A Legacy of Gentleness

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we come into the final weeks of Term 2, our whole-school wellbeing focus turns to a profound and transformative Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness. At Donvale Christian College, our foundational theme reminds us to be Anchored In Faith, Courageously Wise. As we explore gentleness in our classrooms and schoolyard this week, we are teaching our students a very clear message: Be Gentle Like Jesus.

The Biblical foundation for our learning is beautifully captured in the scriptures guiding our devotions. Philippians 4:5 instructs us, "Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near," and Proverbs 15:1 reminds us that "A gentle response turns away anger, but a harsh response makes it worse." Jesus himself modelled this strength, saying in Matthew 11:29, "I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

In our classrooms this week, we are teaching students that gentleness often starts with taking a deliberate pause before reacting. To help our Primary students understand this deeply, we are exploring four key areas:

       •   Gentle Hands: We encourage students to use their hands to serve, care and heal, just like Jesus. This looks like being careful with our hands, helping without being asked, and waiting patiently without pushing.

       •   Gentle Words: Like Jesus, who used his words to welcome, restore and forgive, we are learning to welcome others with kind words. We are practising being slow to anger and quick to forgive, using our words to encourage, and remembering to think before we speak.

       •   Gentle Eyes: We ask students to use their eyes to see the forgotten and the lost. This means we include others, notice when someone seems sad, give our full attention and respect, and simply ask, "Are you okay?".

       •   Gentle Heart: Finally, like Jesus, a gentle heart feels with those who are hurting. We teach that sometimes we should not rush to fix things, we just need to listen. We strive to think about how others might feel, recognising that we are gentle because we are strong like Jesus. Ephesians 4:2 reminds us to "Be completely humble and gentle."

After almost 20 years at DCC, Barb Meulman has decided that it is time to focus on family and things beyond our school gates. When we reflect on the person that Barb is, not only as a steadfast pillar of our College, but as a woman of God, the spirit of gentleness is something that resonates. Throughout her incredible years of service across the Primary School, Barb has been a living testament to the truth that gentleness is powerful. She embodies the call in Colossians 3:12 to "Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." 

During her time, Barb has filled many roles – from Learning Enhancement to EAL, classroom teacher and Head of Primary from 2016 – 2020. Her wisdom, biblical conviction and steadfast nature has been evident in each role she has fulfilled, and will continue to be an example in years to come. Barb showed us all what it means to lead and serve with a gentle heart. 

On Tuesday, we celebrated Barb, and thanked her for the legacy of gentleness, wisdom and grace that God has blessed our community with through Barb’s teaching, leadership and friendship. We pray God’s blessing upon Barb as she steps into a new season beyond DCC.

We encourage you to partner with us at home by adopting this embedded language. Try pausing and saying, "Let’s try that again gently" when tensions rise. Together, we pray that our students will continue to grow in character, relying on the help of the Spirit to foster friendships that exude gentleness, with gentle hands, gentle words, gentle eyes, and gentle hearts being evident to all.