The Sydney Observer

The Sydney Observer

Paramedical Services Newsletter

Humans were created to be substantial (really worthwhile) beings ... to do something that makes a difference in the world ... to stand with indomitable courage when it seems that all hope is lost ... to create beauty that speaks meaning even through dark moments in history ... to marvel at the variety of God’s good world through exploration in science or travel.

Every parent hopes their child becomes someone substantial, someone who stands out as distinctively human because the corpus of their life is substantial achievement.

Great stories are made when an ordinary person is placed in extraordinarily difficult circumstances and he or she chooses to have hope, never giving up because he or she knows that life and freedom and love and humanity are of great significance – that every person is worth fighting for!

Nearly twenty years ago, at the foot of Mount Kosciusko, there was a landslide in which two ski lodges slid down a hill and buried nineteen people. 65 hours after the landslide – when it seemed like any hope of finding a survivor under a crushed house in the perishing Thredbo winter cold was simply impossible – a survivor was detected and the whole nation held its breath and prayed until Stuart Diver was rescued. Diver became the ultimate human story reminding us that when all seems lost, there is hope.

Human beings are created to be substantial: to do good even when it is overwhelmingly costly, even when we don’t know or like the person we are helping. The next generation will need all the resources of a substantial education to help them do the good that will define humanity in their time.

Teachers and schools have a responsibility to encourage the development of this truly human spirit so that students can learn to stand firm with hope even when it seems like a good outcome cannot happen. Remember Stuart Diver!

That is the goal of excellence in all aspects of education at Redeemer Baptist School. Our Christian heritage beckons us to remember not only substantial human achievements but also the empty tomb of Jesus Christ so that Jesus’ resurrection life can become a constant source of hope inspiring substantial works in a new generation of young Australians who will, hopefully, exemplify the truly human spirit. 

Aussie Kids

A murder mystery introduced western Sydney students to the world of classical music last week.

Sydney Symphony Orchestra struck a chord with 3400 students from 37 primary and high schools during six interactive concerts at Riverside Theatre.

The group performed The Composer is Dead, a musical whodunit which introduced young audiences to different sections of the orchestra. 

It’s composer Nathaniel Stookey’s musical incarnation of the best-selling children’s book by Lemony Snicket.

Our Lady Of Mercy College, Tara Anglican School For Girls and Redeemer Baptist School were among the participating schools.

Redeemer Baptist School takes all students from kindergarten to year eight to the concert every year.

“It gives the children the opportunity to enjoy and learn about great music,” teacher Tanya Poyitt said.

“It opens up their minds and encourages many of them to take up learning how to play an instrument. They get to experience the beauty of something they wouldn’t otherwise hear, which is very different to music they normally listen to.”

Year two pupil Elaine Orange loved the concert.

“The Inspector was very funny and made us laugh,” the budding violinist said. 

More than 30,000 people each year connect with the orchestra through its learning and engagement programs.

The orchestra has had a western Sydney presence for almost 10 years.

“We want to engage with all of Sydney as not everyone can get into the city to see a concert,” learning and engagement director Linda Lorenza said.

“The different instruments and sounds hones students’ listening skills. I’ve had teachers tell me the program has changed students. 

“They become more engaged in the classroom and are more inspired to learn an instrument and go to more live performances. What they learn here is beyond the world of music and can be implemented in their whole lives.”

Comedian Frank Woodley starred in the concerts as the inspector, who interrogated different sections of  the orchestra to find out `who killed the composer’.

“There is nothing like being in the company of live music,” he told the Sun.

“It’s a wonderful way to introduce kids who have not experienced orchestra music before. It makes them more open to explore classical music.”

The orchestra holds a free concert in Parramatta Park every year and regular student workshops. 

The next workshops will be held at Our Lady of Mercy College during the July school holidays.

Sydney Symphony Orchestra performs for students at Riverside Theatre

Jade Moxey (left), who recently presented her investigation ‘The Spread of Seeds through Cattle’ to a Science Advisory Group at BOSTES, was one of four students who won a Grand Award at the largest school science fair in the world. Jade, a Year 11 student at Sapphire Coast Anglican School, reports “from the opening ceremony, to the mixer event, to the Grand Awards, each and every second was uniquely special and will be cherished forever!"

The other NSW students who received Grand Awards were Macinley Butson (Illawarra Grammar School), Aniruddh Chennapragada (James Ruse Agricultural High School) and Nga Nguyen (Sydney Girls High School). James Poyitt (Redeemer Baptist School) also won a four-year scholarship, worth $48,000 USD to the University of Arizona.

BOSTES Science Inspector, Kerry Sheehan, praised their achievement. "It is wonderful to see our talented and innovative young students being celebrated like this. I hope this international endorsement of their work will give other budding NSW scientists confidence to pursue their passion."

With only 26% of the 1767 students from 77 countries winning a Grand Award, the coordinator of the STANSW Young Scientist Awards, Stuart Garth, described the six-strong team’s performance as a “tremendous and significant boost for STEM education in NSW”.

With the respective professional teachers’ associations for Mathematics (MANSW) and Technology (IIATE), joining forces with Science (STANSW) in the promotion of the new Working Mathematically, Working Technologically and Working Scientifically categories of the 2016 Young Scientist Awards, the future of STEM education in NSW is looking bright.

STANSW Young Scientists excel at International Fair