Newsletter

The athletics carnivals of the past week were a celebration of the amazing talents of our students. Every student who competed in an event is to be congratulated on their positive contribution to our College community. The sheer determination of some to win a race or an event was remarkable, however, it was sportsmanship that ultimately won the day!

In November last year I had a total hip replacement. After a few weeks I was up and running again, not quite running yet, but slowly getting there. Now that I have full mobility and living a pain free life, again I am reminded of the joy of exercise and the benefits thereof. I even considered running in the staff relay, but thought better of it when I realised it was best left to the younger, faster staff members.

As I look to apply the running of a race to our spiritual life, I realise that as Christians we also need to be moving. When we lose our forward motion, weariness can drain away our energy. We are threatened daily by a real enemy who seeks to destroy our souls, especially when we have lost our momentum.

The columnist, Herb Caen wrote: ‘Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle, when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.’

Paul says we’re running a spiritual race and we are to run in such a way as to win a prize. Momentum gained is hard to stop. Momentum lost is hard to gain. I encourage you to pray, move and watch – there is a lion out there somewhere!

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 blessing of community. As we walk with each other, and truly love one other, we invite the wonder of the love of God to infuse and minister to and strengthen our community. Prayer is the key to loving each other well. It is the unseen expression of faith that helps create conduits for the anointing of God’s love over individuals and over the community itself. 

Thank you for being faithful in standing in the gap on behalf of our community. Please know that it is no small thing that you do. You are taking on the battle in the Heavenlies. You are helping to lift weary arms and you are helping to forge a fence of protection – calling for the ministry of God’s Holy Spirit over, in and through our community. 

Hold fast to His calling to pray. He sees you, He knows you and He hears you.  

Prayer Points

~ The musical. It’s getting so close now! Please continue to pray for Chris and Naomi Stewart and the team of staff working with them. Please pray for protection over the health of the two casts, for resolution of any technical or staging issues and for His Sustaining Grace for all involved.

~ Sharney Truscott and for Bill, his wife Cami, and for Sharney’s brother, David. Bill has let us know that they have received the news that Sharney has not been offered the option of surgery. Please pray for this precious family as they walk the next steps on the path together – that they will know the company of Christ in tangible, deeply loving, deeply assuring and deeply beautiful ways.  

~ Mr Mark Hall as he and his precious family travel around Australia over the next couple of months.

~ Our staff and families who are facing difficult times – a number who are facing challenging medical issues. 

~ Our Counsellor – Liz Roberts – is having surgery this week to remove the pins used in the reconstructive surgery on her shoulder. 

~ Mr Fraser Hannam is very unwell and needs to know God’s healing and provision.

~ Continued prayer for Mrs Vicki Quick and Mrs Janine Ferreira for their full recovery after surgery.

~ Mr Nate Miller’s mum, Helen, has been diagnosed with late-stage cancer. 

~ Mrs Naomi Carthew continues to undergo chemotherapy and is preparing for surgery.

~ We have parents in our community who are undergoing chemotherapy treatment for reoccurring cancer.

~ We have parents who are facing financial hardship, relational needs and work-related stress. Praise God that as we pray for each other that we help to lift weary arms and participate in the wonder of knowing that our prayers and God’s Will – are intertwined.

~ Cover Victoria Robinson in prayer as she continues to undergo chemotherapy and as she takes on the challenges of school, sport and life as a young teenager. Please pray that Victoria will know God’s blessing of resilience, reassurance and encouragement as she navigates the challenges she faces, and a growing sense of His love for her as she sees it expressed in simple and deeply kind ways. 

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.

Coins for Compassion

As a College, we sponsor six children from Compassion. The staff sponsors Byron from Uganda, the Primary students sponsor Chepkemoi Ruth from Kenya and Petrha from West Timor and our Secondary students sponsor three additional children from West Timor.

It is our desire that all of our students learn to develop ‘compassion’ for those less fortunate than themselves. We would like to help them to genuinely understand what mercy is, and how we can all play a small part in showing love and compassion towards others.

We are endeavouring, as a College, to raise at least $3000 to pay for the sponsorship of the five children sponsored by the student body. If we raise more, we will be able to bless them and their families with more.

We will be holding a ‘Coins for Compassion’ day on the last day of Term 2. This will be a fun day where the children will engage in several activities to help raise the money for our Compassion children. The day will be mufti and the children can participate in a sausage sizzle for lunch. More details of our ‘Coins for Compassion’ day will be sent home later in the term.

Upcoming Parenting Webinars

eSafety’s guide to parental controls

Tuesday, 8th June 2021  
12:30pm – 1:30pm

Wednesday, 16th June 2021  
7:30pm – 8:30pm  
To register, REGISTER NOW

This webinar will look at how Parents and Caregivers can set up devices and apps to help kids and young people stay safe online. It is designed for Parents and Carers of children aged 4-13.

It will cover:

~ the benefits and limitations of parental controls
~ how to set up iOS and Android devices for safety
~ how to set up popular games and apps like YouTube and Roblox for safety
~ using family tech agreements and other parenting strategies to manage online risks
~ how eSafety can help when things go wrong.

Upcoming Careers Webinars

Newcastle University

Tuesday, 8th June 2021  
6:00pm – 7:00pm  
To register, CLICK HERE  

Sam Doherty, the Senior Manager of Admissions, will be running a live University of Newcastle Parent Webinar, covering key topics such as how to apply to University and the various entry schemes that are available for your child. 

A great session for parents with students in Year 11 and 12.  

Student Wellbeing and Career Resilience in a Rapidly Changing World Webinar

Friday, 4 June 2021, 12 pm AEST

Young people face a future working life which will be marked by constant change. The economic impacts of COVID-19 have caused labour market disruption and job losses for many young people who are over-represented in hard-hit industries such as Tourism, Hospitality, and Arts and Culture. Many students have missed important milestones and struggled with the isolation imposed by lockdowns.

In this webinar, Dr Lyn O’Grady, a Psychologist specialising in the mental health and wellbeing of children, young people and their parents, will explore the potential impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on student emotional and psychological wellbeing which may create obstacles for students facing complex career decisions and transitions. Lyn will offer practical advice, strategies and resources for parents and carers supporting students in extraordinary times of change.

Register now

University of Newcastle HSC Help Webinars

The University of Newcastle has partnered with InspirationED to deliver a free series of HSC subject specific webinars. They will be delivered by teachers and HSC Markers. You will have the opportunity to gain advice on how to prepare for your child’s respective subjects and ask questions. The webinars will focus on particular sections of the curriculum. 
https://www.newcastle.edu.au/study/hsc-subject-support-sessions

The first webinar is on Monday, 7th June, 7:30pm, an introduction session ‘Maximising your HSC’. We invite students and parents to join in to the session.  

Date: Monday, 7th June, 7:30pm
Audience: HSC students and their parents
To register: Click here https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kf18quWxTyyseCr6WXl-yQ

All sessions will be free to students, and will complement their studies at school and home. The following sessions are specific to HSC courses, and will cover specific module areas. 

~ English Advanced, Paper 1 | Tuesday, 8th June, 7:30pm
~ Mathematics Advanced, Topic 1: Functions | Wednesday, 9th June, 7:30pm
~ Biology, Module 5 | Thursday, 10th June, 7:30pm
~ Chemistry, Module 5 | Monday, 14th June, 7:30pm
~ Physics, Module 5 | Tuesday, 15th June, 7:30pm
~ Economics, Topic 1: The Global Economy | Wednesday, 16th June, 7:30pm

All webinars are open for registration at https://www.newcastle.edu.au/study/hsc-subject-support-sessions

Don’t forget we have our ‘Ask A Student’ platform for High School students to connect with current Uni students. The page has FAQs that our students have answered or they can select a student profile and ask any questions that they may have around transitioning to University study, student life, degree programs and student support. Students can find the page here:  https://www.newcastle.edu.au/study/ask-a-student

UAC Digital Let’s Chat Sessions

UAC (Universities Admission Centre) Digital present a range of free webinars for students, parents and anyone navigating their path to higher education.

You can join live briefings and Q&A sessions on the application process, panel discussions with experts on moderation and scaling, and introductions to the many and varied universities in NSW and the ACT.

They have programmed a series of sessions focused on popular fields of study, like Medicine and Teaching. The ‘Let’s Chat’ series will bring together academics and students for a conversation about what you can expect from your course and how to submit your application.

Follow the links below for the upcoming Let’s Chat sessions:

3 June – The ATAR and Subject Selection for Year 10 Students

16 June Let’s Chat – Studying at Regional Universities

17 June Let’s Chat – Early Entry

23 June Let’s Chat – Business, Commerce and Economics

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                 

Primary Aerobics

Last week our Aerobics teams and individuals competed in the National Super Series in Newcastle, used as a lead-in event to the NSW Championships in June. Our Girls team, “The Crazy Crew”, won the Novice Teams Competition. The pairs team of Ruby Henderson and Hannah Neppl finished with silver. In the Primary Individual Competition, Charlotte Campbell and Abigail Kidd went head to head with Charlotte just getting the slightest of wins, with Abigail second. All the best as you prepare for State Championships in June!

Mountain Biking

The Hunter Schools Mountain Biking Championships were held over 2 days last week, with Primary competing on the first day and Secondary following them.

10 talented Primary students entered the event, bringing along some serious equipment and skills to boot.

Joshua Foskett just missed the medals finishing 4th of 73 riders after a crash on his final lap proved enough to rob him of a podium finish.

Hamish Rae (12th of 73), Jadon Morris (15th of 73) and Ezra Cole (16th of 42) also finished in the top 20 of their age group events

In the Secondary event on Friday,11 students attended, with the Rae boys, Aidan and Lachlan finishing on the podium with Silver and Bronze medals respectively.

Aidan’s 2nd place from 137 riders made all the more better after suffering a flat tyre on his final lap.

Joseph Blundell (5th of 101) and Kingsley Scharfe (17th of 137) also finished in the top 20.

The rain on Friday made conditions very tricky, but our team still had a great day!

Congratulations to our riders for their excellent achievements.

Zone Cross Country

Students who finished Top 4 at our School Cross Country Carnival last term had the opportunity to compete at the Zone Carnival on Tuesday.Aged from 8yr to 16yr, our students had a great day at Gosford, with some brilliant performances. All up, 35 students qualified for the NSW CSSA Cross Country, by finishing in the Top 15. They join our 17/18yr olds who automatically qualified from the College Carnival.A big congratulations to our team. Louella Scharfe and Joshua Ellem both won their Age division, with Micah and Jay Troyer finishing in Runners up in their respective age races.The following students finished in the top 5.

Secondary Athletics Carnival

Once again, the forecast predicted rain, and once again our prayers were answered as the day went ahead in mostly dry conditions.

Students from Years 7-12 ran, jumped and threw their way through a range of events with 11 records falling on the day.

The Age Championship contests were all close, with Robinson running away in the House contest by 70 points, making the final calculation for the year very tight after Booth and Cuthbert took the Swimming and Cross Country Carnivals

Our Zone Carnival will be held in Term 3.

Congratulations to our Age Champions, who will certainly be there to represent the College:

As mentioned, a massive 11 records fell on the day, demonstrating the amazing abilities of many of our students.

Teacher Achievement

We are delighted to report that Mr Ben Robins has been awarded the Cricket NSW Greater Hunter School Ambassador of the Month award. We know that Mr Robins works hard to provide the sporting and health opportunities for our students. As well as stepping into the role of Secondary Sport Coordinator this term while Mr Hall is on leave is a huge job. We are blessed with such committed teachers here at BCC. Thank you Mr Robins for always going above and beyond.

OSHC provided by Camp Australia

Belmont Christian College are pleased to offer a before and after school care program on site through Camp Australia. The service is available from 7.00am to 8.40am and 2.50pm to 6.00pm each school day.

Register, book and manage your before and after school care bookings at www.campaustralia.com.au or call the Customer Service Team on 1300 105 343. Further information is also available on our website https://bcc.nsw.edu.au/oshc/

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

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

2021 Term Dates

The 2021 term dates are 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

We understand that communication between your family and the College forms a crucial part of the education journey. Our website hosts a Parents’ Directory. The Parents’ Directory is an up-to-date online directory summarising key communication channels and links. This includes a recently launched live link of key dates on our College Calendar! 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.

HSC Information Night & Subject Selection Information

Now is the season when our Year 10 students start thinking more about what the next two years will look like for them at BCC. Our goal and prayer is to partner with our Year 10 students and families to assist them in mapping out a wonderful pathway through Stage 6 (Year 11 and 12) that will help them to flourish here at BCC and beyond.  

Year 10 parents (and students) have already received the Stage 6 Prospectus which outlines the subjects that we offer at BCC, along with details about the specific requirements of the HSC. 

From Tuesday, 1st June (Week 7), the HSC page on our College website will be officially live for 2022. This webpage focuses on each subject offered in greater detail, as well as explaining important information about how to achieve a HSC and an ATAR. Watching the videos on this webpage is crucial in making an informed subject decision. 

On Friday, 4th June (Week 7), all Year 10 students will hear from each Faculty Coordinator about the subjects on offer in 2022.

On Tuesday, 8th June 7:00-8:30pm (Week 8), we invite Parents and Students to join us onsite in the College Library for our HSC Information Night. This is a great opportunity to chat directly with teachers who are passionate about their subject and can provide extra information about the nature of these subjects, the topics covered, and the types of students who would enjoy them. Our Careers Advisor and VET Coordinator, Mrs Susan Carter, will also be available on the night to talk about VET and Distance Education options for those students desiring a more unique pattern of study.

Once you’ve had time to process this information provided an online subject selection form will be available on the HSC webpage and in the Year 10 Student Information Google Classroom for students to officially enter their subject choices for 2022.

If you have any questions in the lead-up, please don’t hesitate to contact our Director of Teaching & Learning, Ms Melanie Melcum on melanie.melcum@bcc.nsw.edu.au

Parents are also invited to stay on to hear about our proposed Stradbroke Island trip. We’ll be inviting expressions of interest, so please come along straight after the expo from 8:00pm in the Library Theatrette.

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.]

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.

Group College Tour 1st June

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