Dear Parents,

I love what Pastor Ethan shared in our chapel this morning as we explored the fruit of the spirit; faithfulness. Being a trustworthy and honest friend is so important in a world that values speed and instant gratification. Perhaps I’m wrong, but I feel like the world is pushing an agenda that is big on pseudo-moralistic stances but low in the fruit of it. Integrity and honesty are words that get thrown around, yet often the very people or groups promoting them fall short of embodying them. I think of a certain celebrity who built their entire mantra around kindness and integrity, only for it to be revealed that they were a bully in how they treated others.

The thing with our faith and values is that it should always come from a place of weakness, accepting that we need God’s grace and forgiveness to show the fruit of the spirit. That is why it is called fruit; fruit doesn’t will itself to grow, rather, it grows naturally as it is connected to the branch. In the same way for us to be faithful people, we must be connected to God and have His spirit work in, through, and then flow out of us. At the same time, let’s keep encouraging our kids to be people who don’t just “show faithfulness” but are faithful people, connected with God. Faithful people are good friends, work hard, tell the truth, show up for others and are reliable. These are qualities that do not always come naturally to children or humans for that matter, but let’s keep emphasising the value of these qualities as we walk together.

Inspection

Some of you may be aware that the school is accountable to an organisation called NESA. (NSW, Education and Standards Authority). Every independent school is subject to random inspections every few years, ours occurred on Thursday. The inspectors looked through a range of our documentation and examples from curriculum, work samples, policies, child protection procedures, differentiation, staffing information, etc. It is great to be able to share that the school is very much operating in compliance and also in many areas producing best practice. This is a testament to the work our teachers and support staff are doing every day, in ensuring that high quality teaching and learning is happening and that your children are in a safe and supportive environment.

NAPLAN

Once again, I want to congratulate all the Year 3s and 5s on their hard work in completing their NAPLAN tests. I’m proud of the “no fuss” approach our students took towards these tests over the past two weeks.

Harmony Week

You may have noticed that many schools are celebrating Harmony Week this week. Due to the timing of NAPLAN and Easter, we decided not to hold an event this week. However, we will be celebrating our school's cultural richness with an event in Term 2 or 3—stay tuned!

Easter Markets (Saturday 12 April)

Just a reminder of the date for the HopePoint Easter Markets! It would be great to see you all there—it’s sure to be a wonderful occasion in the lead-up to Easter. Invite your friends from the community!

Newsletter

Just a quick note to let you know that we’ll be moving to a fortnightly newsletter from now on. As much as I’m sure you’ll find it devastating not to read my weekly thoughts, I feel that a fortnightly schedule will allow us to provide more quality content rather than just quantity. If anything important comes up between newsletters, we’ll email you, so please make sure your email is up to date. For any communication changes, please email school@hpcs.nsw.edu.au.

My door is always open.

Mr Joe Britton

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