"What is transformation? What does the Bible say about transformation? What is our aspiration for transformation at Northern and what does that look like?" These are just a few of the questions we are exploring as a staff this year.

We hear and see the word ‘transformation’ numerous times a day in our digitally-saturated world, where we are promised some sort of miraculous transformation. You only have to spend a few minutes on Facebook to see an advertisement in your news feed promising you that if you “take this pill, your fat will miraculously disappear, and your body will be transformed”. This promise, whilst providing initial hope to the reader, often results in a lack of actual transformation. Today, I'm going to unpack the word ‘transformational’ from a Christian worldview, where you will see the biblical promise of transformation can produce an actual change for those who place their hope in Jesus.

In Romans 12:1-2, we read: "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

You may have already heard your children singing the above verses from Romans 12:1-2, which were introduced to students at Line-Up this week. In these verses, Paul challenges us to take everyday life - eating, sleeping, going to work, and walking around - and place it before God as an offering. Paul warns us against being so conditioned by our culture that we fit into it without thinking. Paul also challenges us to hone our discernment and not be blinded by the cultural and personal context or “…be led by every sweep of doctrine that swings our way” (Christian Education National).

This year, our theme is ‘Transforming our Heads, Hearts, and Hands’. Based on the teachings in Romans 12:1-22, this theme will form our 2023 school direction as we continue to grow as a school community. Importantly, I would like to emphasise the importance of transformation not being a one-off event. The "don't" and "be" in Romans 12:1-2 are dual commands showing us that transformation is ongoing and that God is the one who does the transformational work in our hearts.

In 2023, we hope and pray that we continue to earnestly partner with parents and carers in transformational learning that develops the mind, captivates the heart, and equips the hand, encouraging students to be curious and courageous to explore God's world and live out the hope of Jesus Christ.

Bethany Armstrong - Principal

Assemblies are back!

We have our first assembly for 2023 on Thursday, 2 March. Year 1 and Year 6 will be hosting, and it will include the commissioning of our 2023 Student Leadership Team (Bus Monitors, Sports Captains, Sports Vice Captains, School Captains, School Vice Captains and Student Representative Council) at our Assembly at 2.15 pm. The Student Leadership Team will receive their badges, and we will pray for them as they lead the school in 2023.

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

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!

Parent / Teacher Talks

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.

Science is awesome, because God is AWESOME!

Who says science and God don't mix! We have been learning about what causes night and day. This has involved discussion around where the sun goes at night time, making scale models of the solar system on the Oval with balls representing the sun, moon and earth, and even viewing live pictures of Earth from NASA's International Space Station (ISS)!

As we saw the footage of Earth from space, including oceans, mountains, deserts, clouds, sunsets, outlines of countries and whole continents, we couldn't help but be in awe of how beautiful Earth looked. While the ISS seems to glide peacefully above the earth, the students were amazed to find out that it was actually travelling at a tremendous speed, over 27,000 km/h!

One of the reasons why learning about science can be so interesting and amazing, is because of the One who made it all - our God. As we study his creation, we see that it reflects his own creativity and awesomeness!

"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:31

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19:1

Mr William Davis - Year 3 Teacher

Harmony Day 2023 - Unique Socks Day

Harmony Week (March 21 - March 27, 2022) celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity. It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.

On Tuesday, 21 March, we will be holding Unique Socks Day as part of our Harmony Day celebrations. Students may come to school wearing unique, crazy or colourful socks as we remember to celebrate our differences. We will celebrate Harmony Day together during Line Up.

Elissa Goodfellow

Fiona Lockett

Liz Wilson

Farewell

It is with great sadness that we will be farewelling our Kinder Aide, Jane Edler, in early March. Jane has always had a heart for quality Christian education in the Northern suburbs. The Edler family is a founding family of Northern, with Jane's children being some of the first students at Northern. Jane and her husband, Simon, were instrumental in the planning and establishment of Northern Christian School. Jane has faithfully and passionately served the school in many ways over the last 30 years. I'm sure your children and yourselves have been blessed with Jane's kindness, dedication and care when they were in Kinder.

We pray for Jane and her husband Simon in this new season, where they can spend precious time with their children and grandchildren and explore God's amazing creation. Jane ensures that she will continue to be a 'face' at Northern and looks forward to supporting Northern in new ways.

Thank You!

Thank you to students, parents and carers for your support and diligence with uniforms this year. It is wonderful to see the pride displayed by our students when they are wearing the correct uniform. Thank you again for your immense support in ensuring your child is wearing the correct uniform.

A friendly reminder about the following uniform expectations:

Jewellery: Students are permitted to wear one pair of earrings (1 earring in each earlobe) of either the sleeper or stud variety. No dangling earrings are permitted.

Other permitted jewellery: Students may wear one watch, one discreet chain necklace (gold or silver in colour), which must be tucked in, one bracelet (gold or silver in colour) and one ring on their finger/thumb (gold or silver in colour).

Hair: Hairbands and clips are to be in navy, red, aqua, black or natural hair colour. Hair that is long enough to be tied back, must be.

Nails: Clear nail polish may be worn. Fake nails are not permitted.

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.