Curiosity

Sometimes curiosity gets a bad rap.  Apparently, it killed the cat, or so they say..... It can get us into trouble, especially as children.  How many times were we as children reminded to 'mind our own business' when we pried into our parents' world?  How many times were we told not to worry about things we questioned about or cautioned against exploring parts of the world that are dangerous? Certainly, curiosity can lead to dark and dangerous places from which we need to adequately protect our children.   But what is that seemingly insatiable need to explore and know more that is built into us and into each child?  It is a gift from God that He created us with - a pre-existing condition that prepares us to fulfill His blessing and command:  "Then God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it..." " (Genesis 1:28a)

In an article she wrote for Chrisitan Parenting, Sharon Miller reminds us that our task "...is to raise children who want God. When our kids inherit a holy curiosity, they will never stop exploring their infinite Creator and never stop asking for more of him."  It's why our Community Character traits begin with curiosity.  It is that posture of excitement and desire for more that sets us up as people who seek God and to fill His creation.  It is central to our task not only as guardians and rulers of creation, it is also central to our need to know God more and to connect with Him.  In order to be a student, we need to be curious; and God, knowing that, built it right in!  

It also reminds us that we don't need to answer every question that our kids or students ask with a factual answer.  Sometimes they need to wonder, to exercise their curiosity, to search for wonders in creation, to search for God.  The next time your child asks 'Why?' (and perhaps it will be the 100th time that day!), thank God for planting curiosity in each of us, and pray that we as a school community can celebrate that need to know, desire to learn, and thirst for God in our students!

Connected in Christ

By now, you have all been introduced to the six character traits that surround our schools' themes this year. These six traits are part of a longer story that originated more than a year and a half ago when we asked the NACE community 'Why?'

Why do you send your kids to a Christian School? Why is Christian Education important? What do you hope for in Christian Education?

These important questions revealed some important data which included a number of things that we would all expect: We knew that the foundational world-and-life view that keeping Christ at the centre of all we study was important. We also knew that we all desire a safe and loving place for our students where we know that they will be cared for as children of God and image bearers of Him.

One other item surfaced loud and clear at that time: You had a deep desire to see your children live out their Christian faith in a real and tangible way - not just as head knowledge, but as heart and hands knowledge as evidenced by character and service.

As a teaching staff, we dove deep into this concept to uncover what character traits we could intentionally develop over the long term that would not only encourage deeper learning and academic excellence but ones that would model Christ and discover His story in our lives.

You will hear more about these six character traits over the coming months and years. We don't intend just to 'teach' them to our kids. We intend to make them central to who we are and how we do things as an entire learning community - entering with Curiosity, and responding in Joy. Working with Compassion, Collaboration, Integrity, and Perseverance in all that we do.

In living and working together, we are connected together, to God's world, and in Christ.

Blessings to all of you as we enter into a new year of living, learning and serving together to God's glory!