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


- TOMORROW Secondary students who have ordered soup may enjoy it!
- Families are reminded to ensure that at least half of your school fees for the year are paid by the end of June. If you need to discuss this, please contact Tina in the Office Monday – Thursday.
- We have oodles of lost property here in the Office following the athletics carnival. Please come and claim some!
- Tomorrow’s prayer meeting will be held in the Office from 7 – 7:30pm. All welcome.
- We would still like some help with morning tea on Friday 1 July for the 40 Year Celebration Service. Please email admin@kuyper.nsw.edu.au if you can assist.
- All students, staff and their families should be aware of NSW Health’s advice to reduce the risk of COVID-19, and other illnesses that may affect schools this coming winter, such as the flu. Please note the following NSW Health messages: stay home if unwell; keep up to date with vaccinations, including the flu vaccine, which is available from your local GP, pharmacy or Aboriginal Medical Service. Flu vaccines are free for all children aged 6 months to under 5 years, or for a small charge for those aged 5 years and older; get tested immediately for COVID-19 if you become symptomatic and isolate until you receive a negative result; even if you receive a negative result, do not attend school whilst symptomatic; practice good hand hygiene by washing regularly with soap and water; take a RAHT before visiting vulnerable loved ones or going to large gatherings and events.
- Eczema Support Australia has recently released a new video series with Dr Justin Coulson on Practical Parenting for Eczema Families. The video resource provides an insight into the daily challenges faced by families with eczema. It also provides strategies to help develop positive coping mechanisms and reduce feelings of isolation for the family unit. Please use this link to view the video series.
Prayer & Praise


- Praise God that he continues in his sovereignty through all circumstances. Praise God for His grace towards us through Jesus Christ. He is worthy of all of our love and devotion. Worship and thank Him for His sacrifice that rescued us from death.
- Give thanks for our athletics carnival; for great weather and friendly competition. Give thanks for our staff and volunteers who contributed so much to the day.
- Give thanks for our staff. Pray that the Lord would restore us all to full health and strength to finish Term 2 well.
- Give thanks for all our students and their families. Pray for the ministry of the Holy Spirit through those who know Him, to lead us in prayer, words and deeds to encourage and exhort each other and find our health, peace and direction in the Lord. Pray for protection over the hearts and minds of our children and young people.
- Give thanks for our CEN schools. Pray for Dubbo Christian School, and their Principal. Pray for healing, fellowship and peace.
- Pray for our 40 year celebrations; that we would be truly thankful and joyful for what God has provided and achieved for us and through us. Pray that we would continue in the spirit we began with in 1982.
- Give thanks for our Kuyper families. Pray for connections to strengthen and grow in genuine community and care for eachother.
- 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).
- Praise God for the faithful Pioneers of Kuyper Christian School. Give thanks for those who have continued to nurture and grow those beginnings. Give thanks for Abraham Kuyper, his vision and his teachings. Give thanks that our foundations are in Christ, who is the source of all Truth. Give thanks that we are in partnership with each other – staff, parents and carers – as we serve the Lord by nurturing children in the knowledge and love of Him. Thank Him for each individual who makes up the Kuyper Community and lead us to value the whole person, so that each one may be encouraged in their relationship with God. Thank God for the students he has entrusted to our care, made in His image, to glorify Him. Worship Him because He is holy. Thank Him for His love and faithfulness towards His creation. Praise Him as Creator God, from whom we inherit our creativity. Give abundant thanks for his mercy and grace, without which we would be lost indeed. Give thanks also for His justice, that will not fail, and His forgiveness which is freely extended to all who would accept it. Give thanks for our God and his omnipotence; his power and influence is unlimited! Give thanks for our God and his omniscience; his universal understanding and complete knowledge.
- Give thanks for our Board and Executive teams. Pray for one-ness of purpose for our staff, Board, Executive team, and Association.
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.