Middle School News - Week 4, Term 1 2020

What a blessing it is to belong to the St Philip’s Christian College family. Recently I’ve been excited to have my son, Alby, begin his St Philip’s journey in Kindergarten (albeit at the Waratah Campus as my family and I live in Newcastle). I have already found myself comparing, contrasting, worrying, querying and trying to push away any fear that I have had about this new step. What I quickly noticed is that the Core values of the College are lived out by the staff and community down there. It is evident in the form of love, care, compassion and service that I have witnessed in the short amount of time that Alby has been at school. The heart of Jesus is there - and while it was expected, it also came as a relief. I have been reminded of the wonderful scripture from Philippians that says: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7). This verse has helped me countless times in restoring calm to my anxious mind. My hope is that as a Middle School we can instil a sense of confidence in your children to be able to cast their fears aside and place their concerns ‘at the foot of the cross’ through knowing Jesus too.

We were blessed with a couple of amazing days for our swimming carnivals last week. I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate all of the students who took part in races – it takes quite a lot of courage to dive into a pool in front of all of your peers – particularly if swimming is not your strength. For those that placed in events, it was wonderful to see you use your gifts and talents so well. I love the sense of community that was evident on both days. Thanks must go to the PDHPE Department for their tireless work and the assisting house captains. Check out our Facebook page to see photos of all the action.

Recently we have had a number of St Philip’s Middle School students represent our area in Regional Little Athletics. Aileesha Oudshoorn came first in 80m hurdles (the regional record was broken), first in triple jump, second in the 100m sprint and first in 200m (under 11 girls). Shari Hurdman came first in 100m, first in 200m and first in Long Jump (under 13 girls). Melody Tibbs came first in the high jump (under 11 girls). I think you’ll agree that these are outstanding results! All three girls will go through to the NSW State championships on 14 - 15 March at Homebush. We wish them all the very best in this competition!

Blessings for a wonderful weekend.

Glen Urane
Head of Middle School