Newsletter – 15 March 2022

Lisa Clucas, Primary Teacher (with Elizabeth Porter)

Dear Parents & Carers; thank you for all that you have done and will continue to do in support of your children and their education. Your perseverance and commitment, particularly during these difficult times, are investments into who your children are growing to be. Thank you for all that you do to enable your children to experience authentic Christian education at Kuyper Christian School. We are looking forward to more and more opportunities for your involvement and our mutual communication, as together we commit our best for the benefit of your children in days and years to come.

As you know, this is Kuyper’s 40th year and we are intentionally thanking God each week for things to do with our School (see the Prayer & Praise section of the Newsletter). This week I would like to thank God for you, and your importance in the lives of your children. Every little action counts. Every piece of quality time you give to meaningfully interact with your child, despite all the busy demands, matters in the big picture.

Importantly, the second paragraph of our Vision Statement emphasises our commitment to “serve Christ by supporting parents in their God-given responsibility to nurture their children”. We see our role in your children’s lives as a calling, rather than a career. We are serving our Lord and Saviour as we support you. We are committed to working in partnership with you as you teach, nurture, and encourage your children in the knowledge and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are working with you to build a firm foundation.

Start children off on the way they should go and when they are old they will not turn from it.

Proverbs 22:6

We will not hide them from their descendents; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.

Psalm 78:4

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 10:10

Christian education teaches children about God’s path of life. God’s plan is for children to have and enjoy life to the full.

On a personal level, I am very thankful to my parents for their faithfulness in teaching me about God, and providing me with a Christian education in a Christian school. My relationship with my teachers, the way they related to me and the class, were most significant. My favourite lesson was Biblical studies. This gave me a deep love for God’s word, which remains. I was also taught to serve and help. Many Saturdays our family joined the school working bee, and my Mum volunteered to patiently help children in their learning, or supported other parents by minding their children after school.

There are some who question the value of Christian education. This is often because of a misconception. No education is neutral. There are always underlying values that filter through. These values can be communicated through a teacher’s personal interpretation of syllabus and outcomes, and their application of them, whether the school speaks openly about these things or not. In fact, nothing is neutral. Everything that happens within a classroom and school is underpinned by beliefs and values, regardless of the school. Therefore, education is a choice about the values you want your children to be nurtured or influenced into, as much as the content of the subjects on offer. The friends your children choose, and the influence of their peers is also important.

The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

Proverbs 12:26

We are thankful for the opportunity to partner with you and to teach your children from a Biblical worldview. Together, may we encourage children to remember their Creator and find fulfilling and everlasting life through Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

We look forward to meeting with you at the up-coming parent/teacher conferences.