From the Principal

If you’re not optimistic...

you’ve got a misty optic

We have just completed our first whole school assembly for 2020!

The staff band began to play and without hesitation or any cajoling, over 400 kids joined the singing in full voice. I was so touched and encouraged. What a powerful expression of joy, hope and community right from the start of our new school year!

Though today is the students’ first day, our staff have been back working together since Monday last week. We have had a wonderful and productive time and the enthusiasm and commitment to provide the very best for your children this year was obvious and authentic.

If I were to find words to describe our diverse staff team I would include: creative, enthusiastic, youthful (yes, even for older blokes like me - if only on the inside!), dedicated, fun-loving, deeply worshipful, faithful and God focussed, selfless, generous and giving, caring, aspirational, and smart (way smarter than me!)… And to wrap it all up, they have a genuine love for your children and a desire to see them flourish.

One of our commitments this year is to connect with students, parents and carers more than ever. Please reach out to us as needed for both concerns and encouragements. You need to feel enabled to reach out to us as we want to reach out to you.

Our theme for the year is… wait for it… drum roll.... (no doubt being adopted by countless organisations around the globe, but why not?).......

“2020 Vision”

I shared at the assembly this morning about my youngest son, Chris. When he was a young, bright and active young boy little did we know, and Chris certainly had no idea, that he had a significant sight impairment. We remained ignorant of this problem until he was in grade 3. One day I pointed to something on the hilly horizon saying “look at that!” and there and then unfolded Chris’ reality - the world had been very dim and fuzzy for him all those years. There was so much he couldn’t see at all. Initially we felt like terrible parents, but we soon got over that…

The most wonderful part of this story was when Chris put on his first pair of glasses. For the first time in his life the world came into sharp focus, transforming his reality and awareness into detail and clarity - the total wonderment taking him completely by surprise.

This story speaks to me in a number of ways of our need to firstly understand and acknowledge our own spiritual and relational blindness and secondly to be healed and to have our spiritual and relational sight restored.

God says to us that we, in our natural state, are blind:

“the god of this world (our enemy) has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4)

Also, just like Chris, the most important concern is that we don’t realise that we are blind:

“For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realising that you are … blind…" (Revelations 3:17)

But Christ came to restore our spiritual sight and open our eyes to God and to each other:

“But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil (covering our eyes) is taken away." (2 Corinthians 3:16)
“For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8)
“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)

Unless God opens our eyes and restores our sight, we are spiritually blind. Also, as a result of this, we are often blind to the needs of each other. We often don’t see those around us with eyes of understanding, compassion and kindness. We can be good at seeing our own needs but not good at seeing the needs of others.

O how we need to see clearly! O how we need to see with fresh eyes and clarified sight!

We need to see God and, through Him, we need to learn to see each other.

2020 is a year in which we will deeply and creatively explore these things right across the College. Please join us in this, and encourage your children too. We all need to improve our sight!! I believe this will help all parts of our lives and relationships, including our core teaching and learning program. We want see the world, its physical properties, its history and its people, with greater clarity and understanding in all its wonder and complexity.

And finally, like one of the blind men healed by Christ exclaimed, “I was blind but now I see!” and like Chris when he first put on his new glasses, may we all rejoice in wonder as more things in our lives come into sharp focus with greater understanding, direction and purpose.

May Christ richly bless each and every one and reveal himself to you this year,

Alan Lawson

PRINCIPAL