A note from Mr Bray - 14 February, 2020

‘When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said ‘I am the light of the world.’’ John 8:12(a) (NIV)

This past fortnight has seen the arrival of the final members of our NCS school ‘family’. It was a very exciting morning on Wednesday, 5 February when our Kindergarten 2020 children and their parents/carers and many extended family members arrived for this very first day of ‘Big School’. I am delighted to say that our Kindergarten children have done a wonderful job of settling into the routines of school life. I took the opportunity to visit both of our Kindergarten classes on this first Wednesday morning and I was amazed to see how well they were working and how carefully they were paying attention to their teachers. I was also greeted by a heart-warming chorus of ‘Good morning, Mr Bray’ which was a very special moment for me!

The Nowra Show was held on 7-8 February and it seemed an irony that, after all of the heat and drama of the recent bushfire threat, it was steady rain that forced us to cancel a proposed visit to the show by a number of our Primary School classes. We were disappointed that our students missed the opportunity to enjoy the pleasures that a country show always provides. We had been especially looking forward to touring the pavilion area where many of our students had entered a variety of creative works in a wide range of categories. I would wish to congratulate all students who took the time to submit entries. I would also draw to the attention of parents and carers that you will find a display of certificates and ribbons in our school foyer that were awarded to many of our NCS students in recognition of the high quality of their entries.

However, I did visit a somewhat sodden showgrounds on the Friday as I had been invited to accept a number of cash prizes that were being presented to our NCS student teams who had successfully competed in the inaugural ‘Plane Simple’ paper plane making and flying competition that was held late last year. Our students achieved great success in a number of categories and I gratefully accepted a very generous monetary prize on behalf of our school. The organisers of this competition, who represent many of our local defence and aeronautical industry groups, have indicated that this prize money can be used to further develop STEM-based programs (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) at our various schools. We will certainly ensure that this is how the money will be used at NCS.

Last Monday was a very important day for the student members of our ‘Oklahoma!’ secondary school musical production. This was because the entire day was set aside for rehearsals in the MPC. I took the opportunity to visit on a number of occasions throughout the day and I can assure you that what I saw and heard has certainly ‘whet my appetite’ to be a member of the audience when this show is being presented! And, of course, our Production Week is now only a fortnight away! I trust that you have already purchased your tickets for this very special event in the life of our school community as these tickets are certainly selling fast!

During this past week I also took the opportunity to individually visit our two Year 7 classes during their AM Homegroup sessions. I had been informed by Mrs Thompson, Year 7 Year Level Advisor, that teachers were very pleased with the positive way in which all of our new Year 7 students had adjusted to the world of secondary school. I commended all students on their excellent start to the 2020 school year and encouraged them to keep up the good work.

This past week also saw our faithful School Board members attending their first board meeting for the year. There were many items on our agenda and it reminded me that we can all be very thankful for the commitment of each of these men and women as they carefully, and prayerfully, plan for the future of our school. I would, once again, encourage you to consistently uphold our School Board in prayer as we move further into our 2020 40th anniversary year.

I mentioned before that our ‘Oklahoma!’ school musical is rapidly approaching but there is another very significant school community event that is now less than one week away. I am, of course, referring to our Twilight Family Picnic which is scheduled to be held on the grassed area between the church and our school reception area this coming Friday evening, 21 February. I trust that you are currently making plans to bring along your picnic rug and to join with many other school families, both new and old, as we simply enjoy meeting together. As you will see elsewhere in this edition of Bytes, this relaxed event commences at 5.30pm and concludes at 7.30pm. There will be food and drink available for sale but you are welcome to simply bring along your own picnic meal. Our School Concert Band will also be present for some of the evening to spoil us with a number of musical items.

In the previous edition of NCS Bytes, I drew our attention to the whole-school theme for 2020 which is ‘Show and Shine Jesus’ and stated that we launched this theme at our ‘Welcome Back’ Assembly. A central Bible verse that clearly encapsulates this theme comes from John 8:12(a). Jesus is speaking directly to those gathered around Him and His words equally apply to us. It reads, ‘When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said ‘I am the light of the world.’’ This is the ‘light’ that we wish to share with all of our students as we present our curriculum from a Christian worldview perspective. As staff, we are aware that the world can offer many distractions that at first appear to also be bright and attractive. However, as the saying goes, ‘All that glitters is not gold.’ and it is our desire to continually point our students back to the true ‘light’ that can only be found as the result of developing a personal faith in Jesus Christ.