From the Principal Week Two Term One 2014

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Friends of the School

The children have all settled back into school extremely well.

Since our last newsletter it has been great to welcome 2 more students and their families into our school:
Brooke McKenzie and Joel Diprose.

At our assembly last week we touched on the idea that God enjoyed the results of his creativity, saying “it was good.”  Was he boasting or a show off?!

St Irenaeus, in the second century said, “The glory of God is a human being fully alive.” This year we want our children to increasingly value themselves as God does, and to celebrate the fact that they are “created in the image of God”. This is a great foundation for good self esteem. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:10, “we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

John Sturt in his book Created for Love says,

“God’s love can completely transform the way we feel about ourselves… Good self esteem can be summed up simply: an awareness that I am both CAPABLE and LOVABLE. We all need to know that we are reasonably competent and able to handle most situations that come our way. This does not mean convincing myself or others that ‘I am the greatest’ in Mohammed Ali style. But it does mean becoming aware of the abilities God has given me, and being ready to face the world with his help.

“But in addition, I need to know and feel deep within me that I am lovable. This is a message that I should receive from my parents and other significant people in my life as I grow up. I must also be convinced of God’s unconditional love for me; that he not only loves me but that I am lovable to him….Head and heart must agree about this matter; thoughts and feelings must be in harmony….

“Knowing that I am capable and lovable is like the two sides of the golden coin of self esteem….

“Good self esteem means being at peace with ourselves and others. Because we accept and respect ourselves we can treat others that way too. People with good self esteem take responsibility for their own lives and their personal growth, but they also have a desire to care for others. They feel both capable and lovable.”

This is a great background for understanding why our school values are so important to us and to the fabric of our school:

LOVING GOD, LOVING OURSELVES, LOVING OTHERS, LOVING LEARNING, LOVING GOD’S WORLD

Helen Pearson