Newsletter – 9 February 2021

One of the things I love about teaching is that every day is different; different information to learn and experience, different conversations to share and different challenges to overcome.  Some days we’re in the classroom thinking about numbers and learning the meaning of new words or patterns that God has built into His creation. On other days we are investigating our amazing natural surrounds. And on yet other days we’re beside a pool cheering our classmates on as they try out new swimming skills or use the abilities they have been practising and developing to push themselves further.

God blessed us with some beautiful weather last Friday for our swimming carnival.  We saw many students give their best to participate in their races. One of my favourite parts of the swimming carnival every year is watching the Secondary students help the younger students swim in their 25 metre race in the ‘big pool’. For Kindy students, this is their first experience of swimming in the carnival and the support and encouragement of their school community is a fabulous way to start. For some of the Year 1 and Year 2 students this support allows them to do something they would never feel brave enough to do alone.  Thank you to all those Secondary students who helped the younger kids and gave them a great first experience at our school carnival.  And this reminds me of another of God’s gracious blessings to us: community.

The Bible has many verses and passages that make it clear that God created us to be in community.

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us…

Romans 12:4-6

This passage makes it very clear that we are better together. Even Jesus, who is perfectly capable, and does not need human help, chose to surround himself with a large community, that included His 12 disciples.  At Kuyper, community allows us to use the gifts we have been given by God to serve and love others. It provides a place where we are encouraged to be who God created us to be. Community provides help and support when life is hard and it can also challenge us and “rub off” those rough edges that we all have. Community isn’t always easy but a God-honouring community is always worth it.

Community has become a bit of a theme in our class this year as we participate in activities that remind us that we work best when we are working together under God, rather than competing with each other.  We made elephant toothpaste by using some ordinary ingredients that, together, make something pretty awesome. We put our heads together to solve many different puzzles and reveal a secret code.  We are now working on a whole-group artwork which is beginning to look really good.

As we enter a new year, let’s thank God for the amazing community of students, staff and families that He has blessed us with. It is my prayer that we contribute to and build up this community.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24