Announcements

Creating Inclusive Classrooms Seminar

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:51:00 GMT

Mara Sapon-Shevin is Professor of Inclusive Education in the Teaching and Leadership Department of the School of Education at Syracuse University. She teaches in the University’s Inclusive Elementary and Special Education Teacher Education Program that prepares teachers for inclusive, heterogeneous classrooms. She frequently consults with districts that are trying to move towards more inclusive schools, providing workshops and support for teachers and administrators. She has also served as an expert witness in several due process hearings related to students with disabilities, supporting families who want their children fully included.

Professor Mara will present two talks at Covenant:

1. Using Differentiated Instruction to work with heterogeneous students
2. Cooperative instructional Activities and games for inclusive classrooms

Professor Mara believes inclusion isn't about disability, inclusion isn't about schools; inclusion is about what kind of a world we want to live in together

Speaker: Professor Mara Sapon-Shevin
Date: Monday 25th May
Time: 4.00 - 6.30 pm
Location: Covenant Christian School
Cost: CEN schools $10 per attendee / other schools $50 per attendee

Afternoon tea will be provided
RSVP: Thursday 21 May accompanied with payment to Suzanne Bennett

Mara presents frequently on inclusive education, cooperative learning, social justice education, differentiated instruction, friendship, community building, school reform and teaching for diversity.

Active as well in the community, Mara was a member of the Advisory Board and the development team for the Community Wide Dialogue’s project on ending racism in the City of Syracuse. She is co-author of a seven session anti-racism curriculum entitled , “Endracism/Endinjustice: Challenging Oppression, Building Allies” which is designed for high school and college students. She is the co-producer of a DVD entitled “and nobody said anything: Uncomfortable Conversations about Diversity” that is designed to explore critical teaching incidents on social justice for faculty in colleges and universities. She works with other educators and community members to design workshops and learning experiences to help participants build relationships across ethnic and racial groups and collaborate for friendship and peaceful co-existence. Mara also sings with the Syracuse Community Choir and is active in the People’s Music Network for Songs of Freedom and Struggle and the Children’s Music Network.

The author of over 250 books, book chapters and articles, Mara writes extensively about the fields of full inclusion, cooperative learning, social justice education and teaching for diversity. Her book Because We Can Change the World: A Practical Guide for Building Cooperative, Inclusive Classroom Communities (Allyn and Bacon) explores ways in which teachers can use cooperative games, children’s literature, music and curriculum to build classroom communities which model inclusion and acceptance and which help students learn to become active participants in working for social justice within and beyond their schools. Mara’s new book “Widening the Circle: The Power of Inclusive Classrooms” was just published by Beacon Press

Plenty Valley Christian College thank you

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 03:24:00 GMT

When fires destroyed homes in Victoria earlier this term several families from Plenty Valley Christian College in Doreen were affected. Covenant Christian School community responded by raising fund by selling flowers for Valentines Day and a book stall. This week the school received the following letter of thanks.

I write in appreciation of your generous support for Plenty Valley Christian College families and staff who were directly affected by the bushfires in February.

Our College is in awe of the support that has been offered by the Christian and wider communities of Australia.

There is more to do by way of assistance for families who lost so much and have experienced deep levels of trauma. Your involvement and generousity of spirit has ensured our delivery of practical and meaningful assistance to those in need within the College community. We appreciate your contribution and thank you in all sincerity.

Our College community has come together in the face of adveristy. Many others have joined with you in bringing about a healing process that will take some time. We look forward to the futre under the grace of God.

With kind regards

Douglas Peck
31 March 2009

Alumni Wedding Alison Wells

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:53:00 GMT

On Friday March 27, Alison Wells (Covenant class of 1998) married Ross Blaikie. It was a wonderful celebration for them, and for their family and friends. Alison is one of five Wells children that attended Covenant Christian School! There were many ex-Covenant students involved in the wedding, including James and Matt Wells, Amy Wheaton and Pete Muddle with Music, and Heidi Muddle as the Matron of honour. The happy couple are honeymooning in Vietnam and will be living in Manly upon their return. We wish them every happiness.

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Book Fundraiser for Victorian Christian Schools

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 01:32:00 GMT

The Junior School Council organised a Book Swap to support fellow Christian Schools in Victoria. There were two ways to help. As we did last year, the school asked for donations of secondhand but well cared for children's books. These books were sold for between 50 cents and $5.00. Throughout the day Teachers took children in class groups and assisted them with their purchases. Children who brought in books for sale or donation were given one voucher to allow them first choice of the "For Sale" books.

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The second way the school is helping is through a direct donation of books to Christian Schools in Victoria. These books were either new, or used but in excellent condition.

A BIG thank you to Mr Groves and his class for all their help. Thank you also to parents who served on the stall and all who supported the Book sale particularly to infants and transition teachers who had to deal with tears and fears of lost money etc.. The Junior School Community raised $1013.75 with still a little more money coming in.

The donated books have already been sent to Victoria and the money will be sent as a cheque to Plenty Valley Christian School to assist the families who lost houses in the fires.

Jews for Jesus Speaker at Covenant

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 04:33:00 GMT

Bob Mendelsohn, the director of the Jews for Jesus organisation's Sydney branch, will be speaking at our Senior School Assembly (Year 10-12) on Tuesday March 24 at 10.30am. Parents are welcome to attend.

Jews for Jesus is an organisation that proclaims that Jesus is the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world. "What could be more Jewish than following the Jewish Messiah?" says Mendelsohn, who considers himself 100 percent Jewish and 100 percent Christian.

Bob grew up in Kansas City in the center of the United States. He was the third of three children in an Orthodox Jewish home. He kept kosher, was Bar Mitzvah and graduated from Hebrew school. After high school he enrolled in university, but soon dropped out to search for life's meaning via the '60s counterculture. "I didn't find what I was looking for—meaning and reality—in the counterculture. I found it in Y'shua," Mendelsohn says.

Bob returned to university and graduated from Kansas University in 1977 with a B.S. in Education. Prior to his decision to become an evangelist, Mendelsohn taught high school maths and was the pastor of The Mustard Seed, a church of over 700 people which grew out of a prayer group Mendelsohn had established.

Since working with Jews for Jesus, Bob has worked in New York City, Washington DC, Chicago and San Francisco. He helped to pioneer the organization's New York branch, where he was the pastor of Kehilat Y'shua, a congregation of Jews and Gentiles who believe in Jesus. He coordinated the organization's Summer Witnessing Campaigns there. In Chicago, he was the leader of the Jewish gospel music team. Along with his wife and their three children he then founded our work in the Washington area in 1989. He led the flagship station in New York City overseeing training, local operations, and the Northeast US until he moved to Australia in 1998 to found the work among the 100,000 Jews of Australia. The office in Sydney is in Bondi Junction in the Eastern suburbs.

Bob is one of the senior staff of Jews for Jesus, holding the rank of deputy commissioner. He writes for Jews for Jesus publications, as well as authors some of their gospel tracts and the regular Bible study materials used by the worldwide staff. His testimony of faith (Whoever Heard of a Jewish Missionary?) was published in 1999. It includes his grandmother's story of becoming a believer in Jesus.

He is also a sought-after speaker and organiser for other groups concerned with evangelism. He has served on the Board of Directors of the North American Renewal Service Committee and has been published in their magazine A.D. 2000: Together. He serves on the Board of Advisors for Women’s Aglow and has written for Aglow and for Charisma magazines.

He has been interviewed on media outlets throughout the States and here in Australia including Gordon Moyes’ Sunday Night Live and also on the ABC. He is a regular writer for Alive magazine.

Mendelsohn has a Master’s Degree in Missiology with concentration in Jewish Evangelism/Judaic studies from the Fuller School of World Mission in Pasadena, California. His wife, Patty, also holds the same degree.

The Jews for Jesus organisation was founded by Moishe Rosen, a Jew who has believed in Jesus for over 40 years. The organisation has permanent branches in seven North American cities (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, New York City, Washington D.C. and South Florida) as well as over seventy chapters spanning some thirty states. The group's international branches are headquartered in Johannesburg, London, Paris, Odessa, Moscow, Rio de Janeiro, Essen and Tel Aviv besides Sydney.

Dr. Rosen is quick to point out that he did not "start" Jews for Jesus. "Jews for Jesus began about 2,000 years ago, around 32 C.E., give or take a year. Jesus' first disciples were Jewish, and there have been some Jewish people who have believed in him ever since."

To Bob and other Jews for Jesus, believing in Jesus makes sense in light of the Jewish Bible and in light of their experiences as "believers." For those who argue that Christianity contradicts the meaning of Judaism, Bob says there are answers, which he is happy to discuss with any inquirers.

Home school family chooses Covenant Christian School

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:05:00 GMT

For the Thornton family of Belrose, starting school this year meant dramatic changes. Brad and Lynnette Thornton have home schooled their six children for several years. This year they chose to enroll all six children at Covenant Christian School in Belrose.

Brad explains “homeschooling for us has been a challenging and rewarding adventure, one that has helped us to grow closer together as a family. We knew that with a big family there was always the possibility for our lives to diverge in many different directions, so we made the decision when the children were young that family would be a priority. We also knew that it was our responsibility as parents to really know our children and who God has made them to be. Homeschooling gave us the privilege of spending wonderful days together discovering the unique and special giftings of each of the children”. Hannah, age 16 and the oldest child in the family, says, “Home schooling allowed me the freedom to work in my own time, learn to be self-motivated and to study what I was interested in.”

The decision to transition into private schooling came while traveling together as a family last year. Lynette shares “We observed the children grow in confidence as they engaged cultural differences and language barriers. We also grew in confidence that schooling at Covenant would be a benefit to them, knowing the kindness of the staff and the family-centred environment.”

Brad had taught at Covenant for several years, so he had a great understanding of the school, its’ staff and vision. With six children the logistics of having Preschool to Year 12 all in one location certainly made the decision easier.

Principal Bill Rusin says “as a community we admire families who choose to home school. We believe parents are the most important educators of their children. Our role is to serve parents and work with them. I expect we would have a higher percentage than most schools of families who either have, or will, choose to home school at some stage of their children’s education”.

Lynnette says “I appreciate Covenant’s commitment to support parents in educating their children, encouraging parents to do what they see is best for their children, whether that is home schooling or traditional schooling,”

Most families with children starting school face the challenge of buying uniforms and covering books. With six children starting at once this has been a huge exercise for the Thorntons. Lynette explains, “The uniform shop staff have been really helpful in getting the children organised in an affordable way, which is not an easy task with so many starting at once!”

Lynnette feels it has been a big adjustment. “We are learning to work out good systems for packing seven school lunch boxes including Brad’s, keeping track of each child’s schedule, making sure their homework is done, books packed in their bags and processing all the notes that come home each day. The children certainly have lots of stories to tell at the dinner table!” Zac, age 7, says, “There are lots of people everywhere and you have to sit down a lot!” while Dan 14 says “I feel more motivated to learn at school”

Part of Covenant’s vision has always been to help families financially afford education. After the first child, subsequent sibling’s fees are heavily discounted. Brad explains, “We are grateful for the discount Covenant provides for multiple children within a family. Three of our children are attending free.”

The six Thornton children are among 139 new students starting at the school this year. Overall the Preschool to Year 12 School has grown by 56 students since last year. Neil Pierson, who started doing the school’s marketing last year, believes there are many factors behind the school’s growth. “The main reason is families recommending the school to others and sharing the new School Tour on DVD. Our families are members of 120 local churches so are part of an extensive community. The number of families booking in for tours has really jumped. It’s been a busy year and it looks like continuing.”

Focus on the Family partners with Christian Education National

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 23:24:00 GMT

Christian Education National has a formal partnership with Focus on the Family. Focus on the Family have prepared a suite of resources specifically aimed at helping those affected by the recent fires and floods. These resources are free of charge and can help any family dealing with tragedy.

The resources can be read online or downloaded and include:

Understanding and Coping with Trauma
Parenting in the Midst of Tragedy
When God Doesn't Make Sense
Grandparents Special - Hugs and Hope

The resources can be accessed at CEN's website.

World Maths Day March 4 2009

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:12:00 GMT

This week we are running World Maths Day. This is a worldwide event run through Mathletics. It begins when Wednesday March 4 starts at the International Date Line to our East, and continues until it is no longer March 4 anywhere in the world (so for us it starts 10pm Tuesday night March 3 – and goes until 10pm Thursday night March 5).

World Maths Day is about having fun developing your Mathematical skills. You might have a chance to play in class, or you can go to www.worldmathsday.com to log in with your Mathletics login (students in JS can also go to the website and generate a login and start playing)!

So play as often as you like – but only until Thursday night!

Mathematics Department.

Christian Schools giving generously

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 04:20:00 GMT

Covenant Christian School is a member of Christian Education National (CEN). The recent bushfires in Victoria have seen a dramatic outpouring of generousity around the nation. Covenant's response was donating money raised by selling of flowers for Valentines Day. Many of the schools in CEN have found creative ways to raise funds. We hope you find these reports encouraging.

LAUNCESTON CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
Launceston Christian School responded by sending Plenty Valley Christian College $8,000 as a result of a fundraising day. We also collected half a room full of new and near new clothing and partnered with a local removal company who offered to courier this to Plenty Valley Christian College free of charge. More funds are coming in through donations and we continue to pray for the communities affected by the fires.

BAYSIDE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE
Bayside Christian College students held a Free Dress Day last Thursday and raised over $3000 to go towards the bushfire victims.

BLUE MOUNTAINS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
At Blue Mountains Christian School our kids had a mufti day last Friday - 120 kids raised $800

KUYPER CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
The students at Kuyper were showing what Christian leadership is really about by sending the principal a letter identifying the need and a desire to respond in a loving way to help improve the situation of the fires in Victoria. The end result was that we did hold a non-school uniform day and raised $1000, not bad for a small school.

DUBBO CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
Today Dubbo Christian School had a 'Mufti' day to raise money for the appeal. We have raised appoximately $1600 today. Buscuits have been baked to go on a truck leaving Dubbo to go down to Victoria. Our intention is to be involved with some other ideas driven by a student committee.

ORANGE AND BATHURST CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
Orange and Bathurst Christian Schools responded in several ways. We invited students and families to donate new or good clean items of clothing or household goods and we gave them to a local trucking firm, Tynan Transport, that took them south free of charge. We encouraged people to donate, and lots did. The Student Service Committee raised $173.00 and donated that to the appeal. Primary students were asked to think about and pray for the people affected by the fire, and then to write letters to the children whose schools were burned down. We will then find an address to mail those letters. We were particularly impressed by the generosity of families that basically went through parts of their house and bought a duplicate of everything, for example, what do you need for a family bathroom – towels, toiletries etc.

ANNANDALE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
Annandale Christian School held a Coloured Clothes (Free Dress) Day on Friday 13th February and students each donated a gold coin to assist those who have suffered loss through the bush fire tragedy. This event was part of a Townsville-wide school-based appeal which encouraged all schools (from State, Catholic, Christian and Independent sectors) to give generously towards the Red Cross Bush Fire Appeal. Annandale gave over $900. We are also keen to specifically help Plenty Valley Christian School in a practical way and our staff and students have been praying reguarly for them.

BEECHBORO CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
Beechboro Christian School. Last Friday we had a “Wear Red for Red Cross” day and raised close to $2000.For the next two weeks our school is having an afternoon “Car Wash” and already we have had to turn away willing customers.People are very willing to support activities that will help the Victorian Bush Fire Victims so I think that by the end of two weeks we will have raised considerably more.

HOPE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
A Plenty Valley Christian School Bushfire Appeal has been set up for our school community to contribute to. To date we have raised $1800.

This is just a snapshot of what some CEN schools are doing. To read more examples from other school, plus updates click here.

Biblically grounded education role

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:11:00 GMT

At Covenant our mission clearly states we "assist parents in the nurture of their children by providing a Christ-centred, biblically grounded, culturally engaging and academically rigorous education which equips children to live for God's glory. To help this the school has created a new position Curriculum Coordinator (Perspectives) (Coordinator 3). This role will be part of the leadership team that serves the school community. As such it requires a deep understanding of Christian Schooling.

The Coordinator will be of a reformed evangelical faith and ought to be willing and able to articulate this well in the school setting. The successful candidate will ideally have had experience in a Christian School setting and demonstrate that they are able to teach in their area of expertise from a rigorously considered Christian perspective.

They ought to have post graduate qualifications that enable them to do this task and are able to show evidence of doing so in the past. The position is open to teachers from K to 12 and will entail some face to face teaching.

As the job entails them working closely with other senior staff, they will have very strong relationship skills whilst helping them in their task to ensure that a biblical worldview permeates the school’s teaching programs.

They will also help induct new staff and be involved in the school’s teacher appraisal program as well as promoting biblically grounded thinking by the staff in the area of teaching and learning.

Job Description
The Curriculum Coordinator (Perspectives) will have the responsibility to initiate, coordinate and oversee the development of staff and curriculum K12 in accordance with the school's Vision and Mission.

Responsible to
The Curriculum Coordinator (Perspectives) will:

directly be responsible to the Principal and will work together with the Head of Junior School and Deputy Principal in order to ensure that our curriculum is thoroughly Christ centred,biblically grounded, culturally engaging and academically rigorous.
work closely with subject coordinators in the High School and the Curriculum Coordinator in

the Junior School. The Curriculum Coordinator (Perspectives) will generally work in the following areas:
Administrative and Pedagogical
The Curriculum Coordinator (Perspectives) will:

meet regularly with the Principal, Head of School and Deputy Principal in order to advise them in areas of curriculum and staff development.
initiate and lead pedagogical and curriculum review and improvement in the school.
arrange and monitor practice teaching sessions for trainee teachers in consultation with subject coordinators, Head of Junior School and Deputy Principal.
be involved in the appraisal process of coordinators and teaching staff.
may have a parttime teaching role

Curriculum
The Curriculum Coordinator (Perspectives) will:

provide leadership and guidance to staff in curriculum and staff development and in the proposal and initiation of specific curriculum projects
keep abreast of educational developments and government requirements and ensure that relevant staff are informed of these.
foster the development of programs K12and ensure that all programs and documents reflect the Christian worldview of the school.
promote an integral curriculum where appropriate.

Staff Development
The Curriculum Coordinator (Perspectives) will:

publicise & recommend staff development programs, both inschool and those run by outside agencies
develop and recommend annual priorities in staff development and review these from time to time
help coordinate the planning of staff conference programs and presentations by visiting speakers
circulate material about the latest research in curriculum areas and teaching styles
assist the Head Librarian in the development and promotion of resources in the Teacher

Reference Area

promote reading and other media that will encourage teachers to think biblically about their task
undertake inservice training for personal growth in leadership and pedagogy
provide guidance and encouragement to staff as a whole regarding programming and teaching to meet the different needs of students with different abilities, interests or special needs

Other
From time to time the Curriculum Coordinator (Perspectives) will be required to undertake other
tasks by the Principal.

School Certificate 2008 Report

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:33:00 GMT

Covenant Christian School students received excellent results in the 2008 School Certificate. There were many outstanding individual performances as well as a number of excellent results in a variety of subject areas.

The following students received a mark of 90 or higher in the subjects listed, placing them in Band 6, the top performance band in the State for the SC.
Joseph Bell – Mathematics, Science
Matthew Betts – Geography
James Blumer – English
Joshua Chee – Mathematics, Science, Geography
Andrew Chen – Mathematics
Luke Curnow – Mathematics
Elisa Dykman – English, Science, History
Mitchell Everingham – English
Grace Fitz-Gerald – English, Science, History
Daniel Malik – Mathematics
Blair Mottau – Mathematics
Daniel Robinson – Mathematics, Science, Geography
Bethany Sullivan – English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography
Max Tapper – Geography
Daichi Watanabe – Mathematics
Mitchell Zalai – Mathematics

The Computing Skills results were also excellent. The vast majority of students at CCS received the top ranking of Highly Competent in the Computing Skills Test (84.61 % when compared to the state average of 57.27%). The remaining 15.39% of CCS students received the second top ranking of “Competent.”

General Comments
In a vast majority of subjects taken at Covenant, students performed at a level well above the State average. Covenant students were significantly under-represented in Bands 3, 2 and 1, the lower Performance Bands.

Covenant students were significantly over–represented in Bands 6 and 5 collectively, the top two performance bands in all subjects taken at Covenant. Subjects include, English, Mathematics, Science, Australian History, Australian Geography and Computing Skills.

Miss Sharon Sopher, SC Coordinator

Private school grows in spite of economic downturn

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 02:48:00 GMT

For many private schools in Sydney the current economic climate is providing some anxiety over enrolments. Covenant Christian School at Belrose, however, is making room for a significant increase in student enrolments. On the first day of school in February there are going to be many new faces. They had hoped to grow overall by 20 extra students. Instead it looks likely they could be welcoming an extra 50 students. This would take the school up to 800 from Preschool to Year 12. Covenant’s recent HSC results once again placed it in the Top 200 schools in NSW and 5th on the Northern Beaches. Neil Pierson, who helps with the school’s marketing, says “When parents start doing the sums they are realising Covenant offers very good value. While the consistently strong academics are always encouraging it is the Christian community and atmosphere which most families talk about."

Part of the school’s recent growth can be attributed to their Free School Tour on DVD, new web and blogsites and group tours. Since September, 1,700 copies of the DVD have been distributed. Even over the holiday periods, the requests for the DVD have been continuing. Neil imagines parents are still considering their options even for this year. Last year 165 families took part in school tours. The new web and blogsites were averaging 1,800 visitors a week.

With all of the new marketing initiatives Neil still believes it comes down to old fashioned word of mouth. “If parents and students have a positive experience they are more likely to encourage others to consider the school. This is obviously happening at Covenant.” Having worked at the school for six months Neil had heard lots of stories from both students and parents. In an unexpected twist he was so impressed he decided to transfer his own three children there for 2009.

While most staff have been on holidays Neil has been making plans for 2009. “In some ways it feels like a construction site at school right now with so many tradesmen working away on a variety of projects to continually improve the school. It is exciting to see a 30 year old school growing, changing and trying new things while remaining true to the founder’s vision.” One of the most obvious projects is an outdoor amphitheatre. Two new demountables have also been installed to help ease the pressure before six new classrooms can be built.

Northern Beaches Schools HSC Results 2008

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 23:53:00 GMT

Covenant was once again listed in the Top 200 schools in all of NSW. Covenant with its 750 students is a quiet yet consistent achiever. Principal Bill Rusin states “to be placed 110th in the whole of NSW and 5th on the Northern Beaches is a wonderful reflection on the hard work by students and teachers.”

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As a non-selective school offering no academic scholarships Covenant is naturally thrilled with the results. Our 53 HSC students sat a total of 305 exams with 39 achieving the highest Band 6.

There were also some notable individual achievements
Jennifer Syme 2nd in state in General Mathematics (against 30,334 students)
Ernie Au-Yeung 3rd in state Software Design and Development (against 1,883 students)

Chris O’Sullivan Deputy Principal congratulated Jennifer and Ernie. She said of Jennifer “she is an independent and diligent young woman. She is commended for excellent work in German, General Maths and Economics. Her strong Christian faith is worked out in genuine concern for justice and for others.”

“Ernie is a diligent student commended for excellent effort in English and Mathematics Extension 1 and Mathematics. He has played in the Soccer and Rugby League teams, the string ensemble and has been an active member of Student Council. Ernest has a servant heart and has achieved Gold in The Duke of Edinburgh Scheme.”

Below is a summary of the results for the Northern Beaches from the Daily Telegraph's Top 200 Schools. This year there were 67,931 HSC students, the largest group ever to complete Year 12 in NSW. There are around 900 private schools in NSW.

Rank in NSW	Rank in NB	School's name	Exams sat	Band 6	%
15	1	Manly Selective - NB Secondary College	685	258	37.66
63	2	St Luke's Grammar School	427	82	19.2
74	3	Pittwater House Girls College	99	17	17.17
80	4	Killarney Heights High School	606	101	16.67
110	5	Covenant Christian School	305	39	12.79
119	6	Oxford Falls Grammar School	174	21	12.07
159	7	Mackellar Girls - NB Secondary College	542	52	9.59
162	8	Stella Maris College	1013	97	9.58
194	9	Barrenjoey High School	471	40	8.49
198	10	Northern Beaches Christian School	461	38	8.24

Thank you to staff

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:21:00 GMT

Covenant is a parent controlled school. This means parents who are members of our Association vote for a Board who represent them. This Board is very involved in recruiting and selecting staff who have the day to day responsibility of running the school. Here Rod Post, the Chairman of the Association thanks the staff for their amazing work.

Dear Staff

On behalf of The Board I would like to extend a word of heartfelt thanks for your individual and collective contributions to the school this year.

May I share this passage of Scripture with you? Colossians 1:3 ff
“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints [including students, parents and your colleagues] - the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing [we see evidence of this here at Covenant, and thank God for it], just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. [The Board regularly prays this for you all, at our meetings and also in our personal prayers.] For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

As you wind down for a well-earned break it is our prayer that during your holidays you will get the opportunity to spend time with your families and friends, and personal time with God. May we challenge you to continue to draw near to Him.

We pray that God will continue to bless you all in your different roles at school, or for those who are leaving us in your new roles, and wish you and your families a well earned rest and the peace and joy that comes with knowing the mercy and grace that God bestows on His people as we celebrate our Saviour’s birth.

Regards

Rod Post - Board Chair
on behalf of the Board and Association

Forest Way Belrose streetscape upgrade

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:30:00 GMT

Many locals are surprised when they discover Covenant Christian School has 750 students. Some either don't know where it is or think of it as a small bush school. Recently a section of the bern along Forest Way had weeds and stumps removed and was then replanted. This is another simple way of helping people know "Covenant is worth a closer look". We have also taken the opportunity to promote the School Tour on DVD on a banner to passing traffic. Thanks to Belrose Nursery and the school maintenance team for their great work. There is lots more work around the school planned over the holidays.

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