A note from Mrs Meek
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:12
Since the last Bytes article, our school has had many opportunities in Growing in Wisdom with God. A few things that have stood out for me are:
BYOD implementation at secondary school has increased participation and engagement with students. Students are generally using their devices well and we are thankful for parental support in this area. If you, as a secondary parents/carers, have not set up your SEQTA Engage account or need some help navigating SEQTA Engage, please do not hesitate to contact us at seqtasupport@ncs.nsw.edu.au.
Our Primary and Secondary Zone Swimming Carnivals were a positive time for students who excel in swimming at this level. It was encouraging to see students from other schools cheering each other on while competing.
Last Friday, Year 7 - 10 students, in partnership with Landcare, helped in the Clean Up Australia community project. Please see the video on our Facebook page. It was great to see how we can encourage our students to be good stewards of God’s creation, shining the light of God’s good deeds amidst our local community.
We had about 10 prospective families who came to our Year 7 'Taste 'N' See' Day. Students enjoyed their time experiencing what secondary school might look like for them next year.
Our teaching staff had an opportunity to meet with other Christian teachers in ATICS (Association of Teachers in Illawarra Christian School) hosted by Cedars Christian School. It was a gathering of five Christian schools in the region. Many of us found this time useful, as we shared resources and discussed curriculum with our fellow Christian colleagues. Listening to our speaker, we were challenged to think about our Biblical worldview. I was particularly encouraged to see our staff display wisdom, passionately vocalising how we need to keep assessing what is said in light of the Scriptures. The world tells us if we work hard, then we can be successful and happy. We are told to follow one course until we gain success. But, what if I work hard, yet success and happiness never come? The Scripture tells us that we work hard, not for our glory, but the Lord’s (Colossians 3:23-24). Our course in life is to trust in our Lord in good and bad times. Joy comes from the Lord through his salvation (Psalm 30:11, Psalm 51:12). Our pursuit in life is not chasing happiness. God has already forgiven us, lifted our burdens at Calvary, and so our joy comes from Him, not from our own works. God’s grace is our only hope of eternal life. This frees us from anxiously thinking ‘have I done enough?’ or ‘what else do I need to do to be happy?’ For the next couple of weeks, we are especially looking forward to being part of the National Day of Action (NDA) against Bullying and Violence. Please keep an eye out on our school Facebook page this coming week for more updates. I pray that you will enjoy reading about the various activities that have happened over the last two weeks at NCS.
