Revelations .au

Revelations

The fortnightly newsletter for Pre-K to Year 12 families of St Paul¡¯s

Issue No. 79

7th September 2021

From the Principal

We are coming to the end of a whole term of remote

learning and it is pleasing to see how well students

from across the school have engaged with thier

learning activities in such a sustained manner.

The NSW Premier has announced a staged return to face-toface learning on-site next term from 25th October. When this

occurs, the school will move to Level 3 restrictions which means

many activities will not be able to occur and non-essential

adults will not be able to access the school site. More details

will be outlined at the start of next term.

I remain so very grateful for our community and the way we

support each other. Whilst this is a difficult time and we miss

each other we should be strengthened knowing that we are

part of strong community who will one day be able to come

together again. May God continue to bless our community and

each of our families.

I am very pleased to let you know of an exciting development

in the life of our school. As part of our new strategic plan and

as a result of our learnings through this remote learning period

we are looking to further develop and expand the area of

Virtual Learning. Dr Robyn has been tasked to lead this project

in a new role as Head of Virtual Learning. She will be leading a

team of staff who will explore various models of what this may

look like in the future.

"Lord you have been our dwelling place

throughout all generations. Before the

mountains were born or you brought forth

the earth and the world, from everlasting to

everlasting you are God."

Psalm 91: 1-2

As a result of Dr Robyn taking up this new role, Mrs Cullimore

has been appointed as the Coordinator of the Middle Years

Programme from the start of 2022. Between now and the end

of the year, Dr Robyn and Mrs Cullimore will work together as

they transition their roles. I would like to congratulate both Dr

Robyn and Mrs Cullimore on these new appointments and I am

very excited to see the positive impact of these changes for

our school.

Throughout this week, Mr Heath and I will be spending time

with each of our Year 12 students individually, which will be

a great opportunity to check in with them on how they are

managing a very uncertain final year of school and also ask

them to reflect on their time at St Paul¡¯s. Our thoughts and

prayers are certainly with each of these Year 12 students as

they conclude their time at the school. We are planning to

move the Year 12 Graduation and Valedictory Dinner to as

late as possible in the school year with the hope we will be

able to celebrate with this wonderful group of students and

acknowledge their achievements over their time at St Paul¡¯s.

Revelations - St Paul¡¯s Fortnightly Newsletter. Issue No. 79

Ian Wake

Principal

CRICOS 02267A

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From the

School Chaplains

Podcasts to Consider

Hello St Paul¡¯s!

There¡¯s some irony going on with the latest series of Australian Survivor being played during this lockdown - it feels like a real-life

parallel! Our days can sometimes seem like a matter of survival of sorts; managing remote learning and all the other challenges

that lockdown brings. Of course, for some in our community, this is unfortunately even more real and apparent.

Please find below a list of podcasts I¡¯ve found as good listening while I walk, run, ride, or do whatever, just to reset, relax and take

some time-out to find a little piece of mind during this journey we¡¯re all on. I encourage you to take a look and have a listen!

God¡¯s Big Story podcast is a podcast for kids. On each episode they teach the Bible,

sing the Bible and talk about what it means, with kids! Episodes average between

15-18mins.

Life & Faith podcast ¨C from the Centre for Public Christianity.

By Australians for an Australian context, Life & Faith covers a range of current issues, topics and

publications with the purpose of conversing about the beauty and complexity of belief in our

society. Episodes usually run for around 30mins.

Bigger Questions podcast tackles one big question that people are asking in the

world today and interviews an expert from the field to explore the answer. There

are a range of questions in the episode catalogue, ranging from matters of theology

to practical living in the Christian life, and even some relating to the COVID-19

pandemic. Episodes average a little under 30mins.

Gaining inspiration from Mere Christianity (the famous book made from a series of radio

presentations made by C.S.Lewis during the Second World War) David Robertson and Stephen

McAlpine from Third Space are here to help us think through the implications of the messages

we're hearing about the COVID-19 pandemic, and how God would have us live in these

challenging times.

This podcast was released in the midst of last year¡¯s lockdown, but still holds sway as we

continue to traverse the daily impact of a COVID world. Episodes average around 15mins.

ans, with kids! Episodes average between 15-18mins.

Revelations - St Paul¡¯s Fortnightly Newsletter. Issue No. 79

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From the

School Chaplains

Continued

Looking for a devotional podcast for your family and kids? The Word on the Street

podcast offers short ten-minute episodes to share and listen to together. Usually

good for a short ride to the school drop-off in the morning, they could serve as a

good start to the day over breakfast, or for a short listen with your kids some other

convenient time.

Knowing Faith is a US-based podcast exploring the Christian story and Christian belief, hosted

by Jen Wilkin, JT English, and Kyle Worley. The team usually travel deeply through a book of

the Bible and look intently into the text and offer understanding and discussion on making

sense of it, in light of all of Scripture. Longer episodes average at between 30-50mins, while

they offer some brief episodes of around 7-12minutes. Recommended for a deeper dive into

the text.

The Rise & Fall of Mars Hill has consistently been the no.1 podcast in the charts

for religion and spirituality over the last little while. Created by Christianity

Today magazine, Rise & Fall investigates the journey of this well-known megachurch in Seattle, USA. I like the approach of the podcast: to explore how it is

that God works in the good and bad of such a place. Not an easy listen, some

very confronting and difficult content is explored, including the abuse of power,

sexuality, masculinity, femininity, and the deconstruction of faith. Beware listening

in front of the children. Definitely one to listen to with people you can debrief each

episode with. Episodes average 60mins.

I hope some of these are helpful in navigating our times and providing the opportunity for some good, deep thinking and an

encouragement to continue to trust in God. I¡¯ve been reading and thinking on Psalm 34 recently. It¡¯s a psalm that reminds the

reader that God sees and listens to His people, and that He is close at hand to deliver and protect when things aren¡¯t going to

plan. The challenge is seen in v.8:

Taste and see that the LORD is good;

blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

We continue to pray for you and hope you might ¡®taste and see¡¯ the Lord¡¯s goodness in these times, especially as we place

ourselves in his care and refuge.

God bless. Hope to be seeing you soon.

Matt Palmer

Senior Chaplain

Revelations - St Paul¡¯s Fortnightly Newsletter. Issue No. 79

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From the Head

of Junior School

Junior School

Virtual House Day

Sometimes, it¡¯s great to pause and ¡°mix things up a bit¡±.

The virtual house day was one of those moments where we

were all able to take a little break from screen time and enjoy

engaging in fun activities around the Olympic theme. The

teachers also had a little fun creating the torch relay!

It is a timely reminder to make sure that we are all doing the

things that help our wellbeing and mental health. Similar

events are planned in the coming weeks, including our

Book Day celebration. A special thank you to all those who

contributed, including Mrs Newton for coordinating, Mrs

Williams for setting up the mystpauls page and Mr Freeland for

producing.

Staffing Update 2022

Recently Mrs Sally Arthur, our Pre-Kindergarten

Director currently on Maternity Leave, indicated to the

school that she won¡¯t be returning to St Paul¡¯s in 2022.

While Mrs Arthur will miss her position here in the Junior

School, she is looking forward to spending more time with her

young family. Her position will be advertised in the coming

weeks. Mrs Day continues to be acting in this role, in addition

to her regular role as Deputy Head of Junior School, until the

end of this year.

Ian Brooker

Mrs Newton and Mrs Day have started ¡®Tea with a

Depu-tea¡¯ online.

Recently, Year 4 students joined Mrs Newton with

tea (or water!) in a fancy cup, just for a cuppa and a

catch up.

Head of Junior School

Revelations - St Paul¡¯s Fortnightly Newsletter. Issue No. 79

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From the Director of

Learning Services

Year 12 Update

Year 12 final examinations are proceeding in Term 4.

HSC examinationss have been moved back to commence on Tuesday, 9th November and a revised timetable will be available

very soon. IB Diploma examinations cannot be moved and are scheduled to commence on Monday, 25th October. We will keep

our Year 12 students separate at school from other year groups that are currently scheduled to return before Year 12 exams

conclude.

Year 12 students recently completed their ¡®trial¡¯ examinations online. These did not count towards assessment but provided an

opportunity for students to complete final examination style assessments under ¡®remote¡¯ exam conditions. We hope to use what

we have learned from this process to deliver some future assessments online.

Year 12 reports are planned to be completed by the end of term and supplied to families electronically in the first instance, with

physical copies to follow. Unlike previous years, these reports will not indicate an examination mark or rank since the trial exams

could not be conducted under monitored exam conditions. They will report assessment rank and semester band for the HSC and

semester grade for the IB in each subject.

We encourage all year 12 students to ensure that they:

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Complete course requirements in all subjects.

Revise their work to ensure that they remember what has been covered.

Focus on understanding content ahead of simply recalling information.

Practice past examinations ¨C links to past examinations may be found on the Learning Services my.stpauls page.

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Past HSC examinations may be found here.

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Past IB Diploma examinations may be found in an exam folder on this page.

School Recommendation Scheme (SRS) for University

Entry Closing Soon

Several universities make early offers of university places in early December based on school recommendations.

Some of these offers are unconditional (i.e. are made regardless of the marks achieved in final examinations and ATAR (Australian

Tertiary Admissions Rank). Other offers are conditional on the results. We encourage all Year 12 students who plan to study

at university in 2022 to complete an SRS application. Students can do this through their UAC (University Admissions Centre)

registration. They should also email me to advise that they have completed an SRS application and let me know their course

preferences so that I can support their application. IB Diploma students are required to upload their Year 11 Yearly report as part

of this process. Some universities also require other support material to be uploaded. The school cannot do this on behalf of

students. Further information on the SRS may be found here.

SRS applications for the December round of offers close on 19th September.

Revelations - St Paul¡¯s Fortnightly Newsletter. Issue No. 79

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