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.