Each year Stephen Harris identifies key priorities that will focus the year ahead. In 2014 these are ‘Depth in Learning’ and ‘Relationships’. Deep learning best occurs in the context of strong and healthy relationships.

Teachers at NBCS know the importance of relationship, connection and understanding the students in their care. They recognise that positive relationships stem from students feeling encouraged and valued, and knowing that the teacher has high expectations of them and belief in their abilities.

Positive partnership between parents and teachers is also recognised as a powerful contributor to success in learning and something highly valued by NBCS staff. Throughout the year staff will communicate and work with parents building that partnership and enhancing the support framework for each child. 

As we seek to build strong and meaningful relationships within our community we can look to Jesus as our example.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.
– Philippians 2:3-4
 

Peter Grimes
Head of Primary

On Friday 21st February, Primary will be holding a community picnic which will also be a welcome to new families. Details of the picnic can be seen on the invitation at the end of this newsletter.

The picnic will be a great opportunity to strengthen connections, build community and continue to grow relationships. We would be so excited to have your company at the picnic.

It was wonderful to welcome our new NBCS families into the school community this week. As well as the community picnic scheduled for Friday 21st February, we will be holding a morning tea on Friday 14th February at Piemonte Café (Hills Flower Market) in Terrey Hills from 9:00am. Existing parents are more than welcome. Please contact Tracey Turk if you plan to attend – traceyturk@hotmail.com or 0458 006 166.

Please note that the Term 1 Curriculum Newsletters for each Stage will be sent by email later this afternoon.

In 2014 each Primary Stage has a Stage Manager and a Learning Leader overseeing our collaborative Stage teams. 

In Stage 1, we recognise that each student is on an individual journey. As a Stage 1 team, we are eager to work together to build a learning community where each child is understood and valued.

It has been a delight to get to know each child in Stage 1 over the last few days as we have engaged in a stage adventure to prepare us for this year. We began by reading the Dr Seuss classic Oh the places you’ll go! and talking about what we need for the learning journey ahead. Students’ passports were quickly filled with stamps as they travelled through the Stage 1 learning spaces, which were renamed The Bright Places, The Moving Mountains and the Bang-ups and Hang-ups Place. As a Stage, it has been extremely valuable to reflect on how we celebrate success and persist and grow through challenges. These activities lay the foundations for building great community across the Stage as students connect with each other and the Stage 1 teaching team.

On the first day of Kindergarten, Stage 1 students met with their Kindergarten buddies and passed on a ‘hot tip’ for the year, written on a bookmark that they had made especially for them. It was lovely to hear students sharing advice with their new young friends who are just at the beginning of their learning adventure at NBCS.

As a culmination of these days, students came up with three words that they would like to be known for throughout this year. These words were attached to a hot air balloon that will be a permanent display in the Stage 1 learning spaces.

It has been great to see the outworking of the combined gifts and expertise of the Stage 1 team over the past week. I have enjoyed seeing the children moving between the spaces with ease and confidence. Helen, Natalie and I are very excited about with Stage 1 this year and creating a personalised learning journey for each child.

Anna Fuller 
Stage 1 Learning Leader

Are you anxious about the start of a new school year? Do you lie awake at night worrying about all the little things you might forget? Feel like you have a head full of questions?

IMAGINE if you had your very own personalised ‘tool kit’ filled with tools and tricks of the trade to be accessed just when you need it! IMAGINE if your first few days of the new school year were spent weaving your existing story into a new story in which you and your friends are the main characters! IMAGINE if you could watch this story grow in words and visuals as your year progresses!

Stage 2 have begun the year by creating their very own, highly personalised tool kit to help develop their independence and resilience. In order to be prepared for every eventuality, they will continue to add resources and skills to their kit throughout the year until, without realising it, they will not need it anymore!

Stage 2 will be having so much fun this term exploring various facets of our program. During the first half of the term we will be exploring how to be digital citizens who create a positive legacy of learning. We will become familiar with our PDD, PETE, Edmodo and Weebly as well as understanding the potency of the online world. Later in the term, we will be exploring all of the aspects of light through our integrated inquiries in ‘Light It Up’. We will have opportunities to play with light, prisms, rainbows and bulbs. We will even get to make our own circuits! Our unit will culminate with a community project in which we will use our newly-found knowledge of light to assist a community group.

Mrs Lou Deibe
Stage 2 Manager

NBCS is an exhilarating place to learn and 2014 promises to not disappoint. Over the past few days as I have viewed the foundations being dug for the Barcelona Building project I have reflected on the learning of our Stage 3 students. Like all good building projects, it seems to take a long time for the structure to take form. However, we all know that for the structure to stand it must be built on a solid foundation.

That has been the focus within the Zone over these opening weeks; to build a solid foundation for all students. Once that foundation is set, students can successfully move on to develop much stronger and deeper understanding. This foundation has come through the means of ‘Ignition’. Year 5 and 6 students have been ‘buddied up’ together to complete a range of tasks, varying from organising folders on their laptop to creating and editing videos. Whilst each of the nine tasks vary, they all have the same goal - to prepare students for their dynamic futures, whilst immediately equipping our Year 6 students in their leadership abilities.

Throughout this term, students will be entering a Literacy program, The Power of Children, focused on persuasive writing, allowing them to select a topic that empowers them. At the end of the term some students will have the opportunity to express their passions and display their work to our local State MP, Rob Stokes.

What a great start to the year we have experienced and what a great year we have ahead of us!

Mr Daniel Wearne
Stage 3 Learning Leader

Primary staff would like to thank our class parents for 2014 for their commitment to NBCS families and the school. When it comes to strengthening relationships and building community, our class parents have such an important part to play. Amongst other things, they will be:

• Helping to maintain positive lines of communication between parents and the School.
• Promoting parent support in the classroom for Numeracy and Literacy.
• Organising appropriate parent and family gatherings with the aim of building community.
• Welcoming new families and organising social gatherings with the purpose of getting these families connected with other NBCS families.

Contact details for Class Parents will be included in the Curriculum Newsletters sent to each Stage later today.