From the Principal
Dear Parents,
Welcome back to 2024! Wow, can you believe the first week is already over.
A big welcome especially for all of our new Kindergarten families, wow! And at this moment, I’ll acknowledge the parenting journey of all of you to get to this juncture, and trust that the journey continues to be one full of adventure and joy, it really is a privilege to partner with you.
Our students have been fantastic, as I have walked along and peering into classrooms, it’s been so heartening to see the level of engagement, focus and respect for our teachers.
At Chapel today, I revealed our theme for the year. Which is Deeper.
We want our students this year going deeper:
- Deeper in learning
- Deeper in their school experiences
- Deeper in friendships
- Deeper in faith
- Deeper in positive behavior
If you were there you might have seen me bringing out our scuba gear. We go deeper with our goggles, so that we can see things we haven’t seen before. We go deeper with our snorkel, so we go below the surface, and we have our flippers which, boosted with the Holy Spirit, allows us to move quickly towards our destination.
We don’t want to do things at a surface level in 2024, we don’t want to have surface level friendships, or surface level learning, or basic understanding, but we want to go deeper into all that God has for us. Same as last year our teachers will continue to unpack this in class over the first term.
I sent out a note earlier this week that had a reminder of some key pieces of information. At risk of information bombardment, I’ve also included our Parent Handbook, which particularly for new parents, may be helpful in answering any further questions you may have. This can be found here: Parent Handbook 2024
There are some growing pains, as we continue to see an unprecedented demand for our school. We are just working through a few teething issues- such as our assembly area in the afternoons doesn’t have enough space at the moment! We appreciate your patience as we solve these little irritants that do have an impact!
As much as we have experienced growth, the heart of the school is that we will always be “small”. In the sense that we will always prioritise the individual and pursue the goal of ensuring that every student is known, cared for and catered to.
There are many exciting things happening throughout the year, such as camps, musicals, sport, clubs, choirs, special events etc. As well as the daily repetition of key skills in the classroom. Our staff are very excited for the year ahead.
There are many things to celebrate and be excited for this year, however I do want to draw your attention to some macro background issues that myself and the school board are continuing to monitor:
- There are big picture funding issues for Christian schools that need to be worked through by government.
- A continuing threat of new religious discrimination legislation that seeks to specify the type of people we can/can’t hire.
- Continuing economic challenges that are impacting all schools.
- A nationwide teacher shortage, that we are continuing to pray for God’s favor on us. We are blessed to be fully staffed, however, many other Christian schools are still looking for teachers, please pray for them also.
These are all issues that I have no great answers for now, but would love your prayer throughout the year as we work together in partnership, to give your kids the best possible education.
We’ve seen much development and modernisation of the school over the last two years, however, it is not the changing things that make the school special but the unchanging, for 44 years our school has proudly waved the banner of Christian Education in this area, and we will continue to do so this year and into the future.
My door is always open,
Joe Britton
A Big Welcome!
We are very blessed to have new staff members join the welcome team. Please meet:
2024 School Dates
Term 1
| Commences | ||
| Teaching Staff | Monday | 22 January 2024 |
| Years 1-6 | Monday | 29 January 2024 |
| Kindergarten | Wednesday | 31 January 2024 |
| Finishes | ||
| Whole school | Friday | 12 April 2024 |
| 11 weeks | ||
Australia Day Holiday: Friday 26 January
Easter Public Holidays: Friday 29 March – Monday 1 April
Anzac Day Public Holiday: Thursday 25 April (in school holidays)
Term 2
| Commences | ||
| Whole School | Monday | 29 April 2024 |
| Finishes | ||
| Whole School | Friday | 5 July 2024 |
| 10 weeks | ||
Mother’s Day: Sunday 12 May
King’s Birthday Public holiday: Monday 10 June
Term 3
| Commences | ||
| Teaching Staff | Monday | 22 July 2024 |
| Students | Monday | 29 July 2024 |
| Finishes | ||
| Whole School | Friday | 27 September 2024 |
| 9 weeks | ||
Father’s Day: Sunday 1 September
Term 4
| Commences | ||
| Whole School | Monday | 14 October 2024 |
| Finishes | ||
| Whole School | Friday | 6 December 2024 |
| 8 weeks | ||
Labour Day Public Holiday: Monday 7 October (in school holidays)
Congratulations!
We would like to congratulate two families with the birth of their baby daughters.
Luke, Nicole and brother Christian Everett with the birth of Ariana Jayne Marie Everett . Liliana, Wellington and brother Bryan Schreiner with the birth of Isabella Schreiner.
We proclaim Proverbs 31:25 over them. Proverbs 31: 25 “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.”
Isabella Schreiner
Ariana Jayne Marie Everett
Lunch Orders
All necessary information will be communicated on Monday, 5 February 2024.
Students of the Week
Congratulations to the following students for receiving Merit Awards this week:
Kindergarten – S
Estee Fyvie for an outstanding start to Kindergarten!
Amari Pele for being a kind and respectful friend!
Kindergarten – G
Raegan Hackathorn for showing kindness to her friends.
Sylvi Pappinen for settling in beautifully to Kindergarten.
Year 1
Israel Ikhinobele for a fantastic attitude towards learning
Lorenzo Rodriguez for a brilliant start at HPCS
Year 2
Emily Plowes for exceptional dedication and effort during the first week back.
Matthew Candray Alas for showing kindness in the classroom.
Year 3
Riley Isip for contributing to class discussions.
Gianna Birello for including other in group work.
Emanuelle Pereira for presenting her bookwork with pride.
Year 4
Benji Rauwa for showing correct and net working out in Maths.
Willow Schofield for setting goals and taking initiative in her learning.
Jackson Ekmekjian for showing discipline and making responsible choices.
Year 5
Patrick O’Brien for an outstanding and diligent approach to learning.
Jonathan Giang for an excellent effort in sport!
Mason Mattson for an outstanding effort in writing!
Year 6
Levi Kaufmann for consistently applying himself in class.
Laura Costa for striving to improve in all areas of work.
Save the Dates: Upcoming Dates
7 February: Swimming Carnival @ Guildford Swimming Centre
9 February: Year 4 Chapel
16 February: Year 1 Chapel
23 February: Year 6 Chapel
26 February: Zone Swimming Carnival
1 March: Year 3 Chapel
8 March: Year 2 Chapel
15 March: Kindergarten S Chapel
22 March: Kindergarten G Chapel
28 March: Easter Chapel
28 March: Easter Hat parade
5 April: Year 6 Chapel
12 April: Year 5 Chapel
12 April: End of term 1