There is a time for everything,
Ecclesiastes 3:1
and a season for every activity under the heavens
At the end of this year, we will be farewelling several Kuyper staff as they move into new seasons in their lives.
Dr Shareen Liggins will be joining her children at St Paul’s Grammar School in 2024, a move that will be of significant assistance to her family. Shareen joined our secondary staff team in 2018, bringing a wealth of experience to our fledgling Stage 6 program.
She has been a wonderful member of our teaching staff and a great asset to our senior students in their HSC preparation. We are particularly grateful for Shareen’s work in establishing our Stage 6 English program.
Our community has also been blessed by the gifts of Shareen’s husband, Stephen Liggins, senior assistant minister at Anglican Churches Springwood, who has generously given his time to open the bible with staff during our professional development weeks. We know Shareen will be an asset to the St Paul’s community and pray God’s blessing on this next season for the Liggins family.
We will also be farewelling longstanding staff members Mrs Julie Wilson and Mrs Sue Stuut as they move into well-earned retirement.
The Wilsons are a Kuyper pioneer family. Julie and Graeme enrolled their first child in 1988, and Julie joined the Kuyper staff in 1997 as a teacher’s aide. Julie’s gentle nature and endless patience have been the hallmark of her support for countless Kuyper families. Her capacity to see each individual as a precious image-bearer of their Creator has blessed generations of students. In addition, Julie’s work integrating biblical foundations into our school’s curriculum, with previous Kuyper Principal Tim White, continues to bless the broader Christian School network. We will deeply miss Julie’s presence on our staff and pray that this next season will be one of deep rest and enjoyment of family.
The Stuut family also have a long Kuyper history. Sue & Steve first enrolled their children in 1997, and Sue joined the Kuyper staff in 2001 as a Library Assistant.
In addition to her faithful library work, Sue has been a great nurturer of our parent community. Over the decades, she has contributed significantly as a parent volunteer in community development work and parent prayer groups. Her heart for people and practical eye have quietly served our community in a myriad of practical ways. Our recent library renovation is a tribute to her work. We will miss Sue’s efficiency, organisational skills and the loving creativity she has brought to so many of our community events, making them beautiful and memorable. We pray for God’s richest blessing on Sue and Steve as they move to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
Julie and Sue’s commitment to our school community over so many years is a testament to both their dedication and God’s faithful provision of His people for Kuyper Christian School. We praise God for all the wonderful staff he has blessed us with over the past forty-two years.
Following this, I am pleased to share that we will welcome some new staff in 2024.
Many of you will already know Ms Megan Lloyd-Johnson as a Kuyper mum and backstage assistant for our musical last year. So we are thrilled to be welcoming Meg as a Secondary English teacher commencing in Term 1, 2024. Meg brings a wealth of experience to this role, having spent a considerable portion of her career in theatre performance and television production in addition to teaching both here and in the UK. Her extensive teaching experience, including HSC Advanced and Extension English and Film & Media Studies, is a wonderful provision for our Secondary staff team.
In addition, we warmly welcome Mr Matthew Daly, who will be joining the Kuyper team next year as a Secondary History & Christian Studies teacher. Matt also brings a broad array of skills to this role. In addition to Secondary teaching, Matt has an Advanced Diploma of Theology and Certificate IV in Pastoral Care. He has worked extensively in school chaplaincy and youth ministry. As a Kuyper dad, Matt already knows and loves our school community. We are delighted to have him join our secondary staff team.
In this season of change, we are grateful for God’s faithful provision for Kuyper over many years and can be confident in His ongoing provision in the years to come.
…everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it.
Ecclesiastes 3:14