Happy 40th!
Elizabeth Porter, Secondary Teacher
I am sure that you have heard the phrase ‘life begins at 40’. More recently I heard that ‘sixty is the new forty’. This could be because people have a longer average life-span than they did in the past, or perhaps financial pressures and responsibilities mean we need to work until we are older. One theory I read is that 40 year olds fear death, but at 60, they warm up to it. I seriously doubt that! I am reminded once again of the amount of unwise material on the internet…
Obviously there has been a lot of rain this year; Sydney reached its average annual rainfall on April 7. Lately I actually feel surprised if we have a full day of sunshine, and I am thankful that God did not choose me to be Mrs Noah. During the Genesis Flood it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. It might have felt that long for us too, but it actually didn’t rain continuously for 40 consecutive days.
40 is a special number. A 40th birthday is an occasion to be celebrated. A 40th Wedding Anniversary is a milestone; a Ruby Anniversary. In the Bible, the number 40 has special significance. Moses stayed on Mt Sinai in worship of the Lord 40 days and 40 nights, the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years, Eli, Saul, Joash, David and Solomon each led God’s people for 40 years, Nineveh had 40 days’ warning to turn to God, Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights before He was tempted by the devil, Jesus appeared to people after his death and resurrection for 40 days, before He ascended. A generation is also represented by 40 years, and the Bible was written down by 40 different people. It’s a special number. What a wonderful blessing that Kuyper Christian School can now celebrate its 40 years!
Staff and students have been considering 40 things for which we can thank and praise God. We could all probably think of 400 things each day if we had time in our lifestyles to stop and contemplate this. As there are roughly 40 weeks of school in a year, we are focusing on one thing to thank and praise God for each week. So far, we have thanked God for our pioneers who started our school, then those parents and friends who kept it going, and for our current students, parents and carers. We have thanked God for the inspiring person that Abraham Kuyper was, and we have considered our Mission Statement and the blessing of this school community. Naturally we finished Term 1 by considering Easter. This term we are focusing on some aspects of the nature of God and praising Him for who He is. God is holy and faithful. He is love; abounding in grace and mercy. He is just, forgiving, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. In the future, we will continue to thank God for our families, homes, beautiful bush setting, work, daily provision, our future, and especially reconciliation to God through Jesus. We can be sustained in tough times knowing that our future is secure in Jesus. We can look forward to His return and enjoy His presence with us each day. There is always something we can be thankful for!
You may recall U2’s song, ’40’, based on Psalm 40.
I waited patiently for the Lord;
Psalm 40:1-4
He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
He set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God…
Blessed is the man
who makes the Lord his trust.
People in our local area have been through a lot, especially in the last two and a half years. If you are going through a tough time at the moment, share with others in our Kuyper community so that we can support and pray for you. We pray you may be encouraged by the words of Psalm 40. The Lord cares for you and rescues you. He sets your feet on the rock. May you know His blessings this week.
Please join us in celebrating our 40 years; thanking and praise God for who He is and the blessings He has given us, including our school community!
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
Kuyper at the Show
Kuyper will be on display at the Hawkesbury Show again this year, celebrating 40 Years of Learning in God’s World. Come and pay us a visit, behind the Art & Craft Pavilion, opposite the Redbank Communities display.
- Friday 6 May, 9:00am to 5:00pm
- Saturday 7 May, 9:00am to 5:00pm
- Sunday 8 May, 9:00am to 5:00pm
Parking at the showground will be muddy, muddy, muddy! Show organisers are encouraging attendees to leave the car at home and catch the train, with additional services running to and from Clarendon over the weekend. Visit Transport NSW to plan your trip.
Meningococcal Vaccine for Year 10 on Friday
Meningococcal vaccinations for Year 10 students will be held this week on Friday 20 May at 9:30am. During that time, students in Year 7, 8 and 11 who have also returned consent forms can “catch-up” on any vaccines they missed.
Students in Year 10 received their consent forms for the free Meningococcal Vaccine. If you did not receive one, or wish to register non-consent, please contact the Office. Forms need to be returned by Thursday 19 May.
You can find more information regarding the Meningococcal Vaccine here: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/schoolvaccination.aspx
Last RAHTs
By the end of this week, all students should have received one last RAHT kit. Please use them as necessary, when symptomatic, and also before returning to school next term. Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 now needs to isolate for 5 days, instead of 7, and wear a mask for a further 5 days upon their return to school. If you need extra RAHT kits, please contact the Office and we will send more home.
NSW Health advice also confirms that if a student is unwell and has any symptoms they should always test for COVID-19. If the test comes back negative for COVID-19, the student should still not return to school until either:
- they no longer have any symptoms, or
- a medical certificate is provided to the school confirming that symptoms are explained by another diagnosis (such as hay fever).
It is still important that students do not attend school if they are unwell, even if they have tested negative for COVID-19. It is also important that families follow NSW Health self-isolation and close contact guidelines if someone in their household has tested positive to COVID. If a person in your household who has tested positive cannot isolate from other family members, those family members should not attend school during the 5-day isolation period.
Working Bee, this Saturday 15 October
Our Term 4 Working Bee will be held this Saturday 15 October. Come along between 8am and 12 noon. Morning tea will be provided. You are welcome to attend part or all of the time; any help is welcome! Children may attend, but they are the parents’ responsibility.
Please register your intention to participate by emailing admin@kuyper.nsw.edu.au and bring along your gum boots, shovels, whipper snippers and safety gear. We need you!
School Tour Morning, this Saturday 15 October
We are looking forward to our School Tour morning this Saturday for non-Kuyper families. Classrooms will be open and staff will be hosting tours any time between 9:30am and 1pm. We will also be serving free barista coffee for anyone curious about Kuyper Christian School or interested in enrolling.
We encourage our Kuyper community to join us in inviting their friends and colleagues to come and see the school for themselves. You can download or share the brochure.
Premier's Reading Challenge
Every year, students from Kuyper Christian School participate in the Premier’s Reading Challenge. The Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure and enable students to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student to read, to read more, and to read more widely. The Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) is open to all NSW students in Kindergarten to Year 10.
To take part, email Mrs Vincenti, dvincenti@kuyper.nsw.edu.au
Contact the Office if you have any questions or need some help.
NAPLAN Online, Tuesday 10 May
NAPLAN Online for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will begin on Tuesday next week (10 May). All participating students will need to bring plug-in headphones. Secondary students will need to ensure that their Chromebook is fully charged for the start of the day.
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in the annual NAPLAN tests in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. All NSW schools will sit NAPLAN online in 2022.
Please contact the School Office if you need more information on special provisions or the process required to gain a formal exemption.
Where possible, we will arrange for individual students who are absent at the time of testing to complete missed tests at another time during our test schedule.
If you have any questions about NAPLAN Online, please contact the Office or your child’s teacher.
Additional resources: