A lesson in love

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 
– 1 John 3:16

“We are shaped and fashioned by what we love” is attributed to the German writer Goethe. It’s a phrase that rings true: the direction and focus of our love determines who we are and who we become. The role of NBCS is to help direct the loves of its students – love of learning, love of others and love of God.  We do this in conjunction with the families of the school, and it is a delight to be able to do so.

Schools exist for the formation and transformation of those who attend them. Schools are therefore about much more than information. By the time a student finishes school, they should have learned how to learn, to think about how to think, to know what to do and why to do it. In this regard, teachers work to do themselves out of a job, as do parents, even though there are times when it seems that the job is never done.

The Gwen Harwood poem, The Spelling Prize, reminds me of the way in which the best and worst of our school days can be memorable forever. Those who work in schools look to maximise the best and minimise the worst of moments as students seek to answer the questions “who am I and how can I be me?”

Tim Watson
Principal