Thursday 9 August Dear Parents & Friends of Kuyper,

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1 Dear Parents & Friends of Kuyper, I don t know about you, but I am often surprised how the things I heard as a child mean a whole lot more to me as an adult. As I was growing up my mum would often remind me to count your blessings. As a child, that often meant she was encouraging me not to be upset about missing out on something or other that I wanted. But now, with a little more life experience, and hopefully some wisdom too, it is a reminder of something much more important. It is a reminder to live with gratitude. It seems to me that being grateful is a new fad that our world (or at least my Facebook feed) has embraced. You can be part of gratitude projects, buy gratitude journals and create gratitude photo albums. There are endless blogs, memes and plenty of articles to read about the benefits of living with gratitude. As we look around the world that God has created, and the lives He has given us, there is indeed much to be thankful for. The Bible too, has a lot to say about being thankful. And it also reminds us who we are to be thankful to. Many of the Psalms echo the words of Psalm 9:1 that says I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I am challenged to remember that it is important who I am thanking when I am grateful for the many blessings I see around me. Admittedly, being grateful every day amongst the challenges and struggles that life throws at us can be difficult. So what are the benefits of following God s call to be grateful? It takes our eyes off ourselves and helps us to focus back on the living and gracious God who provides so much for us. In James 1:17 we are told Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. When we focus on what we have, instead of what we haven t, we can enjoy life a whole lot more. Living thankfully reminds us that there is a God who is in control of all things. As I think through this truth about living a life that is thankful to God I have been challenged to think about how I model this to my children and the children I am privileged to teach. How often do my words express that I am noticing the small blessings such as a warm classroom or a kind word from someone? How often do I share what I am grateful for with those around me? Or do they only hear my complaints? Does my conversation reflect an attitude of gratitude to God? In Year 3, we often finish our day with a short time where I ask my class to tell me something good about today. It s a great way to re-focus on the blessings of our day. You know it s been a good day when the answer that comes back is everything. Maybe this answer is even truer than the student knows. Maybe it s true because even the challenging bits of our day, like having to wait our turn or being gracious because someone else didn t do something the way we expected, gives us the opportunity to grow in patience or perseverance. Maybe everything really is a blessing from our gracious God. Kaelene McCaull Teacher, Year Redbank Rd Kurrajong NSW 2758 T E admin@kuyper.nsw.edu.au W

2 Reminders An has been sent out regarding new uniform. You will not need to purchase any new uniform until Term and there are discounts on many items until then. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Office via telephone, or in person. We value your feedback. A job opportunity with CEN located at the Nepean Christian School campus has been advertised on the CEN and CEPA websites, and will soon be placed on Christian Jobs Australia: August Fri 10 Year 9/10 Gymnastics excursion Fri 10 Year 5/6 Campers return Sat 11 Term 3 Working Bee Mon 13 World of Maths incursion, K-10 Tue 14 ICAS Mathematics Tue 14 Hot Chocolate & Fiver for a Farmer Tue 14 Year 7/8 Gymnastics excursion Tue 14 Year 9/10 Zone basketball comp. Wed 15 Secondary Zone Athletics Carnival Thur 16 Band Festival Campers depart BookClub orders may still be placed using the online loop: Login.aspx Fri 17 Fri 17 Sat 18 Sat 18 Year 9/10 Gymnastics excursion Primary State Athletics Carnival Japanese Students arrive, 12pm Band Festival Campers return Student Banking with the Commonwealth Bank is available every Wednesday through the Office. Bring in your deposit book and money. The Annual Report for 2017 is now available from the Office or on our website, We received an un-named deposit directly into the school bank account on Monday 6 or Tuesday 7 August. Please contact the Office if you think you may have made this payment on those days online. Prayer & Praise Give thanks for God s sovereignty and His love for His Creation. Give thanks that we can join together to help those in need. Pray for our Year 5/6 campers and staff. Pray for safety, fun and learning in God s World. Continue to pray for the Miller family and for Josh as he undergoes a new round of treatment. Pray for our land and our farmers, for a break in the drought. That all who know the Lord would pray to Him and see their prayers answered. Tue 21 Year 9/10 Zone basketball comp. Tue 21 Year 7/8 Gymnastics excursion Wed 22 Japanese Cultural Presentation, 1:45 Wed 22 Japanese Students depart, 3pm Wed 22 Prayer & Board Meetings, 7pm Thur 23 Book Week Parade & Author Visit Fri 24 Secondary State Athletics Carnival Fri 24 Year 9/10 Gymnastics excursion Tue 28 Year 9/10 Zone basketball comp. Tue 28 Year 7/8 Gymnastics excursion Wed 29 Year 1/2 Scenic World excursion Wed 29 Kuyper Soup Drive, Year 9/10 Food Thur 30 Year 7/8 Vaccinations & catch-up Fri 31 Year 9/10 Gymnastics excursion Sept Tue 4 Year 3/4 Elizabeth Farm excursion Tue 4 Year 9/10 Zone basketball comp. Tue 4 Year 7/8 Gymnastics excursion

3 This week 33 primary students attended the Metropolitian West Zone Athletics Carnival at Blacktown International Sports Stadium. The team left school at 6.30am with excitement and anticipation for the day. It was cold and wet on our arrival, and although it was wonderful to see some rain, it definitely was not ideal for a carnival. The high jump event had to be cancelled for the day but the all weather track meant that the other events were able to go ahead safely. Our athletes were not deterred by the rain. They ran, jumped, threw and put, through the sprinkles, down-pour and puddles. They competed with skill and determination, with perseverance and pride. They used the gifts that God has given them to be the best that they can be. They made me very proud. Our representatives included Summer Allen, Eloise Pridham, Abigail Coppack, Jasmine Sorrensen-Cox, Bridget Steer, Alice Lightfoot, Alaura McCaull, Emma Van Wyk, Taniesha Wilson, Sienna Grech, Hannah Shamoun, Lila Spencer, Bridie McDonagh, Charlotte Hitch, Hannah Cumming, Elsie Baldwin, Isaac Sorrenson-Cox, Maxwell Baldwin, Noah Sorrenson-Cox, Noah Hansen, Dominic Shamoun, Noah Smith, Xander Cumming, Haydn Vella, Hunter Jary, Tylor Wilson, Hayden Shamoun, Juvan Van Wyk, Ethan DeVries, Ethan Czepanik, Bede Pridham, Riley Spencer and Josh Spillane. Congratulations to all these athletes! A special mention goes to Summer Allen who received the U8 Age Championship and will be representing our zone at the State Carnival next Friday. Boys and Girls Relay Teams at Met-West Zone

4 Term 3 Saturday 11 August Term 4 Saturday 27 October Flanjak Graham Grech Hamilton Hansen Hawkins Hibble Hitch Hodges Hodson Holman Huntington Inskip Iori King Kirch Kirkby Kruger Lauter Lightfoot Lobb MacDonald Mackay McAlpine McDonagh Meyer-Gleaves Bryant Birrell-Luttrell Jaggard Jary Lawless Lucas Mccaull Mitchell Roper Shamoun Sinfield Smith Sorrenson-Cox Sparks Speirs Spencer Spillane Spiteri Steer Stewart Sultana Thomas Thompson Thomson Thornton Tonkin Toohey Townsend Van Wyk Vella Vitols Whitworth Wilson Wootton Young Zaayman Working Bees at Kuyper Christian School are an essential part of the maintenance of the grounds and buildings. All families with children enrolled at the school will be rostered on to one Working Bee during the year. Four are held; at the beginning of each term on a Saturday morning from 8am until 12 noon. Morning tea is provided and we ask that all families give a few hours once a year to help maintain their school. Working Bees are a great opportunity to meet other families and contribute to the place your children attend almost every day. The Working Bee Roster for 2018 shows the Working Bee each family is rostered for. If you find that you cannot attend your rostered date, you will be moved to another Working Bee. You will be rostered under your child s family name, and you are only expected to attend one Working Bee (although attendance at more is greatly appreciated!). You will be asked to note your attendance at the Working Bee/s. There are no penalties for families who do not attend a Working Bee, however if you cannot attend one at all, your help on another day during the week would be very much appreciated. Please contact the Office if this is the case.

5 Hot Chocolate Morning Tea

6 Operation Christmas Child is a charity organisation under the umbrella of Samaritans Purse that gives a shoebox of gifts to underprivileged children around the world. During Term 3 and Term 4 at Kuyper we collect the gifts and eventually package them at school. Each fortnight, classes are asked to donate an item or two from one of six specific categories; something to wear, something to play with, something for school, something to love, something special and something for personal hygiene. During November, we pack the boxes for both Girls and Boys in three different age categories (2 4 years, 5 9 years and years) and deliver the boxes to the warehouse in Blacktown. A list of ideas is below. Please remove it and stick it near your shopping list! During Week 2 (this week), Week 3 and Week 4 classes are asked to donate the following: Kindy, Year 1, Year 2, Year 5 Year 6, Year 9 and Year 10 Something for SCHOOL Year 3, Year 4, Year 7, Year 8, Year 11 and Year 12 Something for HYGIENE Thank you for your generosity towards this very worthwhile program. Gareth Thompson, OCC Coordinator

7 Dear Parents, I would like to commend Patricia Weerakoon to you as a Christian Doctor who speaks to the issues currently at the forefront of teenagers thinking about life, sex and their sexuality. This opportunity is one I would make a priority, as a parent, to hear for myself and my children. I hope you can find the time to attend. Regards, Ian

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10 Thursday 2 August 2018