Decisions

Decisions! We face them every day.

Some are minor, requiring little thought or concern, such as, “What spread should I put on my toast?” Others are more significant and require careful consideration, such as, “Should I spend this much money on my child’s school laptop?” Regardless, we live in a world filled with overwhelming choices. It can be crippling to have to deal with decisions.

“The decision about which career to pursue is a monumental choice for today’s young people, and one that they often feel a desperate need to discuss with those around them.”

Careers are no different. The website CareerPlanner.com lists over 1,200 different types of jobs, ranging from avionics technicians and caption writers to diagnostic medical sonographers and green marketers (who plan and implement campaigns to promote sustainable products and services). The decision about which career to pursue is a monumental choice for today’s young people, and one that they often feel a desperate need to discuss with those around them. It’s a daunting world, and our youth are putting tremendous pressure on themselves to ‘get it right.’

When discussing significant decisions with your child, it’s important to focus not on the outcome of the decision itself, but on the values that are important to them. Instead of asking which subjects they should take or what job they should aim for, ask them what they hope to achieve from these subjects and what their desires or goals for work are. By establishing meaningful criteria, the options and decision-making process can become clearer.

I read in my devotional book a few nights ago that God does not generally give us direct, specific answers to our prayers. He is unlikely to whisper the exact job we should pursue or the precise subjects we should study. However, He does grant us sound judgement and wisdom. Proverbs 2:6 (NIV): “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” There is an element where we need to seek wisdom from God and then step out in faith, trusting that He will make a way regardless of the decisions we have made in the past and the obstacles we are yet to face. Living in this space not only gives us more confidence moving forward but also more freedom from fear of the unknown and the opportunity to trust God in action. Decisions? Bring them on!

Carly Brouwer - Careers Co-ordinator

Getting into routine...

Have you ever noticed how much the weather improves when school returns?

I haven’t conducted a statistical analysis but there often seems to be a correlation between the return to school and some really lovely weather. Perhaps a bit frustrating for our students or families who battled last week’s wet weather on holidays! However, it is great to see the return of our students (including our Indonesian Service-Learning trip students) brightened by the beautiful day and the excitement of getting into our new primary classrooms.

There are many good reasons to get back into school for our students, the weather being the least significant of these. Minimising the interruptions to learning and increasing the engagement with education is an important part of each child’s learning. However, there are potentially more reasons to value the face-to-face time that children have at school.

“There are many good reasons to get back into school for our students...”

A recent article by Dr Dot Dumuid from the University of South Australia (published in Education Matters) also pointed out the potentially negative impact of holiday breaks, particularly the long summer holiday, on children’s health and fitness. A study conducted by University of SA followed primary aged students over the course of two years and identified reduced fitness after holidays. The study noted that if children spent an entire year on holidays, their aerobic fitness would be 10 percent lower than if they had been at school. As a parent, I notice how much my own children’s patterns change in holidays. It is hard work getting them back into school sleep routines and into activity.

Of course, breaks often coincide with the end of sports seasons, family celebrations, and other factors that can influence health. A 2007 study referenced by Dr Dumuid showed holiday time increased time on screens by almost an hour per day and decreased time spent on activity by 10 minutes per day. It turns out that the positive benefit of school includes consistent routines, healthier sleeping habits and some regular physical activity. As parents, we can help by encouraging good sleep patterns, physical activity and great eating habits. Great habits of body, mind and the spiritual disciplines of the soul are important goals for our students as we launch into a new term.

Scott Ambrose - Principal

Green pastures and blooming children

I have found myself talking and thinking a lot about grass lately. 

With soccer season in full swing and some persistent drizzle and pockets of rain over the last few weeks, our ovals have been getting a serious workout. Grass and its current condition has, perhaps unsurprisingly, become a keen topic of conversation. With seventeen soccer teams training and playing, we have some high use oval facilities.

Although our water-logged ovals are not necessarily a great example of it at the moment, I do enjoy a well-maintained piece of grass. Whether it is a park, an oval, or just a nice backyard lawn, there is something refreshingly satisfying about the view and the space. It gives a sense of the beauty of Psalm 23 when it describes the Lord leading us to “lie down in green pastures”.

“As parents we can sometimes skim over the written words of a report”

Those of you who are keen (or begrudging) gardeners would also know the satisfying sense of order that a freshly-mown lawn gives to a garden. That feeling that care and attention has been given to a space. For keen sports watchers, seeing the grass courts of Wimbledon at this time of year or cricket ovals from the recent World Cup are pictures of the joy of a nice piece of turf!

If you are the resident lawn-mower in your family, you would also know that there are definite seasons to the lawn. Times when it feels like you are mowing every week and the grass just keeps on growing and other times when you can leave it for a month or more with little visible impact. Some like to leave their lawns to brown naturally over summer, others spend time keeping the water up to a precious piece of lawn that has received an investment of time and energy. As we release our end of term reports, they are a reminder of the growth of our children and the seasons of schools. They reflect many hours of tending to the growth of our young people.

As parents we can sometimes skim over the written words of a report, perhaps not realising the investment of time and careful thought that goes into teacher reflections. As we read them, we will become aware that at times, teachers have needed to keep the water and feed up to the patch of lawn in their care, at others, our students have blossomed, with little work but with some gentle direction required.

Jesus likens God to a gardener in the book of John, pruning and tending to the vine, encouraging strong and healthy growth. As our children grow and learn in all of the areas of their academic, physical and spiritual lives, we work as parents and school seeking to nurture and direct their growth, encouraging strong and healthy development. As you enjoy some less pressured time with your children over the holidays, I hope that you will take time to read the reflections of the teachers who have been caring for your child and their education. May you enjoy some quite repose in the midst of the beautiful growth that God is directing in your children.

Scott Ambrose - Principal