What an amazing day we had last week to celebrate Book Week!
The morning began with the arrival of Rocky the camel.
Rocky and Mr Hollier delivered library books to us, just like the camel libraries in Ethiopia that Save the Children supports. The students were very surprised. Each class then spent time sketching Rocky and patting him.
After recess, we gathered on the hard court and enjoyed a parade of some amazing characters.
What a broad representation of books we had! Then we gathered in the Library to watch the movie Horton Hears a Who. It was a very different book week to what we usually enjoy at Kuyper, but with the support of our lovely students, staff and families, it was an awesome day! Thank you everyone.
Alexis Clarke, Head of Secondary – Welfare, and Core Teacher Year 11 & 12
This week, Year 11 and 12 students are busily preparing for their upcoming HSC exams. The HSC examinations launch on Tuesday 20 October for students across the state, beginning with English and continuing, depending on subject selection, until Wednesday 11 November. This has definitely been a year of challenges of historical significance as our students learned to cope with countless changes to routine, and disruptions arising from COVID-19, bushfires and floods. Our Year 11 and 12 students have persevered admirably.
For some of our students, their school journey at Kuyper began in Kindy. These students like to call themselves the ‘Originals’. For others, the journey at Kuyper began when they started Secondary, but for all of them – Grace A, Declan, Daniel G, Tom, Daniel I, Jasmine, Bethany, Matthew, Grace P, Sierra, Zoe, Lauren and Damian – these exams signal the end of Secondary Education.
Although this year was full of trials (and I’m not referring to the Trial HSC Examinations), great blessing has come from this.
These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.
1 Peter 1:7
There is clearly purpose in our difficult and challenging times, and there are also benefits to come from these trials. They may cause us stress, but they shouldn’t prevent us from rejoicing. When trials come, we are encouraged to make a choice to continue to trust God. God promises to provide, and when He does, our faith grows stronger. Our senior students have demonstrated perseverance through all kinds of trials.
This year has become a year of choosing to focus on the positives. Some of our Year 12 students have shared a few of theirs:
If I had to condense all of my time at Kuyper into one thing that I value above all else it would be (without a doubt) the teachers’ support. Through the struggle that is growing up, I have been able to unquestioningly lean on their guidance both through my education and the general burdens of life. As a young Christian, this has been monumentally important for me. The witness for Christ that they have borne has been a foundation both on which to build my faith and return to in my sinfulness. I am very blessed to be part of Kuyper and very blessed to be under the guidance of staff that care so much for the betterment of God’s kingdom.
Matthew McCaull
I’ve enjoyed experiencing my schooling journey and hanging out with others in my class since Kindergarten. A highlight for me was being able to play sport in PASS during Year 9 and 10. My favourite camp was going to Cockatoo Island.
Zoe Stewart
Some of my favourite highlights at Kuyper have been through interacting with other students as we explored the diverse array of challenges and experiences life has to offer with camaraderie and humour.
Sierra Sparks
For the last 13 years, I have had the pleasure of attending Kuyper Christian School. It is here that I have not only learnt about how to read, write, “math” and remember all the unnecessary facts about the ‘Boston Tea Party’, but also how doing so can honour God. Our teachers have made this clear throughout all stages of our education; one of which being our trip to Vanuatu, last year, where we used our various gifts to spread the gospel throughout Port Vila, whilst learning more about ourselves and God’s creation.
Bethany Lawless
I have really enjoyed my years at this school. The friendships I made and the community I got to be a part of was excellent. Everyone was there to bring you up and put a smile on your face. I have made many friends who I know will stay friends for many years to come.
Declan de Vries
After the examinations we will be celebrating our first ever COVID safe Graduation Dinner and Celebration Assembly. At this stage, we are planning our Year 12 Graduation Dinner for Thursday 12 November at Loxley on Bellbird. The Celebration Assembly will occur on Friday 13 November and will be organised and run by the Year 12 group. This will be an opportunity for the school to farewell and celebrate with our students. COVID-19 recommendations change constantly and we will continue to provide, and respond to, updates as they are made available.
In the meantime, I will be praying for Year 12 and ask that you also continue to pray for Grace A, Declan, Daniel G, Tom, Daniel I, Jasmine, Bethany, Matthew, Grace P, Sierra, Zoe, Lauren and Damian as they prepare for their HSC exams.
Fear is a difficult topic. 2020 has been a time of fear on many levels and this article isn’t about the pandemic; it is about living with courage and opening our eyes to the ways God works through fallen people. Educationally, the art room is generally not a place we associate with fear. However, I am aware that students face fear with art over and over again.
In Visual Arts we are called to learn art-making skills and interpret and critically analyse ideas. Often, with individual interpretation and the pressure of making it ‘look’ a certain way, students bring fearful thoughts to their art-making. A class test is one thing, but putting an artwork on display is another. How do you react if your work is misinterpreted or criticised? In John 4:18 we read that love can cast out fear, and there is another quote that I like to lean into.
Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.
Scott Adams
Recently, students in the Stage 5 Elective Visual Arts (Years 9 & 10) made clay vessels using slab forms and designs they developed in class. The surface was embossed with textures and the forms were assembled using stiff side slabs. It was a specific process that meant decisions needed to be made along the way. It could also be fraught with fearful possibilities as students manipulated the clay to create the ideas they envisaged. Students encouraged each other to work through the process, and all vessels were completed with great results.
Robyn Ewing is a Professor Emerita in teacher education and the Arts at the University of Sydney, and has undertaken extensive research on education, the Arts and creativity. She says this current season gives us the opportunity to make long-needed changes to the way we approach education. The research is unequivocal: the Arts are central to our emotional and social wellbeing as humans. Further, embedding quality creative arts processes and experiences in our curriculum enables learners to engage in deep learning where they develop their own identity and grow in understanding and compassion for the way others see the world.
Art is a form of play, rejoicing before the face of God.
Hans Rookmaaker
As a teacher and an artist I think of ‘play’ as being purposeful, as we seek to reflect the way God has made us in his image; creative beings. Making art is a form of worship. I am the person God made me and I glorify Him by expressing myself that way.
With creativity, it is often just a matter of getting started. Beginning a task means marking a fresh blank page. It involves facing the fear of making a mistake that others will see. Here at Kuyper Christian School, we celebrate learning through the words of Abraham Kuyper, who said “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” Christ’s sovereignty includes the mistakes that we find so fearful. Mistakes move us to look beyond our human view of judging and measuring against preconceived standards, and to simply rejoice in the process of being creative.
Art can also challenge us and give us a platform to wrestle with what it means to exist in a world torn and broken. Year 8 recently looked at artists who challenge viewers to care more for issues that hurt the world. As art-makers, they created a series of artworks that both glorified Creation and challenged others to care for it more dutifully. Many of the ideas that were discussed involved fear about the way the world is suffering. However it is important to remember the words of Jesus.
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
So what can we do with the fear in our lives, beyond the classroom? Seek God and our worth in Him. When I see my life as a reflection of His glory, then everything, including art in the classroom, is separated from fear.
The motive of art comes to us not from what exists, but from the notion that there is something higher, something nobler, something richer, and that what exists corresponds only partially to all of this.
I love teaching English! Not just because I get to engage with new texts, as well as reread old favourites and not just because I get to share my love of literature and language with new generations of students! I love teaching English because I enjoy seeing students grappling with ideas about their world in ways they might never have done before. I enjoy encouraging them to think critically about the books, films, song lyrics, and social media they consume, which is such an important skill, isn’t it? The Bible urges us not to be passive consumers of our culture, to uncritically accept what it tells us about ourselves, but to be ready to engage with it, to reflect upon it and to challenge it. This is one of my great joys and priorities in teaching English.
Recently, Year 9 has been exploring texts linked to themes of courage and survival. Some of these texts urge us to find strength to face life’s challenges from within; to survive by being strong and determined. Some extol the value of love and community; surviving through the support of others. These are good things, in themselves, but we all know there are times when even these supports fail us.
As Year 9 considered these ideas, it was exciting to be able to share some extracts from The Hiding Place, the story of Corrie Ten Boom’s experiences as a prisoner of the Nazi’s for her part in hiding Jews from the holocaust. I remember how much I loved her book as a teenager and how inspired I was by her courage and faith. As we read about some of her experiences, I was reminded of something that our Christian community could perhaps be encouraged by, especially at present: “there is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still” (Corrie Ten Boom: The Hiding Place).
Corrie Ten Boom certainly had courage but she had something more than that. She had a relationship with a Father who has promised never to abandon His children and who sent His Son into the world so that we could be called the children of God (1 John 3:1). At no point is her story about how great her own courage is (although she was certainly an amazing person). In the midst of great suffering, fear and, often, lack of faith, Corrie sees God at work in amazing ways, again and again. She even learns to give Him thanks for fleas!! Corrie’s story reminds us that, for Christians, courage and our ability to survive the many challenges of life come from a God whose power to overcome them is infinite.
If you’ve never read The Hiding Place, I encourage you to do so (or watch the excellent 1975 film). Can I also encourage you to continue to partner with me (and all our wonderful Kuyper staff) in challenging your young people to ‘not conform to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed’ by His word so that they can discern God’s ‘good, pleasing and perfect will’ (Romans 12:2).
Let me leave you with some encouraging responses from Year 9 to Corrie’s story:
We can learn from Corrie’s example to treasure God’s word, and to protect it. It gave her the chance to share the love of Jesus with others when there was a risk to her life for preaching. Her courage, strength and belief in God sets a good example for us.
Corrie put her trust in God and put Him in charge. Many people became Christians because she had that faith, because she trusted that God had a plan. ¨God is still God in Ravensbruck¨.
…l have learnt that we can rely on God to help us through, no matter what. Corrie was in the darkest possible pit and yet God helped her, and pulled her through. She survived, with courage to spare, because she trusted and prayed to God… From reading ‘The Hiding Place’ and learning from Corrie’s story, I now know that God will help, no matter what. He will always help us to survive and persevere, even in the most difficult situations.
Our School bell dates back to the early days of Kuyper and has become a landmark on the School grounds. Originally rung to mark the change in lesson times, today the School bell forms part of a right of passage for our graduating students, who ring it upon completing their schooling.
The original timber bell tower had suffered weathering over a long period and was recently renovated in a joint effort involving parents and students. A small group of parents designed and built the structure in a rustic design, using the natural beauty of Australian hardwood and the rich patina of weathering metal. Students helped create and install the timber infill panels. The finished design is in keeping with our country location and other School landmarks.
The new bell tower has a solid concrete foundation, built to last for for many years to come. However, it remains symbolic of the original foundations of the School.
Abraham Kuyper’s famous ‘every square inch’ quote is inscribed on the wooden frame, acknowledging the call of Christ over every area of our lives.
Concealed beneath the timber panels, locked in a time capsule, is a hidden message to remind future generations of the sure foundation upon which our school is built.
