Welcome to 2020!
A warm welcome to all the new students and their families to our school, we pray you will settle quickly into your new classes and school routines. I trust you also all had precious times with your family and friends in the holidays.
It was wonderful to see so many new and old faces on Monday and to see students’ excitement as they started the new school year. Many students had chatted to me about their holiday adventures. I am looking forward to hearing all about our students’ adventures over the holiday break during the first week back with chats in classrooms and the playground.
On Monday afternoon, I showed our student body a young plant in a pot that resides in my office. Students were asked to describe this plant. A few students said that the plant looked unhealthy, one student said that the plant was young and still growing. I pointed out to students that God wants us all to grow, not just in height, but in so many other areas and that we all have the potential to grow and flourish.
In Psalm 92:12 -15 it says, ‘the righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.’ I love this image of a palm tree used in Psalm 92.
At Northern Christian School, our deep hope is that all students will grow and flourish in 2020 and continue to be life-long learners. We also hope that our teachers will continue to learn and improve. This year our teachers are in different Professional Learning communities and they will be regularly meeting together to learn from each other. Our hope is also that all of our teachers will continue to deepen their learning, grow and improve their practices as Christian educators.
In the holidays, I had the opportunity to carefully analyse the academic growth achieved by our students and teachers in the last 12 months using data we have collected. Our data showed us that our students are making exceptional progress in key learning areas such as Reading, Comprehension, Spelling and Maths. One of the Key Priorities of the Christian Schools Tasmania strategic plan is that our school is delivering learning and teaching programs that enable every student to achieve at their optimum. I can confidently say that our students are flourishing in our learning environment that seeks to prepare and equip students for life, by providing the highest quality Christ-centred education.
At Northern Christian School our deep hope is to see growth, not just academically, as we also plan, prepare and pray for spiritual, emotional and social growth for each student. We want our students to see the world through God’s eyes (biblical lens) where Jesus’ love, power, and authority informs and guides all of life.
Parents and Caregivers play a vital role in helping their children to grow and flourish. I encourage you to attend our community events at school. Next Friday 14 February, we have our Welcome BBQ, Information Night, & Class Teacher Talks.
This is a wonderful opportunity for you to help your child grow and flourish by supporting and taking an interest in their learning. I encourage all parents and caregivers, to regularly chat with their children about what they are learning at school and to also share with them what you, as parents and caregivers, are learning. We hope that all members of our community will continue to be lifelong learners.
We pray that 2020 will be a year in which students, staff and families grow and flourish.
Miss Bethany Armstrong - Principal
