A Word from Merrilynne Shaw
I vividly remember a children’s talk at a church I attended. The speaker had brought in some old leftovers he’d found in his fridge, as well as some mouldy vegetables and some bananas, way past their prime. He combined them all in a large clear bowl, creating a most unappetising brownish sludge, and then suggested the children eat it. They declined of course. The speaker asked the children what would happen if they ate it. They all agreed that they would be sick, with one bold child adding, “…from both ends.” If we put garbage into our bodies, then the garbage is going to have to come out. It’s the same with our minds. If we feed our minds with garbage, then it is going to come out in our actions.
Garbage In – Garbage Out!
This phrase is often heard in Stage 3 as we dig into the theme of Head, Heart, Hands, Hooves. If we feed our heads and hearts with garbage, then garbage will come out in our actions and behaviour; our hands and hooves.
It is increasingly important to guard our hearts and minds from the bombardment of unappetising items that are offered to us through social media and television; falsehoods about body image, inappropriate language, selfish attitudes and ideals, and so on and so on…
God created us in His image. As followers of Jesus, we endeavour to take on His attributes; to become more like Him. The Bible speaks of our bodies being the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is a contradiction to feed the same body, that is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, with things that distract and steer us away from God.
Another phrase from my youth that carries the same message of Godly living and standing for Christ is this:
The first bible a person will read is your life.
How we live and behave testifies to the core of what we believe and who we believe in. So, if we are feeding ourselves on garbage, that is what will come out in our lives. If we surrender our hearts and our minds to God, then we will produce good and wholesome fruit.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.
Philippians 4:8
Reminders
- The Parent Portal and Kuyper App will be the primary vehicle for day-to-day communications between the school and parents in 2023. The School Calendar, weekly news, event advice and other essential functions will only be available in the Parent Portal and Kuyper App. At least one parent/carer from each household where your child resides needs access to the portal or app. If you are not already using the App, or need assistance resetting your user account and password, call 4573 2999 and we will assist you to connect.
- Nurture Magazine has been sent home to each family via their eldest child. Look for an article by our very own Ruth Thompson on page 20.
- Lost Property is over-flowing. Please come and check if any of it is yours, as lost property will be discarded or re-sold at the end of the year.
- Parents are reminded to continue testing for COVID and advise us if there is COVID in their household. If concerned, we encourage students to wear a mask at school for their own and others’ protection. In line with NSW Health recommendations, we also ask that close contacts wear a mask indoors and on public transport (including the Kuyper bus) and test regularly. We still have a good supply of RAHT kits. Contact the Office if you would like some sent home.
- Reminder to parents to ensure that all fees are paid by the end of year. Contact the Office if you have any concerns.
- Families who rely on the Busways service need to know that there have been some changes to the timetables until the end of term. Use the buttons below to access the temporary timetables for Term 4.
Prayer & Praise
- Praise God that he continues in his sovereignty through all circumstances. Praise him that he is “the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God” (1 Timothy 1:17), and that he loves us.
- Give thanks for holidays, breaks and changes in rhythm. Pray for connection, peace and safety for all our families during these school holidays. Pray for connection and community to grow for all at Kuyper Christian School, particularly at Limelight!
- Pray for school families and staff families who are coping with illness and accident: Faithfull, Hill, Eastlake, Armstrong, Gubbins, Huxley, Daly. Pray for good rest, connection and healing for all our families, staff and students.
- Give thanks for our Government and those in authority. Pray that they would be led in wisdom and truth to lead our country for the future good of all. Pray that “every person be subject to the governing authorities.” Give thanks that our government has been “instituted by God” (Romans 13:1).
- Give thanks for our Board and Executive team as they interview potential new staff members. Pray for one-ness of purpose for our staff, Board, Executive team, and Association as they plan, prepare and budget for 2023. Praise the Lord for His provision to us all the time.
News & Notices
Colour Explosion Fun Run - this Friday
In response to student initiative, we will be holding a Colour Explosion Fun Run to raise money and awareness about bullying and cyber bullying in schools. We are looking forward to a fun event as we support an Australian charity, Dolly’s Dream.
The Colour Explosion Fun Run will be held after lunch, this Friday 14 May. To participate, students must wear non-uniform that includes a white t-shirt and bring a gold coin donation. During the fun run, students will be covered in non-toxic, biodegradable coloured powder from head to toe. If you do not wish your child to participate, you must submit a non-consent form (below). Your child would have already received a sponsorship form that explains the event and how they can fundraise.
If you have any questions at all, or would like another sponsorship or non-consent form, please contact the Office.
Trial Drop-Off Zone
We are currently trialing a drop-off zone so children can easily disembark from vehicles in the Secondary Carpark. This is a trial, and we welcome any helpful feedback with a view to making drop-off a safe and relatively seamless operation. This will be a staged trial initially involving drop-off only, not collection. Please email your feedback to admin@kuyper.nsw.edu.au The trial started on Monday 17 May and will run for two weeks. It will involve the morning drop-off only. Below are some guidelines:
- Only use this drop-off zone if this is normally where your children would alight. If you have been seeing your children into school at either of the other two gates, please continue to do this.
- Do not allow your children to alight at any other place in the Secondary Carpark.
- Children are not to cross the carpark. Bollards will be positioned to remind them to alight on the western (oval) side of the drop off area and use the current walkways from there.
- Drivers must take care not to block the gate as buses and cars will continue to turn around using the carpark.
- If the drop-off zone is full please do a circuit by going out the exit gate and re-entering by the entry gate. Two cars should be able to drop off at any time.
- Please do not reverse out of the drop-off zone; move forwards, turn back into the carpark (giving way to any buses and cars passing through) and continue out the exit gate.
- Remember this is a drop-off zone. To keep traffic moving smoothly, please stop only to allow your children to alight. If you need to do anything else, please exit the carpark and stop outside the fence.
Thank you for your patience as we seek to improve our facilities and systems.
Yumtown Pop-up Eatery - next Tuesday
Year 9/10 Elective Food Technology class will be running a pop-up eatery for students and staff next Tuesday 18 May at Recess for Primary Students and Lunchtime for Secondary Students.
Pre-ordering is not available. Just come to the courtyard outside the Food Technology room with the correct money for the food you would like.
Take a look at all the yummy options!
Evacuation & Lock-down Procedures
Following our last lock-down drill, we thought it would be helpful if parents understood the process. Feel free to contact the Office if you ever have any questions or concerns regarding evacuations or lock-down. One evacuation or lock-down drill is performed each term, usually alternating, so that two of each are performed every year. The Principal determines the day and time when the drill will occur. Staff are informed of the week in which the drill will occur. Students are not informed.
Evacuation
- Evacuation alarm is activated. It is a series of short siren blasts that will continue until all students have reached the assembly point.
- Students line up outside their classrooms.
- Classrooms are then locked and students, lead by their teacher, proceed to the Hall (unless otherwise advised).
- Students sit down in class groups in the Hall.
- As each class is seated, the teacher marks the class roll.
- Class rolls are compared with the daily absence list. Any discrepancies are investigated and accounted for.
- Principal provides explanation and debrief.
- Students are dismissed with their class teacher.
- Parents are (now) informed via text message.
Lock-Down
- Lock-down alarm is activated. It is a series of long siren sounds that will continue until lock-down is complete.
- Students are instructed to sit under their desks.
- Classrooms are then locked and blinds drawn by the teacher.
- Principal and Executive Staff conduct a walk-around of the school, releasing each class from the lock-down by knocking on the door and confirming that it has concluded.
- Class teacher provides explanation and debrief to students.
- Classes continue as normal.
- Parents are (now) informed via text message.
Parents & their Children's Stories
Bronte Kelso-Marsh, a PhD candidate at Murdoch University, is working on a project being developed through the University (ethics approval 2020/200), which aims to investigate the role of parental involvement in primary school-aged children’s writing.
This project is being developed to understand more about Parent/Carer involvement in a child’s writing during the primary school years. Although research has demonstrated parental involvement in a child’s education provides many academic benefits, little is still known about what parents do to support their child’s writing. Furthermore, even less is known about what motivates parents to become involved with their child’s writing. As such, this project will address these important gaps to better understand what parents are doing to support their children becoming good writers.
The attached letter provides further information about this study and invites Parents/Carers of primary school children to complete an online survey designed to capture parental involvement in writing. The survey is completely anonymous, and it will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. A link to the survey is included in the information letter below.
As participants in this research, Parents/Carers will have early access to details of any research outputs arising from this project. These will be made available online in early 2022. To view the research outputs, Parents/Carers are invited to visit the Writing and Reading for All Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/writingandreadingforall/.