Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV)
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
Prophesied hundreds of year before his birth, Jesus was God incarnate on earth; in this period of Advent, as we celebrate Jesus arrival as a baby born, may we be deeply thankful for the implications of this incredible act of love by God the creator towards a fallen world desperately in need of saving.
A sacrifice made, once for all, completely sufficient. For that, I pray, we will always be thankful.
As the school celebrated 2017 in the light of the wonderful truths we focus on each and every Christmas at its Thanksgiving Service last week, I picked up the theme of thankfulness together in my address.
As a community, we thank God for our parents. As a College, we partner with parents in the education of their children. And so, it is the vision each set of parents has for the education their children can have that brings them to Donvale. I thank God for you, for your partnership with the College, for your love of your children, for the obedience you exhibit in providing your children with Christian education. We are thankful for the inputs you have into your children’s educational experience; for your dialogue with the school; for your support, for the sacrifices you make to provide your children with their education.
We should also give thanks to all the staff of the school. Thankful, of course, for their professional expertise. For their commitment to servant-hearted work in the lives of our young ones; willing to learn, visionary in their delivery, centred on growth of the individuals they serve day in and day out.
I am a very fortunate Principal – in my first 35 days in the job, I have had the blessing of 15-30 minutes of one-on-one conversations with all the college staff. The common thread amongst staff is this –each with a love of God, a love of children, and a love of learning, they want to see this school be the best it can be under God.
And of course there are our students – these are our reason for being. Our students are our parents dearest, our teachers focus, a school’s reason for existence. Thank God for all that they are, and are still to be. Under God, parents and staff see the potential there is in our children. We see gifts to develop, callings to be heard, spiritual understandings to be cultivated.
What a privilege it is to partner in serving the students’ needs each school day in such crucial ways. And especially because of the teaching and learning framework we adopt with Christ at the centre of our classrooms, where God’s dominion and plans for all of us are allowed to unfold with all their mystery and majesty.
May the skills we teach for the future, may the curiosity we seek to instil in our learners, may the thinking processes developed be Godly in character and bring glory to God Almighty.
In conclusion:
May the celebration of the advent of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, be a cause for incredible celebration and deep edification for you and your loved ones. The greatest gift of all is a result of this incredible act of love by our heavenly Father – His revelation of Himself in human form some 2000 years ago.
May our Lord bless you and keep you.
educating 4 life, too 
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