Devotion – Are we there yet?

‘The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged’ (Deuteronomy 31:8).

People are generally familiar with the question, often repeatedly asked by children on long car journeys, ‘Are we there yet?’ A parent’s response might be tempered by several factors, including distance yet to go, how many times the question has already been asked, and the general mood in the vehicle. Inevitably though, a degree of frustration usually sets in.

I’ve been thinking about Moses and the people of Israel after they left Egypt. Even before it was determined that they would spend another 40 years in the desert, there were a lot of big feelings happening – frustration, worry, anxiety, and a desire to go back to what was recognisable. The fear of the unknown. Sound familiar?

And yet time and again, God showed them that he was their faithful guide, provider and protector. They just needed to learn that.

It is interesting to note that after everything, when Moses was handing the reins over to Joshua, who had witnessed for himself God’s faithfulness, Moses implored him to remember that God was with him, so he didn’t need to be afraid or discouraged.

In the present circumstance, we might ask, ‘Are we there yet?’, but experts aren’t able to answer with what we want to hear. Our journey through these present challenges has no fixed end date. We are in uncharted territory. Plans that once served us well don’t work where we are now, and when we come through this, life will look different.

But be assured, God is with us, at every stage. And we will get there yet!

Dear faithful God, thank you that you are our guide, provider and protector, through these uncertain days and beyond. You will get us there! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Prayer Points

• We pray that God will help us to trust Him to guide us through this current challenging journey

• We pray for patience to cope with the impacts of coronavirus

• We give thanks for the positives and opportunities that have arisen through the difficult times we face

• We pray for the Inme, Joseph and Kawngno families

Remote Learning

I commend both the Federal and State Governments for doing an amazing job of leading us through the COVID-19 pandemic in incredibly trying circumstances. It is an extremely difficult task to decide what is best for all Australians. The Prime Minister and the Premier of Victoria have different approaches to how schools should be operating at present, so the school and the wider community continues to receive conflicting information about when and how schools will return to face to face teaching in the future. At Sunshine Christian School the wellbeing and safety of our students, teachers and community remains the priority for us. As a result, we continue to act on the advice of the Victorian Chief Health Officer and will continue to ensure that if students can engage in remote learning from home, then they must do so at home. For those who require onsite learning, this will also continue. Some major announcements on the easing of restrictions are due to be made today by the Federal Government and on Monday by the State Government. As soon as I am able to discern the implications for our school I will communicate this to our community.

Remote Learning Packs

Thank you to all parents who picked up the remote learning packs for Weeks 4 – 6 of this term. We appreciate and thank you for the support you are demonstrating to the school and to your children’s education. Included in the packs were a number of library books for each child to read. Please remember to keep these safe and well-cared for, but also well-used. If you have not returned the learning packs or library books from Weeks 1 -3, could you please do this ASAP.

Wellbeing

The staff are doing an incredible job of not only providing rich student learning opportunities but also caring for the wellbeing of the students. Mrs. Truong, our chaplain and Wellbeing Officer, is available to speak with any students or parents who need some extra support during remote learning. You can contact Mrs. Truong by contacting the school or emailing her directly at mtruong@scs.vic.edu.au.

Rotation Day

During the remote learning period we will maintain our Rotation Day on Thursday. The teachers of specialist subjects will be assigning various tasks every Thursday. Please ensure the children are engaged in Christian Studies, Auslan, Music, Art and Physical Education activities during the day. All tasks and activities will be posted on Showbie.

Prep/ 1

In the Prep/1 classroom we have been making rainbow words.

You can ask us how to spell these words to help us practise.

Year 2/ 3

In the Year 2/3 classroom we have been learning about writing stories, using punctuation appropriately. Did they insert all the capital letters and full stops? Look at their writing.

Year 3/ 4

During online learning, the Year 3/4 class has been learning about the Twits! We have been reading the book and doing some fun activities to understanding the book better. Ask us to tell you all about Mr and Mrs Twit.

Year 5/ 6

In the Year 5/6 remote classroom we have been learning about persuasive writing techniques.

You can help us at home by asking us to explain the structure and reminding us to spend time proofreading and editing our work.