Senior School

Year 9 students completed their City Cite adventure this week. Important personal development takes place during this venture which is evidenced in their future lives. Sometimes it is revealed in independence in unexpected situations, greater initiative, or empathy, or in several other subtle ways. We congratulate the students on mastering travel complexities, as trains were replaced by buses, and on working closely with the same small group for three weeks, growing in harmony, as well as academic learning. An enormous thank you to Mr Gavin Fox and Oxley staff for their management and supervision of this fantastic program, and to all City Cite staff. It offers invaluable discoveries.

It was a pleasure to witness the achievements of three extremely talented Information Technology students at a recent Senior School Assembly. Alex Lai (11.16), James Kennedy (11.14) and Aaron Kennedy (10.4) spoke about their exploits at the annual Inventors Club (IC) Robotics Competition. They explained their hard work through Christmas holidays and weekends, preparing for their competition against the best in the country to design, build and program a robot to complete a series of different challenges. They mastered the technology, both hardware and C++ software, producing a robot which performed extremely well, earning the boys second place in a tightly contested event. Congratulations to the team on their great success!

Interim Reports are ready for viewing and you are encouraged, together with your child, to review progress in each subject and provide encouragement and support as needed. The six work habits shown for each subject provide invaluable information and insight into the efforts your young person is making, which can be discussed at the Parent Teacher Interviews early in Term 2. Standards of work are important and result from natural ability and efforts made. We urge you to discuss concerns with relevant teachers so we can work together toward setting up great futures in all aspects of their lives.

With Easter and school holidays now upon us, I am sure students are looking forward to a well-deserved break after the first lockdown-free term for quite a while! Although work will continue for many parents, I pray you may find time to reflect and encounter peace and great joy with children at home over the next two weeks.

During the centuries before Jesus’ birth, the Hebrews were also anticipating an exciting event. In the Bible we read many prophecies referring to the world-changing birth and death of Jesus. In Isaiah 7:14 he prophesies, Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call Him Immanuel. Isaiah 53:4 states, He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed. These statements are some 700 years before Jesus’ miraculous birth, and it is easy to understand why over the centuries people lost heart, began to disbelieve, and did not recognise the King when He arrived and died and was resurrected! It is a great comfort to know that God is both patient and faithful – He does keep His promises, although His timeframe may not be the one we feel we are working to. May this Easter break afford time to reflect, ponder, relax in Him, experience His peace and joy, celebrate with family and to remember God keeps His word and is always good. 

The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Deuteronomy 31:8

Greg Barker

Deputy Principal – Head of Senior School