Principal 22/3: Embracing Learning and Growth: Highlights from Term 1 and Reflections on Easter’s Significance

Embracing Learning and Growth: Highlights from Term 1 and Reflections on Easter’s Significance

As is customary, this stage of Term 1 is a particularly busy time for all members of our school community. Our High School students recently participated in their athletics carnival. Year 6 have enjoyed time away together, visiting key sites around our nation’s capital and Year 10 students have stepped up to the challenges and skill development of the PASS and CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts) camps this week. The CAPA camp is a new initiative of our staff to engage and motivate students to develop in their gifting and talent.

It has also been a busy week for our students of Years 3, 5 and 9 as they complete NAPLAN testing. This year, with enhanced school IT infrastructure, students have been able to undertake these tests concurrently, which means the process could run more efficiently.

Next week Year 10 will be participating in the Learning Service Day as they visit many different charities and organisations who implement biblical justice in practical ways to benefit local communities. I am looking forward to hearing back from what they learn and their new, bigger view of their world.

Coming up is the extended long weekend for Easter, which falls outside the usual term break this year. Along with enjoying the change in rhythm, it is also a time for recognising the significance of the Easter account of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection as God’s promised messiah and saviour.

The account of Jesus rising from an unassuming background is a narrative that is very familiar to us, repeated in many movies and books. Harry Potter, Aragorn (Lord of the Rings), Neo (The Matrix) and Luke Skywalker all have commonalities: a rise to prominence in a period of oppression, often fulfilling prophecies along the way, to address injustice and defeat and an evil regime.

Currently, this narrative is being revisited in cinemas with Dune – Part 2. As a science fiction and cinema fan, I’m very much looking forward to catching this one on the big screen during the next week or so. In Dune, the main character (Paul Atriedes) finds himself caught up in a messianic narrative, leading the Fremen people in a rebellion against cruel and oppressive rule. It is no surprise that storylines like that of Dune feature so strongly in films. They resonate with our hardwired sense of justice and search for rescue. They reflect the account of Jesus Christ – what Tolkien (author of LOTR) called the “true myth”.

While Dune trades heavily on the idea of a messiah it deviates significantly from the messiah narrative of Jesus. Paul Atriades embraces militancy and revenge and seeks greater power. The Freman people he leads, want a conquering militant messiah. This is not too different from some of Christ’s first disciples who also expected and desired a messiah of this kind. However, that was not Jesus’ purpose or approach. Christ was a nonviolent servant king, who gave his life as a ransom for many (Matt 20:20-28) and declared that his kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36).

So, for the coming week, as well as enjoying chocolate, an extra-long weekend and time with family, we can remember that Easter celebrates Jesus, the promised messiah of the Bible. One, unlike any of our imagining. If you would like to know more, I recommend the explanatory video made by the Bible Project on the biblical theme of ‘Messiah’.

Following the long weekend, the final two weeks of term will feature a range of events across the School including a Parent Seminar, ‘Well rested: Understanding sleep’. This topic is not only critical for our students to maintain healthy and clear minds to support their learning and wellbeing, but it is also highly relevant for us (as adults also report high rates of poor sleep health).  The last week of term will feature the ALC ‘Night of Notables’ which always proves to inform and entertain, the Year 9 camp and a range of excursions and activities.

As always, our school is a very busy learning community, which will continue right through to the anticipated term break.