This is the final Messenger article I will write to you, from next year Mr Joel van Bentum will take over this task.  Thank you to those faithful parents who have read my ramblings each week and often responded with encouragement, challenge and questions. It is difficult to communicate personally to over 700 families and this is one way we try to do that.

I have every confidence that Joel will do an excellent job of leading the school and he will succeed in that with your encouragement and support. I remain the Executive Principal, which means I work to support Joel and help to ensure the school continues to improve. The Principal Advisory Group met last week and spoke for nearly an hour with Joel by zoom. He enjoyed his experience and is looking forward to joining the GPCC community.

As I complete my brief tenure as Principal, I wanted to reinforce some of the things I have spoken with you about over the past years. We often talk about the legacy we leave behind when we move from one role to another, and I guess what I want my legacy to be is that GPCC has embarked on a path to improvement and with a renewed focus on its purpose. We have a long way to go to be a truly great school, but I have tried to establish some foundations that Joel can build on that will see us become that in the near future.

The first is to establish and stay focused on our purpose as a school: to equip students for a life of redemptive action through a holistic education grounded in a Biblical perspective. This Is not just a statement we put on our wall but a force that shapes all we set out to do. If your child is to be successful here, you too must embrace this purpose for them and us and throw your support behind it.

Secondly, I have often spoken and written about the importance of partnership between school and home. This is working for most of our families, but we still get people who come rushing in making demands and accusations with only partial facts and assuming we are in the wrong when we may or may not be. It is a current cultural problem that we try to resolve disagreements by fighting and accusing each other of things (on social media especially), rather than getting together to work things out.

For our school to be truly great, we need healthy and supportive partnerships infused with humility and openness to listen to and respect each other. The Christian faith teaches us about this and that is the basis upon which we seek to operate even if imperfectly. We need to role model to our children how mature adults resolve disagreements in a positive and respectful manner.

Thank you for your support of me and my endeavours over the past four and a half years.

I continue to hold Green Point Christian College dear and will work to ensure it continues to move forward to serve you and your children well.

 Phillip Nash