Newsletter

If you have any queries about the College uniform, make sure you visit our dedicated Uniform page on the College website. Alternatively, get in touch with our uniform partner, Alinta Apparel.

Sign in at the Uniform Shop

You are now able to sign in at the Uniform Shop. Using your mobile phone you are able to scan a QR code for quick sign in. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping inline with Covid-19 Government regulations.

Uniform Shop Hours

The Uniform Shop is open Tuesday 1 – 3.30pm and Thursday 8 – 11am during the school term. There will not be any extra opening hours during the April school holidays.

Full Winter Uniform from Monday

A two week ‘change-over’ period has taken effect for the first two weeks of Term 2. During this period, students have had the choice EITHER Summer Uniform OR Winter Uniform depending on the weather. From Monday, 3rd May students are required to wear Winter Uniform only.

Uniform Improvement Committee

Thank you to the many parents and caregivers who volunteered to be a part of our newly established Uniform Improvement Committee. The committee has now been formed and I look forward to working with the team as we evaluate the appropriateness of our current uniform. We will also consider how a uniform could promote and encourage physical activity, evaluate the durability and practicality of our current pieces and make recommendations for change or additions. I don’t perceive that the committee would design a completely new uniform, rather recommend any additional items to our current uniform range. 

I look forward to partnering with our parent representatives in making sure our uniform suits the needs of our students as best we can.

Ms Sharon Sopher
Principal

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.

Praise Points

~ The wonderful time that our Secondary students had on Camp at the end of last term.

~ The Musical tickets have just gone on sale! The excitement is building!!

Prayer Points

Please pray for :

~ Our students and staff – that our students will thrive in their learning and that they will grow in confidence and ability and that our teachers will know the blessing of His encouragement and enabling as they serve Him each day.

~ Our Business Manager, Bill Truscott’s daughter – Sharney Truscott who has undergone emergency surgery a few weeks ago and is still in Intensive Care. Please continue to 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, his wife Cami and their extended family as they journey through this with Sharney. 

~ Families who are facing significant challenges – especially health challenges at the moment. Please uphold our precious families before God’s throne of grace and intercede for them – for God’s protection, provision and for them to know the ministry of His love deeply – personally.

~ Mr Mark Hall, our PDHPE Coordinator, as he and his family head off on an adventure around Australia.

~ Our Musical and ALL that needs to happen in the lead-up to the production.

Thank you for covering our community in prayer.

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.

God isn’t fair

Fairness runs deeply in the veins of every child at school. One of the most common complaints that we hear is that someone else is ‘not being fair’. This usually means that someone is not doing what I want them to do, or that the way things are unfolding are not the way that I would like them to occur. Fairness for kids is about them getting what they think they are entitled to get.

Fairness is not grounded in Christian thinking. If fairness is about giving everyone what they deserve, then God isn’t fair. What we deserve is just punishment for our wrongdoing, but in the place of fairness, God offers grace and forgiveness. In fact, He sacrificed His own life for the sake of the world. Our recent Easter break and ANZAC Day celebration both are reminders of those who gave their lives when it wasn’t deserved and we are grateful for their sacrifice.

God shows mercy whilst fairness requires judgement. Even more than that, God calls us not to respond to others in the way they deserve, but in response to the grace that has been poured upon us.

Fairness is me-centric: grace is others-centric. Fairness is about being even: grace is about giving generously. Fairness is about me getting what I believe I’m entitled to: grace is about giving more than others ever have a right to expect.

As parents, I want to encourage you to think about your use of the word fairness and instead replace it with grace. When your child expresses that a sibling is not playing fair, reframe it that the sibling perhaps, is not being kind. The challenge is then to ask how your child might respond to unkindness, not with fairness but with grace. When we do this we change the whole way in which we live out ‘mercy triumphing over judgement’.

College Tour

Do you have friends and family who are considering joining the College? There may be people in your life who are considering a relocation to the Hunter region. Why not encourage them to join our College Principal, Heads of School, Leadership Team and Registrar on our next group tour coming up on Tuesday, 1st June at 9am. For more details and to book a tour, click here

HSC Information Night – Save the Date

On Tuesday, 8th June at 7pm the College will be holding our HSC Information and Subject Selection Evening for our current Year 10 students who will be moving into Stage 6 for 2022/23. Further information will be provided shortly but in the meantime please save the date.

Peter Pan Musical

Six shows only!

Belmont Christian College Secondary School is proud to present Peter Pan on the 17th, 18th and 19th June at Warners Bay Theatre.

Close your eyes and imagine, close them tight and pretend, as you take off on a wonder-filled trip to NeverLand, where Peter and the lost boys never want to grow up.

Get in quick to secure your tickets for this must see show. Tickets are selling fast.

Bring the whole family.

For more information on Peter Pan and to book your tickets today visit https://bcc.nsw.edu.au/peter-pan/

[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.]

Musical Teaser Night

On Monday night, students in the cast and band of our Secondary Musical, Peter Pan, were thrilled to perform excerpts of the show to their parents and friends for the first time. A Teaser Night provides a valuable opportunity for students to perform and experience the thrill (and nerves) of live performance as they ready themselves for the full production.

The night featured performances by both casts, duets from the leads and some hilarious dialogue scenes as a sample. There was even a surprise performance by cast members’ parents with a cameo from our very own Ms Sopher!

Congratulations cast and band of Peter Pan, we can’t wait to see the full production in Week 9.

Mr Chris Stewart
Creative Arts Coordinator

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 Tuition

Our wonderful Music tutor team continue to offer lessons 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.

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.

Upcoming Athletics Carnival

Primary Athletics Carnival

Our K-6 Primary Athletics Carnival is Wednesday, 5th May, and will be held rain, hail or shine at the Hunter Sports Stadium, Glendale. The day will start at 8:30am. Events and activities will begin at 8:45am.

However, Kindergarten and Year 1 activities may be adversely affected by the weather.

Therefore, the carnival for those children in Kindergarten and Year 1 may be cancelled. If that occurs, these children ONLY should come to school for normal lessons. A decision will be made by 7:30am in regard to Kindergarten and Year 1. To access this information, you need to check the Skoolbag app or call the College AFTER 8am.

For Kindergarten and Year 1, students’ activities will conclude at approximately 12:00pm and parents are free to take their children home. There will be supervision by class teachers until the conclusion of the carnival if you are unable to take them home at 12:00pm.

For all other students (Yrs 2-6) the carnival will conclude at approximately 2:20pm. 

OOSC will operate as normal and a College Bus is available for students who are not able to make their way to and from the carnival.  

Further information has been distributed home this week.

Secondary Athletics Carnival

Our Secondary School Athletics Carnival (Years 7-12) will be held on Tuesday, 11th May at Hunter Sports Centre Glendale from 8:30am to 2:40pm. Students are to arrive from 8:20am, and events begin at 9am.

Attendance is compulsory for ALL STUDENTS. Carnival participation will be used as part of the Years 7 – 10 PDHPE Assessment. The greater the participation the higher the mark. If your child is absent they MUST provide a valid reason to the College Office.

We require student helpers, so if your child is not that fond of athletics they can assist with jobs on the day, and their non-participation in events will NOT affect their PDHPE Assessment.

College buses will be running from the College for those who cannot make their own way to and from Hunter Sports Centre. If you wish for your child to catch a College bus, have them place their name on the bus rolls at the Office. There are limited numbers available on the bus. These buses may arrive after the start of the carnival and will have to leave before the conclusion, so this may affect your child’s ability to compete in events in these time slots. Please consider this if your child is aiming for Age Champion.

Please also note that the finish time for the carnival is 2:30pm. Please arrange pick up by 2:40pm. If this isn’t possible, please have your child catch the bus back to the College to enable them to catch their normal school bus home. If your child has to leave early, they must have a valid note signed by their parent/caregiver and report to Mr Tidey and Mrs Evans at the recording desk near the exit.

Cancellation due to inclement weather will be advised through the Skoolbag app and possibly Rhema FM.

CSSA State Swimming

Last term 17 students missed the first day of camp to represent the College and Hunter/Central Coast Zone at the CSSA NSW State Swimming Championships. All students competed valiantly. Special mention goes to the following students for placing in the top 3 and advancing through to CIS NSW Swimming Championships.

12-14 Years 4x50m Freestyle Relay and 12-14 Years 4x50m Medley Relay Swimmers – Georgia Hall, Ellie-Sue Lusis, Abbey Hemsworth and Saibra Paterson. 

Congratulations to Ellie-Sue Lusis who finished 3rd in the 14 Years Girls Age Champion points and qualifying through to CIS in nine events. Victoria Robinson also qualified through in four Multiclass athletes events.

Other students who also qualified through based on qualification times for events that weren’t held at the CSSA Championships include Estella Bonsor and William Neppl.

Secondary CIS Swimming

8 students travelled to Sydney Olympic Park for the NSW CIS Swimming and Diving Championships this week.

Victoria Robinson competed in 3 events, winning Gold in the Junior Multiclass 50m Backstroke, taking a massive 4 seconds off her Personal Best time. An astonishing achievement, especially with a disrupted preparation!

Dylan Thomas competed in the Springboard and 5m platform diving competitions , also with limited training time under his belt, and took Bronze in the Springboard. This is the first diving medal we have seen at Belmont CC!

Ellie-Sue Lusis did well, competing in a massive 8 events across the 2 days, and setting new PB’s in 200m Breaststroke and 50m Backstroke. Estella Bonsor (3 events – 7 sec off her 200m ), Willam Neppl (equal PB in 100m Butterfly) also competed, along with our Junior Girls 4x50m Freestyle and Medley relay team (Ellie-Sue Lusis, Abbey Hemsworth, Saibra Paterson, Georgia Hall). The relay girls also set their fastest times in both events.

We now wait for the CIS team selections for NSW All Schools at the end of May. Well done to our swimmers!

Primary and Secondary Zone Cross Country

Primary and Secondary Zone Cross Country will be held on Tuesday, 18th May at Hylton Moore Oval, East Gosford. Parents are welcome to attend and transport their students and there will be a bus available leaving early from the College. Further information and permission notes will be distributed as soon as we received full event details.

Social Media

Insight into the heart and soul of College life across all grades is best engaged with via our Facebook and Instagram social media feeds. We encourage you to join both groups and stay up to date with the latest from BCC.

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 are considering joining the College? There may be people in your life who are considering a relocation to the Hunter region. Why not encourage them to join our College Principal, Heads of School and Leadership Team Registrar on 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. This includes a recently launched live link of key dates on our College Calendar! 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.

The last three days of Term 1 saw Years 7 to 11 embark on their annual camps.

Year 7 spent an action packed three days at Crusaders Galston. Students had a great time abseiling, trying their hands at archery, bush walking, and climbing the giant ‘Leap of Faith’. At night there were plenty of fun and exciting games. Christian Discovery saw students take part in a worship time followed by talks from Crusader leaders and small group discussions. Students enjoyed awesome food (and lots of it), a little bit of sleep (for some!) and lots of laughs throughout the camp.

Year also 8 spent an action packed three days at Crusaders Galston. Students had a great time hiking, camping (avoiding leaks where possible), high ropes, construction challenges, team games and Laser Tag. At night there were plenty of fun and exciting stealthy games. Christian Discovery saw students take part in a worship time followed by talks from Crusader leaders and small group discussions. Students enjoyed lots of great food (and and even had to cook some of it), a little bit of sleep (for some!) and lots of laughs throughout the camp.

Year 9 and 10 set off on the Urban Challenge bright and early from Milsons Point on an Amazing Race style camp around Sydney. Year 9 enjoyed a range of activities including dragon boating, singing to shop owners to earn their next clue, and a fiercely competitive 10-pin bowling competition in Darling Harbour. Meanwhile, Year 10 needed to use clues and their intelligence in the Escape Room, as well as cooking meals for the homeless and having the opportunity to do an act of kindness to those less fortunate in Sydney. A special thank you to the students and teachers for their exemplary behaviour and enthusiasm throughout Camp.

With the HSC looming in the near future, the Year 11 camp was the last chance for students to get away from the classroom and focus on deepening their relationships with each other. The focus of the camp was on teamwork and being willing to accept new challenges. On the first day, The Raw Challenge at Doyalson was a huge hit with students. Working together to overcome obstacles and challenges, students pushed themselves past their physical limits. It was lovely to hear students cheer each other on – no person was left behind! On the second day, students heard from Glen Gerreyn from the institute of Hope. He encouraged students to pursue the next couple of years with purpose and how to harness motivation and drive for challenges. Students made personal commitments and felt re-energised from his talk. Through the many activities (the card games, stand up paddle boarding, kayaking, bushwalks, devotions, trivia night and games) positive relationships were reinforced and strengthened. Teachers could not speak more highly of how Year 11 conducted themselves. We have a terrific Year 11 cohort and it was a privilege to spend time with them. Thank you, Year 11!   

Mother’s Day Stall

2021 Young Entrepreneurs Expo and Dinner

Our College is committed to growing and supporting the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs. In support of this, we run an annual young entrepreneurs business expo via our Stage 6 Business Studies program for students in Year 11. From scratch, students are challenged to develop a business plan for a hypothetical business idea, with the prospect of making it into a commercially viable product or service at a later time. The students then present these ideas and concepts to a panel of local Hunter region business owners, known as ‘Sharks’, in recognition of the famous TV program Shark Tank.  

We welcome any of our parents operating their own businesses to partner with us in supporting our students – your sponsorship will go towards a formal celebration dinner where prizes, awards and certificates are presented to students. To register your interest in sponsoring this small business initiative, click on this link.

Mr Ross Urane
Year 11 and 12 Business Studies Teacher                 

Careers Information

Universities Admissions Centre

Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) provide a series of webinars for careers advisers and Year 10, 11 and 12 students and their parents.

Registrations are now open for a Let’s Chat series of webinars on courses and careers in medicine, business and economics, communication and much more.

During each webinar, university professors, lecturers and student ambassadors will give prospective students an insight into their chosen area of study. There are 16 universities available to meet with.

All dates and registration links are available from the UAC website: uac.edu.au/schools/uac-digital.

Newcastle University

Tuesday, 25 May 2021  
6:00pm – 7:00pm  
To register, CLICK HERE  

We encourage both parents and students to register for this digital event. 

Presented by a panel of current Student Ambassadors who will share their stories and experiences, the session covers the subject selection process (including 3 simple steps on how to select your HSC subjects), as well as case studies and examples, and some general University information. 

Upcoming Webinars

Elevate Education

We’re excited to announce that parents of Belmont Christian College have exclusive access to Elevate Education’s Parent Webinar Series for Term 2, 2021. Elevate works with our students, delivering high impact workshops on study skills, motivation, wellbeing, and exam preparation. By tuning into their webinar series you will learn how to better support your children at home through reinforcing the skills they learn at school.

The webinars take place fortnightly across the term, beginning on Wednesday, 5th May at 7pm. Registration is essential and is free for parents of Belmont Christian College. You can register by clicking here.

Should you have questions or would like to contact Elevate directly, call 1300 667 945 or email auscoaching@elevateeducation.com