22 July 2014
Welcome Back!
Welcome back to our third term! I trust that despite some pretty
‘wild’ weather you have all enjoyed a winter break and are feeling
refreshed and ready to go again. It is a pleasure to offer a special
welcome to our 4 new students: Neha Babu in Year 1, Morgana West
in Year 5, Eloise Andrews in Year 7, and Riki Dobbs in Year 9. It is
great to have you join us here at Tyndale Park and we pray that you
will quickly become accustomed to your new class routines and feel
‘right at home’ with us. It is always good to welcome new families to
our school and we look forward to a long and fruitful association
together. Sadly, one student and his family moved away at the end
of last term, but it is good to have a total of 138 students to begin
our third Term. Each one of you brings a unique contribution to the
life of our school!
At our opening Assembly on Monday morning, I commented on the
well-known verses in Romans 12:1 &2 and the instruction to not be
conformed to this world but rather to be transformed by the
renewing of our mind. We all face incredible pressure from a variety
of sources to conform to society’s standards and way of thinking.
The media in particular, in all its various forms, brings incredible
pressure to bear on each of us which, coupled with our natural
desire to ‘fit in’ and be accepted by our peers, can lead us to
conforming – even unconsciously sometimes - to the standards and
thinking of those around us. Constant repetition has its effect!
I shared at Assembly, how much of our lives is regulated by ‘the
power of habit.’ The human brain has been wonderfully designed by
God to allow us to apportion certain activities to a particular section
of the brain, which operates purely by learned behaviour or habit.
Most of us can’t even remember learning to walk – but having
mastered it, it is something we no longer need to think about; the
brain just takes care of it! Some will remember John Cleese’s funny
parody of Government, in his skit on the ‘Department of Silly Walks’
many years ago! We all walk differently, but none of us think really
consciously about it anymore. There are any number of other things
which likewise we do by habit without thinking; try folding your
arms the ‘other’ way - or cleaning your teeth with the ‘other’ hand!
One important way to resist the pressure to conform to this world is
to put in place good habits: habits of speech, habits of behaviour,
habits of work, habits of life! May I encourage you all to instigate
good habits in your life; habits of reading and memorising God’s
Word; habits of Christian life and practice; habits of Christian
thinking. As we prayerfully do these things, God will preserve and
protect our minds from the sinful traps that so easily entangle and
enslave us; our lives will become a blessing to others as we use our
God-given gifts to serve and glorify Him.
May God bless and encourage you all as we commence the third
term together.
Regards
Lloyd Vivian, School Manager
School Happenings:
1. Reports from Term 2 should be signed and returned to the
office this week. If you wish to discuss anything with your child’s
teacher please contact the office to arrange an appointment.
2. The prompt payment discount of 7.5% for tuition fees paid in
full for this term is available up to Friday this week, 25 July
2014. If you wish to claim the discount please deduct it
before paying. The discounted amount is shown on the left
hand side of the invoice. Fees are on a full term basis and are
non-refundable. They may be paid direct to the school’s bank
account: ASB Bank, Manukau City Branch, Account 12 3083
0175239 00. If you are paying by instalments, please ensure that
tuition payments are kept current.
3. Class Photos will be taken tomorrow, Wednesday, 23 July.
Please ensure that all students wear plain sweatshirts or
tops (without graphics or writing) in any bright colour (not
black). Friday will be rain check day if required.
4. Science Projects for Years 7 to 10 should be virtually complete
by now as they need to be set up for display on Thursday this
week. Our School Science Fair will be held next Monday,
28 July at 7.00 pm in the school hall. All parents, grandparents
and siblings are invited to attend. Participating students are
required to attend and the school dress code applies for the
evening. The speaker will be Mr Paul Brinkman. Light supper will
be served after the presentations and there will be time to view
the projects. The evening should conclude around 8.30 pm.
5. Punctuality: Just a reminder that students are expected at
school by 8.50 am at the latest each morning. Late arrivals
disrupt our morning line up and show discourtesy to those who
have made the effort to be on time.
6. Road Safety: Work is continuing on the intersection just above
the school at Flat Bush School Road and Murphys Road making
four lanes and installing traffic lights. There is a speed limit of
30 kph and there may be one way traffic at times. Please allow
sufficient time for possible delays caused by the road works. This
particular intersection project will take six months.
7. Afternoon Pickups: With parking at a premium please try to
maximize the available parking spaces. If coming before 3.00 pm
we encourage you to reverse into parking spaces. Junior
students should be escorted by their parents to the cars unless
they have elder siblings to accompany them.
8. Dress Code: With the abandonment of the uniform proposal the
dress code remains in force. Please ensure your children comply.
There is a copy in the weekly record books and on the website.
9. New Enrolments for 2015: We have some availability for places
next year and welcome any enquiries. Your support in making
our school known to interested parents is much appreciated.
Early applications are appreciated as they assist with forward
planning and help secure a place. This is particularly important
for Year 1 pupils where some preparation is required to meet
new entrant requirements.
10. Term Dates for this year:
Term 3: Monday 21 July to Friday, 26 September 2014
Term 4: Monday 13 October to Tuesday, 16 December 2014.
Please note these dates, so that students are not absent during
school time unnecessarily.
11. Coming Events:
Wednesday, 23 July: Class Photos
Monday, 28 July: School Science Fair, 7.00 pm
Tuesday, 29 July: ICAS English Competition
Tuesday, 12 August: ICAS Mathematics
Term 4: 20 to 26 November End Of Year Exams Years 7 to 13
Friday, 5 December: Thanksgiving Assembly – please diary this in
now! All students are required to attend.
Friday, 12 December: Years 1 to 4 Sports Day
Monday, 15 December: Years 5 to 13 Sports Day
Tuesday, 16 December last day of school for 2014!
12. Term Dates for next year:
Term 1: Monday, 2 February to Friday, 10 April 2015
Term 2: Tuesday, 28 April to Friday, 3 July 2015
Term 3: Monday, 20 July to Friday, 25 September 2015
Term 4: Monday, 12 October to Wednesday, 16 December 2015