Wallsend South Public School Celebration

Wow, after all those reminiscences about Newcastle Workers Club... there I was tonight at Lucy's end of school year celebration. So she's in Kindergarten and perhaps there's plenty of years to catch these events BUT she was one of two Kindergarten 'signers' for the National Anthem and a choir member for the Kindergarten dinosaur songs!! Little did we know she was receiving a certificate for "citizenship" which made sense... she's been a great friend to some other kids and has loved school!!
Even moreso, the night was spectacular... from the matrix clock countdown to start through three or four songs of visuals from the year and then a few other video diaries in between some awards!! It was brilliant... my motto, simple things done well!! It showed the generational difference in short speeches and plenty of images!!
As well as this I had been talking beforehand about how this is one venue where 'mum and dad' used to come to see live bands and especially 'The Oils'... blow me down if song three in the video collage isn't "King of the Mountain" which certainly rocks!! from the Blue Sky Mining" album!!
All in all a terrific if late night and a testimony to a great School and a dedicated and keen staff...
It made me think about children's ministry, worship, the challenge the church faces in the current context, the positive values and participation that were encouraged and what happesn to kids who 'go off the rails'? In this affirming and positive environment they still manage to hit 'walls', struggles, esteem issues etc and experience untold pain that no institution seems equipped to handle!!