Video Transcript: Message from Dr Graeme Cross (Chief Executive Officer – SCEA)
Hi everyone. Well, it’s week six of a nine-week term, and I’m guessing that for many of our teachers across our schools right now, we’re right in the busiest season of the year. We have a number of end-of-year events starting to be on the horizon. We’ve got reports being written, we’ve got assessments being finalised. And so, my encouragement to you is just remember, the reason that we do all of this is actually about the partnership that we establish with parents, and particularly with reports and assessments, it’s actually about partnering with them in a really profound way, but also providing the feedback to students around their learning. Thank you for all you’re doing on that front. I hope that you can just stay strong and energised to be able to see the year out really well.
Recently, I’ve been reflecting on this whole idea that we go through life continually learning. I shared a devotion just recently at our SCEA office and was showing some photographs of the birth of our second grandchild. And looking down in his eyes as he was looking at me. And he’s looking around the world, just trying to make sense of it. And that’s the posture that we have and should have throughout life, recognising that we are on this ongoing journey of learning. And as people of faith, we actually want to learn from Jesus. And I was struck by this passage that’s very well known, I’m sure, to everyone from Matthew 11:28, I think it says it brings two key messages that are really of value to us right now in this season. Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV) reads:
“28Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Just hear that in the busyness of our work right now, that we can know rest through Christ. And then that goes on. It says:
“29take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
It speaks two things to me in a profound way, and I hope it does to you. One is in the busyness of life, we can know rest in Christ, but also, we can take upon his yoke, and we can learn from him. And I hope that all of us will continue in that posture of humility, where we seek to just learn from Jesus.
Finally, today, we are actually coming to you from Southern Hills Christian College. And if you are a regular follower of SCEA News, you’ll know that at the end of term three, we were down here almost standing in the same position, expecting that we would get approval for the building that will actually be positioned very close to where we are right now, a new performing arts centre and actually a fire refuge building. And we had been told that we would receive notification before the end of term three, but it didn’t come. But I’m delighted to be able to formally announce that we have now received it, and we will now be engaging an architect to finalise the drawings and to be able to secure a builder and to make this building happen. We are just delighted. After nine months of waiting for an answer on our development application, to now have the all clear, it’s great news for this community to be able to think that we will have a new big building that will support learning, but also provide a safe place that if we did have a quick onset fire in this beautiful surrounding with all of these trees, that if we don’t have time to evacuate, that we can move to this refuge building and know that our staff and our students will be safe.
Let’s say thank you, because I know many of you have been praying about this building. Let’s thank God that now that prayer has been answered, and we can actually progress. Thank you again for all you do. I hope the term finishes well for you and that we can finish this year really well.