Principal Appointment

Yesterday was an exciting day for the Emmanuel community, with the long-awaited news of Emmanuel’s new Principal finally being announced.

It was an absolute joy and privilege for me to be able to announce to the staff and students at Emmanuel and the Emmanuel parent community the appointment of Dr. Lifeas Kapofu to the role of Principal at Emmanuel Christian School. 

Lifeas’ appointment was made following a rigorous recruitment campaign where both local, interstate and international candidates were considered.

Lifeas holds a PhD in Science Education, a Masters of Science and Mathematics Education, a Bachelor of Education in Biology and a Certificate in Project Management and has been serving the Emmanuel Christian School community since March this year as a Science Teacher in the secondary school.  Prior to moving to Tasmania, Lifeas held Head of Department, Lead Teacher and Principal roles with the Department of Education in South Africa and Zimbabwe, with his last role seeing him lead a school of over 800 students.

Lifeas has had 26 years’ experience in education and his achievements during his teaching career in South Africa and Zimbabwe include being the Country Representative for special training in Science Education in Japan; the Lead Facilitator for in-service training programmes and curriculum development for High School Science Teachers in ICT and Methodology Integration; the District Lead Science Teacher for academically disadvantaged learners; the State Examiner and INSET Facilitator; the top candidate in his PhD cohort review and the top Master’s student at his university, winning the University Book Prize.

Lifeas is married to Winfilda and they have two children. Lifeas and Winfilda are active members of River City Church.

Lifeas comes highly recommended and during the reference checks that I conducted as part of the recruitment process, I received the following comments from leaders and colleagues that Lifeas has worked with in schools both here in Tasmania and in South Africa:

“Lifeas is a committed Christian who is unassuming, hard-working and has a high level of integrity”

“It is actually quite hard to put Lifeas into words as I feel that I wouldn’t be doing him justice with anything I said. I have never met anyone quite like him”

“I have always been impressed with Lifeas’ ability to show grace and to remain true to himself (authentic) regardless of the circumstances”

“Lifeas is extremely innovative and is also very relational”

“Lifeas gets people and has a beautiful compassion and is very compelling”

“Lifeas is a ‘one of a kind’. If I had to sum him up in one word it would be ‘outstanding’”

“Lifeas is an outstanding educator and has a soft way with people, always respectful and humble and extremely considerate in how he deals with everyone from the students to e leaders in the school”

“Lifeas would be an outstanding school leader and if the CST Board made the decision to appoint Lifeas to the principal role at Emmanuel, it would be the best decision they could make.”

“CST would be blessed to have Lifeas as Emmanuel’s Principal”

“CST won’t find a more hard working and honest individual than Lifeas”

Lifeas will commence his new role as Emmanuel’s Principal on Monday September 12, 2022.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Drew Roberts who has been serving faithfully as the School’s Acting Principal since Scott Winkler’s departure in Term 1. Drew will be resuming his Head of Secondary role following Lifeas’ appointment, and will continue to be an integral part of Emmanuel’s Senior Leadership Team.  As part of a broader leadership restructure, from Monday, Mrs Laura Ferguson has been appointed as Head of Primary and Miss Joy and Mr Moroni will be taking on Heads of Student Development roles in the primary and secondary schools.

I am extremely excited about what Dr. Kapofu’s appointment means for your child’s education and for Emmanuel Christian School’s vision to be a transformational Christian learning community.

David Gillman — CEO
Christian Schools Tasmania

Outdoor Learning

“Outdoor Learning helps me use tools and get used to safety issues.”

“It gives me something to look forward to in school.  It helps me concentrate because Monday reminds me that we have Outdoor Learning.”

“The focus goals help me do my work and remember to be respectful.”

These are some of the answers to two questions I asked participants in Outdoor Learning this week.  The questions were, “How has Outdoor Learning changed school for you?” and, “Tell me what focus plans do for you.”

Our students have made an excellent start to the program, which is based on the ideology of Hands On Learning.

You will find us in the shipping container behind the PAC on Mondays, discussing focus plans and building things.  If we’re not there, we will probably be constructing the veggie patches near the kinder and prep rooms.  There are plenty of jobs for us to tool up and create.

A focus plan is a goal students make at improving a range of things, including self-worth, behavior, academic skills or anything to do with improving oneself.  They are set for approximately three weeks and are shared with classrooms and teachers with the idea that they transfer to other areas of a student’s life. 

The program is designed to give students a place and a space that they call their own, and at the same time, learn how to use tools safely.  We are big on using the terminology industries use, with the key idea to equip students with the knowledge and ability to be safe and understand the different acronyms and names that trades use.  This helps students that want to go into a trade have a head start with their knowledge and ability to understand safety and tool use.

So far we have managed to make flatpack furniture for the high school, which you can see in the pictures.  If you have ever tried to follow flatpack instructions, you will know how well the students have read, interpreted them, and used them to put together the pictured cabinets!  They have done very well!

Our latest project has been tidying up the vegetable patch with the idea that we start a new fruit tree and veggie patch area.  The pictures show some shots of the before and after we started to clean the area up.  Students mentioned that it was hard work but the results are great.

We have learnt how to use hand tools including saws, hammers, jimmy bars, mini sledge hammers, clamps, and T squares.  Students have also learnt to use 18 volt power tools including drills and impact drivers.  As students learn to use the tools, they go through a safety brief and instructions on how to use every tool.

Our space is a place to build resilience and relationships and gives us skills that can be used in life forever.  It has been an amazing experience watching our students develop their skills and abilities both in practical as well as personal realms.

Ed Moroni — Secondary Co-ordinator

The Impacts of Lifestyle on Learning

Not having breakfast, going to bed too late, not having enough fruits and vegetables: all of these things can affect student learning negatively and is something that is being seen in many schools across Australia.

When a student does not get enough nutrients in their diet, they can lack focus and energy to make it through the day. As adults, we could all recall a time when maybe we over indulged and remember the energy crash that comes with it. This issue is no different for children, and when this type of eating becomes a habit, there are serious consequences in the classroom. 

Recent studies found, that when a child has a diet that is high in saturated fats, their working memory can often become impaired. Another study further concluded that children who were Vitamin C and Zinc deficient showed issues related to their physical and mental development.

While the intake of food is critical to a child’s performance in the classroom, many of the foods that are popular in lunchboxes are actually causing more harm than good. The foods are often loaded with sugars, caffeine and salt, hindering children’s learning as a result. Children are often displaying as being tired, jittery and unfocused. Their behaviour is often affected negatively, taking more time away from their academic studies.

With this recent research in mind, what can be done to improve the learning outcomes of our students, thinking about the role that a healthy diet plays?

Healthy lunchboxes should include foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, thinking also about including whole grains and proteins. It is also important to think about vitamins and how they target specific functions in the brain. Foods that are rich in Lecithin such as soybeans and wheat, help to improve working memory. Potassium that is found in fruits such as oranges, bananas, apricots, avocados, and melons also helps to improve brain function and to provide children with enough energy for their busy days at school. Trying to avoid a lunchbox that is heavy with processed foods helps to ultimately promote a healthier body, brain power, and positive behaviour. 

Making a healthy lunch box does not have to be tricky. There are many recipes and ideas available that help families to make great healthy and budget friendly choices. Having your children as a part of the process can also make a positive difference. 

At Emmanuel, our Primary school has recently been learning about the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle through the government initiative Move Well, Eat Well. Students have been thinking about what healthy choices look like, thinking about the importance of exercise, diet, and the importance of keeping hydrated. It has been wonderful to see students trying new vegetables and thinking about ways to include more fruits and veggies in their diets. Thinking about the concept of Nude Food also is a great way to inspire healthy lunchboxes.  Nude Food is simply food that is not wrapped in foil, plastic or commercial packaging. The best type of nude food consists mainly of fresh food, so that it is healthy and nutritious, plus it is environmentally friendly (Ecoschool). An example of this is provided in one of the images below. We will continue to share healthy recipe options in our newsletter and Facebook page and to help inspire some healthy lunchbox options.

Laura Ferguson — Acting Primary Co-ordinator

Embrace Your Weird

During the holidays, I came across a podcast in which Ben Crowe was interviewed. Ben Crowe is a name you might have heard.

He is a professional mentor and leadership coach, recently in the media for being Ash Barty's coach when she won the Australian Tennis Open earlier this year.

Ben Crowe has worked with many other champion athletes, including Michael Jordan, Kathy Freeman, Tiger Woods, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Charles Barkley, Shane Warne, Wayne Carey, Lleyton Hewitt and Dustin Martin.

Back in the early 2000s, Ben Crowe was working for Nike. He discussed that Nike is a storytelling company. Their purpose statement reads: To bring innovation and inspiration to every athlete in the world. Nike innovates through their products and inspires through storytelling.  Consider for a moment:

• What is your favourite song?

• What is your favourite team?

• What is your favourite movie?

Now ask yourself the question: “Why?”

Many who follow sports will have a favourite team. In the AFL, I barrack for the Brisbane Lions. Why is this? Apart from watching the games, I don't have anything to do with them. I do nothing for them, and they do nothing for me. But what I do have, is an irrational, emotional connection with them because, at some point, I bought into their “story”.

I’m sure that everyone has a favourite movie. Movies are the world's number one form of entertainment and are also one of the best forms of storytelling. When you think about this, it makes sense how a powerful story can draw us in on different emotional levels. I laugh because it makes more sense why my wife cries in movies more than I do. She is a more emotionally connected person than me.

Ben Crowe goes on to discuss that to be a good storyteller, you need first to be able to know your own story. He believes that many of us don't know our own stories. Knowing our own story can also help us to be better humans. The downside for some people who experience fame and popularity is that they can struggle to separate who they are as a person and the persona portrayed through media – the story others have given them.

Being put on a pedestal makes it easy for the media to market and to tell stories about you. However, if you cannot separate the truth from the story, you can develop a 'messiah mentality'. Believing that you are bigger or better than everything else can be a trap. As soon as you believe this, you become distracted. Being distracted by materialistic items such as money or cars can make you lose sight of what is real and what is fake. You can lack perspective in life.

We have seen many examples of this over time in sports; Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods are great examples of athletes who suffered from having a messiah mentality, and both have had massive falls from stardom. Sometimes, these athletes must show more humility and realise that they put their jeans on, one leg at a time, just like everyone else.

Another issue with being distracted is that we can end up wanting to be perfect or believing we are perfect. Perfection is an external motivator that is driven by ego and fear. The problem with wanting perfection is that it is unachievable. Nothing is perfect. Self-improvement and excellence are achievable, but wanting perfection often reflects wanting approval from others. We need to remember that life itself is imperfect; it is our imperfections that connect us. Humans relate to vulnerability, and we like authenticity. As a society, we need to embrace our flaws and embrace our “weirdness”. As individuals, we all have our quirks, but it is often these very things that connect us the most.

Drew Roberts — Acting Principal

Time Flies

It’s quite ironic that I’m writing about time. This article is being written two days past its due date!

Obviously, my time management may need an overhaul, or maybe not?

I’ve always been fascinated by the concept of time. We move through it on a continual basis. We have no choice in this, we can’t stop time. Mankind have also been fascinated with time and have played with the concept of being able to time-travel and written novels with it as a theme. To understand it further, I have read books and spent time researching time through a biblical lens.

The Bible has two Greek words for time, Chronos and Kairos.

Chronos is the easiest to understand and we have the words chronological and chronicle from it. It refers to time as a measurable concept. The chronology of minutes and seconds, hours and days, governed by the carefully calculated sweep of the earth around the sun. School years divided into terms and weeks. Teachers and students with their timetables and endless days of lessons and work to be completed. Time as an endless march into the future.

Kairos is different and is the concept I most like. Kairos time isn’t marked by an endless march, but is in the moment. Naomi Matlow writes: ‘Kairos is what many philosophers and mystics would refer to as “deep time.” This is the time where the world seems to stop entirely. It can be measured in deep exhales, a shared laugh, or by a colourful sunset.’ Richard Rohr refers to a Kairos moment as a time in life that can feed your soul. When you find yourself in Kairos time, you lose track of Chronos time. Kairos time is experienced, not measured. It is that ‘aha’ moment. It is where you lose track of time.

To move Kairos into the school environment; it is the lesson where students get so caught up in learning that they stop watching the clock. They thirst to explore deeper. They spend time with school friends and share moments of connection and understanding. For teachers it is that lesson that flows and engages their students. It is a shared journey of understanding. It is watching the ‘aha’ moment on a student’s face when they master a tricky concept.

As a school we have to engage with Chronos time. We need calendars, and timetables and lessons on breaks, all to make the school function. Our challenge is to make Emmanuel a place also of Kairos. A place of deep discussions and learning experiences. A place to explore and marvel at this world and creation. A place to encourage the building of a connection with our Creator God.

I would like to end with an Abraham Heschel quote from his book on the Sabbath:

‘God is not in things of space, but in moments of time.’

Annie Joy — Acting Deputy Principal