From the Principal

Behaviour Expectations

When great things are happening and we are feeling good about a particular situation or event, we often say ‘God is good and faithful’.

Last week, we had the wonderful opportunity of hosting 92 people at Northern for our Gold Members Lunch. These people have supported Christian Schools Tasmania in so many ways for a very long time. Our Choir did a wonderful job and our School Captains and Vice Captains were great ambassadors for our school as they sat and talked with the Gold Members. We heard some great stories from Malcolm Lacey about the early days and how hard it was at times. As I listened to Malcolm speak about God’s continued faithfulness, I was in awe of the way God is good and has blessed us. This also got me thinking…do we also find ourselves saying, ‘God is good and faithful’ when we encounter burdens and hardships?

We love sharing good news stories, however, we need to ensure we have a balanced and honest picture of Northern and share some of the hard and sad realities of our ‘messed-up-ness’. The late Martin Hanscamp, a giant in Christian education, highlights the importance of remembering that God’s hand (even blessing) is also there when we have to address our school’s fallenness. We have to be honest and recognise when we fall short. Only then can we begin to take steps to do better; to be God’s redeeming agents.

In the past week, I have reflected on some of the areas in which we haven’t done so well. I observed some students not looking after the school by throwing their rubbish on the ground and answering back to the teacher when asked to pick it up, a student not thanking the Teacher Aide when they had asked for their shoelaces to be tied, and students not greeting or thanking the school bus drivers. We know poor behaviour; bad and distressful behaviour, is nothing new. Back in 500 BC, Socrates, when reflecting on the young people of Athens at the time, said:

Youth today love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority, no respect for older people, and talk nonsense when they should be working.

It's hard work going against the culture in our society where there isn’t a big emphasis placed on values like good manners, respect, selflessness and serving others. At Northern, we need to continue to critique ourselves by asking how we might better communicate our expectations and boundaries. I would value your comments and thoughts as we continue seeking ways of doing better. Please feel free to chat with your child’s teacher, contact me personally, or use our feedback form. There are many ways that schools have set and maintained standards of behaviour. I am so thankful that discipline at Northern doesn’t have to be maintained through ‘strong-arm tactics’, and that we can work in partnership with parents, carers and students on behaviour issues.

We are working hard to ensure that our new core values of ‘Faith, Hope and Love’ define our school culture for students, staff and families. As I have reflected on the value of ‘Love’ this past week, I have looked at how we are called to love others deeply and put others before ourselves. I am thankful that we have a loving God who blessed us even with, and through, our challenges of poor behaviour. Through this blessing, we are encouraged to critique our weaknesses and seek to bring about redeeming actions to the way we behave.

Bethany Armstrong - Principal

NAPLAN results for Years 3 and 5 students will be sent home to parents and carers this week.

School Calendar

TERM 3

Week 9: September 13 - September 17

Monday | School Banking
Monday | Whole School Photo Shoot, please ensure your child is in
the correct uniform.
Tuesday | Year 5 Orienteering Excursion
Wednesday | 1-2-3 Magic Parent Course: Session 2, 6.00pm - 8:30pm
Thursday | Grandparent’s Day from 10.45am - 12.00pm (Prep to Year 6)
Friday | Krispy Kreme Orders due via QKR!
Friday | Subway Lunch - Order via QKR! before Thursday 9.00am
Friday | Little Learners Term 3 Calendar

Last Day of TERM 3 - Friday, 24 September
First Day of TERM 4 - Monday, 11 October & Year 5/6 Camp begins.(Information coming home soon.)

A list of Term Dates for 2021 can be found on our Parents Page and also on the School Calendar.

Year 1 Update

Year 1 are having a wonderful Term 3. During the last few weeks, we have been reflecting on the different events and activities we have experienced so far. The students had a wonderful time participating in the Book Week Parade and Drive-in Cinema. To help us clearly organise and reflect on our experiences, we have been writing recounts. The students have been practising using time-sequencing words, such as ‘first’, ‘next’ and ‘later’ as well as including the detail from our memories. As part of this, the students are utilising our current Visible Learning focus of a writing checklist to ensure that they have included all of the important aspects of recounts. The students are encouraged to reflect on their writing, using the checklist, and making choices about what they could do to improve their work. 

School Council Fundraising

Term 4 - No Hat, No Play

Teaching Positions

From the Office

Entering Campus

Parents and carers are not to enter classrooms between 9.00am – 3.00pm unless as a volunteer, signed in to the Office.

If you are simply dropping off or collecting your child before or after the start and end of the school day, there is no need to sign in; however, if you enter a classroom during drop off or pick up, please ensure you sign in using the COVID-19 Check In Tas App QR code at the entrance to the classroom prior to entering. (You only need to sign in once even if you enter additional classrooms.)

Parents and carers entering classrooms once the school day has started can be very distracting and unsettling. If you need to drop off or collect your child during class time, please visit the Office, and we will assist you. We will deliver items to classrooms and provide messages to students and staff.

All School Abseentees

For absentees please fill-out our Absentee Form OR email us before 9.30am.

• An SMS will be sent to parents for unexplained absences.

• Please ensure late students who arrive after 9.00am are signed in at the office.

• If students are leaving early they are required to be signed out at the office.

• A doctor’s certificate is required for more than three days’ absence.

• Please notify the office before 2.30pm for any messages your children need before leaving school.