Safeguarding Students at Northern…

At Northern Christian School, we acknowledge our responsibility to God and our duty of care for every precious student. As Jesus reminds us in Matthew 18:1-5, children hold a special place in His kingdom:

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.’"

With this guiding truth, we strive to provide a safe and nurturing environment where children can flourish. Our highest priorities are the health, safety, and wellbeing of all children and young people, and we remain committed to safeguarding them through our Safeguarding Children & Young People policies and statements.

This year, we have implemented key recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which ran from 2012 to 2017. This significant inquiry allowed victims to share their stories, resulting in widespread reforms, particularly within the education sector, to ensure the needs of children come first. One of the major outcomes of the Royal Commission has been increased formal training for staff and volunteers, as well as the strengthening of codes of conduct, risk assessments, and mandatory reporting processes. These measures help ensure that child safety remains central to all we do.

Tasmania’s Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework

In addition, as part of Tasmania’s response to the Royal Commission, we have adopted the Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework, which became mandatory for schools in 2024. This framework includes ten Child Safe Standards and a Universal Principle of Cultural Safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, further enhancing our commitment to safeguarding all students.

Our Commitment to Child Safety

In the coming weeks, Christian Schools Tasmania’s Compliance and Resources Manager, Angela Gurney, and our Pastoral Care Coordinator, Samuel Whittle, will meet with parents and students to complete our annual review of our Child Safeguarding Statement.

More recently, we discussed our Child Safeguarding Statement with students during Line Up, and we were encouraged by how clearly they expressed the importance of feeling comfortable, cared for, and safe. As a school, we continue to promote child safety proactively. This includes participating in the Day for Daniel initiative, integrating child safety education into our classes, and hosting the Bravehearts ‘Ditto’ Program for our younger students each year. Additionally, we have placed child-friendly 'Who do I talk to when...' and 'If I ever feel unsafe, uncomfortable, upset, or have a problem...' posters around the school. These posters and an online complaint form provide accessible ways for students to seek help.

We would like to express our gratitude for your ongoing support and feedback as we work to maintain a safe and supportive learning environment for our students, staff, and families. Your input is invaluable to us. If you have any thoughts, concerns, or suggestions regarding our Child Safeguarding initiatives, please don’t hesitate to email us or chat with us directly. Together, we are committed to continuing the journey of safeguarding every precious student in our care.

Bethany Armstrong - Principal

Our Mustard lunchtime groups have had a fantastic year, as we have all had our faith challenged, stretched, and nurtured. Last year, Northern launched its first Mustard group for the year 5 and 6 students as an opt-in group for any student who wished to explore life and faith a little further.  

 In March, we were blessed to have Dan Warlow share his musical talents with us, entertaining students with a show and the gospel message. Dan extended the invitation for students from different grades to join a Mustard group, and from here, 2 new groups were formed, with Mustard now offered to students from Year 1 to Year 6.

This year, we have explored what Jesus taught us about himself and how we should live through the parables he told us.  We have journeyed through some Psalms that show us how loved we are and how well God knows each of us, and recently, we have been exploring what it means to live out the fruits of the Spirit in our everyday lives.

It is such a blessing to see the spiritual growth of the students who attend and the confidence they are gaining in sharing the good news of Jesus with their friends.

Dan Meehan - Chaplain

As detailed in our Uniform Policy, and in line with our recognition as a SunSmart School, all students and staff must wear a hat when outside during Term 4. If students aren’t wearing a hat they will be asked to sit on the undercover deck.

The School’s bucket hat must be purchased from the Uniform Shop either via the Qkr! App or from the Office for $15.

Prep - Year 6 Athletics Carnival
Friday, 15th November

The 2024 Athletics Carnival is for all students from Prep to Year 6.

We aim to hold the running races in the morning between 9.30am and 11.00am and field events after recess. However, we do not have a set schedule for events and run the activities according to the organisational requirements on the day. Therefore, we are unable to provide families with specific times for events and encourage families to attend for the whole day.

Students must wear Sports uniform or clothing in their house colour suitable for participating in sports events. Teachers will remind students of their house colour prior to the event.

We welcome parent help on the day, especially for the class field events. If you are available to help, please let the class teacher know.

Parents and families are welcome to attend this event to support the students throughout the day. Some seating will be provided; however, feel free to bring your own chair or picnic blanket.

This is always a great day of encouragement, fun and achievement, so we look forward to welcoming everyone.

Peter Humphrey - Physical Education Teacher

Community Engagement Committee Hosting Lunch

The Community Engagement Committee will be hosting lunch for students at the Athletics Carnival. Hot Dogs are $4.00. Orders must be placed via the QKR! app by 4.00pm on Wednesday, 13th November. No late orders will be accepted and no cash on the day. Families are also welcome to order hotdogs by simply adding names to the order.

Please note all students will be provided with a free Zooper Dooper. 

We would love some help with serving the lunch from 12.40pm onwards. Please email the Community Engagement Committee if you would like to help.

Community Engagement Committee

During Term 4, the Student Representative Council (SRC) will help our community by supporting St Vincent de Paul to provide emergency relief packs for needy families and individuals.

Our support of the ‘Vinnies Christmas Appeal’ this year means we can help individuals and families struggling with increased living costs experience more joy, dignity and hope.

Donated items can be placed under the tree in the Office. We are asking families to contribute specific food items over a four-week period that we will deliver to Vinnies. The dates and items to be donated will be as follows: 

Week Beginning Monday, 11 November:

• Cans of Big’N Chunky Soup (535g)

• Long Life (UHT) milk (1 litre)

• Tinned Fruit

Week Beginning Monday, 18 November:

• Jars of pasta sauce

• Pasta

• Long-life juice

Week Beginning Monday, 25 November:

• Breakfast cereals

• Tim Tams

Week Beginning Monday, 2 December:

• Biscuits

• Spreads – jam, Vegemite

• Shampoo/conditioner

• Christmas pudding

The SRC will organise a fundraising activity to donate money to purchase additional food. There will be more details about this in the coming weeks.

Thank you again for your support.

Student Representative Council (SRC) 

Reporting Concerns About the Safety or Wellbeing of a Child

The Strong Families Safe Kids Advice and Referral Line is the first point of contact for concerns regarding child wellbeing and safety. If you are worried about a child’s safety or wellbeing, you can contact the Advice and Referral Line at 1800 000 123.

Key information:

• Anyone can contact the Advice and Referral Line.

• You will talk to a person with experience in child wellbeing and safety.

• They will provide the right support for the best outcomes for children and their families.

What is the Advice and Referral Line?

The Advice and Referral Line is a shared network of support.

They help with early intervention by providing the right support to families. This supports better outcomes for children and their families.

Tasmania’s Advice and Referral Line is one-of-a-kind in Australia. They bring together a range of support services across government and non-government.

Who can I call?

Anyone with a concern about the safety and wellbeing of a child can contact the Advice and Referral Line. This includes:

• parents and children who need help

• concerned relatives, friends or neighbours

• mandatory reporters.

As a parent, if you’re very stressed and think your child may be at risk of harm because of this, calling us is one of the best things you can do.

What happens when I call?

You will be talking to a person with experience in child wellbeing and safety. They have the best interests of the child at heart. They will:

• talk to you about the situation

• answer your questions

• give you information or advice

• if needed, arrange a referral to a service which can best meet the needs of the child.

More information

To learn more, visit the Advice and Referral Line website.