"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NIV

When my wife, Kimberley gave birth to our first child, Georgia, it is fair to say that I was strangely afraid. Strangely because I was experiencing fears that I had not experienced before. Watching someone you love struggle physically and emotionally, afraid of the future (and what it might hold) along with being responsible for a new-born child were all new fears. It would be true to say that becoming a parent comes with a whole new set of emotions.

When Joshua took over from Moses, he was told that he would lead these people to inherit the Promise Land. Joshua must have wondered what he had got himself into. So it is in life, there are simply times when we ask ourselves what have we got ourselves into? Joshua 1.9 starts with “Have I not commanded you?” and this is followed up with “Be strong and courageous”. Joshua’s entry into the Promise Land was not a simple journey and it required him to rely on God.

“For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” is not an assurance that life will be ‘peaches and cream’ but rather that there is an eternal hope, even in your darkest winter.

Brendan van Oostveen, Principal

September Dates:

·           Tuesday 18^th: Year 9 Art Excursion to Wellington

·           Tuesday 18^th – Friday 21^st: EDG Exams (Year 11 – 13 Trial Exams)

·           Thursday 20^th: Year 9 Invictus Film Festival 7pm, LAC Cafeteria

·           Friday 21^st September: Board of Trustees Student Representative Election Day

·           Thursday 27^th: Chapel, 9am

·           Monday 24^th: ASPIRE (PB4L) Celebration Day

·           Friday 28^th September: Term 3 ends

Important Term 4 Dates:

·           Sunday 14^th October: LAC House opens for returning boarders

·           Monday 15^th October: Term 4 Begins

·           Tuesday 16^th October: Parent/Teacher Evening from 6:00 pm

·           Monday 22^nd: Labour Day Holiday

·           Friday 19^th October: Year 7 Vision Screening

·           Wednesday 31^st October: Year 13 Last Day

·           Friday to Saturday, 2-3 November: Graduation Weekend

·           Monday 5^th November: Year 11&12 Prizegiving (Last Day)

·           Wednesday 7^th November: NCEA Exams Begin

·           Wednesday 12^th December: Year 7-10 Prizegiving (Last Day for 2018)