Newsletter

Presentation Night

Thank you for participating in our survey regarding our celebration of learning and the current Presentation Night format. All major community stakeholders responded to the survey, providing results that were very informative, which in turn shaped our decision in regard to how the College celebrates learning and growth for every single learner.

In support of the feedback, the Executive has decided to have our final Presentation Night at the Civic Theatre this year, 2021. The Civic Theatre gave a wonderful sense of occasion, however, we believe this can still be achieved in a different format. Moving forward, from 2022 onwards, our Presentation Night evening will be replaced with a portfolio of Learning Assemblies throughout the year, designed to celebrate learning achievement across all facets of the College. This will be a time where parents are encouraged to join us onsite at the College and share in these Learning celebrations alongside their children. In addition to this, the entire College community will come together at the end of the year for an annual gathering on site. Stay tuned!

I am positive that we will continue to celebrate our students, and their learning and look forward to shaping this new format. Thank you for your feedback and being a part of this decision. In the meantime, I look forward to celebrating our students and their achievements one last time at the Civic Theatre at the end of this year. 

Regards,
________________________________
Sharon Sopher
Principal

Last Friday, staff and student representatives from across our College bravely worked their way through a rather chilly wake-up, joining over 400 people from around the Hunter Region at the Annual Lord Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast.

Hosted by our Newcastle Lord Mayor, Ms Nuatali Nelmes, the Prayer Breakfast was a fantastic time of singing, eating, catching up, fundraising and of course, prayer. You could physically feel the room shift up a gear as we stood together to pray a collective prayer of blessing over the City of Newcastle and her surrounding region.

One of the highlights of the morning for me personally was experiencing the Acknowledgement of Country by Gamilaroi woman and respected local elder, Aunty Donna Meehan. Coming from a very safe, happy and balanced upbringing, I often find myself in those situations not knowing what to think, do or say. I wonder if you have ever felt the same when engaging in something that you truly don’t understand. I find that silence, and an open ear to listen is the best advice given here.

Aunty Donna’s passion for the Lord Jesus and her love for this country and its people was on full display that morning, and yet it is obvious that the pain and suffering of being taken from her family at such a young age is still very apparent. 

For Aunty Donna to publicly encourage a large crowd of ‘churchies’ in what was National Reconciliation Week was very inspiring and in that moment, I vividly remember my thoughts shifting to our ultimate reconciler:

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:17-18

As a Christian community, what an amazing privilege it is to be part of God’s ultimate act of reconciliation through His Son, the Lord Jesus. We are truly reconciled to our Heavenly Father and ‘made new’. Just when we think that’s it, God goes one step further and calls us, with all our warts, contradictions and shortcomings, to go out and share this same message of reconciliation, as Christ’s ambassadors. 

Thanks Aunty Donna for reminding me last week of the ultimate reconciliation we have in the Lord Jesus Christ!

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

~ Every opportunity we have to minister His love into the lives of our students and our families. Sometimes it’s the smallest of things – a nod or a smile – other times we are called to step into the gap for them – advocating for them, guiding them through the toughest of times. But every time – big or small – is a gift of grace – knowing that God, in His mercy, has chosen us to partner with Him in being the conduits of His Love. 

~ The College Tour last week. We had nearly seventy people attend. It was exciting to see their interest and to have the opportunity to show them something of what BCC has to offer. Please pray for Sharon as she meets with potential new families every week. 

~ Enjoy the wonder of the blue-sky winter days. God is good.

Prayer Points

~ The Musical as they work towards finalising everything for the productions. Please pray for a blessing of extra strength, encouragement, protection from illness and injury and a wonderful sense of purpose and anticipation for all involved. 

~ For staff and families in our community who are struggling with significant medical needs. Please pray that they will know the Blessing of God’s Tender Love and Care.

~ Sharney Truscott and for Bill and their extended family during this challenging time. Please pray that Sharney will know the company of Christ as she navigates this very demanding journey.

~ Please continue to pray for Mark Hall as he and his family travel around Australia. 

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.

As part of this day the students may come dressed in mufti and we will be having a sausage sizzle for lunch. What a great opportunity to not have to pack lunches on the last day! If you would like to order sausage sandwiches and drinks for your child please go to www.munchmonitor.com and use School ID: belmontcc Password: munch2280. Orders close Thursday, 17th June at 11am.

Upcoming Parenting Webinars

eSafety’s guide to parental controls

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

Elevate Education

You may recall that parents of our College have exclusive access to Elevate Education’s Parent Webinar Series for Term 1, 2021. 

 Their most recent webinar was on Exam Preparation and took place last week. Elevate has kindly extended access for us so that parents who missed the live event can watch it on replay. Watch the Exam Preparation webinar replay here.     

​​​​​​Their final webinar for Term 2 will be on Wednesday, 16th June and will focus on Stress and Wellbeing to help you recognise your child’s stress symptoms and help them develop positive habits to enhance confidence and wellbeing. If you have not yet registered, you can do so here: https://go.elevateeducation.com/e/891981/au-register-/qlvb/74848473?h=mEqcIRFjQc5HqQgFrrVnr2U_snuHi3MrainESQnKeDk   

The webinar is run live online from 7pm – 8pm (AEST) where the presenter will share Elevate’s key research and strategies, and will conduct a live Q&A so you can ask them questions directly. 

Download your resources here to help turn these skills into habits for your child.

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

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

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. 

~ 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:

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

Primary Aerobics

Last weekend our Primary Aerobics teams and individual performers competed at the NSW State Championships here in Newcastle. Once again the girls have given some brilliant performances and achieved some very good results. Our ‘Crazy Crew’ team finished 2nd in their team’s event. Charlotte Campbell and Abigail Kidd were once again hard to separate in their individual contest, with the results being reversed from a few weeks ago; this time Abigail nudging out Charlotte to claim silver, while Charlotte grabbed the bronze. Our duo team of Hannah Neppl and Ruby Henderson stepped up after their silver in the National series, this time claiming Gold in their pairs event. Each of our performers have booked their place in the National Titles to be held in Brisbane in August. Well done Girls!!!!

NSW CSSA Cross Country

A cool, breezy day greeted our Cross Country team at the NSW CSSA Carnival, held at the Sydney Equestrian Centre, Horsley Park. It’s a very challenging course for all runners, but the conditions made it that little bit more tricky. 38 students (22 Primary, 16 Secondary) were a part of the team that had qualified from the Zone event a few weeks ago. With some races featuring over 110 runners, it was always going to be a testing event. In the end, Belmont had 11 students finishing in the top 25 of their event. Owen Irvine (2nd place – 17yrs) and Louella Scharfe (4th place – 9yrs) have qualified for the NSW CIS Cross Country, which is held this Thursday, at Eastern Creek Raceway. Natalie Benn (13th), Micah Troyer (13th),  Lachlan Rae (14th), and Jorja Simolin (15th) narrowly missed out on the next level. Congratulations to all of our runners.

Primary Regional AFL

Belmont’s run in the Primary State Paul Kelly Cup came to an end in the Regional finals 2 weeks ago. The girls were missing some integral players due to illness and absence, which meant that it was always going to be a tough day. In the end, the girls did their best but were overpowered by their opposition.Our Boys team had two very tight losses, going down by a goal in each of their games. They dominated their games but some wayward goal kicking ended up proving costly. Well done to our teams for getting to Regional finals this year.

Primary Soccer Metro Cup

Last Wednesday, our Junior and Senior boys soccer teams headed off to Tamworth for their annual soccer metro Cup gala day. We had a very early morning and ‘brisk’ start to the day, leaving BCC at 5:30am. The day was hosted by Carinya Christian School who put on an amazing day, full of fun and good sportsmanship. Our teams did extremely well on the day. The Junior team bowed out in their semi final in a close game. The Seniors’ only loss of the day was in their semi-final. They lost after extra time in a penalty shootout. Thank you to all of the staff and students that represented our school so well on the day. The day was a cracker!

Primary Netball Metro Cup

On Wednesday, 2nd June, 18 bright eyed and bushy tailed netballers ventured to Tamworth to play in the Metro Cup. Our Senior teams won 3 out of 5 games, playing incredibly well together. While our Juniors smashed the whole day, making it to the grand final undefeated. They played Green Point Christian College in what was a very tough game. At full time it was 9-9 then went into overtime, unfortunately losing by 2. We had a fantastic day together and I am blown away by the girls positive attitude, encouragement and sportsmanship. Now we are off to Penrith next month! 

Secondary Zone Netball Gala Day

On 25th May, girls and boys teams represented Belmont Christian College at the THACCCSA Netball Gala Day. The day was hotly contested with some outstanding play by all our students. Junior Girls Division 1 dominated their games winning them all and Division 2 teams won half of their games. In the Seniors Division 1 and 2 had a number of very close games going down in a couple by the minimum of margins. Thank you to one of our parents, Mrs Elder, for looking after the Senior Girl Division 1 team. 

The Senior Boys and U15 Netball teams also performed strongly. The boys’ teams defeated older and much more experienced teams, with two of our teams placing third in the competition. All of our students represented the College well, encouraged each other and displayed sportsmanship on the court. It deserves noting that the day could not have been such a success without the support and coaching of Mrs Swaine, one of our dedicated parents who mentored our male students.    

Secondary CSSA Netball Gala Day

On 7th June, our Division 1 U15’s Netball team represented Belmont Christian College at the CSSA Netball Gala Day in Penrith against teams as far reaching as Dubbo. The girls should be congratulated for winning 6 out of their 8 pool games and displaying excellent skills, athleticism and determination. They came equal 2nd in their pool qualifying for the semi finals, however on count back for goals against the girls ended up placing 3rd in their pool narrowly missing out on the semi finals. They placed 9th out of all 29 teams. The girls played with such great sportsmanship and represented the College wonderfully. 

Individual Student Achievement

Toby Maddison

Congratulations to Toby Maddison of Year 10 who was recently selected in the NSW AICES u16 Rugby squad. Toby was selected in the hotly contested Scrum Half position to compete in the NSW Championships to be held in Daceyville. Toby has already been in camp with the squad and has a few trial games before the State competition later in June.

Rohan Henderson

Rohan Henderson has been selected for the CIS u16 Hockey team.  He represented CSSA in the trials at Moorebank on Thursday. Rohan will play a tri-series at NSW All Schools against CHS and CCC in early August at Broadmeadow.

Amalie Ford

After being selected in the u15 NSW CIS AFL team, Amalie travelled with her family to Albury, where she competed against 4 other State squads from Public and Catholic Schools. Amalie slotted in at Centre Half Back and had a brilliant tournament. NSW CIS finished 2nd overall, their highest ever position in this competition. And to cap things off, Amalie was then elected in the NSW All schools team. Unfortunately, with all National competitions being cancelled in 2021 due to COVID, Amalie won’t get the chance to travel to the Northern Territory to test her abilities against the best players in the country. Amalie will get another shot at this competition next year. Amalie is pictured here with her NSW guernsey and Runners Up medal from the event. Congratulations Amalie on your outstanding achievement.

Rosie Neat

Congratulations to 2 of our star Netballers, who have been selected in the NSW CSSA squad following yesterday’s CSSA Gala Day in Penrith. The girls will trial again next week with a final cut to be made.

Rosie Neat has been selected in the u15 squad. Rosie has been playing Netball since 5 years of age and is currently playing u21 in the Newcastle Competition having just recently turned 15.

Georgie-Annah Elder

Georgie-Annah Elder is having a sensational year with her Netball. She has been selected in the Opens NSW CSSA squad. Georgie recently represented the NSW Indigenous All Star team playing against the Giants Academy in a curtain raiser for the Swifts v Giants game in Sydney. She is travelling weekly to Sydney to train with the strong Eastwood Ryde Netball u23 squad. Georgie has also recently been asked to train with the NSW Emerging talent squad.

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.]

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.

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/ 

2022 Term Dates

The 2022 term dates are available on our website https://bcc.nsw.edu.au/term-dates/

College Tours

Do you have friends and family who cannot make it onsite to check out the College on a personal face-to-face 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 Virtual College Tour. For more details and to book a face-to-face or virtual 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.

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/

Group College Tour

It was wonderful to host so many new families to our annual Group College Tour earlier last week. The morning provided an opportunity to share our vision and mission, tour the grounds, visit classrooms, and enjoy a hot coffee on the first day of Winter. We love welcoming people into our BCC community!

Parent Portal

The College is pleased to have undertaken a new initiative, the Sentral Parent Portal, to provide parents/caregivers with information about your child’s school experience. The Portal is now available to parents/caregivers of Beginners-Year 12 students.

The Parent Portal allows parents/caregivers to view academic reports, book parent-teacher interviews, submit absence explanations, view incidents and manage payments. As we progress this initiative, the Parent Portal will become more and more significant in your day-to-day management of your child’s enrolment at the College.

Over the past few weeks parents have been emailed an invitation with link and individual access key inviting you to register. Some parents have found that if one parent has registered the second parent may have difficulty registering. If you need assistance registering or have not received your Parent Portal registration invitation email from the College please email our IT Department sentral@bcc.nsw.edu.au.

Beginners-Year 6 Parent-Teacher Interviews

Parents will have the opportunity to attend Parent-Teacher Interviews during Week 10. At the interview Parents are able to provide input in the form of questions presented by your child’s classroom teacher, and the teacher will also note his or her observations in regard to your child’s learning. This will be valuable feedback for teachers, as well as important information for parents. Parent-Teacher Interviews are an important part of the communication between the College and home so we encourage your attendance.

Parent-Teacher Interviews will be held face-to-face at the College on Thursday, 24th June. Interview times will be between 3.10pm and 8.30pm. To book please log in to the Parent Portal, select Parent-Teacher Interviews from the menu of the left. Bookings are now open and close 3.30pm Monday, 18th June. For those classes that have two teachers please note that only one teacher’s name is listed on the bookings sheet. If you cannot attend the allocated interview day, please contact your child’s teachers directly to make alternative arrangements.

The Primary School Academic Reports will be made available for Parent access via our Parent Portal in Week 10 also.

If you have not received your Parent Portal registration invitation email from the College or have trouble registering please email our IT Department sentral@bcc.nsw.edu.au.

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.

NEW Uniform Shop Hours

The Uniform Shop is open Tuesday 1 – 3.30pm and Thursday 8 – 11am during the school term. From Term 3 the Uniform Shop will open an additional day on Wednesdays 1 – 3.30pm.