Expressing Gratitude…

The past week has been truly exceptional, filled with students and staff recounting the real Christmas story, celebrating the growth and success of our students, and bidding farewell to our Year 6 students. As I drove home on Tuesday night, a wave of gratitude swept over me, and I thanked God for the incredible school year, our amazing students, our outstanding staff, and the supportive families who partner with us. It's been a special close to the school year as we celebrated together as a whole school community.

Reflecting on the concept of 'thankfulness,' I've been contemplating how our media and the world emphasise the importance of 'giving thanks.' Extensive research on gratitude suggests that expressing thanks contributes to increased happiness. A quick Google search on the benefits of being thankful leads to numerous articles affirming the various advantages of cultivating gratitude. Harvard Medical School found a strong and consistent association between gratitude and greater happiness. Gratitude not only fosters positive emotions but also enhances one's ability to savour good experiences, improve health, navigate challenges, and build robust relationships.

Today, stores like Kmart and Target are brimming with gratitude journals, underscoring society's awareness of the need to express thanks. Joe Carter, a prominent Christian author, points out that our gratitude often becomes individualistic, overlooking the communal nature of giving thanks - a collective acknowledgment directed towards God, the ultimate giver of every good and perfect gift.

James 1:17 reminds us, 'Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.'

As a community, take a moment to rejoice and collectively express gratitude to God for His faithfulness, recognising that apart from Him, we have nothing. As you celebrate Christmas with your loved ones, my prayer is that you'll reflect on and be reminded of God's love and faithfulness throughout this year. This holiday season, my thoughts and prayers extend to all our Northern families: those bidding farewell to Northern, and the new families joining us in 2024. May your Christmas celebration be an expression of human love and kindness and an opportunity to receive the boundless love of God once again.

Isaiah 9:6 beautifully encapsulates the real essence of Christmas, reminding us, 'For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.'

Can I please encourage you all to be reminded of this by reading the Christmas Story in Luke out loud as a family or watching The Who, What, Why, How of Christmas, and thank God for the greatest gift He has given us - Jesus?

I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude and profound appreciation to every student, staff member, parent, and family for their remarkable contributions, evident and behind the scenes, throughout 2023. We are immensely proud of our growth in so many spheres this year. To parents and carers, I express my gratitude for entrusting us with the privilege and honour of educating your children on this journey together. 

As we embark on the journey into 2024, Northern Christian School can do so with confidence, knowing that the same God who has empowered and upheld us for the past 30 years will continue to guide and sustain us in the future. 

Merry Christmas, and I look forward to seeing you all in 2024, ready for an incredible year!

Bethany Armstrong - Principal

The highlight for Year 5 this term was their participation in the FIRST Lego League Competition under the guidance of Mr Humphrey and Mr Lamont. As part of their Technology unit, the competition challenged the class to design, build, and program robots using Lego Spike technology. Our students worked tirelessly, researching, designing and innovating ways to help improve their hobbies. On competition day, our students demonstrated their skills and knowledge in other areas, including robot design, project presentation, and teamwork. They competed against their classmates, showcasing their creativity, problem-solving abilities, and technical skills. Our student’s hard work and dedication paid off, as they received high scores in all categories and were awarded with prizes in the competition.

In English this term, as well as creating a PowerPoint presentation and honing their public speaking skills by presenting before judges at the Lego competition, Year 5 have also learned about the ‘Biography’, as a text type. We learned about the features of this text type by reading biographies of some significant individuals. Year 5 were then challenged to interview someone they knew so that they could write their biography. Many students chose to write about a grandparent or older family member. As well as learning how the world has changed since Nan or Pop were at school, many students also expressed in their writing a strong appreciation for all that these extended family members do for them.

In Mathematics, the class have thrived using Maths Pathway, with strong and consistent test results throughout the year. This program allows students to work independently on those areas where they have gaps in their knowledge. Many students have demonstrated growth of over a year’s worth of knowledge and for some it was up to 2 years, so it was only fitting that they be rewarded with a class party. We played Mathematics games and enjoyed pizza.

I wish Year 5 all the best as they move into their final year of schooling.

Jackie Baines - Year 5 Teacher

In 2024, Miss Andrea Marks will be available for private instrumental music tuition, to be held at Northern Christian School during school hours. Lessons will be available on the following instruments:

• Piano

• Guitar

• Beginner Violin

• Flute*

• Clarinet*

The cost is $27 per half-hour lesson, once a week during school terms.

To book your child’s lesson, please complete this form or contact Andrea Marks (amarks@emmanuel.tas.edu.au) directly to book lessons or discuss the possibility of lessons on clarinet, flute or another instrument.

*Flutes and clarinets are not provided by the school for lessons. Should you wish to learn these instruments, you will be required to bring your own instrument. For all other instruments, students may use the school instruments for lessons; however, having their own instrument to practise with outside of the lesson time would be beneficial, and they are welcome to bring their own instrument for lessons.

Please book in early, as spaces fill up quickly.

Earlier this term, I had the opportunity to sit down with some student leaders and a parent to review our Safeguarding Children and Young People Statement. During this meeting, we looked over our Statement and Code of Conduct. The purpose of this was to receive feedback on the clarity of the documents. We also looked at where there might be gaps or missing information.

From our meeting, it was great to know that everyone who participated agreed with the Statements overall. There was a proposal for some minor wording changes to help make some parts a bit clearer, which we will consider in the future. Thank you to everyone who was a part of this process.

Samuel Whittle - Pastoral Care Coordinator

This is a friendly reminder that each family has received a complimentary copy of 'Raising Tech-Healthy Humans' by Daniel Sih. We encourage you to take a moment during the holidays to delve into this book (a very short book). With practical tips and a concise approach, it's a valuable resource for navigating the digital landscape and fostering a healthy relationship with technology within your family. We hope you find this book a helpful read and companion in raising tech-healthy children.

This term, the Student Representative Council (SRC) supported St Vincent de Paul in helping them to provide emergency relief packs for needy families and individuals. Thank you to everyone who has generously donated items and money. We have been overwhelmed by your thoughtfulness, compassion, and generosity and it was a wonderful demonstration of intentionally showing kindness to the wider community. The donated food was picked up by Vinnies last week.

Student Representative Council