Ruth Thompson

Mr Mark Ramsay, Principal

Kuyper Christian School is unashamedly a Parent-Partnership School. We recognise the God-given responsibility of parents to raise their children.

Last week, I asked a question: What difference should this recognition make to the actions and attitudes of each member in that partnership? I also shared some ideas about how the school demonstrates this Parent-School Partnership. In brief, as the school partners with parents, we commit to teaching students to respect their parents, communicating with you, and seeking to know and love each student individually.

Today, I want to explore some ways you, as parents, can express your partnership with the school.

Mutual respect grounded in relationship
In partnership, I would hope that parents respect and trust the school staff and give them the benefit of the doubt. Communication and good relationships are the keys to this trust. Get to know your childrens’ teachers, the principal, our support staff, and the office staff. Let them know that you believe the best of them so that if a problem arises, finding solutions will be supported by a strong foundation of mutual trust and respect.

Valuing the role of the school
In partnership, I would hope that parents support the teachers’ role and the school’s authority. Schools need structure and consistency to be effective. Engage with the information the school provides about our policy and practices. Make sure you understand what is expected of your children so that you can be a supportive and effective partner in your child’s learning journey. 

Participation
In partnership, I would hope that parents are involved. Your child’s education is ultimately your God-given responsibility; you are their primary educator. Invest in knowing what your children are doing at school, ask your class teacher what you can be doing to support your child’s learning at home, and take every opportunity to participate in our school community. You are a vital partner in your child’s education, and your contribution is valuable. 

As with any partnership, it won’t all be smooth sailing, but there is also great blessing in a partnership founded on God’s truth and a mutual desire to grow in maturity and wisdom.

In our Parent-School Partnership, it is my hope that both parents and the school will commit to each other in ways that honour God, honour one another, and create a learning environment in which students can flourish. Praise God, I have already enjoyed the blessing of these types of partnerships at work in our school. I pray that they will grow and strengthen this year.

Mr Mark Ramsay, Principal

It is with sadness I announce that, after ten years of godly service to our school community, our Director of Business and Operations, Mr Alan McCartin, will be finishing his time at Kuyper at the end of this term.

Alan joined the Kuyper staff in 2014 as our Bursar and expanded into a Business Management (Finance and Property) role in 2021. His astute business mind and expert financial management have been a tremendous asset to our school over the years. We have deeply appreciated his commitment to excellence and oversight of our property maintenance.

Alan will be taking up the exciting role of inaugural Business Manager at St Bishoy Coptic Orthodox College in Mt Druitt. We are confident that this school community will be equally blessed by his wry sense of humour and business acumen. 

Please take the opportunity over the next few weeks to thank Alan for his long-standing service to our community. We pray God’s blessing on this new season in his life. 

We are pleased to welcome the following new staff to the Kuyper team in 2024.

Welcome, Mr Robert Coleman. Robert will join the Kuyper staff in 2024 as a Secondary teacher, filling the current Mathematics vacancy in our high school. Robert brings extensive life experience to this role, having taught Secondary Mathematics, Science and Christian studies. He also has a Bachelor of Theology and has spent a considerable portion of his career in pastoral ministry and bible teaching. Robert has a clear vision for Christ-centred education, and we are delighted to welcome him to our teaching team. Robert is husband to Christine, one of our Teacher’s Aides, and father to Joanna and Alannah.

We also warmly welcome Mrs Anne Cuthill, who will join the Kuyper team next year as a Primary teacher. Anne is a seasoned teacher with 30 years of experience, including classroom teaching, maths and literacy tutoring, and home education. She is an accomplished curriculum programmer and proficient in the explicit teaching model we have implemented with such success in our Primary school. Anne brings with her a love for Jesus and her students, and we are excited to welcome her into the Kuyper community in 2024.

Following this, some familiar faces will take up new roles in 2024.

Mr Ja Baldwin will take up a new whole school role in 2024, managing Sport and PDHPE from Kindergarten to Year 10. Ja has already been assisting with coordinating our Primary sports programs and involvement in Zone and State sports events. As a passionate athlete and highly competent organiser, Ja has the ideal skill set for this role. 

In addition, Mr Daniel Nixon, who has been part of our casual staff this year, will join us in a permanent part-time capacity in 2024 as a Secondary PDHPE teacher. Daniel has nearly three decades of experience as a PDHPE teacher and Sports Coordinator in Christian schools and has already made a valuable contribution to our Secondary teaching team.

We look forward to the energy, enthusiasm, and experience these staff members will bring to their new roles next year.

In light of the important implications for Christian Schools surrounding reforms to anti-discrimination legislation, the Abraham Kuyper Christian Education Association Ltd will be hosting a special guest speaker prior to the business part of our EGM on Wednesday 23 November.

Vanessa Cheng is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Association of Christian Schools and will speak on Partnering with Parents to Protect Christian Schools

Vanessa has extensive experience working in the education and government sector as a secondary Christian school teacher and a project manager in the Victorian Department of Education. She has also held senior policy roles within the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet and the Federal Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. She holds a Graduate Diploma in Education as well as a Bachelor of Economics/Arts from Monash University, majoring in History and Politics. She is a member of Holy Trinity Anglican Church and lives in Bendigo with her husband and their five teenage children.

State-level action to reform anti-discrimination and equal opportunity laws to restrict the ability of Christian schools to employ Christian staff is already having an impact. The current Bill before the NT Parliament will vastly change the landscape for Christian Schools in NT if it is passed. Find out more.

We encourage all Association Members and other interested parents to join us for this important discussion.

• From 6:15pm, join Vanessa and our Board for a light meal.
• 7:00 – 8:00pm, Guest Speaker: Vanessa Cheng Q & A session.

The Australian Association of Christian Schools is an advocacy organisation representing the interests of over a hundred Christian schools in every State and Territory. For further information on their work, visit their website.

Ian Shaw, Principal

Kuyper’s Pioneering parents, who established the school, wanted their children to know and love Jesus. This is the fundamental reason for the establishment of Kuyper Christian School 40 years ago. Kuyper’s Pioneers wanted their children to know God’s love, faithfulness and forgiveness and to understand the world through knowing the God who created it with purpose for all life and living. For them, the world belongs to God and learning is a gift from him. Our school motto, Learning in God’s World, was chosen because these are the most important lessons anyone can learn; to know Jesus, to love him, and to understand that it is his world where we learn and grow to full maturity when we learn and grow with him.

Kuyper’s Pioneers wanted the school to be a place where students would be blessed by the instruction and nurture of Christian teachers who would work in partnership with parents; a place where God’s story is told from the beginning to eternity. We know that from Creation to the fall of mankind into sin, God’s People in Israel, the arrival of the Saviour Jesus Christ, his life, death, resurrection, ascendancy back to heaven and the hope of his return has given understanding and meaning to the life of millions of Christian people around the world for thousands of years. They have lived and shared this same story with others for generations.

But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Ephesians 2:4-5

Kuyper exists today only because of God’s faithfulness to his community. At this anniversary time, we corporately thank God for the people he has brought to us over many years and for his providence in sustaining the school over four decades. It is with deep gratitude we recognise those who undertook the work in the beginning to establish what we see here now. To the inaugural Kuyper Association and people like Sue Maguire, our first teacher, we say thank you. Your labour has not been in vain. The school continues, by God’s grace, to serve families in the Hawkesbury. Praise God for what he has done and what he will continue to do.

I hope this holiday period is one that families enjoy together. I pray for those who have been struggling with poor health; that sickness may be overcome. As a community, we are all looking forward to the School Musical (Seussical!) in early Term 3. We hope to see you there. It’s going to be amazing!

Amanda McAlpine, Prep & Primary Teacher

Life is hectic. It seems to go too fast, and we often miss the tiny things that God gives us to remind us of the wonder of his creativity and love.

Two weeks ago, I was walking the Prep class from the hall to our classroom. This is not a particularly long walk, but my mind was already busy thinking about our plans for afternoon lessons. As we hurried along, I heard one of the Preps say “Mrs McAlpine… look!” I heard the urgency in the voice and stopped in my tracks. I turned around, expecting something wrong. 

“Look, it’s a beetle!” said the Prep Explorer. At first I couldn’t even see the insect; it was hidden on the other side of the handrail. Once I saw, I wondered how on earth I had missed it, as this was no ordinary beetle. The back and wings were the most amazing combination of metallic and iridescent colours! We were all in awe of its perfect miniature beauty. Despite its size, the Preps insisted I take a photo. It was difficult for my camera to focus, but I managed to get a couple of shots. When we got back to the classroom, we watched the photographs on the television so we could have a closer look. We counted the colours, spots, and legs as we zoomed in on this most beautiful and intriguing insect. We thanked God for creating such an amazing creature.

Life is hectic. It seems to go too fast, and we often miss the tiny things that God gives us to remind us of the wonder of his creativity and love. 

My Preps are experts at noticing amazing things in God’s creation, everyday. Not only do they notice, they are desperate to share it with everyone around them! That is why I call them “God’s Little Explorers”; they see and seek God in all the little things, and they rejoice! It is natural for them to be in awe of everything God has made and done for us.

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

I think we can learn a lot about our wonderful God by looking at life through the eyes of our youngest Kuyperians.

Last Sunday night, I was glued to the NRL Grand Final. Every year I tune in and cheer on whichever team takes my fancy. But this was different. This year was special. This year my own team, the Penrith Panthers, were in the Grand Final and I was eager to see them win. It was a thrilling match. I rode the roller coaster, with every Panthers fan, in every twist and turn of the game. And as the final siren sounded, as our battered and bruised boys finally held up the Provan-Summons Trophy, I was jubilant, along with the many other fans across Western Sydney. Yet, it was only a year ago that the Panthers faced the bitter disappointment of losing a Grand Final.

As much as I love sport, I don’t love how cut-throat it is. It’s great when you win, but in the words of Roy and HG “there are a million ways to lose”. Sometimes that comes down to millimetres or a thousandth of a second. The weak quickly fall away, while only the strongest are victorious.

Life can feel just as cut-throat. It doesn’t take much to show us how weak we really are. Just a tiny, microscopic virus can shut down an entire country. Things we consider certain can suddenly be whisked away and we realise that our world is like a dune where the sand shifts and changes all the time. A common question I got during our Year 3 Google Meets last term was “When are going back to school?” It broke my heart to respond with “I don’t know”. How uncertain our world can be, and how helpless it can make us feel.

Yet, the Bible reminds us that in our shifting, sand dune world, God is the rock on which we can stand. In our Year 3 devotions, we have been looking at Jesus’ parables. One parable in particular is called the Wise and Foolish Builders. It goes like this:

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine (Jesus) and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

Matthew 7:24-27

Notice how the house that stands on the rock may not be the prettiest house, or the house that’s the most well-built. It’s the one that is built on the rock. When we build our lives on Jesus, even though the winds or rains of life batter us, we can still stand. We don’t stand because we are strong. We are actually weaker than we realise, and it doesn’t take a lot to expose that truth. No, we stand because Jesus is strong. When we put our trust in Jesus, we have secure salvation that cannot be changed no matter how many times life’s certainties are whisked away from us. It’s in the strength of the Lord Jesus that we can say:

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 72:26

Praise God, that in Him we are not trapped in a cut-throat game where the fittest, fastest and strongest win the victory of life. When we put our trust in Jesus, we can be victorious in the end with Him, not because we are strong but because He is.