Welcome note from Mr Bray - 28 January 2019
‘For the Lord gives wisdom: from his mouth come knowledge and understanding’. Proverbs 2:6
Well, I guess that it may come as a surprise to realise that school holidays are about to conclude and plans are well underway to commence the 2019 school year at NCS. I know that many of you are fully aware of this approaching return date, as during this past week, I have seen numerous school families visiting our Uniform Shop to organise new uniforms for rapidly growing children.
On behalf of our Board and staff, I would wish to take this opportunity to provide a warm welcome to all NCS families. I would especially extend a welcome to all new families who are joining our NCS community for the very first time. I thank you for choosing our school for your children and am confident that you will soon feel very much ‘at home’.
I do trust that the holiday period provided our families with opportunities for rest and relaxation. No doubt for many of our students (and staff) it has been a pleasure to turn off alarms and to enjoy extended sleep-ins.
While you have been on holidays, our Business Manager and Grounds and Maintenance staff and ICT Department have been busily at work preparing for the new school year. I would especially wish to commend Mr Jim Hefferan, our Grounds and Maintenance Manager, who has been overseeing a number of significant new developments at our school. These have included the installation of air-conditioners in the Science and Visual Arts rooms, new carpets and vinyl flooring in the Kindergarten rooms, as well as the installation of efficient, LED lighting throughout the Infants area. The Secondary change rooms have also re-opened and the costume room has been relocated. Extra storage facilities have also been created for our ever-expanding array of musical instruments. These are just some of the changes that have occurred whilst we have been enjoying our holiday break.
During this past week, all of our NCS staff have been involved in our January Conference Week. The Conference Week program has provided our staff with a range of valuable professional development sessions as well as time for personal preparation as teachers ensure that everything is in readiness for the return of your children. There have been stimulating professional development sessions on a range of topics including Child Protection Training, Student Welfare and further training in relation to our SEQTA and AVID programs. One of the great blessings for all staff was that every day commenced with a time of praise and worship through music and song and a devotional presentation.
One very special event that occurred during Conference Week was that we had the opportunity to present Mrs Jo Landstra, one of our Primary Teaching staff, with her NESA ‘Proficient Teacher’ Certificate. This certificate recognises teachers who have achieved the Proficient Teacher level and are experienced teachers who have demonstrated practice that meets the requirements for full accreditation in NSW.
If you have a son or daughter in one of our two Kindergarten classes, you will be aware that the official commencement date for all Kindergarten children is Wednesday, 6 February. This will include a morning tea for parents once you have dropped your children off. New Kindergarten students and parents will also have their Picnic in the Park which will be held on Saturday, 2 February from 9.30am-11am in Marriott Park. At Nowra Christian School, we place great emphasis on community. In fact ‘community’ is one of the three (3) key values that have been highlighted in the NCS Mission Statement. Last year, we held our inaugural Twilight Family Picnic on the lawn outside the MPC building. This was a very successful event attended by many NCS families. Delicious food was available to purchase or families could simply bring their own picnic baskets. It gave me great personal pleasure to mingle with those in attendance and to observe the relaxed conversations and regular laughter. Many of our brand new families attended this event and indicated that it had been an excellent way to meet new people and to begin to develop meaningful relationships.
The NCS Twilight Family Picnic will be held once again this year. This is an event not to be missed and I would encourage you to circle Friday, 15 February in your calendar immediately. I am very much looking forward to your company at this special event.
Each year, all students at NCS explore a major theme. Last year this theme was ‘Names of God'. In 2019 our theme will be ‘Growing Wise with God’. I believe that this theme is an incredibly relevant one for all of us and I am confident that it will generate a great deal of valuable exploration and discussion throughout the year. We will provide more specific details about this theme in our next Bytes and in further editions throughout the year. My focus verse for this week is, in fact, the key verse that will underpin our 2019 theme. It comes from the book of Proverbs and states:
‘For the Lord gives wisdom: from his mouth come knowledge and understanding’. Proverbs 2:6
