Staff Insights
By Mrs Louise Wallace-Richards, Acting Deputy Principal, Head of Secondary School
Our College values of Truth, Compassion and Wisdom are never more important than when our student body is making decisions about how to act in the face of peer pressure. Recently the Year 10 students were fortunate to have a presentation from the Courage to Care organisation and were asked to consider the role of the bystander in history. The intention of the presentation, beyond expanding the students' understanding of the bystander in world history events, was to get them to think about whether they can reduce the suffering of those in their lives through their actions.
Many outstanding leaders in the tumultuous twentieth century made statements about the need for us all to stand up against oppressors.
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.” – American civil rights fighter Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
“Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.” – Indian Independence leader Mahatma Gandhi
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” – South African Anglican Archbishop, anti-apartheid activist and Nobel Prize winner for Peace, Desmond Tutu.
These leaders did not stand by and just accept the injustices they were witnessing, but were instrumental in leading to enormous changes in their respective areas of fighting against discrimination.
When taught about these individuals in our humanities and English classes, students certainly get a strong sense of their commitment and bravery, the strategies they used to achieve change, and the language they used in their speeches to tell their stories and convey their compelling arguments for change.
Transferring learning from one context to another has been scientifically proven to be difficult. Repetition is key to develop muscle memory for learning, and fights against transferring this learning to different situations. This might be why the teachings of such powerful historical figures is not transferred when our children find themselves bystanders to the discriminatory behaviour of others. We all know that it is very hard to speak up in the face of discrimination when it appears others are unwilling to because they are afraid of being the next victim. How do we teach our children to not be bystanders but to make a stand when they witness injustice?
Raising our children to be people who respect others and contribute positively to society, is key. Talk to them about what it means to be a bystander, and the impact of just standing back and going along with what others say. Encouraging them to be upstanders is key to helping them to understand why it is important to stand up to injustice, wherever it occurs.
The American author of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Color Purple, Alice Walker, encourages us all to have the courage to stand up to injustice: “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”
By Rev. Andy Fleming, Associate Chaplain
It often feels like we are waiting. You might experience this waiting in many different ways: waiting for a shopping order to be posted, waiting for your birthday, waiting for the holidays to start. For Year 12 students finishing exams, their waiting brings uncertainty and fear, but also hope, anticipation and even gratitude. A woman who is pregnant also needs to wait. Whilst the baby grows, there is that wonderful, drawn out, anticipation during the waiting, along with some fear of how life will change forever.
This was also Mary’s experience. At this time of the year, I can’t help but think about Mary’s story of faith as we draw closer to the beginning of Advent and Christmas. As we know, Mary is chosen by God to bear a child. While she waited for his birth and in spite of her challenging circumstances, she was able to move forward in her faith, singing a remarkable song of strength and hope.
But we shouldn’t think of Mary as naïve or passive. Even in the most vulnerable position, one where she could be accused of bearing a child to an unknown father – a serious offence in her day – Mary is courageous and faithful.
There are times when our waiting may bring us to dark places too. The story of faith is that you are not saved from difficult and dark places, but you are not asked to take these journeys alone.
Through the ages people have prayed Psalm 23 for courage and strength. It is about making a journey and finding strength while waiting in the midst of struggle. May it be a source of strength in those challenging times.
Psalm 23 (ERV)
The Lord is my shepherd.
I will always have everything I need.
He gives me green pastures to lie in.
He leads me by calm pools of water.
He restores my strength.
He leads me on right paths to show that he is good.
Even if I walk through a valley as dark as the grave,
I will not be afraid of any danger, because you are with me.
Your rod and staff comfort me.
You prepared a meal for me in front of my enemies.
You welcomed me as an honoured guest.
My cup is full and spilling over.
Your goodness and mercy will be with me all my life,
and I will live in the Lord’s house a long, long time.
Go in Peace,
Rev. Andy
News
By Ms Megan Fritsch, Director of Sport
Last week our Years 1 and 2 students enjoyed an engaging and educational water safety session at CISAC. This program was designed to equip our youngest students with essential water safety skills while fostering a love for swimming through fun and structured activities.
With guidance from qualified instructors from the CISAC Swim Program, Radford's Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) coaches, and the support of several dedicated Year 10 Service Learning students, the sessions were both educational and enjoyable.
Students participated in small groups, learning valuable water safety practices, including safe entry and exit from the pool and basic swimming skills, all in an encouraging and safe environment.
The presence of the Year 10 students added a unique mentorship element, inspiring the younger students and fostering connections across year levels.
A big thank you to the Years 1 and 2 classroom teachers, sports staff instructors, and Year 10 students who made this event such a success!
By Mr Graeme Poleweski, Science Laboratory Technician
At the end of October, three Radford College students, Cyrus French, Suhas Dudaga and Willsy Tierney, participated in the inaugural Analytical Chemistry Challenge, hosted by the University of Canberra and organised through the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI).
In this challenge, students were presented with a mock murder case and an entire back story to use as clues in order to identify, among others, the murder weapon, victim whereabouts, time of the murder and whereabouts of suspects. How did they answer these questions? With science, of course! Multiple stations were set up around the aptly named “Mega Lab” where students would perform things like qualitative analyses on small residue found at the scene of the crime, blood typing analysis, comprehension of the police case files, spectral analyses and titration analysis.
Cyrus, Suhas and Willsy performed exceptionally well and were able to solve aspects of the investigation. This was the inaugural Analytical Chemistry Challenge and due to its overwhelming success, there’s sure to be more in the future. If this is something you would be interested in, be sure to keep an eye on Nexus for future competitions.
By Ms Lisa Bourne, Secondary School Languages Teacher
Earlier this month Japanese language students in Year 8 took part in an online class led by teacher from the Japan Foundation in Sydney. Students discovered the Japanese custom of wrapping with a cloth. Traditional Japanese wrapping is used not only for Christmas and New Year’s gifts, but it is great for use in everyday life – including wrapping obento lunch boxes.
The beautiful cloths, which are printed with lucky symbols, patterns and motifs, are reusable and eco-friendly, reflecting the importance Japan places on looking after the environment. Students thoroughly enjoyed this hands-on workshop, and practiced how to wrap a laptop, notebook, water bottle and even a watermelon.
Student reflections:
I learned how to tie two types of knots – one was simple and the other was more difficult.
I enjoyed learning about the history of furoshiki and why it is becoming more popular again.
Furoshiki often have traditional patterns and symbols that derive from the natural world. It was interesting to learn about it.
The teacher explained the culture of furoshiki and how it was commonly used before the use of plastic. It is becoming popular again because of more sustainable lifestyles.
By Ms Pip Buining, Junior School Teacher
Last week the Year 9 Dance elective class invited Kindergarten Arts to be their audience for three short dance works they created based on well-known children's stories: Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast.
It was a wonderful opportunity for both year groups to come together and share their learning about how we express ourselves through the Arts, and the ways in which stories connect us all. After the performance, the Year 9 students invited Kindergarten students to play dance games with them, and the younger students reciprocated the skill share by teaching the Year 9’s a song they were learning as part of their exploration of story.
Thank you to the Year 9 Dance students, and their amazing teacher, Miss Melissa Markos for inviting us.
Student reflections:
Your dances were good because you put so much effort into them. It was kind of you to ask us – Adora (KSD)
We really enjoyed performing for the Kindergarten class and showcasing our dance assignments to them, hoping to inspire them to pursue Performing Arts in the future – Grace, Sophie and Jasmine (Year 9)
We loved the dances, especially my favourite Aladdin
– Eliza (KSD)
It was a really cool experience to show the Kindy students our dances. It was lots of fun, especially getting to do the Hokey Pokey together! – Alia, Ellie, Elise and Amelie (Year 9)
I loved your dances, especially the games – Monica (KSD)
I enjoyed getting to interact with the Junior School students. It was a chance to show them what we can do and get them excited about dance! – Bella (Year 9)
Book tickets for the 2024 RDA Showcase
It's that time of year again – Radford Dance Academy's (RDA) End-of-Year Showcase!
Tomorrow, Friday and Saturday
21 to 23 November
T.B. Millar Hall
Buy tickets here
