In this issue

The Student Library Council (SLC) provides a “voice” for Secondary students regarding library matters.

• “As the captain of the Student Library Council, it has been an experience I have learned a lot from, and it has given me great joy to help improve the library to make it more accessible and enjoyable for students,” Rebecca Willock.
• Tharina Vosloo says, “The SLC meets almost every Thursday. We discuss how we, the students, can improve our library, promote reading, and promote fundraisers. It is a great opportunity to be a part of the Council, as we get to have a say in what goes on around our school and how we can spread the tree of growing knowledge.”
• Keira Holmes presented to combined form classes why Students need School Libraries.
• “The SLC allows for the students to have their say in the library, which is such an important cultural part of our school – I am proud to be part of it,” Jessica Goodwin.
• Other members of the SLC include: Charlotte Guy, Hannah Power, Emmerson Clark, Cassie McGinley, Brandi Roebuck and Jessica Pritchard.

The Accelerated Reader program in Years 4 and 5 assists students to choose books which are a good fit for their reading and comprehension ability. To motivate the students to read, the online program keeps track of the books read and counts the number of words. Many students have received certificates for their efforts.

Congratulations to the following students who received certificates at the end of Term 3:

• Over twenty students had read over one million words
• Two students had read over two million words: Elijah Nicol and Olivia Caddy-Welsh
• One student had read over three million words: Olympia Dimitrakas
• One student had read over four million words: Adley Lucas

Joy Payne

Director Library Services

Term 4 traditionally in most schools is a season of transitions, finishings, and celebrations.

Throughout the term, we have a range of transition times for students in certain year levels:

• Kindy into Prep
• Prep into Year 1
• Year 6 into Year 7

Managing change in children is important, in terms of establishing what the new routines and expectations will be, in order to make the change as comfortable as possible. Kindy into Prep can be the most difficult transition, or the best, depending on how it is done. Research shows that if we get this first major transition in life right for children, there are enormous benefits for future life changes, with children handling major adjustments emotionally much better. Our Prep staff do a wonderful job of carefully welcoming our newest students into Genesis over term 4, and beginning to instil into them the culture of Genesis. They do this through three separate transition days, with students experiencing life in Prep classrooms, as well as the number of specialist activities and subjects they will encounter in Prep.

For the Year 6 students, whilst transitioning into Secondary is a priority, much of the last term is spent finishing Primary school well, with their final Colours Assembly, Final Chapel Service, Year 5 and 6 Celebration Service, Graduation and finally, the Graduation Dinner. These events are milestones in children’s lives, with very fond memories created. Our staff team work really hard to make each event symbolic of the achievements or celebrations we are honouring at each service. Please pay close attention to the College Calendar and letters sent home for key dates and requirements for each event.

Sport in our Primary School is flourishing with Mrs McCarthy our Director of Sport, leading our curriculum and co-curricular sporting activities. Term 4 sees all of our Prep to Year 2 students doing swimming lessons at the Genesis Aquatics Centre as part of their weekly program. Year 3 to 6 students have their annual swimming carnival on Friday,  8 November to which parents are welcome to attend.

This term in Primary, we welcome to our staff Mrs Jamie-Lee Le Roux who replaced Mr Ryan Wilkinson following his departure from Genesis. We also welcome Miss Amelia Wooderson into the Year 5 team, replacing Mrs Keran Hart whilst on maternity leave. We also welcome back to Genesis Mrs Sandra Greenwood, replacing Mrs Laura Horsley whilst on maternity leave.

Jeremy Williamson

Head of School (Primary)

Surveys have consistently shown that children have been exposed to rising amounts of screen time in recent years, as well as parents struggling to manage the moods and time demands of children and young people.

As kids spend increasing amounts of time tethered to a digital device, it makes sense that the time they are online, is time well spent. As parents we’re often concerned about the connections children and young people are making and the subsequent impact on their wellbeing. We’re often concerned about the content they’re consuming, and how helpful, relevant and safe it is for them. Rightfully, there’s concern that the time spent online, scrolling, searching and swiping, may well be time better spent on other pursuits.

Read more here about creating healthy digital habits in kids.

Beat the rush – purchase uniforms now for 2020!

If you purchase uniforms now and are concerned they may not fit in 2020, leave the tags on and we can exchange the items on Wednesday 22 January 2020.

Opening Hours:

• Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday
• 8:15am – 9:45am and 2:30pm – 3:30pm

Second Hand Uniform Buy Back

• We will be accepting second hand uniforms until 12pm Friday 6 December 2019
• Uniform items should be clean and in good condition. At the discretion of the College, we will not accept any items that have not been laundered or are in poor condition.
• Please bring uniforms to the Uniform Shop during business hours: 8:15 – 9:45am and 2:30 – 3:30pm, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
• All items must be bagged with name and address.
• Payment for second hand uniforms will be processed via Direct Deposit. Forms are available from the Uniform Shop to complete. Please note we are unable to pay cash.

Flexischools Online

Did you know you can know purchase uniforms online via Flexischools?

Lay-bys

The uniform shop has a lay-by system that is offered to all our families in the College. When using this system we require a 20% deposit and regular payments, with the lay-by being finalised within 3 months. We encourage our families to utilise this system in order to alleviate the January rush.

Shoes Requirement Extract for 2020

Prep:

• Joggers with College sport socks (velcro straps are recommended for independence).

Years 1 and 2

• Buckle up or velcro strap regulation black leather/vinyl shoes are acceptable.

Years 1-12:

• Regulation black leather/vinyl lace up shoes (not boots, joggers or slip-ons).
• Ballet style slip-on shoes or heels higher than 2.5cm, for girls are not permitted for safety reasons.
• Sport shoes must be recognised running cross training, netball, tennis or low-cut basketball shoes predominately white, which provide foot support, and are to be worn with the sports uniform. Fashion sports shoes that do not provide ankle and arch support i.e. skate shoes, Volleys, canvas slip-ons or Converse shoes are not permitted.
• Cleat shoes are not to be worn away from the fields. Grass is to be cleaned from shoes before entering the toilet/change block and classrooms.
• Only white shoe laces are acceptable in sports shoes. Coloured shoelaces including black laces are unacceptable. Shoes must be kept clean and in good condition.

Cathy van Vuuren
Uniform Shop Coordinator

Have some fun! Host a student from Japan in 2020!

As Term 4 begins, you might have noticed that lots happened around the College while students and teaching staff were away!

Our Stage 20 STEM building is progressing well with the suspended slab for the first floor complete and structural steel erected. You will begin to see many changes happen quickly now that the foundation work is complete. Concrete columns are rising ever higher.  During the school holidays, the contractors worked on attaching the suspended walkway to the rear of the Science Centre as well as structural work for a fly-over cover into the Middle School area. Getting this work done during the holidays greatly minimised the noise and disruption to regular College life.

Speaking of covered walkways, have you spotted the new shade cover on the eastern side of the oval near the green shed? Thank you to the Property staff who erected it over the holidays.  The shade cover is 70m long and will give staff and students a dry passage to and from class and a shaded area to conduct sports classes.

We know the grass is a bit brown in places throughout the campus, as I would imagine is the case at most Genesis family homes right now.  Let’s keep praying for rain!

Kevin Dekker

Director of  Facilities

Wrap Up – Genesis Festival 2019

Thank you to our Genesis students, families, College staff, our surrounding community and supporters for their support in the lead up to and on the day of our Genesis Festival 2019.

It was a hugely successful day and we hope that our families enjoyed themselves.  The fireworks were a huge hit and a wonderful way to finish off the Festival for 2019.

Thanks must go to the many volunteers who helped in so many ways in the lead up to the event. Additionally, thank you to the many helpers on the day who volunteered in the stalls or in other ways.

To our conveners, thank you for stepping up and attending the pre-festival meetings and for co-ordinating your stall on the day. We simply couldn’t do it without you! To our sponsors, thank you for your support!

We look forward to hopefully seeing you all again 2021!

Andrea Maunder

President 

Gabby Holden

Vice-President 

Wow it’s Term 4 already!

This year has flown by so quickly and the Careers & Student Support Services Department has been kept very busy working to ensure our senior students feel confident about not only their subject choices but about their pathway through school and beyond.

Our suite of initiatives is designed to ensure that students have access to high-quality career information that will help them to:

• Gain the skills to navigate career possibilities.
• Make informed career and pathway decisions to prepare them for life beyond school.
• Meet the challenges of the rapidly changing world of work.

These initiatives focus on:

• Career education that begins in Year 10 to help students generate a Senior Education & Training Program (SETP) and choose appropriate subjects for Years 11 and 12.
• A work experience program that both enhances student engagement with the workforce and provides opportunities to experience different jobs and make informed subject/career choices.
• Delivering quality information sessions and expos that recognise the importance of completing senior school.
• Recognising that each student is an individual through a planned program designed to encourage their uniqueness.

Our prayer is that each student will recognise God’s unique plan for their lives and the individual gifts that he has so graciously bestowed on them (Jeremiah 29:11 and 1 Corinthians 12:7-11).

God bless for the rest of 2019.

Mandy Bullock

Director of Careers & Student Support Services

The Dramatic Arts department has been buzzing over the last couple of months, with some unique experiences and major successes. Our Year 10 Dance class enjoyed a professional ballet workshop with Queensland Ballet dancer, Kathleen Doody, before going to the Queensland Ballet’s performance of “Romeo and Juliet”. The students were left feeling inspired and motivated.

Over the September holidays, our incredible Dance Company travelled down to Sydney to compete in the Dance Life Unite National Finals. The girls burnt the floor, winning the contemporary and musical sections and placing second and third in lyrical and jazz. While in Sydney, the team also enjoyed some extra special dance experiences including, seeing “West Side Story” at the Opera House and participating in dance workshops at Brent St Performing Arts.

Now, all of our curriculum and co-curricular students are busily preparing our Department’s night of nights, “Dance Showcase”.  There will be 2 shows, Thursday 24 and Friday 25 October. Tickets are on sale and selling fast via Flexischools. This event does not disappoint, so be sure to secure yourself a seat before it’s too late!

Emily Briddock

Innovation and Learning Leader – Dramatic Arts

“I’ve loved every minute of it and I’m absolutely devastated I’ll never play in front of these fantastic supporters again.” – Steven Gerrard (Liverpool FC)

When the Year 12 students said farewell to Wednesday sport last term, I immediately thought of the above quote from Steven Gerrard. As Year 12 is the year of last schooling experiences, it was great to provide an opportunity for the school to say thank you and good luck in their sporting endeavours by returning them to their primary school years with some inflatable fun. What great fun and what a great way to finish a great term!

Major highlights

• Well done to our netball girls making the semi-finals of the Metropolitan Trophy.
• 41 Genesis students participated in the Regional Athletics Carnival.

Genesis Individual Achievements:

• Stephanie Leech competed at the National Junior Road Cycling Championships on the Gold Coast in September.
• Stephanie Hallas had an outstanding performance at the National School Futsal Championships, where she played for the QLD North Coast U14 team. Not only did Stephanie’s team win the premiership, she also received the following awards:
  • Golden Boot for most goals scored (U14 girls)
  • Most Valuable Player
  • All Star 5
• Tina Serafino qualified for nationals in beach volleyball
• Claudia Altmann, Shandri Barnard, Harrison Barr, Ella Booker, Antoya Dan, Alyssa Postle, Charlize Sivyer, Vyeisha Tuua and Madeleine Winn qualified for the Met North Athletics Team to compete at State Championships.
• Kirralee Hayes swam for Queensland at the Swimming Australia State Teams Short Course Championships and won all five events that she competed in.
• Charlize Sivyer was recently named in the Netball QLD U17 Squad for 2020.
• Janelle Pais is a state cricket champion after winning the State Championship in the Met North School Sport Team.
• Georgia Beaumont competed with the Junior Matildas in the AFC U16 Championships in Thailand and scored two goals!
• Gold medals at the Rowing QLD Schools State Championships for Ella Smith and Jaeve Proberts in both Year 10 and Year 11 double sculls. They are undefeated in their age group from their first race at the start of this year. Outstanding results also came from Brayden Jealous and Ryan Sutherland who came 3rd in the Year 9 double scull.

Sporting Results

• Met Finals
  • Netball Semi-finals:
    • Year 7 lost to Cleveland
    • Year 10 lost to Redlands
• Caboolture Rugby Union 7’s
  • Open Boys won 3 from 4
  • Open Girls won 1 from 4
  • U15 Boys won 1 from 3
  • U13 Boys won 1 from 4
• BOSNL Netball

Neil Holmes

Director of Sport – Secondary

Spotlight: Design & Industrial Technologies | LEEP STEM

This semester our Year 8 LEEP STEM students are investigating how engineers and medical doctors work together to improve the lives of amputees and the challenges faced when designing new prostheses with functional and cosmetic criteria and constraints.

To aid these students in their understanding of prothesis, we were lucky enough to have a prosthetist from Prosthetic Solutions bring in some real-life examples of upper limb prosthetics.  One of the devices included a myoelectric prosthetic hand which works by placing sensors that harness the electrical signals from your muscles to control the movement.  We challenged Zeph Hardie to pick up a plastic cup without squashing it. The resulting crumpled cup highlighted just how challenging it is to use these electrical signals to perform finer motor tasks.  Zeph was able to redeem himself once lollies were added to the challenge!

Students also got to try out a conventional body powered limb which is held in place by a harness and powered by a high tensile cable and provides a very high level of durability and control. Ben McGrath and Charney Swarts were quickly able to master the use of this device.

A huge thank you to Prosthetic Solutions for showing us these devices and allowing our students to get a better understanding of what everyday life is like for amputees.

Spotlight: HaSS | History

Last term, Maryborough was flooded with our Year 9 cohort as we ventured up to visit the Military and Colonial Museum for an excursion. With a focus on World War I in History, the museum offered the students over 10,000 items of memorabilia to see, touch and experience from the War. Additionally the new multi-million dollar “Gallipoli to Armistice Trail” gave the students real world experiences as they walked the trail learning about local soldiers and Australian heroes while also paying tribute to the ANZACs.

John Meyers and 23 wonderful volunteers from the museum gave the students an up-close opportunity to take history from the textbook page and give it a voice with unique tales, perspectives and encounters of war and military life since. The day was filled with special experiences as we were greeted on arrival by a piper playing the bagpipes. Over lunch, we were given the privilege of witnessing the Time Cannon being fired just metres away as it represented a scaled version of the real thing.

The Museum’s collection of military memorabilia is unusual and eclectic with an exceptional display of all Australian theatres of war from the Boer War to the Iraqi conflict. The extensive range includes rare war medals, uniforms, the water carrier “Furphy”, original ship bells plus so much more.

The three-storey murals, the Ferret Scout reconnaissance vehicle and the WWII Harley Davidson motorbike were just some of the many items that provided the students with both amazement and a solemn reflection of our brave Australian soldiers and the sacrifices they made for our country.

This History excursion gave our students an extraordinary adventure that was rich in Australian History and provided an opportunity they wouldn’t get elsewhere.

The Rite Journey

Year 9

Last week, we celebrated the culmination of months of work at the 2019 The Rite Journey Expo and Mentor Appreciation Evening.

A key aspect of The Rite Journey is for students to build a relationship with a significant adult, who is not their parent. To assist the growth of this relationship, the duo works together on a project which is displayed at the expo.

Every year the standard of projects is impressive and 2019 was no exception! Amazing projects included:

• A remote controlled plane
• Furniture
• Food
• Craft
• Samurai armour
• Clothing
• Building design and decorating
• Environmental awareness campaigns
• Outdoor adventures;
• Many other fantastic projects

A huge thank you to the many mentors and the time they have invested in our students lives.

Cate White

Year 7 Care and Conduct Leader

Year 9 The Rite Journey Leader

Term 4 is jam-packed with special events!

Most notably our presentation events and our farewell to the Class of 2019. A separate letter will be coming home about times and dates.

I love these events. I love how we gather together after a year of effort, determination, and practice to celebrate outstanding student achievement across all realms.

We get to acknowledge the best qualities of Genesis. The ones we strategically plan for and strive in earnest to achieve. We celebrate achievement in sport, service to the school and broader community; excellence in the arts; character that reflects Christian values; academic distinction; and student leadership. We will get to see first-hand the outstanding quality of our bands, dancers and choirs.

We celebrate the Genesis Student; the work product, as it were, of parents and teachers seeking the common good in the life of your children/our students. We give thanks to our God for His provision, gifting and enabling.

A quick reminder to all that all students are to be in formal uniform with every attention made from shiny shoes to grooming.

Blessings,

Stuart Taylor

Head of School – Secondary

Welcome to Term 4 – here’s an update on what’s been happening in Primary Sport!

NISSA:

• NISSA sports have continued strongly with our second Gala Day for Semester 2 showing some great performances and teamwork from the students.
• Semester 2 sports will continue with training in weeks 1-3 in Term 4 culminating in our last Gala Day of 2019 on Friday, 1 November.

BOSL Netball:

• Our BOSL Netball season finished strongly with both of our teams winning their final games. Genesis 1 took out the Grand Final as winners of the tournament. Our Genesis 2 team won their game to finish in third place. What an amazing effort from our girls!
• Congratulations to Marley Pinkstone, Olivia Young and Emma Nieuwoudt who were selected in the honorary All-BOSL Netball team.
• Our BOSL Soccer season finished in a nail-biting loss to The Lakes College after extra time. Our boys had a very successful season with some fantastic performances.
• Congratulations to Nicholas Lamprell, Jordan Vellnagel and Isaac Smith who were selected in the honorary
  All-BOSL Soccer team.

Congratulations:

• Taj Harrington won the QLD Boxing Title and was also awarded Best Boxer of the Tournament.
• Mia Croucamp competed in the State Championship winning Met North 10-12 years Girls Cricket Team.
• Mitchell Enchelmaier was selected in the Brisbane Patrons Shield Team for swimming.
• Mackenna Magill played for Queensland at the recent National School Futsal Championships and was selected in the Australian Futsal U13 Girls Team to tour Spain in April/ May 2020.  Additionally, Mackenna was selected for the U13 NPLW Football Team. The NPLW competition is the highest level of female football in Queensland.

Upcoming Events:

• • 23/24 October: We have 4 teams in the Brisbane International School Tennis Challenge
  • 27 October: QLD All Schools Aquathlon
  • 8 November: Years 3-6 Primary Swimming Carnival
  • 22 November: QSS Relays Carnival

Louise McCarthy

Director of Sport – Primary

Well-Being and Good Mental Health in Upper Primary

There have been many reports about the importance of well-being and good mental health in the media lately.

As a College, we also want to contribute to the well-being and life-long skills of our students. As part of our school’s 5 year strategic planning, we have a team of leaders and teachers discussing and developing with plans to support the social and spiritual well-being of our students as this plays an important role in the development of our students into adults.

With the support of Simon Bedville (Assistant Head of Primary), Chris Walters (Primary Care and Conduct Leader) and Pam Nadler (Pastoral Care), Years 4 and 6 are considering their body images, friendships, sense of belonging and safety and this has been supplemented with weekly lessons based on the programs, “Wise Girls” and “Guy Wise”, by Sharon Witt. Sharon is a renowned Australian author of books and programs for young people as well as an educator and teacher.

Topics included in these programs are:

• Discovering your uniqueness
• Friendships
• Managing social media and the internet
• Coping with bullying
• Strategies for dealing with anxiety, stress and tough times
• Developing positive self-talk
• Cyber Safety
• Belonging
• Building good character

In Health, Years 3 and 5 students have been going through the program, “My Life Rulz”. “My Life Rulz” are 10 fundamental “rules” to build emotional resilience. They’re not rules as such, but rather they are read as principles to guide one’s life by.  By nature, rules are inflexible and seek to control thinking. “My Life Rulz” however, seeks to guide thinking and enhance one’s ability to live well.

Some of the topics covered in this program:

• I belong here. I do belong.
• I deserve to feel safe and loved – always.
• Sometimes life is good and fair.  Sometimes it’s not.
• All my choices matter.  They all have consequences.

Di Todd
Director of Innovation and Learning – Upper Primary

Welcome back to Term 4!

We trust that you and your family had a restful break with renewed energy for all that is ahead to finish the year well.

A question I was asked recently is, “What is the most important partnership in your work?”

For me personally it’s definitely the partnerships I have with parents and students. When we work together as part of the same team, using our different but significant insights into a situation, it can lend itself to effective outcomes. As we move towards the end of another great year, I want to remind you of the great resource you have in your child’s school, teacher, support staff etc. We can help your child to finish the year strong and to continue to grow towards their potential. The Pastoral Care Team is also here to help, so please don’t hesitate to contact us.

We are praying for you and your children that you will know the blessing and protection of our God as we finish 2019.

Louise Klar
Head of Pastoral Care and Growth / College Counsellor

What’s been happening in Pastoral Care?

It was a busy end to the term last month!

Last month, we were very fortunate to have Karen Young and Michelle Mitchell present their seminar, “Building Brave:  The impact one caring adult can have on anxiety and resilience”. It was a full house in the Performance Theatre, filled with parents and carers keen to learn new strategies that could help them to better understand and support their children.

Karen spoke about how the brain is wired to protect us from harm but sometimes our brain can perceive that there is danger when there is none.  Karen helped to normalise anxiety and encouraged parents to help their children to move towards the things they are anxious about rather than avoid them.  She spoke about the importance of strong deep breaths to calm an anxious mind. Karen also suggested for parents to remain calm when their children are in a highly anxious state and to let their children know that they believe they can get through whatever challenge they are facing. All of these actions over time can help our children’s brains to, in a sense, “rewire” and overcome the sense of threat that it may be perceiving and move towards “brave”.

Michelle spoke about resilience. She suggested for a parent to consider themselves their children’s very own resilience coach where they validated their children’s feelings, rather than provide answers by helping to change their children’s language from, “What if…?” to “Even if…”.  Michelle also gave some useful suggestions to help children to feel a sense of belonging, as this has been shown to be the biggest fear in young people.  The way that parents can help their children to feel a sense of belonging is to develop a weekly ritual where they do a mutually enjoyable activity together, which can provide a foundation of belonging.  Michelle also suggested for parents to encourage their children to build a ‘”back-up tribe” of friends outside of school that they feel connected to for when they may hit challenges at school and vice versa.  For more tips from Michelle on resilience, check out her new book, “Everyday Resilience” and the “Everyday Resilience Journal” for children and teenagers.

More information and Resources from Karen Young can be found at:

www.heysigmund.com.au

More information and resources from Michelle Mitchell can be found at:

www.michellemitchell.org

Parenting Fact Sheets

In other news, we have together a number of parenting fact sheets on topics that your child may be struggling with, including:

• Anger
• Anxiety
• Body image issues
• Depression
• Disengagement from school
• Family conflict
• Self-harm
• Sleep
• Stress
• Study problems
• What is “normal” teenage behaviour?

There is also a resource list which contains books and articles about specific issues.  This information can be found on Parent Lounge under “School Links” > “Family Resources” and is also available on our website.

If you would like to speak to anyone in the Pastoral Care team about any concerns you have for your child’s wellbeing, please contact us – pastoral@genesis.qld.edu.au

Julie McGovern

College Counsellor / Assistant to Pastoral Care

Our Schools of the Future

I think it would be fair to say that the classroom I inhabited (quite) a few years ago, is not vastly dissimilar to classrooms of today.  Obviously there is a greater focus on the use of technology and the more explicit implementation of 21st century skills such as collaboration and critical thinking into lesson planning, but the premise still remains the same.

Thinking about the next decade of education and beyond however, I think the scenario will be different.  Young people of today are living in a world that is changing at a rate never experienced before and education has to keep up, so as to prepare them for the workforce and life beyond the walls of the College.

Genesis students in the near future and currently, will be able explore the pyramids of Giza or Roman ruins by strapping on VR goggles, or design a prosthetic limb using a 3D printer, which may improve the lives of amputees. No longer will our classrooms be preparing students for a specified workforce, but rather preparing our students to think beyond the current status quo, to question and problem solve using the resources available to them. The future is an exciting opportunity to rethink how we deconstruct and deliver curriculum, looking at what is happening beyond the classroom in terms of social, political, religious and environmental landscapes to equip students for the future.

Learning spaces will become more flexible, which will provide teachers and students with more options in terms of learning and engagement.  Mobile learning will also create physical and virtual spaces for students to access their learning.

Being optimistic and prepared for the future of teaching and learning is something we are planning for at Genesis. The re-imagining of learning spaces in the Primary School over the next few years, as well as the new STEM building, due to open in January provides some of the physical space to remain current and innovative.

Nichola Welsh 
Head of Teaching and Learning (P-12)

String Theory

We’ve known for a while that matter is made of protons, neutrons and electrons – which are themselves made of quarks. Recently, scientists have proposed “String Theory” to describe these quarks as vibrating, wiggling strings of energy that are unimaginably small. So small according to Brian Greene, a Columbia University physicist educated at Harvard and Oxford, that, “If an atom were enlarged to the size of the solar system, a string would only be as large as a tree.”

As I listen to the physicist talk about String Theory it slowly dawned on me that the vibrations in String Theory can be seen as sound waves. Perhaps creation declaring God’s glory as it were. In fact one theologian puts it this way – String Theory sees the entire universe as nothing but the quivering, dancing echo of the voice of God. “Let there be light.”

At Creation God’s voice speaks, God’s voice vibrates and there it is – let there be light, let there be waters, let there be vegetation…. We can even think of the sustaining nature of God’s work in His creation as His voice. In String Theory, we might wonder if the vibration the scientist speaks of is the after-effect of God’s voice.

In our studies, in subjects like science, we see God’s general revelation of Himself. Everything is from our Creator God and everything has His stamp on it in some way. As we learn about String Theory we also need to consider how it affirms our faith and our relationship to the Lord.

Our studies in the National Curriculum are also opportunities to see God’s general revelation of Self… At times it is feint (adverbial clauses); at other times it is bright and screams at us (child soldiers). Make sure you alert your children to the parallels between the “school work” and “God’s work”. Then let them agree or disagree or grunt. No need to convince or manipulate or stretch the perspective; let God’s Spirit do His job.

Stuart Taylor

Head of School – Secondary