As I have mentioned in this newsletter in the past, our HSC Showcase night was similar to Expression, but focused on Year 12 students only this year. 

Most HSC projects take a full year to develop. They require planning and the development of new skills. They involve multiple loops of feedback from their teachers, and often students don’t love hearing that their project could be better if they were prepared to change something. Frequently the support of family and friends is crucial. As a teacher who has helped to guide many HSC projects over the years, I am convinced that completing a HSC project provides some of the most authentic and real-world learning experiences students complete during their whole schooling career.

We are currently planning how we can celebrate the projects that students in Years 7 to 11 complete, by holding an event in Term 4. Hopefully we can release details regarding this shortly.

Mr David Collins
Head of Secondary School

 Check out the highlights video below

Hunter McCarthy in Year 4 was nominated for demonstrating the Resilient Domain, and his commendable perseverance in experimenting with new mathematical strategies. His open-minded, resilient approach to learning has contributed to him making noteworthy progress in mastering mathematical concepts. Hunter said that he has been growing in his learning dispositions by thinking about how you use things in real life, such as how to calculate money to buy things and get the right total. He thinks learning means to have an understanding of "how to do things that you will need in life, making a start and working on getting better".

Skye Young in Year 10 was nominated for her efforts in the Resilient and Resourceful Domains. She has been highly engaged in her learning and leading her class to do the same. Skye has also been asking lots of interesting and thoughtful questions. She has been growing in her learning dispositions by showing interest and curiosity in her classes and experiences at school. Skye thinks learning means "to grow in your understanding".

Congratulations to these students.

Mrs Rachel Robinson
Academic Head

Many of their comments highlighted the genuine and intentional Christian support and focus that is so very present here. Our teachers (both early career and experienced) shared the ways in which they have been looking after their wellbeing and many came away with new ideas to try. We left our breakfast not only with full tummies, but also filled with a sense that it was time well spent to reflect and plan ways in which to better meet the challenges of teaching.

Mrs Rachel Robinson
Academic Head

Our teachers provide continuous feedback throughout the year to update parents on their child’s progress. Given the restrictions on the number of timeslots available, we ask that parents only request a booking if you have a specific question or concern to discuss with a teacher. 

Parents will receive an email later next week to enter their time preferences so that the event can be scheduled. Parents will then receive their schedule before the evening on Monday 8 September.

Mr Paul Carter
Deputy Principal

From solo pieces to duets and group items, we were in awe of the calibre of talent on display! A huge thank you to our Music Department for their creativity, dedication, and hard work in preparing such a memorable evening.

The sunshine and smiles made the day truly special. A heartfelt thank you to Miss Ashleigh Hackfath and Mrs Michelle Jovanov for their superb organisation and coordination of this event.

A special highlight was seeing our Year 12 students visit Junior School classes to read with the younger students, fostering a love of reading across all age groups. It was also wonderful to see our learning community come together, staying afterwards to enjoy fellowship and connection over Brunch in the Breezeway.

As we reflect on the gift of books and the joy of reading, we are reminded of the greatest book of all—God’s Word. The Bible is not just another book; it is God’s divine revelation and the ultimate source of truth. Over the past three weeks, our students have been memorising Psalm 1:1–3 together, leading to rich conversations about what it means to delight in and meditate on Scripture. Why not ask your child if they can not only recite the verses but share what they mean to them?

We also had our Year 12 students go into the Junior school and Prep and read to them during our Pastoral Care time. We love to do this to have Junior School get to know the Year 12's more so they can pray for them during their HSC examinations and enjoy the fun of Activities Day.

Our Year 12's came back with some fun experiences of connecting with the classes and I even found another Queen of Hearts to share my flamingo Croquet stick with!

Mrs Rachael Crawshaw
Head of English and Year 12 PC Teacher

The day featured three keynote sessions: Dan Paterson explored how all of Scripture points to Jesus, Max Jeganathan spoke on the Christian understanding of true freedom, and Natasha Moore discussed how to hold firm beliefs while engaging respectfully with others. Students also enjoyed singing and games, providing opportunities to reflect on faith together. The team returned with fresh insights to help them in their leadership and service within our school community.

Mr Moran & Mrs Sneddon

Student-led production

Our two capable student directors, Eva and Zach, rose to the challenge of leadership. They worked with the class to shape a shared production concept, cast the play through auditions, and ran rehearsals with professionalism and perseverance.

Meanwhile, our Set, Costume, and Promotional Designers developed concepts and created thoughtful, cohesive designs that brought the world of the play to life. Acting majors stepped into larger roles on stage, applying characterisation and ensemble skills to carry the story with clarity and heart.

Community, performance and reflection

The project culminated in a successful performance for parents and family members of Year 10, with generous support from the Year 9 Drama class, who provided supper for our audience. Following the show, a Q&A session allowed students to discuss their process, articulate what they learned, and reflect on what they would do differently if they were to undertake the project again. Our promotional designer crafted some copy for this article about the play: 

“Dive into the story of self‑discovery and be inspired by the journeys of three young women as they explore their identities. This play is an emotion‑provoking story about sisterhood with a hint of humour… ‘All three sisters fix their hair and without thinking about it, touch their face. They feel lines that were not there once. They feel skin that has grown to fit them.’ (Scene 12) Find out how their journey began and what kept them apart for so many years.” — Ava, Promotional Designer 

Learning that matters

This project proved to be both strong academically and formational personally:

• Authentic roles: Students worked in real production pathways, building practical skills and confidence.

• Resilience in action: It wasn’t always smooth sailing, yet the focus remained on how we navigated challenges together.

• Reflective practice: Many spoke articulately about their growth and the changes they would make in a future iteration.

• Unity through diversity: The experience was deeply unifying, helping a diverse group appreciate one another’s different strengths and contributions.

Commendation

Our students are to be commended for their willingness to take educational risks, to collaborate with those different to themselves, and to deliver a thoughtful, compelling performance. Their work on and off the stage demonstrates the best of what Drama education can be; creative, rigorous, and community‑building.

Congratulations, Year 10 Drama! And thank you to the Year 9 Drama class for your hospitality and support.

Kathryn Breen & Ava Cranney
Head of Drama & Promotional Designer

We congratulate Annabel and Eva on this wonderful achievement and celebrate their dedication to the performing arts.

From planning to preparing and presenting food, they showcased their skills, creativity, and professionalism, ensuring guests enjoyed a great evening. In addition to catering, some students also ran the café on the night, providing refreshments and friendly service. Their contribution highlighted the practical application of their studies and added a special touch to a night of celebration.

Mrs Sharon Abrahams
Head of TAS

Divided into teams and given a mission to complete the highest and sturdiest tower using only the items they can grab at the 'Cornucopia,' students are pitted against each other. It is always fascinating to observe and then discuss with the students the impact of Tribalism that they experience, both good and bad. As each group completes side quests, receives 'sponsored' gifts, and faces hardships of 'earthquakes,'  'tornadoes' and 'tracker jackers' that the Gamemakers send their way, teams must rely on each other, their skills and their cunning to persevere to the end. 

Our school was strongly represented on the day with five teams competing.

Head of Secondary Sport, Mr Troy Dixon, praised the performance, noting how every player contributed to the team’s success. “Basketball is a true team sport, and every player fulfilled their role brilliantly. I was so impressed with the way our students noticed and adapted to the game, creating plays and adjusting defensively based on what they were seeing. That type of teamwork and strategy is exactly the way we hope to see Learning for Life principles carried onto the sporting arena,” he said.

Mr Dixon also thanked Coach Kingston and Mrs Henderson for their knowledge, encouragement and guidance across all teams.

Other strong results included:

• 15&U Girls – only had one narrow loss – to Inaburra – who they later faced again in the final. In a hard-fought match, our team went down by just 9 points, securing the runner-up position for the day.
• 15&U Boys – semi-finalists, showing skill and persistence.
• Open Girls – represented Shire with determination and teamwork, giving their all in every game.

Congratulations to all our students who competed with skill, sportsmanship and enthusiasm and a special mention to the Open Boys A team – Zone Champions!

Our school was strongly represented on the day with five teams competing.

Head of Secondary Sport, Mr Troy Dixon, praised the performance, noting how every player contributed to the team’s success. “Basketball is a true team sport, and every player fulfilled their role brilliantly. I was so impressed with the way our students noticed and adapted to the game, creating plays and adjusting defensively based on what they were seeing. That type of teamwork and strategy is exactly the way we hope to see Learning for Life principles carried onto the sporting arena,” he said.

Mr Dixon also thanked Coach Kingston and Mrs Henderson for their knowledge, encouragement and guidance across all teams.

Other strong results included:

• 15&U Girls – only had one narrow loss – to Inaburra – who they later faced again in the final. In a hard-fought match, our team went down by just 9 points, securing the runner-up position for the day.
• 15&U Boys – semi-finalists, showing skill and persistence.
• Open Girls – represented Shire with determination and teamwork, giving their all in every game.

Congratulations to all our students who competed with skill, sportsmanship and enthusiasm and a special mention to the Open Boys A team – Zone Champions!

The team played a fast-paced style, working hard for each other in defence and making the most of their strengths to overcome every challenge. Mr Dixon praised the girls not only for their on-field performance, but also for the camaraderie, resilience, and sportsmanship they displayed throughout the tournament.

The girls swept through the pool stage with victories over Mamre, Tyndale, The Lakes and Calderwood, finishing at the top of their group. They then defeated Inaburra in the semi-final, before securing a commanding 3-0 win over Illawarra Christian School in the grand final.

Our U15 Boys Oztag team also put in a strong performance, making it through to the semi-finals after an impressive run in the pool stage.

Reflecting on the day, Mr Dixon said, “I recall great memories of playing sports for my school growing up – competing with friends, pushing ourselves to be better. I saw a lot of that in your team yesterday. I hope you take away some top moments and memories.”

A special thanks goes to the parent ‘fan club’ who braved the cold and wet conditions to cheer the teams on. The great results are not only a testament to their talent and teamwork, but also to the strong community spirit that underpins sport at Shire Christian School.

Our first game was tough, and we lost by a large margin against a very strong team from Covenant Christian School. Our next game against Penrith saw us win 9-1, before we again lost our 3rd game against Calderwood. Our 4th game in the pool against Tyndale was one of our most challenging games, due to some very strict umpiring, however the girls rose to the challenge and demonstrated perseverance, as well as improved game play under greater pressure. We were able to win this game 4-0, which put us into 3rd place in our pool. While we unfortunately didn't make the finals, the team did play Richard Johnson Anglican College in a playoff game, which saw our team win 4-2. It has been a privilege to coach this team of girls, and see them improve in their confidence and accuracy when passing and receiving the ball, finding a space to move into and work as a team to show great sportsmanship.

Mrs Michelle Jovanov

Our team played five tough matches throughout the day, demonstrating determination, teamwork, and sportsmanship. The results reflected their effort and growth as a team, finishing the day with two wins, a draw, and two losses.

Special mention goes to our star shooters Emerson, Mauve and Zoe, who worked brilliantly in the circle to keep the scoreboard ticking. In the back court, our dynamic defence team Winnie, Grace, and Zoe stood strong under pressure, making countless intercepts and turnovers. Our magnificent mid-courters Lola, Matilda, Holly, and Blair connected play with energy, speed and excellent ball movement through the centre court. 

Each player gave their best on and off the court, supporting one another and showing great resilience against strong opposition. The girls should be proud of their performance and the way they represented our school.

Well done, girls!

Mrs Natasha Denny

‘Secrets’ God has hidden in the earth for two thousand years are being dug up and analysed, just when they are needed to disprove long-standing heretical ideas. 

One such discovery is being revealed in John Dickson’s documentary ‘The First Hymn’ currently being shown in a Hoyts Theatre near you! Some opponents of authentic Biblical Christianity have been arrogantly declaring that the Doctrine of the Trinity cannot be derived from Scripture itself, but is the ‘invention’ of the early Fourth Century (325AD) ‘Council of Nicaea’ which was called to combat the Arian Heresy that Jesus was only ever a Man, and not God. However, in a garbage dump in the ancient ruins of Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, archaeologists unearthed a tiny papyrus scrap containing lyrics and musical notation of a small part of the earliest known Christian hymn.  The small piece that was found, called ‘P.Oxy. XV 1786’, is written in Greek and dated many decades before the Nicaean Creed was formulated. It is in praise of the God of Creation and ‘the only giver of all good gifts’, praising him as ‘Father, Son and Holy Spirit’!

In different context, we are faced today with the problem of the ‘Theory’ of Evolution being taught in many schools, and being universally assumed by the media and our culture, as ‘fact’, making it difficult for those of us who see the whole of Scripture, and especially the early chapters of Genesis, as clear historical fact, to be taken seriously. 

I am encouraged by the fact that as honest archeological/geological science progresses it ‘vindicates’ more and more the accuracy of God’s revelation in his Written Word of the ‘Beginnings’ in regard to his act of Creation of all things by his voice, in six days as we measure them, thousands, not millions or billions, of years ago. As science and technology advance apace, it is opponents of the reality of a ‘recent’ six-day special spoken creation, and a universal, all-life-destroying flood in the days of Noah, who are finding it difficult to maintain a credible case. Again, it is rocks, and the treasure of fossils God has hidden in them, that are revealing the truth. Praise God for these rocks! A very helpful book dealing with this is “Evolution, The Fossils Say No” by Duane Gish, PhD. 

Let me conclude by praising just one Rock. The Psalmist (David) wrote: “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14). 

I find this a comforting text when I think about someone like Soren Kierkegaard likening ‘faith’ to ‘treading water in 40,000 fathoms’. My response is: ‘If I were swimming in 40,000 fathoms, and God has provided a Rock for me to stand on, treading water would not be faith but stupidity’. This Rock is my Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, and I am forever safe while I am standing on him. I can be sure of this because I know I can trust the inerrancy of every word in the Scriptures in the same way I can trust every word in Genesis 1 and Genesis 6-9, in fact every word from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22.

Rev Bruce Christian

Families can set up an account online or via the app using the instructions provided. Please set up a profile for each child to help us distribute the food.

Orders can be placed up until 8am on the day of delivery, an added convenience for families, now able to decide at the last minute to order lunch for their children. This time will be reviewed and adjusted if demand requires, and parents will be notified in advance by email.

While limited snacks are available on the School Fuel menu, parents should be aware that with delivery later in the day to keep the food fresh, snacks should still be provided for Break 1.

Junior School students will have their orders brought to their classroom. Secondary School students can collect their order during Break 2 (12:27pm) in the Year 12 area outside Student Services. Secondary students are responsible for collecting their orders from this location.

The partnership with Subway, with lunch available on Mondays and Fridays, will be trialled for all of Term 3. We hope this arrangement will provide a healthy convenient option for our families.

How you can help:

Secondary School

On Tuesday 26 August, Knox house will be holding a pop-up shop at lunch time, as well as a Winter rug-up initiative. We encourage students to make a gold coin donation to wear track pants and a beanie for a day, with their full school uniform. This is to help us remember that the mission work of MAF does not stop, as they aim to reach those who are isolated and even struggling in the cold.

Please consider bringing money to donate to MAF, as well as money to purchase goodies from the shop. There will be items such as cold drinks, chocolate bars and chips. You will also be able purchase some cool MAF Merchandise that will be for sale.

Junior School

Junior School students are encouraged to fill a small money box with loose change to donate to this worthy cause. We will also be doing some fun classroom activities based on the work of MAF, including a paper aeroplane competition. The money boxes that have been distributed to students need to be returned to school on Monday 25 August. They will also be participating in the Winter rug-up initiative on Tuesday 26 August and will be allowed to wear some beanies, gloves and scarves in addition to their normal school uniform. Please no ‘oodies’ or non-school jumpers and jackets.

Please pray for the good work of MAF and click here to find out more about what they do.

Mr David Salaun
Knox House

Feel free to spread the word to parents, carers and grandparents to bring along their preschool aged children for a taste of big school! 

Register Here

Children can come and explore our Junior School IRC, share a story with our librarian, as well as participate in a craft. The program will run from 9:30am to 10:30am.

Based on feedback from parents, students, teachers, and a large increase in cost of the current system without improvements, a thorough evaluation was conducted on alternatives with a review team of staff from a range of faculties. Compass stood out as the best fit for our school, offering not only all the essential tools we currently rely on but also a host of exciting new features that will transform how we learn, teach, work and connect.

Importantly, our strong focus on progressive feedback and assessment will be supported and strengthened by the new system, and our new Learning for Life framework aligns well. 

With over 2000 schools using Compass in Australia, it was recently ranked by TIME in the World’s Top EdTech Companies as 1st among School Information Systems in Australia.

Parents will be contacted towards the end of this Term with more information about the change. The school will make the transition as seamless as possible and has already been working behind the scenes for over a year on the project. Parents will be able to maintain their current login details and information such as historical student reports will all be transferred over to the new system.

Our team is excited about this improvement, and we look forward to continuing to provide our students, staff and families with a school information system that supports learning and wellbeing.

Mr Paul Carter
Deputy Principal

With Edstart, you can fund tuition fees, additional charges such as uniforms, extra-curricular activities as well as amounts in arrears.

To find out more, visit edstart.com.au/shirechristian.

Please note that in providing information about Edstart, the school is not providing any recommendation, brokering or advice services. The school does not receive referral fees, commissions or any other remuneration from Edstart.

The initiative is designed to build community, encourage support for our families who are business owners and provide access to goods and services from within our community.

If you’re going to spend anyway, why not spend with a local Shire Christian School connected business and invest in your community.

View the directory on our website or register your business.

Why Should You Get Involved?

• High-impact volunteering: Make a real difference in just a few hours.
• Team building: A rewarding and energising experience that unites your team.
• Feel-good fun: We supply snacks, music, good vibes and stylish hair nets.
• Incredible cause: Each meal packed helps combat global hunger and programs to support children in education. You can read more about it here.

Check out last year’s Plate 4 Plate Day event highlights here

Ready to Sign Up?

Sign up and learn more about this year’s event at zambrero.com.au/plate-4-plate-day

Simply choose your nearest location, pick a time slot, and register as an individual or a team.