Dear College community,

It has been wonderful to chat with students and staff who attended camps and listen as they relay their experiences. One conversation that really sticks out for me though is a conversation with a Year 8 student. When I asked how he had found camp he declared it to be one of the best experiences he has ever had. That alone would have constituted as a good camp report but then I asked him what made it "the best experience". Here is a summary of what he said;

I learned more about myself, more about my friends and I was really challenged. I have struggled with anxiety and I haven't really talked to anyone about that before but on camp I talked to my friends about it.

I was so delighted to hear these comments for lots of reasons. Naturally, we want camps to be enjoyed by our students. We want them to enjoy being outdoors and learning with and from others in unique environments. But the real highlights come when you see them growing as whole people, growing in their relationships with others and, feeling such as sense of belonging that they share vulnerabilities with peers.

This morning I checked in with the Year 8 gentleman just to see if he minded me sharing his story in Directions. He was happy for me to share this with you and added "since camp, it (his anxiety) has just gone away. I haven't thought about it as much. It is still there but it is not as big". How wonderful!

A sense of belonging has a profound impact on the learning of young people. At Norwest, creating an environment where everyone is welcome is core to our vision for young people. For the most part I think we do this really well and, where we miss the mark we are keen to know how we can do better. Jesus showed each of us this kind of love when He gave His life so that we could be welcomed into a relationship with God. He also demonstrated this kind of love during His time on earth as he interacted with people from all walks of life. And it is this kind of love that will help each of our young people find a sense of belonging that propels them to build a purposeful life.

1 John 4:19 "We love because he first loved us."

Mrs Felicity Marlow
Principal

Next week the College will hold our annual Imago Day, with this year’s theme being “Made Unique; Same Worth”. Imago Day is a play on words from a Latin expression ‘Imago Dei’ meaning ‘the image of God’ and the Bible reveals what this means. In Genesis 1:27 we read "God created mankind in his own image...male and female He created them", this is not referring to the physical shape of humans, and the entire Bible consistently reveals what this means with people holding a unique moral, spiritual and intellectual place in creation.

Humans are unique in their place on Earth, yet they are also unique in their differences to each other which is another important aspect of God’s plan. These differences mean that we bring different ideas and abilities to situations - seeing things differently is appropriate and good. Different interpretations of situations, words and actions occur because of the unique history and perspective of each person. However, it is very important to know that God gives us the lens to use for people and situations because He made us and values us all equally. God values our uniqueness.

It is sad when differences are used by people to create value because once value is put on something it means that there is also a lack of value on other things. This will turn into a lack of value for a trait and ultimately for the person with that trait. The value of unique characteristics is constructed and perpetuated by people – sometimes in their own mind or sometimes by others and sadly often believed by people.

Recent press coverage of attitudes of boys towards girls in schools in Australia are very concerning and indicate a warped view that is based on these young men having what appears to be a consumer attitude that doesn’t respect or give value to young women or relationships. Developing an understanding in students that ‘everybody being made in the image of God gives all people their true value’ will require many conversations. Young men and women will develop their attitudes from all of their “educators” – parents, friends, teachers, media, leaders, etc – and the challenge will be to overcome the strong message of Australian culture which is not in line with the value that Jesus places on people. I suggest that culture warps the view of all people in that culture.

We would love for students to value their unique combination of culture, appearance, family, abilities and challenges and accept that God uses this in developing their purpose and we will continue to share the incredible value of each person as shown through Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection. All people, not only children, will have genuine peace and hope when they are confident in being made unique – different to everyone else – yet at the same time having the same worth as everyone else.

Made Unique; Same Worth

Colin Wood
Deputy Principal

Changes in 2021
This year, we have split Chapels into a separate infants (K-2) and primary Chapel (3-6), alternating with Assembly on Monday afternoons. This allows us to explore the Bible in an age-appropriate and engaging way that can more specifically target our growing students. In a similar way, Secondary Chapels have been split into a weekly shorter Chapel on Thursday morning (10-12) and Friday morning (7-9). This allows a mix of chapel talks and weekly Bible studies in mentor groups so that students can discuss and engage in a hands-on way what they are hearing from the Bible.

Primary
In Primary this year, we’ll be exploring each book in the Old Testament in ‘God’s Unfolding Plan’. We have begun exploring the book of Exodus and how God is our saviour, God is in control and God shows us how to live. Each week we’ll be exploring what this part of the Bible shows about God, who He is, what He is like and therefore, how it impacts our lives today. In Chapel time, we have been using a video summary, then acting these passages out together followed by a song that reflects on the truths that the Old Testament shows us (such as ‘Rescuer’ by Rend Collective).

Discipling Primary Students: If you would like to be a part of discipling your child through the Old Testament, there are some fantastic video resources you could watch together and (such as the ‘God’s Story’ series by Crossroad Kids Club here or the ‘Faithful Hall of Fame’ by Saddleback Kids here). Reading ‘The Gospel Story Bible’ and the ‘Jesus Storybook Bible’ together are very helpful Bibles for Primary age students to discover God’s plan to rescue through Jesus throughout the entire Bible.

Secondary
In Secondary this year, we are exploring the book of Mark in our ‘Unfiltered’ series. This will allow students to gain their own, unfiltered view of Jesus so they can decide for themselves whether He is a liar, lunatic or Lord. Each week we are working through the passages in sections and Term One we are covering Mark 1 - 3:6. Mark is very clear in his claims about Jesus right from the beginning in Mark 1:1, ‘The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God’, and as we continue we’ll be looking at the reasons Mark gives for this big claim.

Discipling Secondary Students: The Gospel of Mark is the shortest biography of Jesus’ life and so is a punchy, short read to explore together with your child. You could begin with the Bible Project introduction to Mark which gives you an overview through videos, alongside an introduction to the key milestones and themes of the Book. Following that, there are some great reading plans such as this one by Berea that you can read through the Gospel of Mark in 30 days with a short passage and some discussion questions to prompt some discussion.