Dear Parents,

I hope you are doing well.

Many of you may recall that both Pastor Rebecca, our School Board Chair, and I have spoken about the possibility of a new school building. Today, I want to provide you with a direct update on where things stand.

The Need for the Build

Last year, we announced our plans to develop a new facility, driven by two key factors:

Growing Student Numbers – As we transition from a single-stream to a double-stream school, we must ensure there is adequate classroom space for all students.
Upgrading Learning Spaces – Our current classrooms are over 35 years old, and we want to provide modern, 21st Century, high-quality facilities for our students.

Development Application Update

As Pastor Rebecca shared at Presentation Night, we submitted a Development Application (DA) to Canterbury Bankstown Council late last year. This application proposes a new two-story, 10-classroom building on Ashcroft Street, replacing the existing Kindergarten and Year 1 block with a purpose-built facility.

At this stage, the DA is still under review, and we anticipate that the approval process could take up to a year. One of the complexities we are navigating is that part of our site is listed on the state heritage register, which adds additional considerations to the development process and additional parameters.

We have engaged an architectural firm that understands the needs of a school our size, and we are grateful for their expertise. Below, you’ll find some early concept drawings. Please note that these are preliminary and subject to change—elements like colors, fonts, and even some design aspects are not final. The internal layout has yet to be developed, as we are waiting for council approval on the outside before progressing further.

What This Means for Us

The timeline for construction remains uncertain at this stage. If all goes smoothly, we may be able to commence building next year. However, delays—particularly those related to heritage requirements or other unforeseen challenges—could extend this timeframe.

While nothing is set in stone just yet, we wanted to keep you informed about where things are up to. Please rest assured that we have strong contingency plans in place—no students will be learning under trees!

Praise Report

One of the unique strengths of our school is that we have remained financially stable without accruing debt, which is very uncommon for a growing school. However, to fund this project, the school will need to take out a significant loan. The estimated cost of the build is $7–8 million. We are incredibly grateful to have already received a $1.1 million grant from the Association of Independent Schools through the Block Grant Authority to support this project.

Unlike many other independent schools, we have never undertaken large-scale fundraising efforts for facilities. As we move forward, we may invite families to contribute towards this project; however, any contributions will be completely voluntary. We will provide more details later in the year when we have a clearer picture of timelines.

Partnership

Our school has a valued partnership with HopePoint Church, which provides ongoing support in many areas of school life. Their generosity allows us to operate and grow on this property, ensuring we can continue providing quality education in a supportive environment. We appreciate their commitment to our students' growth and look forward to continuing this partnership.

Next Steps

The School Board and Executive Team have been deeply prayerful and strategic in planning these next steps for our school. We are currently awaiting a response from the Council—a process that, as some of you may know, can take time. While there are no major updates at this stage, we wanted to keep you informed.

At the appropriate time, we plan to hold an information session to share further details and answer any questions. We’ll keep you updated and let you know as soon as there are any new developments.

Mr Britton (Principal) and Ps Rebecca Tobar (Chair of HPCS school board)

Easter Chapel and Hat Parade

A reminder that next Friday is our annual Easter Chapel and Hat Parade. Personally, this is one of my highlights of the year. As we come together and commemorate Jesus’ death and resurrection and then celebrate as a community with some light fun with Easter Hats.

We will also have bacon and egg rolls available for parents to purchase on the day for $6 each. Payment can be made by cash or card.

Easter Markets

A reminder that the HopePoint Easter Markets will be held on Saturday, 12 April. It promises to be a lovely occasion in the lead-up to Easter, and we’d be delighted to see you there. Feel free to invite friends from the community to join us for this enjoyable event. We look forward to seeing you!

Congratulations

This week I was so blessed to read all of these wonderful expositions written by our Year 2 class about why we must do more to save Koalas. They were fantastic and demonstrated how well the students understood the importance of protecting these beautiful animals, as well as their ability to use persuasive writing to effectively convince an audience.

Holidays

At the risk of sounding overly simple, I encourage you to set aside some quality time as a family over the holidays. I know this can be challenging with work and other commitments, but it’s always worth it. When children return from the holidays, they love sharing their highlights with their teachers—things like trips to the beach, bushwalks, family lunches, and day trips to the Blue Mountains. What they rarely mention are hours spent on iPads or gaming.

This doesn’t mean you need to fill every moment with planned activities. Instead, consider setting aside a few intentional days for meaningful family time—days that are purposeful, exciting, and memorable for you and your children.

For those of you who do need vacation care, we have spoken with OOSH at Georges River Grammar and they have spots available on all days set aside for HopePoint students. Please contact them directly to book in a spot.

This will be the last newsletter of the term.

If I don’t get the chance to see you personally before next Friday, I’d like to wish you a blessed Easter, celebrating Jesus and His love.

It has been a fantastic term here at school, and we are truly grateful for such a wonderful and supportive parent community.

My door is always open.

Mr Joe Britton

Upcoming Dates

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