Newsletter

The Power of Gratitude

A few years ago, I moved house. I still remember the stress and the daunting prospect of doing the move with two toddlers. Desperate for help but not expecting a reply, I put a call out to the staff for help.

I was overwhelmed by the response.

Throughout the day, there was a steady stream of colleagues who came to pack, clean and child mind. And then, as if that was not enough, they also cooked us meals for the week! How can you not feel loved after that? The stress I had been feeling was now replaced with gratitude. I was no longer worrying about things outside of my control but was instead focused on the generosity of those around me.

As Christians, we know the power of gratitude in our lives. Reflecting on the goodness of the Gospel, continually draws me away from myself and back to the love of God. During these moments, I feel more at peace and secure in my life. The transformative effects of gratitude are also supported by research from the University of Melbourne. Dr Lea Waters’ research has shown that gratitude can help us sleep better, improve health and develop stronger relationships.

Dr Waters suggests that we can foster gratitude in our lives by following these three simple steps:

1. Start by noticing the good moments in your life.

2. Spend time savouring the moment.

3. Express your gratitude through your words or through an action.I’d like to encourage our Stage 6 students to continue to foster gratitude over the next couple of months. Even when things look difficult, take time to reflect on God’s love, look for the good moments and express your thankfulness to each other. The benefits are worth it.  

Please Pray for: 

• for staff, students and parents in our community who need to know God’s tender healing touch
• for covering over the Cross Country Carnival this week – for good weather and for safety and protection for all involved
• for the preparations for our upcoming 7-11 camps
• for clarity for Sharon and the Board as they lead our College forward
• for the College Registration coming up.

Praise Points:

• We thank God for the opportunity we have to love and serve the children in our care. Christian Education is transformational and the transformational nature of it flows out of our relationship with Jesus. When we see lives changed we know, without a doubt, that God has been at work.

Thank you for praying. It is the spiritual underpinning of our community. 

Introducing Mrs Bethany Clothier – Student Services Educational Assistant

Where have you come from? 
I have spent the last year at home with my two little boys on parental leave. Before then, I taught at St Phillip’s Christian College in their Junior School.

What church do you attend?
I attend Gateway Church at Pelican. I absolutely love my church family. My husband and I have recently finished running the youth group there.

What are your interests?
I enjoy drinking tea and playing board games. I also have all the equipment for facepainting which I love doing, but not all that good at 🙂

A little bit about your new position at the College.
I’m really excited to be working in the Student Services department. I’ll be supporting teachers and students and facilitating learning programs.

We have some talented Parents here at BCC

Wendy Robinson, a mother of four of our students has recently released a book on her experience with having their daughter Victoria diagnosed with cancer at the age of 3. ‘Victoria Grace, living with victory through childhood cancer’ is a book about Wendy’s journey of having a child with brain cancer and a resulting physical disability, hemiplegia. ​It includes both Wendy’s story and practical information for families in similar situations or people who have been struggling with traumatic on-going life circumstances. 

Throughout the book there is the underlying theme of persistent faith and relying on God’s strength to get us through the tough times in life. If you would like any further information or would like to purchase the book visit: wendyrobinson.com.au or the book will soon be available through Koorong. 

Jenni Goodman, a mother of three of our students has also recently released a book “A Boy and a Dog”. Jenni is an amazing illustrator and has done a beautiful job with this book. It is a children’s book, a classic story of a lonely boy and a lonely dog who find each other and discover true friendship. If you would like any further information or would like to purchase the book visit:jennigoodman.com.au. 

Secondary School Leaders Introducing our 2019 School Captains Eliza Davies and Tim Taylor, our Vice Captains Hannah-Kate Proctor and Isaac Watts and our Prefect team Elijah Troyer, Sam Edwards, Ben Rogers, Lewis Brown, Jasmine Brown, Samantha Abel, Kye Horton, Regan Swaine, Will O’Toole, Katie Prior and Lauren Irvine.  Our Prefect Mentor, Mrs Potapczyk, sat down and had a chat with our Captains to get to know them a little.  

What does it mean to you to be a part of the student leadership here at BCC?
Eliza – Being a part of the student leadership team at BCC means a lot more than just a badge to me, the team provides a strong sense of community and has allowed me to grow a lot deeper in my relationship with Jesus in serving the student body. Seeing the needs of others, praying for them and being diligent in what He has called us to do. 
Tim – Being a student leader has challenged and grown me so much!

What has God been teaching you lately? 
Eliza – Lately I’ve been appreciating the idea that our troubles don’t have to be faced alone. Dealing with stress and pressure from something like the HSC can be very draining, but we are reminded many times in the Bible that we can always find peace and comfort in the Lord. It is for everyone. 
Tim – God has taught me a lot: learning to depend on Him and to team up with others as we navigate through this life together.

You recently went to Compass, what is it and what did you learn? 
Eliza – Compass is an amazing Christian leadership conference in Canberra that gathers like-minded students to encourage and inspire Christ-like leadership. Something I found really beneficial from this conference was the emphasis they placed on the importance of learning to lead yourself well in order to lead others better. Tim – The Compass Conference, was an example where being part of a community of leaders helped encourage me in my faith and has grown me in my student leadership and desire for others to know Him. Student Leadership has taught me to value the community that God has placed me in, as humanity was always supposed to be a team experience.

Please pray for our Secondary School Leaders as they take up the challenge of making our College an even better place to be.

What is The Big Vegie Crunch? 
Only around 5% of NSW children eat enough vegetables! To help our community do better, our school will be taking part in The Big Vegie Crunch (part of Vegetable Week) at 10am on Thursday 4 April.
 
Primary schools across NSW will be joining together to break the record for the most students crunching vegetables simultaneously. Last year 50,260 students crunched together, including students from BCC!
 
What can you do to help? 
Pack a container of vegetables (not fruit this time) for your child to eat on Thursday 4 April and keep serving up the vegetables at home and in your children’s lunchboxes!

Need some ideas?

• carrot, celery, cucumber – cut into sticks or left whole
• capsicum – cut into sticks or wedges
• corn – raw baby corn spears or a cooked corn cob
• broccoli or cauliflower florets – raw or lightly cooked to keep their crunch
• tomatoes – small cherry tomatoes or a large tomato that can be eaten like an apple
• beans or snow peas – raw or lightly cooked to keep their crunch
• mushrooms – sliced or left whole

Updating your Child’s Medical Details

As part of the College’s ongoing care for your child, it is important that you notify us if your child suffers from a known medical condition(s) or has any allergies. If your child has a medical condition that requires a Medical Action Plan, please provide us annually with an Action Plan signed by a Medical Practitioner.

Please also remember to notify the College office if your child’s medical circumstances or emergency contact details change throughout the year. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Youth Week Boot Camp for Young Entrepreneurs

Youth Week is approaching and the Hunter Futurepreneurs will be holding a 2-day boot camp on the 16th and 17th of April. This will be a great program for our youth aged 16 – 24 to help them gain confidence and develop key business that are sort after by all employers and essential for those who want to explore new pathways.  

Contact our Business Studies Teacher, Mr Urane or click here for further information. And click hereto Register.

Primary Rugby Sevens

Our Primary Rugby team played in the Lake Macquarie Sevens last week. The boys started slowly, and lost to Valentine Public School in the first game, but regrouped to defeat Macquarie College and Edgeworth Public School in order to progress through to the next round. They finished the day qualifying for the Newcastle Regional finals, which will be held on Friday at Waratah.

Secondary Zone Touch Football Gala Day

Recently 4 teams represented the College at the Annual THCCCSA Zone Touch Football Gala Day all teams performed well in the day the Open Girls made it through to the Semi-Finals but were unfortunately knocked out. The day also doubles as the selection trials for the Zone Team to compete at CSSA State, congratulations to Rebekah Moran (Open Girls), Grace Middleby (Under 15 Girls) and Toby Maddison (Under 15 Boys) who we’re all successful in gaining selection.

Morning Sport Training Sessions

Morning training sessions have been running for a few weeks. Students can come along to the College early to practice their sporting skills, seek technique improvement or work on their fitness. To date, we’ve had fitness sessions, along with many students getting in some javelin, discus and shot put practice ahead of next term’s Athletics Carnivals.

The sessions are at 7:45am Tuesdays and Thursdays (weather permitting), and are open to both Primary and Secondary students. For more information contact PDHPE@bcc.nsw.edu.au or our Sport Coordinators: Mr Robins (Primary) or Mr Hall (Secondary).

CSSA NSW Swimming Carnival

A team of 19 students travelled down to SOPAC in Homebush to represent the college and THACCCSA Zone at the annual CSSA NSW State Swimming Championships, the competition was fierce and racing was fast. Congratulations to the following students for outstanding results and will now represent CSSA NSW at the NSW CIS Swimming Championships, Ellie-Sue Lusis 3rd in 12 Yrs 50m Butterfly and Kiana Toole 3rd in 17 Yrs Girls 50m Butterfly, 50m Freestyle and 2nd 50m Backstroke.

Primary CIS Swimming Carnival

Our Primary swimmers swam out of their skins last week at the NSW CIS Swimming Championships, with all individuals breaking personal best times and our Senior Boys Relay shaving 6 seconds off their best.

Hamish Rae, Appin Paterson and Victoria Robinson all swam faster than they’ve swum before during the course of the day, with Victoria picking up 3 medals (1x Gold, 2x Silver) and qualifying for NSW PSSA.

Well done swimmers, outstanding results!
 

Pictured below: Victoria Robinson

Lead Roles for ‘Seussical Jnr’ Primary Musical As things start to heat up for our Primary musical this year, we are pleased to announce our LEADS and featured ENSEMBLE for Seussical Jnr.

All our auditioning students did an amazing job, it was extremely difficult for the selection panel. However, we are confident that these students have what it takes to take on the roles they have been offered – this show is going to be amazing!