The Heritage Herald

In the gospel of John, the disciples of Jesus ask Him to explain why bad things happen. They point out a man who was born blind and ask if it was his sin or the sin of his parents that made him blind. Jesus responds that neither is correct; it is not the sin of the man nor the sins of his parents that have made him so. Jesus says that the man was born blind so that the works of God might be displayed in him. Jesus then heals the man.  

I have often considered that the brokenness of this world directs us to the need of a saviour, whether that be my own sin or the choices of others or even groaning of the natural world which contains sickness, storms and floods. It is interesting to think of the man who is healed by Jesus who has the works of God displayed in him. I think the man is changed from the inside out. He experiences an encounter with Jesus and is physically healed, but I also think he experiences a spiritual healing; the works of God within him! 

I am convinced that each of us who engages with Jesus is changed by that experience. Whilst we may not experience the miraculous physical healing of this story (though we might very well experience physical healing) we will experience a salve for our souls. Jesus who has suffered on earth knows what it is to suffer and brings comfort to us if we put our faith in Him. This is because we find rest in Him, not having to live up to the impossible expectations of this world, it is because he loves to show us mercy and kindness and keeps no record of our wrongs. 

My encouragement to our families, our students and our staff is that we need to find our identity bound in Jesus in order to find peace. In following Jesus, we are released to do our best work in the classroom, in the playground, in assessments, examinations, excursions and camps because we are working to honour Jesus not ourselves. This is an incredibly restful place to sit; in the end Jesus is the King of kings and Prince of peace, he desires our acknowledgement of Him, but he also meets us where we are. Just as Jesus engages with the man born blind from the story above, without judgement, without prejudice, and heals him without him having to ask. Jesus engages with us offering mercy without judgment, peace and rest without prejudice, and we experience spiritual healing in relationship with Him.  

Praying for a rich week of learning.

Matt Cohen

Principal

Yesterday we held the first of four Play Day's for our 2023 incoming Kindy students. It was a huge success as students met as a group and with Mrs Bouwer for the first time. 

The students were excited and enjoyed their introduction to 'Big School'. Mrs Bouwer was impressed with their engagement and participation. One student bravely raised her hand to confess, "I can't read yet", but Mrs Bouwer encouraged her and the other students that she was excited to be able to teach them to read, along with other new exciting things.

Please pray that the newest members of our school community settle well, enjoying building new friendships as they prepare for the next season in their learning experience.

“Tweet tweet.” Can you hear that? It sounded like a Rainbow Lorikeet or maybe it was a Brown Honeyeater? 

On Monday afternoon Year 1 (and a few special Year 4 helpers) could be seen watching and keeping careful tally of all the birds at our school as part of the Aussie Bird Count in partnership with Birdlife Australia.

By taking part in the Aussie Bird Count the students became citizen scientists. Citizen science creates opportunities for students to connect with the natural world, gain scientific skills, and learn about topics such as life cycles, habitats, adaptations, and interrelationships. This can be a gateway to many exciting discoveries and creates a partnership between the students and professional scientists to help answer questions scientists couldn’t answer on their own.

Such fun was had, many birds spotted.

 “I had no idea our school had so many birds!” Jesse Dobson.

Mrs Rebekah Cohen

Year 1 Teacher

On Monday I was invited to participate in a 'Regional Youth Round Table' at CSU. Students, lecturers and politicians, including Mr Pat Conaghan MP, met to discuss a range of issues. We discussed hydrogen energy possibilities for the future as well as micro nuclear energy and recycling.

It was truly amazing to be a part of the youth forum, and to share my opinion and concerns about our country. It was a wonderful experience, and I was so grateful to participate. 

Lily - Year 10

Pictured with:  Kate Wood-Foye, Director of External Engagement - CSU and Mr Pat Conaghan MP, Member for Cowper

The Hastings District Flying Club (HDFC) is offering two $1,500 flying scholarships to promote aviation to the youth of the Hastings. 

Applicants must be:

• Aged between 14-20 years
• Submit their most recent school report, if they are studying
• Outline why they would like to learn to fly
• Take a Trial Introductory Flight to assess aptitude at a cost of $150

Applications close Friday, 4th November, 2022

See attached documents below for further details.

I am super excited to share with you our library’s new Book Club starting this Term – Bilby’s Book Club. Bilby’s Book Club is operated by ‘The Book Curator’, a local QLD company that carefully curates the titles they include based on years of experience reviewing and recommending books for Christian schools. The Club issues only four catalogues per year (one per term) and it includes fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, Christian as well as dyslexia-friendly titles.

“Bilby’s Book Club contains an extensive selection of high-quality, curated, age-appropriate fiction and non-fiction titles. Parents and caregivers can sleep easy in the knowledge that the titles in each catalogue have been individually reviewed and selected by the Book Curator team who have been working with Christian schools for more than 15 years.” – Bilby’s Book Club

The first catalogue will be sent home with the youngest family member this week, so keep an eye out for the magazine.

A portion from the proceeds of every Book Club order goes toward buying new books and resources for our library.

Happy Reading!

Mrs Mel Hazelgrove

Teacher Librarian