Torrens Valley Christian School eNewsletter

We live in a highly globalised, complex and rapidly changing world.

“Traditional, linear career trajectories are rapidly becoming an antiquated notion. It's more likely that a 15-year-old today will experience a portfolio career, potentially having 17 different jobs over 5 careers in their lifetime. They might be self-employed, working for other people or doing both - whilst also collaborating with people on the other side of the world.” Foundation for Young Australians (FYA)

The Foundation for Young Australians calls this phenomenon ‘The New Work Reality’, in a report which sheds light on the real situations facing young people 25 and under.  The Report notes that the future of work for young Australians will be characterized by flexibility and continuous change in how, what and where young people will work. In fact, two thirds of our children will work in jobs that don’t currently exist.

The three key forces that will shape the future of work are:

Automation: ever-smarter machines performing ever-more human tasks;

Globalisation: our workforce going global and the global workforce coming to us; and

Collaboration: many jobs, with many employers, often at the same time.

Commenting in the 2018 publication The New Work Reality, FYA chief executive officer, Jan Owen says, “Australia’s promise to our young people has been that their education is the ‘golden ticket’ to a full-time job. Over the past decade, however, that promise to the next generation has been broken as Australia is failing to stay responsive and relevant in a rapidly changing world….. Together we have to rethink, reinvigorate and modernise our learning systems so they support young people to develop the skills, mindset and confidence this new work reality demands.” 

Employers now list the most desirable skills as: Leadership; Collaboration; Creativity; Problem Solving; Emotional Intelligence; Social and Digital Fluency and Resilience.

What do these changes mean? And how is TVCS responding?

As a school, we have recognised the shift in industry and the future skills that will be required in today’s workforce and are embedding enterprise skills, especially problem solving, creativity and social intelligence, into general capabilities curricula and into individual subject curriculum. From a biblical perspective, we pray that our students see beyond using their education as a “ticket” to an adult role in a cycle of producing and consuming, but to recognise their vocation as an opportunity to use their God-given gifts and talents to bring flourishing and restoration to God’s world.

TVCS is preparing our young people to be 21st century learners who will take their place as godly citizens in this highly globalised, complex and rapidly changing world. 

Yours in Christ’s service,
Julie Prattis, Principal

Congratulations to Chloe who competed in a club gymnastics competition on Sunday. She placed first for beam and third for floor in her age group, receiving gold and bronze medals in these events. 

Well done, Chloe!

The titration competition is run every year by the Royal Australian Chemistry Institute (RACI). This year TVCS had 4 teams of 3 students competing and in Term 1 these teams had to determine the exact concentration of an acid. They did this in school as part of their normal Chemistry lessons. Two of the 4 teams qualified for the State Finals by having a team error of less than 2%. The State final was held last Saturday morning at the University of South Australia Hetzel Laboratories in town.

This time the teams had to determine the exact amount of sodium carbonate they were given in an unknown sample and again both of our teams had a team error of less than 2% and qualified for the National Final of the titration competition. The National Finals are held on the same day in each State of Australia and the results are collected and compiled to determine the best titration teams nationwide.

The SA National Final will be held next month (date to be confirmed) in the Hetzel Labs again but the titration they do this time will be harder.

All of the year 11 and 12 Chemistry students at TVCS were in the competition this year but the two finalist teams are made up of Jack, Jasmine, Prisca and Daniel, Katherine, and Erin.

Titrations are an important part of the Stage 2 Chemistry course and the titration competition is a good way to help students learn the concepts and techniques involved.

Mark Pompeuse, Mathematics and Science Teacher

A reminder that Daniel Crook and myself in the Library are running a “BookFace” Competition for Bookweek and a Scholastic Book Fair during Book Week (more information to follow). This involves lining up your face or body with a book cover that has a matching body part and taking a photo - please see example of Jude taking part in it!

Entries open from now until Tuesday, 20 August.

Winners announced at the Book Parade which is held on Wednesday, 21 August.

Entries to be emailed to – Heidi.barden@tvcs.sa.edu.au

Heidi Barden, Library Assistant