Staff Insights
By Mr Andy Gordon, Deputy Principal and Head of Junior School
Congratulations to all of Radford College for our incredibly successful International Baccalaureate (IB) multi-program Evaluation that took place over three days last week. It was the first five-year evaluation of our Diploma Programme and our first as a multi-program. The visit was an incredible affirmation of the experiences our learners are involved in, the environments created by our College Board and staff, and our beliefs regarding the way young people learn through highly effective teaching.
Our community should be incredibly proud of the students, college services staff, parents, teachers, those with leadership responsibilities and board directors. Thank you for your support and commitment, which gives Radford College the courage and will to craft the best possible post-schooling outcomes for our learners.
I recently had an opportunity to learn from adventurer, entrepreneur and leadership consultant, James Castrission.
On 31 October 2011, James Castrission and Justin Jones set out to achieve one of the last great Polar adventures, an unsupported return journey from the edge of the Antarctic continent to the South Pole. This is a quest that has been attempted by many experienced Polar explorers before them ... and all have failed. This expedition was the modern-day equivalent of the exploits of Scott, Amundsen and Shackleton. They are man-hauling a pulk with 200kg of provisions each. (1)
As they arrived for their expedition, they discovered that a Norwegian adventurer, known as the 'Polar ninja', Aleksander Gamme, was aiming to do the exact same journey. Upon reaching the South Pole, James and Justin learned that Aleksander had arrived five days earlier. Their dream of being the first to achieve the journey, unsupported, were gone, but they didn’t give up. Although the two groups were theoretically rivals and despite the fact that he was several days ahead of James and Justin, Aleksander graciously waited for them a few kilometres from the coast so they could complete the epic journey and go into the record books, together (2). James and Justin asked Aleksander why he waited for them. He replied with, “I wouldn’t have achieved this without you. Knowing you were coming behind me, kept me going. I couldn’t go into the record books without you.”
It reminds me of the beautiful proverb, often credited to African tradition, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
We achieved a successful IB Evaluation by going together.
Going together in our families, in our work, in our relationships and in our learning brings out the best in us and in our shared outcomes.
References:
By Rev. Dr Katherine Rainger, Senior Chaplain
"God has done all this, so that we will look for him and reach out and find him. He isn’t far from any of us, and gives us the power to live, to move, and to be who we are."
- Acts 17:27
Last Friday was a wonderful day of celebrating Christmas in July throughout the college. Mountains of donations for Anglicare partner St John’s Care were collected. Nearly $1500 was raised for St John’s Care through donations and fundraising by the prefects and Radford Awareness and Service (RAS). Thank you to everyone who took part.
One of the things that I appreciate about the work that St John’s Care does is the way they treat each person who comes to their service as a person with a story and a person who should be treated with respect and dignity. They also look at the whole person and acknowledge the different factors that are at play in their lives.
When Jesus interacted with people, he saw the whole person. He realised that a person is connected to a family and a community. Jesus recognised that people had a story and physical, emotional and spiritual needs. The encounters in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 7, are a great example of the diversity of people whom Jesus encountered: a Roman official, used to giving orders, who realises his need for Jesus when a beloved servant is sick; a widow who has lost a son; and a woman who is deemed an outcast and blesses Jesus much to the chagrin of the other dinner guests.
In each of these encounters, Jesus is fully present to the person, who they are and their needs.
This year’s Dirrum Dirrum Festival theme is sonder, defined as “the realisation that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own,” captured here in this video. The festival is a great chance for the community to come together to hear each other’s stories, as well as to hear the stories of speakers, musicians and stall holders.
If we are to experience sonder, we need to slow down enough to hear from God, ourselves and each other. This prayer by Michael Leunig captures this way of being:
Dear God,
We pray for another way of being:
another way of knowing.
Across the difficult terrain of our existence
we have attempted to build a highway
and in so doing have lost our footpath.
God lead us to our footpath:
Lead us there where in simplicity
we may move at the speed of natural creatures
and feel the earth's love beneath our feet.
Lead us there where step-by-step we may feel
the movement of creation in our hearts.
And lead us there where side-by-side
we may feel the embrace of the common soul.
Nothing can be loved at speed.
God lead us to the slow path; to the joyous insights
of the pilgrim; another way of knowing: another way of being.
Amen.
News
Coerver Coaching ACT Performance Academy 2023/24 Trials
The Coerver Coaching Performance Academy is a football school for serious, dedicated individuals seeking additional professional training to improve their technical ability and become more advanced players. Their mission is to provide comprehensive football education for young players looking to develop the skills necessary to elevate their game to the next level.
When: Sunday, 27 August 2023
Where: University of Canberra, Bruce
How to register: https://coerveract.com.au/performance-academy-programs
Summer Sport Registrations Now Open
Registrations for the 2023/24 Year 2-11 Summer (Term 4 2023 & Term 1 2024) sport season are now open and will close at 11:45 pm on Tuesday, 8 August. Some activities and offerings are capped. Please ensure you submit your registration by the closing date to allow the Sports Department time to process submissions and prepare for specific sports trials, team allocations and ordering sports uniforms. Any registrations after the closing date are likely not to be accepted. Please be mindful of the administration challenges it causes.
All information and registration links can be found on Nexus.
By Mr Nick Akhurst, Head of Co-Curricular Drama, Dance and Technical Theatre
In 2019, then Year 11 student Tom Berger and his fellow technical theatre students took up the challenge of making the human-eating Venus Flytrap, Audrey II, for the Little Shop of Horrors musical. After seeing the cost of hiring the prop and not being impressed with the quality, the technical crew came up with a plan. This was a huge undertaking, with Tom and his team creating an original design and building the plant from scratch; easily more than 150 hours went into its creation. The plant came alive in Tom’s garage and then on stage in T.B. Millar Hall.
So far, we have had two schools ask to copy our design, and two schools have used the plant in their productions. Last year, it was used by St Edmund's College in Canberra and in Week 1 of this term, it went on a little trip to visit the previous Head of Music Heidi Anthony at Kinross Wolaroi School in Orange. This is a testament to the high quality of work our technical students do to enhance each show.
We hope Audrey II had a nice trip, was well fed and will, hopefully, return home soon.
By Ms Agnes Kopras-Ianson, Director of Finance
In just 12 months, from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023, Radford has achieved a remarkable feat by diverting 1,326.50 kilograms of textiles from landfill. This accomplishment is a direct result of our partnership with Upparel, and it has made a significant impact on our ongoing efforts towards waste reduction.
The textiles that have been successfully diverted encompass various items, such as uniforms and shoes, which students have either outgrown or replaced. Rather than being disposed of in landfills, Upparel has taken charge of recycling these items in an environmentally responsible manner.
Upon collection, Upparel sorts the collected items, distinguishing between those still suitable for wear and those that are not. For items that cannot be reused, they are appropriately categorised for secure destruction and repurposing. On the other hand, items that are deemed fit for wear are generously donated to charitable organisations.
We extend our profound gratitude to Radford's Parents & Friends Association (P&F), whose invaluable support has aided in covering the cost of disposing old or damaged uniforms that are unsuitable for resale in our Secondhand Shop. As a direct result of their assistance, a staggering 4,642.75 kg of greenhouse gases have been prevented from being emitted, thereby making a substantial contribution towards minimising our carbon footprint and fostering a cleaner environment.
The Upparel bin will continue to be located outside the P&F Secondhand Shop, helping us meet our sustainability goals.
Furthermore, it is worth noting that Upparel's services are not limited solely to educational institutions like Radford; they are also readily available for households seeking sustainable textile disposal solutions.
