Reconciliation – Ambassadors for Christ

This week we have the privilege to celebrate – Reconciliation Week, a time on our school calendar when we focus on what it means to be ambassadors for Christ in a broken world and in broken relationships, especially with our Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander neighbours.

At morning line up we have been reminding ourselves of the following:

To achieve reconciliation, we must: Learn from the past, Respect one another, Listen to one another, Celebrate our differences and Stand Up for wrongs and injustices.

As we guide our children and community in faith, we are encouraged to approach reconciliation with reflecting on how we ourselves have been reconciled with God with humility, grace, and hope. We look at our own lives and the relationships within it as well as our place in the broader local and global communities.   

Gospel-shaped humility invites us to listen before we speak, to recognise our own flaws, and to approach others with compassion, even when we disagree.

Gospel-shaped grace reminds us that we are all recipients of God’s unearned love, which frees us to extend kindness to others – not from a place of superiority, but from shared humanity.

Gospel-shaped hope looks forward, not backward, trusting in Christ’s promises. It inspires us to work towards peace, justice, and renewal, rather than clinging to fear or nostalgia.

May these qualities strengthen our community and deepen our witness as we move forward as Christ’s ambassadors.

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:17-20)  

Margaret Louw - Principal

In Year 1/2 Cockatoo, we have embraced a purposeful and creative start to the term, growing in our understanding of how we are uniquely made to care, create and contribute. 

Our Bible focus has centered on unwrapping the amazing gifts and talents God has placed inside each of us. Inspired by the book Leo’s Gift by Joellyn Cicciarelli and Susan Blackaby and the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14 to 30), students have identified their own unique strengths and reflected on how they can use them to serve others and honour God. It has been beautiful to see them recognise their value and purpose in God’s big story.

During Technology lessons, students have designed imaginative creatures using recycled materials, an exciting opportunity to build, evaluate and improve their work. These creative tasks were grounded in Genesis 2:15 as we explored how caring for God’s creation can be expressed through thoughtful design and reuse.

Meanwhile, in Science, students have been investigating how everyday materials can be physically changed, bent, twisted, stretched or reshaped, without altering what they are made of. Engaging in hands-on challenges, they developed a deeper understanding of materials and celebrated the way problem solving and creativity reflect the nature of our Creator.

Each week brings new opportunities to learn, wonder and worship, as we grow together in Christ and encourage one another to use our God given gifts for His glory.

Cordelia Hibbert and Grainne Brocklesby - Year 1/2 Cockatoo Teachers

This week our students excelled themselves as they represented Channel at the Huon and Channel Cross Country carnival.

Huge congratulations goes to our Year 6 girls who came first, second and third, and consequently won the competition for their age group division!

We are proud of how each student tried their best and encouraged one another throughout the day. Well done!

Parents and families are welcome to attend to cheer on and encourage the students. Stay after line up and adults can grab a cuppa (on us) from the coffee van.

Timetable:

9:15 – Welcome (Mr Davis)
9:20 – Kinder boys
9:25 – Kinder girls
9:35 – Prep boys
9:40 – Prep girls
9:50 – Year 1 boys
10:00 – Year 1 girls
10:10 – Year 2 boys
10:20 – Year 2 girls

HELP NEEDED!

1) If you are able to volunteer to cook a winter warming soup or hearty stew for this event we would LOVE to hear from you!
We would love to continue to see cultural dishes at Channel represented on the night too so if you have a cultural dish, soup or stew that’s easy to prepare and serve please be in contact with us.  

Also, if cooking is not your thing but you would love to be involved, servers on the night would be greatly appreciated. 
Please email chloecverdouw@gmail.com to sign up or if you have any questions.

2) This year we are looking for someone to take on the role of story teller to present a story for 5 - 10 min in the ARC to our school community/families. If this is you, please contact the school office for further details.
admin@channel.tas.edu.au

PLEASE NOTE: a map is provided below and on our Facebook Event to show the walking route. The walk will take approximately 30min. Please bring extra torches as the student’s handmade ones are not super bright. Those with small children are encouraged to use a pram.  

Thank you
From the Community Engagement Committee.