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NCS Celebrates NAIDOC Week

NCS celebrated NAIDOC Week with a variety of engaging activities across both Primary and Secondary, providing students with opportunities to learn, reflect and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, history and storytelling.

We were delighted to welcome Pastor Brendon Garlett from Shoalhaven Aboriginal Community Church (ShACC), who visited both Primary and Secondary assemblies. Brendon shared images of a series of artworks he created especially for our school. Each artwork explored a different parable, focusing on themes of grace and forgiveness.

Brendon's unique artistic style was rich in symbolism and storytelling, providing students with an opportunity to consider how art can communicate powerful ideas and cultural stories. Staff and students also gathered with Pastor Brendon for a time of prayer, reflection and contemplation in a Yarning Circle, focusing on the parable of the lost sheep. The gathering provided a meaningful opportunity for our school community to pause, listen and reflect together on the themes of grace, forgiveness and God's care for each person.

Our Year 7 and 8 Visual Arts students responded to Brendon's artworks by creating their own artworks inspired by the parables and themes he shared. Primary students also participated in a range of NAIDOC Week activities, including creative colouring activities.

As part of their History studies, Year 10 students examined the National Apology to the Stolen Generations, delivered by the Australian Government in 2008. Students explored the history of the Stolen Generations and considered the impact of policies that resulted in the forced removal and assimilation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

The Seconday Vocal Ensemble sang a hymn in Yorta Yorta language, 'Ngarra Burra Ferra'. The lyrics recount the biblical story from Exodus, where Moses parts the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to escape slavery. Mr West and the ensemble filmed a video of singing the hymn at Jervis Bay which was enjoyed by students at the assemblies.

There was also an opportunity to experience Aboriginal-inspired flavours! Mr Joliffe organised a special treat prepared by Mr Resus and Mrs Lawrence — kangaroo meatballs served with homemade tomato sauce and a special Aboriginal spice mix. Every student was invited to try the dish, with many taking the opportunity to experience something new. A special thank you to Year 8 students, who assisted with distributing the tasty treats.

A time of prayer and contemplation at a yarning circle with Pastor Brendon was also attended by staff and students reflecting on the parable of the lost sheep.

NAIDOC Week provided our school community with meaningful opportunities to learn, create, listen and celebrate, connecting students with Aboriginal culture and stories through art, history, food and community.

Year 2 welcome Henley the Story Dog

Our Year 2 classrooms have been filled with wagging tails and bright smiles recently as we welcomed a very special guest: Henley the Story Dog, along with his owner, Sam. 

Every Tuesday afternoon, a group of Year 2 students have had the exciting opportunity to read aloud to Henley. This special time gives the children a comforting, judgment-free space to practice, and it has been wonderful to watch their reading confidence grow week by week. The students now look forward to Tuesday afternoons all week long!

Beyond reading, the children have absolutely loved grooming Henley with his brush and feeding him his favourite treat—crunchy carrot pieces. 

To share the joy, Henley and Sam also made a special visit to both Year 2 classrooms. Every student was thrilled to give him a gentle pat and learn about his work. They also enjoyed writing their own individual acrostic poems dedicated to Henley.

Thank you so much to Sam and Henley for bringing so much happiness and carrot-munching fun to our Tuesdays!

Balancing fun and fitness

Throughout Term 3, our Primary students had a fantastic time taking part in a gymnastics program as part of their PE lessons. Every class enjoyed four action-packed sessions with Coach Tony from Stoked Gymnastics in Bomaderry.

Students learnt how to stay safe while trying a variety of gymnastics skills and movements, while also enjoying plenty of fun games and challenges along the way. 

Coach Tony quickly became a favourite thanks to his sense of humour, funny catchphrases, and encouraging attitude. He helped students step out of their comfort zones, build confidence, and celebrate their successes as they practised new skills.It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces, enthusiastic participation, and growing confidence throughout the program.

Some comments from students about the program were:

"Gymnastics was fun because Tony made things funny and he was very nice about everything we did."

"I thought gymnastics was fun and Tony made everything seem silly and exciting."

"My favourite thing to do was jump off the trampoline and then do a cartwheel."

"It was fun doing front flips, hand stands, hand springs and cartwheels."

"I liked doing gymnastics because Tony was funny and taught us gymnastics moves in fun ways."

"I loved doing new cool tricks, having joy to try it and having fun with my friends."

"My favourite part was doing the flips off the trampoline."

Many students summed up the experience by saying 

“Tony was hilarious and made us laugh a lot!!”

Year 9 Students Step Into History at the Fleet Air Arm Museum

What happens when history leaves the textbook and lands in your hands? For our Year 9 students, it meant stepping into the role of museum curators and uncovering the stories of Australians who lived, served and contributed during the Second World War.

Recently, our Year 9 students took their History learning beyond the classroom during an engaging excursion to the Fleet Air Arm Museum at HMAS Albatross, where they participated in the Australians at War: Royal Australian Navy and the Second World War historical inquiry workshop.

Rather than simply learning about history from a textbook, students were challenged to step into the role of museum curators. Working in small groups, they examined authentic artefacts from the Navy’s WWII heritage collection alongside primary and secondary sources. They used these materials to investigate inquiry questions and develop their own exhibition displays.

The workshop encouraged students to consider a range of perspectives and experiences, including where Australians fought, the experiences of those who served, the changing role of women and the continuities and changes experienced by Australians on the home front.

The hands-on experience provided students with an opportunity to develop important historical skills, including analysing evidence, interpreting sources, collaborating with others and communicating historical narratives. It also highlighted the ways in which history is used beyond the classroom, including in museums and other cultural institutions, and introduced students to potential HSIE-related career pathways.

It was a valuable opportunity for our students to connect their classroom learning with real artefacts, personal stories and the history of our local area.

A big thank you to Mrs Rebel and Mr Cowley for accompanying our Year 9 students and helping make this valuable learning experience possible.

Farewell Year 12 Ministry Leaders

On Wednesday of Week 8 we had our last Fellowship in School Hours (FISH) lunchtime group for the year where students said goodbye to our faithful Year 12 leaders Kent, Lottie, Evy and Chloe. 

Throughout the year students from Years 7 to 11 have enjoyed games, short talks and studies on Wednesday's at FISH often led by these students, who have also gone out of their way to prepare and/or bring food to share.

On Thursday lunchtimes Kent has also co-led the Year 7/8 boys Bible study group, and Lottie, Evy and Chloe have led a mixed Year 10 Bible study group. The extra preparation and work gone into these has also been much appreciated!

Our student leaders will be missed very much by us all, but our prayer is that they will be greatly encouraged by their time at NCS and that their gifts and skills will be used by God for His work in their next season of life.

Developing a Mission Mindset

By Jada and Chelsea

On Saturday 12 September, four students plus Mrs Flippence attended the Reachout Mission Conference in Granville.

We started off our day by meeting at school at 5:45am, which was a struggle for some of us....We stopped for a refreshing breakfast at maccas before arriving for a big day.

At Reachout, we had two main sessions where we sang together and listened to talks about 'Where there is no church', which was the main theme of the day.

We attended two workshops where we engaged in group activities, listened to testimonies and different stories of missions people had gone on.In between all of this, we would have breaks where we were given delicious meals.

At the Mission Expo Hall we visited different mission organisations' stalls, where we would hear and talk to them about what they do and how we can get involved in mission. Walking around to these stalls, we received plenty of pens to last us a year and lots of mentos to keep us going throughout the day.

We also all got to use a VR set, which showed us what it would be like for a flying medical helicopter to go and treat someone who was injured and needing help in a third world county.

After a huge day of talking and growing in friendships, we ended the day with dinner at maccas again but also visited Simion Tallon at KFC while he was working as he couldn't make it!

"I really enjoyed the work shops. My takeaway point from the conference was that we need to be intentional with what we do." Jada

"The workshops were great, in particular the one about 'Joy in trials'. A takeaway from it was that we aren't alone in hard, painful trials as we have Jesus right next to us who will strengthen and guide us through those times.Thank you, Mrs Flippence, for taking us up to Reachout and for a great day!!" Chelsea

HSC Design Showcase

Last Monday, our HSC Design and Technology and Visual Design students held a showcase of their major projects, giving the school community a chance to see the culmination of months of hard work, creativity and dedication.

From concept to final product, each project reflected the unique skills and vision of its creator, and it was fantastic to see the range and quality of work on display.

Thank you to the parents and carers who came along to check out the showcase and celebrate these students' achievements.