From the Principal

As I have met with groups of students over the past few weeks, I have asked them to share what they value most about Southern Christian College. Two themes have emerged consistently. Firstly, students know their teachers care for them. The students tell me that they know the staff want the best for them. Secondly, students feel connected to others. They see they are part of a community and value the relationships they have not just within their grade but also across year groups.

At this week’s Primary Assembly, for example, I asked students to explain what they thought about when I use the term, ‘community’. They spoke confidently about being interconnected, about everyone being a valued part of the whole. I also saw this in practice as I watched primary students participate in their weekly movement skills lessons. The Grade 6 students did a wonderful job of leading the younger students in a wide range of different activities, gently encouraging and supporting younger students.

Feeling a sense of connection is a key contributor to an individual’s wellbeing. Part of growing up involves children and young people coming to understand themselves in relation to others. As they move through the primary and into the secondary school years, they increasingly make comparisons between themselves and others. Many of us as parents will have seen our children go through periods of doubt and of focusing on their faults and flaws, much more than their strengths and valuable qualities. Connections to others help individuals feel they matter and that they are important.

Part of the Christian message is about God’s great love for us. The apostle Paul prays for the members of the church in Ephesus that they may ‘grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.’ (Ephesians 3:18-19) I pray that our students will know how valuable they are to their heavenly Father.

We look forward to welcoming you to our community night on Thursday, 8 September. This will be an opportunity for us to connect together and continue to strengthen the positive partnership between parents and the College staff. Further information is included later in the newsletter.

Jodie Bennett

Principal