End Of Term Newsletter

Dear Parents, this past Monday, Uncle Maurice Sweetsur spoke to our students about the real meaning of Easter. He reminded the students, using a variety of excellent illustrations, that Easter is not about holidays, chocolate, eggs or bunnies. Easter is about God’s “rescue plan” for mankind through Jesus Christ, i.e. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).

So as we approach Easter next weekend, the staff and I are praying for you. We are “giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: the Father hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, Jesus Christ: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: the Sonis the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by Jesuswere all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Jesus, and for Jesus: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: Jesusis the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence. For it pleased the Father that in Jesusshould all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven” (Colossians 1:12-20). 

Easter is a marvellous, liberating intervention by God, confirmed through eyewitness testimony, that shows He is a God of mercy and grace: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles” (1 Corinthians 15:3-7). We hope you have a blessed Easter!

This term, the staff focused on one aspect of the mission statement, i.e. “Tyndale Park Christian School exists to assist parents”. “Assisting parents” means that we recognise that parents have the primary responsibility for their children’s spiritual formation and education, i.e. “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7) and “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). It also means that Tyndale Park Christian School is in partnershipwith you as we assist you with the education of your children.

“Partnership” implies clear, transparent communication to ensure that (1) we really hear the concerns you may have about your children’s education and (2) that you clearly understand our assessment of your children’s progress. We have aimed to communicate with you on a regular basis, but we recognise that we are not perfect and that there is always room for improvement. However, we strive for excellence in everything that we do at Tyndale Park Christian School because we believe God has called us to be excellent and to instil this excellence in our students.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone of you who has assisted us this term through coaching, driving students to and from events, supervision during field trips, and volunteering your time in classes or with administrative tasks. It will be impossible to offer our students the learning opportunities they have had this term without your help. To recap, here are some of the different activities you have helped us with this term: Year 4&5 swimming, ACS Touch Rugby (our Year 5&6 team placed third!), Athletics Day, Year 6&7 Port of Auckland Discovery Cruise, Year 4&5 Eye on Nature Field Trip, Chesspower Primary Cluster Tournament at TPCS (the TPCS primary chess team won!) and the Year 1-3 Murphy’s Bush Discovery Trip. We also want to thank those of you who come and serve behind the scenes on a weekly basis. We are truly grateful for your investment in our community. It will also be remiss not to acknowledge the many families who are actively promoting our school to their family members, friends and pastors. Thank you for that. It is an honour and privilege to partner with you in raising the next generation of leaders who, we hope and trust, will change the world for God’s glory.

We hope the following two weeks will be filled with many opportunities to spend time together as a family. The staff and I hope to do the same, as well as prepare for Term 2!

Barend Blom - Principal

Photo credit: Aaron Burden on Unsplash