10 September 202010 September 2020

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Psalm 95:1 niv

i Am With YouOne of the blessings that Chairo staff members have been so thankful for throughout this year has been sharing in online devotions led by various staff members from across our campuses.

Recently, a staff member shared two devotions about Haggai and we have included some reflections below for your encouragement.

In these devotions, we were reminded that in August 520 bc, God’s people in Jerusalem were doing it tough. In August 2020 ad, God’s people at Chairo Christian School are also doing it tough.

In 520 bc, God sent his prophet Haggai to challenge and encourage his people. In 2020 ad, the words of the prophet Haggai can likewise challenge and encourage us.

In Haggai 1, the prophet encouraged God’s people to get their priorities right and to put God first by rebuilding the ruined temple that had been destroyed sixty-seven years before in the Babylonian invasion. And having done that, God made this promise to his people in verse 13: I am with you.

God’s message to us is the same today: when we get our priorities right, when we look to Jesus and seek to serve him and glorify him and love others and love God, God is with us, too. We know that no matter what happens, when we put God first, God says these words to us, too: I am with you.

In Haggai 2, when the people were discouraged as they were rebuilding the temple, God said (verses 4 and 5):

‘But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work, for I am with you’, declares the Lord Almighty. ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’

God said to his people, ‘Be strong, and work, for I am with you’. God says to his people today: ‘Be strong, and work, for I am with you’.

If God’s people get their priorities right, if God’s people work, if God’s people put God first and serve him as their top priority, he will bless them.

God’s people at Chairo, do not be discouraged. Be strong and work. Do God’s work, gospel work, kingdom work. Be strong, for God is with us, doing more than we could ask or imagine or know.

Childhood SAfetY WebinArIndependent Schools Victoria is hosting a webinar titled Virtual Childhoods – keeping our kids safe online on Monday 14 September from 12.00 to 1.00 pm. The event is free but registration is essential. Full details are available at theparentswebsite.com.au/free-parenting-webinar-with-caroline-ellen-on-virtual-childhoods-keeping-our-kids-safe-online/.

ClAY topiC: SteWArdShipThe earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it… Psalm 24:1

During the second half of this term in their devotions time, students have been learning about stewardship—using what God has given us to love others and glorify God.

The starting-point is recognising that none of us ultimately ‘own’ what we have. If the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it (Psalm 24:1), then we will recognise that rather than ‘owning’ anything, we have been blessed with what we have by God.

Everything that we use and have—our relationship with God; the time, gifts and possessions that we have; the air we breathe and even life itself!—is a gift from God, given to us to use.

This leads to the question: how does God want us to use the things that He has blessed us with? The answer can be found in 1 Corinthians 10:31, where it says, ‘… whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God’. Using what we have been blessed with, for God’s glory, is what stewardship is all about.

As Jesus prepared to depart the earth, He taught His disciples three parables in Matthew 25 that all have to do with stewardship.

The ‘parable of the ten virgins’ (Matthew 25:1–13) teaches us to glorify God by being faithful with what we have (in this parable, the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ) throughout our whole lives. Stewardship is not real stewardship if it is not daily and lifelong.

The ‘parable of the sheep and the goats’ (Matthew 25:31–46) teaches us to use what we have been blessed with (including our time) to love and serve God’s people who are in need.

And the centrepiece of the chapter is the ‘parable of the bags of gold’ (Matthew 25:14–30). This parable is about stewardship in the broadest terms: what are we going to do with the wealth of riches—our material resources, our spiritual resources, our time—that God has given us so we can serve Him? What will God’s people do with what they have?

Why not go through Matthew 25 with your family? May God give us the grace to use what He has blessed us with, to His glory.

GovernAnCe neWSAnnual General MeetingThank you to everyone who attended the recent AGM of the school association via Zoom. The meeting was quite short yet informative, with highlights including an encouraging devotion from Simon Matthews, a comprehensive report about our financial position from Roger Simons and a report with a difference from Pete Wells about leading a campus during a pandemic. It was pleasing to have about ninety people attend, although of course that represents a quite small percentage of Chairo parents, guardians and staff members. The minutes of the meeting will be distributed soon.

November General MeetingThe next general meeting of the school association will be held on Thursday 19 November from 7.30 pm. How and where this meeting is conducted will depend upon restrictions at the time, but it is likely that attending via Zoom will at least be an option. All parents/guardians and staff members are encouraged to attend this important meeting, which always includes the annual election of Board members. More information will be provided soon.

Full membershipFull members of the school association are able to vote at general meetings and nominate others for election to serve on the Board. Current parents/guardians who are Christians and fully supportive of our Articles of Faith, and who have been associate members for at least six months, are able to apply to become full members. Application forms can be obtained by contacting the office at any campus.

Board ElectionDo you know someone who you believe might be ready, willing and able to serve a term on the Board, commencing at the start of 2021? Perhaps that might even be you!

Full members of the school association are invited to prayerfully consider who they might be able to nominate (with the nominee’s consent). We currently only have six elected Board members, but our Statement of Rules allows for up to twelve.

To be eligible for nomination, the potential Board member needs to be a Christian who has been a Chairo parent for at least six months and cannot be a staff member.

Elections will be held at the general meeting on Thursday 19 November. Nominations would be appreciated by the end of this term, although will be accepted until Tuesday 6 October. Forms are available from Caroline Weatherhead (cweatherhead@chairo.vic.edu.au) or Darryl Martin (dmartin@chairo.vic.edu.au).

finAnCe neWSBus TravelFamilies who use a Chairo bus for travel to and from school have received notification of a credit on their account for this term. Please check your emails if you have not yet seen this notice.

Fee SupportWe are aware that the financial situation for some families has been significantly impacted by lockdown measures. We are committed to working with all families in this situation to discuss means by which the school can provide support for the payment of school fees, or if you are considering exiting due to financial pressures. A confidential conversation with a member of our finance team can be arranged by emailing schoolfees@chairo.vic.edu.au.

Term’s NoticeParents and guardians are reminded that a full term’s notice is required if you wish to end your child’s enrolment at Chairo. If this notice is not provided, fees for the notice period will be charged unless there are exceptional circumstances. Please contact the Enrolment Coordinator at your campus to discuss this further if it applies to your family.

Term 4 FeesFor families paying fees per term, please note that Term 4 payments will be deducted on Thursday 22 October for credit cards and Friday 23 October for bank accounts.

SiblinG enrolmentSIf you have younger children that you would like to enrol to commence at Chairo in 2021, 2022 or 2023—whether for K3 or K4 Kinder, Prep or other year levels—please email your enquiry to enrolments@chairo.vic.edu.au or contact:• Amy Wallace on 5625 4600 (Drouin East and Drouin)• Hannah Sollberger on 5942 5632 (Pakenham)• Wendy Nyhuis on 5662 4355 (Leongatha)• Tonya Russell on 5173 0500 (Traralgon)It is important that families do this as soon as possible so we can reserve a spot for you before offering places to new families.

WebSite videoSIn addition to our promotional videos on the school website (both home page and campus pages under the Learning tab), have you seen the television advert on the Family Tours page and the series of Year 12 interviews under the Learning tab? There are also many other Chairo videos that can be accessed via the YouTube icon on the website. Feel free to share these with family and friends!

volunteer SpotliGhtKarina Duff – Drouin EastQ. What is your main voluntary role at Chairo? A. Since our eldest child started school in 2016, I have helped out with tasks such as classroom reading, pencil sharpening and Body & Brain, and also attended excursions, swimming lessons and camp at Forest Edge.Q. Why did you choose to serve at Chairo in these ways?A. I wanted to play a role in the education of my children, and I’ve found that it’s been so beneficial. It’s great getting to know their teachers and classmates, plus my children have loved having me there. Q. What can you tell us about your family? A. My husband and I both grew up in Christian families and attended Chairo as students. We’re coming up to 13 years of marriage and have three children: Isabelle (Year 4), Addison (Year 2) and Zach (Kinder).Q. What do you do in your spare time? A. I like to do a lot of baking, which has now grown into my own cookie business from home. As a family, we love to visit our friends and family, and we really enjoy going to the beach and on bushwalks. Q. What are your favourite holiday/travel destinations?A. We love to travel and head off whenever we get the chance. We’ve driven around and camped through a lot of central, northern and eastern Australia.Q. Who is someone that you greatly admire or who inspires you?A. I greatly admire my amazing parents, who moved straight onto being grandparents and now have almost ten grandkids. They constantly showed us love and kindness when we were growing up, always seeing the best in us, and have never stopped encouraging us in our relationship with Jesus Christ.Q. What are your favourite foods?A. I have a lot of favourite foods, but chocolate has to be my number one. If there’s chocolate around, I can’t help but eat it!

Q. What is something that a lot of people might not know about you?A. My father was born in Scotland and, through researching our family’s genealogy, we’ve discovered that we are direct descendants of Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland from 1306 to 1329 … generation twenty-three!

diSCover ChAiroEveryone reading this edition of Rejoice! has already discovered Chairo and commenced a relationship with the school, in most cases as a parent or guardian, staff member or student. However, there are many local families (and families planning to move to the area) that may greatly benefit from discovering Chairo.

If you know anyone who you think might fall into that category, we’d love you to encourage them to check out Chairo. There are multiple ways that they can do that … including having a conversation with you or other Chairo families, following us on Facebook, visiting the school website and contacting one of our Enrolment Coordinators.

The Enrolments section on the school website contains a number of helpful pages. One of these is the Family Tours page, which includes TryBooking links for our next Discover Chairo Saturday scheduled for 10 October (subject to restrictions at the time).

CAmpuS fACebook pAGeSHave you ‘liked’ one or more of the Chairo Facebook pages? Even if you’re not a Facebook user, you can still view our Facebook pages.

Facebookfacebook.com/chairo.drouinfacebook.com/chairo.leongathafacebook.com/chairo.pakenhamfacebook.com/chairo.traralgonbit.ly/chairobuyandsell