It’s truly remarkable – another opportunity to pack builders’ gloves, old shirts and working boots; to take a group of delightful Year 11 students across the world; to see students transformed and blessed, whilst transforming and blessing others.

The GO Uganda Team flies out at the end of term to embrace another exciting building venture in Gulu, Northern Uganda, with our GO Program partner, Tamarind. The main project this year is to build the first stage of a two-part building project: a storehouse/silo in which the Pakak community will store their harvested crops. This is part of a bigger venture whereby the war-damaged community is taught how to become self-sufficient and self-sustaining. The vision is exciting and the progress already made has exceeded all expectations.

The students on the GO Uganda program this year are Chloe Hodgkinson, Maddie Calvert, Izzy Conquest, Yasmin de Jong, Tori Fraser, Amanda Nye, Jaz George, Ellie Dunphy, Rachel Coster, Louis Wagstaff, Hogan Richardson, Luke Clarke, Daniel Hawes and Andy Riis. They will be accompanied by GO Uganda veterans Rowena Beale, Lou Deibe, David Hoffman, Sharonne Pearce and newbie Liam Dunphy.

The needs in Northern Uganda are great, nowhere more so than in the communities within which we work. The people are very poor and as a result of the war and conflicts in the area, and the atrocities they have endured, many are psychologically damaged and economically disadvantaged. This has resulted in a deep need to be taught again how to survive on their own. This is why the vision of Tamarind is so remarkable. This is why the vision to create a sustainable community is remarkable, why support from you - our NBCS community - is so remarkable. It changes lives. Simple!

If you would like to partner with us in a very direct way by supporting the GO Uganda program this year, our request is very straightforward: money. The amount of money we take is directly proportional to the difference that will be made to the communities. Not only would we like to see the building go up, we would like to invest into the women of the communities too by purchasing sewing-machines and jewellery-making tools. Your monetary donation will go a very long way.

Ah, insect repellent, sunscreen and malaria tablets. Mustn’t forget those. We’re on our way! Remarkable!

Rowena Beale
GO Uganda Team Leader

Travel dates

Thursday 26 June to Saturday 12 July.

Follow the journey

Team Blog: nbcsgouganda.wordpress.com

Facebook: /GoUganda

Twitter: @nbcsGOuganda

Instagram: @nbcsGOuganda

Donations for GO Uganda

The fundraising support for the GO Programs from the NBCS school community is very much appreciated. Specific donations for GO Uganda can be made via the School Office using a clearly marked envelope, or as a direct bank transfer (clearly referenced):

BSB: 062-205
Account No: 00783503
Name: Northern Beaches Christian School
Reference: GO Uganda

The PDD program (Personal Digital Devices) has been a highly successful initiative at NBCS since it was introduced several years ago. Students in Years 4-12 bring a laptop or tablet device to school for use in the learning environment – a process that has been transformative for learning, with students empowered to be more independent, and able to engage with content and outcomes in a hands-on and highly flexible manner.

An important aspect of the PDD program is teaching students about responsibility. At school and at home, the security and care of devices is the responsibility of the individual student and their families. This applies to all personal property belonging to students, but given the nature of PDDs, it is particularly important.

NBCS is committed to providing robust network infrastructure across the campus, including wi-fi in every learning space, school email accounts, cloud storage, and access to on-site printers. The school will assist students in trouble-shooting and solving problems where possible, but ultimately – issues that relate to a student’s accidental loss of their devices, or damage to their property must be dealt with by the family, and is not the responsibility of the school.

When selecting a device, there are several key considerations we recommend families keep in mind, including battery life, wi-fi connectivity, and the physical size and weight of the device.

We also strongly recommend that families investigate personal insurance that covers their child’s PDD whilst at school. We remind parents that the school’s insurance does not cover loss or damage of a Personal Digital Device, however caused. Some insurance options that parents may wish to investigate include a Home Insurance Policy that specifically includes devices, insurance from Internet Providers related to a wireless account, or a tailored insurance policy specifically related to use of such devices in the school context.

NBCS expects that any property or equipment, whether owned by the school or another student, should not be interfered with in any way without the owner’s knowledge or consent. This means that PDDs must not be intentionally damaged, stolen or re-located. NBCS has protocols to discern deliberate, malicious, or accidental damage to another student’s property, and has consequences as part of the school’s Care Management procedures.

Students who wish to alert the school that they believe their property has been deliberately interfered with should report the matter immediately to the nearest staff member, who will advise them of the procedures to follow.

If the school determines that a student has caused damage to another student’s property, the relevant families will be notified of the final determination. NBCS has no role in mediating further communication between families on the matter of accidental damage by other students.

Mr Craig Linfoot
Deputy Principal

It was wonderful to see the Winter uniform return last week. The optional tie for boys has resulted in a more consistently smarter look across the school.

This also comes as a reminder that all student are required to wear the school jacket or blazer when travelling to and from school.

Thank you for your support in helping our students to represent themselves and their school with pride.

Further information about specific Winter and Summer uniform can be found in the 2014 Parent Handbook.
​
Peter Grimes              Jenny Exton​
Heads of Primary        Head of Secondary

NBCS is proud to present this year’s musical production, Annie, brought to life by an excellent cast under the direction of Mr Ryan Desaulnier. Performances run from Wednesday 18 June until Saturday 21 June in the Marina Prior Centre at NBCS.

Performance Dates:

• Wednesday 18 June, 12noon (School Preview Performance)
• Thursday 19 June, 7pm (Opening Night)
• Friday 20 June, 7pm (Evening Performance)
• Saturday 21 June, 2pm (Matinee)
• Saturday 21 June, 7pm (Closing Night)

Tickets:

• Adults - $20
• Children/ Concession - $15
• Family - $60 (2 adults & 2 children)

Book tickets now (allocated seating)

Trivia Night is a favourite fundraising event for the NBCS community, supporting the GO Programs in Cambodia, Uganda and Rwanda. We encourage all parents to put aside this date now for this fun and fantastic event.

Date: Saturday 13 September, 7pm
Where: Marina Prior Centre at NBCS
Theme: Bollywood

Help required

If you would like to be on the team for this event please contact either Fiona Mance (fpmance@optusnet.com.au) or Jo Rombouts (jrombouts@nbcs.nsw.edu.au). All help appreciated and we always have lots of laughs.

The first meeting for helpers will be this Thursday 12 June, 2pm at NBCS.

This week’s Parenting Ideas information sheet:

• Helping kids leapfrog their difficulties

In association with our Empowering Parent Seminars, we have been providing additional weekly parent information sheets to support NBCS parents. Some information will be more relevant to Primary than Secondary and vice versa. This is to support families within our school community covering all age groups.

If you would like an information sheet on a specific topic sent via Wavelength, please contact Mrs Anne Jobson via the School Office (9450 1311).