Ruth Thompson

Rob Weule, Creative & Performing Arts Coordinator

Six months in the planning. Countless phone calls, emails, texts and negotiations. Hours upon hours of rehearsal, both at home and at school. Leads and reeds prepared, instruments tuned, cases packed. Mr Booth (our amazing coach driver) briefed, and the parent team assembled. Back at school, lessons written, class covers planned, and staff prepared.

On the Road

But the tour doesn’t just last a week. It lasts a lifetime—a lifetime of memories, friendships and musical connections.

Coming Home

Thank You

So many people contribute to making an event like this happen. A massive thank you to:

• Our Parent Team: Cat, Stephen, Rachel and Nicole
• Colleagues who covered classes back at school
• Families who supported us from home
• Behind-the-scenes helpers: Caz, Es, Tina, Andrew and Ruth
• The encouragement of school leadership
• Every touring musician—including our teacher-players.

A Word of Encouragement

On the final night, Jodie Paul (our peripatetic music teacher and band member) shared these words with us:

Over the last four days, I have joyously noticed many small acts of kindness and serving, but I would like to highlight the unity you’ve developed as a group. It has been wonderful to see high schoolers, primary students and adults—boys and girls, friends and strangers—performing, serving and laughing together as one.

Jodie went on to reflect on a passage from 1 Corinthians 12:12-20, which speaks of unity among followers of Jesus. She reminded us that these verses apply beautifully to playing in a band and paraphrased them as follows:

Just as a band, though one, has many instruments, but all its many players form one team, 

So it is with Kuyper Concert Band.

For we were all encouraged by teachers, parents and friends to learn music,

Whether old or young, Queenslanders or New South Welshmen, Panthers fans or Knights supporters,

And we were given the same pieces of music to play.

If the flute should say, “Because I am not a saxophone, I do not belong to the band,” 

It would not, for that reason, stop being part of the band. 

And if the triangle should say, “Because I am not a trumpet, I do not belong to the band,” 

It would not stop being part of the band.

If the whole band were clarinets, where would the rhythm be? 

If the whole band were timpanis, where would the sweetness be? 

If the whole band were trombones (pause for effect), where would the SENSE be?

But in fact, God has placed each one of us on this band tour just as He wanted us to be. 

If we were all individuals doing our own thing, not listening to each other and working together, 

Where would the band be?

As it is, there are many wonderful musicians and support crew here on Band Tour 2025,

But one Kuyper Concert Band team—in the words of Mr Weule,

“One Sound. One Band. One God.”

Kae McCaull, Head of Primary

Last week was a busy one in the life of our Primary School as we celebrated our much-loved annual Book Week.

Continuing a long-held tradition, our students brought great joy and colour to the Book Parade, dressing as their favourite book characters and proudly sharing them during assembly. Many classes also prepared songs, poems, and skits that reminded us of the timeless truths found in the greatest book of all—the Bible. The day was filled with creativity, laughter, and a wonderful sense of community. Thank you to everyone who supported our students, whether through helping with costumes or cheering them on from the audience. These celebrations are only possible because of the generosity of our families and staff.

This week, we also had the privilege of welcoming Christian author Naomi Reed and her husband, Darren. Together, they delighted our K–6 students with puppetry, storytelling, and music, bringing to life Naomi’s book The Zookeeper. As well as sharing some of the aspects of being an author, it was great to hear her talk about some of her thoughts about why she included different elements of the story. We have purchased a copy of this book for our library, so perhaps it might come home in a library bag or two. 

The theme for Book Week this year was “Book an Adventure.” What a fitting reminder that reading takes us on journeys of learning, imagination, and discovery. As Christians, we know that the greatest story ever told is found in the Bible—God’s story of hope, love, forgiveness, purpose, and freedom. It is the true story that gives meaning to every other story, teaching us not only who we are but also the truth about the world God has made.

God, the author of creation, is also the giver of many good gifts: imagination, knowledge, creativity, and the people who share them with us through stories. As Dr Seuss once said, 

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go

Here at Kuyper, we often reflect on the truth that we are made in God’s image. One of the beautiful ways this is expressed is through our creativity. The act of writing, reading, and sharing stories is one way we reflect God’s own nature as Creator. Stories allow us to learn, to delight in imagination, and to see the world through new eyes. As author George R.R. Martin wisely wrote, 

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.

Speaking of adventures, it is with both gratitude and sadness that I share some important news. Mrs Tina Vander Reyden, our faithful and ever-supportive Office Manager, has announced her plans to retire at the end of this year. Tina has served our school with dedication and love for more than 31 years. Her warmth, wisdom, and tireless commitment have been a true blessing. While words cannot fully express our appreciation—or how deeply she will be missed—we rejoice with her as she prepares to step into this next adventure of retirement.

Tim White, Interim Deputy Principal

Our children are called to be God’s people, just as we are as adults. Together, as a community, we are invited to love and serve Him with creativity, using the gifts He has given us. True service flows out of a living relationship with God through Jesus. Adults model this to young people. As we strive to live lives of service, we encourage our children to pursue discipleship and respond in obedient service to God out of heartfelt devotion.

Parents, teachers and staff share in the task of caring for, exploring, shaping, analysing and reforming the world of education in the lives of our children. We do this to direct all learning back to God, so that students might grow to honour and serve Him as they learn. In this way, we equip them to care for, explore, shape, analyse and reform the world He has placed them in. We often refer to this as ‘living their learning’.

One special way students live their learning at Kuyper is through the Band Tour, by performing and entertaining others. Using the gifts God gives is a delightful way to spread joy, as well as experiencing the joy of working together as a team.

Yet the world our children face is also a ‘hurting’ world. Even boredom is a sad reflection of hurt in an exciting and engaging creation. At times, God’s world is in need of healing and care. Part of what we model to our children is how to respond to this need. We encourage them to C.U.R.E. the world in the way they respond to it and to people.

C.U.R.E. – Create, Use, Relate, Enjoy

Create: We encourage children to be creative, innovative and original in their approach to learning. We see this in the ideas expressed, solutions proposed, works of art created and models built. In this way, we help students to reflect on God’s marvellous creativity.

Use: We remind students that, as God’s people, only their best is good enough, in every area of life. The gifts God has given are for serving others, not for self-promotion or pride. Excellence is not about being “top of the class,” but about developing one’s abilities to serve the Lord, His people and His world.

Relate: Service, care and love should shape the way we treat others. We seek to equip students with the skills and perspectives they need to be truly Christlike in their relationships.

Enjoy: God’s people are called to joy. In lessons and as a school community, we take time to laugh, celebrate, and enjoy each other’s company, pointing forward to the abundant joy we will share together in God’s new creation. Every act of enjoyment in Him builds toward the kingdom we long for when we pray, “Your kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.”

At Kuyper, learning is not only about developing skills, attitudes and passions, but about doing so in the context of service. When we see that life is about serving others, we begin to understand how best to use and grow the gifts God has entrusted to us.  This is where we experience true contentment, knowing that what we do really does make a difference. 

Mr Mitchell Cavens, Head of Secondary

In our continued reflection on 12 Affirmations: Reformed Christian Schooling for the 21st Century, our Senior Leadership Team has been encouraged and challenged by the seventh affirmation, which reminds us that curriculum is not neutral. What we teach, how we teach it, and even what we choose to omit, all play a role in shaping our students, not just academically, but spiritually, morally, and socially.

At Kuyper, we are deeply aware that education is not just about filling minds with knowledge; it is about forming hearts, shaping what we love, and directing lives toward God and His purposes. We desire to deliver curriculum as not simply a collection of subjects for the growth of head-knowledge, but to utilise effective educational frameworks through which students learn to see God’s world truly, grow to love what He loves, and live out His calling with wisdom and humility.

This means that every subject, from Mathematics to Music, History to Science, is taught through the lens of God’s truth. We are not in the habit of separating “spiritual” things from “academic” things. Instead, we recognise Christ’s lordship over all areas of life and learning. A lesson in Physics reveals the order and beauty of God’s creation. A study of Literature can grow empathy and ethical discernment. A unit in History can provoke deep questions about justice, human dignity, and the consequences of sin and redemption.

Our prayer is that, as students engage with their subjects each day, they will grow not just in understanding, but in wisdom; not just in skill, but in faithfulness.

Because of this, we are constantly asking ourselves: What kind of people is our curriculum forming? Are we nurturing students who are curious, compassionate, and courageous? Are we pointing them to Christ as the source of all wisdom and knowledge? Are we equipping them to discern truth in a world filled with confusion?

This formative view of curriculum also invites us to think about the stories we tell. All education tells a story about what matters, what is good, and what is worth pursuing. At Kuyper, we want our curriculum to tell the true story: that God is Creator, that humanity is made in His image, that sin has marred His world, and that redemption is found in Jesus Christ alone. This story gives meaning to every part of life and learning.

We thank you for trusting us to teach your children within this framework. Our prayer is that, as students engage with their subjects each day, they will grow not just in understanding, but in wisdom; not just in skill, but in faithfulness. We hope they will come to see that everything they learn finds its place and purpose in Christ.

Mr Bill Rusin, Interim Principal

At a Christian school, relationships should be defined by covenant, not contract. While contracts certainly have their place in community life—setting out clear responsibilities and expectations—it’s easy to slip into thinking that all our interactions must follow a transactional model.

Covenant, broadly understood as a promise, is something far deeper. It’s a declarative commitment: “I promise to do this for you.” It is rooted in trust, relationship, and a willingness to give of oneself regardless of the response.

Sadly, things that were originally designed as covenant have been reframed as contractual, including marriage and even parenting. Contract presumes a lack of trust and trustworthiness and contains an implicit threat if one side of the contract is broken. By contrast, covenant is more relational, a bit messy and even risky. However, it is the model God uses in His dealings with His people, and it is the model He calls us to imitate.

At Kuyper Christian School, our covenantal promise to parents is that,

we will seek to fulfil our office as teachers to teach your children to the best of our ability and capacity, regardless of how clever or compliant they may be.

That promise stands because of the office we hold as educators.

Likewise, students are encouraged to fulfil their office within the classroom community. They are called to learn and to help others learn—to contribute to the shared task of growing in knowledge and character.

Of course, we don’t always live this out perfectly. No community does. But we seek to resist the temptation to default to contractual thinking when things do not work out as well as they should. 

We look forward to a rich and engaging term working together in covenantal partnership with you.