Dear Parents and Caregivers

The Wonder of the Gospel

Understanding the message of the gospel - the good news of Jesus - begins with recognising our human condition. The Bible teaches that all people have fallen short of God’s perfect standard (Romans 3:23). This separation from God is described as spiritual death, like a rose cut from its stem - still beautiful, but slowly decaying.

In Ephesians 2, the Apostle Paul explains that we were spiritually dead because we had turned away from God’s good design, choosing instead to follow our own desires and thoughts. This led us far from His goodness, and the natural consequence of that separation, like the rose from its stem, is death - not just physical, but spiritual, a life disconnected from our Creator, slowly rotting.

But this is only the beginning of the story.

The wonder of the gospel is not our brokenness - it’s God’s incredible love and mercy. Paul continues in Ephesians 2:4–5: “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.”

Though the consequence of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23). This is grace: a gift we could never earn, freely given through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Through Him, we are offered forgiveness, restoration, and a new life.

This gift invites a response.

As you continue reading Ephesians, you’ll see Paul urging believers to live differently - not to earn salvation, but to honour the One who gave it. We are called to live lives that reflect our faith, doing the good works God has prepared for us. James echoes this in his letter, writing:

“Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deed. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder.” (James 2:18–19)

Faith is not just belief - it means trusting God and living a transformed life.

I encourage you to reflect on this message. Whether you’re exploring faith for the first time or have walked with God for years, the gospel is always an invitation: to receive grace, to live with purpose, and to walk in the light of God’s love.

Updates from the Principal’s Desk

Compass – College Reports

Year 12 reports have been released this week and College staff are working hard to finalise K-11 reports in the next couple weeks. A reminder that student reports will be released digitally to parents via Compass. Please check that you can log into your parent account in Compass in preparation for reports being released. You can log in via the Compass app, or by going here.

Parents and carers will receive an email from the College when reports are released. The email will contain a guide for how to access your child’s reports. You are encouraged to download and save the digital copy of your child’s reports.

Compass – Student Medical Details

The College has recently finished implementing the student medical plans and alerts into Compass. Parents can now view and update medical details for their children through Compass directly. In Compass, go to Update My Details, select your child, and you will be able to view their medical details and make changes. All changes go to our Administration staff for confirmation before going live.

Please contact the College reception if you have any problems accessing Compass.

Change to Semester 2 Parent-Teacher Interview date:

Following feedback from our parents, we have agreed to move the Semester 2 Parent Teacher interview date. Interviews will now occur later in Term 3 and not occur during the July holiday period. Confirmation of the new date will be communicated to families early in Term 3.

Reminders

Christian Ministry Partnership Night

As a Christian College we seek to honour and promote Christ in all of our activities and dealings. It is part of our core work to provide an excellent Christian education in partnership with parents and local churches. The question arises though, what do we mean by Christian education? What makes us distinctively Christian? What does partnership look like? What does this mean for our loved non-Christian families and students?

This is my fourth Christian school I’ve worked in, and even across the dozens of Christian schools that my extended family, friends, and connections work in, every school answers these questions differently. It is important therefore for us to work out and be clear on what will be distinctively Christian here.

I’d like to invite you to join me on Monday 30 June at 7pm to discuss this important question. I have been developing a Christian Ministry Plan that will guide the future development of the Christian distinctives of the College. This plan will run in parallel to the College’s strategic plan and guide the development of our Christian distinctives.

I invite you to partner with me in this work. At this event you will hear from me some thinking for the future of the College in this important area, have an opportunity to give feedback and be invited to join us in partnership and prayer to see Christ honoured at the College.

Please RSVP here to help us plan for the event.

Second-Hand Uniforms – Generocity Op Shop

It is with great thanks to Generocity Church that I am sharing that they have offered to take on the work of hosting our second-hand uniforms. We have heard regular feedback from families that an option for purchasing second-hand uniforms is wanted and this is a great opportunity to foster this.

The Generocity Op Shop is located at 194 Lake Albert Rd, Kooringal and is open Fridays 10:00 am – 3:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. They are happy to accept donations of second-hand uniforms and will ensure that affordable sustainable options exist for College uniforms.

Dr Rahmi Jackson

Principal

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