St Philips Christian College Gosford's Deputy Principal, Mr Peter Muddle had the opportunity to speak at Sydney Town Hall's meeting of My Christian Schools, in May.
It is a privilege to speak on behalf of how St Philip’s Christian College, through our work in Newcastle, the Hunter Valley, Port Stephens, and Central Coast, is making a difference in the lives of young people, providing opportunity and hope, while introducing them to Jesus.
Example 1: SPCC Young Parents is all about Generational Transformation. The enrolment criteria for Young Parents is simple - getting pregnant before 20, although our youngest ever student was only 14. Instead of dropping out of school completely, this is a school where the students drop their young children into the Christian preschool onsite, then they head into class to complete a meaningful HSC, including vocational certificates in retail, childcare, business services – whatever their passion area, to give them hope of an exciting future. This school is an expression of Christian love in action.
Example 2: The Worimi people of Port Stephens approached us and asked us to start an Aboriginal school that would tailor education to provide educational in an environment that would promote the cultural identity of our first nations students, through a bilingual approach to education, rich an understanding of Aboriginal culture and heritage. And so, we started Gilibaa! We believe that as we seek to provide reconciliation and helping our students find their identity, where better than a Christian school, given our experience of the ultimate reconciliation we have received to God through Jesus Christ. Our key core value of Christ First underpins all that we do, Gilibaa we are meeting a local need in sharing Christ’s love to the students and their families.
Example 3: Our Dynamic Learning schools provide an individualised approach to schooling for students for whom schooling does not come easy! Small, well-supported classrooms improve learning outcomes for the students, so they don’t fall through the cracks of the education system. This educational program, like others, is changing lives.
Example 4: HSC SmartTrack is an alternative program offered in our mainstream schools allowing students to complete their final years of schooling while starting their career. Students attend school 3 days per week, completing a full non-exam, non-ATAR HSC, while beginning an apprenticeship on the other 2 days of the week. Our SmartTrack include early childhood educators, mechanics, electricians, retail trainees, teacher’s aides and ICT specialists, all while keeping the benefits of completing their HSC at school. HSC SmartTrack is making a difference in the lives of these students, who are made in the image of God, are uniquely gifted, and greatly loved and valued by Him.
There are many other things I don’t have the time to share, like the many other programs in our mainstream Colleges, our NARNIA early learning centres, our Saints Academy program, or the St Philip’s Teaching School, leading the development of well-prepared teachers for Christian school classrooms in a model the government are asking us for advice on. This is just a snapshot!
Finally, I stand here before you as a product of Christian schooling and am passionate about it. My parents were heavily involved in Christian schooling in the early 1980s, and my wife and I have always been committed to our children attending Christian schools from the beginning, to learn from teachers who open God’s world and word up to them. Currently, we are working to develop a new St Philip’s Christian College in Charmhaven on the Central Coast, set to start building soon. We have designed amazing learning spaces and sporting facilities, but the thing that is going to make this Christian school authentic, is in employing Christian staff into the future. For whatever the context, Young Parents, schools for Indigenous students, Dynamic Learning, Early Learning or somewhere in the delightful mix of K-12, it is Christian Staff who are the heartbeat of our schools.
We live in significant times. Critical times. And so from this first generation Christian school student, second generation Christian school parent and school leader, and hopefully third generation Christian school grandparent, my prayer is that Christian schools will continue to be preserved in regard to our freedoms, focus and direction, so that we can all continue to see Christian schools staffed by Christian staff, teaching Christian values and holding firm to the truths of the Bible.
Click here to watch the video that was played prior to Peter Muddle's speech.
