From the Principal
A Culture of Gratitude
I'm very excited to share a new initiative that we started this term inspired by a friend of mine, Ruth Sanderson, who is the principal of The British School of Amsterdam. I worked with Ruth for nine years in Seoul and I visited her over the break. She shared that they have a staff-thanking-staff card-writing opportunity.
I brought the idea back to LCS and I'm very thankful to Courtney Greatbatch who designed our own version of those cards.
I think it's really important that leaders create a culture of gratitude and thanks, but I also think it's wonderful to see colleagues thanking colleagues. There are three boxes around the school and hundreds of blank cards for staff to choose from. People simply write their messages, and pop the card in the box for members of the leadership team to distribute.
In our first delivery, there were over 90 cards, and every Friday we're seeing a strong take-up of gratitude. It all comes back to our theme for the year: What Does Love Require?
LCS Opportunities
During this term, through the connections we have with Independent Schools Tasmania, I was approached regarding an initiative we launched last year. We had asked the question: How can we use AI to refocus how teachers spend their time? Teaching is a high-pressure career, and both a skilled craft and a science – there are certain ways the brain learns and we need to be attuned to them. But our teachers are also stretched.
So, in consultation with Paul Matthews who was hired as an independent contractor, we created an AI Playbook. It's designed for teachers to use in their lesson planning, unit planning, differentiation, assessment creation and rubric creation, and with the ability to embed biblical threads into their lessons in a really authentic and meaningful way. AI does not replace the need for teachers to look over what it creates but does save significant time.
We launched the LCS AI Playbook to our staff at the start of the year along with some training, and then I was given the opportunity to speak to the National AI In Schools Taskforce online (a brief presentation with some questions). Those in attendance included AI designers working with state governments around big systems and it was a real privilege to speak about what a little school was doing in a little corner of Australia with a specific focus on supporting teachers.
LCS 50th Anniversary
Next year LCS celebrates its 50th anniversary and we are well into the planning process. Today, I'm really excited to share with the wider community that we have two major events that we'd like you to add to your diary:
Stay tuned! We will have lots of volunteer opportunities, including within the 50th anniversary planning committee, and there will be many events for the LCS community and alumni throughout 2026 as we celebrate God's goodness to the school.
New Term, New Start
At the end of every term some of our community leaves to other adventures and I want to wish those families and students all the best as they say their goodbyes, which are always hard. We will miss you! You go with our prayers as you transition and settle into a new environment.
And then the flipside is that we will be welcoming about 15 new students and their families into the school at the start of Term 3. We are excited to have them join us and bring their special gifts and talents to continue to grow in the amazing educational environment we have here at LCS. Please join me in extending a warm welcome when you see them next term.
Refreshing
This year, the LCS staff has been studying the Psalms, which don't always deal with things that are celebratory and light, but they do remind us of God's presence and his goodness to us in times of challenge.
As we enter the school holiday break, my prayer for you is Psalm 23:2-3, that you would have time to lie down, to notice the green pastures, to hear the quiet waters and to accept the refreshing of your soul.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
In Christ,
Stuart Kent
Principal
Launceston Christian School