Principal's Report

NCS Swimming Carnival

As I am writing this article on the Thursday evening, I am considering just how thankful I am to our generous God for providing us with such a delightful day for our school Swimming Carnival, held today at the Nowra Aquatic Centre. Yes, the weather was perfect for such an activity. However, it takes more than good weather to hold a successful event of this nature. It takes teamwork, enthusiasm and a strong sense of community to bring a swimming carnival to life and, as I wandered around the pool surrounds, it was clearly apparent that all of these important qualities are alive and well at Nowra Christian School! I would extend a special ‘thankyou’ to Miss Bignell and her team of hardworking staff and students for the time and effort that they put into the planning for this carnival. It was most encouraging to see so many of our parents and carers enjoying this special moment as you enthusiastically supported your children as they participated in their various events. Yes, during the past 12 months, the impacts of COVID-19 have considerably reduced opportunities for our parents and carers to participate in activities such as this. We will continue to pray that the 2021 school year might provide us with further occasions where our NCS ‘family’ can come together to celebrate what it means to belong to a vibrant school community. 

Kindergarten's First Day

In last week’s edition of the BYTES, I stated that we were eagerly awaiting the arrival of our Kindergarten children before we would be able to state that our NCS school family was complete. Well, I am delighted to inform you that we are now all back together again as of Tuesday of this past week! It is always a very significant moment for parents and carers when one of your children is about to begin their 13 year ‘big school’ journey, and this is especially so if this is your very first child to start school. Consequently, there was a great deal of excitement and enthusiasm (and possibly even the occasional tear?) as our two Kindergarten classes – Possums and Kangaroos – opened their doors and welcomed our brand new students for the very first time. It was not long before both classrooms were filled with the excited chatter of young voices as our Kindergarten children, under the expert guidance of their teachers, were soon engaged in a variety of stimulating activities. I think that the best way to share this event is to allow the following photographs of this special day to tell their own story. 

Great start to the year!

Certainly I can confidently state that all of our students in Years 1-12 have by now settled into an effective work pattern. Our Year 7 students have successfully adjusted to the new routines of life at Secondary School, including getting to know their many subject teachers, rather than the single classroom teacher that they had last year. For our HSC students, it is ‘business as usual’ as they have continued on from where they left off at the end of Term 4 last year. As I walk around the school grounds and visit various classrooms, I have been greatly encouraged to see our students and staff busily engaged in the important tasks of teaching and learning.

Enrolment growth

We have continued to experience strong enrolment interest in our school and, during the past three weeks, we have held a number of enrolment interviews with new families, keen to join our school community. Once again, I would wish to thank the many current parents and carers who have often recommended our school to these new families.

Roadworks continue

As you would be aware, major roadworks are currently occurring in Old Southern Road, directly outside the entrance to our school carpark. I would wish to convey our gratitude to all of our parents and carers for the patience that you have displayed during these past two weeks. Thank you for taking extra care as you have made your way along Old Southern Road and into our carpark. It is anticipated that these works will continue for at least one further week and your continued cooperation will be greatly appreciated.

As I mentioned earlier in this article, I have been contemplating what it means to belong to the NCS ‘community’; to be part of our wider NCS family. I realised that the Bible places a lot of emphasis on living harmoniously in community and this is where this week’s focus verse has come from. In the first chapter of 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul is writing to the young church in Corinth and he is appealing to the members of this community to be united in their faith and to live in harmony with one another. As he states in 1 Corinthians 1:10 

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 

1 Corinthians 1:10 NIV

This reminded me of our own NCS community. We, too, have been drawn together and we have committed ourselves to be supportive of our School Purpose Statement and Values. I trust that, just as Paul challenged the members of the church in Corinth, we also can ensure that we are ‘perfectly united in mind and thought’ as we travel together on this journey that is Christian education.

NCS Purpose Statement

‘Nowra Christian School partners with families in equipping students for life through the provision of quality, Christ-centred education, founded on Biblical values.’

Our values

Community, Care, Character