The hardest part of learning is the pit of discomfort. We move from the safety of the known, into the sketchy, tenuous, and hard-to-grasp realm of the yet unknown. This is what learning is. It is the journey through discomfort that takes us from the known to the unknown. Instead of avoiding the pit of discomfort, we need to be willing to brave it, to acknowledge that learning is hard, to wrestle with uncertainty, to look for solutions or connections that enable us to link what is new to what we already understand. In this way, our circle of competence and knowledge expand.

Our planning for 2021 is in full swing as we look at growing our students in the academic, wellbeing, Christian and co-curricular spheres. Our aim is to build in them a deep and abiding love of learning. It is this deep love of learning, and the ability to apply it, that will propel them into an open future with the skills, character, effort and meta-learning (adaptability) needed to continue to thrive and grow in spite of what comes their way.

I have written a number of times about how I’ve enjoyed the chance to meet one-on-one with all of Year 10,11 and 12. I know it sounds silly to say, but students are the reason for school, and it has been a great privilege to hear directly from them.

We are very keen to create a low stress, high performance environment for all students at NBCS. Our aim, as always, is to work with our students to enable them to bring out their best. Preparation is therefore about so much more than marks, and I am grateful to teachers and students alike for the way they learn together.

This sense of ‘us-ness’ has never been more important than it is now. View our NBCS Annual Report.