Ruth Thompson

Cassie Dixon, Head of Teaching & Learning

For a number of years, we have taken our Senior students to Vanuatu on a Service Learning Experience. Trips like this aren’t about taking students on a holiday; it’s an opportunity for them to experience a different way of life and to serve those in need in various ways. Students step out of their comfort zones as they travel and do things they wouldn’t usually do. 

On Thursday, 10 April, seventeen of our Senior students will travel to Vanuatu with staff and parents for eight days. We will stay in Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila, and work with a school and other organisations to serve the ni-Vanuatu people. To be honest with you, I find that we are often more blessed by the experiences we have than those we seek to bless.

This will be the third year of Kuyper’s partnership with Child Care Centre, a Kindergarten to Year 8 Christian school in Port Vila. During our visit, students will teach three lessons to different grades. Over this term, our students have been working in small groups to plan the lessons that they will teach. Each lesson has three main components – Biblical Studies, literacy and Australiana.

We will also partner with Loaves & Fishes, an organisation that seeks to share the love of God with the ni-Vanuatu people while also serving them practically. While we are there, our students will learn to install water filters that help protect locals from bacteria and then put their new skills into practice in a small community on the island of Efate. With each water filter they install, they will also be sharing the gospel with ni-Vanuatu families. 

Scripture Union Vanuatu will be hosting an Easter camp and need some help to prepare the campsite at Pango Point before this happens, so we will be doing what we can there as well. 

The experience I am most looking forward to for our students is attending the Sunday morning service at Pango Point Presbyterian Church. In the past, it has been a great time 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 there is nowhere else you need to be.

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
• Softness of heart as we see God at work through us
• Confidence for students as they teach lessons to classes with up to 45 students
• Strength in relationships between everyone on the trip.

The water filters we will be installing cost approximately $80 each. If you would like to donate towards the cost of these filters, please contact Tina in the Office.

Mitch Cavens, Head of Secondary

One of the great privileges of Christian education is the partnership between school and home in the formation of children. At Kuyper Christian School, we firmly believe that parents have been given the primary responsibility to raise their children in the knowledge and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Our role as a school is not to replace this responsibility but to walk alongside families, reinforcing the biblical truths that shape a child’s heart, mind, and character.

This covenantal approach to education is foundational to everything we do. We see education not as a neutral pursuit of knowledge but as a deeply spiritual endeavour. Every lesson taught, every discussion held, and every relationship formed contributes to the shaping of a child’s worldview. Our goal is to nurture students who see all of life through the lens of God’s truth, equipping them to live faithfully in His world.

True Christian education is not confined to chapel services or Bible classes; it permeates every aspect of learning. Whether exploring the intricacies of mathematics, the patterns of history, or the wonders of science, we teach our students to recognise God’s order, sovereignty, and wisdom. Education is an act of worship when it points students to the Creator and deepens their understanding of Him.

At Kuyper, we take seriously our responsibility to partner with parents in this formative journey. We recognise that students do not simply absorb knowledge; they are discipled in the way they should go. Our teachers, therefore, serve as both educators and mentors, modelling faithfulness and pointing students to Christ in both word and action. The culture we cultivate at school is an extension of the Christian home—a place where students are nurtured in truth, grace, and the love of God.

This partnership between school and home is strengthened when we pray for and encourage one another. As parents, teachers, and school leaders, we share the calling to raise up young men and women who will stand firm in their faith, think critically with wisdom, and engage the world with humility and courage. Our prayer is that Kuyper students will grow to be strong in their convictions, wise in their discernment, and humble in their service.

May we continue to labour together in this great task, trusting in God’s faithfulness as we seek to equip the next generation for a life of service in His Kingdom.

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Ephesians 4:6

Tim White, Interim Deputy Principal

Kuyper Christian School is an educational institution that seeks to continue the work of the Christian home. We seek to extend the values and beliefs of the Christian home. We want to see values and routines at school that reflect a commitment to exploring how to please God and honour Him. These are perspectives all young people need to consider. Even though our families may function differently, we are all under the one Heavenly Father who calls us to be obedient to Him. Kuyper is different as a school because we are all children under the one Father, not simply bosses and workers or service providers and clientele.

God’s purposes for his people require a unique response. He calls us beyond selfishness and what concerns us as individuals to service and concern for what gives Him the glory. This remains an ongoing challenge.

We are to look different as a school community because we are to function differently.

We are children of a King, and that makes us unique. Our first step is to strive to be like our King and not simply self-centred and self-seeking.

In this light, we cannot be happy simply to be considered an alternative to any other school. We are here for a special purpose. We take God’s claim on our school community seriously, so we live, move and act in ways that we believe will give glory to Him. In all our ways, we seek to acknowledge our God as king of every square inch of creation and enjoy the direction He gives to our path.

It is true that many of the school resources and educational approaches employed at Kuyper will seem similar to those in any school. It is how these are employed that creates a distinction. Kuyper seeks to open up a world of wonder to children. This is a world in which God Almighty not only plays a part but, in fact, is both Creator and Sustainer of all we can enjoy. All resources are shaped and used to develop a Christian perspective on life. This is where the true distinctiveness of the school emerges. The importance lies in how the staff think Christianly about using various resources to highlight and honour God’s place over His creation. This honours our partnership with the Christian home.

Kuyper is a special and distinctive school. Our commitment must be to making it more so!

What students, parents and teachers at Kuyper learn as we grow together will reflect what we believe about community and service to our Lord.

The way we presently think and act may be challenged. Our success will be measured in our love, joy and commitment to learning together as God’s people. Our failure will be just as evident if we simply become known as another school down the road that kids in the Hawkesbury can attend. I invite you to consider how you will partner with us in this growth.

Kae McCaull, Head of Primary

​​Last week, I discussed the science of reading and its five fundamental elements: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension.

Reading is a complex skill, and our reading programs at Kuyper teach these essential elements explicitly and systematically, progressively building students’ literacy competency.

Practice is fundamental to building reading skills. As homework kicks off for all our classes, one of the key ways parents can support young readers is by listening to them read aloud daily. Faithfully doing this will not only build wonderful attitudes towards learning but also give your children the practice they need to master developing literacy skills. Older students also need to be encouraged to keep reading regularly with texts appropriate to their age and level of reading.  

In addition to supporting our children in reading regularly, there are other things that we can do to encourage success in building their vital literacy skills. 

Read to your children
In particular, read books your child cannot yet read for themselves. This builds vocabulary as you discuss new and interesting words you come across together. It develops interest and enjoyment in reading. As you read, make predictions about what might happen next and discuss the sequence of events or the reasons behind the characters’ actions. These strategies encourage students to think about and comprehend what they are reading. 

Ask questions
Check that your children have understood what they (or you) have read, and allow them to generate questions for you. Be aware that developing questions is a much harder cognitive skill and will take lots of practice. If children ask a question not answered in the text, you could pretend to look for it and say something like,

“I don’t know. It doesn’t tell me in the book, but if I were the character, I would…”

Read Fiction and Non-Fiction 
This helps children understand that we can read to learn about new things or things we are interested in. Some children prefer reading and hearing non-fiction books. All reading is beneficial.

Use and explore language
Talk about what you see happening in the world around you and look for opportunities to introduce new words into your discussion. This will allow your children to hear new words in context and ask you about their meaning. Students with a greater vocabulary better comprehend what they are reading.

Let them see you reading in real life
For example, reading a recipe or instructions and using a Google search to learn about something.

Whilst these things do not replace our children’s reading, they provide wonderful support for the hard work they are doing. 

As we work together to help your children become proficient readers and writers, please talk with your child’s teacher if you have any concerns or questions. Celebrate your child’s success with them, even if it’s as small as mastering one new tricky word, reading a new book, or sticking with it when it is challenging. Feel free to share their successes so we can celebrate with you. Mastering the skill of reading is something we can all celebrate.