Worth it?
Mark Ramsay, Head of Learning & Development
Are you worth dying for?
There have been so many powerful movie scenes depicting the sacrifice of a hero for other people. Spoiler alert; I’m about to tell you who dies in a few movies…
Tony Stark in Endgame has to be my all-time favourite. I may have shed a tear in that one. Superman in Dawn of Justice and Russell Casse in Independence Day are also worthy mentions. In all these movies, the hero is making a sacrifice for friends and family, which is noble and moving. Perhaps we hope that we would do the same, if necessary.
But what if the people who are saved aren’t connected to the hero? What if they are indifferent to the sacrifice? What if they are enemies?
The Bible speaks clearly. All humans are God’s enemies.
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…
2 Timothy 3: 2-4
We are not mischievous puppies who chew God’s favourite shoes. We are not lovable rascals. We are ‘boastful’, ‘proud’, ‘disobedient’, ‘ungrateful’, ‘unforgiving’, ‘rash’. This is who we are, and it’s not pretty. But it’s true.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us… For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
Romans 5:6-10
And this is also true; even though we weren’t worth dying for, Jesus died for us. Why? Because God loves us!
Don’t get tricked into believing that God owes you anything. He doesn’t owe us health or wealth or success. We have no right to expect anything good from God, and this makes His generous, gracious, abundant love and kindness even more beautiful. We don’t need a Tony Stark or Superman or Russell Casse because we have the Son of God offering us salvation.
As we enjoy the Easter long weekend and spend time with friends and family, remember that the death and resurrection of Jesus for us is significant because we are not worth dying for. But Jesus did it anyway.
Reminders
- Thank you to Year 6 families for your RSVP to the Graduation Dinner. If you haven’t already, please pay for your seats (and your child’s) using this link. There is also a Year 6 Big Day Out on Wednesday 7 December. Check the App or contact the Office for assistance.
- Parents who have received notification about their password for the expiry of the Kuyper App. Please call 4573 2999 to reactive your Parent Portal access.
- Nurture Magazine will be sent home to each family via their eldest child this week. Look for an article by our very own Mrs Ruth Thompson on page 20.
- Borrowing from the Kuyper Library has ceased. All library books need to be returned. We will be invoicing families for any books that we do not receive.
- 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. There have been a few cases in the Primary school. 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 excursions, school events and celebrations for families to enjoy together. Pray for connection and community to grow for all at Kuyper Christian School as we look forward to Limelight!
- Pray for school families and staff families who are coping with illness: 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. Ask the Lord to provide, as he has always done.
News & Notices
Non-Uniform Day
On Friday this week, the last day of Term 3, Kuyper will hold a non-uniform day to raise money for Tearfund Pakistan Flood Emergency Appeal. It is estimated that over 33 million people have been displaced by destructive monsoon rains and flooding in the southern part of Pakistan. The millions who have lost homes, livelihoods and personal possessions are at risk of water-borne diseases and food insecurity, and the Pakistani government has declared a national emergency. Tearfund is partnering with local agencies to provide emergency resources and support for impacted communities.
Wear green in support of Pakistan and bring a gold coin donation on Friday. We will also be doing some fun activities on the day.
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.
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.
Run4Bibles
Thank you to the students and families who worked hard to raise over $780 for the Bible League Run4Bibles project last term. Our grounds have finally dried out enough for us to officially undertake our run! Next Tuesday 20 September, our Secondary PASS students will host a fun run for Prep – Year 6 students from 9:15am. Primary students must wear their sport uniform for this event.
Due to the Fun Run on Tuesday, there will be no Primary sport on Wednesday 21 September. Primary students must wear normal school uniform next Wednesday.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7
Seussical Cafe
The Seussical Cafe will be in operation before each show and at Interval, selling delicious Seussical themed food and drinks. Prices are $1 – $5 and our catering team have been working hard to bring you the best and most creative treats! We are looking forward to your enjoyment.
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: