Newsletter

Love does not Keep a Record of Wrongs

At the beginning of the year, our Stage 5 Leader, Phil Melcum, invited all staff to take the Corinthian Challenge. Reading from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, he asked each of us to choose one of the aspects of Christlike love, one that we may struggle with, and through prayer, ask God to transform our thinking and behaviours to emulate this type of love in our lives. It is quite the impressive list:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”  

Personally, I have been asking God to help me to display a love which ‘keeps no record of wrongs.’ Even towards close friends and family, this is a tricky one to get right! There is something unhelpfully cathartic about dwelling on past hurts, to bring up past events to win an argument or to throw past words back on to someone. However, none of these things actually help resolve conflict or foster reconciliation, and are inherently self-destructive. We become stunted, unable to grow in love from the experience. 

Developmentally, our young people particularly struggle to let go of their ‘record of wrongs’ and this often leads to relationship drama. The all-too-familiar drama that causes tears at home and divides friendship groups! I once had two students not speak to each other because of a reignited argument over a soccer game which happened three years ago – one had apparently not passed the ball and hence lost the game! While trauma and bullying should be acted on and worked through, minor grievances and wrongs should be put into perspective. If your child is struggling to let go of their ’record of wrongs’, Christian Therapist Shannon L. Alder suggests using some of these sentence stems to challenge unhelpful thinking:

1. We have had this conversation about X a few times now, and I think it is time that we talked about how you can let it go. Holding on to this is hurting you more than them. Let’s give this over to God.
2. There are so many things in your life right now; what are some exciting things happening for you? Tell me about the things that are going well for you. 
3. Being hurt by person X was tough; what did God teach you from that experience? The lesson is essential; it might be time to forgive yourself and person X and hold on to the lesson. Let all of the other stuff go.

Although conflict is unpleasant, it does allow the opportunity for growth and learning. If you think your child may benefit from some additional help working through friendship issues, please reach out to nate.miller@bcc.nsw.edu.au or one of the Stage Leaders. 

BCC Prayer Warriors

Prayer and a daily reliance on the goodness of God is at the heart of our College. To this end, our Prayer Warriors team gathers on the last Monday of each month from 8:45am – 9:30am to share, pray and connect with other parents. With restrictions now eased, please join us onsite as we commit the College and our community to God in prayer.

Please sign-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. We look forward to growing our Prayer Warriors group throughout the year. 

Prayer Points

~ Students who are struggling mentally and/or physically
~ 40th Birthday celebrations
~ Coins for Compassion
~ Primary School Musical, Ali Baba and the Bongo Bandits
~ HSC students
~ Protection and rest in the upcoming holidays
~ Our students to know a real sense of belonging, are led to believing in Jesus as the Life-Giver and are becoming all He has purposed for them
~ Continued prayer for Executive and Board members as they lead the College with their Strategic Plan for Kingdom Education here at BCC

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

Upcoming Important Dates

Primary

30.6.22 | Parent-Teacher Interviews (Beginners #1 – Year 6)
27.7.22 | Yr 6 Camp to Canberra
01.8.22 | Zone Athletics
31.8 – 01.9 | Primary School Musical – Ali Baba and the Bongo Bandits

Secondary

26.7.22 | Boys Basketball Gala Day
26.7.22 | Girls Futsal Gala Day
02.8.22 | Year 7-10 Parent/Teacher Interviews
05.8.22 | Zone Athletics Carnival

Whole College

01.7.22 | Coins for Compassion Day
25.7.22 | First day of Term 3
02.8.22 | 40th Birthday Student Assembly
05.8.22 | 40th Celebration Dinner

Our College Calendar is available on our website where you can be kept up-to-date with events throughout the year. Closer to the event parents and carers will receive communication via the Skoolbag App and/or email.

You’re Invited to our 40th Anniversary Dinner

Please note that there is no set seating on the night. Simply come along and join a table of 10 with friends and family.

It is very exciting that throughout 2022 we will publicly acknowledge and celebrate 40 years of BCC with a series of events. Praise God for His ongoing provision and faithfulness over so many years.

Our biggest event is a celebration dinner at Belmont 16s. I want to personally extend an invitation to you, as Parents and Carers to attend this dinner. Tickets for the BCC 40th Birthday Celebrations are now available for purchase here.

Event details:

Event: Belmont Christian College 40th Birthday Celebration Dinner

Date: Friday, 5th August

Time: 6:00pm – 10:00pm

Location: Belmont 16s

Cost: $80 per ticket

Inclusion: 3 course meal (including soft drinks). Other beverages may be purchased at the bar. 

Dress: Smart Casual

Ticket Sales Close: Friday 1st July. Click here to purchase a ticket.

Many plans and preparations are already taking place and I look forward to sharing this celebration dinner with as many of you as possible.

Kind regards,

____________________________

Sharon Sopher
Principal

BCC Business Directory

Our Parent’s Business Directory is now available on our College website via the Community Hub. It is so great to see many BCC parents get on board with this initiative and share their business details with the wider BCC community.

If you are keen to join this Business Directory, which is exclusive to current BCC parents, please enter your business details here. Please contact Mr David Gray on david.gray@bcc.nsw.edu.au should you require any further information.

Thank you to the families who have sought external support to increase understanding of how best to support your child. For families who are yet to forward us these external OT, Speech, Psychology or Paediatric reports for our records, this is a friendly reminder to send them on. Once we receive this valuable piece of the support puzzle, our team will ensure the Individual Plan is adjusted accordingly. Please be assured, we will reach out to discuss any changes to the plan.

For further information please contact our Learning Enrichment Coordinator, Mrs Nicole Walters on nicole.walters@bcc.nsw.edu.au.

The Happy Human Hub

For further information and to register, click here.

Primary Aerobics

Congratulations to our Aerobics teams who competed at the NSW FISAF Aerobics Championships on the weekend. The girls have continued to work hard with their training and produced routines of a very high quality. All of our teams placed in the top 3 of their category. Most of the teams will now go on to compete at the National competition in Brisbane in September. Well done girls!

RESULTS
Primary Pre-choreographed (Prep to Y1) – Galaxy Girls – 1st place
Primary Pre-choreographed (Yr 1/2) – Superstars – 3rd place
Primary Small team (Yr 3/4) – Firecrackers – 2nd place
Primary Large team (Yr 5/6) – Unbreakable – 1st place
Secondary Individual (Yr 7) – Abigail Kidd  – 1st place

Athletics Carnivals

Primary School

Finally after many attempts, we were able to hold our Primary School Athletics Carnival. The day itself was perfect and even though we were on a grass track, there were some outstanding performances on the day from our students. Booth have continued their fightback in the House competition by taking out the Athletics Carnival. Booth, Cuthbert and Liddell are neck and neck with just our Friday sports competitions left for points.

ATHLETICS HOUSE POINTS

Congratulations to our Age Champions for 2022, who will receive their awards at our awards assembly at the end of the year.

ATHLETICS AGE CHAMPIONS

Forty nine students have qualified for the THACCCSA Zone Carnival in Week 2 next term. That list is on the Sports noticeboard for students to check, with notes coming out shortly.

We had an incredible 7 records broken on the day, with one of them being 15 years old! A special mention to the gifted Booth Senior Girls relay team of Kari Croxford, Charlotte Campbell, Aria Bunting and Holly Blowes, who took nearly 3.5 sec off the old mark in the 4x100m event.

NEW RECORDS

Finally, thank you to Eastlakes Little Athletics for hosting us on the day. 

SECONDary School

What a day of absolute blessings, finally after two cancellations Secondary School converged on Newcastle Fearnley-Dawes Athletic Centre for the annual Athletics carnival. After yet another wet weekend the carnival went ahead in beautiful sunny conditions. Many age groups were hotly contested and the participation across the whole College was outstanding. 

Congratulations to the Age Champions:
12 Yrs – Elli Hungerford & Kaiden Boyce
13 Yrs – Abigail Kidd & Alexander Campbell
14 Yrs – Jacinda Davies & Blake Stockley
15 Yrs – Kathryn Leyshon & Reef Sattler
16 Yrs – Rosie Neat & Ethan Cowling
17 Yrs – Sophia Hart & Tobias Maddison
18 Yrs – Sophie Davies & Lachlan Rae

Congratulations to the following record breakers:
15 Yrs Girls – 1500m – Natalie Benn
18 Yrs Boys – 100m – Liam Estall
12 Yrs Girls – 1500m – Elli Hungerford
17 Yrs Girls – Shot Put – Arianne Jensen
15 Yr Boys – Shot Put – Amos Maddison
17 Yrs Boys – 800m & 1500m – Tobias Maddison 
18 Yrs Boys – 1500m – Lachlan Rae
12-19 Yrs Girls – Mutli-Class Athlete – Victoria Robinson

Congratulations to Booth House on being crowd Champion House…JUST !
1st Booth – 1209
2nd Robinson – 1208
3rd Cuthbert – 1193
4th Liddell – 1006

Secondary Boys Futsal Gala Day

The annual boys Zone Futsal Gala Day was held on Wednesday, 15th June at Maitland. Two teams entered the competition with great expectations. The Senior team played with great skills and intensity. Mixed results of 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses saw them reach 3rd place overall. The Junior team went through the day undefeated and played with great skill and teamwork. Here is some courtside commentary on the Junior Grand Final – Green Point vs Belmont CC:  

“The grand final was an exhibition of control, technique and determination as each team defended with all of their might. Shots were flying back and forth but both keepers were up to the task and after a frenetic 12 minutes the sides went into the break still locked at nil all. After the break with some minor tactical tweaks we finally got the breakthrough to go 1-0 up. We knew that Green Point would come hard searching for an equaliser and they certainly did everything but score. Our desperate defence was a sight to behold and as the hooter sounded we had won the Under 15 boys Futsal Gala Grand Final!” (Mr Campbell)

Congratulations to the Junior team for the win, but more importantly to both teams for the spirit in which they played and the excellent sportsmanship on display from them all.

Mr Melcum and Mr Campbell

Secondary Girls Basketball Gala Day

The Girls Basketball Gala Day was held at Broadmeadow Basketball Stadium. The U15 Girls had two teams representing BCC and one team for the Opens. 

The Opens team were drawn in a strong pool but were still very competitive making the semi finals. They were narrowly defeated in the semi finishing 3rd overall on the day.

The U15 teams both proved to be strong contenders, notching up some big wins in their round games. Again the U15 Year 9 team played in the semi finals, going down in another very close game, also finishing 3rd overall. The U15 Year 7/8 team qualified for the playoffs, eventually finishing 5th overall on the day. A very impressive effort from all the teams.

Thank you to Mrs Brown for helping coach and manage the teams and to all the girls who came along to the selection trials. It was very encouraging to see so many girls keen to play basketball, we hope this trend continues for next year and beyond.

Mr Donaldson

BCC Sport Website

For all Belmont Christian College event information, announcements, 2022 sports dates and results throughout the year visit: http://www.tinyurl.com/bccsport.   

Parents – Your role and how you can help guide them to University

The Western Sydney University are holding a webinar on Thursday, 18th August at 6pm.

Parents and Carers play a vital role in supporting students when it comes to University. Let us support you with relevant, important information that can help you guide your child in making those big decisions about their future. Discover university entry options, careers and courses and pathways they can use should they not achieve their desired ATAR.

Career Exploration at Home

Positive parental influence can boost your child’s confidence when making career choices. Parents can use myfuture’s career exploration at home resources and work together to match career, education, and training ambitions. View career exploration at home resources.

What Counts When Making Career Choices? 

Career decision-making learning includes developing the ability to make career decisions in the context of life planning and relating self-awareness to the knowledge of different opportunities. In guiding this development, adults have a responsibility to provide young people with learning opportunities that expand their understanding of themselves in relation to less visible careers, such as those in Agriculture.

Dr Nicole McDonald, Senior Research Officer, Central Queensland University will be holding a free webinar on Tuesday, 9th August at 4pm. She will discuss:

• how to best support young people to develop self-awareness and self-efficacy to support their career goals

• the purpose, meaning and values that are associated with career choice for young people aspiring to a fulfilling career and life

• the unseen job market in the agriculture industry

The following activities and services are offered by external providers which may be beneficial to your family. These services focus on strengthening student’s wellbeing or academic capacity. While these are not explicitly from a Christian worldview, they do provide insights based on human wisdom and evidence based research. However, personal discretion will be required in whether these services align with your own beliefs. These are NOT fully endorsed by the College but are made available for families to make their own judgement and decision. 

School Refusal Tips

Parents can have trouble getting their child out of bed and off to school every now and then. However, if your child is regularly asking to stay home and seems upset or worried about school, it could be a sign of a bigger problem. ReachOut.com have some tips here.

Sharemarket Game

Earlier this year our Secondary School students competed in the first round of this year’s ASX Schools Sharemarket Competition. Each round runs over 10 weeks. Students are provided with a “pretend” $50,000 and buy and sell shares on the live ASX 200 index. Nationally, there were around 19,000 syndicates in round one with only 13% of these syndicates managing to make a profit by the end of the 10 week period. 

Five of our students managed to make a profit, they were; Zali Power (Year 7), Bella Kaslik (Year 7), Matilda Fallon (Year 7), Levi Smith (Year 11) and Luke Hall (Year 11). 

A big congratulations to Luke who came 8th in New South Wales and 15th nationally.  In recognition of this achievement, Luke was awarded with a $100 prize, sponsored through Geoff Whiddon, Director and Senior Financial Adviser of Dome Financial Group in Charlestown.

Years 7 – 10 Academic Reports and Parent-Teacher Interviews

Years 7-10 teachers have completed the Semester One assessment and reporting cycle and student Academic Reports will be available on our Parent Portal today.

Parent-Teacher Interviews will be held face-to-face at the College on Tuesday, 2nd August. Interview times will be between 3.30pm and 8.30pm. To book please log in to the Parent Portal and select Parent-Teacher Interviews from the menu. Bookings open 9am Friday, 1st July and close 3.00pm Friday, 29th July. If you cannot attend the allocated interview day, please contact your child’s teachers directly to make alternative arrangements.

We encourage you to make time to speak to teachers about your child’s progress and ask questions about how you can enable them to continue to do their very best. Communication between the College and home is vital as we work in partnership to support your child.

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.

Primary Instrument Trial

Last week, Year 2 participated in a Music Instrument Trial, a chance for students to try out the various instruments that make up our Music Ensembles here at BCC. There was huge excitement as students made wild and wonderful sounds for the first time.

Many thanks to the amazing senior Primary and Secondary music students who assisted in the trial!

Coins for Compassion Day Tomorrow

We are excited to be holding our Coins for Compassion day tomorrow, Friday, 1st July. Primary School have a class competition for the longest line of coins and Secondary School are holding a Fair with CONNECT groups running stalls.

The day is Mufti (out of uniform).

We are holding a Sausage Sizzle for lunch on the day. Primary students have pre-ordered and Secondary School students can purchase on the day. Please note that the canteen will be closed.

We can’t wait to see how much money we can raise for our friends in the Philippines.

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).

~ 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.