The Bible is full of verses reminding us to celebrate, joyfully praise him and communally give thanks for all He has given us. In Term 4 of a school year we find a multitude of ways to do this, from celebrating student achievement, to our wonderful community events like Grandparents Day and Community Carols. We celebrate the wonderful season of Christmas with Praise Worship time and we celebrate the transition of students from Early Learning to Prep, Grade 6 to Secondary School and from Secondary School to ‘whatever comes next’.
Psalm 95:2 tells us to ‘come into His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise’. I feel like we do this so well at Faith. I love watching our students sing and dance to our praise worship songs, I love to see the joy on their faces as they celebrate not only their own achievements, but the achievements of their friends and I love to hear all the amazing opportunities that our students have taken part in throughout the year. What a blessing it is to work in a place that loves to joyfully celebrate each other.

Now, while I love Term 4 for all of the celebratory moments we get to share and it feels like the fastest term of the whole school year, when we make it to the end, I am tired. And I know some of our students, especially our younger ones, are also starting to feel this sense of tiredness. So how can you help make the end of the year as joyful as possible?

Firstly, keep things simple and calm at home. As sports wrap up, let the children use this free time to just be. Secondly, limit screen time. Screen time has a big impact on little brains, instead get outside, jump on the trampoline, sit with a good book or just enjoy being outside in the sun. Thirdly, remember it’s okay if your little person is a bit more emotional than usual. They’ve worked hard, they’ve played hard and learned so many new things, it makes sense they’re tired and emotional. And finally, rest in the joy of this season. All too soon, it will be your child facing one of those big transitions, so don’t rush to them.

My encouragement to you is to ‘rejoice in the Lord always’, enjoy the special time of year and find joy in the celebrations.

Emma Brice
Deputy Head of Primary School