It’s hard to believe that we are half way through the 2014 school year already! These last few weeks have been very full with a combination of activities – none the least being the musical ‘Annie’. Congratulations to all involved. It was both highly entertaining and an outstanding opportunity for the cast and crew.

Project Barcelona is starting to take significant shape. There has been continued daily interest in the progress of the new building. In the knowledge that each grid of concrete columns is 9m apart, a number of students have been creating ‘to scale’ drawings of the project.

With every metal girder that is lifted into place, the new possibilities that the building will create are becoming very evident. There are two key aspects of the building. The predominant purpose is to provide a new space for community and connection. Positive relationships are pivotal to deep and engaged learning, and we know that Project Barcelona will provide great community spaces.

Secondly, the building has been designed with high levels of environmental sustainability in mind. The building creates two complementary ecosystems – one electrical, the other water. The roof is 50% solar cells and is designed to provide the total needs of the building. Each column has a hollow core that transports the water from the roof through to the underground tank. From there the water supplies all the gardens, misting systems and the sewage system. Many students are demonstrating that they understand the importance of building environmental sustainability into infrastructure – and it was always the intention to make the building educative as well as practical.

The SCIL Action Strategy team (known as the ‘SAS’) has also been busy in the last few weeks drafting a fresh template for further strengthening teacher capacity, while at the same time continuing to develop the cohesive K-12 learning framework. To do this we have to place the student at the centre of the process and our thinking and we design individual pathways that can progress in such a way that any child, every child, will grow.

I look forward to the learning journeys that the second half of the year will bring. In the short term, I am especially looking forward to co-leading the NBCS GO Rwanda team which leaves for Africa at the end of this week, as does the GO Uganda team. I would encourage parents and students to follow the activities of the two teams over the holiday period.

GO Rwanda: Facebook

GO Uganda: Blog / Facebook / Instagram

I wish everyone a safe holiday, and look forward to all that the new term will bring.

Mr Stephen Harris
Principal

Congratulations to the cast and crew of Annie for delivering such a fantastic production. We are incredibly proud of the talent and dedication of everyone involved.

Thank you especially to the creative team for leading the production, most notably Ryan Desaulnier as Director and Choreographer, and also to Tamara Buttrose as Producer, Ros Moore as Costume Designer, and Phil Rees as Music Director. A special thank you as well should go to Leigh Hedström for illustrating the incredible backdrops used throughout the show.

A full gallery and recap of the production will be published next term.

Photos: Annette Scholtz Photography

This Term Year 9/10 Visual Arts and Photography students visited Cockatoo Island to view the contemporary art exhibition, Biennale of Sydney. Our excursion involved a guided tour, which provided explanations of the digital and sculptural installations. Some artworks required the active participation of the audience, which challenged the traditional role of artwork and audience. Students were also given time to photograph and sketch the intriguing historical features of Cockatoo Island. It was a very enjoyable and inspiring experience.

Aleksandra Radmonovich
Year 9/10 Visual Arts with Mrs Plummer

Tabby Oldfield, Equestrian Vaulting

Congratulations to Tabby Oldfield (Year 12), who was awarded 1st place in her Individual freestyle routine in Equestrian Vaulting at the NSW Inter-school Equestrian Championships over the weekend. Tabby was also awarded 2nd place in her Equestrian Club team event. Well done Tabby on such a fantastic result.
 

Liam Spinks, Baseball

Congratulations to Liam Spinks (Year 7), who recently represented Manly in the Australian National Baseball Championships. Liam’s team finished a very close second, the highest placing of any NSW team in the competition.

Please note that the Uniform Shop will be closed over the school holidays, and will re-open on Monday 21 July.

The School Office will be open 8:30am to 4:00pm on week days throughout the holidays with reduced staff.

Thank you to the parents and friends who have assisted students during Senior Years exams. Your help is invaluable and very much appreciated. The Year 12 HSC trial exams are coming up in Term 3. The exams are timetabled from Monday 28 July to Monday 11 August, 2014. Helpers are needed to be readers and writers for students. If you are able to assist, or have further questions about the roles of readers and writers, please contact Anne Sharkey, Directed Studies Leader K-12 on asharkey@nbcs.nsw.edu.au or through the School Office on 9450 1311.

This week’s Parenting Ideas information sheet:

• Reading your child’s report

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).