Latest News

Farewell Mrs Parker

Last week, Mrs Parker went on maternity leave. She will be away for the rest of the year looking after her baby. Staff and students farewelled her and she received a gift from staff for her and Mr Parker as they prepare for the arrival of their little one. We look forward to Mrs Parker returning in a part-time capacity in 2025.

Sprouting Success

Year 3 have begun gardening in our new Stage 2 School Garden. These gardens have been set up by our maintenance team and filled with soil by Year 6 students. Led by Mrs Morris,  Year 3 have begun planting potatoes, peas, flowers, carrots, garlic, celery and a variety of other plants.

Look out for updates throughout the year in Bytes.

Bible Reading at the Eisteddfod

Once again it was a real privilege to be able to read the Bible in the public setting of the Eisteddfod. Six of us read the beautiful passage of Isaiah 35:1-10

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, 

and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;   

they shall obtain joy and gladness,    

and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

One of the audience mentioned to me how much this reading spoke to her.

Four of us also entered the category of 'Sacred Writings - any religion'. My chosen passage was John 14:1-15 where Jesus reminds us that he is going to heaven to prepare a place for us and that He is the way, the truth and the life!

Again the woman from Wollongong shared how much she'd been challenged by the words, 'Do not let your hearts be troubled'.

The Adjudicator commented on how much she appreciated the reading Mr Tasker gave - his relaxed, warm and friendly style really appealed to her. 'Just like listening to a story at home,' she said.

Mr Tasker and I are thankful for the opportunity to participate in this event and challenge you to consider being involved next year!

by Mrs Wilkinson

Primary Zone Cross Country

On Wednesday, Week 4, Term 2, 38 NCS primary students from Years 2-6 competed with other local Christian schools in our annual Zone Cross Country event.

Willandra, atop Brown's Mountain, was our destination for our district running festival. A muddy and hilly course challenged our competitors to bring their best, gutsy performances and they certainly did just that. The day began with our youngest competitors, most of whom hadn't been to this course, nor had run at zone level before. They powered on enthusiastically over the 2 kilometre track with our youngest competitor, Bailee N, our first NCS student over the line in 11:25.12 minutes. Blake I. was our first 8-9 year old boy to cross the line in 9:56.28 minutes, finishing in overall 6th place. Our first (but certainly not last) podium finish wasn't far away, with Sam K. finishing his 2 km 10 years boys race in 2nd place with a time of 9:09.97 minutes. Not to be outdone, Tianna K. went one better and finished in overall first place for her 3km race in a time of 13:31.94 minutes (over 40 seconds ahead of the 2nd placed finisher!). Addi G. just missed out on a medal in the same race coming home in a very credible 4th place. Toby G. kept the 'goldrush' going by finishing first in his 12 year boys 3 km race in 12:52.26 minutes (also over 40 seconds ahead of 2nd place!). This time it was Lucas T.'s turn to finish just outside the medal places in a most respectable 4th place, in the same race. There were many other terrific performances from our running team. Congratulations to everyone who competed.

Parents and carers were there in good numbers to cheer on the competitors. Many of them were probably reliving past glories from their school cross country running days! Most would have been very glad there wasn't a parents' race, I think! Thanks one and all for coming along and being such good sports. 'Love your work'!

Looking forward to hearing all about State XC up in Sydney.

Dramatic Moments

Last Friday more than 50 students from Years 5 to 10 performed in the drama section of the Shoalhaven Eisteddfod. We have so many keen students in Stage 3 that a number of our Secondary students come along to help as directors at Drama Club on a Tuesday lunchtime. These directors were so proud of their casts on the day. It is the best any of them had performed their pieces. One of our groups, comprising of Lauren C, Kim C and Ida C received a mark of 90 and a special mention from the adjudicator! Well done to those girls.

Our Stage 4 groups had the audience laughing with their play excerpts from "Oddballs". These students had shown their dedication by coming to an after school Drama club to rehearse. They represented the school so well in their performance and their behaviour.

The Stage 5 Drama class also performed two pieces "Stories in the Dark" and "The Play that Goes Wrong", both of which gained the highest scores given in the Drama section of the Eisteddfod up to that point.

We are so proud of all our performers. It takes commitment and courage to prepare and then perform even these short excerpts. It was a very successful morning. We did manage to win a number of places in the sections. But the success that was most satisfying was to see students working together and enjoying the gifts God has given them. And as always, our students were a delight to work with and a pleasure to take on such an excursion.

CIS Netball

by Amelia P

Hi, my name is Amelia P (Year 6) and on 17 May I went to Netball Central in Sydney.  The reason I went is because I was trialling for the C.I.S team which stands for Combined Independent Schools. Unfortunately I didn’t make the team but at least I tried. My favourite memory was playing a fun game with my team and playing with them. I played on the court where the NSW Swifts play, I was so lucky.

Netball is Crackerjack Fun!

Late last term and early this term, Years 3-6 students have enjoyed learning to play netball with our assigned coach, Tracy Passlow, from Netball NSW. All the students were able to improve their skills and knowledge of this popular team sport. Many hadn't played netball at all or very often, so it was refreshing to see the enthusiasm that most students brought to the sessions. Tracy commented, "They were such a great bunch of kids and had a go and improved in such a short time. Hopefully they continue to play at school."

Well done to all our students for your wholehearted approach to playing this awesome game!

The EDGE Workshop

Sharna Dawson, her team, and local businesses ran a full day program for some of our Year 9 and 10 students. The EDGE Workshop featured engaging content and hands-on learning, designed to alleviate the stress of preparing for the workforce.

Edge Workshops equips students with essential skills, self-confidence, and social competencies necessary for securing and retaining employment across various industries.

Thank you Sharna and your amazing team of job ready experts!

A big thank you to the Office of Regional Youth for providing funding for this workshop, and The Regional Industry Education Partnerships (RIEP) Program for coordinating the employer panel.

Special thanks to our participating employers: Shoalhaven Occupational Health, Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, Edwards Constructions, Bumpy Road Catering, and The Bearded Brewer.

Hockey Stars Trial for CiS

On Monday, Week 3, last week, Sam L and Will A both attended the Combined Independent Schools trials for hockey, which were held at Pennant Hills Park, in that same suburb of North-western Sydney. Will and Sam were excited at the prospect of a day playing one of their favourite team sports. Both boys gave good accounts of themselves, enjoying the process, in spite of wet conditions in the lead up. Sam was very pleased to be selected for the CIS Primary Boys Hockey team to play at NSWPSSA Hockey Championships in Newcastle from Tuesday 28th May – Friday 31st May 2024 as part of 'Magic Week'. You can ask Sam afterwards what the reference to 'magic' is about. Perhaps his trickery with the ball is being featured!

Thanks boys, for your efforts at the trial. We are proud of you both. Special congratulations Sam, on being selected for the CIS Hockey team for the second year in a row. Well done!

Primary Zone Football Gala Day

On Monday 20 May, our Years 3-4 and 5-6 zone football teams made their way to Kiama Football Fields to play in the CSSA Primary South Coast Zone Gala Day. All the players were looking forward to the chance to pit their wits and skills against teams from four other Christian Schools in our region. Our twenty seven players gave really good accounts of themselves throughout the four matches that both teams played. They played with fairness, showed kindness and sportsmanship throughout. For the 3-4 team, Ben N was a standout player in goal. Time and again he saved shots by diving with agility and by bravely coming out at opponent players' feet to claim the ball. Max D scored our team's first goal in a swift and incisive move. Sam K scored a fine individual goal in our third game and Lachie B netted one of the best goals of the day, shooting high into the top corner from outside the box. There were many resolute performances from our young and inexperienced team, which was made up of a mixture of Year 3 and 4 students. They battled hard against teams who often fielded older, Year 4 players. Well done, NCS Stage 2 football players!

Our Stage 3 team had a narrow 2-1 win in their first game against ICS. They followed this with a hard fought 1-1 draw with Southern Highlands. Two wins followed this against Cedars and Calderwood, 5-0 and 4-0 respectively. The team ended the tournament on 11 points taking the trophy on goal difference over the second placed team. Will P scored 7 goals, Liam M managed 3 and Toby G chipped in with 2 and quite a few assists. Callum B provided plenty of assists too. Pat W, Jethro S and Gabriel E kept things tight in defence, in front of Alex W who only conceded 2 goals as goalkeeper in 4 matches. Alex showed the agility of a cat tipping what looked a certain goal for the opponents onto the crossbar before Toby cleared the danger. Theo S and Liam C provided plenty of speed and guile throughout. The Year 5-6 team will now progress to the Primary State Football Gala Day, at Valentine Park, in Western Sydney to represent our zone and their school. Congratulations, to all concerned!

Coach and NCS staff member, Mr Tasker, prayed at the start of the day that we'd have a great day of fun, competitive football that would bring glory to God and that's exactly what occurred.

Thanks to all the parents and care-givers who came along to support their children and others in our teams. We greatly appreciate you doing that.

Special mention to Elsie P (Y8) and Riley W (Y10) who came along and refereed matches and to Harriet P and Ava D who helped run the canteen. Ta very much!

Read Mr Tasker's account of the Stage 3 team's win here

Primary Girls Zone Netball Gala Day

 An awesome day was had by all at the CSSA zone netball gala day at Kiama! The sun was  shining and so were the netball skills of our senior and junior NCS netball teams.  

There was no stopping our senior team who won all 4 matches by considerable margins and were crowned zone champions! All members of the team played exceptional netball and contributed to the  wonderful results. A massive congratulations goes to Kim C, who was singled out as the player of the tournament for her expertise and sportsmanship. Well done Kim! Our senior girls will go on to represent our school at the CSSA state championships in Term 3.

The junior team came in equal 3rd which was a wonderful result for the girls. It was great to see them having fun as they learned more about the game of netball, and put their new skills into practice.

The kindness, friendship and humility of all girls in both teams was clearly seen over and over  again; taking turns, encouraging others, trying their best to the very end. Well done NCS!

Year 6 Camp

Year 6 enjoyed 3 days at Wedderburn Christian Campsite, pushing past their limits by completely numerous challenging activities. Despite the rain and cold, each student did an amazing job climbing trees, jumping of high ledges, abseiling, flying and swinging through the air, shooting arrows and working together as a part of a team in mini-olympics, laser tag and initiative games.

Champions on the run: State X-Country success

On Friday 31 May, 14 Secondary students participated in the CSSA State X-Country event at Sydney International Equestrian Centre. The students showcased outstanding performances, with several athletes achieving top 20 finishes and many breaking their personal bests.

1st - Emily McL - 16 Year Girls

3rd - Noah T - 18 Year Boys (who accidentally ran an extra loop of the course!)

5th - Millie W - 17 Year Girls

6th - Caleb - 15 Year Boys

6th - Tamsin - 16 Year Girls

6th - Kent - 16 Year Boys

7th - Hamish - 17 Year Boys

16th - Kayla - 18 Year Girls

19th - Elsie - 14 Year Girls

20th - Zec - 15 Year Boys

A special congratulations to those who placed in the Top 10 and have earned the opportunity to compete in the CIS Cross Country Championships on Thursday 6 June 2024.

We also want to express our gratitude to our wonderful Parents/Carers who came along to support their runners and provided transport. Thank you for being there to cheer them on and contribute to their success.