Firstly, a very warm welcome to MGS for 2017. A special welcome to those families new to the school. We hope and pray that your association with us will be of great joy and blessing for the years ahead.

At the start of the year I spoke with sta about how Psalm 127 gives a purpose for Christian Education. We see first that ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.’

As a school we recognise that the Lord is to be involved in all we do, in the design of the curriculum through to our interactions with each other. Our desire is that what we do here is long-lasting and of eternal significance – for this we need the Lord’s blessing.

What is also exciting in Psalm 127 is verse 4, “Like arrows in the hands of warriors are the children of one’s youth.” The analogy for us at Middleton Grange is that pupils are the arrows in the hands of teachers (warriors). Just as a warrior would shape a sapling to make it straight and give it a ‘purpose’, so too our sta through their teaching shape the hearts and minds of your children. For this to be done by committed Christian staff (despite our flaws) is a blessing.

Our prayer is that our pupils strive to be the best for NZ society, making a transformational impact wherever the Lord leads them.

Join with us in prayer for this worthy purpose.

God bless

Richard Vanderpyl
Principal