Newsletter

Prayer over 2021 – a year of growth – for our community – in our personal lives, our spiritual walk, and in our expression of His love in and through our lives. And for a flourishing for our students in their endeavours…to His glory.

Prayer Points

Please continue to pray for :

~ Our students who don’t know Jesus, for our opportunities in CONNECT to invite them to consider who He is and what His life means for their life. Especially during CONNECT devotions, times together at Camp and then over the Easter break. 

~ Our Business Manager, Bill Truscott’s daughter – Sharney Truscott who has undergone emergency surgery in the last week that has required Intensive Care following complications from the surgery. While we are blessed to know there has been some improvement, please uphold Sharney before God’s throne of grace. That she might know His protection and His mercy, absolute protection now and through the journey to recovery. Pray for Bill and Cami and their extended family as they journey through this with Sharney. 

~ Mrs Vicki Quick and Mrs Janine Ferreira as they continue to recover, blessing and protection for both of these wonderful women. 

~ Our students facing personal and medical challenges, that they will know the mercy and blessing of God.

~ Our Musical and for the Secondary Camps this week – His protection, His leading, His blessing, His wisdom, His reassurance…His JOY!!!

~ Our parents who are going through troubling times, challenges with their health and some with finances. Please pray that our families will know His protection, His provision and His presence in deeply personal ways.

We are blessed to pray for each other. It is the language of Love.

Prayer Requests

In deeply challenging times such as these, we find our rest in the unchanging nature and faithfulness of our Heavenly Father.

As a Christian community we understand the significance and purpose of prayer. It is the heart-beat of our College. Together we boldly pray to our Father, through the work of His Son, in the power of the Spirit.

If you have a prayer request please complete the form here. We would love to pray for you specifically, and for your family, during this time of change.

‘We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express’ Romans 8:26b

Praying Parents

Parents are invited to join our prayer group on Mondays at 8:15am and Fridays at 2:15pm, meeting at the flag pole after signing in at the College office. For more information please contact Wendy Robinson wendy@wendyrobinson.com.au or phone 0409987939. Everyone is welcome to join in.

On Thursday morning two weeks ago, just before the extreme bout of tiredness hit forecasting the virus that was to keep me company for the next week, I was on morning duty and due to the rain was positioned undercover where our parents kiss and drop their children in the mornings. 

Well, that morning it seemed that every parent decided to drive their children to school : ))  The line of cars weaving the way in through the gates seemed never ending and so for quite a while I had the opportunity to see family after family arrive, organise themselves to get out of the car (some more quickly than others ; ) and then farewell each other as parents and children went their separate ways. Some children literally spilled out of the family car, drink bottles dropping at their feet and rolling under the car. Others trying to cling to bag and homework and umbrella and shut the door and wave goodbye all at the same time! One family pulled up, the doors of the van glided apart effortlessly and two children stood and calmy stepped onto the pavement and walked serenely into school…I couldn’t help but smile at the contrast. 

There was a common denominator though, I could see the love in the concerned eyes of parents, in the way they smiled when they saw their child manage the 101 things they were juggling. When the raincoat not only fitted but was fashioned to cover their bag as well, moments of children turning back to see mum or dad or carer one more time before walking into school for the day. Those small, almost miss-able moments that represent the intrinsic connection and loving relationships that hold us together through the sunny times and the drenching rain of our days. 

BCC is all about people loving Jesus and loving each other. That Thursday morning was a joy for me as I saw it lived out in the ordinary moments of a day. 

CSA Survey Reminder

Dear Parents/Caregivers

It would be very much appreciated if you could be sure to complete the Christian Schools Australia Christian School Community Profile Survey by 16th April 2021.  The details of how to do so has been emailed to you.

If you have already completed the survey, I’d like to thank you for doing so. If you have not yet completed the survey, please read the rest of this message and complete the survey in the time remaining.

The survey is conducted online and takes 15-20 minutes to complete. Your responses to the survey are anonymous and confidential. Only one parent from your family is asked to complete the survey.

~ If you need any support with the survey, please refer to the following help resources:If you have any queries about accessing or completing the questionnaire, please contact the College Office on 0249 228300 or via email college@bcc.nsw.edu.au
~ If you experience technical issues with the survey website, please contact Kathryn Lumicisi from ORIMA Research at surveys@orima.com
~ If you would like more information about the purpose of the survey or other aspects of Christian Schools Australia’s work, please contact Dr Darren Iselin, Director of Research & Innovation via DIselin@csa.edu.au

Thank you for taking the time to participate, your input is greatly appreciated.

Regards

Ms Sharon Sopher
Principal

Paul Kelly Cup Zone AFL

A small break in the weather allowed our Primary Boys and Girls AFL teams to play in the All Schools Zone Paul Kelly Cup at Teralba on Tuesday. With very little training under their belt due to the recent rain, our students had to rely on their abilities developed over previous years, and did exceptionally well, with a combination of hard tackling and silky skills. The boys started slowly against 2 very strong teams, but found their groove to finish with some wins to mount their case for a Regional final spot. The girls were, the opposite, starting very strongly, but hitting the tough competition in their last 2 games. They were certainly made to work hard, particularly in their final game which was a real arm wrestle. We are still waiting to hear if either team will progress to the Regional finals next term, but either way, the students had a great day out and represented the College with a fantastic attitude.

Primary CIS Swimming Carnival

10 Swimmers competed at Sydney Olympic Park in the NSW CIS Swimming Championships last week. This was their 4th carnival after qualifying through Schools, Zone and CSSA. It’s a tough carnival, with most events fielding 32 swimmers across 3 heats and then finals. Once again, our swimmers performed well, with even more personal best results and 3 students making it into the finals. Congratulations once again to our Swimming team.

* Place in final

BBL Trophy visits BCC

The BIG Bash League trophy, won this year by the Sydney Sixers, stopped by this week on a promotional visit for our Primary students. Students were able to get up close to the cup, although some were disappointed that they couldn’t fill it for a drink! The cup was brought to Belmont as part of a thank you for our commitment to cricket.

The College is currently running an after-school program, and our Years 3-6 students have been battling it out in their cricket competition this term in their weekly Friday sport.

Cross Country Carnival

After a fortnight of monsoonal weather, we were blessed with a couple of fine days and absolutely beautiful conditions to run our “Fly-In, Fly-Out’ carnival on Friday. The course was modified in order for the Cross Country to go ahead and not become BCC Mud Run. On all accounts the competition was hot and many had fun walking the course too.

Congratulations to the winning Houses and Age Champions. The top 4 in each age will represent the College at the Zone Cross Country next term.

NAPLAN

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills that is deemed an essential testing tool used to assist in measuring and monitoring a student’s ongoing academic progress. Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in the annual NAPLAN tests in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.

 The College will be participating in NAPLAN Online between 11th and 21st May 2021.

In preparation for NAPLAN Online, the College will be participating in practice tests between 22nd March and 1st April. The practice tests give students an opportunity to become familiar with the test format, functions and tools of the online tests in a test environment. The practice tests are not an assessment of student ability and will not be marked.

Excessive preparation for NAPLAN Online is not recommended. Students do not need to be able to touch type to complete NAPLAN Online as the tests are not about keyboard skills (just as the paper test is not about handwriting skills). Students can use the public demonstration site to familiarise themselves with the types of questions and tools available in the NAPLAN Online tests.

Please refer to the NAPLAN Online – Information for parents and carers sheet emailed home for further information.

If you have any questions about NAPLAN Online, please contact your child’s teacher.

Additional resources:

·       Public demonstration site

·       NESA NAPLAN website

·       NAP parent/carer support page

·       Watch a video that explains NAPLAN Online

·       Watch a video that explains tailored testing

Keep Informed with the BCC Website

The College website continues to grow and evolve as a fantastic resource for parents and students. Make sure you take a look at our Community Hub. Why not share the weblink with friends and family and give them a look inside the BCC Community. 

BCC also communicates home to parents and caregivers via the Skoolbag App. Skoolbag provides an easy and convenient means of communication of essential information including the College Newsletters, notices and alerts which are communicated directly to parents and caregivers through the Skoolbag Mobile App on your iPhone, iPad or Android device. We encourage parents to download the Skoolbag App and check-in to the App on a regular basis for any announcements to keep you informed.

Tuition Fees Calculator

As previously advised there will be no increase to our fees for 2021.

To assist with budgeting for 2021 we have a fee calculator available on our College website https://bcc.nsw.edu.au/fees/ 

2021 Term Dates

The 2021 term dates are now available on our website https://bcc.nsw.edu.au/term-dates/

College Tours

Do you have friends and family who may like to check out the College on a tour? Maybe you know of folk who are considering a relocation to the Hunter region? Why not encourage them to join our College Registrar, Ms Teena Knott, on a personal or virtual College tour. Or perhaps join our next group tour coming up on Tuesday, 1st June at 9am. For more details and to book a tour, click here

Parents’ Directory

Our website now hosts a Parents’ Directory. The Parents’ Directory is an up-to-date online directory summarising all of our key communication channels and links need-to-know information between the College and families. Communication between your family and the College forms a crucial part of the education journey. Click here to view the page and keep informed https://bcc.nsw.edu.au/parents/

Entertainment Book Available Now

Entertainment Memberships are now 100% digital. Saying goodbye to the iconic Book wasn’t easy but the new Entertainment Memberships start anytime and are valid for 12 months from activation. Packed with thousands of substantial savings to delight and inspire, an Entertainment Membership is your pass to exclusive offers and quality experiences, activities and benefits. The digital membership is easy to download to start using instantly. New offers are added weekly for ongoing value all year round.

Benefits of the App include:

• User-friendly: Instantly search and redeem offers or check out the Near Me tab to find offers, wherever you are.
• Memberships start anytime: Flexible start date, Memberships are valid for 12 months from when you activate (16 months if you take advantage of the Early Bird offer now).
• New offers automatically added: As soon as a new offer is available, you get access to it. No more waiting for the next print run!
• Multiple devices: You can still share your Membership with your family. Encourage your partner and kids to download the App so they can access valuable savings when out.
• Convenient: The App means that as long as you have your phone, you have your Membership too (no more lugging around the book).
• Easy gifting: We’ve made it simpler than ever to gift an Entertainment Membership – simply purchase from your chosen fundraiser and the gift Membership will be delivered instantly to your inbox.

A busy Term One in Creative Arts

As you would appreciate, 2020 was an extremely ‘dry’ year for live performing arts. In Term 1 last year, our ensembles at BCC were gearing up for their first performances when restrictions were rapidly imposed as the Coronavirus took hold around the world.

One of my deep hopes in Term 1 2021, was to see all of our music ensembles, from Primary to Secondary, do their first performance before the term ended. I’m happy to report that we could make this a reality in Week 9.

Our new Secondary Music Teacher, Mr Neale, hosted a lunchtime concert despite the wet weather, with the Year 9 Elective Music class. The students underwent assessment by performing in ensembles; the criteria was to perform a pop song, of which they had studied throughout the term. The talented group held a captive audience of over 100 students.

Stage 2 Choir performed on Wednesday to a wide-eyed Beginners, Kindergarten and Year 1 audience. They sang a few fun rounds followed by a fun performance called “Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord” which had a ripping kazoo interlude!

Mrs Stewart and I hosted all Creative Arts Elective, Musical Cast and Secondary Ensemble members to hot chip lunch gathering on Wednesday. The Senior Jazz Ensemble was established this year, under the direction of our Woodwind and Guitar Tutor, professional musician DJ Cotton. The band played incredibly well, with solos, smooth groove and a balanced sound – not bad for only five weeks practice! Our String Ensemble also provided the entertainment under the direction of David Banney. The Ensemble has grown to seven members this year and continues to improve.

Lastly, the Primary Assembly had a smorgasbord of music when our remaining ensembles had a chance to play. The event began with the Secondary Concert Band who played several pieces including the accompaniment of the National Anthem. This ensemble has received a significant influx of new players and is well on its way to being an excellent ensemble. Our String Ensemble performed once again, followed by the Stage 3 Choir and then a praiseworthy duet from Primary Leader, Alex Campbell, who performed alongside his tutor, DJ Cotton. DJ then conducted our Primary Concert Band to finish the assembly.

Regular performance is critical for developing musicians and provides the opportunity to share the fruit of hard work and steady development. Lets hope that we will see many more performance opportunities for all our music students this year.

Mr Chris Stewart
Creative Arts Coordinator

Peter Pan Musical Rehearsal – Save The Date

The Peter Pan production will be held on the following dates:
Thursday, 17th June
Friday, 18th June
Saturday, 19th June

Tickets go on sale Tuesday, 27th April from our College website.

[COVID Disclaimer:  In the unfortunate event that Covid restrictions are put in place, only the first 225 or 150 ticket holders (depending on the level of restriction) will be allowed to attend each show.  The remainder of ticket holders will have the cost of their tickets reimbursed with our apologies.]

Junior Theatre Festival

Four of our Drama students in Year 10 and 12 recently had the privilege of attending the Junior Theatre Festival here in Newcastle. Here, Zoey Thomas, one of the attendees, writes about this unique experience…

The JTF Pilot Program was such an amazing experience that gave us some insight into what it’s like to work professionally in Musical Theatre. The program is super unique as we learn and perform an entire musical in only five days. It was five intense days of auditioning, singing, acting, learning choreography and blocking before performing the show on the fifth day. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be able to have Erin James (known for her performances in CATS and working alongside Julie Andrews in My Fair Lady) as our amazing director and be able to learn from her what it is like to be a professional performer. I absolutely loved the entire experience and it truly helped me to realise that I would love to pursue Musical Theatre as a career in the future.

Congratulations Heber Masseque, Mia Brown, Jack O’Toole and Zoey Thomas on pursuing your God-given gifts in the Performing Arts. We as a College wish you all the best for the creative endeavours ahead of you.

Music Tuition

Our wonderful Music tutor team have begun lessons again this year. Make this year the one that your child begins the enriching journey of learning to play music!

Of particular note is that we have enlisted a new drum and percussion tutor to our team. David Tracey is an exceptional musician, playing both drums in all styles and mallet percussion (marimba, xylophones etc). Can I encourage all those budding drummers to look at in-school lessons with this fantastic teacher.

FOR MUSIC TUTOR CONTACT DETAILS, head to our website here.

Supplies Needed

Our Musical props department is in need of a lot artificial plants and vines, these can be damaged, new or used. As well as plastic or melamine camp cups or mugs. Please drop donations into the College office.

Music Ensembles

Music ensembles have resumed. If your child is interested in joining an ensemble please find further information and enrolment information below.

Primary Music Ensembles Enrolment

Secondary Music Ensembles Enrolment

Our timetable for Music ensembles are as follows, however, more information and enrolment can be found in the links below.

For information and enrolment for all our Creative Arts and Music ensembles, please follow the relevant links below.

Primary Ensembles: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CR8GlQuTLUoa0e4tMANf4_74aZGxE432/view?usp=sharing

Secondary Ensembles:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CIbVLND1KolMQNti4jK_viIPJpgEXTQH/view?usp=sharing  

Also find our Music Tutor contacts and our Instrument Hire Form along with some Hot tips.

Big Vegie Crunch

Last Thursday, Beginners and Primary School students were asked to bring vegetables for their regular morning Crunch’n’Sip time. This is an organised event by NSW Health to have students think on the benefits of healthy eating, all whilst attempting to break the record for the organised, simultaneous eating of vegetables. 

Only 6% of Australian children eat enough vegetables! We were a part of the group that set the record in 2018 where over 50,000 students took part. At 10am, we munched on a range of vegetables as we took part in this annual event for the 5th time. Mr Robins and Stage 3 student, Lara Jones, took around vegetable platters for those that didn’t have any vegetables to munch. We were also able to give curious students the chance to try a vegetable or two that they hadn’t tried before. There was tomato, capsicum, celery, carrot, snowpeas, beans, and mushroom to choose from. Perhaps you could ask your child if they tried something new?

College Tour

Do you have friends and family who may like to check out the College on a tour? Maybe you know of folk who are considering a relocation to the Hunter region? Why not encourage them to join our College Registrar, Ms Teena Knott, on our next group tour coming up on Tuesday, 1st June at 9am. For more details and to book a tour, click here

Vaping Webinar

Opal Cards Tap On and Off

We would like students and families to understand the importance of tapping on and off with their Opal card every time they travel to and from school. When students receive their Opal card, it is a condition of use that students must tap on at the beginning of a trip and tap off at the end of a trip at an Opal card reader. Although school travel is free, this provides NSW Transport with very important information that allows them to better plan bus services for us by helping them to know how many services need to be provided for our College. We do not want any current services cancelled.

Over the holidays we would appreciate if parents could ensure their students have an Opal card and take the time to apply or replace it.

Please click here to apply or replace an Opal card.

Bus Numbers on Opal Cards

To assist us and your child to ensure that your child catches the correct bus home, could we please request you write your child’s bus number in texta on the front of your child’s Opal Card. As well, the best contact parent mobile number would help too, in the case of parents needing to be phoned (this is optional, however). A separate see-through wallet type attachment could be used if preferred. It is most important for your child to be aware and refer to this information when catching the bus.

This information will provide your child, teacher or bus buddy the correct information should your child need assistance quickly, particularly for Kindergarten and Stage One Primary students who may sometimes forget their bus number.