christian education in Victoria. In 1983 St Andrews was one of 3 Christian schools that were opened and founded based on the strong partnership with the Presbyterian Church. Meryl shared with me her photo album showing the initial site at a convent in Surrey Hills and the memories of its small beginnings, of a school with a handful of students and one staff member. As the only staff member of the school, Meryl was not only principal, but also full-time teacher amongst many other roles and tasks she fulfilled.
Since its humble beginnings to what it is today, St Andrews Christian College’s purpose and existence is firmly founded on a desire to provide our students with a Christ-centred education in which we support them to live a life in relationship and service to God and reflect our motto to bring ‘Glory to God’. Whilst we continue to plan for our future and chart a course for the next 40 years, let us take time to regularly reflect upon the pioneers of Christian education that have enable us to become the wonderful school that is St Andrews Christian College.
Recently, I had the opportunity to be part of a Christian Schools Australia (CSA) Study Tour where fourteen leaders in Learning and Teaching from around Australia came together to visit a range of Christian Schools. It was a privilege to be able to see the wonderful work being undertaken in these Christian Schools and also to share how St Andrews Christian College is providing a high-quality, Biblically-based education for our students.
As we develop our College Strategic Plan for 2024 – 2027, Learning and Teaching is a key pillar of this plan. I encourage parents to take the opportunity to attend one of the Parent Focus Groups (17th May or 31st May) or the Community Meeting (8th June) so that we can engage in productive conversations and ensure that, as a College, we continue to provide an outstanding education for our students.
On Wednesday 10th May, we were honoured to have Ryan Evans – a contestant in the recent LEGO Masters Grand Masters competition, visit the College. Students in Years 3 – 6 were able to engage with Ryan as they completed a range of LEGO challenges. Students were given the task of building a Tower which reached a height of at least 1 metre, building a vehicle which travelled the furthest after leaving an inclined ramp, building a bridge which spanned a gap of 1 metre or building an object to hang from a suspended rope. The level of engagement and teamwork from students was wonderful to see and Ryan was impressed with the problem-solving skills displayed and the creativity of the solutions reached.
Many thanks to Kerryn Terrington (E3 Coordinator) for organising this event.
In 2023 students will, once again, have opportunity to participate in the Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) and the ICAS Assessments.
Please refer to the News feed on the Hub for full details regarding registration, dates and other important information. A brief summary for each is included below:
Registrations for the Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) for Year 3 – 12 students are to be returned to the College Office by Friday 21st July.
The competition will be completed online at school from August 2nd – August 4th.
AMC Registration form:
Australian Mathematics Competition 2023
Registrations for the ICAS Assessments in Digital Technologies (Y2-7), English (Y2-10), Science (Y2-10), Mathematics (Y2) and Spelling Bee (Y2-7) can be completed via the online portal https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps and using the unique access code for St Andrews Christian College: DXE499
Online payment closes: Monday 31st July
Assessments will be completed online at school from August 7th – September 1st.
The information below has been included to advise on some important updates to the way NAPLAN results will be reported this year. Earlier this year, Education Ministers agreed to proceed with a set of reforms for NAPLAN 2023. These include resetting the NAPLAN scale and time series to align with the completion of the online transition in 2022, and to improve the accuracy of results. In addition, a set of four achievement levels (proficiency standards) will be introduced to replace the existing ten bands and the National Minimum Standard used for NAPLAN reporting between 2008 and 2022.
This change will provide schools, parents, and carers with clearer information that detail student achievement against new proficiency standards. The standards for NAPLAN 2023 and for all testing moving forward are as follows:
• Exceeding
• Strong
• Developing
• Needs additional support.
These standards will represent a challenging but reasonable expectation of what students at each year level know and can do at the time of NAPLAN testing.
Why are proficiency standards being introduced?
From 2023, NAPLAN reports will more accurately reflect the personalised (adaptive) online tests that students undertake, and will facilitate the provision of timely, more precise reporting on the foundational skills of literacy and numeracy.
The new standards will provide simple and clear information for parents and carers about whether their child is where they need to be in relation to the development of their literacy and numeracy skills, and if not, they will indicate to the school that interventions and learning supports may need to be put in place for those students who may be at risk of falling behind.
The new standards and reporting design were developed with input from all education authorities and sectors, as well as parents, through independent focus groups and national peak parent organisations.
How will NAPLAN results be provided to students, parents, and carers?
Hard copies of student reports will continue to be distributed to all students who completed the NAPLAN 2023 tests. The individual reports will incorporate the four new proficiency standards, along with instructions for how to interpret the new achievement scale and student performance. The report will continue to show the national average and the range of achievement for the middle 60 per cent of students in their year level, allowing comparison of a child’s achievement against these measures.
Updated guidance materials, including FAQs, proficiency level summary statements and a new brochure, will be provided to assist parents and carers in understanding the reporting changes and the new NAPLAN standards.
In addition, for NAPLAN 2023, Victorian Year 9 students who achieve scores in the top proficiency standard (Exceeding) for reading and/or numeracy will be awarded a certificate of achievement. In future years, certificates will be broadened to account for student growth against the new standards.
When are NAPLAN results expected to be released?
NAPLAN 2023 school and individual student results are expected to be released by mid-late July 2023.
The My School Website, https://www.myschool.edu.au/school/46293 has recently been updated to include NAPLAN data for the 2022 school year in the areas of student results and student progress. The table below shows a summary of the average score for students at St Andrews for 2022. Also included is an explanation of the colour coding used to compare with students of a similar background. Across all of the learning domains, the results from 2022 are very pleasing and indicate that students at St Andrews are performing to a high level.
For context, the table below gives a graphical representation of the bands, scaled scores and relevant year levels.
The first ASD Parent Support Group meeting was held in Week 2 and although only a few attended it was a rich time of connection. The next meeting will be on Wednesday 14th June (Week 8) from 9:15am. Come along and meet other parents who are faced with the challenges of a child on the autism spectrum. This is a wonderful time for parents and staff to build community, over a coffee and morning tea. It is also a safe environment in which we engage in a shared understanding of the unique journey upon which each one is travelling. Everyone is welcome to attend. We look forward to seeing you. A quick email to confirm your attendance would be greatly appreciated.
We welcomed Alisa Romboy to our secondary Learning Support LA team late in Term 1. Alisa brings amazing skills in her role and has connected well with students. She recently graduated with a Bachelor of Teaching and a Bachelor of Arts (Humanities). We are still advertising for another part time Learning Assistant in the secondary school. Please spread the word if you know of any suitable candidates.
We have recently connected with Peter Hynninen, a psycho-educational psychologist. Peter has 33 years of experience as the senior psychologist in a specialist school in Melbourne. He is available to do assessments and some counselling. Arrangements need to be made with Peter privately, however, he is able to assess/see students at school during school hours, as needed. Peter also has rooms in Camberwell, Malvern, and Monbulk. All assessments include an interview and a feedback session with parents/caregivers and teachers to assist in understanding results. He is also able to support parents with guidance in applying for Disability Support Pensions (16 y.o. & over) and providing reports for NDIS applications. You can contact Peter on 0450 181 239 or email at peterhynninen@hotmail.com for more information.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the Learning Support teachers. We are always willing to chat about how we can best support your child to reach their potential.
Shirley Gillie – Head of Learning Support
sgillie@standrews.vic.edu.au
Josie Mayer – Learning Support Teacher – Primary
jmayer@standrews.vic.edu.au
Kerryn Terrington – Learning Support Teacher – Secondary
kterrington@standrews.vic.edu.au
Come along on Wednesday June 21st to view a variety of incredible artworks created by students from Prep through to Year 12.
Get here early to grab a drink from Taste & See and then make your way into the Secondary Library space for the exhibition.
The Art Show will be open from 3:30pm to 7:00pm, with Taste & See open 3:30pm to 4:30pm. See you there!
eSafety is of critical importance in our rapidly changing world where applying Godly wisdom and discernment in digital literacy is often forgotten. We want to support the education of our students to apply safe, appropriate and data-informed strategies as they grow in wisdom in their use of the internet and social media.
As part of our partnership with Cyber Safety Project, we would like to advise you of upcoming parent webinars. Gaming and Your Family is on Wednesday 26th July via Zoom. This webinar is appropriate for parents, grandparents and carers of children of any age. Please see the attach flyer for the link. You can always go back and view the content if that time is not suitable for you.
Please contact wellbeing@standrews.vic.edu.au if you have any questions or would like to discuss how we can support your child who may be struggling with their use of social media or the internet.
God Bless,
During Term 2, the Sustainability Team will meet every Friday at recess in the Art room. The Garden Club will continue to run Monday lunchtimes in the veggie garden. Anyone from years 3 -12 are invited to join.
The Sustainability team gave the opportunity for each class to receive indoor plants to filter the air in and enhance the student’s wellbeing. Classrooms are learning how to care for the environment, even while indoors, and students have gained responsibility in looking after the plants.
The team have also been working on informing their peers about the correct items to recycle and have created a fantastic poster that has been given to primary classrooms to ensure that waste is sorted correctly.
Maria Wheelton & The Sustainability Team
Mothers, Grandmothers and Aunts are truly such a gift from God! We were so honoured to be able to hand out some flowers and bless Mum’s on Friday the 12th of May. May we always be so grateful to God for such incredible women in our lives.
Thank you, Cyber Safety Project, for your recent webinar, ‘Safety on the Socials’ which gave us wonderful insight into how we can support our children to be safe on popular social media platforms like Discord, Snapchat, TikTok, BeReal and Instagram. If you missed the webinar, you can access it and others here.
One key message was around default privacy settings and being aware that the platform itself may not safeguard your child in the way that you would. Updating privacy settings regularly is crucial to maintaining a secure online environment and to control who can message your child, see their location and content. They can do this themselves or with guidance from you.
Using a function such as Family Sharing (Apple) or Family Link (Android) on mobile phones and devices is another way you can support your child to develop a healthy relationship with online platforms. As a parent you can disable or enable settings this way, blocking apps that you don’t want your child to access and to restrict the time spent on others. Some platforms themselves have wellbeing settings built into their programming. It is always best to pray and talk with your child about their use and understanding of social media, educating them on the good and the challenging parts! Simply restricting and removing access altogether may not foster relationship in the household.
If your child has had an experience of bullying or abuse online, help them to report abuse via the app itself. If this is unsuccessful, the eSafety Commission website has parent tools for seeking help and support. The Wellbeing Team at the College is here for you too, you can email us at wellbeing@standrews.vic.edu.au.
The next Cyber Safety Webinar is coming up on Wednesday 26th July – Gaming and Your Family. Put it on your calendar!
The issue of school refusal is a quickly growing issue that students, parents, and school are collectively dealing with. Often it is an issue that can be overlooked as the stigma associated with school refusal can range from, “They are just sick again”, to “They are just being rebellious and acting out Truancy”. School refusal is much more complex.
School refusal steams for an underlying (or overt) anxiety of the young person in relation to education for a number for different reasons, be it, peers, separation anxiety, learning challenges, relational issues with staff, academic pressure etc.
Early warning signs to look out for in a student who may become a school refuser:
With all of this to say, there is hope! Working collectively with family, student, and school, supports can be put in place to help the young person manage their anxieties while looking at ways to connect the young person back with their education pathway.
If you find you are struggling with issues of school refusal in your family, please feel free to reach out to the Wellbeing team, we would love to start the conversation on how we can best support you and your young person through this season.
Email: mstancliffe@standrews.vic.edu.au
Phone: 8847 8328
Welcome to Term 2! A highlight for our Primary students this term has been our recent LEGO Masters incursion with a visit from Ryan Evans from the TV show, LEGO Masters. Through various workshops throughout the day students were challenged to design and build various structures using Lego. From tall buildings measuring over a metre to bridges which could hold 2 kilograms, all children enjoyed working in teams, problem solving and testing their engineering skills. We were also inspired by Ryan’s creations which he showed at an assembly and included his famous piano! Students found it interesting to also learn what it is like to work on a TV program, and it was a blessing to be inspired by an experienced master at Lego. This incursion is part of the extension program which runs in the Primary school, and we are thankful for the teachers who worked hard to provide this opportunity. It was Lego-fantastic.
Have you felt the recent cold? Seasons provide wonderful changes that are reminders of God’s beauty and splendour. If you haven’t noticed, just outside the café, a flock of parrots congregate each morning to feast of the leaves and bark of the surrounding eucalypts. Whilst we marvel at the variety and change in God’s handiwork, scripture reminds us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever”, Hebrews 13:8. That means that no matter what season we find ourselves in, God is the same and we can trust Him in everything each day. Our Preps are currently learning this truth in their class and are memorising this scripture as part of their learning. What a privilege it is to teach students and point all our learning back to Jesus.
In this addition of the newsletter hopefully you will read about the many other exciting things happening in Primary and more broadly across the school. Our class hub pages are also a great way to stay connected as teachers provide plenty of updates and photos of learning moments. In the coming weeks teachers will be releasing a learning moment specific for your child. With its release, please take the opportunity to have a conversation with your son or daughter about the significance of their piece and what they were learning in class.
Blessings,
The Lord blessed us with a wonderful day at Melbourne Zoo on the 12th of May. We saw all sorts of creatures, from a red panda snoozing in the tree to a 91 year old giant tortoise. It was so fun to be wild explorers for the day and get curious about God’s incredible handiworks. We especially want to thank our parent helpers and wonderful staff for coming with us on the day!
The Preps enjoyed a lovely afternoon celebrating their Mum’s and the wonderful things they do for us each day. The week leading up to our afternoon tea the students spent time reflecting on all the wonderful things their mums do for them. Cooking special meals, reading books, driving them to school and so much more. We truly love and appreciate all the wonderful things our mums do for us. We thoroughly enjoyed blessing them with handmade slices, biscuits and dips with a cuppa as we shared a story, sang songs and reminded our mums how special they are.
"Honour her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."
Proverbs 31:31
Recently, Year 3 students enjoyed a wonderful day cruising through the Melbourne Museum to see all the curiosities and watching ‘A Beautiful Planet’ at IMAX. Some highlights of the day included seeing the mini rainforest, looking at the bugs, playing with friends and walking through an olden days’ house! Here are the photos that show all the fun.
On 10th May, Year 4 students had the amazing opportunity to travel back in time to visit Australia in the days of the First Fleet. Our hosts were excellent presenters and helped the children dress in period clothing, grind up spices to make 'all spice' seasoning, make 'love tokens', play an indigenous Australian game called Ngaka Ngaka, similar to noughts and crosses, and write with a feather and ink! Great fun was had by all!
Year 4 Teachers
ANZAC Baking
Term 2 has well and truly kicked off in Year 5. As part of our maths measurement unit, we put our learning into practice by applying it into baking! We had enormous fun converting, measuring and mixing to create delicious ANZAC biscuits. Check out these happy smiles!
Mark Wilson
Year 5s have been focusing on writing a historical fiction narrative and have been reading lots of Mark Wilson books as part of our genre study. It was such a pleasure to have the man himself, Mark Wilson, zoom in to discuss his work. A highlight was being learning how to draw different animals which we greatly enjoyed. What an experience!
Assembly Preparation
It was our turn to run the Primary Assembly and we were hard at work preparing and rehearsing. Check out this behind the scenes of the Joseph Skit we performed.
The St Andrews VEX Robotics Team had great day out at Templestowe College on the 11th May. Although our preparation was minimal, they performed well beyond expectations and we all left feeling like winners.
We had one Year 9 team who were tournament champions in their division, winning a close Grand Final, and they also won the Rookie Team award in their division. We also had two Year 8 teams who did a great job, with one of them almost taking out the tournament victory, falling 2 points short of victory in the last game and ended up in second place overall. All students conducted themselves very respectfully and I am sure the VEX Community is very happy to have St Andrews on board.
Ji has been training hard in several martial arts and recently won numerous awards. Congratulations for the following amazing results including a silver medal at Melbourne International Judo Championships, a silver at NSW State Titles for Jiu-Jitsu, a bronze medal for Victoria Judo State titles and last weekend winning the Victorian title for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
We wish Ji all the best as he continues to train for the National Judo titles in June.
As a follow-up to the study of World War II, our Year 10 History students visited the Melbourne Holocaust Museum on 28th March.
It was an emotionally challenging experience as students listened to a talk about the atrocities committed during the Holocaust and discussed historical sources to gain even greater insight into this horrific event.
They also had the privilege of listening to the moving testimony of a holocaust survivor, Sarah Saaroni, who had witnessed the brutality firsthand. It was a special and poignant moment as our students would be the last generation of young people to hear an eye-witness account of the tragic and shocking loss of innocent lives in one of the darkest periods in human history.
Overall, a humbling experience and reminder of the responsibility of individuals and governments to stand up for love, compassion and respect for one another.
In my Year 12 General Maths class, we have been studying Data Analysis. When we were working on a Scatter Plot I explained to my students not to simply view the graph as a series of dots. I encouraged them to realise that every dot on the plot may represent a unique human story – a person’s experience, circumstances etc. At the beginning of the following lesson, I was surprised and touched to see that my students had taken this message to heart. They had written "Maths - Every dot has a story" on the whiteboard. It was a powerful reminder that mathematics is not just a collection of abstract concepts and numbers, but a tool for understanding the stories and experiences of individuals and society as a whole. By recognising the humanity behind the data, we can gain deeper insights into the world around us and use our knowledge to create positive change.
Hi St Andrews! I’m Eva, your 2023 Music Captain. Music has always been a huge part of my life and even more so since I’ve joined the school. There’s just something about laughing and performing with friends and seeing incredible pieces come to life that fills my heart. It is truly one of the most beautiful gifts God has blessed us with. I’ll never forget being Kathy in last year’s musical, and through various other music events I’ve met people that have helped me learn and grow. Music at St Andrews has always been a supportive and comforting place for me to express myself, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to give back as well as develop the culture. I can’t wait for everyone to experience music for themselves here, stay tuned for all the exciting things we’ll be up to!
On Friday 28th April, the Year 12 Theatre Studies class performed their production of "Lear," a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's "King Lear." The play was an ambitious undertaking for the students, who were tasked with bringing the complex themes of the original text to life on stage.
With the help of the Year 11 Theatre Studies class, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes as the crew, the Year 12 students rose to the occasion and delivered a stunning performance that left the audience on the edge of their seats. The play explored themes of family, betrayal, power, and madness, and the students navigated the emotional terrain with skill and nuance.
The production was supported by set, prop, costume, lighting and makeup designs that the Year 12 class had crafted, which effectively conveyed the shifting moods and settings of the play.
The Year 11 Theatre Studies class, who served as the crew for the production, played a vital role in the success of the play.
The Year 12 students' hard work and talent, combined with the support of the Year 11 crew, were evident in every moment of the play, and the audience was left with a deeper appreciation for the enduring power of Shakespeare's works.
The Year 12 and Year 11 Theatre Studies classes can take pride in the knowledge that their hard work has created a memorable and impactful production, and we congratulate them all on their achievement!
Andre Chen is a bass player based in Melbourne. Before studying Jazz performance in Monash University, Andre had a long history of playing different instruments (guitar, ukulele, and bass), and played in bands with different styles (Rock and metal, Neo soul, Big band jazz and worship bands).
Coming from a self-taught background, Andre learned from many great bassists locally and internationally, such as Craig Strain, Ariane Cap, Jonathan Maron, Moto Fukushima, and Leanda Smith. Andre understands the frustration when learning the bass, and he can help the student from all the methods he learned during the years.
As a music teacher, Andre can teach double/electric bass, guitar, and Ukulele. He's also capable of supervising band rehearsals and youth ukulele groups.
He’s a current Bachelor of Music student in Monash (major in Double/Electric Bass). Also, he is an active participant in the worship team of the Crossway Cantonese Ministry (as the bass player, and sometimes as the band leader or the sound engineer).
This was my first time at Generations in Jazz and can I just say - wow. Being able to listen and learn from top Jazz musicians in Australia was both thrilling and inspiring. I’m so proud of the incredible work everyone in Jazz Band, Vocal Project and Vocal Ensemble put in, and it was incredible to perform on a stage in front of hundreds of other talented musicians. St Andrews’s future at GIJ is only going to grow from here, and I can’t wait to see our ensembles take the next step!
-Evangeline VCE4
GIJ was an incredible experience where not only were we able to perform at a national competition, but we were also able to see some of the most talented bands and vocal groups in Australia. Going to GIJ was a glimpse into the future of what our ensembles are capable of achieving. It has inspired us to keep pushing ourselves further in our musical journeys and created a sense of community and comradery amongst us. We have all thoroughly enjoyed not only competing, but enjoying the music that comes from the heart of every single musician at GIJ, who all have their own unique stories to tell, portrayed through their music. God has allowed us to express so many beautiful messages through music, and we are just so thankful to be able to glorify Him through the music that we create.
-Emily 10A
Going to Generations in Jazz for the first time was an amazing experience. As we travelled back and forth from places I got to make new friends and strengthen the ones I had. Going there showed me a fun competitive side of music, celebrating all the victories with our friends. The food, music, culture, concerts and expert workshops make it all the more exciting to go back next year and conquer the stage again with the vocal project, vocal ensemble and jazz band.
-Joel 8E
Both our Primary and Secondary Art Clubs are thriving with students creating art. We have Secondary Art Club running in the Secondary Art room during Thursday Lunchtime, and Primary Art Club running in the Primary Art Room run during Tuesday lunchtime (for Years 4 to 6 only).
Students can come to connect with other students and create amazing works!
Pictured: Our Art Captain, Melanie, and Year 7 students constructing an ‘Upside Down Garden’ from recycled materials.
Alex Rose, a Year 6 student, won the Silver medal in the 50m Backstroke at the SSV EMR Championships in March. Alex is the first SACC swimmer to make it into the finals - a big achievement! He only just missed the State Final and the gold medal by a very tight 0.25 seconds. We are so proud of you Alex - Well done!
Our Year 7/8 Girls are getting ready for the Women’s World Cup in Australia in two months by beating MECS by 4-1 at Knox Park this afternoon! Elysha scored a hat-trick and took home the match ball! Along with Erin whose birthday was celebrated by kicking the other goal!
The Year 9/10 Girls Soccer team beat Chairo 3-1 today. It’s the first time STACC have won two soccer games in the same season - WELL DONE GIRLS! Plus, there are still a few more games left to win before the end of the season!
The Senior Library is open to students in Years 4-12 for before school study or book loans from 8.30am. It is also open at recess, lunch and after school until 3.45pm (for Primary students).
Students in Years 7-12 are able to study in the Senior Library until 4.30pm.
Enquiries : Please email library staff at library@standrews.vic.edu.au
The Senior Library screen, located near the circulation desk is now able to screen information. We now inform students of new additions to the library collection, book series and reviews. Student art work can also be viewed. A very big thank you to Mr Davis for setting this up and Mrs Heath for her hard work in putting together the library contributions.
The VPRC continues, with many students now logging the titles they have read. Since the Challenge started in March, students in Years 7 and 8 have read a total of 463 books. A fantastic effort!
So far, the most popular books have been Midnight (part of the Warrior series by Erin Hunter) and The Third Wheel (part of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney) Of the books available in the school library, the two top rated titles are Specky Magee and The Great Footy Contest by Felice Arena and Battlefront by Michael Adams.
A few reminders:
This section of our Newsletter is to give our families information about programs being run by organisations outside of the school which may interest our school families.
These organisations are not endorsed by St Andrews Christian College.
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