Video Overview
Hello, everybody welcome to Week 9, Term 1, 2023 We’re rapidly approaching the end of Term no doubt people are doing Assessment like crazy and getting their work sent in to their teachers. Good job!
I wanted to take a moment to talk about two words that come up regularly in conversations with our parents, our kids and our Teachers – compulsory and consequences. When my kids were growing up, I told them that eating vegetables was compulsory and my reason, the consequences, was that if they ate their vegetables, I knew they’d grow up big and strong. But I would say, You must eat your vegetables.
Similarly, in school, there are things that we tell kids that are compulsory because we want them to do them because they’re good for them.
Is it compulsory to attend all live lessons at Faith?
Well, the answer is strictly no. It’s not compulsory. However, the consequence of not attending live lessons you don’t get that live input from your Teacher.
Is it compulsory to send in Formative work?
Technically, no. However, if you don’t send in your Formative work, then you don’t get that good feedback from your Teacher, which helps you prepare for the summative assessment.
Is it compulsory for a Teacher at Faith to be a Christian?
The answer, emphatically, is yes and yet all of us operate as Christians in different ways. But to work as a Teacher at Faith, you need to be a Christian. It’s in our employment policy, and on our interview sheet.
Do we offer all 8 Curriculum Areas to everybody?
Absolutely. But we understand that some people make choices about what they study and those choices are reflected in the School Report.
These things are important because we don’t run a Day School where everybody does the same thing. We run a Distance Ed School, and every household is different. Some homes have one kid, some homes have four or five. Kids are enrolled in Distance Ed for a number of different reasons so, as parents you need to make choices about what engagement you are doing with the Curriculum.
If everybody could do everything, that would be great! But we support parent choice and we record that truthfully in the School Report.
At Faith, we run a Distance Ed School, and every household is different. Some homes have one kid, some homes have four or five. Kids are enrolled in Distance Ed for a number of different reasons so, as parents you get to make choices about what engagement you are doing with the Curriculum.
-Principal Graeme Johnston, Faith Christian School of Distance Education
Thank a Teacher Initiative
I think it’s a good time of the year, especially this year, that we take a moment to thank our Teachers. Now, you can do that directly. You can thank your child’s teacher through Learning@Faith or send them an email. But if you would like to go a step further, all you need to do is to use the link that we’re providing and go on the website and fill out a little form and we will pass on your thanks to that Teacher. Our Teachers are the heroes of our School. They do all the heavy lifting, week by week, to make sure that our kids learn everything they need to learn, and sort things out along the way.
If you would like to thank a Teacher, please do so! Send it to us, or do it yourself. I think now’s a good time to say thank you to our Teachers.
Student News
Last week Monday, I went along with a group of student swimmers from our school to the Christian Schools Sports Association of Queensland Swim Meet at Chandler Pool. There was a dozen or more other schools there, and we’ve got some photos to show you and our team was there competing with all the others. It was a great day! We got to enjoy Christian fellowship, open with a word of prayer and encourage students to swim their hardest.
For those Cross Country runners and Track & Field athletes, keep an eye on the Learning@Faith Sport Sessions page for information on the upcoming CSSAQ Cross Country & Athletics carnival
This was our first time attending CSSAQ as a school! Our students can compete at the State Carnival for Christian Schools for swimming, and later in the year there’ll be Cross Country and Athletics. If you’d like to put your son or daughter’s name into that and let them have a go we’ll be there with them, and with you, to enjoy a great day.
Student Joke
It would appear that Year 3 have got some good jokes, because I have another joke from a Year 3 student for you this week!
What do cheetahs like to eat for breakfast?
The answer is simple. They like eating fast food!
If you’ve got a great joke, send it on in so we can keep those jokes coming!
We’re hoping to put them into a book later in the year: Faith Christian School Students Jokes. It’ll be a great thing to share with each other.
Student ID Cards
One of the services we provide as a school is a Student ID. If you would like a Student ID for concession on buses, or for going to exams or anywhere else where you need an official School ID, just use the form that is provided and we’ll do that and get that out to you!
Devotions
The Verse I’d like to share with you today is from 1 Thessalonians, Chapter 5:16-18. It talks about rejoicing, praying continually, giving thanks in all circumstances.
I once read a book by Corrie ten Boon about when she was in a prisoner-of-war camp, and her sister said to her, “The Bible tells us we should say thanks for everything,” and she said, “Oh, I’m not thanking God for the fleas, there’s no purpose for fleas. It just is awful!” But her sister encouraged her and said, “No, when we pray tonight, we’re going to thank God for the fleas.”
Eventually, they worked out that the fleas were actually a good thing because when they were doing their Bible study, the guards would not come into their hut because there were fleas. So, they were able to freely worship God and study Scripture under the most awful circumstances because of the fleas!
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
– 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
I know there are things that drive us crazy as we go about raising our children, and doing an education, and dealing with bills, and all the other things that have to happen, but Scripture commands us to rejoice always, to pray continually, to give thanks in all circumstances, because this is God’s Will in Jesus Christ. So, as we go through towards the end of Term, this is what I’m going to do. I’m going to rejoice always, I’m going to pray continually, and I’m going to give thanks in ALL circumstances.
Have a great week, everybody, and we’ll see you next week on this segment of Faith News!