A Word from Anna McQueen
Last Sunday night, I was glued to the NRL Grand Final. Every year I tune in and cheer on whichever team takes my fancy. But this was different. This year was special. This year my own team, the Penrith Panthers, were in the Grand Final and I was eager to see them win. It was a thrilling match. I rode the roller coaster, with every Panthers fan, in every twist and turn of the game. And as the final siren sounded, as our battered and bruised boys finally held up the Provan-Summons Trophy, I was jubilant, along with the many other fans across Western Sydney. Yet, it was only a year ago that the Panthers faced the bitter disappointment of losing a Grand Final.
As much as I love sport, I don’t love how cut-throat it is. It’s great when you win, but in the words of Roy and HG “there are a million ways to lose”. Sometimes that comes down to millimetres or a thousandth of a second. The weak quickly fall away, while only the strongest are victorious.
Life can feel just as cut-throat. It doesn’t take much to show us how weak we really are. Just a tiny, microscopic virus can shut down an entire country. Things we consider certain can suddenly be whisked away and we realise that our world is like a dune where the sand shifts and changes all the time. A common question I got during our Year 3 Google Meets last term was “When are going back to school?” It broke my heart to respond with “I don’t know”. How uncertain our world can be, and how helpless it can make us feel.
Yet, the Bible reminds us that in our shifting, sand dune world, God is the rock on which we can stand. In our Year 3 devotions, we have been looking at Jesus’ parables. One parable in particular is called the Wise and Foolish Builders. It goes like this:
Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine (Jesus) and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.
Matthew 7:24-27
Notice how the house that stands on the rock may not be the prettiest house, or the house that’s the most well-built. It’s the one that is built on the rock. When we build our lives on Jesus, even though the winds or rains of life batter us, we can still stand. We don’t stand because we are strong. We are actually weaker than we realise, and it doesn’t take a lot to expose that truth. No, we stand because Jesus is strong. When we put our trust in Jesus, we have secure salvation that cannot be changed no matter how many times life’s certainties are whisked away from us. It’s in the strength of the Lord Jesus that we can say:
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 72:26
Praise God, that in Him we are not trapped in a cut-throat game where the fittest, fastest and strongest win the victory of life. When we put our trust in Jesus, we can be victorious in the end with Him, not because we are strong but because He is.
Reminders
- Borrowing from the Kuyper Library has finished for the year. Please return any library books as soon as possible. Text books may be returned at a later date.
- If your child arrives at school after 8:55am, or leaves before 3:25pm, please ensure that they have signed out at the Office before departing. They will receive a white “leave pass” to confirm. Parents may park at the gate and phone the Office when they arrive, and their child will be sent out to them.
- Secondary students are reminded to bring their own mask to school every day. We do have some disposable masks if you forget, but we have a limited supply.
- We are planning for Limelight! Please submit your Lime recipe to the Office via email by next Monday 29 November. Don’t forget to include a picture. Then make sure that you order your showbag by Wednesday 1 December. See News & Notices for more details.
- On Tuesday 30 November, Year 6 will celebrate their graduation by treating Primary students to a Fun Day. Cost is $5 per Primary student. See News & Notices for more details.
- Reminder to all parents, that you may not step onto school grounds, just yet. Please park outside the fence and phone us from there. We will arrange what you need and meet you at the gate. We apologise for the inconvenience and look forward to free interactions again soon.
- CEN has a job vacancy for a part time Finance & Administration Assistant. If you are interested, follow this link: https://cen.edu.au/job/finance-and-administration-assistant/
- Just a courtesy reminder that fees need to be fully paid by the end of term. Please call the Office if you are unable to do so.
- Here is some helpful information regarding student travel with Busways: https://online.kuyper.nsw.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/School-Travel-2022.pdf
- Term Dates for 2022: https://kuyper.nsw.edu.au/term-dates/
Prayer & Praise
- Give thanks for our Senior students and their families. Please join us in praying for them as they complete their HSC exams between Tuesday 9 and Monday 29 November.
- Give thanks for our upcoming Orientation days and our new families for 2022. Pray that their transition to Kuyper would be blessed and they would quickly connect and form lasting friendships.
- Pray for staff as they prepare academic reports for what has been a very disrupted year of learning. Give thanks that in all things God reigns. Pray that we would all finish this year well, rejoicing in what cannot be shaken.
- Give thanks for Limelight! Pray for a true community celebration that brings people together in acknowledgement of the gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ.
- Give thanks that our graduation celebrations can go ahead. Pray for our Year 6 , Year 10 and Year 12 graduates as they celebrate the beginning of a new chapter.
- Pray for the Abraham family, with father Mark recovering from three eye surgeries. Give thanks that the issue is being addressed. Pray for a successful outcome and complete recovery.
- Pray for a joyful end to 2021 and optimism for 2022.
News & Notices
Christmas Card Competition
Our local State Member, Robyn Preston, has invited primary school-aged children across the Hawkesbury to design the Christmas card she will send to hundreds of people locally and around the State this year, including the Premier. Our school has participated for several years now.
Please use the attached template and post, email or hand in your completed entry to the Kuyper Office by Wednesday 6 October 2021.
We look forward to seeing your creative celebration of Christmas.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
Updated Return to School
As you may have already heard in the media, the NSW Government has announced that we can return to school sooner than we initially expected. Students will now return to face-to-face learning, within NSW Health-approved COVID-safe settings, on the following dates:
- From 18 October – Prep, Kindergarten, Year 1/2 and Year 12
- From 25 October – Year 6 and 11
- From 1 November – Year 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10
This means that we will be applying COVID-safe protocols within school life into the immediate future. This will include:
- Phased re-entry of cohorts over several weeks from 18 October (as above).
- Separation of school sections P-6 and 7-12 where possible.
- Wearing of facemasks whilst at school for all Staff and Secondary students. This will be optional for Primary students.
- Well-ventilated classrooms and offices with windows open.
- Restricted parent access to the school. Parents will be asked to rely on remote methods of contact.
- Adults to maintain social distancing.
- Sanitation stations placed around the school and used regularly.
- Regular professional cleaning of buildings and surfaces.
It is encouraging that we have a plan for an eventual full return. Although ongoing limits may still apply in some situations, we are hopeful of a more normal school experience for our students. It has been a long journey to this point, but we can see light at the end of the tunnel now. We look forward to reconnecting in person one day soon.