Newsletter

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. Please join us on the Pleasance as we commit the College and our community to God in prayer.

Our Term 4 dates are:
Monday 31st October
Monday 28th November

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. 

Volunteers to Pray for Year 12

We are wanting to cover the Year 12 students in prayer as they prepare for the HSC and their final months at BCC. We know that our God is faithful and He has a plan for each of them. We are praying for their studies, but also that they grow in revelation of God’s faithfulness and understanding that when we are weak, He is strong.

If you would like to volunteer to commit to covering two Year 12 students in prayer from now until the end of HSC exams (mid Nov), please email wendy@wendyrobinson.com.au.

Here are some suggestions for what ‘covering the two Year 12 students in prayer’ looks like:
(a) When praying for your own children, include a prayer for these two young people.
(b) Every time you drive into the College grounds, ask for God’s blessing and favour on them (can be prayed in your mind, doesn’t have to be prayed aloud).
(c) Every time you wash your hands, ask for God to give them a sound mind, the mind of Christ, and strength to do each day well.
(d) Ask God to give you a specific scripture to pray for them.
(e) Ask God what He wants you to pray for them.

Prayer Points

~ Continued focus for the Year 12 students as they do their HSC exams
~ Good health and wellbeing for the BCC community. Particularly those students undergoing operations, tests and/or struggling with their physical or mental health
~ Those in our community that have recently lost loved ones
~ Staff recruitment for 2023
~ Term 4 and finishing the year well, with students studying for exams and preparations for Christmas
~ 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

25.10.22 | Bookweek and Grandparents Day
26.10.22 | Tocal Homestead Excursion (Year 1)
27.10.22 | Zone Basketball Gala Day
31.10.22 | Kindergarten 2023 Orientation
01.11.22 | Woolworths Cricket Gala Day
17.11.22 | Year 6 Dinner
24.11.22 | Years 1-6 2023 Orientation Day
30.11.22 | Year 6 Graduation
02.12.22 | Primary Leaders Breakfast
06.12.22 | Beginners Graduation

Secondary

24.10.22 | CIS Rugby 7’s Gala Day
25.10.22 | Charlestown Library Excursion (Year 11)
26 – 27.10.22 | Prefect Retreat
27.10.22 | Dangerous Creatures Excursion (Year 9)
24 & 31.10.22 | Musical Auditions
7 – 8.11.22 | Year 12 (2023) Camp
23.11.22 | Year 7 2023 Parent Information Evening and Student Meet and Greet
21 – 25.11.22 | Work Experience (Year 10)
22.11.22 | Year 12 Formal
28 – 29.12.22 | Readiness Camp (Year 10)
01.12.22 | Year 10 Last Day Fun Day

Whole College

25.10 & 18.11.22 | Parent Connect
03.12.22 | BCC Charity Golf Day
07.12.22 | Primary and Secondary Celebration of Learning Festival (onsite event)
08.12.22 | Term 4 Last Day Fun Day
30.01.23 | First Day Term 1 (Years 1-7, 11 & 12)
01.02.23 | First Day Term 1 (Kindy, Years 8-10)

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 Sentral Parent App, Skoolbag App and/or email.

This week, like most, has been full of blessings, lessons to be learnt and insights into new ways to serve. One interaction I had this week, covering all of these bases, was a discussion held with a Kindergarten student. The little one looked up and declared, “You know, when there’s an ambulance siren, I just pray for the person. I just pray.”

Oh, what knowledge comes from the mouth of babes! What blessing abounds through prayers and what power they bring. As adults, it is obvious we do not know the reach of our prayers, but to look into those young eyes and know that, through planting, this young mind could embrace this concept, brings incredible joy. A joy that the foundation of our educational delivery is working, a joy that our parents and families partner with us in this journey, and a joy that He has His hand over it all.  What a lovely reminder this conversation is, that God places situations needing prayer before us and it’s over to us as His people to position ourselves for engagement with the opportunities.

Have a wonderful week everybody. Happy reading.

Download the Sentral Parent App

You may be aware that the College uses the Sentral Parent Portal as a means of communication with parents/carers. Our future plan is for BCC families to use the Sentral Parent App for all communication between College and home, ensuring everything you need to know about your child’s education journey is all in one place. (Note: The SeeSaw App will continue to be used for lower Primary learning updates).

Please download the Sentral Parent App at your earliest convenience by searching ‘Sentral for Parents’ in the App Store on your smart phone and ensure that notifications are enabled within the App. Set up instructions can be found here.

We believe that it will add to the convenience of the already existing features listed below:

• Book Parent-Teacher Interviews
• Receive Student Academic Reports
• View Student Timetables
• View Wellbeing Information
• Pay Tuition Fees 
• Submit Student Absences
• View the College Newsletter

* Note the Calendar feature is not fully functioning as yet. However, parents/carers can access the Parent Calendar through ‘links’ within the Sentral Parent App.

For your knowledge we are currently testing the Activity Permissions feature in the Sentral Parent App which allows parents/carers to easily give permission for their child to attend school Activities/Excursions. This will be introduced soon so we encourage parents/carers to download the Sentral Parent App by searching ‘Sentral for Parents’ in the App Store on your smart phone and ensure that notifications are enabled within the App. Set up instructions can be found here. If you have any trouble registering please email the College on sentral@bcc.nsw.edu.au. 

Primary School Musical – Ali Baba and the Bongo Bandits

We thought we might take a look at some behind the scenes photos of this amazing production.

What a memorable time we had last term working together to produce the Primary Musical; “Ali Baba and the Bongo Bandits.”

Thank you to the many staff who contributed above and beyond to reach deadlines and make the show run so smoothly. You created an encouraging space in which our students flourished and performed in so confidently.

To our parents and volunteers, we appreciate and thank you for your support throughout the journey, from hair and makeup to just getting them to rehearsals on time!

Through the highlights and the challenges we’ve had opportunities to reflect and experience what it means to grow up into Christ and be part of His wonderful (and sometimes crazy!) community.

To celebrate our show, we share with you a video of the production. Please click below. We hope that you may be able to share the experience again with all students involved, family and friends.

Year 9 Visual Arts Excursion

The Year 9 Visual Arts class were blessed with the opportunity to attend the Van Gogh Alive Exhibition last Thursday. Students learnt about the history and life of Van Gogh, and saw projected displays of his paintings on large scales. It was amazing and beautiful.

Primary CIS Athletics

Our athletes continued their good form at NSW CIS Athletics at the end of Term 3.

Kari Croxford continues to impress with with three top 5 places, whilst Eva Proctor, Jordan Bell and Holly Blowes also continued to produce great results.

Unfortunately our Zone record breaking Senior Girls relay team were disqualified for an incorrect baton change and were unable to challenge for a top 3 finish.

Daughter and Dads Cricket

For further information on any of the events below please contact our Careers Advisor, Mrs Susan Carter on careers@bcc.nsw.edu.au.

Avondale University

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/

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.

~ 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.

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.

Uniform Requirements and Pricelist

Please click below to view the uniform requirements and current pricelist.

Uniform Shop Hours

Blazer Fitting Appointments

Year 10 students requiring a blazer for Year 11 2023 are required to visit the Uniform Shop to be fitted for their new blazer. Please book in during regular shop hours in Term 4.

Uniform Fitting Appointments

Primary and Secondary Celebration of Learning Festival

On Wednesday, 7th December we will be holding our inaugural Celebration of Learning Festival here at the College. Further information to come but in the meantime, please save the date.

Each year NSW Health works in partnership with schools to offer the vaccines recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for adolescents as part of the school vaccination program. Immunisations were held at the College at the beginning of the Year for Years 7 and 10 and are held again at the end of the year.

The following vaccines are part of the program:
Year 7 – 1 dose Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis; 2 doses 6 months apart Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
Year 10 – 1 dose Meningococcal 
 
The health team will be returning to the College on Friday, 21st October for the routine Year 7 second dose HPV vaccination, as well as vaccinations to any students who have missed doses of Meningococcal in 2020, 2021 and 2022 (Currently Year 7, 8, 9 & 10).

Students are required to have a consent form signed by their parent. Any student who has not yet returned signed consent forms can still do so. If the consents are returned while in Year 7 or Year 10, these students will be followed up at each clinic in 2022 and 2023.

For further information or for a consent form please contact Mrs Evans at the College Office or at kathy.evans@bcc.nsw.edu.au.

2023 School Travel Applications

Applications for student travel in 2023 are now open.

Students who need an School Opal card or travel pass for 2023 can apply now. A new application will need to be submitted if students are applying for a school travel pass for the first time, or if requesting an additional travel entitlement as a result of a new shared parental responsibility situation (e.g. joint custody).

Students who change address, school, campus location, or who have repeated a year or received an expiry notification from Transport for NSW for school travel entitlement should renew or update details before the end of Term 4. This will ensure that the College can endorse applications and current entitlements are updated and remain valid for the start of 2023. School Opal card holders will have the changes applied to their existing card.

If a student’s distance eligibility has changed based on their grade the system will automatically update their entitlement if they meet the new criteria. If they do not meet the new eligibility criteria, they will receive an expiry notification via email.

Students who have an entitlement approved under a medical condition that is due to expire will receive a notification advising them to re-apply.

Term Bus Pass holders will receive a notification to re-apply.

Students in the Opal network applying for an Opal card (including a Term Bus Pass) for the first time will receive their Student Opal card at their nominated postal address. Cards will be mailed out from January 2023.

Opal Cards Tap On and Off

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

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

Please click here to apply or replace an Opal card.

Bus Numbers on Opal Cards

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

This information will provide your child, teacher or bus buddy the correct information should your child need assistance quickly, particularly for our Infants students who may sometimes forget their bus number.

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

7 Days of Gratitude

The Bible tells us:
“Rejoice always,  pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”Thessalonians 5:16-18

Psychologists, counsellors and Focus on the Family highly recommend to journal things that we are thankful for. Through journalling we can express our gratefulness in all our circumstances and redirect this as praise to God. 

To help us with this discipline, Focus on The Family are pleased to offer this free PDF download, called 7 Days of Gratitude. This devotional for families will help you and your children shape your perspective and start developing an attitude of gratitude.

Teenagers with Problematic Video Gaming Program

eSafety Digital Technologies and Mental Health Webinar

The BCC Annual Charity Golf Day is back, and you are invited to attend. All the details, how to register, how to sponsor, and some information about our new charity partner, Belmont Community Care, can be found here.

Some people with local businesses are even using this day as a way to bless their staff as a Christmas Party event.  We look forward to teeing off with you soon.

Year 12 Final Week Celebrations

The last week of Term 3 saw a memorable week of fun and celebrations for our Year 12 students. A Servant Day, Staff vs Student Annual Soccer match, “When I Grow Up” Dress Up Day, their Graduation Ceremony and even a trip to Luna Park!

The College came together to celebrate our amazing Year 12 students at their Graduation Ceremony. What an encouragement to be under the one roof, side by side to send out this fantastic group of young people. Such a rich time of community as Year 12 were reminded that they are loved, valued and a part of a supportive Christian community, who are cheering them on as they prepare to sit their HSC exams.

We will miss you Year 12, and you are always welcome here at BCC. We are praying that throughout this HSC season Year 12 will draw down on God’s peace, love and kindness.

Primary Book Fair and Grand Day

On Tuesday, 25th October the Library will be holding our annual Book Fair in conjunction with Grand Day. Please refer to your emails for further information.