Newsletter 38 - 2020 - Gilson College

Editorial

One of my favourite stories is about the survivor of a shipwreck. As the boat is going down he manages to cling to a piece of timber which helps him to keep afloat. Eventually he hears the sounds of crashing waves and realises that there is land very close and he will make it. As he is washed up on the shore, he looks around scanning the beach to see if there is anyone else. Alas, he is the only survivor.

It didn’t take long to explore what turned out to be a small uninhabited island, and soon he was praying to God to be rescued. Hours turned into days and his prayers appeared to go unanswered, so he began the work of protecting himself from the weather. Using pieces of driftwood and local resources he was able to build himself a small hut. It was nothing flash but it kept him dry in the rain, and a little warmer in the evenings. Now the days turn into weeks.

In the hut were his few possessions and nearby was a fire. One day he arose and went out looking for food and upon his return there was his little hut fully ablaze with great clouds of smoke rising heavenward. His first emotion was surprise quickly followed by anger that was directed at God. “How could you do this to me?!” he yelled at the sky.

That night he lay in the sand shivering and feeling quite dejected, and early the next morning he was startled by the sound of a boat making its way to shore. His rescue was almost complete and as they met in the shallow water he asked, “How did you know I was here on this island?”

“Well of course, we saw your smoke signal,” they responded.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11

These words recorded by the prophet Jeremiah were written down just before the Israelites were taken into captivity by the Babylonians. If there are times when you feel like your hut is on fire and burning its way to a pile of ash, remember it may be the smoke signal that is alerting you to the fact that God has sent you help.

It’s worth a thought.

Mark B Vodéll

Principal

Dear Parents / Guardians,

At this time of year when staffing for next year is being considered we once again are at a place where we can confirm the following staff changes for 2021.

It is with some sadness I let you know that Mr Conrad McPhee our much valued secondary colleague has accepted a job at Wahroonga for 2021. While we are delighted for Conrad as he is moving closer to his family, however in our community we will miss him. Conrad’s sincerity, wisdom, expertise, and valued contributions to our collective team will be missed. We wish Conrad and Yulia every blessing as they make their way up north to a more sunny and warmer climate.

Mrs Gina Littlewood who is our highly valued Year Six teacher will be moving to Queensland. Mrs Littlewood and her husband have been with us for five years and her smile, laughter and enthusiasm will be missed and we wish her and Justin God’s blessing as they head north.

Also Mrs Marcia Christian will be going into semi-retirement so as to be able to spend more time with her mother. With a career spanning almost 30 years and seven years at Gilson College – Mernda, her fantastic music productions and enthusiasm for helping these become a reality will be missed. In 2014 – ‘Daniel’ – Mrs Christian came on board and did the music. In 2015 – ‘Peace Child’ was the production and Mrs Christian did the music. In 2017 – ‘Just The Way you Are’ and Mrs Christian wrote the music & her sister wrote the script. In 2018 – ‘Intrigue in the Palace’ was directed by Mrs Bergmann and once again Mrs Christian did the music. In 2019 – ’12 Angry Men’ and Mrs Bergmann directed while Mrs Christian wrote the music. Plus all the dedication / Awards night events + Gilson’s Got Talent in the early days. The music program has evolved and many memories have been made. Our best wishes go with Mrs Christian and we know she will be a blessing to her mother.

Finally, some of you will be aware that after eight years as the Head of the Mernda Campus Mrs Jakupec will be moving north to be with her parents. This has not been an easy decision for Mrs Jakupec as she loves her job and I believe she is good at it as well. Her considerable experience, her gentle and compassionate manner, and her desire to connect with students and families has made her a well loved and appreciated campus leader.

During the early years Mrs Jakupec was instrumental in assisting a very traumatised community adapt to new operations as we took over the former Acacia College. As we have grown from a primary school with just three classes to now having a full Foundation to Year 12 program operating, this has meant considerable additional planning and work. During this time Mrs Jakupec has been the director for a considerable number of the musicals that have been presented and she has done this on top of the many other duties that call for her attention. I would like to publicly acknowledge the outstanding job that has been done by Mrs Jakupec and wish her and her husband (Daniel) all the very best as they move to be close to her ageing parents.

Replacing Mrs Jakupec involved our Head office, National office and a considerable amount of searching for suitable candidates. In the end we have asked Mrs Raelene Delvin to undertake the role of Head of Campus at Mernda. For the past 11 years Mrs Delvin has been the Head of Primary at Taylors Hill and prior to that she was the principal at Ironbark Christian School which was located in the Mernda area. Mrs Delvin also gained experience in both NSW and the United Kingdom before coming to Victoria. She is highly respected for her ability to assist staff in meeting the educational needs of our students. Further to this her support and caring manner has been greatly appreciated by our teachers on the Taylors Hill campus. I look forward to continuing to work with her on the Mernda campus and know that she will be an asset to our community.

I’m sure that you all will be pleased to have some certainty as we look forward to 2021 and I know that these changes will ensure that Gilson College – Mernda continues to be a growing, thriving, energetic and enthusiastic environment in which to work and study.

Kind regards,

Mark B Vodell

Principal

Briefly moving away from synapses, cell bodies and dendrites is the focus on clouds of quantum activity that are actually clouds of probabilities representing all the options and free choices of our minds-in-action. These probabilities are not actual waves but rather waves of probability (possibilities of choices) in a conceptual space.

The collapse of a wave, or cloud, is the updated knowledge of the observer as you go through the process of thinking, feeling, and choosing in your customised way from the range of probabilities. The probabilities are, in essence, all the choices that are available to you in any given situation. The brain is a quantum computer that calculates different computations simultaneously in response to the mind in action process of decision making. Simply put, we can hold multiple perspectives in mind at the same time.

Information enters your brain through your five senses and activate electrochemical and quantum action in your neurons and brain. The cell bodies of the neurons are activated in the now moment as you examine the information. At this point in time, the synapses are firing and connections- lots of them are forming. As a result short-term memory is born.

If we go inside the neurons, we find an incredible wonderland: miniscule tubes , around ten million per neuron which are made up of proteins which in turn are made up of amino acids, which on a molecular level are made up of six carbon atoms in the form of a ring. Quantum action is taking place and vibrating electrons oscillate from side to side in this ring. It means they do not have a fixed position or you have not made your decision. When they work together this is called coherence.

Synaptic connections that occur after the activity in the cell body and after the collapsing of the clouds account for short term memory. The dendrites will eventually store the experience as a long-term memory, provided there is a deliberate, intentional thinking and ongoing stimulation over a period of about three weeks. Deep deliberate thinking to understand and remember, activates synaptic connections, cell body activity and dendritic activity, which leads to useful long-term memory.