Message from the Headmaster
‘… faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. ’
James 2:17
Dear Students, Parents and Carers
Practical Christianity at Shore
As I am sure all are by now aware, Service Learning at Shore is being elevated to the status of a major initiative of the School. Structurally and developmentally it sits within our Mission of Building Good Men. Indeed, this is a key part of Shore’s Strategic Direction 2023 – 2025. The underlying assumption is that an aspect of the very goodness of Good Men is a concern for others. Such concern is thoroughly and fundamentally Christian. This being the case, it is essential, if we are to act with substance and integrity, for substantive actions to occur rather than merely fine words to be spoken. The New Testament Apostle James wrote:
“Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:15-17)
What follows is an account from Mr Huw Blood, Head of Service Learning, of Shore’s recent Rough Edges Sleepout. It is one aspect of our long relationship with the Rough Edges café, serving the homeless.
The capstone of this programme, at least as far as 2024 is concerned, will be on Speech Day, where our Guest of Honour and orator, Rev Tim Costello AO, is well known as one of the main advocates for assisting the underprivileged. Rev Costello was formerly the CEO of World Vision Australia.
Shore Sleepout
Late last Term on Saturday 22 June, the annual Shore Sleepout took place at St John’s Darlinghurst Church and Rough Edges café. The event comprised of a significant educational journey in which staggered year groups departed from Shore, with various checkpoints along the journey, ending up at Rough Edges to sleep out. The intention of the event was to also develop a sense of what a day and night feels like for many people sleeping rough in Sydney.
Boys, staff and parents listened to Allied Health Services supporting homelessness and learned from a variety of patrons’ stories, involving domestic violence, addiction, homelessness, discrimination and marginalisation. At each of the checkpoints, boys, parent volunteers, and staff gained personal narratives of experiences encountered by patrons, with opportunities to ask questions and learn about many important issues.
The event itself created many profound experiences for all involved, to understand, empathise and be inspired to continue in service to others. Boys, throughout the evening and night, had moments of reflection with staff in discussing what they had heard and experienced.
Furthermore, the Sleepout helped raise significant funds through generous donations from the Shore community to support St John’s Community Services, via the Rough Edges café and, importantly, in support of Banksia Women. The event raised more than $50,000 in support of these vital community services, and impressively involved over 225 students, 30 staff and 30 parent volunteers.
The event itself highlighted the very real demand and need in Sydney, with increasing pressure on many people and communities struggling with a range of societal and financial pressures. Shore continues to be actively involved in supporting Rough Edges through weekly service and cooking meals through Our Big Kitchen. As we continue to build our Service Learning programme at Shore, we encourage the entire community to support these initiatives, through time, service and humility, in serving the greater good.
A special thank you to Rough Edges staff, the many parent volunteers, the Shore staff and the many boys involved in this most worthwhile cause.
Mr Huw Blood
Head of Service Learning
A Thank You from Rough Edges
June has been a particularly full month for us. We had the terrific experience of hosting the Shore boys sleepout, where over 200 boys slept rough at the St John’s Darlinghurst site. This was an amazing feat of logistics as it was one of the wettest nights of the year! The aim of the night was to provide the students with an immersive experience of homelessness. Sincere thanks to Huw Blood, Head of Service Learning at Shore, for his commitment and vision. Wonderfully, the boys raised over $50,000 for us.
Read about their adventure on the Rough Edges website.
Thank you for being a part of our community of support and making sure we can continue to be a place of safety and healing in these very difficult times.
Blessings,
Gabriel
Saint John’s Community Service CEO
Sport at Shore
Over time, the range of sports offered, and complexity thereof at Shore, has grown. At the same time, the awareness of the need to mitigate risk has become more prevalent and demanding. One of these issues which needs very careful management is concussion, as the medical science is now indicating that blows to the head are far more serious in effect than what was once believed. The implications include the need to be very intentional in our onboarding of new coaches such that, in terms of Shore culture and risk mitigation, they are comprehensively informed. As a consequence of this growing complexity, Shore has moved into alignment with other GPS schools in making provision for two staff to lead in this area. Mr Mark Ticehurst has moved “upstairs” in the scope of Sport to the new position of Head of Sport. He continues as President of the AAGPS (Athletic Association of Greater Public Schools) and, as such, is the only other member of a school staff who meets regularly with the GPS Heads. Mr Gareth Inches is moving from Head of PDHPE into the substantive position of Sportsmaster. Mr Jono Sparks will act as Head of PDHPE for the remainder of 2024 while recruitment proceeds in the total staffing operation leading into the new academic year. I am grateful to all of those who continue to serve Shore so faithfully in these important domains.
Dr John Collier
Headmaster