WELCOME 

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

All nations have been and continue to be shaken by the pandemic. 

Whist this shaking is difficult to bear, it can help us to have a greater understanding of spiritual truths.

Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 7:24-27, said:

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. 

Jesus is speaking of our lives being shaken by the storms of life, revealing the foundation that we have built our lives on. Have we built our lives on Jesus, His truth, His values, His commandments, His words? Or have we built our lives on something else? The world’s values (self-importance, pleasure, beauty, money, fame) or our own or someone else’s ideas?                      

Let us use this time to reflect on these eternal issues, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the true state of our lives and the foundation that we have built our lives on.   

IN THE NEWS   

Earlier this year, the Herald Sun published an article that focused on the state’s best performing schools. The article mentioned that ‘the highest ranked outer suburban school is Waverley Christian College’.

Whilst this statement is a wonderful testimony to the efforts of staff, students, and parents, it is beneficial to remind ourselves that academic success is not the sole purpose of Christian schooling. Rather, let us never lose sight of the most important things in life – loving God and loving others. 

We want our students to flourish in every area of life – not just one measure. We want them to understand their identity in Christ. We desire for students to find and fulfil the will of God for their lives; to do their best, rather than having to be the best; to learn to walk before God in faith and humility; to pursue their God-given strengths, passion, and character and; to do all for the glory of God.  

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE VICTORIAN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY ACT

The Victorian Government has re-introduced a Bill to amend the Equal Opportunity Act to limit the ability of faith-based organizations (such as Christian schools) to only employ people of faith whose beliefs are consistent with the doctrines of the religious body. It appears that this time around, the Government has the numbers in the Legislative Council to pass the Bill. 

Previous attempts by the Government to remove the religious exemptions in the Equal Opportunity Act failed to see the ‘light of day’ but if, as anticipated, the Government is successful on this occasion, we will most likely see courts and tribunals determining the roles in faith-based organizations for which it is an inherent requirement that the staff member be a person of faith. In the secular mindset, only a Biblical Studies teacher or a school chaplain would need to be a person of faith. It is not difficult to see how these amendments could significantly undermine the foundational values of a Christian school.

As anticipated, the Bill was passed on 18th November 2021 by the Legislative Assembly where the Government has the numbers. 

However, it is pleasing to note that the Opposition voted against the Bill.

It will now head to the Legislative Council for debate.

Please pray that the Bill will be defeated in the Legislative Council. 

May the Lord strengthen you and fill you with His wisdom, peace, patience and grace.  

Blessings, 

Mr Peter Sheahan (Principal)   

FROM THE HEAD OF CAMPUS (WANTIRNA SOUTH)    

Even after the experiences due to the Coronavirus pandemic throughout 2020, I think none of us would have expected the year we have had this year. The impact of the virus and the associated lockdowns on campus programs has certainly been significant. Many of our camps, music and other co-curricular programs had to be cancelled, postponed or modified during the year but it is exciting to report that in this last couple of weeks, the normal year end activities and celebrations such as Graduation Chapels, Formals, Valedictory Dinners, and most recently, our School Production, Seussical have been able to go ahead in some form or other. Our staff have, again, been incredibly resilient and amazingly flexible in their approach to each situation that has been presented this year and have shown immense care, compassion and empathy, not only for the students but for one another. It has been a privilege to have both led and witnessed our community respond in such a manner. 

Our Year 12 cohort have managed to push through the significant changes to their program to graduate well. Having to undertake multiple flips into learning from home and to complete their most significant assessments in their living rooms, study or bedroom has been no mean feat. Again, their capacity to take each issue with an attitude of flexibility was impressive and will stand them in good stead for their future. Those undertaking applied learning subjects were significantly disrupted by the lockdowns but managed to gain sufficient working experience to receive certification. We had over 57 Senior Secondary students enrolled in a vocational subject and 34 undertook apprenticeships with either their vocational subject or as part of VCAL. Our continued growth in applied learning is exciting and we look forward to its changed status associated with the development and delivery of the new Senior Secondary Certificate over the coming years. If you are a recent graduate of the College’s Applied Learning (VCAL) program and are happy to share your post schooling story, we would love to celebrate that with you and to encourage this pathway for our students. 

It has been a significant year for our Property Services team with a number of modifications made to our existing facilities coupled with our commitment to our new North Wing development. We made significant changes to our IT Services Hub, Uniform Shop and Secondary LEAPS area that have proven to be very successful. 

Whilst progress on the major North Wing development has been impacted by both weather and the lockdowns, and completion likely to be closer to the middle of the year, it has been exciting to see the ongoing works that will clearly have a very significant influence on campus life in the years ahead. 

We have needed much wisdom and discernment as we have navigated the complexities of yet another year impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Our value for this year, wisdom, has been very apt, therefore, and as we have explored it in the various contexts across our programs, we have learnt to both understand and appreciate how God himself is Wisdom, and how he gives so freely to those who ask and seek his guidance. As we face a future, perhaps still replete with a level of uncertainty, may we be drawn nearer to our God and trust in his unfailing love, mercy and grace.

Mr Rod Ramsay (Head of Campus, WS)

FROM THE HEAD OF CAMPUS (NARRE WARREN SOUTH)

We were very pleased that our VCE students were able to join us onsite from the first week of Term 4, beginning with their GAT on Tuesday, and then face-to-face learning for their final few weeks of school. I’m sure that many of our Alumni will remember sitting the GAT during their time at the College! Our Year 12s have been incredibly resilient as they have faced the last two years of their VCE years with a significant portion in lockdown. 

In their last week, our Year 12's attended their final classes and enjoyed a free dress day, raising money for Dignity Freedom Network. The College organised a number of special opportunities to celebrate for students on their very last day of school before they headed off to study for exams. Their Year 12 exams are now completed and we look forward to Monday 6th December when they return for a special onsite Valedictory Celebration. We wish them all the best as they finish up the year!

After the initial couple of weeks of Term 4, all our other Primary and Secondary students were able to return onsite – initially part-time, and then full-time. It was delightful catching up with students and saying hello to them all again after the extended remote learning periods. We are so thankful that we are finally back to onsite learning, and we’ve even been able to resume excursions and camps for our students. I trust that you too are being able to return to a more regular and fuller lifestyle now, enjoying time with your work colleagues, friends and family.

We elected our Student Leaders for 2022 which includes College Captains, House Captains, Sports, Performing Arts and Oratory Captains. For 2022, we have also adapted our current model to include Vice House Captains who are selected from either current Year 9's or 10's (Year 10's or 11's in 2022). We believe this is a way of developing leadership skills for our younger students and gives them an opportunity to see how our student leadership program operates. The process of selection as a student leader is rigorous and involved and requires students to participate in an interview with a panel of teachers. I would imagine that some of our Alumni who are reading this article were themselves student leaders during their time at the College; and we are grateful to past, present, and future student leaders who give of their time to serve the College in this capacity.

As we head into our final week of Term 4, it seems as though school life gets incredibly busy. We have had to continue to adapt to changing restrictions with some staff and students needing to isolate and several other operational challenges including a terrible storm overnight that left our Campus without any power for the entire day! Despite all this, I am pleased to report that our Senior students were able to complete their Year 12 VCE exams successfully with very few students needing to isolate or miss out on sitting an exam. This was a real answer to prayer.

Unfortunately, our 2021 Secondary Production of Singin' in the Rain will not go ahead this year. This was due to the many challenges we faced with students and staff having to isolate, and other associated risks. We are considering if the Production may still be able to go ahead in Term 1 of next year, however, this has not yet been confirmed. 

It has been interesting to reflect on the last 18 months as our global community has faced a pandemic. Lockdowns, face masks and social distancing which were once unimaginable are now commonplace. Despite these setbacks, we are excited that our students and staff are able to join together for a number of special events to celebrate in the life of the College over this final Term.  On Tuesday 23rd November, we were pleased to stream our Primary Presentation Evenings live to all our families, to celebrate our students’ achievements and their educational journey throughout the year. This online event included a wide variety of items including speeches, entertainment and award presentations. And on Tuesday 30th November, we will be joining together online as a community for our Secondary Presentation Evening. 

As well as our Presentation Evenings, our students are looking forward to a number of other special celebrations, including a Year 10 formal, Year 6 graduation dinner, Year 12 Valedictory and of course, our regular class celebrations and excursions held during the last week of term.

We are very pleased to see continued growth in enrolments, and we opened up a third Year 4 class for 2022, which means we will have a full student cohort of 3 classes per Year Level throughout both Primary and Secondary sub schools. We are very thankful that the Lord has continued to bless us and that so many families are joining our community for their children’s education.

I trust you have a wonderful Christmas, celebrating the birth of our Lord and Saviour and that you each have a joyful and blessed new year.

Mr Mark Crnkovic (Head of Campus, NWS)