Devotion – I’ve never liked tests

Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son (Genesis 22:12)

I don’t know anyone who likes tests. Stress and the artificial environment mean most people don’t display their best in that pressure situation. I much prefer to work on a problem with others where my skills are used and others’ abilities complement mine. There’s something cold and lonely about undergoing a test on your own. I can’t imagine how cold Abraham felt when God asked him to sacrifice his son as a test.

This story is confronting for any parent or grandparent to hear. The very thought of anything happening to our children is horrific. Worse still is thinking that their hurt was our fault. The pain and guilt that Abraham would have felt if he hurt Isaac would have crushed him. Yet he chose to obey God and trust his nature. It is here that Abraham’s faith is most clearly shown. Abraham trusted that God’s nature was to show love, compassion and grace. He did not assume he knew better, even when given an impossible task. Somehow God would reward obedience with love and blessing.

I am no Abraham. I would likely fail the test God set him. But that’s the greatness of our God. He doesn’t set that test for me. He allows me to be tested in ways that are to my benefit. As much as I dislike tests, I acknowledge that God teaches me things as I encounter them. I know that when God tests me, I will discover depths of God’s character I would otherwise not know. I am thankful my God knows me and loves me enough to reveal his character how I need most.

Lord God, as I am tested in this life, I pray that you give me strength and wisdom. I pray that you bring me closer to you as I know you more. Amen.

Prayer Points

We give thanks for the opportunity to have swimming lessons over the past two weeks

We pray for the people of Queensland and New South Wales who are experiencing flooding

We pray for the Cowhey, Diep and Galea-Dexter families

Micah Award

To Alexa for showing love and forgiveness to her classmates

To David for showing service to others and justice to his classmates

Strategic Planning

The school is beginning the process of developing its Strategic Plan for the next few years. It is an ideal time to review the school’s Vision, Mission and Values, which will inform the direction of the school’s strategic plan.

The first step in the process is to review the school values we have in place. Recently, parents, staff and students completed a short survey on the school’s values. This was a very important process in gaining feedback from key stakeholders on what they see as important values for our school in our particular setting. Thank you to all participants who provided this valuable feedback.

The next step in the procedure is for our key stakeholders to provide feedback on the culture of our school. This will be in the form of a longer survey that will be distributed to parents, staff and students on Monday 14 March. The survey will close on Monday 21 March. We value each member’s feedback and appreciate your honest feedback about the school. Please look out for the survey which will be distributed via Operoo.

New Play Equipment

This week we saw some new play equipment installed in play areas around the school. A mud kitchen was installed near the sand pit on Tuesday and two cubby houses (a café and Post Office) were installed on Thursday. We are very excited to see the students enjoy these new additions.

Prep

In the Prep classroom we have been developing our fine motor skills by using stencils to draw. You can help at home by encouraging us to think about the shapes of the objects we are drawing.

Year 1/ 2

In the Year 1/2 classroom we have been involved in studying the book ‘The Giving Tree’ by

Shel Silverstein. You can ask us to talk to you about this interesting story and the literacy activities that we have completed.

Year 3/ 4

In the Year 3/4 classroom we have been learning about celebrations and commemorations. We have been working in small groups to learn about celebrations and commemorations around the world! Ask us to tell you about them.

Year 5/ 6

In the Year 5/6 classroom we have been investigating how to make the best Multo board using simulation software. Ask us to teach you how to play!