Ruth Thompson

Alexis Clarke, Director of Programs & Development

This year, we have been working towards developing a Learning and Wellbeing Framework that reflects our commitment to promoting the wellbeing of students and staff while meeting the Child Safe Standards highlighted by our Principal, Mark Ramsay, in his recent message. This framework aims to foster a school culture where every individual feels safe, valued, and supported to optimise learning.

As part of this process, staff have been engaging with research on how schools can create environments that promote both safety and support. One particular area is relationship building. When this is prioritised, it creates a foundation of security and trust, allowing students to feel valued and confident. This is essential for meaningful engagement and academic growth, creating a nurturing environment where students can fully engage and thrive.

To drive this culture, we promoted the concepts of ‘Predictability’ and ‘Maximisation’. Emotional safety plays an important role in predictability. If students know what to expect from staff, such as interacting with students in consistent and reliable ways, it builds trust and encourages open communication. Recently, a student shared that she feels more secure in the classroom and more confident to learn when she feels seen and cared for. It wasn’t the laptop she was given or the books she used, but the feeling of being cared for and safe with her teacher.

When students know that their feelings and concerns will be met with understanding and compassion, as we are encouraged in James 1:19 (being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry), they are more likely to take risks in their learning, such as asking questions or expressing their opinions. This helps students feel comfortable engaging in the learning process, knowing they can rely on their teacher for support, thereby contributing to maximising learning. The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) and the Australian Student Wellbeing Framework research also indicate that students thrive in structured environments where they feel safe and secure.

Creating an environment where students feel valued and respected is vital. Even if they struggle with a subject or don’t particularly enjoy it, they’re more likely to put in effort when they feel listened to and understood. This is why it’s so valuable that staff engage with students, whether through structured activities like overnight camps, Service Teams, or simple conversations during break times. These interactions can make a real difference in how students feel about school. The National Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy highlights the importance of creating supportive and safe environments for young people. It emphasises that predictability in school settings contributes to better mental health outcomes, reducing anxiety and stress, which are critical for effective learning.

Positive student-teacher relationships are fundamental to enhancing student behaviour. Donna Cross, a prominent researcher in the fields of education and psychology, presents evidence that effective relationships are instrumental in promoting resilience, especially for students with a history of trauma or difficulties. By fostering these trusting relationships, teachers can help students build resilience that supports them through challenges both inside and outside the classroom.

Reflecting on this past year, it has been a time of growth and teamwork, all focused on creating a positive, caring environment for students and staff alike. We remain dedicated to building a school culture where every student feels seen, supported, and eager to learn, believing that teaching is as much about care and connection as it is about academic success.

In alignment with child-safe standards, we are committed to ensuring that our environment is not only safe but also empowering for all students. This means implementing policies and practices that safeguard the wellbeing of every child and prioritising their voices in our community. Our ongoing training for staff in child safety practices and the emphasis on transparency and communication ensures that we can effectively prevent harm and respond to any concerns swiftly. By integrating these standards into our framework, we can further enhance our commitment to protecting children and fostering an educational environment where all students can flourish. 

Dear Members of the Kuyper Community,

I would like to start by thanking you all for your support of our staff over the last few weeks. Your many words of encouragement and gestures of kindness speak volumes about the calibre of our families and community. We are so grateful to be partnering with you.

In this season of change, I want to assure you that the Board is steadfast in its commitment to ensuring that Kuyper has robust leadership for the remainder of this year and into 2025. As I communicate our plan for the remainder of this year, I am mindful of the many ways in which God has gone ahead of us, preparing the right people to serve our community in this season.

I am pleased to announce that from the beginning of Week 6 until mid-January 2025, Mr Tim White will step into the role of Acting Principal three days a week: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and Miss Cassie Dixon will serve as Acting Principal on Tuesday and Friday.

Cassie is already well known to you as our Director of Learning Enhancement and part of our current Senior Leadership Team.

As many of you know, Tim was one of Kuyper’s early principals, serving in this role from 1993 to 2003. In recent years, Tim has worked with professionals from other like-minded Christian schools to design a framework for developing curriculum from a biblical worldview. His work on the Transformation by Design model has blessed many Christian schools, including Kuyper. Tim is currently teaching English in our high school one day a week.

Tim’s experience as a past principal, love for Kuyper, and passion for seeing communities transformed by the love of Jesus are a provision for Kuyper at this time. We praise God for placing Tim in our school community for such a time as this. Tim will continue to teach in the high school on Fridays.

The Board is confident that Tim and Cassie will provide excellent support to our staff, students, and families for the remainder of this year as we solidify plans for our school leadership in 2025. We expect to announce the appointment of our new Principal, commencing 2025, in the next couple of weeks.

The Board acknowledges that seasons of change can be unsettling. We extend our thanks to our teaching and support staff for their faithfulness in their work and for continuing to celebrate the joy of learning in their classrooms and activities.  We also thank the many faithful parents and friends who have been and continue to pray for the Board and the School’s leadership.

At Kuyper, we often speak about being God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule. This foundational truth is the stronghold of our community. God will continue to write His story of Kuyper. We can trust in His faithfulness and provision in this season of the unknown. 

We welcome your contact if you have any questions or simply would like to chat with a board member. Contact details can be found in your Kuyper App, or contact the Office on 4573 2999 to request a personal call.

Wayne Speirs
AKCEA Board Chair

A Word from Tim

It has been exciting for me to return to Kuyper and interact with wonderful teachers and effervescent secondary students. Kuyper is a caring community that encourages thoughtful engagement with God’s world. It has proven to be a fantastic opportunity for me personally. 

Kuyper has a long history of innovative teachers and teaching. Its unique provisions in Creative Arts and a range of engaging elective choices supplement the caring Christ-centred environment.

I am pleased and honoured to serve the Kuyper school community in the Acting Principal role for the remainder of this year. It is a joy to interact with school staff, students and parents alike.

Feel free to drop in and make an appointment for a catch-up. I would be delighted to meet those people responsible for the wonderful young people we serve.

Contact details for Tim and Cassie can be found in your Kuyper App, or contact the Office on 4573 2999 to request a personal call.

Mark Ramsay, Principal

Every staff member of Kuyper Christian School is committed to providing a safe environment for all students entrusted to our care. Our service to and worship of Jesus demand nothing less. Every square inch belongs to Him – including the way we care for all of your children.

We know that providing this safe environment is something that doesn’t ‘just’ happen; it takes intentional work and focus. As part of this, we seek to maintain the 10 Child Safe Standards that the NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian have published. Sadly, there have been many examples of organisations failing to provide a safe environment for children. These Standards are part of the response to the historical failings of some organisations.

At Kuyper, we recognise that all people are inherently sinful, even those who seek to follow Jesus. Therefore, we need to be mindful of avoiding the failings of the past. As such, we regularly review these Standards with all members of staff. It is helpful for parents to be aware of these standards as well, so let me quickly share them with you.

Standard 1 – Child safety is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture

A child safe organisation is committed to child safety. This is demonstrated in its leadership, in the way the organisation is managed and by the day-to-day activities it carries out. A child safe organisational culture drives the way things are done and how issues and risks are managed.

Standard 2 – Children participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously

Children are safer when organisations teach them about their rights to be heard, listened to and believed. A child safe organisation actively seeks the opinions of children and when doing so considers their age, development, maturity, understanding, abilities and how they communicate. Children are encouraged and supported to regularly contribute to decisions that affect them.

Standard 3 – Families and communities are informed and involved

Staff in child safe organisations understand that parents, carers and other important people in a child’s life have the primary responsibility for raising their children. A child safe organisation talks to, consults with and invites the participation of families, caregivers and the broader community to promote the rights of children.

Standard 4 – Equity is upheld and diverse needs are taken into account

A child safe organisation provides culturally safe and child-friendly services. It pays attention to equity by taking into account children’s diverse circumstances. It recognises all children are vulnerable but some are more vulnerable to abuse than others, or find it difficult to reveal or be understood when communicating they have been abused. Organisations should try to protect and support all children equitably.

Standard 5 – People working with children are suitable and supported

Human resource management – including screening, recruitment and performance reviews – plays a vital role in protecting children from harm. Child safe organisations make sure child safety is prioritised when they are selecting and managing staff. They recognise that a verified Working with Children Check (WWCC) is important but other screening practices must also be used.

Standard 6 – Processes to respond to complaints of child abuse (or other concerns) are child focused

A child-focused complaint process supports children who are exposed to the risk of harm and encourages them to speak up. Children, families and staff know who to tell if they want to make a complaint of child abuse. Child safe organisations respond by immediately protecting children at risk. Complaints are addressed promptly, thoroughly and fairly. All adults understand their reporting obligations, including to external authorities. Child safe practices create environments where staff can identify and report suspected harm of children.

Standard 7 – Staff are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children safe through continual education and training

A child safe organisation promotes continuous learning and provides regular ongoing education and training. Staff continually build their abilities to keep children safe.

Standard 8 – Physical and online environments minimise the opportunity for abuse (or other kinds of harm) to occur 

A child safe organisation adapts its physical environments to minimise opportunities for abuse to occur. Organisations offer a balance between visibility and children’s privacy. Child safe organisations also address risks in the online environment by educating children and adults about how to avoid harm and detect signs of online grooming.

Standard 9 – Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is continuously reviewed and improved

Child safe organisations learn from complaints and mistakes to continuously improve the safety of children in their care. They analyse complaints to identify the root causes of abuse and improve child safe practices. (This involves examining the underlying factors that have led to a child being harmed.)

Standard 10 – Policies and procedures document how the organisation is child safe

Child safe organisations have policies and procedures that describe how they maintain a safe environment for children. They know these documents are only effective if they are implemented. Policies and procedures should be relevant to all aspects of an organisation and reflect the Child Safe Standards. They are championed by leaders, understood by staff, and available to the community in accessible formats and languages.

Please pray for all who are employed at Kuyper as we seek to glorify God by doing all we can to fulfill these 10 Child Safe Standards.

If you would like to find out more about the Child Safe Standards, you can visit https://www.childsafe.org.au/help-for-families/resources-for-parents/ or speak to any member of the Senior Leadership Team. Together, we can honour the responsibility that God has given you as parents to raise your children well by providing the safe environment needed for your children to flourish at school.

Mark Ramsay, Principal

We have come to the time of year when we need to say farewell to staff who have decided to embark on the next chapters of their working lives. Two staff members have recently let me know of changes in direction for them next year.

Cassie Dixon, Director of Learning Enhancement

This Thursday, the Kuyper community will be celebrating World Teachers’ Day. Every year since I became an educator, this day has grown in popularity around the globe as an opportunity to show teachers appreciation for their work. 

Teaching is not an easy job. When I tell people what I do for a living, it is a common response that it must be nice to work 9 to 3 and have so many holidays each year. (Thankfully, this is not the response from those in the Kuyper community!) However, the current teacher shortage in NSW suggests that these ‘benefits’ are not enough to compensate for the burden carried by teachers and others who work in schools. 

The role of teachers is continually evolving, and I am conscious that even in the past five years, there have been significant challenges faced by those working in schools – COVID and the sudden need to move classrooms online, shifting cultural values, increasing requirements surrounding documentation, challenging behaviours, and a number of new syllabuses, to name a few.

Whilst teaching is not an easy job, it is certainly a rewarding one. We get to know our students and how they learn. We walk alongside them as they persevere through challenges, then experience the pure joy of conquering them and mastering new concepts and skills. We have the privilege of sharing our passions and insights as we teach them various subjects. More than that, at Kuyper, we continue building on the legacy of those who have come before us. As we bring a biblical perspective to our subject matter, we teach our students more about who God is and who He made them to be.

The ground for the necessity of Christian schools lies in this very thing, that no fact can be known unless it be known in its relationship to God. And once this point is clearly seen, the doubt as to the value of teaching arithmetic in Christian schools falls out of the picture. Of course arithmetic must be taught in a Christian school. It cannot be taught anywhere else.

– Douglas Wilson, The Case for Classical Christian Education

We get to partner with parents to see their children grow into the young men and women God created them to be. We share in our students’ joys, wipe away their tears, tend to their injuries, coach them through social difficulties, and help them understand the impact of their actions. We share with them the truth of the gospel and their need for redemption. We teach them about God’s plans for reconciliation. We teach them about the joy and the pain of living a life of obedience to Christ. 

Helping people to know God and to be obedient to him is perhaps the greatest gift we can bestow. Understood in this way, Christian education can be one of the most compassionate ministries of the church.

– Perry G. Downs

As schools around our state celebrate World Teachers’ Day this week, please take a moment to thank God for those involved in your children’s education. Thank Him for their dedication to Christian education and desire for your children to know and love the Lord. Join me in asking the Lord to richly bless them as they seek to serve Him in their ministry. Please continue to uphold our school community before the Lord as the Board seeks to resolve our staffing needs for the future. 

To my colleagues and friends, thank you for everything you do for our school.