There is a strange silence at school as I walk around campus. I miss the noise and laughter ringing through the corridors. I miss seeing my teachers enthusiastically teaching a class they are passionate about. I miss kids running up to me to ask a question or invite me to play downball. I miss my Year 12 students dropping by at recess to see if I have any chocolate for them in my office. I even miss the bells reminding us of time and structure, routine and schedule. 

It was with some nervousness that NCC entered into the world of online learning last week.  At the start of the year, not one of us could have predicted that the new ‘normal’ would look and feel so vastly different.  How could we have known that we would have to adapt so quickly to a new way of communicating and teaching? We were trained to be educators in the classroom, not educators in isolation at home.  

And yet, by the Grace of God, we have done it. We have made the transition. We have been resilient. We have put in the long hours. Why? Because we care about our students. We care about their education. We want them to be happy and healthy. We want them to learn.

Our students (and parents) have adapted as well. They have been resilient, patient, encouraging and we are proud of them.

As a school, we were determined to be as ready as possible, to take a flexible and adaptable approach, to listen to feedback and adjust if necessary. We put a lot of prayer and thought into our planning.  We want each person’s voice to matter, to be heard. 

We have put in place a range of procedures for feedback. Last week, parents were invited to a Zoom meeting for a Q&A session. This week parents have been asked to fill in an online survey. Teachers meet (online) every day at 4pm, to discuss best practice – what went well during the day? What didn’t work? How can we improve?  Students were also surveyed at the end of week one.

So how have we done? What has the move to offsite learning been like for our students? 

In a 2 day period, 106 students responded to our online survey. We were overwhelmingly surprised with the largely positive response towards online learning.  There was a fairly even spread across the school from Year 2-12.

In Summary

63.2% say they like learning online but miss the NCC community.

31.1% say they can’t wait for school to return.

15.15%  say they love learning online.

The best part of online learning appears to be the ability to sleep in, work from the comfort of home and not wear a uniform. The worst seems to be the lack of seeing friends and teachers at school.

There were a number of suggestions such as more breaks during the day. Some found it difficult to work online for so long. In response to this feedback, we have now increased lunchtime and put in some needed breaks. 

Overwhelmingly the student survey was positive and I have been encouraged at just how adaptable our students have been. At the end of the survey there were so many lovely notes of thanks.  I have included just a sample below and just want to say how rewarding it is to work somewhere where students say thank you! 

Finally a huge thanks to parents, students and teachers for a successful transition into this new virtual landscape.

May God bless you all.

– Mrs Meggan James, Nunawading Christian College Principal

To all the teachers at NCC, I know that you all miss NCC students dearly. Thanks for making education during quarantine enjoyable with all your hard effort. Please stay safe and healthy and don’t miss us too much.

Thank you so much for your awesome efforts for making online school not so stressful and comfortable. I love how you guys understand if we are stressing or give us breaks in class for our wellbeing. NCC is great because of its teachers, virtually or physically!

I’m impressed by the amount of work appearing to have happened behind the scenes; it can’t be easy as it is a completely unprecedented situation. Doing well, teachers.

Over the holidays, there was much excitement and celebration in the lives of three of our staff members, as their families grew in different ways. 

Congratulations to Bryan on his marriage to Lorraine! Mr and Mrs Roberts made adjustments to their wedding plans, and got married in the backyard, surrounded by God and their family. 

Congratulations to Simon and Courtney Hutton on the birth of their little girl! Matilda Grace was born on April 3rd. We can’t wait to meet you, Matilda! 

Congratulations to Audrey Brewis on becoming a grandma, with the birth of her grandson! Audrey shared that he is a miracle, who arrived early on Easter Sunday, the only little one born that day in the hospital. Welcome to the world, Jack Wallace! 

Composite classes, in which students from two year levels are combined within one class, are quite common in the primary school. Composite classes are used at NCC to help maintain consistent class sizes as the school grows, address gender balance issues, cater to a variety of learning needs, support friendships across year levels and to match teachers to individual student needs. 

There have been a number of studies conducted on the impacts of composite classes for students. Research suggests that there is no discernible difference between composite and straight grade classrooms in terms of academic performance. However, studies have shown that students in composite classes have shown greater independence, responsibility and study habits. Often, younger students within a composite class aspire to emulate older students in their work, and older students enjoy the leadership and mentoring opportunities that can help lift their self-esteem. Composite classes tend to be more flexible, allow students to work at their own pace and offer a wider range of friendship opportunities.

It is understandable for parents to have initial concerns about their child being placed in a composite class. But with this evidence and with the feedback from our students and parents during NCC’s many years operating as a school with composite classes, our happy and resilient students are seen to benefit from the richness of mixed-aged classes.

Our school community has shown flexibility while working hard to make the necessary adjustments to school life in this challenging time. Our staff have greatly appreciated the feedback and encouragement that students and families have given. In affirmation of our teachers, we wanted to share some of the words that we have received from our school community.

From our students… 

Thanks teachers. I’m not joking.

I really appreciate your effort and hard work that you have put in for us so that we can continue learning in this chaotic situation. You guys are our heroes in disguise.

I wanted to say thank you to all the teachers who have made plans and lessons throughout the holidays when you guys could have been relaxing!

I never expected term 2 to play out as it has so far, but I’ve noticed the extra efforts and lengths teachers have gone to, to increase the quality of our online learning.

I can’t wait to have another amazing term with my amazing teachers!!!!!

Thanks to all the teachers for working super hard to make this online learning situation work. It must be really hard to adapt to what has happened so quickly, but we appreciate all of your efforts. I really hope that you have a great week.

Thanks so much for making learning at home fun!

From our families… 

It’s the little things the teachers do during these times that shows us that their work is more than a job for them. Thank you for going the extra mile.

Thank you for your many countless hours and thoughtful care with attending to our children’s education beyond what is normally expected of you. Not only have you had to deal with the impacts of a pandemic on a personal level, but you have had to continue to do your job and in the most unusual circumstances, which has called for some reinventing of the wheel when it comes to delivering the curriculum to your students. We imagine it hasn’t been easy for you all and you have entered uncharted waters. We feel blessed to have your commitment and hard work in teaching our children. Thank you.

The virus cannot stop kids from learning!

We really appreciate the extra effort in these ‘interesting’ times. I’m sure there will be some wonderful positives that come out of this as we are all moving out of our comfort zones.

You are deeply appreciated. Thanks for redeveloping material, and platforms for remote learning. Thanks for being like Uncles and Aunties as well as our kids’ teachers. You are more than teachers, you love and mentor our young men and women. High praise, thank you. Stay well, pray, take time for self care and know that we love you all.

Well it is almost ANZAC Day, a day when we remember those who have served this country. 

It is quite easy to go through our busy lives and not stop to think about the amazing sacrifice that soldiers in our defence force have made. These men and women put their lives on the line, many were injured and some didn’t get to go home. They didn’t get to grow old with the love of their life. They didn’t get to see their children grow up. They died. For us.

It is important that we remember our fallen soldiers. We should also appreciate soldiers who made it through the wars but still took that risk. You don’t get any braver than that! We would not have many of our freedoms and privileges if it was not for these courageous people.

In a similar way, Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for us. However, Jesus didn’t just die so we could be free during our time on Earth. Jesus died so that we could have freedom from death itself. The Bible states that the “wages of sin is death”. A guy by the name of John wrote “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Jesus wants to be your friend. He also wants to be your Saviour and Lord.

On this ANZAC Day, let the sacrifice of our military heroes be a reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. Remember that Jesus’s gift is not automatic. You have to accept it. If you have not accepted Jesus’ gift of salvation, then don’t waste another precious minute. Give your life to Him now and acknowledge Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. It is the best decision you could ever make.

Throughout the term break, renovations have taken place on our campus to increase safety for our school community. We had previously identified the need to make the area between the primary school and the administration building more user friendly, address issues with the location of trees in this area for the primary students and improve the safety of the stairs up the side of the hall. Recently, engineering reports noted that the retaining wall was in very serious disrepair and we were advised to move quickly to secure the area and eliminate any danger to students and staff.

As such, we commenced the project during the term break as a matter of urgency. We have secured safety of the area and prepared it for the next stage of renovations. This will include the provision of the new retaining wall and a new set of steps up to the hall and gym. We hope to have the entire project finalised and open around the middle of June.

This project will increase the functionality and safety of precious outdoor spaces on our campus and we can’t wait to see it once the work is complete.

A letter of spiritual encouragement from our Year 12 School Captains to our student body.

Dear Students,

Psalm 27:1 says ‘the Lord is my light and my salvation – so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? Verse 10 says ‘even if my mother and father abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.’ Psalm 23 also says, ‘the Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need… even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me’. In these verses, David talks about the love and protection of God. In Psalm 22 – before he talks about God’s protection, David cries out to Him and tells God about all his problems. He asks God to be close to him because he feels alone. 

With all that’s happening right now, it’s so easy to feel alone and cut off from everyone else, maybe even your own family. But God has promised to never leave us or abandon us no matter how bad things get. No matter what’s happening in the world and in our individual lives, the love of God is strong enough to overcome whatever we’re facing. 

We want to encourage you to reach out to God, through prayer, through His word – in any way you can, so you feel the magnitude of His love as we all go through this time. As captains, we are praying for the school and we’re praying for you. If you’d like individual prayer, our emails or social media are always open if anyone wants to reach out, we’re more than happy to do what we can to support you.

God bless,

Racquel Anthony & Jonah Bailey

In these changed times, our canteen caterer, Dores Fame, has put her extra free time into reaching out to help others. Dores helped to create Life.Box to provide health care workers with nutritious plant-based meals as they work on the front line.

In their first week, they supplied more than 150 meals to staff at Epworth Hospital Richmond, St Vincent’s Hospital, Cabrini Hospital, pharmacies and disability care clinics across Melbourne.

Dores, we are grateful that while our canteen is closed, hard working health care workers are able to enjoy your meals still. Let this encourage us to use our talents to help others throughout this time too!

Read more here: https://record.adventistchurch.com/2020/04/17/adventist-friends-serve-up-meals-support-for-frontline-workers/?fbclid=IwAR27JmFnSTFKhXZoLX-XXrI-mBJTwXpJMlEWXXjUibtGg6s5JO_Icf0gegM

Dores is also continuing her Vegielicious Catering company throughout this time. If take-home packs or home deliveries would be helpful for your family, Dores is offering a 10% discount to the NCC community. Contact Dores – 0423 210 000

The Lawson family have found a way to put their talents into action for the benefit of others throughout this time. They have created cardboard desks for families now working from home.

“We feel very blessed by God to be given the opportunity to make this product in Australia. The Handy Desk will not only help students to learn from home with online schooling but is giving work to people within our community who are involved in designing, making and distributing the product.

We are all in this together and need to support each other until things return to normal. How long we will be in this situation only God knows, but through it all we know that God will always look over us and protect us during this time.” – Leanne Lawson

You can hear more from the Lawson family here: https://www.facebook.com/9NewsMelbourne/videos/244530916667936/?vh=e

We’d love to hear and share how you’re serving your community throughout this time too. Email news@ncc2.vic.edu.au

On March 18, the Year 1Y, 2W, 2/3F, and 3S classes enjoyed an interactive ‘Financial Literacy’ incursion.

The presenter provoked some great questioning and students discovered the difference between a credit and debit card, how a credit card works and the importance of saving money. Students worked with hands-on materials, participated in role plays and particularly loved the presenter’s Superman cape.

The final challenge involved students working in teams to purchase a scooter with the best deal presented to them, which was a great way to apply their new skills.

We are proud of the way that our students have embraced their new way of learning. Each day students continue to be focused and responsible.

We want to thank you for your commitment as parents as you encourage your child to learn from home. Thank you also for taking the time to collect learning supplies for your child from school this week.

For those who have requested a home delivery, you will receive these by the end of this week.

The Year 9 students made the most of March 17, the final day of off-campus activities last term. They spent the whole day horse riding in Labertouche. Grooming, riding and being close to powerful equine beasts made for a jaw-dropping day.

For this term, we have brought Term 3’s Community Volunteering Program forward, adjusting it to be a home based service opportunity. Students will contribute existing or new skills and efforts to improve the life of their own home, serving and blessing the community closest to them, their own family.

In an online incursion guest presenter, Mrs Lynelda Tippo, shared her knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music and dance with the Year 10 Performing Arts students. This is an important part of the curriculum for Performing Arts and Mrs Tippo was very generous in giving her time and venturing into remote learning. 

It was fantastic to learn about the different instruments and dress used by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as they tell the stories of their lives and experiences.  We touched on cultural issues in recent Australian history, including the impact of the Stolen Generation on our Indigenous communities. Students learnt that the music from different parts of the country tell similar stories and experiences, each with a unique style. 

Mrs Tippo’s daughter, Jesse, who is a professional musician, has devoted the last few years of her career to learning about our Indigenous music and has been breathing new life into songs that have been almost forgotten by the current generation.

Building on this learning, the Year 10 students will be choosing an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people’s song that they will learn and present.

Year 7 students recently conducted research into a famous Mathematician, who was also a Christian, considering how their beliefs may have affected their work. One was Florence Nightingale. She is mostly remembered for founding modern nursing. But she was also a statistician.

Florence enjoyed Maths from childhood. She liked to collect data and look for the story the numbers were telling.

In 1855, during the Crimean war, she was running an army hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. The hospital was dirty and overcrowded; many more soldiers were dying from disease and infection than on the battlefield. Florence Nightingale recorded the numbers and saw the terrible truth they were telling. She set about finding a way to easily communicate it with others and came up with the polar area diagram, a type of pie chart that represents larger and smaller numbers by using larger or smaller areas in a picture. Colour and shape also help tell the story. 

Florence’s beautiful diagrams did their job. They helped spark a revolution in hygiene practices, including the importance of hand washing and the improvement of sanitary living conditions that millions still benefit from around the world today.

Florence was a devout Christian believing in God’s great mercy and that her work was a calling from Him. She said, “To understand God’s thoughts we must study statistics, for these are the measure of His purpose.”

Florence enjoyed collecting numbers and finding their story. Do you think God could use the things you enjoy to improve the lives of others?

Here is a short video if you would like to learn more about Florence Nightingale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhX0OR1_Vfc

Year 9 and 11 Art students had a virtual opportunity to engage in the ‘TopArts’ and ‘KAWS: companionship in the age of loneliness’ exhibitions through the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). Students spoke live with a gallery representative who led the class through a discussion of artworks, artist interviews and folios. 

The NGV presenter expressed her anticipation for seeing the rich artwork that will emerge as people navigate these unprecedented times. Students were reminded that  ‘limitations breed creativity,’ which is an experience that many creatives throughout history have found to be true. We are excited to see how our students channel their creativity to express their ideas through art this term.