School News

From the principal’s desk

I am excited to confirm that I will continue in the role as Acting Principal for the commencement of 2022. I look forward to leading NICS through this transitional period and into the future. Thank you for your ongoing support.

I would also like to thank the team from QLD Department of Education who have been at NICS this week. The continued guidance to ensure a smooth commencement for the 2022 school year has been very much appreciated by all staff. I would also like to acknowledge the community for their attendance at the “meet-and-greet” QLD session on Tuesday evening. A special thank you to the ongoing support from the Council of Elders and their input into the evening.

The Star Wars Concert was an outstanding success! The students were sensational in their preparation and delivery of three strong performances across the week. The extensive work that has gone into the costumes, choreography and set designs must be commended. This certainly has been a nice distraction for the NICS community throughout a very challenging year. I must acknowledge the leadership of Roz Tierney and her team of staff who have made this event a reality. I see that Darth Vader has a familiar face under that mask! From the producers, to the sound and lighting crew, to the backstage crew, the office staff and all the supporting teachers, volunteers, and of course the students, thank you. A very special thank you to the parents for three big nights. Well done, NICS!

Russell Moore

Acting Principal

Start date for 2022

I now have confirmation that the 2022 school year for students will commence on Thursday, 3rd February 2022. This is a variation on both the NSW and QLD start dates to allow for additional collaboration time for new staff induction and professional learning to occur. I can also confirm that the final date for all students in 2022 is Friday, 9th December 2022.

Industrial action

Members of the NSW Teachers Federation at Norfolk Island Central School will be taking industrial action Tuesday, 7 December 2021 in the form of a 24-hour strike. The school will be providing minimal supervision of students on the day of the strike. This will mean that the K-2 Swim School event for this date will not occur, however, the Year 9 Language Camp will continue as planned.

K-2 Swim School

K-2 Swim school commences on Monday afternoon and all K-2 students will be required to bring along their swimmers, rash vest, sunscreen and towels all clearly labelled in a separate bag with your child’s name. Just a reminder that all students will be brought back to school for pick up as per usual. Students have been grouped by ability, and there will be two sessions during the afternoon with the first session leaving school straight after lunch. The second session will then head on down with the first session returning back to school to get changed. The second session will also return to school ready for the bell at home-time. Please note Swim school will now operate on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoon. There will be no swim school on Tuesday. Thank you for your support with this.

K-2 Christmas Singing

On Monday, 13th December we are inviting K-2 and their parents to the Salt House for some Christmas singing, beginning at 6.00pm. We invite parents and students to bring a picnic dinner, blanket and themselves down to the Salt House. As this will be the last event for most of our K-2 staff with the Norfolk community, we would love to see you all there. Singing will commence at 6.00pm, and then we would love to mingle with you all afterwards. Students are asked to arrive in Christmas colours or clothes and wear Christmas hats, antlers etc…

Even if you can’t stay, we would love to see as many of you as possible for a short time. Thankyou in anticipation.

Enrolments information 2022

A reminder for kindergarten families for 2022 to return the Intention to Enrol paperwork to the front office ASAP. If your family is leaving Norfolk at the end of this year, could you please phone the office to pass on this information? We are currently working on class sizes and structures.

P&C meeting

The next P&C meeting is set for Wednesday, 8th December at 7pm at the school. There will be community consultation regarding the use of the Principal’s residence yard and proposal for an extension to the drop-off zone at the front of the school. Please come along and support the work of the P&C.

Breakfast Club

NI Connect has partnered with NICS to trial a Breakfast Club once a week. This commenced this week with great interest. Next week, secondary students will be able to grab a slice of toast and juice between 8.15am- 8.30am and primary students will be served from 8.30am- 8.45am. This is a trial to gauge interest as to whether we can extend this program further into 2022. Thank you to NI Connect for their continued support of students and families on Norfolk Island.

Things coming up in Term 4, Week 10:

· Year 10 activities week

· Year 6 into 7 Transition week – All week – 9am-1030am

· 24-hour Industrial Action – Tuesday, 7th December

· P&C meeting – Wednesday, 8th December

· K-2 Swim School – All week – 110pm-250pm

· Year 9 Language Camp – Tuesday, 7th December – Thursday, 9th December

· Year 12 Advanced English Assessment Task – Thursday, 9th December

· Year 12 Formal – Friday, 10th December

Things coming up in Term 4, Week 11:

· Year 10 Round Tables interviews – Monday, 13th December and Tuesday 14th December

· K-6 Assembly – Monday, 13th December 200pm

· Year 6/7 Sports Gala Day – Tuesday, 14th December – 11am

· Junior School Leadership Team Induction Assembly – Tuesday, 14th December – 10am

· Academic Prizegiving Ceremony – Wednesday, 15th December 515pm at the school. A call to move to Rawson Hall will be made closer to the event

· Reports issued to students – Wednesday, 15th December

· Final day for all students – Thursday, 16th December