From the Principal
Dear Parents,
I pray you had a good week!
I’ve been thinking a little bit about the concept of “entitlement” lately. Our son has been going through some health challenges of late, and I felt as if God was prompting my heart to be thankful. Honestly, it’s the last thing I have felt like doing. It occurred to me that our lives really are a gift. I don’t know about you, but lately the more I look around society the more I feel like people have an attitude of extreme entitlement. I remember last year watching a reality TV show that will remain nameless, and seeing this person lie through her teeth. She kept saying things like “my truth” and “my experience” and I couldn’t help but think, this is a person who assumes the whole world has to bend to her every waking thought, even if it is rooted in delusion.
Some people and even groups of people seem to think that the world owes them something, and that the world exists to serve their own agenda. I’ve shared this before but my Mum always used to tell me as a kid “Joe, one day scientists will discover the center of the universe and you’ll realise that it isn’t you”. I’ve always remembered this and try to instill this in my own children, that we have been put on Earth to serve, not to be served by everyone around us.
Of course each individual and each person’s dignity should be respected. The problem with extreme entitlement is that it is the belief that one inherently deserves certain privileges or special treatment. This attitude often leads to dissatisfaction and ingratitude, eroding the fabric of community and individual well-being. There’s some interesting research coming out of the US lately about wellbeing from the American Psychological Association, and one aspect is that adolescent mental health is directly impacted by the ability for children to “reframe” and see the good in situations, to show “grit” and work through issues effectively through a growth mindset, seeing the positives in life.
Scripture teaches us that “every good gift comes from God” (James 1:17), and that we are not owed anything by the Creator or by others. Instead, we are called to recognize and appreciate the grace and blessings bestowed upon us. The apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 4:7, “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”
This fundamental truth challenges the extreme entitlement mentality. Rather than seeing the world through a lens of deservedness, as believers we are encouraged to adopt a perspective of gratitude. Every breath we take, every opportunity we encounter, and every moment we experience is a gift. This awareness fosters humility and thankfulness, qualities that stand in stark contrast to entitlement. For my wife and I, although it is a very sobering thought, we have had to remember that our son’s health is not owed to us, in fact that his life is a gift from the Lord.
Jesus exemplifies selflessness and service rather than entitlement. “Jesus, though being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage. Instead, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:6-7). His sacrificial love calls us to a higher standard of living — one marked by giving rather than receiving, serving rather than being served. Also to live out of a place where we don’t walk around assuming everyone else owes us something.
Of course our students are entitled to a whole range of things: to feel respected, safe, appreciated, loved for who they are, to have their talents celebrated. And I know our teachers are so good at this. However, we must always remember that our role as parents and educators is not just to cave into extreme entitlement and their every whim, thought and desire. Our role is to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness and appreciation for all that they have and all they’ve been given.
Chess Team:
You may not even know but we have a Chess team! Good luck to Dylan, Jaxson, Patrick and Nomuna who are representing our school at the interschool Chess Tournament on Tuesday. We know you will go great and have been training so hard in our Chess club.
Soccer/Netball:
Good luck to our Soccer/Netballers who are finally getting to play their Gala day on Monday.
Parent Teacher Interviews:
This year, we have tried to make the parent teacher interviews as accessible as possible for all parents. We are running them over two nights, and we have increased the slots to 15 minutes. Could I please ask that everyone make the time to attend. Last year our parent attendance rate was only 60% and it would be great to see every family attend and engage in your child’s education. I know the benefit that comes from home and school working together.
Staffing update:
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Miss Djane Kinnear, from Term 3 in KG as Mrs Gunamie goes on Maternity Leave. Mrs Kinnear has significant experience teaching in South Africa and internationally. Most recently she has been teaching at a Catholic School in Southern Sydney, she’s excited about teaching at a school that aligns with her faith. Meeting her, I know she will be a great fit for the class and the students.
Next week, we are having a prac student start with Mrs Stevens. A second year student from Excelsia College. I believe our school has a responsibility to help train the next generation of Christian teachers, her name is Miss Irving, so please say hi if you see her around.
My door is always open,
Joe Britton
Lunch Orders
Our Term 2 Lunch Orders are open! Thank you again to Georgette and her team for providing this service to our school community.
Lunch orders will take place every Friday for Term 2, starting Friday the 10th of May 2024.
If you would like to volunteer and help out with the lunch order preparations, please be so kind as to email Mrs. Jordaan.
Please see below the menu and associated link for you to order the lunch orders for the term.
21 June: Chicken burger with lettuce and mayo, with or without a drink (Click here)
28 June: Rice with meat and chicken with or without a drink (Click here)
5 July: Sausage Sizzle with or without a drink (Click here)
A reminder our orders close on Thursdays at 11am.
If you have any questions, please email or speak with Mrs. Jordaan (pa@hpcs.nsw.edu.au).
Volunteers Needed for Musical Props.
Our musical rehearsals are underway and we would love your help! We are looking for some parent helpers who would be interested in preparing props (cutting/painting/building/paper machè-ing) and/or sewing costumes. If you are skilled in this area, and willing to volunteer some time, please contact mrsbritton@hpcs.nsw.edu.au so that we can get you involved in this process.
100 Days of Kindy.
We are celebrating Kindergarten’s 100th day of school on Thursday 27th June. The class will celebrate by engaging in a variety of activities related to the number 100.
As part of this special day, we encourage our class to think about their dreams and aspirations for the future. We kindly request that you help your child choose a career or job that they are enthusiastic about and dress up as their chosen profession. This could be anything they dream of becoming – whether it’s a doctor, firefighter, astronaut, teacher, chef, artist, scientist, engineer, or any other career they are excited about!
Newspapers needed.
We are full steam ahead preparing for this year’s musical. If you have any newspapers that you can donate to the school, please be so kind as to bring them to the front office or hand them to Mrs Auckett in the library.
Parent/Teacher Interviews.
We will be having our parent/teacher interviews on Tuesday 2nd July and Wednesday 3rd July 2024 in the school gym.
The interviews will be held between 2pm and 7pm. Please book a 15 min slot for your child by clicking here.
Normal school hours will apply on these days and the buses will run as usual.
We look forward to meeting with you.
Students of the Week
Congratulations to the following students for receiving Merit Awards this week:
Kindergarten – S
Arthur P. for excellent improvement in Literacy!
Alilia T. for great participation in class activities!
Sarah S. for great enthusiasm in Devotions and worship.
Kindergarten – G
Sarah P. for her great work in Creative Arts.
Amilia C. for being a kind friend to her peers.
Jael E. for striving to do her best at all times.
Year 1
Eliza K. for constructing interesting sentences.
Lorenzo R. for excellent reasoning in Maths.
Victoria E. for displaying respectful behaviour in the classroom.
Year 2
Tai C. for an excellent effort in Reading Groups.
Emily P. for taking feedback to improve her writing.
Lis F. for active participation in Sport.
Year 3
Gianna B. for fantastic effort in handwriting lessons.
Joseph C. for assisting others in ICT lessons.
Hope K. for her great effort in estimating and measuring in length.
Year 4
Mia C. for her effort in segmenting every week.
Neriah P. for always presenting her work with pride.
Leon K. for his outstanding mathematical thinking.
Jaxson S. for his amazing persuasive speech.
Year 5
Yan F. for showing great sportsmanship during Sport!
Elijah I. for a fantastic effort in Visual Arts!
Lucy W. for showing great perseverance during Maths lessons!
Year 6
Aiden C. for his outstanding results in the weekly Spelling tests.
Ivona K. for consistently displaying a responsible attitude towards learning.
Pen Licences:
Estevao R
Olivia G.
Save the Dates: Upcoming Dates
17 June: Boys Soccer Gala Day
17 June: Girls Netball Gala Day
20 June: Known Waste Program
21 June: Year 1 Chapel
24 June: Musical Rehearsals
27 June: 100 Days of Kindergarten
27 June: Stage 1 excursion @ Australian Museum
28 June: KS Chapel
01 July: Musical Rehearsals
02 July: Parent /Teacher Interviews
03 July: Parent /Teacher Interviews
05 July: KG Chapel
05 July: End of Term 2