Issue 6, 2023

Dear College families,

How wonderful today has been, as a wrap up of a very full term! The day began with a whole College Easter service, in the new Atrium, and as always, it’s fabulous to all be together in this one space. This very special Easter service had loads of memorable moments, including our whole student body reflecting on the words of “Man of Sorrows” and Secondary students enjoy a moment of abandon whilst joining in the Primary school classic "Super Saviour.” Thank you to Mr Elton, our College Chaplain, who invested a great deal of time into preparing a service that communicated the powerful, hope-filled message of Jesus' death and resurrection to students as young as 3 and as old as 18.

I then joined our Mission Fiji team in preparing and distributing our end of term sausage sizzle. Stay tuned to see how much we raised for the service project that our team will be involved in.

Secondary students have spent the remainder of the day enjoying Live@Norwest. It was great to see them showcasing their gifts and encouraging each other, while unwinding ahead of the holidays.

I am praying for each of our families as we move into the Easter break, that you all may enjoy genuine rest. I am thankful that at Easter time we remember Jesus' words from the cross – “It is finished.” These words are so powerful, reminding us that He has done the work needed for us to have a relationship with God and what that means for us is that there is nothing left that we can do except REST in what Jesus has done.

Felicity Marlow
Principal

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Dr Grace Warren who spent many years as a Christian missionary, doctor and surgeon. In learning about Dr Warren’s life, I was struck by the perseverance she had displayed to use her gifts to serve others. By her own admission, Dr Warren was not the most successful student at high school, however, she scraped through the leaving certificate on her second attempt and eventually gained entry to university to study medicine. Even though she was drawn to surgery as a student, women were unable to study surgery formally at the time of her medical education in the 1950s. During working assignments in Korea and Hong Kong she developed a passionate interest in the treatment of suffers of leprosy. Through her own research she developed new surgical techniques to heal conditions previously considered only treatable through amputation. Her skills in surgery were soon obvious and she rapidly became sought out to instruct doctors and surgeons around the world. Despite facing numerous challenges and setbacks, she persevered in her work, ultimately making a significant impact on the lives of the people she served. She faced numerous challenges in her work as a doctor and missionary, including language barriers, cultural differences, and difficult living conditions. One of the keys to Dr Warren's perseverance was her faith. Dr Warren's example is a testament to the importance of perseverance, sometimes referred to as grit, in fulfilling our God given purpose.

In the Bible we are provided with many examples of perseverance and encouragement to develop this trait. In Romans 5:3-4, the apostle Paul writes, "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." In James 1:2-4, we read, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Similarly, Hebrews 12:1-3 encourages us to "run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." These verses remind us that perseverance is not only important for this life, but also for God’s eternal purpose.

Perseverance is one of sixteen learning dispositions in the College’s Building Purposeful Lives (BPL) learning framework. It is a vital trait when it comes to achieving success in any endeavour and especially when it comes to learning. The BPL definition of perseverance that we share with students is “We maintain effort despite challenges and setbacks”. Perseverance is crucial for developing resilience, which is the ability to bounce back from failures and setbacks. Resilience allows us to learn from our mistakes, adapt to new challenges, and continue to grow and develop. John Hattie, a prominent educational researcher, has highlighted the importance of perseverance in his work, "Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement." In this book, Hattie argues that students who have a growth mindset and are willing to persist in the face of difficulty are more likely to achieve academic success. Hattie also notes that perseverance is closely linked to self-regulation, which is the ability to monitor and control one's thoughts, feelings, and behaviours to achieve a goal. Guy Claxton, another prominent educational researcher, has also emphasised the importance of perseverance in learning. In his book "What's the Point of School?: Rediscovering the Heart of Education," Claxton argues that resilience, is a key component of effective learning. Claxton also notes that perseverance is closely linked to the development of a growth mindset, which is the belief that intelligence and abilities can be developed through hard work and effort.

Learning is not always easy, and there will be times when students face difficulties. Students who persevere through these challenges are more likely to succeed in the long run, as they develop resilience and the ability to bounce back from setbacks. Learning is a process of continual improvement, and students who persevere through challenges are more likely to develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. By persisting through setbacks and difficulties rather than trying to remove them, students can build their self-confidence, which will further develop their capacity. As educators and parents it is important to resist the urge to step in and ‘rescue’ students before they have had a chance to persist. As a community we are blessed to be in a position where we can assist young people to develop perseverance so they can be inspired and equipped to build purposeful lives.

Daryl Hinton
Head of Secondary Years

Gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness according to positive psychology research. Improved health, more positive emotions, relishing good experiences, dealing with adversity and building stronger relationships are all benefits of gratitude.

Gratitude is a way for people to be thankful for what they have. There was a time in my life where I ran many mission trips to Cambodia. I had never fully appreciated how blessed I am to live in Australia. When visiting Cambodia we witnessed and cared for the poorest of people, those dying of malnutrition, living in slums, no money for education or medical supplies. My heart bled for these beautiful people. Yet year after year I was greeted with their smiles, joy and happiness as they shared all the things they were thankful for. I witnessed them weep with gratitude as we spent time sharing, educating, handing over rice, clean water, headlice treatment, medical supplies, bikes and built houses. What a challenge that these people with comparatively “nothing” could see so much to be thankful for.

We live in a culture that is always striving for more, reaching for something new and dissatisfied with what we have, practicing gratitude refocuses our attention on what we do have.

Gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness according to positive psychology research. Improved health, more positive emotions, relishing good experiences, dealing with adversity and building stronger relationships are all benefits of gratitude.

Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. People acknowledge the good in their lives and in the process usually recognise goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. Gratitude helps people connect to something larger than themselves- whether to nature, God or other people.
The mental state of gratitude grows stronger with use and practice. Here are some ways to cultivate gratitude on a regular basis.

Write a thank you note. You can nurture your relationship with another person and make yourself happier by writing a thank you letter expressing your enjoyment and appreciation of that person’s impact on your life. Send it, email it, or better yet deliver it. Make a habit of sending one per month.

Thank someone mentally. It can help to think about someone and mentally thank the individual.

Count your blessings / Keep a gratitude journal. Make it a habit to write about your blessings - what went right or what are you thankful for? Sometimes it helps to pick a number such as 3 or 5 things you will identify each week. As you write, be specific and think about how you felt when something good happened.

Pray. Thank God for his abundant blessings.

Meditate. Focus on what you are grateful for in the present moment (the birds chirping, the warmth of the sun).

The more you practice gratitude the easier it becomes!

Krysten Bisby
Counsellor

Seed Academy Dance Tutor

As previously communicated our current dance teacher Miss Sarah who teaches our Seed Academy Dance classes on Wednesdays has communicated that she will be pursuing new opportunities at the end of the term and is excited for where God will take her. We would like to thank Miss Sarah for her hard work and dedication to our students. We wish Miss Sarah all the best in her future endeavours.

After much consideration, we are very pleased to announce that a new Dance Teacher has been appointed for our Seed Academy Tiny Tots Preschool, Junior & Intermediate Jazz classes. This new tutor will cover all our Wednesday Dance classes. We are very excited to introduce her and will release more information shortly as well as an updated profile. Please keep an eye out for this announcement.

Enrol Now for Term 2 Dance

We currently have limited positions in our Tiny Tots Preschool, Junior & Intermediate Jazz, Jazz Funk & Ballet. Please email seed@nwcc.nsw.edu.au to enquire about enrolment. For more information about our Dance classes please head to our website by clicking here. If you wish to view our Dance timetable, please click here

Term 2 Enrolment

Please notify us at seed@nwccc.nsw.edu.au before the end of Term 1 if you wish to un-enrol or make any changes to your Seed Academy enrolment. Unless we receive advice by the end of Term 1 that your child does not wish to continue their lessons in Term 2 we will roll over the enrolment package for the new Term.

Seed Academy aims to provide continuity with lesson days and times going into Term 2. However, sometimes we may need to adjust your child’s lesson time. If this occurs, either Seed Academy or your child’s tutor will communicate those changes to you.

Creative Kids Vouchers

Please log into your parent portal to upload your creative kids’ vouchers. The last day for accepting these vouchers for use on term 2 fees will be Friday, 14 April. Any vouchers sent through after this date will be applied to the following term.

Term 2 Invoices

Seed Academy will email you when your Term 2 invoice is ready and in your parent portal. Any Credit Vouchers on your account will already be applied to your Term 2 invoice. Please notify us at seed@nwccc.nsw.edu.au before the end of Term 1 if you wish to un-enrol or make any changes to your Seed Academy enrolment.

Invoice processing dates

Tuition fees on your invoice will be charged to the payment method you have added into your parent portal at 3 am on the following dates:

Term 2 fees Tuesday, 18 April 2023

Term 3 fees Tuesday, 18 July 2023

Term 4 fees Tuesday, 3 October 2023

Seed Academy tuition fees will be charged to your nominated payment method by EziDebit. EziDebit is our third-party payment provider. Please be aware, EziDebit charges a $9.90 dishonour fee for any failed transaction attempt (payable by you as the customer) due to insufficient funds.

You can make sure your payment details are up to date in your parent portal https://seedacademy.classmaestro.com/. Please note your child will be unable to commence lessons until the term fees have been paid in full.