PARENTS
Vision
Many Christian parents engage with Christian Education National schools for holistic support in nurturing and educating their children to celebrate the lordship of Jesus Christ over all creation. They choose an education which seeks to reveal the meaning of the cross in the very fabric of schooling itself. Other parents choose our schools because they yearn for education which will spring up as a well of life in their children although they themselves may not yet grasp what that means. All parents will find; an educational practice that shows the decisive impact of the transformed mind; that opens the door to a magnificent view of a universe created and sustained by the love and authority of the God who is there.
Community
Christian Education National schools are committed, supportive communities where parents are highly valued and always welcomed and where they may be actively involved, formally and/or informally.
Partnership
Christian Education National schools promote a dynamic partnership between parents, school and church to educate children within an uncompromised, transforming and biblically authentic approach to Christian education.
Opportunity
Christian Education National local, state and national communities offer extraordinary opportunities for parents as they embrace the privileges of partnering with their schools. These include:
- A web-based national prayer forum
- Committed and professional support for the vision, activities and infrastructure of their local Christian school
- Embracing the vision and biblical direction of the school by formally joining a local school association and thus become privileged and responsible to:
- Be the moral owners of the school
- Act as wise custodians of the vision for the school
- Elect a board which will maintain and strengthen the vision, secure the best interests of the school within its constitutional mandate and help shape its future directions
- Consider nominating to become a board member
- Conferences and training in areas such as:
- Sharing the vision
- Transforming education
- ‘Try-before-you-buy’ training for Christian people interested in what it means to be on a board
- Governance training for board members
- Christian worldview courses with the National Institute for Christian Education
- Exceptional resources:
- Christian education: research papers, videos, DVDs, MP3s, books etc.
- Parenting support, resources and seminars (in part through our national partnership with Focus on the Family.(Contact your local school.)
- Networking
- Influence and involvement locally and nationally
- Quarterly journal: Nurture
- Christian Education National Board Members Handbook
- Superannuation fund committed to ethical investment: Christian Super
PARENT STORIES
Ruth: a parent’s story
Why I send my children to a Christian School
My daughter’s graduation had all the trademarks of an Oscar or Aria night…elegant dresses, sparkling jewellery, beautiful hairdos, eloquent speeches and sumptuous dining. But, as a parent, there was a lot more I could see, beyond the glitter and celebration. I see a young woman who is confident in the faith in Christ she was introduced to at home and which has been reinforced at school. My husband and I have travelled the school road with her…We have talked with her teachers, gone on excursions, been involved in her school life. It hasn’t always been easy but the school community has been supportive and we have worked with them in the partnership of Christian education.
As my daughter begins nervous yet exciting steps towards university soon, I know she will be prepared. She will enter her studies with a Christian worldview, a balanced approach to life, and a readiness to glorify her creator. We have four more children following in her footsteps and we wait in anticipation for their graduations.
Our children may encounter bullying, have episodes of not having any friends, and may even have to sit a detention; yet I am reassured in the confidence they will have the care of Christian staff that will pray with them, and a school that has a curriculum which honours God and the Bible.
Geoff: a parent’s story
Why I send my children to a Christian School
I send my children to a Christian school because I want them to fully embrace a life that is lived under the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. If my children asked me what I wanted them to do with their life my answer would be the same as Jesus gave in Luke 10:27, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ After all, Jesus was indicating that this is what is required for them to gain eternal life. I believe a Christian school will best equip my children to attain this love and a worldview focused on obedience to God and a genuine godly care for those around them.
They are in classrooms and with teachers where the word of God is valued as absolute truth and where the things we honour and value as a family are supported and reinforced. In other schools the things of God may be glossed over or even discouraged. What a joy for our children to be able to learn, sing, share and reinforce the things that we do at home.
I also want my children to be equipped to be in the world but not of it. If they love the Lord they will never fully belong to this world but they will have a framework in which to engage the culture as they seek to be salt and light. We are lucky enough to have a Christian preschool in our area to further support this journey.
Christian schools are not sinless schools despite what some would like or hope. They are communities where our children will learn about the grace of God and how to live this in a sinful and fallen world whilst embracing a steadfast hope for eternity. For our family, Christian schooling is a choice we believe will best support our prayerful and sincere efforts to see our children as citizens of this eternal kingdom.
Trevor: a parent’s story
Why I send my children to a Christian School
I want my children to grow up understanding the truth – that everything they see, know, hear, comprehend, achieve, acquire and become is wholly and solely due to God’s grace. My children may wind up being no more or less successful than their public school neighbours. That’s neither here nor there. The difference will be that my children, growing up within a Christian triangular framework of school, family and church will live their lives in a truthful context.
A Christian education will contribute to a triangular partnership comprising of school, family and church, that will establish the foundations of a Christian worldview that I pray, will stay with my children forever. My children are going to a Christian school because I want them to develop a true understanding of their lives in the context of God’s creation.
My schooling gave me knowledge. I want more than that for my children. I want them to have understanding. The difference between the two is captured perfectly in Proverbs 19:8 – “He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; He who cherishes understanding prospers.”
STUDENTS
Vision
Students in Christian Education National schools are challenged with the celebration of the lordship of Christ over all creation. They experience biblically grounded, culturally engaging, academically rigorous education for the whole of life which draws no distinction between the sacred and the secular. Students experience an environment that reflects the values of the Christian home, supports the work of the church and seeks to reveal the meaning of the cross in the very fabric of schooling itself. They are challenged to recognise the power and implications of underlying worldviews in education and to examine their own. Our schools open the door for students to a magnificent view of a universe created and sustained by the love and authority of the God who is there.
Community
Christian Education National schools are respectful, creative learning communities where students make lifelong friends and experience a genuine sense of belonging to a wider supportive community.
Partnership
Christian Education National schools develop strong links with other schools and groups within Australia and overseas to broaden students’ understanding of their world, to provide them with challenging educational opportunities and to offer them contexts within which to develop Godly character and to act with justice and mercy. Students experience biblically grounded, culturally engaging, academically rigorous education.
Opportunity
Students in Christian Education National schools experience a safe learning environment in which they are invited to:
- Recognise the lordship of Jesus Christ over all teaching and learning
- Respond to God’s call in every aspect of their lives
- Experience education that is academically equivalent or superior to other schools in Australia
- Become discerning thinkers in relation to how faith relates to difficult and controversial issues
- Develop their gifts through appropriately targeted programs
- Prepare themselves for higher education (university, vocational training etc) and other post school equipping opportunities
- Become life-long learners
- Become equipped to be discerning agents of transformation in their world
- Share like values with others
- Develop deep and abiding friendships and sense of community with other students and teachers
- Consider the needs and contexts of others.
STUDENT STORIES
Alastair: a student’s story
What Christian education means to me
Christian education or Christ centred education is vitally important to the community for it provides an influence that is good and healthy within the community. It means a reference to God in all subject matter that shows his beautiful work or points out where others may have gotten it wrong. Christian education also provides a foundation in many Christian fundamentals in areas such as behaviour, how you treat others and Christian beliefs. It focuses on the subject matter through Christian teaching and on Christian teaching through the subject matter. So it means a lot to me and should never be taken lightly.
Faye: a student's story
Leadership training - a life-changing experience
Our first feeling was apprehension when Jared and I trekked to Swan Hill for a leadership camp last week. But those thoughts quickly disappeared when we were introduced to everyone else and formed an immediate bond with both students and leaders. We received leadership talks throughout the week, interspersed with activities, worship and prayer. A number of topics were covered but each was characterised by a profound meaning. Different subjects were as follows: ‘ Grace in team building’, ‘Authority out of courage, purpose and experience’, ‘Skill and competence via faith-risk’, ‘Passion’, and ‘Ambience that is hungry, joyful and confident’.
We also went camping on the Wednesday, during which time we had to look after a rubber duck that other teams could steal. That meant taking shifts during the night to look after it, producing a team-building exercise. On the Thursday we had to make rafts and travel across the Murray River to get a bag of sand, and I am proud to say that we won and did not sink. I feel I have grown as a person and become closer to God.
If anyone gets the opportunity to go, I would recommend you take it up as it is a life-changing experience. I really hope I can use everything I learnt from this camp to become a better leader and bring others along on this amazing journey with God.
Brooke: a student’s story
What Christian education means to me
Arriving from a public primary school to the Christian college for high school, I was rapt with the Christian education provided at this school. I had often battled between the world’s desires and God’s desires for my life. Here at the Wagga Wagga Christian College, I discovered that God had such plans for my life that I couldn’t even imagine and I rededicated my life to him.
In this school, Christian education has been communicated to me in the Christian life studies subject, homecare, bible studies, worship times, student leadership groups and by providing a Christian perspective in all school subjects. This has been underpinned by the godly example and behaviour of teachers and staff, peers and older students. My increasing knowledge of God and his impact in my life has been fostered and greatly encouraged by the college.
During my time at the Christian college, I have grown passionate and confident in my faith, encouraged in my walk with Jesus Christ; and alongside the church I attend and my family, Christian education has allowed me to grow in my awe, love and relationship with Jesus Christ
Jared: a student's story
Leadership training - Finding out how purpose strengthens our courage
My first impressions when we arrived were that the leaders were very friendly and were happy to see us. They drove us to the place were we stayed during the day, and there we meet more leaders and two students who came from Western Australia called Jess and Kirsten. During the rest of the day, other people arrived and we all just talked and got to know each other a little bit.
At night we slept in a caravan park. That night consisted of jokes and stories, at least in the boy’s dormitory. The next day was full of leadership talks and some team challenges. There were three teams, and our team was called ‘Bonzys’. Another was called ‘Swanborne’ and the third was ‘Christite Crustaceans’. After the talks, we got into our groups and discussed some questions like, ‘How does purpose strengthen courage?’ and ‘How do we get purpose?’
The rest of the week was filled with raft building and racing. This camp was great and if anyone gets the chance to go, it is definitely worthwhile.
Stacey: a student's story
Outdoor education - Scaling heights in God’s creation
Recently our grade 11 and 12 outdoor education students went to Coles Bay on the Tasmanian east coast, sea kayaking, rock climbing and abseiling. The first day was spent sea kayaking where the students learnt basic skills, equipment and safety procedures, then completed a 6km paddle to a distant beach.
They camped overnight at Bluestone Bay and spent the next day rock climbing and abseiling. The climbs were on spectacular ocean cliffs and the highlight was a 40 metre abseil down an overhang. It is the first time that we have offered outdoor education at Launceston and with 9 students involved, an experienced teacher and multiple opportunities that the Tasmanian landscape offers, we consider it a blessing to be able to grow and develop expedition and adventure recreation at our school.
For the remainder of 2008 we intend to do rock climbing and abseiling at our own beautiful Cataract Gorge and also at the sea cliffs of Freycinet National Park. We will also be doing scuba diving, caving, mountain biking, bushwalking, skiing, canoeing and surfing.