Testimonials
HUNTER RIVER HIGH SCHOOL
16 February 2006
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
Special Religious Education
From the beginning of 2005 our school has included one 1 Hour period per fortnight of "Scripture" into the timetable of the students in Year 7. This is thanks to the generous support of the combined churches of Raymond Terrace. The churches have got together and formed the Raymond Terrace Christian Education Association, an incorporated body to raise the funds needed to pay for the salary of the teacher and for all the resources needed.
I am very pleased to tell you that Mr Angelo Cavaliere has become a valued member of staff and has seen SRE grow from a difficult beginning to a very well run and valued class by the students who participate. It has been very pleasing to see SRE have a very high percentage of participation with just four students not doing SRE out of a possible 419.
SRE is not like the old "Scripture" we used to know. Having read through the very detailed notes which Mr Cavaliere has prepared, I feel the program has much to offer all young people. Mr Cavaliere uses the motto, "Above all seek wisdom and knowledge". The program aims to allow young people to learn about the beliefs of Christianity and in Year 9 looks at a wide range of religions and to look for the common values and moral standards that these religions teach. The program will allow the students to discuss and question; to think and make decisions about themselves.
The SRE period is a standard part of the weekly timetable in Year 7. Having spoken to the principal and others at Kotara High School, and having discussed the program with Mr Cavaliere and examined his teaching notes, I can recommend the program to all students and their parents. I believe that SRE has proved to be another excellent initiative for the benefit of our students. As always, please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss this or any aspect of SRE program at Hunter River High School.
Chris Charters
Principal
Hunter River High School
Elkin Avenue,
Raymond Terrace, NSW 2324
Phone: 02 4987 2306 Fax: 02 4987 4076
Email: raymondter-h.admin@det.nsw.edu.au
KOTARA HIGH SCHOOL
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
Over the past 8 years I have been Head Teacher of PDHPE at Kotara High. When I was first appointed, in addition to my faculty responsibilities, I was given the responsibility of overseeing the Religious Education program in the school. As one of the few schools in the region that had a timetabled period of Religion I had very little opportunity to compare our program with other schools and as I had limited knowledge of Religious Education I was prepared to accept that what had been running at the school for many years was an acceptable program.
This proved to be the case and despite some concerns about the lack of alternatives to Christian religions that was being presented the program generally ran quite well. With the appointment of Angelo Cavaliere an opportunity arose to review the program. The result I believe is a program that while being presented from a Christian point of view (to be expected when the program is sponsored by a Church Board made up of Christian Churches) acknowledges the other religions and allows students to make comparisons. It also accepts students' opinions and encourages healthy debate on all issues. Angelo has also introduced relevant resource materials that engage students.
Evidence of the acceptance of the program is the number of students who seek exemptions from the program. Currently we have 3 students in total who do not participate in the RE program. Also the number of parental complaints are very low.
The RE program runs alongside our normal school program. The period for each class is linked on the timetable with PDHPE which means that there is more flexibility in timetabling PDHPE (N.B. There is and will not be any attempt to link the RE program with the PDHPE program). RE complete reports on students and follow school discipline procedures and Angelo is used as a normal member of staff for ILO's etc. Although Angelo doesn't do playground duty or any duties outside the classroom (his current situation is that he is paid by the RE Board by the number of teaching periods). Recently the Board has been willing to also pay Angelo for special days so that he can be involved in more aspects of the school.
The RE program is working well at Kotara High at the moment but I am sure that much of that is as much the result of Angelo's personality and commitment as the changes in the program. Should you have any questions please feel free to contact me.
Neil Pratten
Head Teacher PDHPE
Kotara High School
Lexington Parade
Adamstown Heights, NSW 2289
Phone: 02 4943 3044 Fax: 02 4942 1049
Email: kotara-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au