From the Principal

Dear Friends,

We were really pleased to open the new Junior School to a walk through by parents last week. Judging by the comments on that occasion, we believe our community is as impressed as staff are with our new facilities. It will not be all that long before we can accommodate a similar Middle Years Building walk through, an event we are looking forward to with delight.

Meanwhile, my guess is that the upcoming City Cite program is also provoking anticipation among Year 9 students. Our hope is that this will be the backdrop to a wonderful conclusion for Term 1 at Oxley. 

Only nine weeks away is the College Open Day to be held on Saturday 14 May. Traditionally, this is an event for our current and prospective community members. I take this opportunity to warmly welcome College families and their guests to this day, beginning at 11.00am. It is a day that we also invite past students to meet together, to reminisce and see how the College has progressed since their time at Oxley. Further details will be posted on social media and our website as the day approaches.

Oxley is very open about its Christian foundation and purposes. Editorials continue to reflect the many aspects of fidelity to the gospel in relationship and narrative. Two of these elements are that we have been made for generosity and gratitude. It may seem like a trifle to some people, but there is a dazzling ray of God’s common kindness in our day, however much we grieve the tragedies of the modern era. If, as Christians, we believe we are made in God’s image, then in order to understand ourselves more fully, the greater is the need to know God better, to follow after His thoughts, to know His grace, His providence and mercy. When we focus on ourselves and become inward looking for understanding, the less we are likely to find truth and discernment. But when we know the generosity of God, the unfailing effect is to become generous ourselves, and to be grateful for all that is true, good, and beautiful in the world. 

There is something profound in us holding the image of God. Images reflect and make visible what they represent. The famous passage from Augustine’s Confessions that states,

 You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You

sums up the depth of this appreciation. When our heart finds its rest in God, He will be visible to others in our desires, our gratitude and in the things that bring us pleasure. 

As parents we find ourselves raising children in a society that celebrates pride rather than humility and a culture that is generally known for a sense of entitlement rather than generosity. Will gratitude and generosity be a trifle for our children? Will they presume God’s grace and provision, presume His blessing and resources? Or will they presume little, and learn to be grateful?

Warm regards,

Dr Douglas Peck