Kuyper

Cassie Dixon, Head of Teaching & Learning

If you have been involved with Kuyper in the past, you may be aware of the fact that we take our Year 11 students on the Vanuatu Service Learning Experience each year. As the name suggests, the focus of the trip is service, and students experience a range of situations designed to stretch them.

On Wednesday 1 July, twelve of our Year 11 students will travel to Port Vila, Vanuatu. We will depart from school at approximately 2:30am. This will be a very early start to a very busy eight days!

Throughout our time in Vanuatu, our students will be teaching lessons at Child Care Centre School – a Kindergarten to Year 8 school in Port Vila. Classes have up to 45 students. The lessons will consist of Biblical studies, Australiana, literacy, and an activity such as games. I’m sure this will be an enjoyable time for our students as they share about our country’s geography, language and culture.

There are other opportunities for our students to serve, such as volunteering with physical tasks at Scripture Union Vanuatu, helping our sister church with projects at their site (which was severely impacted by the twin cyclones in 2023), and working with Loaves & Fishes, an organisation which provides water filters to communities so they can have clean and safe drinking water. Loaves & Fishes has also developed a small school of 55 students from Kindergarten to Year 8. 

We will be learning about the work of SIL Bible Translators, whose staff are committed to translating the Bible into all the ‘heart languages’ of the different people groups in Vanuatu. There will also be the opportunity to learn about the coral reef regeneration and giant clam breeding programs at Mangaliliu. This will be a great chance for students to learn about the impact that our actions can have in different parts of the world.

Once again, I look forward to our students experiencing the joy of the ni-Vanuatu people, who are generous and joyous despite their circumstances. The Sunday morning service at Pango Point Presbyterian Church has always been a great opportunity for our staff and students to witness the faith of our ni-Vanuatu brothers and sisters, and to experience the joy of focusing on worship and fellowship when the sabbath (day of rest) means there is no need to rush through the service.

As we make the final preparations for this year’s Service Learning Experience, I would like to ask you to partner with us in prayer. Some things we would appreciate prayer for include:

• Health and safety during our travels
• Hearts prepared to learn from and teach our ni-Vanuatu friends
• Confidence for students as they teach lessons to classes
• Strength in relationships between everyone on the trip

We would like to thank you all for your contributions to the various fundraisers our Seniors have held this year. We are pleased to report that we raised nearly $2,000. 

If you would like to make a donation towards the Service Learning Experience, please contact the Office.

Mitchell Cavens, Head of Secondary

After three weeks of leave, it has been a joy to return to school life today. My family and I are grateful to God for the safe arrival of our son, Atlas, and we have been deeply appreciative of the kindness, support, and prayers of the Kuyper community during this special season.

One of the unexpected joys of returning has been reconnecting with our students. Throughout the day so far, many have stopped to ask thoughtful questions, offer congratulations, and show genuine interest in our family’s well-being. It’s been a blessing to be reminded that, though these interactions may seem small, they are a powerful reminder of what makes Kuyper such a special place.

Many schools like to measure their own worth by academic results, sporting achievements, or co-curricular success. While these things are certainly valuable, there is another equally important measure: the character of the young people within the community. One of the great privileges of working at Kuyper is seeing students who are increasingly learning to notice others, to show kindness, and to take an interest in the lives of those around them.

Today, I’ve seen the results of character cultivated over many years through the faithful work of parents, teachers, churches, and the wider Christian community, and the evidence of God’s ongoing work in the lives of our students. Whenever we see students demonstrating genuine care for others, we catch a glimpse of the transforming work of Christ, who calls us to love our neighbour as ourselves.

As a school, we often speak about growing in wisdom, strength, and humility. Humility, in particular, is expressed in our willingness to notice and care for others. It is encouraging to see these virtues emerging in the everyday interactions of our students.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership in this important work!

Kaelene McCaull, Head of Primary

In my last broadcast, I wrote about the W.H.O.K. framework used in our primary school and how we teach our students about Wisdom. The value of an acronym like W.H.O.K. is that it is easily remembered, helping students recall important values when they need them most.

Of all the letters in our acronym, ‘Happy’ requires the most explanation. It is easy to mistake this priority for self-centeredness or people-pleasing, but that is not what we mean when we refer to Happy in this context.

When we talk about Happy, we are referring to a deep sense of Joy that transcends temporary feelings. The Bible teaches that joy is an inward, spiritual reality, tied to God’s unchanging nature rather than fluctuating circumstances. This provides us with peace and security, knowing that God is in control of all things. Unlike happiness, which is an outward, circumstantial emotion, true joy remains constant. We use this as an opportunity to teach that while real joy flows from our relationship with Jesus, our attitudes and actions inevitably impact those around us. This is what we reflect on with the ‘H’ in W.H.O.K.

We focus on three key areas:

1. Alignment with God’s Word: We want our students to live in accordance with God’s Word. True joy comes not from following a set of rules, but from knowing that our sovereign God created us and this world, and therefore knows how it works best.
2. Community Impact: We encourage our students to make decisions that consider their impact on others. Are they building others up? Are they contributing to a sense of belonging and security for themselves and those around them? This is the version of ‘happiness’ we want to foster. When all students can learn, grow, and express their God-given strengths, we cultivate a more genuine sense of joy as a community.
3. Cheerful Service: We ask: Are we contributing cheerfully? We encourage students to use their gifts and talents to serve others, recognising it as a privilege to have the skills, knowledge, and personalities that allow us to bring happiness to others and contribute to the world in which God has placed us.

As we continue to navigate the school year, I invite you to partner with us in cultivating this ‘H’ in our daily lives at home and at school. Let’s encourage our children not just to seek momentary pleasure, but to discover the deeper, abiding joy that comes from knowing who they are in Christ. Together, may we model a spirit of cheerful service that lights up our entire school community.

Bill Rusin, Principal

Community is a precious thing. When it is done well, it nourishes and enriches the lives of those who belong to it and is invitational to those who do not.

Schools are, or ought to be, intentionally communal places.

At Kuyper, we seek to be a thriving educational community. At times this seems to happen naturally; at other times it requires more deliberate effort. Fundamentally, community is built in the ordinary rhythms of classroom life. It is there that expectations are set, relationships are formed, and the habits of learning and living together are practised each day.

Yet there are many things beyond the classroom that strengthen and enrich our shared life as a community. Our assemblies remind us of who we are before God. Our shout-outs give us opportunities to celebrate together. Our morning breath prayers help ground us in God’s presence. These, and many other moments throughout the school week, contribute to the culture we share.

We are also grateful for the work of the Kuyper Community Group, whose efforts help make our larger community events possible and enjoyable for so many families.

As we move towards the end of term, there are many opportunities for the whole school community to come together. In Week 9, we have our State of Origin II community event and our Athletics Carnival, and in Week 11, our Winter Markets will round out the term. During the same week, a group of our senior students and staff will travel to Vanuatu to serve alongside local communities. Meanwhile, students and staff involved in our school musical are working diligently to create a production that promises to be an event to remember.

I am so grateful for the effort and passion of all those who contribute to making Kuyper a deep and rich place to belong.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we celebrate with Mitch and Kiah Cavens on the birth of their son, Atlas, last week. We give thanks to God for this precious gift to their family and pray that He will grant them wisdom, joy, and strength as they begin the journey of parenthood.

Mitchell Cavens, Head of Secondary

As a Senior Leadership Team, one of our ongoing desires is to help students grow in conscious awareness of God throughout their school day. Education at Kuyper is a daily invitation to know, trust, and walk with the God who made us and redeemed us, and this conviction has led to the introduction of a new classroom practice.

This year, our Secondary classes have been beginning lessons with a short practice known as a breath prayer. This is an ancient and simple form of prayer that invites students to pause, to breathe slowly, and to direct their attention toward God with a few brief words: one phrase on the inhale, one on the exhale. For example, a student might breathe in with the words “Prince of Peace” and breathe out with “calm our hearts.”

Adolescence is a season of considerable internal and external noise. Students arrive at class carrying the weight of friendships, pressures, worries, and the relentless pace of life. Breath prayers offer a gentle and God-centred way to still the room; an act of remembrance that reorients hearts before a lesson begins. We remember that God is present and that He is interested in what happens in the lesson and within the student.

Scripture reminds us that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). To orient ourselves toward God before we open a textbook or begin a task is the foundation of all good learning. God is the God of mathematics, of language, of science, of history. Every subject taught at Kuyper belongs to Him, and breath prayers are a small but meaningful way of acknowledging that truth at the start of each lesson.

Each week, our classes work with a different theme and passage: trust, peace, wisdom, courage, focus, and more; all drawn from Scripture and woven into the rhythm of the school year. Over time, we hope that these words will graduate beyond just a routine and pierce their hearts so that they might be reminded of who they are before God.

For those students who don’t yet know the Lord, we still encourage them to participate in this practice, as even the breathing by itself has a positive impact on their readiness to learn.

We warmly invite you to join us in this practice at home. You might ask your son or daughter what the breath prayer was this week, or try one together around the dinner table. The formation of faith-filled, attentive, and hopeful young people is something we seek to do together as a community shaped by the same God and the same story.

Thank you for your continued trust and partnership with us.