Principal Address

Dear Parents,

I hope you have had a good week.

Can you believe that this is our second last week of the term? 

As we head into the holiday period, my encouragement would be to purposefully plan some family time with your children where possible. A reminder that your kids love spending time with you (even though sometimes they act like they don’t). At the beginning of every new term, often classes will write a holiday recount and the highlights are always things like “We went on a family bushwalk and my brother saw a bug”, or "I went to my Uncle’s farm" or "We had a special picnic etc with my Mum" or "I went on a bike ride with my Dad". I know this is difficult as we have busy lives, however, it’s great to try to plan something like this.  

I know many of you will be working, so that can be challenging, however, we do need to be mindful and intentional during this time and plan out at least a couple of days where we do fun things together with our children as it means so much to them. 

There are still many activities that are fun, engaging and, in many cases, even free and help us to avoid the requests for screen time. Here is a helpful list: https://www.sydney.com/things-to-do/family-holidays/school-holidays

Speaking of screen time, generally, I have found that holidays are a period where screen time is ramped up for many families (which I understand). However, it may be worth putting some type of system or structure in place to manage this to ensure that this does not dominate school holidays. I’m not saying technology has no place, but we do need to be mindful that over the holidays we don’t allow our children to spend huge amounts of time on screens without engaging in other activities. 

I have recently read two books on parenting that I would strongly recommend. One is 'The Anxious Generation' by Jonathan Haidt, and the other is 'The Bonsai Child' by Judith Locke. Both talk about how we, as parents, can better support our children in navigating an ever-changing world.

Haidt’s book, in particular, which focuses on screens, is well worth a read. He argues that rising anxiety and mental health issues in young people are largely driven by the shift from a play-based childhood to a screen-based one. Smartphones, iPads and social media are disrupting healthy development, increasing isolation and reducing real-world independence. His argument is that we need to reset boundaries around technology and restore more normal traditional experiences.

Without wishing to be condescending, children do not have an intrinsic right to use screens. If our kids are not able to handle screen use in a safe and appropriate manner, it is our job to remove the device from them. Our job as parents is to protect them and nurture them in this space. 

In my experience as an educator, it is never a good idea to give children unfiltered internet access. No matter how responsible you think your child is, eventually curiosity will kill the cat and they will search for or stumble across something they are not ready for. This can have serious long-term consequences and, in some cases, can be quite distressing or even traumatic. 

For those children who do have phones, there is also strong evidence to suggest that late-night use is one of the most problematic times. This is where boundaries really matter and our children’s sleep is protected and thought about.

Roblox is a platform that can also be problematic, for those of you whose children play it. 

I would encourage you to do some reading and be aware of what your children are accessing and who your child is talking to and setting up appropriate boundaries around this.

Thanks for listening to my thoughts on this important matter. 

There is a lot happening in the life of our school next week, here's what's on:

Monday 30 March

A reminder that you are invited to attend our Performing Arts Afternoon on Monday 30 March in the gym. This is an opportunity to see what our Band and Dance students have been learning in Term 1. Students who only just joined the instrumental program in 2026, are not performing, only the Senior Band. Afternoon tea will be provided.

Wednesday 1 April

Our school leaders have organised a mufti day for the first of April. We are calling it “Wacky Wednesday”. Your children can wear something wild, i.e., their hair, their socks etc. We ask that students wear closed-in shoes, especially for our K to 2 students who have sport on Wednesday.

We are not expecting you to go out and find elaborate dress ups etc. As there has likely been enough work put into the Easter Hats. So please just do something simple. This term we are raising money for some teacher training programs in Zimbabwe. You may have remembered over the last couple of years that we have developed a partnership with some Christian schools in Zimbabwe. I had the privilege of travelling there in 2024 and I'll be heading over again in July to run some teacher training programs. I've seen first hand what a little bit of money can do, and every dollar will go to ensuring teachers in rural Zimbabwean communities have access to vital resources they need to teach. 

Whilst I’m not expecting us to raise millions of dollars for a mufti day, it is great that we have an opportunity to remind ourselves that life and the world is bigger than ourselves. As always, we say gold coin donation, however, it would be great to raise around $1,000. This amounts to approximately $4.00 a student. I know cost of living is tight, but what a great opportunity we have to be a blessing to Christian schooling across the world. 

Thursday 2 April

A reminder that we have our Easter Chapel and Easter Hat Parade on Thursday so a reminder to please bring your Easter Hats. Our Easter Chapel is starting at 1.30pm and our Hat parade directly after. Additionally, lighting works will be taking place in church next week, so our Chapel may need to be held in the gym.  As you may know, our school musical is fast approaching. With this in mind, we have scaled back our Easter Chapel this year slightly as we focus on musical preparations, as we didn’t want students to miss out on too much class time with both musical and Easter rehearsals. We appreciate your understanding. 

Musical

Our musical tickets are now available for sale, please secure your ticket by clicking here: https://events.humanitix.com/hopepoint-christian-school-presents-spring-chicken-the-musical

A reminder that students will need to be present both nights. You do not need to purchase a ticket for students. Our musical is a great event for our community, as we glorify God through the creative arts and see His glory manifested in the way we support and uplift one another.

My door is always open.

Mr Joe Britton

(Principal)

Different Voices - Miss Djané Kinnear (K-2 Coordinator)

Instilling a Love of Learning

One of the greatest gifts we can give our children is a love of learning. Research shows that when children are curious and motivated to learn, they are more likely to develop confidence, perseverance and a positive attitude toward challenges. While we as teachers play an important role in nurturing this, the foundation for a love of learning often begins at home.

Simple moments such as reading together, asking your child questions about their day, exploring nature, building, drawing, or encouraging them to wonder about the world around them all help to develop curiosity. This can be as easy as baking with your child and asking questions such as, “Why do we add eggs to the batter?” while taking the time to explain the process. Children naturally want to learn, they just need the adults in their lives to show interest in learning and discovery.

The Bible also reminds us of the importance of guiding our children as they grow. In Proverbs 22:6 we are encouraged to “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Instilling curiosity, perseverance and a love of learning from a young age helps set children on a path that will serve them throughout their lives.

At HopePoint, we strive to create classrooms where our children feel safe to ask questions, explore ideas and celebrate their learning. When families and teachers work together to nurture curiosity and a love of learning, children are supported to grow in confidence and truly flourish.