ISSUE 5, THURSDAY, 18 JUNE 2015
FROM THE PRINCIPAL, JEFF DAVIS Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20
We read in the above passage how the disciples came to Jesus and were given “The Great Commission” in vs 19-20. It is quite common to read this and think of the big picture; those who have been called to the mission field to further the name of Jesus Christ in the furthest places from where we live. And, for some, this is just an acknowledgement that missionaries exist in our churches and are working in these faraway lands to fulfil the calling made on their lives. I have a good friend, who often shares his stories of going to the footy in Melbourne, whereas I sit in my lounge and often watch the games on TV, getting excited about my team and what they are doing. I can assure you his experience is so much more exciting. He can smell the hotdogs, rub shoulders with fellow supporters and hear the ball smash into the outstretched hands of the marking forward in the icy cold conditions that are expected in southern States at this time of year. After 8 years of living on the Gold Coast, I confess that my commitment to my AFL team has waned, not because I do not enjoy football, but because I do not experience it enough from a 'live' perspective. Without this experience, my passion has decreased. If I take this back to the 'Great Commission', my challenge is to work out how I can invest myself in the 'serving' experience, while not necessarily leaving home to be in the mission field. I am sure we can all agree to the incredible changes seen in our students when they become
involved in mission tours, such as the one currently to Cooktown. Students have the opportunity to see, smell and participate in the building of something that would otherwise be difficult in which to participate at home. These experiences are life-changing and have far-reaching benefits for the students who attend. However, we do not need to travel on these mission trips specifically to gain this kind of experience. There are opportunities with which we are faced each and every day that could help to further cultivate a servant heart. One of my greatest joys is seeing young people, particularly those who may be struggling in life, find the joy and purpose that serving others can give. When young people learn the gift of service they become fulfilled in a way that materialism cannot provide. A few years ago, Bill Gates gave a speech that talked about the 11 things students will not learn at school. Some of these are truly inspirational, but the one that has always stayed with me is: Rule 5 - Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger-flipping they called it 'opportunity'. The same can be said for serving. Our youth need to experience the true joy of doing something for others without getting material acknowledgement in return. It is important to learn how this is a reflection of their faith and, that through serving, God can work in their heart, and also in the hearts of those being served. It is one of the most powerful acts that we can do and it is important to give our students every opportunity to experience the joy that can come from heartfelt service. Not only will we produce more resilient young men and women, but also see them understand how acts of service are an incredibly powerful way to positively impact the future. One of the world’s leading educators, Michael Fullen, has worked tirelessly to promote positive change in schools. One of his famous messages is “behaviour before belief”. In this he challenges us to start doing something before we believe in the benefit. His assertion here is that sometimes in life, we try to rationalise and understand each situation when what we should be doing is actually doing it. I often think of this as being akin to faith. We need to “do” actions of faith rather than trying to prove the message of Jesus Christ. My challenge for students entering this holiday period is to find opportunities (as Bill Gates identified) where they can serve others and in so doing see how their actions can bless others in amazing ways. I look forward to hearing some amazing stories in three weeks when we return to school.
There have been many great things to celebrate at Hillcrest Christian College in the first semester of 2015. I have thoroughly enjoyed my journey in becoming the Principal of this amazing College and have truly been amazed by the culture that I have found at Hillcrest. Through the P&F meetings, many parent forums, staff meetings and student assemblies, I now have a much greater appreciation for Hillcrest. When you consider the quality of the activities that have taken place this year, I can see why families are so passionate about the quality of education their children receive at Hillcrest. From my desk, it has been truly exciting to be able to make strong decisions for the future of Hillcrest that will enhance the quality of our College for many years to come. There are a number of important decisions that have been made that will have an impact upon the future of Hillcrest Christian College. I have a brief summary below;
DEPUTY APPOINTMENTS A restructure of the Leadership Team has seen the creation of 2 new positions, Deputy Head of Senior Learning Community and Deputy Head of Junior Learning Community, to support MR VAN BRUGGEN and MRS GEYER in their roles as Heads of these respective areas. The successful candidates are: MR PETER FERNANCE Deputy Head of Senior Learning Community MR FERNANCE needs no introduction as he has had a long and successful history at Emmanuel and Hillcrest Christian Colleges. His experience and leadership will be an incredibly valuable asset to the Senior Learning Community. MRS CAMILLA BALYM – Deputy Head of Junior Learning Community MRS BALYM comes to Hillcrest from Varsity College, where she has been part of the leadership team for the past 6 years, specialising in the early years of learning. Mrs Balym has a wealth of experience working with Primary aged students, of all abilities, and has spoken at local and international conferences about her work with student learning. Her experiences bring a new dimension to our learning program in the Junior Learning Community and, on behalf of the whole Hillcrest Christian College community, I warmly welcome Mrs Balym to our College.
PREP-2 CAMPUS The application for Government funding for the new P-2 campus has been finalised with presentations made last Wednesday. The next stage of rendering has been completed and will be made available to the Hillcrest community when we return in Term 3. This new facility will provide an amazing blueprint
for the rest of the College renovation that will follow after the new campus construction. Results of the funding application will be released towards the end of Term 3 and we are praying and hoping for positive results.
COLLEGE BUSES The updating of the College's bus fleet and subsequent “wrapping” have proven to be a huge asset to the College in many ways. Most students have had the chance to travel on these new vehicles and are all proud to be on them. The number of excursions that we have been able to offer to students has increased significantly as the ease of access to reliable transport has improved dramatically. The number of students using these vehicles to travel to and from school has also significantly increased. We have also had many new enrolments to the College as a direct result of seeing our buses on the road.
COLLEGE FACILITIES Numerous improvements have been made around our facilities, including the planting of new gardens, the replacement of chicken wire fences to security fences at the front of the College and the cleaning of all paths and sitting areas. There is still a great deal of work to be done, but we have made a tremendous start to the appearance of the College grounds. In the upcoming holiday period, a number of projects will be completed while the students are not on site; • Damaged shade sails will be replaced and restored back to original conditions • The long-awaited digital sign will be installed above the steps at the dropoff zone • The waterproof cover will be installed over the entire Senior Learning Community quadrangle area These projects will help students have more outside areas to enjoy, in inclement weather, as well as providing parents with up to date information in regards to the 'happenings' at Hillcrest.
ENROLMENTS In the past few weeks, our enrolment enquiries have exceeded all expectations with students enrolling at Hillcrest, which has had a flow-on effect to our class sizes. We are currently planning a solution to this situation and will fully communicate our response to this when we return next Term. The current demand for places underlies the improvements that have been made this year to our learning program, and also in part due to our plans to rebuild our facilities to state-of-the-art standards. I assure you that, through this growth period, the interests of all students will be foremost in our minds. Our commitment to providing a worldclass education will be the basis for all decision- making as we move forward.
21 Bridgman Drive, Reedy Creek Q 4227 | PO Box 2503, Burleigh Waters Q 4220 | 07 5593 4226 | hillcrest.qld.edu.au | office@hillcrest.qld.edu.au ACN 010381334 ABN 68 947 459 366 CRICOS 01043C Hillcrest Christian College is an interdenominational ministry of Reedy Creek Baptist Church and is operated by Hillcrest Christian College Ltd.