Week 8, Term 4 Newsletter
Standing on the rock of Jesus Christ
Wow, hasn’t this week’s weather been crazy! Gusting easterlies and on and off rain . . . not like the summer I remember in ‘64! Thankfully all of our shade sails are still intact and the students have been enjoying kicking the balls in the air, only to see them go sideways in the strong wind. In times of strong winds and changeable weather, it is comforting to know that the foundations of our school buildings are strong and deep. Despite the winds, they simply haven’t moved . . . awesome!
It can be like this in life. Seasons change. The storms of life come and go. Weather happens. The sun shines and the rain falls. In times of change, it is important to have our foundation solid . . . set . . . strong. Jesus said in Matthew 7 that “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” As followers of Christ, as a school that exalts His name and His name alone, as people who serve the Lord, it is important to remind ourselves that despite the weather, Jesus is our Rock. Immovable. Unchanging. Steady. Strong. Faithful. Dependable. Trustworthy. GOD.
Furthermore, the Word of God, the Bible, is our foundation, our standard and our plumbline. 2 Timothy 3 notes that, “...all scripture is God-breathed . . . for our teaching, training and equipping.” His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path and on it we shall meditate day and night (Psalm 119). The importance of Jesus, the Word and our faith is paramount to who and what we are as a Christian school.
To this end, I am both convicted by and encouraged with the position of the Kaitaia Abundant Life Church Proprietors. The Proprietor meetings had over the last couple of months have been straight, strong and grounded in faith and on the Word of God. Following those meetings, our school’s Board of Trustees issued the below statement in support of the Proprietors with regards to the challenges facing us as a school that bears that name of Jesus and stands on the rock of His Word. It speaks of our position with regards to the current climate but more importantly, it rings loud of the glory and majesty of the King of all kings whom we serve:
As a Board, we fully support the Kaitaia Abundant Life Proprietors in engaging with the Ministry of Education concerning the breaches of the Integration Agreement with particular regards to our Special Character.
Thank you to everyone who has endorsed our kaupapa as a Christian school; it has been so, so encouraging. Thank you for valuing the Christian training we provide our kids here day in and day out and for valuing who our God is. It is fantastic.
On the message of training our kids, we as a school are nearing the end of 2022 and are already in the midst of preparing for 2023 with planning, recruitment, enrolments, subject choices, etc. It is a very busy time of the year but we know that the Lord will enable us to accomplish all that is before us. I hope to announce a number of staffing additions to the school next week - thank the Lord for His provision and goodness. As we head into 2023, please keep our staff in mind as this time of the year is very busy! To that end, if you feel like giving any of the staff any form of encouragement, don’t hesitate to do so . . . they so deserve it!
Formal written reports will be issued next week and I look forward to seeing you all at the prize givings next Wednesday also. Come prepared to clap, shout and celebrate with us!
2022 - doing life WITH God!
Mark
Verse for the week:
“But God is my King from long ago; He brings salvation on the earth.
It was You who split open the sea by your power; You broke the heads of the monster in the waters.
The day is Yours, and Yours also the night; You established the sun and moon.
It was You who set all the boundaries of the earth; You made both summer and winter.”
Psalm 74
Important Dates to Remember
- Wednesday 14th December - Junior Prizegiving Y1-Y10
- Thursday 15th December - Kaitaia Pool Day
- Friday 16th December - Last Day Term 4 / 2022
- Tuesday 7th February 2023 - First Day Term 1
Notification of Absence
Just a friendly reminder to please let the school know if your child is absent. This can be done in the following ways;
- Call and leave a message - 09 408 2671
- Email the office - office@abundantlife.school.nz
- Via the School App
Please also ensure you advise the reason for the absence as well ie - Sick, Doctors, Dentist, Appoint, Holiday, Tangi etc - as these are all recorded differently.
Your attention to this request is greatly appreciated.
Student Mobile Phones - at school
Please remember to remind your child to hand their phone in at the beginning of the day to Whāea Bobbie at our front office, and collect them after school.
Any phones confiscated by staff will need to be collected by parents and whānau.
Abundant Life Church Service Details
All Welcome!!!
Evening Service - Wednesday's 5.30pm - Shared dinner, please bring a plate
Sunday Service - Sunday's 9.30am
Please join us, we would love to see you there!!!
School App
If you haven’t already loaded our School App to your phone or mobile device - the instructions of what to do is in the poster provided. The App some very useful features such as notifying student absence, calendar events, notifications and more.