Burnie Campus Principal 

There is something wonderfully refreshing about new beginnings, a new school year, a new cohort of students and the optimism that comes from starting afresh.

This year, we had such a peaceful start to the year. Completing 5 weeks of pre-kinder in 2024 meant that our youngest ones felt settled in their space, that they knew their teachers and support staff and that they were excited to start at “big school”.

We welcomed new families who came from other local schools, interstate and some from international destinations as they settled into life in Burnie, Tasmania. We love to embrace diversity in the school and to embed them into the Leighland Christian School community.

Our first day was peaceful and joyful. Children were excited to catch up with their friends, they took tours of the school, they marvelled over the changes in some of the learning spaces and they enjoyed being back together. It was wonderful to have so many parents doing the drop off and helping to settle in the children as well. Parents and children were greeted by our new mascot Judah the Lion and there were plenty of high fives and photo opportunities available.

We want to also acknowledge that for some students, their return to school wasn’t so wonderful as they faced losses or tough times over the break. We had Tammy, our school counsellor at work on Friday and she was able to connect with many children, offering support and comfort as soon as they started school. We are driven by having the best interest of our students at the heart of what we do, and if there are times that additional support is needed, then please let us know.

As staff, prior to the students returning, we spent time revisiting the school’s vision, mission and core values over our student free week. For those new to the school, they are:

Vision (who and where we aspire to be)

A hope filled Christian community pioneering personalised real-world education.

Mission (what we do)

Christ-centred K-12 education that inspires, nurtures and equips students to connect learning to life.

Values (What’s important to us)

Christian to the core we lead with Innovation, commit to Personalise Learning, embrace Partnerships and seek to serve.

We strive to achieve these goals through our educational programs, by building connections with our parent body and local communities, and by innovating education to have a personalised approach.

On the Burnie Campus, we are unpacking some of the Biblical Threads that form part of our learning and teaching programs. Last year we looked at Kindness being Key and this year we will be learning about Pursuing Peace across the school; what this looks like in the classroom, in the playground and when we interact with each other.

There have been some wonderful upgrades on the campus over the holidays, with the old library being turned into an additional prep class and the breakout space being reconfigured to become the Discovery Den. This will be a place of inquisitive learning, researching, creating, designing and a spot for our kids to be able to dive into books. The 1&2 classrooms have all new furniture and are looking fabulous. 

I want to conclude by saying that we are so pleased to be back, we love what we do, and we strive to be the best place for your child to be able to grow up to become all that God intended them to be. Can I leave you with the Bible verse from 2 Thessalonians 3:16 “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.”

Elizabeth Scheu

Burnie Campus Principal