An extension of the Christian home
Prior to 2017, Illawarra Christian School was registered as Illawarra Christian School, Cordeaux Campus, with an additional campus, Tongarra.
Illawarra Christian School and Illawarra Christian School Prep are operated by Illawarra Christian Education.
Illawarra Christian Education schools are based on the concept that the education of children is primarily a parental responsibility and not simply the responsibility of the State (Deut 6:4-7).
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."
— Deuteronomy 6:4-7 ESV
Our schools are an extension of the Christian home, with home and school working in partnership in the education of the child, as detailed in our Vision and Mission Statements and Educational Creed.
Our model of education provides for this responsibility to be shared with the teaching staff which has been delegated authority through the Illawarra Christian Education Association, composed of Christian parents. Parents and teachers work in partnership as they provide for the spiritual, emotional, social, intellectual and physical wellbeing of the child.
Our model provides parents (through membership of the Association) with the capacity to directly influence their children’s education.
Illawarra Christian Education Association Board
The Board is responsible for the financial and overall governance of the schools and the overall management of the Association.
Any full member of the Association is eligible for election to the Board. Board members are elected to a three year term.
Andrew Spence
Andrew and his wife have partnered with Illawarra Christian Education for many years, and all three of his children have been nurtured and shaped at ICS.
Andrew is a mechanical engineer, with a Masters degree in Engineering along with an MBA. Andrew works for BlueScope Steel as the National Manager Operations and Supply Chain.
Andrew served on the Board of St Columba Preschool when his children attended and has also been a member of the Illawarra Chapter of Engineers Australia and the Asset Management Council. He also serves on the Illawarra Christian School Parent Committee.
Andrew and his family are members of Figtree Anglican Church.
Stacey Andrews
Stacey grew up in the Illawarra and has lived here for the past 25 years. She completed her last four years of high school between both ICE schools, graduating from Calderwood when it was ICS - Tongarra Campus. Stacey holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Communication & Media Studies (Advertising & Marketing) from the University of Wollongong, as well as a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice. Having worked for over 10 years as an in-house lawyer in the Legal Services Unit at UOW, in 2021 she resigned from her role at UOW to spend six months travelling Australia with her family. Since then, she has embraced being a stay-at-home mum and the flexibility it affords her to be more engaged in her children's lives and schooling. She is excited about bringing her skills to be of use to the ICE board.
Stacey and her husband Jono attend Wollongong Baptist Church with their family. Their three children currently attend Calderwood Christian School.
Andrew Brennan
Andrew and his wife Cheryl have two children who attend Illawarra Christian School. Andrew has a long standing connection with ICS, first as a student from Year 3 (graduating Year 12 as the second graduating class in the history of the school) and as a parent and member of the Association. Cheryl taught at Calderwood Christian School for over 17 years.
Andrew has a Bachelor of Nursing and a Bachelor of Commerce (Accountancy). He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia. After serving clients within large professional firms, Andrew recently purchased his own accounting firm in the southern Illawarra. He is a member of his local Rural Fire Service Brigade, an association that has lasted over 25 years.
Andrew and his family attend and are active members of Figtree Anglican Church.
Lachlan Bryant
Lachlan is the Director of Safe Ministry at the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, where he has worked for the past 11 years. He has also taught at the University of Wollongong School of Law over the past 7 years across a number of subjects. Lachlan is a fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia, a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a member of the Australian Association for Restorative Justice, and a member of the International Bar Association, as well as several other professional associations.
Lachlan has also served on various boards and committees including the Safe Ministry Board of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, the General Synod Child Safety Regulatory Environment Review Working Group, and the Ministry Standards Appeal Panel of Baptist Churches of NSW & ACT. He has served for many years as a Synod representative at the Sydney Synod, and as a Diocese of Sydney representative at the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia. Lachlan is keen to contribute his skills and experience to the work of the ICE Board and see it further its work, under God.
Lachlan is married with four children, all of whom have spent years at Calderwood Christian School, and two of whom have now graduated. The family are active members of Shellharbour City Anglican Church.
Gordon Coleman
Gordon and his wife Leang have three children, the youngest of whom attends Calderwood Christian School.
Before training for ministry, Gordon worked as a Science teacher in the public school system, then completed a PhD in Neurophysiology at the University of New South Wales.
Gordon has been the Minister at Albion Park Presbyterian Church since 2002. In addition to serving on the ICE Board, he has been a member of the Presbyterian Theological College Committee since 2013.
Phil Commins
Phil and his wife Katie have two children attending Illawarra Christian School and a third to commence Prep in 2024. Phil has been actively engaged in education and community groups for many years. He has built his academic career over the past 15 years at the University of Wollongong, recognising the importance of education at the highest level. Phil is currently the director for a modern manufacturing research entity in the Faculty of Engineering where he is passionate about furthering STEM knowledge and education. In his role in the higher education sector, he has served on many panels, committees and working groups.
Phil and his family attend Dapto Anglican Church, where he has served on the Parish Council since 2014. His other leadership roles at Dapto Anglican have included senior youth group and young adults' leader, music ministry leader and Bible study leader.
Jennifer Gray
Jennifer has been involved with Illawarra Christian School since its inception in 1982 as one of the ten pioneer students commencing at Woonona. She and her husband have three children, all of whom attend Illawarra Christian Education schools.
Jennifer works as a vocalist nationally, and internationally as a guest entertainer in venues and on luxury cruise ships, as well as caring for her three children. She has previously worked as a para-legal in residential and commercial conveyancing.
Jennifer and her family currently attend Dapto Anglican Church.
Geoff Hewitt
Geoff and his wife Marilynne have three adult children and seven grandchildren. Their daughter teaches at Illawarra Christian School and four of their grandchildren attend school there too.
Geoff was Principal of ICS from 1988 to 2007. Since then he has been Principal of Emmanuel Christian School in Hobart, and Kuyper Christian School in Kurrajong, before becoming NSW State Executive Officer for Christian Education National. More recently he worked part-time for Charles Sturt University in pre-service teacher training.
Geoff has a Bachelor of Education, a Masters of Educational Studies and a Graduate Diploma of Christian Studies. He was involved in teaching and leadership in Christian schools for over 40 years. He values the opportunity to continue to serve the Illawarra Christian Education community through Board membership.
He and Marilynne enjoy travel and the theatre and Geoff is a keen cyclist. They attend Figtree Anglican Church and St Jude's Anglican Church in Bowral.
Simon Moran
Simon and his wife have one child who attends Illawarra Christian School. Simon works for a local information technology support company as a product manager. He was the founding President of NSW Tickford Owners' Club, now the Ford Performance Vehicles Club of NSW. Simon is a motor racing and photography enthusiast.
Simon and his family attend and are active members of Figtree Anglican Church.
Policies
Policies provide advice for schools, students, parents and the wider school community on the provision of education services and decision-making processes at Illawarra Christian Education. Not all school policies are listed, but are available from the school office.
Illawarra Christian School is bound by the policies as set out by its governing body, Illawarra Christian Education.
A Model for Christian Parent-Controlled Education
