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Wild Wedderburn Camping Experience...

Article written by Summer G, Eden H, Sienna K

After a long bus ride we finally arrived at the huge campsite. 6K, 6T and 6P were buzzing with excitement and trepidation at what the next few days might hold for us. We unloaded the bus and after morning tea and some free time, headed off to our first adventure.

6K started the day with laser tag – and no one was safe!  We loaded up our powerful guns and headed off to war. (There may have even been a few times when someone on the home team betrayed you.)

While the war was unfolding, 6P headed off to archery golf, which involved shooting arrows into tyres strategically placed to test your aim. One archer achieved the unthinkable – scoring 100 points by hitting the smallest target (go Theo!)

Meanwhile, down the track, 6T conquered the flying fox, holding on for dear life as they flew through the tall trees over the ravine. After all the activities were finished, we headed off to dinner (being scared makes you hungry!)

DAY 2:

Some of us were awake very early on day 2 with fearful thoughts. After a great breakfast, we began our next adventures.That day we all survived the low ropes, abseiling, rock climbing, initiative games, giant swing and the “leap of death” – oops we mean, “the leap of faith”.

These things were another chance for us to push ourselves out of our comfort zone. (Meanwhile, some of us were pushing ourselves off a cliff!) The instructors were wonderful. They were kind, patient and encouraging, which was just what we needed because lots of us found these things hard to do.  We were reminded that when we are scared, God is with us and he promises that he will always be with us. We just need to trust Him.

Abseiling involved harnessing up and being ready to place our trust in the instructors, the ropes and ourselves. We backed up to the top of the rockface and slowly edged our way over the side. Hanging there knowing that there was a steep rocky valley below was really scary. But we did it.

Climbing up the ladder, our team hauled the ropes pulling us to the top of the giant swing. We were the ones who had to decide when we were ready to drop. And we did…. Some of us thought it was fun, looking down over the forest below. Others had our eyes shut tight so didn’t see much at all. But we all survived.Further down the path, a group were harnessing up ready to attempt the “Leap of Faith”. This involved climbing up a ladder to the top of the telegraph pole, standing on a narrow ledge, with our toes hanging over the side, bracing for the jump. At last – the count down. And we jumped. It was PETRIFYING for most and exciting for others.Having survived another day, we relaxed after dinner with the Mini Olympics. Up for grabs were 3 x valuable (foil) trophies.We fell into bed and some of us went to sleep quickly. The next day we finished up with rock wall climbing, initiative games and some of the earlier activities.  (Elijah, Mia, Tom and Sienna were rock climbing champions). After lunch we loaded up the bus and headed back to NCS. It was quieter on the way home (we think some people might have been snoring).

We had the best time ever!

We also need to say a big and special thank you to the teachers and all the staff at Wedderburn Christian camp site. Some of these things were really hard to do – but we know we were safe.

Quote of the day – “Do it scared!”

QUOTES:

“I loved the giant swing because of how I dropped then swung and the view was also really nice” – Prakshi

“Going down the leap of faith was sooooo cool.” – Lu

“I think I did really well at Laser Tag.”  - Annie

“I loved being one of the first people to jump off the “leap of faith” – Amelia

“The rock climbing was fun and I realised that I can climb high.” – Savannah

“I loved the low ropes because we got to do  lot of different things.”  - Mia

"Thank you Dough for doing the leap of faith and giant swing and abseiling.”  - Jarvis

"I loved going on the giant swing and being a fairy when I was coming down.” – Laura

“The best thing was the low ropes and climbing ropes.” – Jacob M

“My team won the Mini Olympics!” – Eden H

“The flying fox was very fun. First it was scary but it was fun. The feel was fun and looking down was fun.”  - Ben

“The giant swing was my favourite memory because the scenery was so beautiful and it looked like I am Spiderman.” – Ometh

“The Leap of faith” was the best because it made me use my courage.” – Theo

“Thank you to the camp leaders for keeping us safe  during everything and when you helped us push ourselves out of our boxes.” – Georgia

“Lazer tag was the best. Ben, Theo and me always won.” – Cam

“The Leap of faith was the best. I hit the buoy.” – Sam

“I will NEVER forget the “Leap of Faith”.  I hated every minute of it – but I’m glad I did it. Thanks to 6T for being so encouraging.” - Mrs Hefferan

Big Performances at CSSA Zone XC

Secondary Report

What an incredible day for our NCS runners at the CSSA Zone Cross Country! Despite the cold and windy conditions at the picturesque Willandra course, the competition was fierce and the atmosphere electric. Schools from across the CSSA South Coast Zone came together, showcasing an impressive level of talent. 

Our students did NCS proud - racing with heart, resilience, and determination. Many achieved personal bests, and several delivered standout podium performances:

12 Girls - Havana: 2nd

12 Boys - Surjo: 1st

13 Girls - Tianna: 1st

16 Girls - Elsie: 3rd 

With Zone now wrapped up, our focus shifts to the CSSA State Cross Country on Friday 29 May. We’re cheering on our qualifying athletes as they prepare for the next big challenge.

Primary Report

40 students from NCS's Primary Department attended a wind blown CSSA South Coast Zone Primary Cross Country event in Week 4. All our runners represented our school with pride, running a tough Willandra course in trying conditions. 

Podium finishes were a bonus for Bukata K and Darcy S. The top 4 from NCS in each race qualify for CSSA Primary State Cross Country at Sydney Equestrian Centre on 29 May. So still lots of reasons for these thirty two students to continue to train ahead of this next level.

Thanks go to all the parents and carers who came along, braved the elements and cheered on the team. Also special mentions to Miss Matts, Mrs. Martin and Mrs. Crabtree who attended as course officials. Without your valuable contributions days like this could not happen.

Education Perfect Languages Competition

Once again our school has entered the annual international online languages competition.

To give some quick stats at a glance: 50+ countries; 3000+ schools; 1.2 million + students involved in this year's competition.

In this competition students spent time online translating words from French to English or vice-versa. Points were gained for correct answers. The competition went for 8 days and I offered any students who got over 500 points a hot chip and coke celebration party.

As many schools are much larger than ours, the competition recognises different categories. We had 55,830 questions answered, a total of 17,593 points earned and a total of 82 hours spent participating in the competition!

Here are some key results:

• 7th overall in the 51-100 students category out of 133 schools
• 215th overall globally out of 1,622 schools
• 5th in Australia for the 51-100 students category out of 80 schools
• 43rd overall in NSW out of 309 schools
• FIRST IN FRENCH IN THE 51-100 STUDENTS CATEGORY out of 47 schools!!!

So exciting!

While all students contributed to these results a special mention must go to our high scorers:

• Over 500 points : Toby G, Will Asher, Matt L, Chelsea T, Amelia P, Saxon R, Rori T, Josh Tallon, Levi H, Noah G,Luca F
• Over 1000 points: Ollie T and Taylor M
• And with the outstanding score of 2,277 points (986th globally): Alexis Langlands.

Life Saving Skills in Action

The Stage 6 Health and Movement Science (HMS) class has recently completed a First Aid Depth Study, developing practical skills for responding to emergencies. As part of this work, students also achieved their first aid certification. The course combined online learning with hands‑on training and covered CPR, the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), and the management of emergencies such as choking, asthma, anaphylaxis, shock, bleeding, wounds, and bites.

A big thank‑you to Carly from Carly’s Helping Hearts for her expertise and support in equipping our students with essential life‑saving skills.

Navy Quicklook Program

13 motivated Year 10 students attended the Navy Quicklook program on Thursday 30 April. The students were challenged by rescue simulation activities in the pool. They enjoyed finding out about a variety of interesting careers opportunities and paths including helicopter technicians and pilots. They had a great lunch in the junior sailors mess. And the day ended with some mini drone flying!!!

NCS Staff Dragon Boaters' Bronze Finish

On Saturday 16 May, a number of NCS Staff and their families participated in the Southern Region Sports and Community Dragon Boat Regatta on the Shoalhaven River. 

It was a fantastic day, there was the beat of the drum; the calls of the sweep; the precision of well-honed technique; the synchronised teamwork of practiced dragon boat crews.

And then there was our NCS Team...

Despite the team comprising of long time, some time and first time paddlers, they did manage to deliver enough determined boat-pushing power to overcome not only their own punctuated paddling rhythms and boat listing leaning habits, but to also surpass enough other community teams to finish in 3rd place!

And, it was a close run thing. Just a few hundreds of a second separated the NCS crew’s bronze result from the community race winners.

A huge congratulations to everyone who paddled, supported, and cheered the team on throughout the day. Your teamwork, determination, and attempt at coordination was a sight to behold.

Thanks to Nowra Waterdragons for organising the event and for the the pre-event practice session. A big thank you to Mrs Green for pulling our team together. We’re already looking forward to next year!

If you want to see the team in action, we are Boat 1 in the video footage below.