From the Principal
Welcome to Semester 2 at Oxley Christian College. We have thoroughly appreciated the chance to welcome students and families back to school for a new semester. The term ahead provides us with many opportunities to connect and flourish as a school community with a wide range of co-curricular activities and special events planned for the term ahead.
During the first week of Term 3, we delighted in celebrating 100 Days of School for our 2025 Prep students. Congratulations to the students, parents, and staff involved in celebrating this special milestone in the learning journey of our youngest students. It was wonderful seeing our students dress-up and celebrating their successful transition into Prep at Oxley.
Another special event at the start of Term 3 was our Mega Chapel. We valued gathering as a whole school community to worship God together. Mega Chapel always provides a great opportunity to foster a sense of belonging and connection for our students and staff and to celebrate all that is special about being a Christ-centred school. Thank you to the staff and students who supported this important event.
As I write this article, students and staff are making final preparations for our Middle Years production of Frozen JR. with performances taking place this week. Congratulations to the cast and crew on an incredible effort preparing for this production. Our Junior School students and staff are also preparing for the Junior School production of Alice in Wonderland JR., which will be performed later this term. I trust these productions will be significant milestones in the learning journey of our students and their families.
Our staff engaged in a wide range of professional learning and planning activities during the recent Curriculum Week (21 – 25 July). Thank you to our team of staff for their commitment and active participation in the program throughout the Curriculum Week. A significant emphasis of the professional learning during this week focused on the Classical Christian Education approach to education adopted by Oxley. Our staff further explored a framework that allows us to intentionally plan our Christ-centred curriculum to support students to encounter Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. At Oxley, we acknowledge the purpose of education is holistic, extending beyond just the imparting of knowledge, and instead focusing on the formation of each student, both in wisdom and virtue. Specifically, we employ Classical Christian Education principles and values to cultivate scholars of character.
Glen Schultz in his book on Kingdom Education highlighted the significance of viewing the world through God’s Word when we plan and prepare our curriculum.
“God’s Word should be our sunglasses in life. Kingdom educators must make certain they put on the glasses of the Bible every time they study the subject(s) they will teach to their students. By doing this, every subject will be coloured by God’s Word” (p.124).
Our approach to education embraces both the intellectual virtues and the necessity of explicit direct instruction and active learning. Education at Oxley takes place within a Christian framework, guiding students to reflect on and love what is true, good and beautiful in the world God created. This is the heart of our vision: delighting in God’s love that is expressed through inspired learning.
As we travel through Term 3 together, may we continue to encourage one another and fix our eyes on what truly matters.
Working together,
Michael Bond
Principal
Reference
Schultz, G. (2023). Kingdom education: God’s plan for educating future generations (2nd ed). Lifeway Press.