Where am I going? How am I going?
Where to next? …

 At Northern Christian School, Visible Learning is an embedded and consistent practice from Kinder to Year 6. A consistent approach to Visible Learning improves teacher practice and student learning.

Our desire is for all students at Northern Christian School to show and make significant progress every year, and exhibit the characteristics of a learner. Our hope is that students understand what they are learning, how they are going, and where they will go next, and can interpret their assessment results and act on this understanding. This year, teachers have a renewed focus on giving meaningful feedback to our students about their learning. For this to happen, teachers and students focus on three questions in relation to student learning:

• Where am I going?

• How am I going?

• Where to next?

It is very likely that you have seen these displayed in our classrooms. What is the purpose of feedback? The main purpose of feedback is to provide the students with an opportunity to close the gap between where they currently are in their learning and where they need to be.

It is also important that the teachers do not simply focus on praising or commenting on the student when giving feedback. The feedback should always focus on the task at hand or the way in which the student worked through the learning process. An example of this can occur when a student is unable to read a word. The feedback provided by the teacher can focus on both the student and the teacher exploring the question, ‘Where am I going?’, and working together to encourage the student to use different strategies to solve the problem, rather than the student just thinking about if they got it right or wrong. Overall, feedback provides students with a clear understanding of where they are on a particular learning journey. It is also beneficial because when students understand where their learning is and where they need to improve, they can have increased motivation because they understand the journey they are on. It can also help produce a sense of pride when they have made the suggested improvements.

We pray that our students will continue to have many rich learning opportunities where feedback is given to help them improve, where they will increase in their responsibility of learning whilst exploring God’s world and living out the hope of Christ.

Claire Gardner - Teaching and Learning Coordinator

We have had a busy and exciting term so far in Year 3. We visited the South Hobart Rivulet Track with the Year 6 class for the Talk-And-Walk-A-Thon. As the students walked along the track they were given conversation cards to discuss with their peers. It was great to see students starting conversations and building friendships, as well as working on their social skills and making new connections. The wonderful scenery and seeing two platypuses in the rivulet were another highlight!

In Science, students learned how scientists split animals into different groups based on their observable features. This unit has also fit in well with starting Forest School, where students have been learning to safely explore the different plants and animals in the bush surrounding our school.

In Visual Art, we have been having fun making comic books with the Year 6 class. Thanks Mr Lamont and the Year 6’s for your help!

Finally, it has been wonderful to see the Year 3’s taking on board our school’s focus of Kindness. Over the last few weeks, they have been writing ‘Kindness Letters’ to encourage one another!

Will Davis - Year 3 Teacher

At the end of 2021, we will be saying farewell to Miss Andrea Marks as she moves to Emmanuel Christian School to teach music.

We would like to publicly acknowledge and honour Miss Marks for the wonderful work she has done at our school over the past 10 years to ensure that we have a high-quality Music program. She started a Junior and Senior Band, Junior and Senior Choir and a Marimba group, and has also played an instrumental role with Travel To Bethlehem. We thank God for the way that Miss Marks has led music at Northern in many unseen and significant ways.

We are thrilled to announce that Mr Alan Lawson has been appointed as the Deputy Principal and the Head of The Arts (Music and Drama) for 2022.
As Deputy Principal, Mr Lawson will be assisting with leading and supporting students, staff and families and will focus on the following areas:

• Pastoral care

• Student management

• Building community

Some of you have already met Mr Lawson, and I am expecting that you have already noticed his kindness and how he genuinely cares for others. We are so thankful to God that He has brought Mr Lawson to serve at Northern. His experience working with children, school leadership in Christian schools and his passion for The Arts will be a positive addition to Northern.

I have had a few parents contact me in the last week about the appointment of a Deputy Principal. Please be assured that it is my absolute privilege and joy to be continuing to serve as Principal of Northern Christian School and I am looking forward to Mr Lawson serving alongside me.

2022 Teaching Team

I am pleased to announce the 2022 Teaching Team:

Kinder - Samuel Whittle
Prep - Mrs Adrienne Bitt (and Mrs Kim Holmes 1 day a week)
Year 1 - Miss Claire Gardner (and Mr Peter Humphrey 1 day a week)
Year 2 - To be announced 
Year 3 - Mr William Davis (and Mr Peter Humphrey 1 day a week)
Year 4 - Mrs Tara Williams
Year 5 - Mrs Jackie Baines (and Mr Peter Humphrey 1 day a week)
Year 6 - Mr Luke Lamont
The Arts (Music and Drama) - Mr Alan Lawson
Auslan, Physical Education and STEM - Mr Peter Humphrey 
Learning Enrichment - Mrs Kerrie Prentice
Forest School - Mr Samuel Whittle

Mr Samuel Whittle and Miss Claire Gardner will have one day a week to focus on their leadership roles at Northern.

Bump-Up Morning

On Wednesday, December 8, students from Kinder to Year 5 will have the opportunity to spend some time in their 2022 classroom. The teachers are looking forward to getting to know their new students, and students will get a taste of what to expect in the upcoming year.

Year 6 students will be spending the morning with Miss Armstrong.

Bethany Armstrong, Principal

Students and families of Northern Christian School are warmly invited to
Travel To Bethlehem 2021 - this year with a European market flavour!

The Festival will commence at 5.00pm with a carols concert performed by students, followed by the end of year awards presentation.

After the carols and awards ceremony, there are lots of activities planned for the whole family to celebrate the wonderful year we've had at Northern Christian School, including:

• a live band

• European style games

• face painting

• Christmas photo booth

• jumping castle

• FREE European style food and drinks

• …and much more!

No RSVP is required but all attendees must register upon arrival using the Check-in Tas App and abide by COVID-19 regulations.

Car parking will be limited and we suggest carpooling if possible. We invite you to bring along camp chairs or picnic rugs as the seating will also be limited.

If there is an emergency and we need to evacuate, we will be meeting at the Emergency Evacuation Point A near the cricket pitch on the oval. We also seek parental supervision to ensure all children stay in designated play areas.
First Aid will be available at the front of the Year 2 and 3 classrooms.

Students are to arrive by 4.30pm and meet their teacher in their classroom.

A very special webinar will be facilitated by Michelle Mitchell on Tuesday, December 7 for all ‘tween’ girls to participate, where she will talk about school holidays, gratitude and girls’ hopes and dreams for 2022. This is a FREE event for girls in Years 4, 5 and 6 (It's 7.00pm (Qld AEST), so that's 8.00pm in TAS).

Michelle Mitchell is an award-winning speaker and bestselling parenting author with a very special interest in the area of tweens and teens. You may even have heard her speaking as a regular on the radio. She has been termed ‘the teenage expert’ by the media and is sought after for her compassionate and grounded advice. Michelle started her career as a teacher, but soon discovered a special interest in wellbeing. She left teaching in 2000 to found Youth Excel, a health promotion charity that delivered tailor-made life skills programs and psychological services to thousands of young people and their families. Today she uses her 25 years of hands-on experience to write and speak in schools, community events and through media.

I hope you will consider signing your daughter up for this webinar. It will be great.

Julie Weeks, School Counsellor