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Love Learning
News from Northern Beaches Christian School
Term 3, 2024
Tim Watson, Principal
From the Principal
Our vision at Northern Beaches Christian School is Love Learning. It’s short, clear and memorable.
Having a vision helps us to define our school’s purpose and product. What do schools ‘produce’? I would argue that our main product at NBCS is learning.
Learning takes on many forms and happens in a variety of contexts, including within and beyond the classroom, at school and at home, on stage or on the oval, in relationships and interactions.
And what is learning? At NBCS we say that learning is the ability to make sense of the unknown, which we do by connecting it to the known.
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As we grow our body of knowledge, it is easier to build models of understanding with which to make sense of the world and of the new things we come across.
There are different types of knowledge: declarative knowledge—knowing things, facts, information; procedural knowledge—knowing how to do things, build things, make things, ride a bike, use a lathe, write an essay; and experiential knowledge, which couples the above two forms through our own experiences.
The main thing we want for our students is to be learners and to love learning, because learning is our main product.
There are, of course, lots of by-products of learning. Some of those are wellbeing, Christian understanding, friendships, experiences, opportunities, and results.
But the primary prism by which we view school, and its purpose, is learning. If we get the product right, then we get the happy benefit of having lots of good by-products. Focussing too heavily on the by-products means we run the risk of missing the main game, learning, as well as diminishing the very by-products that we were elevating.
Tim Watson
Principal
Head of Primary, Julie Smith, chats with Friendologists in the playground.
Lessons in Friendship
Friendship issues are a normal part of primary school life, but at NBCS, our Primary students learn friendship skills using the ‘Friendology’ program.
“A lot of us assume that our kids will just absorb how to make friends and they’ll work it out,” explains Mrs Cutmore, Deputy Head of Primary. “But lots of kids don’t, especially these days with more screen time and with the Covid pandemic impacting how kids grew up.”
NBCS Primary teachers use tools including the ‘Four Friendship Facts’ and a ‘Friend-o-meter’ to coach students on what to do when things go wrong.
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“The best part of the Friendology program is that all the teachers use the same language,” says Mrs Cutmore. “It positions parents and teachers as friendship coaches, helping students to understand that they can change the dynamic of the relationship for the better.”
The program differentiates between friendship conflicts, naming them ‘Friendship Fires’ or ‘Mean on Purpose’, and teaching different strategies for each.
“When a ‘Friendship Fire’ happens, you confront the issue, be honest, and talk it out,” explains Mrs Cutmore. “When children are ‘Mean on Purpose’ we teach a different strategy. Students are taught to give a quick comeback in an assertive, firm voice, and then walk straight to a teacher and tell them what happened.”
The Friendology program is more than theory in a classroom. Older children who are trained as ‘Friendologists’ wear high-vis vests in the playground and a lanyard that shows the Friendship tools, so younger children can go to them for assistance.
Emma Cutmore, Deputy Head of Primary
HSC Music student Mitzi Knight at the Year 12 Showcase performance.
HSC Showcase
NBCS has been buzzing with excitement at recent exhibitions and performances by Year 12 HSC students, who showcased their major projects this month.
Students, families, staff and community members were wowed by visual art bodies of work, textiles and woodwork pieces, and design and technology projects, while our our drama and music students brought pizzazz and professionalism to their HSC Showcase performances.
We’ve shared some images of their fantastic work below. Click through to see the full range of HSC Showcase projects on our website.
Visual Arts: Layers of Mortality, by Araminta Gardner
Industrial Technology: Organic Live Edge Desk, by Elena Robinson
Music: Tornados of Soul, by Raphael Roxburgh
Textiles: Waltz of the Fuchsia, by Alyssa Williams
Stage 2 instrumental students get a helping hand from Music Teacher Sarah Trevelyan-Jones.
Primary Instrumental Program
On Wednesdays, the sweet strains of violins and cellos make their way through our Primary rooms. It’s strings lesson day!
From as early as Year 1, through to Year 4, all NBCS Primary students participate in the Primary Instrumental Program, beginning on violin or cello. From Year 3, students can expand to brass and woodwind instruments.
Music teacher Sarah Trevelyan-Jones says that there are numerous benefits to starting music lessons early. “Music stimulates the brain, it’s very good for hand-eye coordination and it gets the children involved in something they can do as a team.”
Children who struggle in the classroom with everyday reading and writing find music a creative outlet, she says. “Music is the best thing for them. It’s like art: they can lose themselves in it.”
Miss Trevelyan-Jones says that parent feedback on the Primary Instrument program is “really positive”. “They are a bit dubious at first, especially with home practice,” she says, “but they see the benefits with their children.”
Sarah Trevelyan-Jones, Primary Teacher of Music
What the students say
Lexi
“I like the violin because it’s small. I get to play with my friends, and have lots of fun.”
Ted
“I love the notes we play, like the big C string on the cello. It’s a dark noise.”
Isabelle
“I’m playing the flute in Stage 2, and keeping up the violin. Music challenges me in a good way.”
Hannah
“I’m learning the clarinet and I have to make sure it doesn’t squeak. But I love it. When you work on it, it sounds beautiful.”
What is a ‘Christian’ school?
What does it mean that NBCS is a Christian school? We answer this Frequently Asked Question.
The word Christian is an important word for NBCS – it’s in the name of our school. However, this doesn’t mean that we require all students or their families to be Christian. We welcome students from all backgrounds and beliefs and respect that faith is an individual’s choice.
Our key Christian distinctive comes from our staff, all of whom are practising Christians. We also offer opportunities for all students to explore the truth and beauty of the Christian faith as they form their own beliefs.
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“By the time a student leaves NBCS, our aim is that they understand the Christian message of dignity, truth, grace, forgiveness, and hope,” says Damien Whitington, NBCS senior chaplain. “We want students to leave with open hearts as their faith journey continues.”
In terms of day-to-day school life, students attend Chapel and Christian Studies classes. Stage-appropriate programs teach biblical literacy, ethics, worldviews, and critical thinking, using the lens of ‘understand, critique, communicate and reflect’. Learning programs relating to Christian Studies are based on the NBCS Christian Studies Framework.
Students also take part in Christian service, explains Mr Whitington. “From Kindy to Year 12 we provide students with a variety of service opportunities, where we put the ethical teachings of Jesus into practice and demonstrate ‘Christianity in Action’.”
Damien Whitington, Senior Chaplain
School Tours
School tours provide a great opportunity to view our world-class facilities, experience our unique learning environment, meet students and staff and ask any questions you may have about NBCS.
UPCOMING SCHOOL TOURS:
Primary and Secondary School tours
Thursday 7 November, 9:45 am
Thursday 21 November, 9:45 am
Enrolments Update
PRIMARY
2025 and beyond
Applications welcome for all Primary year groups
Secondary
2025
Year 7 – Applications closed
2026
Year 7 – Applications limited. Please contact the Registrar.
2027 and beyond
Year 7 – Applications open
We may have limited vacancies in other year levels in addition to those noted above.
Contact Us
Northern Beaches Christian School
www.nbcs.nsw.edu.au/contact