Unwrapping God's Gifts to us: Discovering, Sharing, and Celebrating His Blessings

Unwrapping gifts…I'm sure you've experienced those heartwarming moments when you've observed your children eagerly awaiting the arrival of their loved ones, anticipating the moment they can finally open their birthday presents. As parents, I’m guessing you have witnessed the joy and excitement in your children’s eyes as they patiently wait (which, to a child, can feel like an eternity) for this special moment. It's a scene filled with anticipation, not just for the receiving of the gifts but for the shared joy amongst family and friends. 

My nephew recently received a new basketball for his birthday. He was determined to assert ownership over the prized possession. Yet, it didn't take long for him to realise that sharing the basketball meant more fun and allowed the opportunity for a basketball game involving everyone. As I reflected on this beautiful memory of time spent with my family, I was reminded of the gifts and abilities God has given us all and how we are to share these gifts and abilities to serve God and others. 

There is a well-known verse from the book of James in the Bible:

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17.

James reminds his readers that every good and perfect gift comes from above - specifically, from the Father, whom James refers to as “the Father of the lights.” Because He is the Father of lights—of all that is good—there is no shadow with Him. He does not waiver or vary from His goodness. So, we can count on Him to be good and to provide us with good. We also know the perfect gift is the gift of Jesus Christ, which God has lavishly given us through His grace, of which we are so undeserving.

You may have heard your children discussing this Bible verse I shared at Line Up last week. To illustrate this verse, students were shown a number of beautifully wrapped gift boxes of different sizes and wrappings, reminding them that God has made each one of us unique. Yet, as we are all made in his likeness, God invites us to unwrap and discover the different gifts and abilities given to us that reflect His nature and character. I asked students, “What gifts has God given you?” And it was so encouraging to have so many students share the gifts that God has given them. “God has given me the gift to help people; God has given me a mind that loves to learn….I’ve been given good footy skills..” These were just some of the responses I received. I let our students know that God's gifts to us should be viewed as a blessing that turns us back to God. I concluded with this question for our students to ponder: “What do we learn about God from the gifts and abilities He has given us?” I’m looking forward to hearing the students’ responses to this soon.

'Unwrapping God's Gifts to us: Discovering, Sharing, and Celebrating' is our theme for 2024 and acts as a springboard for conversations and reflection with our students. From our Kinder to Year 6 students, the theme unites our community around a common idea grounded in spiritual truth. Our hope is that this theme encourages not just students but the whole school community to reflect on the many blessings and gifts that God has given them. It emphasises the importance of our students recognising, developing, and sharing these God-given gifts and abilities to serve God and others. Check out our recent Facebook post launching our 2024 theme.

Let us give thanks to God for our precious students and pray that they will discover, share and celebrate all God has designed and created them to be, growing their trust in God. Let us also pray that they will discern their unique God-given gifts and abilities and utilise them well.

Bethany Armstrong - Principal

Friday, 23 February 5.00pm - 7.00pm

Have you heard about Northern's Kite Festival? We warmly welcome Northern families to join us for this exciting event!

Kites will be provided for students to decorate with their parents and carers, or feel free to bring your own kites for a fun flying experience! It's also a fantastic opportunity to reconnect or make connections with new families and staff.

This free event takes to the air at Northern Christian School on the oval. There will also be a free barbecue from 5.30pm. For catering and parking purposes this event is for current students and their immediate families only.

We encourage you to bring your camping chairs or a picnic rug for your family to sit on.

We're excited to see you all at this event as we soar to new heights at Northern this year!

Parent App now available!

Available to all parents registered on Consent2Go, the Consent2Go Parent App is a powerful tool for parents to manage and update their child’s care information, approve excursions, and much more. To register, please follow the steps in this Information Flyer

Annual Review and Update of Student Details

On Tuesday, 30 January, you received an invitation to update your contact details and your child/ren’s health details via our online approvals system. Reminders were also sent to those who have yet to complete this process on Monday. 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 are 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 & Medical on our Parents Page.

The school year is well underway, and we’re looking forward to all that 2024 has in store for us. The initial weeks in Year 5 have been a mix of readjusting to the school routine and getting to know each other. Students decorated backpacks with fun facts about themselves, their likes and interests, and these have been hung in the room to help create better connections with each other.

Students are becoming familiar with the new programs we use in Years 5 and 6. As with anything new, there’s been some apprehension, but with each passing day, it’s heartening to witness students growing in confidence as they complete modules in Maths Pathway, or answer questions in Elementary Maths Mastery.

One of our first projects of the year was decorating our class jigsaw. Mr Humphrey utilised Emmanuel Christian School’s laser cutter to create a blank jigsaw puzzle. Each student was then given a piece to decorate with their portrait. The Learning Intention of this activity didn’t have an art focus at all - we were much more interested in ensuring that each student in Year 5 understood that they are a valuable ‘piece’ in the Year 5 puzzle. As with a regular jigsaw puzzle where every piece, whether on the edge or in the middle, is crucial to completing the picture, so is each student indispensable in completing the Year 5 ‘picture’.

We look forward to further exploring each student's contribution to the Year 5 picture as we delve into the school’s 2024 theme of discovering, sharing and celebrating the good gifts God has given us to help serve those around us.

Jackie Baines and Peter Humphrey - Year 5 Teachers

We have our first assembly for 2024 on Thursday, 29 March, at 2.15pm. Year 1 and Year 6 will be hosting, and it will include the commissioning of our 2024 Student Leadership Team (Bus Monitors, Sports Captains, Sports Vice Captains, School Captains, School Vice Captains and Student Representative Council). The Student Leadership Team will receive their badges, and we will pray for them as they lead the school in 2024. 

We warmly invite all Northern parents and carers to attend this special occasion.

We are looking at continuing our participation in this competition for the 2024 season. The competition runs during Term 2, with games held at Cornelian Bay on Saturday mornings. We aim to have teams represented in the three rosters: Prep-Year 2, Years 3/4 and Years 5/6.

We must meet the minimum player requirement to create the teams. We also need volunteers to assist with coaching and/or umpiring the teams.

A letter has been provided for students to bring home if they are interested. Students will need to have the form signed and returned to participate. If you require a copy of the letter to be emailed or sent home, please contact me.

Samuel Whittle - Hockey Coordinator

Meals on Wheels Easter Egg Drive

Providing a crucial role nationally in supporting the health and wellbeing of thousands of older Tasmanians each year, ‘Meals on Wheels’ visit and deliver meals to people who are elderly, live alone or are unable to make meals for themselves.

The SRC has chosen to support Meals on Wheels by providing Easter eggs, and encouraging messages and cards to help others in our wider community know that they are loved.

Donations of Easter eggs can be made to the Office until Friday, 22 March.

It is our goal to provide ‘Meals on Wheels’ with enough encouraging cards and Easter eggs to show our support to over 200 people. Please help us reach this goal.

Student Representative Council

If you have a child who is commencing Kinder in 2025 (born 2020), a completed Enrolment Application Form must be received at the office by Friday, June 28, 2024. Students must turn the age of 4 by December 31 2024, to be considered for Kinder 2025. A child will not be considered for enrolment without a completed Enrolment Application Form and supporting documentation being submitted. If you have any questions regarding Kinder 2025, or require an Enrolment Pack, please contact the Office.

We are always happy to take applications for future years, so get organised and submit your applications for 2025 and onwards…