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Icy Adventures: Secondary Snow Trip highlights

Our Secondary snow trip was an absolute blast! Our prayers for snow were answered big time! We arrived at Smiggins to see fresh, falling snow. The students hit the slopes like pros, shredding it on skis and snowboards, and even the beginners rocked it after some initial jitters. 

They stacked it, they laughed, they cheered each other on, they built some epic snowmen and even had the incredible opportunity to meet Australian snowboarder & Winter Olympian, Valentino Guseli! 

The evenings were all about card games, snow ball fights, cozying up by the fire, sharing stories, sipping on hot chocolate and feeling incredibly grateful for the snow-covered wonderland surrounding us. Brian & Julie from Southern Cross Alpine Lodge rocked, keeping us warm and well fed during our stay. 

The real MVP of the trip was Aiden's phone which survived being (accidentally) buried in the snow for over 10 hours.

Trip statistics:

20 x awesome students

3 x NCS staff

2 x lovely hosts

920kg's of luggage

17 x Snowboarders

6 x Skiers

3 x Lifts open

26cms of fresh snow

897 x Runs

3253 x Stacks

3 x Jumps built

110 x Hot Chocolates consumed 

440 x Marshmallows devoured

63 x Macca's meals ordered

1 x Winter Olympian sighting

1 x Lost phone

1 x Phone found

3.5 days of non-stop fun

Shoalhaven Eisteddfod - Drama and Verse Speaking

Last week Stage 2 and High school were involved in the Shoalhaven Eisteddfod. On Tuesday, Year 3 presented and performed recitals of poems for Verse Speaking at City Church. The students were very excited and nervous. Their hard work and practice paid off as both classes did an amazing job. 

3MP recited Slinky Malinki and 3P recited The Tale of Custard the Dragon. Both classes were Highly Commended and received lovely positive comments from the Judge.

On Wednesday, 40 Year 3 and 4 students along with 30 students from high school travelled to Nowra School of Arts. The students performed excerpts of plays in small groups. We had many excited and nervous students again this day and everyone tried their hardest with some very entertaining plays. 

Mrs Ellery and Ms Landstra had worked very hard with all of these students practicing their lines every Tuesday lunchtime. Primary students were also blessed with the help of some very capable high school students who were their directors, assisting them and coaching them.  These experiences were an opportunity for many students to try something new, get out of their comfort zone, work together as a team and perform in front of an audience. I am sure this will be a memory they will keep for a very long time. Hopefully we have sparked some new performers of the future.

NCS Secondary Chess Team

It took three rounds of Chess for our NCS champions to be defeated!! So far this year, our NCS Secondary Chess Team has played three different schools in some very intense chess games. On our chess team we have Darien, Harrison, Rohan and Jairus. 

In Term 1, the team travelled by bus down to Ulladulla to play against their High School, being crowned the winner of that match, before hosting the other two matches here at NCS. In the second round, we played the tough Nowra High School, but then lost the third round when we versed St Johns High School. We managed to keep a tight team of four for the first two rounds, but subbed out Rohan for Harvey for the third round decider. 

The competition this year was tough but NCS is certainly ready to be the winner of the South Coast Chess Championships next year in 2024!

NSW PSSA State Hockey Championship

by Sam L - 5P

I had the opportunity to represent NCS as part of the CIS primary boys hockey team at the NSW PSSA State Hockey Championships in Tamworth. The CIS team was made up of boys from schools all over NSW. We had boys from as far north as Tweed Heads down South to Nowra (me!) and West to Bathurst!

We had one training session as a team before the tournament started followed by a team dinner which was a good way to get to know each other. The tournament was held over four days The first day we played two games which we won and put our team in a good position. On Day 2 we struggled with teamwork and a few errors saw us losing both games. Day 3 we had one game to play which we struggled again to keep possession of the ball and take advantage of penalty corners resulting in a loss.

The fourth day was for the final games. We played one game which was hard fought and the result was a draw. The CIS team ended the tournament in 9th place. I really enjoyed being able to play hockey with kids who love hockey and make new friends. It was a great week of challenges and learning new hockey skills!

Fast and Furious: NSWCIS Cross Country Championships

On the 8 June, 2023, six students from NCS attended the NSW CIS (Combined Independent Schools) Cross Country Championships. It was an overcast day, cool but not too cold. No rain. Perfect for running! Millie W (U16's Girls), ran 4km with a time of 19:57, finishing in 39th place. Zechariah B (U14's Boys), ran 4km with a time of 16:36, finishing in 53rd place. Emily McL (U15's Girls), ran 4km with a time of 17:45, finishing in 21st place. Kent E (U15's Boys), ran 4km with a time of 15:45, finishing in 32nd place. 

In the 10 Years Girls race, Tianna K (Y4) finished 46th in 10:24 and Penny J (Y4) finished 48th in 10:27. There was very little between both our NCS Primary girls as they raced with 103 other girls in their event. Well Done both of you. We're very proud.

It was a great day, where the students got to use their God-given talents to represent NCS.

The Davey's are off again to raise funds for suicide prevention

Leaving 1 July, Dr and Mrs Davey, who both teach at NCS, will travel around Australia to raise funds for suicide prevention. Dr Davey will be riding a pushbike and Mrs Davey will drive the support vehicle. Last year Dr Davey rode a postie bike all the way around our vast country in just over six weeks on National Highway 1 and raised $56,000 for Soldier On which assists Defence and Veteran personnel who suffer mental trauma from conflict. 

This year they will head north from Nowra and travel to Brisbane and onto Rockhampton. 

There, the intrepid duo will hang a left and travel to Mt Isa, Camooweal and then Katherine. They will continue west to Broome. This will be followed by the long trek down the coast of Western Australia all the way to Perth, Esperance then up to Norseman. The vast Nullabor Plain is next, followed by Adelaide and Melbourne. The pair will then journey up the Hume Highway and arrive back in Nowra on Tuesday October 10. 

Dr Davey will wear a Where’s Wally costume as will Mrs Davey. People with a mental illness often hide in plain sight like Wally and won’t seek professional help. Their message to sufferers is plain and simple; if you suffer an illness don't hide, instead start a conversation. That is the pathway to healing. Talk to someone, preferably a medical professional and learn healthy ways to both think and act. Seeking help is not a sign of weakness, but one of strength. 

Dr Davey is ex-military and suffered PTSD, so the odyssey is personal for him and is one of the main reasons why he is passionate about helping others.  

This isn't the first time he has ridden a pushbike around Australia, having done so in 2014 for the Kids With Cancer Foundation, raising $51,000.

Follow this year's ride at www.apostieride4ptsd.com.au and join the public Facebook group https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiq2IOmtMz_AhWQHHAKHT7ZD8gQFnoECA8QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fgroups%2F354733530134352%2F&usg=AOvVaw1R-NCqrxmeXBBZiCNtLRjN&opi=89978449 where there are plenty of photos and videos.