All students and their families are warmly invited to our Term 2 Welcome Back Afternoon on Friday, 6 May from 3.30pm - 5.00pm. Students will be showcasing their 'Let Your Light Shine' artwork in the PAC and there will be a coffee van and ice cream van for us to enjoy! You can RSVP via our Facebook event.

Mothers and mother-figures are warmly invited to join Northern Christian School students for a relaxed casual Mothers' Day morning from
8.00am - 9.00am on Monday, 9 May. This will be a special time for our students with the adult women in their lives, be it Mum, big sister, Grandmother, Aunty or a family friend. It will include a muffin and a barista-made coffee or hot choc to be held outside on our Performing Arts Centre Green! You can RSVP via our Facebook event.

School Photos - Monday 23 May

Class, individual and family photos will be taken on Monday 23 May.

Please be reminded there will be no cash option for payment this year, so please feel free to start ordering your photos online.

All INDIVIDUAL orders must be in by 4.30pm Friday 3 June 

All FAMILY orders must be in by 4.30pm on Sunday 22 May

Any family who misses the family cutoff but wishes to still have a photo taken on the day will incur a $20 late fee and will be able to order this photo through the second chance system. 

Individual and Family Photo packages can be ordered via the Leading Image Website using the same access key ZJPD3P49

Next week the Year 3 and 5 students will be participating in the National Assessment Program- Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests that are held every year. NAPLAN provides the government, staff and parents with the opportunity to see how our students are going compared to those of a similar age in other schools.

NAPLAN, and other similar tests, provide students with the opportunity to challenge themselves. As it is a standardised assessment, very little help or support can be given to students. This means they need to rely on their own skills to persevere even when they find the task challenging. Although this can be uncomfortable, it is our hope that students will be proud of what they do achieve and how they worked through the tasks.

Completing NAPLAN assessments also provides students with the opportunity to develop their testing skills. Strategies like rereading a question, coming back to the problems they are unsure of and selecting the best guess are all important skills that students will need in the future. Having the opportunity to learn about these and practise them within an assessment is valuable.

NAPLAN also provides us as a school with data that informs our teaching. When we look at how our students have performed, we are able to see areas of strength and things we need to focus on more. NAPLAN, along with other assessments, helps guide the programs and lessons we plan.

Although there are multiple benefits to NAPLAN, there are some areas of weakness within the test. As NAPLAN happens infrequently (once every two years), it shows what a student can do at a certain point in time, not how much they have improved within those years. This is one of the most wonderful parts of teaching - seeing the progress that students make. As a school, we use other assessments to measure this growth.

NAPLAN also has a limited scope of what is assessed. Although reading, writing and numeracy skills are very important, there are other skills, gifts and talents that we want to see in our students. At Northern, we hope to encourage the holistic development of each child. This means supporting their academic growth, inspiring their creative and athletic endeavours and developing their character. NAPLAN can only assess the first of these.

Leading up to and during the NAPLAN assessments, it is normal for your child to be nervous. Although we prepare them with some examples of what the assessments will be like, they may still feel unsure. You can help support them by talking about the benefits of the process and how to do their best but also celebrating the gifts they have in other areas. The extra attention and focus required may also mean they need extra time to relax.

Claire Gardner - Teaching and Learning Coordinator

Just a friendly reminder that we are currently in a transition period for some school uniform items, with a commitment to implement the Formal and Sports uniform guidelines for Years 3-6 in 2023 as outlined in our Uniform Policy. Hoodies, pinafores, polar fleece jackets and school leggings may continue to be worn only until the end of 2022. School leggings are to only be worn on the designated Physical Education day on a Friday. Please note: the plain navy leggings and the old red and blue check-style dress cannot be worn.

Nails: Only clear nail polish may be worn on fingernails. Fake nails or coloured polish are not permitted.

Socks: School socks and stockings should be navy. Please ensure your child wears socks or stockings with their shoes every day and that they do not contain any logos, cartoon characters or patterns.

Black Footwear: All students from Prep to Year 6 are required to wear black enclosed shoes such as a leather school shoe or sneaker. Please note, students are permitted to wear sport sneakers on Fridays for their Physical Education lesson. We are aware that some students are already wearing predominantly black shoes. When purchasing your child their next new pair of school shoes, please ensure that they are black. 

Hats and Beanie: Students are to wear the bucket hats and beanies sold by the Uniform Shop. No other hats or beanies are to be worn.

For a full list of uniform items and prices please refer to the Uniform Catalogue on the Parents Page on our website.

Finally, after some COVID delays, we took delivery of some new raised garden beds half way through last term. The fantastic weather allowed students to dive quickly into establishing some plants. We have enjoyed planting a number of seeds including spinach, carrots, beetroot, broccoli, parsley, leek and garlic, with room for a few more as we head into the colder months. Students have cared for these seeds by watering them each day. A number of students have been enthusiastic about the carrots and beetroots, sharing their favourite ways they like to eat them. On the other hand, broccoli and spinach may take a little convincing to try!

We also were able to establish our wonderful Subpod which allows us to compost food scraps from the entire school. We have discussed the importance of adding both nitrogen (green) and carbon (brown) ingredients to the subpod, along with a balance of moisture and air for the mixture to break down. Even in the short timeframe we have been able to witness the changes in the food scraps as they begin to break down and feel the rise in temperature given off by the compost.

Dan Meehan - Chaplain

From the Office