Starting the year in prayer…

A warm welcome back to all our students and families!

It is with a great sense of anticipation and excitement that I write our Newsletter for the first time this year. I hope and pray that in the midst of the new school year nerves (and possibly tears or cheers), you are also expectant for a great year of schooling. The first few days of school have been fantastic. It is so nice having all the students and parents back again. The staff and I have been extremely proud of how our new students, and those who are returning, have happily settled into school life, eager to learn!

This year, we will be launching our new Strategic Plan. You may be asking, ‘What is a Strategic Plan?’ It is a document that details the goals and priorities to guide an organisation’s direction. Our Strategic Plan has been developed collaboratively by the Christian Schools Tasmania Board, the Executive Team and other key leaders of Christian Schools Tasmania as we build on our Mission and Vision to be a transformational Christian learning community by delivering quality Christian education to equip students for life. Much prayer and thought are directed towards writing the document to ensure we constantly improve while staying faithfully aligned to our core foundation.

I am excited about the outcomes we will experience as we enact the Strategic Plan over the next five years:

• New initiatives this year will focus on high-impact teaching strategies that are informed by research and data to continue to lift the academic standard.

• There will also be a strong focus on student voice and how we can support our student’s faith to flourish.

• The commencement of a new Community Engagement Committee will seek to strengthen partnerships between parents.

• Increased collaboration between all of Christian Schools Tasmania’s schools.

• A renewed and intentional focus on teaching the Australian Christian Curriculum and Early Years Learning Framework through a distinctively Christian worldview with transformational learning opportunities for students.

We will also celebrate 30 years of God's goodness and faithfulness to Northern Christian School during 2023. We have a 30 Year Celebration event planned, which will include hearing stories from those who built our school, in some cases literally with their bare hands! We're excited about the opportunities the year will bring for thankfulness and celebration as we look at the history and foundations of our school, built on the deep hope of knowing Jesus. Together, we look forward to building a bright future that will transform not just the lives of our students but the wider school community.

So as we commence another new school year, let us seek God in prayer. Last week, staff wrote down prayers, which are displayed on our Prayer Tree in the Administration Office. I would like to share a paraphrase of a beautiful prayer that was written by one of my past colleagues’ students, who is now a teacher himself, Daniel Broadstock:

“God of new things,
Bless all those who have returned to school this week.
Bless old students and new students.
Bless our founders, old parents and new parents.
Bless teachers, teacher aides, admin staff, chaplains, counsellor, Librarian, maintenance officer, CST staff, cleaners and bus drivers.
Bless the pattering of small feet in classrooms.
Bless the smell of new books and clean desks.
Bless the eager to learn and the anxious of heart.
Bless those who are slow to read and quick to calculate.
Bless the friendless and the unsure.
May there be good lessons learned, forgiveness quickly asked and given, patience sustained, character nurtured, hope inspired, and growth gained.
May we truly be a transformational Christian learning community where we are shaped by the gospel.
Through your spirit of new life, encircle our schools with hope, faith and love,

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”

Have a blessed week, and I hope to see you all at our Kite Festival!

May the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26

Bethany Armstrong - Principal

Friday, 24 February 5.00pm - 7.00pm

Have you caught wind of Northern's new Kite Festival?

Northern families are warmly invited to join us for this free event which takes to the air above the Oval. Kites will be provided for students to decorate with their parents and carers, or bring your own kites to fly! This is also a great opportunity for you to catch up together after the holidays and meet new families. There will also be a free sausage sizzle from 5.30pm. In consideration of parking and catering, this event is for current students and their immediate families only. There will be other events throughout the year for extended family to attend.

You can RSVP to this event via our Facebook event. We look forward to seeing you all at this event as we fly high at Northern!

Monday, 27 February and Tuesday, 28 February

We will be holding Parent / Teacher Talks for teaching staff to hear first-hand from you, the parents and carers, insights about your child so that a fuller picture of your child's development can be understood by our staff.

A short questionnaire has been prepared for students in Prep - Year 6 and Kinder. PRIOR to the meeting with the class teacher, please complete this form and return it via email to your class teacher. If you require a printed version, please contact the class teacher or collect from the Office.

The Talks will be held on Monday, 27 February and Tuesday, 28 February from 3.20pm - 6.00pm. Book your 15-minute time slot below for each child. The smooth running of this event relies on all parents keeping to the timetable. Please consider other parents and end on time. If you need more time with a particular teacher, arrange a separate meeting.

We are excited to welcome Mr James Roebuck as the Music Teacher for
Term 1. James has 25 years of teaching experience, recently as Head of Contemporary Music at Taroona High School. He is passionate and committed to Christian education and bringing excellence to Music.

Parents should now be aware that there has been a review of uniform standards in the school, with the two-year transition period finishing at the end of last year.

This year, we will be increasingly vigilant in alerting families to students who are not wearing the correct uniform or using the correct school bag. Our desire is to work with parents in partnership. However, it’s not possible to easily vary the uniform on the basis that an individual is unhappy with the interpretation of the guidelines.

Please be reminded that students in Years 3 - 6 will be required to wear the Formal Uniform on days other than PE (currently Fridays) when they can wear the Sports Uniform. Kinder to Year 2 students can wear any combination of the uniform items. All students are expected to use the Northern school bag.

Term 1 is ‘No Hat, No Play’ so please ensure your child’s hat is labelled clearly. Hats can be purchased from the Uniform Shop or via QKR!.

Uniform expectations are outlined in our Uniform Policy and Uniform Catalogue, which can be found on our website.

We desire that all students may be neatly presented in a consistent manner that represents to the wider community who we are as a school. Every child is an ambassador in the way they present themselves.

On Monday, 6 February, you should have received an invitation to update your contact details and your child/ren’s health details via our online approvals system. This system makes providing permission for school excursions and camps much easier than paper notes that get lost at the bottom of the bag.

As required at the start of each year, all parents/carers will be asked to confirm or update their personal information and their children's health data. New families will also be required to confirm their photography permission. This is due as soon as possible.

If you did not receive the invitation please contact the school to confirm your email address.

If you need to update any details for your child or yourself at any time throughout the year, please follow the links under Information and Medical on our Parents Page.

Student arrival time is strictly 8.30am onwards.

Please do not enter campus prior to this time. We expect all students to have arrived by 8.55am ready to start lessons at 9.00am.

There is no supervision available for students prior to 8.30am.

Upon arrival, students can go straight to the playground or their classroom.

We are very thankful that the Library, the Year 2 classroom, Year 4 classroom and STEM Lab have all been refurbished during the holidays.

We are excited that the roof is now built over the deck outside the Year 3 and STEM Lab classrooms, allowing us to use these areas as an outdoor learning space and providing much-needed shade for recess and lunch.

These spaces are looking refreshed, and we look forward to experiencing the learning opportunities these spaces will provide this year.

All students have access to computing devices. Years 3-6 students each have access to a laptop computer. Students in Kinder to Year 2 generally share a set of devices (iPads, desktop and laptop computers) within their classroom. Students may use these computers for learning activities during class and other specified hours. The computing devices and their usage are under the control of the class teachers. Inappropriate use may lead to a student losing access to their computing device.

Shortly, a copy of the Device and Internet Usage for Students policy will be sent home with Years 1 - 6 students. Students in Years 1 - 2 and Years 3 - 6 who would like access to the internet and devices at Northern must complete the appropriate Student User Agreement, and parents and carers must also sign the Parent/Carer Consent form. The completed form must be returned to the class teacher either via scan and email or printed copy.

These policies can be found on our Parents Page on our website.

We value reading very highly, and the benefits of reading are immeasurable. Our hope is that our students will develop a love of reading. To encourage this, we will continue our '100 Nights of Reading' initiative. Thank you to parents and students who participated in this last year. We had some students who even completed 250 nights of reading! It is wonderful to see students’ love of reading grow!  

In 2023, all students are again encouraged to take this challenge on.

Kinder to Year 6 students who complete '100 Nights of Reading’ will receive a book of their choice.

Teachers will be sending out more information shortly about reading logbooks

We hope our students will continue to read at school, and at home, and learn to love reading!

Subway lunches are available on Fridays.

They offer individually prepared packs for students that include a 6-inch Sub or Gluten-Free Wrap (extra $1.00) and a juice or water. Add a cookie for an extra $0.50.

Orders must be placed via QKR! App by 9.00am Thursday for delivery Friday and can be ordered in advance.

If you have any questions, please contact us