Devotion – An ever-present help

God is … an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).

Please pause and let that promise wash over you. Soak in it: our God is an ever-present help in trouble. What a relief! Because now is certainly a ‘time of trouble’ around the world. We are being reminded that we are not in control of what is happening.

The Psalms speak frequently of times of trouble. Times of trouble come to everyone, personally, but also corporately, like now. Read through the Psalms and see the writers pour out fears, struggles, anguish before the LORD. Yet also take note of how the writers come back to remind themselves that God is still in control, everything is still in his hands. Therefore, rest in trusting him.

For example, see Psalm 33: ‘… The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the people. But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations; (verses 10, 11). Yes, even in this ‘season’ of upheaval, God is at work! Through Jesus we know that God’s heart is towards us! Jesus is God’s heart to us! Now, in our enforced time of ‘pause’, there is a fresh opportunity to take him at his word, to let it redirect our focus to his heart for us, and for others around us, including those who don’t know Jesus yet.

Lord God, change our hearts. Thank you that you are an ever-present help. We are grateful. Amen.

Prayer Points

We pray that our faith grows stronger during this time of uncertainty and suffering

We pray that all of our community members who are suffering from sickness will be restored to full health

We pray that our remote learning program continues to provide spiritually, physically, mentally and intellectually for all our students

We pray for the success of people who are working on a vaccine for COVID-19

We pray for the Kwok, Huynh and Huynh families

St Matthew’s Lutheran Church

During the COVID-19 pandemic our supporting church is conducting worship online. If you would like to join their worship services please contact

the office on 9312 1253

From the Principal

Social distancing. Self-isolation. Worldwide lockdowns. Who would have known a few months ago that these processes would be in place or even that they were a thing? The world has changed and changed quickly. COVID-19 has affected us all in many ways we could never imagine. It has affected our work, our family life and our school.

‘We are all in this together’ is a popular catch cry at the moment, which refers to the call for Australians to rally together in this difficult time. We too, as a school community can adopt this saying when referring to our situation. Whilst every family, staff and student situation is unique, in reality we are all in this together. However there is one difference to our catch cry. We have one other person who is in this with us; that of course is God. He is in this with us as well! He is walking with each of us through this journey, giving us the strength to navigate our way through the difficult times. We thank God that he is taking every step with us.

Remote Learning

The staff have been working incredibly hard to provide quality learning experiences for all our students through our remote learning program. Remote learning is not just a new experience for students and families, but it is also new for the teachers and staff. Their dedication in caring for the students’ spiritual, wellbeing and academic needs has been a true blessing.

We would also like to express a very big thank you to parents for the support you have shown to the school and the teachers in helping to implement the remote learning program. We are very grateful for your efforts. Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you need any assistance at home. The Sunshine Christian School Staff are always available to help you in the best manner possible.

Welcome

As you will be aware, our Business Manager, Sandra Galea, left the school at the end of last term to take up another role. We are very pleased to welcome Mr Fergus Weber, Mrs Jenny Nguyen and Mrs Kalli Green to our team at Sunshine Christian School. Fergus and his team will be fulfilling the roles and responsibilities of the Business Manager at our school. When school returns to normal operations, Jenny will be the primary person working at the school, but we will also see Fergus and Kalli at the school regularly. In the meantime, the Business Manager team will be working diligently to ensure the school continues to run smoothly. You may contact the team via email at finance@scs.vic.edu.au or on the school phone 9312 1253. We are looking forward to the expertise that the new team will bring to the school and we wish them every blessing during their time with us.

Prep / Year 1

In the Prep/1 classroom we have been working on our handwriting and the correct formation of our letters and numbers.

You can help by making sure we do it very carefully and don’t rush it.

Year 2/ 3

In the Year 2/3 classroom the students are learning about Fractions. You can help your child by cutting paper or a slice of bread or fruit into halves, quarters, thirds and eighths. Talk about these concepts.

Year 3/ 4

In the Year 3/4 classroom we have been learning about commemorations. We learned about the significance of ANZAC Day and why we remember this event.

You can help by discussing ANZAC Day and even making some cookies with us.

Year 5/ 6

In the Year 5/6 classroom we have been designing some party invitations! We learnt what RSVP means!