I S S U E 1 0 2 0 1 3

WHEN GOD CALLS: PAGE 4 THAT’S FUNNY: PAGE 6 MY BIG CAMPUS: PAGE 12 PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS: PAGE 15

P 02 4959 9111 F 02 4959 9188 E office@charlton.nsw.edu.au

Email our Principal Sue Skuthorpe: principal@charlton.nsw.edu.au

Email Michelle if you would like to receive the College newsletters: michelle.thornton@charlton.nsw.edu.au

LIFE is the bi-annual publication produced for the families and wider community of Charlton Christian College.

Design Mezzanine-media www.mezzaninemedia.com.au

Editors Vicki Gunning and Michelle Thornton

Charlton Christian College 43 Fassifern Road Fassifern PO Box 605 Toronto NSW 2283

Welcome to the Semester 2 Issue of LIFE for 2013. What a year!! Charlton celebrated its 15th Anniversary, whilst our newest initiative, ‘Pl@yschool’ celebrated its first! We have grown to a school of over 600 students and next year is set to expand even further. As members of staff who have been a part of the College from its early foundations (15yrs for Vicki and 9yrs for Michelle), we can confidently say that Charlton is a constant hub of excitement and a wonderful place to work, share in fellowship, and do LIFE!

It has been a pleasure to witness students on their schooling journey, right through from Kindergarten to Year 12. It is an honour to write about some of them here in LIFE, to celebrate their achievements, encourage their dreams and reflect on who

Welcome from the Editors

we were and what God has done. We are often humbled to see the way in which our students respond when God breaks their hearts for what breaks His. We hope that some of these stories inspire and challenge you. Please pray for some of our students who have chosen to spend ‘schoolies’ serving some of the poor and marginalised in Nepal these holidays.

For anyone reading not familiar with Charlton, please contact us if you would like more information. As always, we are happy to receive your feedback. We’d love to hear from you by emailing us at marketing@charlton.nsw.edu.au

Vicki Gunning and Michelle Thornton

Our VisionCharlton Christian College aims to provide affordable Christian education which develops all students in a Godly way towards a perceptive, critical (discerning) and compassionate understanding of the society in which we live.

We aim to help our students to develop ‘wisdom’, which can be described as the ability to look at and respond to LIFE from God’s perspective. We believe that this is best achieved through grounding in the Word of God toward a lifestyle which expresses the values and attitudes contained in the Bible.

College CornerstonesLove Demonstrating God’s love within a merciful and just community.

Integrity Building character and excellence through courageous discipleship.

Faith Growing a people of hope, freedom and wisdom through confidence in the Work of Jesus Christ.

Empowerment Developing a body of passionate and radical Christians, ready to transform their world.

Our MissionCharlton Christian College will strive to provide Christ-focused education of excellence, within a positive, creative and caring community.

Amelia, David, Elise and Matthew Jenkins. Charlton students from 1999 to 2013. Amelia, David, Elise and Matthew Jenkins. Charlton students from 1999 to 2013.

ThankThank you for your vision, prayers, dreams, care and sacrifices for our children, the wider school community and the local community. Charlton Christian College’s impact and influence continues to grow and God only knows how far that will extend. Thank you for being the hands of Jesus, changing lives and shaping eternity.

David, Elise, Amelia and Matthew have all been inspired, taught, challenged, discipled, admired and loved at Charlton over the last 14 years. Sue; thanks for leading a fantastic team who daily lead the next generation into their futures.

It is with sadness that our children finish school, but we are so grateful that their schooling experience has been at Charlton. We appreciate the effort, kindness and love shown to our family.

The Jenkins

YouDon’t you love slogans? As I write this we are at the end of a particularly interesting political campaign. There were many slogans used by both major parties which you have probably forgotten already. By the time you read this you will be judging how the new or returned government is managing in its first 100 days.

A few years ago I used to say: Charlton, the place where something wonderful is always happening, and I don’t see that anything has changed. There is so much energy and excitement around the K-12 campus. I can hear a PE class being noisily competitive; the Kindy classes are on an excursion; Hospitality is on work placement; teachers are working busily in the Boardroom on the new Australian curriculum; and discussions are being held regarding the plans for the new Admin building. Charlton is filled with enthusiasm and optimism.

But there are still many people in the community who envision Charlton as a small school with few choices and undertrained teachers. This couldn’t be further from the truth. We offer subject choices in Years 11 and 12 which would rival many schools which are much bigger than Charlton. We have experienced and trained teachers, many with Masters Degrees, who are leading our students toward the HSC, TAFE and the workforce.

So when I say “At Charlton, we’ve got it all”, I’m encouraging both our own Charlton families and those in the community, to understand that we offer many Pathways to Success (Oops, could that be another slogan?). For academic students we offer Extension Maths and English, Legal Studies, Engineering, Physics and Chemistry for

instance. We have a host of other options for students who need a good HSC for Uni, TAFE or traineeships including Modern and Ancient History, Food Technology, Community and Family Studies, Visual Arts, PDHPE and many more. For students heading to TAFE and the workforce, we offer TVET Courses such as Hospitality and Retail at Charlton; opportunities for Traineeships and external TAFE courses; and the new English HSC Course which is especially developed for students who want an HSC but not an ATAR. In the midst of this we still care for the students who need extra support through Life Skills courses and assistance from the Senior Support staff.

The Focussed HSC is still powerful preparation for University and TAFE. The compressed approach to learning is very much reflective of practice in those institutions. Our HSC (Years 11 and 12) cohort will break the century next year. But we still choose to continue with the flexibility of the Focussed HSC with traditional English and Mathematics components. Many of our past students have indicated the importance of having passed through a compressed HSC for their understanding of how the HSC itself works, providing an opportunity to do even better in their second HSC year as well as also preparing them for later studies.

So “Charlton, the place where something wonderful is always happening” or “At Charlton, we’ve got it all!” or even “Charlton, Pathway to Success”. You choose the slogan. Each one is true! Tell your friends.

Sue Skuthorpe

03

A word from our

Principal

At Charlton, we’ve got it all!

03 ISSUE TEN 2013

Fast track to this year...

During Week 5 and 6 of Term 3, I travelled to Uganda to participate in a New Hope International Conference that provided Christian Schooling and Education Training for Christian Ugandan teachers. As an additional option I offered Library training to Ugandan teachers who are under the care of the Baptist Union.

The New Hope International conference was run over 4 days, offering Effective Teaching and Learning training to teachers over three series. Ugandan teachers had travelled from all over the country, some on long hot bus trips for many hours, to come and receive the training. They were fed and accommodated at the Boarding School in the grounds. This offered the chance to meet, socialise and share experiences between the many different schools represented. Some teachers came from schools where there were dirt floors and no walls (but offered a magnificent view of the countryside). Some teachers came from schools that had no proper latrines or facilities of any kind. But they all came expecting to learn and be encouraged.

For the first few days of the Conference I assisted with the Series One Training Course. For the third and fourth days, I ran Library training with 22 teachers. This involved a lot of hands-on activities to help teachers or ‘Stock Masters’ be able to start developing some skills that could be used in their schools. Things like categorising and basic cataloguing of books, developing displays, ‘weeding’ books, and setting up accessioning

When God calls...

and borrowing registers. I was able to have meals and devotional times with the delegates and discovered the Ugandan’s beautiful singing voices and passionate praise and worship times.

The teachers were very enthusiastic and pleased with their ‘goodie bags’ and books (given from the proceeds of the Charlton Book Fairs) and declared themselves to now be ‘librarians’.

A special privilege for me was being able to present a local mission school with books bought with money given to me by a Charlton student. Last year a student in Year One came to me with his mum to give me his saved birthday money, pocket money and job money to give to the children in Africa. I was able to buy ten books in Uganda and present them to the Head of the Nursery Department. The teacher was so impressed that a small child in Australia would do that for children in another country. It was a blessing to all who heard the story!

I met many beautiful people and enjoyed my time sharing God’s word and teaching library skills to teachers. I had the opportunity to pray with the leaders of Christian Schooling and felt God’s Spirit moving through the Ugandan people gathered there. The experience certainly stirred my heart.

I’m not sure how I might serve God further in Uganda, but I know I can trust that God has a purpose for taking me there.

By Renee Carter (College Librarian)

through a sermon at church. I had a life-long love of Africa and felt that this was the place I was being called to in future missions.

In the last 20 years God has kept that desire burning, as I have waited for His perfect timing.

Eighteen months ago I was at a conference and heard Helen Blanch from New Hope International talk about going into Africa to train teachers there. I felt God was talking to me!

In 1993 I felt challenged about mission work,

“The teacher was so impressed that a small

child in Australia would do that for children in another country. It was

a blessing to all who heard the story!”

George Barna, director of the Barna Research Group, in his book ‘Raising Spiritual Champions’ claims that a child’s morality (morals, standards, beliefs and spirituality) is set by the age of 9. Barna argues that after the age of 9 it’s much harder to change a person’s worldview.

With this in mind, three of our Junior School parents recently took their children to Manila. They wanted their child to experience a third world country, for them to witness the reality of poverty, to help instil in them a compassion for the poor and needy and for them to realise that living in Australia is a gift that should never be taken for granted.

We asked the children whether they thought their trip to the Philippines had changed them at all.

By Vicki Gunning Head of Junior School

Joshua Akester (Year 2)Going through Payatas where the rubbish tip is and seeing the poverty made me very sad. I realised that even though the people are very poor and don’t have many things, they are still very happy. I gave some of my little toys to the children and they got so excited. I think some of them don’t have any toys at all because I saw some playing with sticks. I also gave away

some of my baby sister’s clothes. The mums kept hugging my Mum and saying thank you. Many children over there just go nude because they don’t have clothes.In our family we have always helped poor families and prayed for them. Now I want to make sure that we keep doing this more and more.In Manila the traffic is so bad. I learnt how to be patient. Nothing runs on time. We don’t realise how lucky we are. My step-dad thinks traffic in Newcastle is bad. He has no idea. I watched 50 people try to squeeze into just one jeepney and when we went to visit the Dendaluce’s it took us about 2 hours to move just one section of the street.At Safe Haven, with Mrs Snellgrove, the children were so happy and caring, even though some of them do not ever see their Mums or Dads. They all got on so well together and didn’t have fights. It made me think that maybe I shouldn’t fight with my sister so much anymore.

My top six favourite things to do in Manila were play with the Safe Haven kids, feed a tiger, swim with a dolphin, eat the different food, tease crocodiles and watch monkeys eat wafer biscuits. We did some fun things because it was too hard to see the poor people all the time.

Lauren Potter (Year 3)

I now always think about how we could be spending our money

better. Like, if we buy a new car we could be giving a Filipino family

a lifetime supply of rice instead.

Every time I’m at the shops I think about how much things cost and

how we could use the money to help the poor.

One of my biggest wishes now is that all the people in the

Philippines would have a safe home to live in. It makes me feel really

lucky. Our homes would feel like a mansion to them. Their houses

are about half the size of my bedroom.

We went on two community walks while I was there. On the second

walk I had to go back to the school. I couldn’t bear it. It was stinky

and the way they were living was so horrible. It made me so sad.

I’m very glad I went to Manila.

Shelby May (Year 3)

I’m not as whingey about my food anymore and I’m more grateful about what

I have. I also don’t complain anymore about not having the toys I want.

Seeing all the poor people made me really sad because we take everything

for granted. Girls my age in the Philippines would think I live like a princess

because we have everything we need, and not just what we need but we

also have what we want. They don’t even have the things they need.

Even though it was sad, I’m so glad I went to the Philippines. I think it was good for me to see

how poor people live. It has made me more grateful.

a child's perspective

05 ISSUE TEN 2013

Junior School children produced their first ever Joke Book this year, and sold it to their parents on ‘Funny Friday’.

That's Funny!

Q: If Jesus had a motorcycle, what would he call it? A: A Holy Davidson

By Dakota Baker

Q: Why did the boy put his grandad in the freezer? A: Because he wanted an icy-pop.

By Myles Smith

Q: What do you call a soccer team that thinks they’re better than they are? A: Manchester United

By Joshua Akester

Q: Why did the teacher wear sunglasses? A: Because his students were too bright.

By Joel Wallace

Q: What is the best place to grow flowers in school?

A: In Kinder-garden

By Ella Klepzig-Leary

There was a nose picker called Paul, Who rolled his snot in a ball. Threw it at his dad, Who was very mad, And his mother was very appalled.

By Mathew Power

Q: How do snails keeps their shells shiny?

A: Snail Polish!

By Amelia Ovenden

Make up a chart for your kids school timetable with pictures showing what they need to have in their bag each day. Having them pack their own bags each day is great. Tracey Scott

Staff Wisdom

For Organised Chaos

For a quick “visitors are coming” clean up. Grab an empty washing basket and race around and pick up the miscellaneous stuff. This can be then taken to the bedrooms for the kids to put away immediately, or stuck into the spare room out of sight. Jo May

Take the 5-10 mins in the morning to stick something into the slow cooker. Regardless of what it is, you will be so thankful that tea is well on the way when you get home. Jo May

Give each person in the

house their own washing

hamper and wash their

clothes as separate

loads. This means all their

washing goes on the line

together and can be folded

straight off the line and put

away. No sorting and no

washing piles lying around!

Vicki Gunning

Just wear black. It makes it easier to coordinate your clothes! Tracey Hartgers

If you have little children, once they are old enough to sit unaided in the bath, use the time you’re supervising them to clean the vanity and mirror. Tracey Scott

Have a dust buster and keep it charged somewhere handy. My kids are now ‘programmed’ to go grab it whenever they see a food mess, sand, dirt, craft scraps etc that needs cleaning up. It means you don’t have to do a big vacuum nearly as often. Vicki Gunning

Keep frozen bread rolls and baked lunchbox treats in the freezer for those days you’ve run out of bread and snacks. Vicki Gunning

Packing the kid’s lunches

the night before helps

me to get organised in

the morning. Keeping

the washing up-to-date

also helps and saves

you having to run around

looking for things at

the last minute. I have

a calendar on the wall

where everyone can

see it to help keep track

of events for the whole

family. Cook extra so

you have left-over for

dinner the next night or

to freeze for a later date.

Occasionally feed them

cereal for dinner and not

feel guilty about giving

yourself a night off from

cooking. Get the kids to

help with clean up. My 3yr

old helps sweep the floor.

Elesha Renta

Teach your children how to cook when they are younger and when they are older they can be rostered on to plan

and prepare a meal each week. It took some effort to start with but has now certainly paid off. Jenny Mason

I have a monthly menu. 4 weeks of

meals planned with shopping lists to

match. I have a summer menu and

a winter menu, both with 24 meals. I

rotate through the weeks and it saves

so much time searching through cook

books and grocery shopping.

Naomi Lawrence

Top Tips

07 ISSUE TEN 2013

By Tammy Perrim (Middle School Co-ordinator)

By Jackson Sheldon (Commenced Year 7 at Charlton in 2008 - HSC graduate, 2013)

Starting a new school was an exciting prospect that was unfortunately strongly over shadowed by my intense fear of meeting new people. Making friends is a strange and difficult process. There isn’t much space for trial and error, and mistakes are the kind of cringeworthy embarrassments you think of before falling asleep at night.

I had my group of friends; the small band of misfit outcasts who had melded together so naturally during Primary School. Younger kids tend to accept new arrivals more readily. I had been shy, yet daring, and sat in silence long enough that my sudden outbursts of misbehaviour were shocking enough to have me noticed. Maybe it was my dynamic social interactions that drew them to me, but whatever the cause, I was eagerly accepted by the unaccepted. Needless to say, trouble had a way of finding us, like we were magnetised to mischief. Most of our bonding took place with shifted snickers and sneaking pranks played in the dense silence of the detention room.

My group was not worthy of recognition for popularity or achievement in any field, but I felt our sense of community was realised by our surrounding peers. Like a band of pirates occupying our secret coves on school grounds, we were kings in our own world. Now, however, my rule was coming to an end. High School and inevitable change was rushing towards me faster than my maturity could ever keep up with. My canvas had been erased; I was a goldfish of many, leaping into a new and empty bowl. And I was terrified.

To spend so long working my way to be the top; year six, only to be reset at square one was cruel treatment for any child. For me in particular! I could only be brave and outgoing amongst my faithful crew. In strange waters with no knowledge of the winds, I felt destined to drown.

The last day of Year 6 had a weight to it, like the climax of some epic story. It all felt like a great chapter of my life was coming to a close and it was hard to look past it to see anything else. My crew and I made our farewells like it was the last time we would know such friendship. It was like the final voyage of our infamous reign.

Transitioning isn’t Easy(That’s Why K-12 Makes Sense)

FUEL Injected into Middle School!

Christianity

2014 will be an exciting time of change for Middle School at Charlton. There are a number of opportunities open to us currently that will enable Middle School to build on existing programs and to implement positive change that will enhance curriculum and provide a variety of pathways for students to grow and develop.

One key change that will take place is within the ‘TRACK’ system. For the past six years Middle School has been collating classes based around students’ key strengths and interests. Students were able to nominate a ‘TRACK’ class predominantly from three options, SPORT, THINK and CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts). While this has been very popular among the students, we have found that it can place unnecessary limitations on them. For example, students often have giftings and interests in a number of areas. Typically students who enjoy sport often enjoy drama and dance as well. These are all areas of body kinaesthetics. Students who enjoy thinking and learning also enjoy sport and art.We have combined the outstanding characteristics of the ‘TRACK’ system without the limitations and created ‘FUEL’ - Fun, Unique, Educational Learning.

The FUEL program will provide a number of pathways for students to find and develop their God-given gifts and talents. They will be able to investigate across a number of interest topics. This can only enhance their development, particularly given that Middle School is a time where students are beginning to explore who they are and their place in the world.

Traditionally, two periods per week has been allocated to ‘TRACK’ time. We will combine these into four consecutive periods per fortnight, allowing students greater opportunity for depth of learning, investigation and skill development. Students will have time to explore off campus and engage in activities that will be rich and rewarding, culminating in a mission focus at the end of each program. Each term they will have the opportunity to select a different FUEL option. Some options may include puppetry, Glee Club, sculpture, Lego Technics, rocket building, kayaking, calligraphy, rock climbing, dance, mountain bike-riding, debating, board games, animal care, gardening, film making, drama and more.

Middle School is an exciting place to be in 2014!

Jackson joined us at Charlton in Year 7 and went on to successfully complete his HSC this year. He made new friends; some that will no doubt have a lasting impact and legacy and remain friends for years to come. As told by Jackson, transitioning to a different school isn’t easy.That’s why we think a K-12 school has innumerable benefits.

By Matt Stackhouse College Chaplain

By Jackson Sheldon (Commenced Year 7 at Charlton in 2008 - HSC graduate, 2013)

An adventure of a lifetime.

ChristianityAs a child, I had gone to church but in High School I had rejected Christianity because I thought it was a religion of rules to stop people from having fun. I ended up being expelled from High School for using illegal drugs and although you’d think that kind of consequence would deter me from further drug use, I moved to Colorado because it was such a great place to grow marijuana. Needless to say, I had rejected God or any authority that might try to hinder my freedom.

In 1996, I was attending University in the United States. I had spent time in Australia as a child but my intentions were to stay in Colorado so I could continue my obsession with snowboarding and rock climbing. That same year I came to visit my family in Australia. While here, I was invited to a local church which my cousins attended. To be polite, I went along. It wasn’t a bad experience and so a couple of weeks later when I was asked to join a group of them at a Christian conference, I agreed.

It was at the Christian conference that I heard a life-changing message. The guy who spoke was a huge ex-biker with tattoos all over his body. He spoke about his life of crime with a motorcycle gang and the drug and alcohol abuse that had destroyed so much of his relationships and future. He said that meeting Jesus Christ had transformed him and given him a new heart. I remember sitting in my chair thinking, “Oh no! I think this Jesus thing is true and I don’t want it to be!” I reluctantly decided that if there was a God like the one the preacher had described, I wanted to know more. I told God that he could come into my life, not really knowing what that meant.

What I now more fully understand to be the good news of the Gospel, became the single most important message I have ever heard. The night I decided to put my faith in Jesus was a decision that led me on an adventure of a life time. Becoming a Christian for me was like being given a new identity. Instead of striving

to find my value or worth in the applause and approval of others, I found myself adopted by God; the author of love. Instead of going through life aimlessly and without guidance, I was given a new Spirit that had hope, assurance and direction. It really was what Jesus referred to in John Chapter 3, as being, “born again”. From there I went on to marry a wonderful woman,

attend Bible College, have a family of three fantastic girls and then finish a Masters Degree in Education. I taught in Sydney for seven years then started working at Charlton as a Middle School Core Teacher in 2009. Even after teaching for 10 years I still look back and wonder how it was that it all happened.

I never imagined the journey of simply putting my faith in God could bring such adventure and joy. I was 20 years old, just over 17 years ago. Words cannot describe the joy it brings me to pass on the message of Jesus to young people. I have the best job in the whole world! I get to serve as the Chaplain at Charlton Christian College.

It was at the Christian conference that I

heard a life-changing message.

ISSUE TEN 201309

Cross Country

Junior School Mission Day

Teddy Bears Picnic

Our chickens hatched

NAIDOC Week

College Open Day

State Soccer Gala Day Penrith

Pl@yschool Turned 1

Pl@yschool Turned 1

Tree Planting

Colonial DayYear 3 & 4 Zoo Snooze

Big Night Out

Year 9 Camp

Big Night OutYear 5 & 6 Kayaking

Milo Cricketers at Sydney

Cricket Ground

Senior School Mission

Trip to Manila

Senior School Mission Trip

to Manila

5-a-side Soccer Gala DayJunior School Beanie and

Gumboot Day

State Netballers

at Charltonlife

Atheletics Carnival

Grace Baker State Athletics

Age Champion

Dobell Festival 1st Prize

Winner

Senior School Luna Park

Excursion

Peter Pan

Teddy Bears Picnic

Gorby Cup Winners

Yr 12 Retreat

Year 9 Science Excursion

Junior School Mission Day

Year 9 Camp

Year 9 Camp Year 7 Excursion to Taronga Zoo

Year 3 & 4 Visit to the

Nursing Home

Pre-school Circus Day

Cross Country

Year 7 Camp

Metro Cup Winners

Year 3 & 4 Zoo Snooze

Year 5/6 Canberra Excursion

Year 9 teaching Christian Life

Studies to Kindy

Charlton at the Jets

State Netballers

Charlton is looking forward to rolling out ‘My Big Campus’ in Term 1, 2014. It will become the buzzing educational hub between our students’ devices and the Internet. It is part online learning management system, part social network and part class management system.

How does this benefit teachers?

Teachers can create groups, assign schoolwork, tests and quizzes to students, host discussions, share

resources and lots more. The system helps teachers manage schoolwork

and track progress towards academic goals. Teachers have the ability to alter settings and restrictions to suit their age group and subject matter, knowing that students will be kept safe with reporting,

monitoring, profanity filtering, image scanning and content flagging.

For more information go to www.mybigcampus.com and click “Take a Tour”.

Stay tuned for more ‘My Big Campus’ news next year.

How will My Big Campus help students?

M.B.C. aims to provide access to the best that the Internet has to offer like video, images and other information,

while minimising risks. Students will enjoy collaborative learning opportunities and access to dynamic, media rich, online

lessons. ‘Bob Campus’ is available 24/7 to support students and to model good

digital citizenship.

What about parents?

Parents can become involved in the learning process via the Parent Portal.

They can log in and view their children’s assigned work and message teachers. The My Big Campus platform provides parents with maximum visibility of their own child’s school experience without

compromising the privacy of other members of the school community.

By Joe Haig My Big Campus Staff Guru

My Big Campus

The ‘Year 4 Markets’ were birthed in 2009 when the teachers at the time decided to make their ‘Who Will Buy?’ unit of work more interesting and hands on. Students were given the brief to create a product or service that they could sell to their Junior School peers and teachers. The ‘Year 4 Markets’ have since become a Charlton tradition which students and staff look forward to each year.

This project requires students to come up with an idea that will appeal to their peers. Many complete surveys and other market research to tease out their idea and learn more about their potential customers. They then need to work out the practicalities to make it happen, for example, “How can I keep the ice-cream cold and the hot dogs hot?” “How will I get all of these hair clips made on time?” “How will I package these scones?” And “How much should this be sold for?”

Finally they need to work on advertising their product. Posters, flyers and word-of-mouth are the most popular methods for this. However, some students have used original jingles, multi-media and even web-based advertising to engage the audience.

Market Day is a hive of activity! For the two hours the markets are open, there is a non-stop stream of customers, scoping out the deals and hoping to bag a bargain. Year 4 students quickly gain on-the-job experience of what works and what doesn’t in terms of enticing customers. Sales start, prices are adjusted, free incentives are given and deals are struck between businesses. These are ideas that they have been exposed to as consumers, but it is not until they are running their own businesses that the purpose of these techniques becomes real.

Over the past five years, Year 4 Markets have

EntrepreneursYoung

seen a wide range of products and services. Items such as cupcakes and ice-cream spiders are a hit every year. But you will also find things like mini-golf, screen printed T-shirts, jewellery, posters, lucky dips, original drawings, ball toss games, even ‘pay $1 to hold my pet rabbit’. Every year there are new and creative ideas.

The skills that students learn from this project are invaluable. Not only do they gain practical, hands-

on experience of the Board of Studies HSIE ‘Social Systems and Structures’ outcomes, but more than that they gain life skills, including the 5 key areas of the ‘You Can Do It’ program: Organisation, Persistence, Resilience, Getting Along with Others and Confidence.

Each year the markets raise over $1000. As a Christian school we feel it is very important to teach the students about thinking of others and giving out of what we receive. 10% of their earnings go towards a charity of the students’ choosing. In the past, charities have included missionaries the students have met, our sister school in the Philippines and to Taronga Zoo

for their work with the Sumatran Tigers. Another 10% is spent on buying the Junior School a gift that will benefit future students. The remaining money is used by Year 4 students to celebrate the end of their five years in Junior School with a graduation lunch and a fun day out together.

It looks really easy but it’s kind of

hard to sell things. Kindies were really

easy to sell to. I think Year 4 Markets

was a good test for Year 4 to do because

it’s harder than it looks. You don’t sell

as many things as you want to sell.

- Bailey Snowden

By Kaye Farleigh Junior School Teacher

ISSUE TEN 201313

This year Charlton Christian College entered the Hunter Valley Electric Vehicle Festival and Competition for the first time. The competition has been running since 2011 and has grown steadily as more and more schools have become involved. The Festival occurs at the go kart race track near West Wallsend and the day consists of a range of different electric vehicle competitions. There were 35 teams from different schools competing this year. Our school entered two teams that comprised students from Years 8 and 9. Jasper Connelly, Felix Connelly, Harrison Newton and Matthew Randall were the riders who represented Charlton and some eager students worked in support.

Having entered teams at my previous school, my goals for this year were to expose students to the competition so that we could build interest amongst a lot of students for next year’s competition.

This year our teams had about a week of practise on the bikes before the big day. We spent time training the riders on how to handle a bike at speed and corner safely. Aerodynamics come into play during the competition so a good deal of effort was also put into getting the riders into a position on the bike that meant that they were low and sleek to cut through the air with as little resistance as possible.

Our teams didn’t really know what to expect on the day of the competition. Unlike the other schools, our riders hadn’t raced on the track before and had no experience racing against other riders. It was a brilliant surprise then to find out at the end of the qualifying session that one of our riders had finished in second place for the fastest lap competition.

Felix Connelly had circulated around the track with a time only half a second slower than the fastest team!

With this under our belt we felt a bit more confident heading into the actual race. The race started very well. Felix Connelly quickly moved into first position and held this position for the first 25 minutes of the hour long race. Jasper Connelly was riding the school’s other bike and he had quickly moved up from 15th position to about 9th position. Felix allowed himself to slip back into 2nd position to

conserve battery power, but an electrical gremlin caused his bike to stop just before his co-rider Harrison Newton was due to finish the race for the team. This was a real shame for their team as they could have easily won the competition barring any other mishaps. Meanwhile the team of Jasper and Matthew Randall had done very well and had clawed their way from 15th place to challenging for 5th place at the 45 minute mark when the same electrical fault that had ended the other team’s run also caused them to stop.

Though both teams failed to reach the end of the hour long race, they showed that with more practice and some electrical tweaking that they can be a real force for next year’s competition. We look forward to good success next year and hope to have a great time working on the bikes and training the riders. It looks like 2014 could already be bigger as the students who were involved this year have enthusiastically infected other students with the desire to put together more electric bikes for next year. Thank you to all of the students, parents, staff and sponsoring businesses, for your support.

By Mark Wilton Science Teacher

“We look forward to good success next year and hope to have a great time

working on the bikes and training

the riders.”

Look Out! They’re Electric!

Pathways to Success

Adam Bannon

I began my studies at Charlton in 2001 and completed my HSC there in 2007. My most memorable moments were being House Captain for Booth, representing the College in the THACCCSA State Soccer Team, and playing the role of Joseph in the school musical.

My passion for food and the hospitality industry started in Year 10 when I studied Food Technology. My teacher, Kerrie Rees suggested I pursue a career in Hospitality so I completed my Certificate II via TVET as part of my HSC. I did very well and felt this was a great career option. As my grandpa would tell me, “Everybody needs to eat.”

I got a part time job working in a restaurant during Year 12 and started my apprenticeship only a few weeks after completing my HSC. This led me to work and train at a 4.5 star resort on the Central Coast. During this time I completed my Certificate III in Hospitality (Commercial Cookery) at Ourimbah TAFE. I then came back to Newcastle and worked as a chef for around a year before receiving my trade Qualification as a chef in 2010.

I then took up Cake Decorating as well as a Bakery trade. I began studying at Hamilton TAFE and created elaborate cakes as gifts for birthdays and special occasions. In 2013 I completed the Certificate IV in Hospitality Operations (Commercial Cookery) followed by a Diploma of Hospitality Operations and Management.

Earlier this year I began running the kitchen at the ‘King St. Depot’ in Warners Bay. In September I was recruited by IHG (Intercontinental Hotel Group) to work at the Crown Plaza, Terrigal in food and beverage over the summer.

Despite only achieving a low UAI at school, I’ve still been able to pursue my dreams, achieve well and reach my goals. I’m grateful to those who have supported me along the way and to those who recognised my giftings and encouraged me to pursue them further.

Adam Bannon - Head Chef / Manager

Alanna Kate Hinds

I LOVE to capture squishy babies, cute kids, funny families and life in general! Just exactly how they are… REAL!

I have had a passion for photography since I was a little girl. I couldn’t pin point exactly what it was that interested me so much but I know I loved looking through old photo albums of my mum and dad as babies and realising just how precious memories are.

When I started at Charlton Christian College back in Year 3, I knew I couldn’t wait till I was in ‘High School’ to choose Photography/Design/Art as an elective to further my knowledge.

After learning bits and pieces at school I decided to do my Year 10 work experience at PixiFoto. With that experience I was actually given a job on the spot! I worked there for 3 years before being offered a job with ‘LuvLee Photography’. I stumbled across Lee in a Photography workshop she was teaching 3 years ago and the rest is history! I now run one of her two photography businesses, which is called ‘Little People Photography’. I travel all around Newcastle and the Bay taking photos of babies and Pre-school aged children.

From all this knowledge I have accumulated I have now branched out and started ‘Alanna Kate Photography’ and have been taking on my own clients in Newcastle and in Sydney. I have travelled far and wide with my photography and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I love all that I do and I find so much joy in every new challenge.

I am extremely grateful for all my experiences and why wouldn’t I be? With every new email there is a new client, a new friendship to be had and beautiful photos to be made. I am very, very blessed indeed.

Alanna Hinds - Photographer

Lonia Minter

I was at Charlton for most of my schooling, starting when there were only a few classrooms. I had a lot of great experiences at Charlton. I got the chance to perform in the Musical, ‘Joseph’ and sing on the Charlton CD. In Year 7 my passion for Beauty Therapy really began after participating in the girl’s ‘Shine’ program. Ever since then I’ve wanted to become a Beauty Therapist.

After graduating Year 12 in 2011, I began my Diploma of Beauty Therapy. After studying full time I became top of my class and received many awards including ‘Student of the Year’ from the Advanced Association of Beauty Therapists. I gained both my Australian and International Diplomas of Beauty Therapy, which is a highly regarded qualification. 2012 was a very busy year for me but Charlton had taught me how to put in the hard work and study in order to achieve high results.

Throughout my time at Charlton I was encouraged to always reach for my goals and today I have achieved them. After all the hard work I’ve put in, I now own my own Beauty Salon business at Blackalls Park and I couldn’t be happier. With all the support I have been given from family, teachers and friends I now know I can achieve anything I put my mind to.

Thank you, Charlton for your support.

Lonia Minter - Beauty Therapist

“Throughout my time at Charlton I was

encouraged to always reach for my goals and today I have achieved

them.”

ISSUE TEN 201315

One day I got lucky and was invited around to Andrew’s house to play. I remember arriving at his front door and seeing a blue neon glow coming from his bedroom. I could barely contain my excitement. However, no sooner had I made it inside that Andrew closed the door to his room of wonder and told me that we couldn’t go in there because he didn’t want me to break any of his “stuff”. The remainder of our afternoon was spent watching cartoons in the living room on regular, old, free-to-air ABC. He wouldn’t even let me go outside to jump on his trampoline. Words could not express my disappointment. I never went over to Andrew’s house again.

No one wants their kid to turn out like Andrew – a kid who values his “stuff” over others. Those sort of kids make life miserable for other kids – and also for their parents! So how much “stuff” is too much?

There are two groups of warning signs that you are probably spoiling your kids with too much stuff: changes in your child’s behaviour because of all the stuff they’ve been receiving, and your own feelings and motivations for giving them stuff to begin with.

The first group of warning signs, changes in your child’s behaviour, include the following: your kid stops saying “thank you” (and meaning it), stops caring for their things, gets bored of their things quickly, is always asking for the next new thing, and they struggle to share and to give gifts to others.

Feelings such as guilt about not giving your child enough, not spending enough time with them, or a feeling of embarrassment at not giving your child as many toys as your neighbour is giving their child, belong to the other group of warning signs.

So if you are nodding your head to any of these warning signs then what should you do about it? Good question!

Reining in a child who has grown accustomed to an affluence of stuff is hard work and will take considerable time and effort. It will take some hard decisions and you will well and truly need to stick to your guns. But it will be worth if for the sake of raising a child who is generous, hard working and not materialistic!

A good start would be to look at introducing pocket money. Be careful not to set an amount that’s going to break your bank. Make sure it is not enough for them to purchase whatever they want whenever they want. They need to be able to learn to save and to learn the value of stuff. Also, don’t just give out pocket money as if it’s a pension - make it contingent on getting a few age-appropriate jobs done around the house. Teach your children a good work ethic!

If your child already has hoards of toys it’s time to help them give some away. Start with getting them to help you pick out 5 toys that they don’t play with anymore to give away to charity or to a younger cousin. If they aren’t keen on this idea prohibit them from playing with any of their toys until they are ready to give some away. Your child will come around soon enough.

One final suggestion: start showing your love to your child in other ways aside from giving them stuff. I can guarantee you that when they’re older it won’t be the stuff that you gave them that they will look back on with fondness, but the time that you had together. So when you feel that tinge of guilt about your parenting - spend more time with your kids. Don’t compensate with stuff. Take them for a walk, ride bikes down to the park, go for a swim, climb a tree, read a book, play dress-ups, build a cubby. It takes more effort and sacrifice to make time but there is no substitute for quality and quantity time with your kids.

Actually one more thing! Just to learn one last lesson from my friend Andrew. Never, ever buy your child a TV and gaming console to keep in their bedroom. You are setting yourself up for an ongoing battle regarding time limits as well as creating an irritable and tired person who won’t want to share his remote. Sorry, but I just had to sneak this point in there!

When I was in Primary School there was a boy in my class called Andrew who owned every toy in the known world at the time. His room was set up with an IMAX screen and all the latest gaming consoles. His possessions were so legendary that all of us other boys at school worked extra hard to try and score an invite to his house just to partake in his hoard of treasures.

By Asher MorrisonCollege Counsellor/Psychologist

Parenting MattersHow Much ‘Stuff’ Is Too Much?

curriculum, programming, behaviour management

and introducing 123 Magic into the classrooms.

I have also been helping to establish the feeding

program in Payatas (the garbage pit area) that is

generously supported by Charlton.

How important is Christ in your life now?

I rely on Christ’s strength, love, guidance and

protection every day. Some days it is so very hard

here in Manila; to see starving children begging

for food; families living in garbage; those suffering;

and to hold the hands of the dying. You can feel

so helpless. It is then I have to run back to the

arms of Jesus.

Tell us something about yourself that not many people would know!!

Hmm... Well as a small child I was convinced

that my brother was our pet black cat. Mum gave

up trying to tell me it was a cat and not really my

brother. Now I realise why he wasn’t featured in all

the family photos.

Any parting words of wisdom to our LIFE Magazine readers?

You only get one shot at life. Please don’t waste a

minute. Love a lot, laugh a lot, be Jesus to others

whenever you can.

When did you work at Charlton and what was your role?

I worked at Charlton for 8 years as a

Kindergarten teacher.

Why did you decide to leave?

This was one of the hardest decisions I had to make.

I loved every minute of my time at Charlton. For a few

years God had been softly whispering into my heart

that it was time to go to Manila and work once again

with the urban poor.

How would you describe your time at Charlton?

I feel so privileged to have worked at Charlton.

When I think of my time there I think of laughter, love,

fun, innovative learning, mentoring, relationships,

teamwork, friendships and families. Most importantly,

I think of how Jesus is welcomed into each and

every classroom.

Can you recall two of your fondest Charlton memories?

There are just so many it’s hard to pick two.

Watching the Kindyland classrooms being built

was a great day with many Kodak moments. Our

excursions to the Reptile Park, Blackbutt, worm

farms and the 100 Days of Kindy celebrations were

always such fun. I think the Flashmob led by Sue

Skuthorpe at Charlton’s Got Talent is an all-time

classic!

What have you been doing since you left Charlton?

Since leaving Charlton I have moved with my

husband Dave and daughter Kristyn to Manila

to work with King Solomon Christian School

International in the Philippines. We have started a

home for children and families in need called ‘Safe

Haven’. I have been working with the schools on

“You only get one shot at life.

Please don’t waste a minute. ”

My favourite verse at the moment

is Isaiah 40: 31

But those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like

eagles; they will run and not

grow weary, they will walk and

not be faint.

Looking back with Cherie Snellgrove(ex-staff member)

In Retrospect

ISSUE TEN 201317

Year 6 student Kayla Malbon, has been speed boat racing since she was just 9 years of age. She was inspired by her father who is also involved in the sport and supported by her mother, father and younger brother. Kayla follows both her father’s and grandfather’s involvement in the sport.

Kayla currently races a blue and white 2metre wing boat called ‘Obsession Racing’ which reaches a top speed of 71km/h. She races in the J2 class which consists of both female and male competitors.

The safety of all competitors is of upmost importance. Competitors are required to follow strict worldwide guidelines in relation to what they wear, how they drive and the boat’s specifications. All competitors are required to wear a bright orange helmet, helmet straps, life jacket, life jacket leg straps, fire proof race boots, fire proof race suit and ballistic pants. Before each race, boats are scrutineered, safety clothing and equipment is checked and signed off by a race official. Drivers are briefed about the water conditions on the day and reminded of the safety rules and regulations. Each driver is also breath tested in order to make sure no drugs or alcohol are present.

Kayla is achieving amazing results at both club and State level and is currently sponsored by Intercontrol (a control systems engineering firm) and Chris Bale Automotive. Kayla is a part of the Obsession Racing Team who also assist her on race days.

Some of Kayla’s most recent Achievements:

• 1st Place in Juniors Windsor Spectacular 2013

• 2nd in NSW State Formula Future Titles 2013

• 3rd in Bridge to Bridge J2 Class 2012

• 3rd in NSW State Formula Future Titles for J2 2013

• 4th in Annual Bridge to Bridge Juniors Race 2013

• Winner of the Best Driving Award at the Upper Hunter Power Boat Club, Club Day 2013

Kayla hopes to become the fastest lady on water. The current record held is 207mph/333km.

Soccer Saturday was a treat for a special group of Year 2 boys from the Fairview campus of ‘King Solomon Christian School International’ in the Philippines, our sister school.

Joshua Akester, in Year 2, went without screen time for a whole week in order to fundraise enough money to host the event during his trip to the Philippines in the last school holidays.

The children came from the Payatas, which is the site of a rubbish tip in Manila. They live in squatter homes and have very little in the way of possessions, or food. Josh, an avid soccer fan, wanted to think of something he could do on his trip to bless a group of boys his own age. He came up with the idea of running a soccer clinic!

A bus picked up the group of boys from the garbage tip early on the Saturday morning and brought them to the location we had been blessed to access for the morning. Green grass, some shade and even a swimming pool next door.

The boys had a fantastic morning with ‘Coach Josh’, who taught them lots of new skills. Each boy also went home with a new T-shirt, cap, drink bottle and their very own soccer ball! They were so excited and thankful for such an amazing experience.

After a hilarious game of ‘all in’ soccer, the group was able to cool down in the swimming pool.

To conclude the morning each boy was treated to a McDonald’s Happy Meal. Their excitement is indescribable. Most of these children live from day to day on scraps that they have scavenged and had never had any form of takeaway food before. Some children didn’t even realise that there was food in the ‘Happy Meal’ box, until they were shown how to open it!

Soccer Saturday is a day they will never forget.

Niamh O’Donovan was always flexible when she was younger and always doing handstands and cartwheels. Julia, her older sister, said that we should introduce her to gymnastics so we went to see Nancy Foster at KWK Gymnastics at Morisset. In October 2012, Graham (Niamh’s step-dad) started taking her to gymnastics twice a week. The coaches there saw potential in Niamh so they put her into the National Development Program. This year is the first year that Niamh has been competing in

Level One Junior Division. Recently she went to watch the Australian Championships in Sydney. It is her dream to one

day perform at this level.

In 2012 Niamh was announced as ‘Most Improved’ in her division at her academy.

This year she has been placed first or second in many different competitions, traveling to many events across the State in places including Wollongong, Gunnedah and Sydney.

At just 7 years of age, Niamh recently represented the Hunter Region in the State Team.

Head Over Heels

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ISSUE TEN 201319

Travelling along Lake Road - Stopping at Cameron Park and Edgeworth/Holmesville

Charlton Christian College is commencing a private bus run for Kinder to Year 4 students in 2014

Successful Phonics Program | Latest Technology | High Ratio of Male Staff Innovative Practices | Learning Connections Movement Program

Junior School at Charlton

Please contact our Enrolments Registrar or enquire at the College Office for specific drop off and pick up locations P: 02 4959 9111 E: office@charlton.nsw.edu.au 43 Fassifern Road, Fassifern

Are you interested?

love. integrity. faith. empowerment.www.charlton.nsw.edu.au