Start How You Mean to Continue...

Wow, DCC! It is so good to be back, to see smiling faces and to be greeted by a cheery ‘good morning’ as students make their way into school. We have been so impressed by the smooth start – from the youngest of learners to the Year 6 students who have taken the responsibility of leading the younger students in their stride – all getting off to a fabulous start to 2023! 

To our new families, we say WELCOME…it has been wonderful seeing your children quickly become part of the DCC community and we look forward to getting to know them more as they settle over the coming weeks.

We live in a world where we are constantly reminded that YOU are the most important person, YOUR rights matter, YOU need to put yourself first, and where SELF care is the ‘beginning’ to fulfilment, happiness and success. 

And yet, the stories of Jesus demonstrate a counter-cultural way to live and serve, putting the needs of others before our own, loving others as Jesus loves, and caring for and respecting the needs of others despite the many differences we see and experience each day.

And so, the first few weeks of the school year are important ones for every staff member and student. It is a time when, as a collaborative community, we spend large amounts of time creating routines, setting expectations and building a culture of care, love and respect, just as Jesus did. 

Within each classroom, students and teachers have generated a 2023 class agreement, a ‘live’ document which provides boundaries and a shared understanding of how each member of the class community needs to work, live and play to ensure that everyone knows they are welcome, where learning can take place and where God’s love can be shared.

Staff have spent time talking about our DCC Primary Agreements which state:

We Put God first

We are learners

We care for and respect others

We look after our school

and, together with the messages and celebrations shared in our Primary Assemblies, our heart is to see every student begin the year with a clear understanding of who they are as a child of God and as an important member of our community – each with their own story and a part to play in starting the year well and continuing to live and learn well into 2023, making it the best year DCC has seen yet!