Principal's Thoughts

Be the doers, not just the hearers…

A big welcome back to our community, and a massive welcome to those who are beginning with us. We pray that God continues to bless our journey together. 

Education at RCC is different. We desire to educate in a way that not only challenges and stimulates our student’s minds but fosters their hearts and empowers their hands to live out what they are learning. When all of these elements, our student’s heads, hearts and hands, are engaged and catered for we embark on the journey of creating curious and courageous individuals who are empowered to live in the fullness of what God has for them. 

Last week, staff engaged in professional learning that sought to enable them to maximise teaching and learning opportunities to do this for our students now, and intentionally into the future. 

In James’ letter to the believers of his time he challenges them to not just be hearers of the word who listen and delude themselves, but doers of the word who, with integrity, are working towards becoming the people that God intended them to be. (James 1:22) His advice rings true for all of us today, and especially for our school moving forward. 

As we begin the new semester, the challenge we face together is to make sure that we are not merely attending or going through the motions of school or work because we have to. Rather, we must seek to allow each moment we encounter to sink deep into our head, heart and hands so that it can make a very real difference to every part of who God has made us to be. What we learn must become a part of who we are and flow out into what we do. 

I believe, when we start to match our understanding, our head learning, with our desires, emotions and actions, our heart and our hands, we build toward an integrity that empowers us to achieve and succeed in alignment with our purpose and hopes. 

To do this though takes community support, accountability, determination and practice. What is truly exciting is that we are already seeing the fruits of this approach in our community. We see it in our Stage 6 students who are about to finish school. We see it in our successful athletes, including our Year 12 student, Felicity who just came second in the 400m freestyle at the All Schools National Swimming Championships, or the 50 plus students who attended the Zone athletics carnival. We see it in the many students who will attend the eisteddfods this term to perform with all their heart and soul. We see it in our Pizza lunches for students who have worked hard to create wonderful learning environments. We see it…

When we truly learn something, when we truly believe something, when we truly value something, we will start to live it out and achieve great things.  So, I am excited to invite our community on this journey together this semester and beyond as we continue to seek to be more than just hearers but doers who make a positive impact to our world around us. 

Good Tidings, 

Jonno