Wise words with...

Welcome back to Term 3

‘Meanwhile, the word of God spread, and there were many new believers.’ 

Acts 12:24 (NIV)

Welcome to the first edition of NCS Bytes for Term 3. Although the term is officially only one week old for most of our students, many exciting events have already occurred. Without doubt, one of these has been the important announcement made by Mr Paul Dickinson (Board Chair) to our NCS community on Monday of this past week. In this announcement, Mr Dickinson informed us that Mr Graeme Jolliffe has been appointed as our new NCS principal, commencing at the beginning of the 2023 school year. A personal greeting from Mr Jolliffe and a letter from Mr Dickinson have been circulated to all school families. I am confident that you will join with me in extending our congratulations to Mr Jolliffe as he and his wife Karen prepare to make the move to Nowra from Casino Christian School where he is currently serving as Principal.

We have also been delighted to welcome Mr Nathan Asher to our NCS staff team as he has now taken on the important role of Head of Secondary School. Mr Asher commenced with us at the beginning of our July Conference Week. He has settled in exceptionally well and we are very much looking forward to the many gifts and talents that he will bring to our school community.

In my recent ‘Welcome Back’ letter, I mentioned that, for staff and our HSC students, the term was already well underway. This has seen our staff participating in the July Conference Week and HSC students returning to complete ‘line days’ for a number of their subjects.

The Friday of our Staff Conference Week saw approximately 50 of our NCS teachers and support staff travelling to participate in the ATICS staff professional development conference that was held at Southern Highlands Christian School. ‘ATICS’ stands for the Association of Teachers in Christian Schools in the Illawarra. This gathering brought together an estimated 250 teachers and support staff from the five Christian schools that comprise the ATICS group. It was a most encouraging event and I would like to share a few reflections in relation to this conference in the rest of my Bytes article.

Due to the impacts of COVID, we have been unable to meet together in this way for the past two years. Consequently, it was very special for all involved to be able to enjoy some rich Christian fellowship through music, song and prayer, as well as to engage in practical professional development discussions. We were also challenged through stimulating presentations by our two keynote speakers with opportunities provided to ask questions from the floor at the conclusion of these talks.

I was greatly encouraged to sit in the audience, surrounded by so many committed Christian teachers and support staff. Their obvious enthusiasm for their profession and their desire to serve the students who they teach to the best of their ability was extremely encouraging. Near the commencement of the day, those who were attending their very first ATICS conference were asked to put their hands up. Many hands were raised in response. 

For me, as I complete my final year in the world of Christian schooling, the many raised hands were of particular significance. It made me acutely aware that the future of Christian education is being built on solid foundations. As I looked around the auditorium, I sensed a youthful enthusiasm and a professional readiness to engage in this important calling. As parents and carers who have chosen to place your children in a Christian school community, I wish to assure you that the educational futures of your children are in secure hands.

The focus verse from Acts 12:24 that I have chosen for my article is actually the key verse that was highlighted on our ATICS conference program. We are living in an increasingly secular world where many do not share or value a Christian worldview. That is one of the major reasons why our Christian school movement is so important. Nowra Christian School, as is the case for the many Christian schools located throughout our nation, has the task of faithfully sharing the word of God through the provision of a distinctly Christian curriculum. It is also the desire of all NCS staff and every ATICS staff member who attended this conference that, through our teaching programs, ‘many new believers’ will come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour.