23 April 202023 April 2020

Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.1 Chronicles 16:9–11 niv

Classrooms are many and varied this term as students engage in online and remote learning from home.

ParticiPate, PrePare & PromoteLast term, I shared about a terrific article titled The Ps of Partnering, which was published in a Nurture magazine produced by Christian Education National. I mentioned four Ps (Passion for education, Promotion of the teacher, Prayer and Praise) and explained how these are of enormous benefit to your family, children and the school more generally. I’d like to address a few more Ps today.

ParticipateChairo seeks to be a community, not a service. Being a community means that we want those who make up the community to engage, interact and participate for the good of the community. We never want to treat families merely as customers, and we trust that you will never see us merely as a service provider.

PrepareSo much of our role as parents is to prepare our children. We tend to see that in grand terms, such as is captured in Chairo’s vision: to see Christ’s redemptive impact in the world through the capability, character and commitment of our students.

But for something as lifelong as that to occur, we need to be preparing for much humbler and everyday things.

We need to prepare our children for tomorrow by ensuring that they sleep and rest well tonight. To sleep and rest well also needs preparation (e.g. dinner on time, routines completed, finishing the day calmly and confidently).

At the start of a new day, we need to prepare children with what they need for the day ahead (e.g. food, school resources ready to go, a healthy and happy attitude).

While this is pretty simple, it can also be pretty mundane. It is not the stuff that we tend to put on social media. But it is crucial … and something only parents can do.

PromoteFinally, we love it (and your children love it) when you speak positively about the school, and those within it. We also love it when parents talk to other parents (personally, as well as over social media) about the benefits and privileges of Christian education.

You will know that we have not always had Christian education in Australia, and there are some who don’t want our type of school to continue, so taking every opportunity to tell a personal story about how Chairo, or Christian education more generally, is valued and valuable to you as a family is precious!

Once again, we are so pleased that you have chosen to partner with us at Chairo. Thank you! Our prayer is that we will give you every reason to continue to partner well as parents.Simon Matthews, Executive Principal

clay toPic: comPassionAs a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. Psalm 103:13

In devotions for the first half of this term, students will be looking at compassion. God is compassionate and he requires compassion in His people.

Compassion is a feeling of deep pity, love and affection. God is compassionate towards all creation: The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made (Psalm 145:9).

He is particularly compassionate towards His own chosen people, those who fear Him: As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him (Psalm 103:13, cf. Jeremiah 31:20).

As God is compassionate towards us, He calls His people to be compassionate: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4:32).

It is an amazing encouragement and comfort to know that God has compassion for His people. God’s compassion helps us understand what His love means and what it involves.

Yes, God’s love for us involves the things He does that demonstrate His love—most fundamentally, Christ’s death on the cross for us (Romans 5:8). But God’s compassion, as a subset of His love, shows us that God does not only act in love for us—He feels tenderness towards His people.

God’s compassion is a powerful antidote to the idea that God is distant, or uncaring, or far away, or that He doesn’t really care about us, or that His salvation is somehow impersonal. God has a tender heart towards His beloved children.

But is it fair for God to command his people to be compassionate? How can we control our emotions? The Bible doesn’t dwell much on how to control our emotions. It simply assumes that we can, with the help of God’s indwelling Spirit.

Speaking of another feeling—contentment—Paul wrote: I can do all this through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).

May God give us the grace to comprehend and experience His tender compassion towards us and the strength to be compassionate to others.Medon Loupis, Clay Editor

volunteer sPotlightTony HarrisQ. What are your main voluntary roles at Chairo? A. My main volunteer work has been to help guide and transform basketball at the Pakenham Campus from a parent-driven program into a not-for-profit sports club. This has mitigated risk for Chairo and provided structure and support mechanisms to our volunteer coaches, team managers and (most importantly) our children. I have also assisted with sporting events like swimming carnivals.Q. Why did you choose to serve at Chairo in these ways?A. There have been some truly amazing parents who needed help managing the sheer growth in participation rates for basketball at Chairo. At last count, approximately one in five students attending the Pakenham Campus are playing basketball in the local competition. It is my pleasure, and a privilege, to be able to assist these incredible parents in supporting our wonderful and talented children.Q. What can you tell us about your family?A. I have an amazing wife, Sunny, and two boys: Jackson and Mitchell. Both boys attend the Pakenham Campus and are thriving in the incredible environment provided by Chairo.Q. What do you do in your spare time? A. I am a sports fanatic, so I spend a lot of time watching different sports—especially motor sport.

Q. What are your favourite holiday/travel destinations?A. Internationally our favourite destination is Thailand and domestically it is a place called Sisters Beach in North Western Tasmania. We particularly like Sisters Beach because there is no WiFi and no phone reception, so all we do is swim and go on day trips.Q. Who is someone that you greatly admire or who inspires you?A. This might sound a little corny, but my wife inspires me the most. She works full-time, studies part-time and still finds time to help the boys and myself. She is truly incredible!Q. What are your favourite foods?A. I eat everything except brains and kidneys … oh, and coconut. Q. What is something that a lot of people might not know about you?A. I coach basketball from U8 up to U16, including an U12 representative team, but I have never played a game of basketball in my life!

student suPervision at schoolWhile we continue to provide online and remote learning in Term 2, we are providing a program at each campus to supervise and support the children of key workers (i.e. those involved in essential work in response to COVID-19) and those with particularly challenging family circumstances.

The Victorian Premier and Chief Medical Officer have indicated that those children who can learn at home must learn at home. Nevertheless, if you believe that your family may meet the criteria above, you are welcome to apply for your children to be supervised at school. We have increased our supervised group capacity to 12 students per group but there are still only limited places available. Please complete the form available at chairo.vic.edu.au/supervision-program and provide an explanation of why you require this service.

suPPorting learning at homeThere is a good article titled Five Tips for Parents to Support Learning at Home on the Independent Schools Victoria’s website at theparentswebsite.com.au/five-tips-parents-support-learning-home.

The article by Karen Green is aimed at parents with children in the Junior Schooland Middle School years.

child safetyAs always, the safety of students is Chairo’s first priority. With this in mind, please ensure that students are appropriately attired when participating in live video lessons via Microsoft Teams. Furthermore, please be mindful of what is happening in the background when they are participating in such lessons. Your attention to these matters will help us prioritise the safety and comfort of all students during this time.

uniformsUniform shops continue to be closed but we are aiming to have them operating again in sufficient time for families to purchase uniform items before we return to on-campus learning in the future. As this occurs, we will communicate relevant information to all families. Note: students participating in the supervision program at school are not required to wear school uniform.

thank you videoA huge thanks to the parents, students and staff members who contributed to the Thank You video that we launched recently. Thank you also to the staff members who brought that project to life. It was another beautiful example of what Chairo seeks to be—a joyful and thankful community, expressing that in sincere ways. If you haven’t seen the video yet, it’s available at chairo.vic.edu.au/covid-19.

school PhotosFamilies that placed orders for student portrait photos that were taken in Term 1 should soon be receiving these in the mail. Where digital images were purchased, these have been emailed to you by the photographer. Also, families with a child in any of the special group photos that were taken (student leaders, etc.) should have received an email with login details so they can purchase a copy if they wish.

anzac dayThis year, the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted the ways in which Australians are able to mark Anzac Day. However, Anzac Day is no less significant just because we are in isolation, and we should be no less grateful for the sacrifice of many and for the freedoms that we enjoy today.

For those who wish to be part of Chairo’s recognition of Anzac Day, we have prepared a video that we plan to release via Facebook and Linc News at 9.00 this Saturday. We encourage you to have a look if you are able.

attendance rePortingAs previously communicated, we require parents and guardians to notify the school regarding the ‘attendance’ of their children via Parent Lounge or the Chairo App. In most cases, this will mean advising that your child is Absent and selecting Online Learning as the reason from the drop-down menu.

A change that we made for this term is that it is now possible to select a range of dates when reporting absences. This will avoid the need for parents and guardians to report every day. However, we ask that you only report your child as being absent for online learning for up to one week at a time.

Should you report that your child is absent for online learning for a full week and your child is then unable to participate on one or more of those days (due to illness, etc.), please ensure that you report that absence and select the appropriate reason from the drop-down menu, as you would in normal circumstances.

Questions or issuesIt has been very encouraging to see families raising questions or issues (even if they are not ICT-related) through the following ways:• Email support@chairo.vic.edu.au• Use ICT Live Chat via the top bar in Linc• In the case of any urgent (only) requests, call 5625 0118During Term 2, this service will be monitored between 8.00 am and 6.00 pm from Monday to Friday.

fee suPPortWe continue to be mindful that the financial situation for some Chairo families will have been significantly impacted by pandemic-related circumstances. We are committed to working with all families in this situation to discuss additional means by which we can provide support for the payment of school fees. A confidential conversation with a member of our finance team can be arranged by emailing schoolfees@chairo.vic.edu.au.

Linc NewsStay informed by checking Linc News each day for important information. The most convenient way is to use the new Chairo App.

student id cardsLast year, all students in Years 7 to 12 received photo ID cards and these are still current until the end of June this year. While we do now have access to the student portrait photos that were taken in Term 1, we don’t plan to produce and distribute the new ID cards for all students just yet.

However, if any students do require a card at this time for proof of identity (for Centrelink, etc.), parents are welcome to email Trevor at support@chairo.vic.edu.au and he will be happy to assist.

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.

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