Newsletter

The importance of Remembering
As our College turned 40 this year, it has been really important and exciting to remember God’s faithfulness over the last 40 years. In the same way the Israelites in the Bible made a memorial so that they would always remember how God parted the Jordan River so that they could safely cross, we have made videos, badges, books and celebrated by way of a dinner and assemblies to help us remember all that God has done at the College.

God is still doing a work in this place and each of you, our families, are a part of that work, a part of God’s ongoing story here at the College. It’s very special to me, that each of you are connected to the BCC community, the very year that we are celebrating our 40 years.

Our buildings and grounds, the new building to come and student growth, are constant reminders, an unmistakable marker of how God is blessing BCC and our community.

My deep hope is that as we’ve turned 40 and taken time to tell of God’s faithfulness, that the next generation of students after hearing our stories, will be able to claim their spiritual inheritance in Christ. I pray that BCC will continue to undertake its priceless work in the community and continue to be a beacon of hope and a secure place of learning for future generations of students.

Towards the end of each year we find ourselves having to farewell valuable members of our
staff. To that end, I would like to take the opportunity to both thank and farewell:
~ Miss Trinity Maurer – TAS aide – 1 year
~ Mr Caleb Reed – Primary – 10 years
~ Mrs Vicki Quick – Hospitality – 30 years
~ Mrs Katrina Collyer – Primary – 31 years
~ Miss Melanie Melcum – Executive Director of Teaching and Learning – 24 years
~ Mr Steve Tidey – Executive Assistant Principal – 18 years

These members of staff are retiring or moving to a new place of work, and we wish them well as they pursue a new direction or path. Mr Andrew Pearson is taking leave for 12 months to assist a remote school in the Northern Territory. We wish him well and eagerly await his return.

I’d like to personally thank Steve for his commitment to the role of Assistant Principal and publicly recognise his 18 years of faithful service to the College and to Kingdom Education. I have highly valued working alongside Steve for 7 years and wish him God’s best in his retirement. May God continue to bless the work of his hands.

With the retirement of Mr Tidey, the College has restructured, and communication regarding this structure will take place next week.

As we draw near to the end of the year, it’s an important time to also remember the true meaning of Christmas, a time of God showing His great love for us. Whilst we can be grateful for the gifts that we’ll receive, let us celebrate and remember God’s ultimate gift: the birth of Jesus, the Christ child.

Thankyou for being a part of our community and may you find His peace, love and joy in the coming New Year.

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.

Please sign-in at the College Office.

For more information please email prayerwarriors@bcc.nsw.edu.au.

Everyone is welcome to join in. We look forward to growing our Prayer Warriors group throughout the year. 

Praise Points

~ Early offers to University for multiple Year 12 students
~ Jesus is the reason for the Christmas season
~ New students and families coming to the College

Prayer Points

~ Good health and wellbeing for the BCC community. Particularly for those in our community who are unwell and struggling with health issues
~ New staff and families coming to the College in 2023, that they feel welcome and connected
~ Staff recruitment for 2023
~ End of year activities in both Primary and Secondary school
~ Protection over the Christmas holidays
~ Finishing the year well, only 1 week until Christmas 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

02.12.22 | Primary Leaders Breakfast
02.12.22 | Royal Flying Doctors Mufti Day
02 & 06.12.22 | Beginners Graduation
07.02.23 | Primary Swimming Carnival

Secondary

30.01.23 | Year 7 Orientation Day
01.12.22 | Year 10 Last Day Fun Day
01.12.22 | CBD Excursion (Year 9)
02.12.22 | Salvation Army Mufti Day
03.01.23 | Swimming Carnival

Whole College

03.12.22 | BCC Charity Golf Day
07.12.22 | Primary and Secondary BCC Annual Festival – A Celebration of Learning and Community (onsite event)
08.12.22 | Term 4 Last Day Fun Day
30.01.23 | First Day Term 1 (Beginners, Years 1-7, 11 & 12)
31.01.23 | First Day Term 1 (Years 8-10)
01.02.23 | First Day Term 1 (Kindergarten)

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.

Primary School Leaders

Meet our 2023 Primary Leadership team. From left to right Martin Hallin, Preston Lewis, Ella Hofman and Charlotte Campbell. Student leadership is integral to our College.

It was a great privilege to induct our 2023 Student Leaders at our Year 6 Graduation Ceremony yesterday.

Secondary School Leaders

Meet our newly elected Prefect team. Joel Edwards, Taylor Donaldson, Paige Clark, Riley Yeomans, Lily Johnson, Michellie Robins, Jack O’Toole, Jorja Simolin and Charlie Haig will join already standing Hugh Brindley, Owen Irvine, Heber Masseque and Jacqueline Wilson.

Our Captains and Vice Captains for 2023, from left to right below, are Taylor Donaldson, Hugh Brindley, Jacqueline Wilson and Paige Clark.

It was an honor to induct these 2023 Student Leaders at the Year 12 Graduation Ceremony last term.

Our Student Leaders are integral to us as a Christian community. In response to our Lord Jesus’ example, student leadership at the College is all about service of others, humility and a willingness to do the hard yards, even when times are tough. We look forward to watching these young leaders help shape the direction of our College this coming year.

Year 7 2023 Orientation Day

It was great to see so many of you at the recent Year 7 2023 parent and students meet and greet/information evening. We hope the Orientation Guides have been a helpful resource for both you and your family. Please contact Mrs Evans in the College Office if you still require a copy of the Year 7 2023 Orientation Guide. 

As per previous correspondence, the Year 7 Student Orientation Day will be held on Monday, 30th January. 

Please check your nominated email address for further information in the lead up to this first day event of Term 1 2023.

Mr Phil Melcum
Stage 4 Leader

A Celebration of Learning & Community

On Wednesday, 7th December we will be holding our inaugural BCC Festival – A Celebration of Learning & Community. This is an onsite event. Our Annual Student Awards will be happening as part of this event. 

Year 12 Formal

The Class of 2022 was able to finish off their year with a night of celebration. Held at the prestigious Civic Hall in Newcastle, the Year 12 Formal was one of the most memorable nights of the year. Students, parents and teachers were able to have a meal together, share stories and mark some of the significant achievements of our impressive Year 12 cohort. Students, parents and teachers were all blessed to have this opportunity and share in this important night.

Mufti Day – Friday, 2nd December

Beginners to Year 12 students are invited to dress Mufti this Friday, 2nd December.

Please bring a donation that will go towards the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the Salvation Army.

Appropriate dress rules apply. 

Download the Sentral Parent App today!

As per previous correspondence, in 2023, the College will be using the Sentral Parent App as our main means of communication with parents and carers. Please note that the SeeSaw App will continue to be used for lower Primary in-class learning updates.

So to ensure that you are kept up-to-date with College communications, please download the Sentral Parent App by searching ‘Sentral for Parents’ in the App Store on your smartphone and ensure that notifications are enabled within the App. Set up instructions for the Sentral Parent App can be found here. If you have any trouble registering, please email the College on sentral@bcc.nsw.edu.au and our friendly IT department will support you through the process.

“Is it really Christmas” Drama

This week our Year 9 Drama students presented the Christmas Play, “Is it really Christmas” by Marjorie Kennedy. This term, students were tasked with producing and performing this short play that reminds us of Christ’s eternal gifts of peace, love and forgiveness.

Students were responsible for making the props, set and costumes, learning their lines, decorating the classroom, running games for the audience, as well as MCing the morning. Beginners to Year 2 were a wonderfully encouraging audience, displaying active listening skills and enthusiastically joining in the games to celebrate this season in which we remember the birth of our Saviour.

NSW CSSA Basketball

Last Monday, our Zone Champion Boys and Girls Junior Basketball teams travelled to Penrith for the NSW CSSA Basketball Gala Day.

Our teams, made up of mostly students playing competition basketball for the first time, once again performed admirably on and off the court.

The Girls side went through the Pool rounds undefeated and finished on top of their group. They finished with an incredible aggregate score of 128-15 in their Pool games.

The Boys were also successful, dropping just one game on their way to the semi-finals, nearly doubling the total points of their opponents.

Two very hard fought games for both teams saw the Girls come from behind to snatch a tight 12-9 victory while the Boys held on to take their game by 5 points over their undefeated opponents.

The Final for both teams was excruciatingly close, with both teams going down by just 4 points.

The Girls had plenty of chances but their shooting hands went missing, and the boys encountered a physical game against a team they had narrowly lost to earlier in the day. 

The game was tied at halftime, but just got away from them at the end, once again going down by the same margin.

So the day ended as NSW CSSA Silver medallists for both teams! A fantastic achievement, matched by their sportsmanship and positive attitude on the court, something that was noted by NSW CSSA Assistant Executive Officer who came to me to acknowledge the spirit in which our teams played the game! Awesome job teams!

A special thanks also to Mr David Lincoln who stepped in to coach the Boys in their two finals games, with both the Boys and Girls playing at the same time. 

Also thanks to Yr 10 students Cody Hill and Cruz Whyte for their assistance on the day.

Mr Robins

CSSA Tennis

Holly Blowes was our sole representative at the NSW CSSA Tennis Championships this week in Blacktown.

This level of tennis is very challenging with a large number of entries in the Year 5/6 Girls competition. Holly did well on the day, narrowly missing out on a semifinal spot by just 2 points!

Well done Holly!

Duke of Edinburgh

We are delighted to announce that from 2023 the College will be offering the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for interested students in Years 9 – 12.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is a leading internationally recognised non-formal youth development program that empowers young people to realise their full potential beyond academic success. It encourages participants to set and achieve goals as they learn new skills, improve their physical wellbeing, volunteer in the community and experience an outdoor team adventure.

Packages outlining the Award program have been made available to students at school and is also available on our Student Information Google Classroom. Additionally, An Information Evening for Parents/Carers and students will be held on Tuesday, 7th February 2023 (Week 2, Term 1).

We hope your child will take advantage of the opportunity to join this fantastic Award.

In the meantime, feel free to browse the Duke Of Edinburgh Award Website. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Duke of Edinburgh Award Leader, Mr Ben Prozinski on benjamin.prozinski@bcc.nsw.edu.au.

Year 10 Service Week

Some of our awesome Year 10 students took the opportunity during Work Experience/Service week to paint a cubby house that was built by our Year 11 and 12 Construction students throughout the Semester. What a privilege it is to be able to serve each other in this way. We look forward to seeing the cubby put to use by our BCC Beginners in the very near future! Big thanks to Mr Sanchez for leading our students through the learning process.

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

The Uniform Shop’s final day of trade for 2022 is Thursday, 15th December.

All orders placed after this date during the holiday break will be dispatched or available
for collection from Tuesday, 17th January.

We will be open in January 2023 on the following dates:

Tuesday 17th January | 8:30am – 4:30pm
Friday 20th January | 8:30am – 4:30pm
Friday 27th January | 8:30am – 4:30pm
Monday 30th January | 8:00am – 11:00am

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.

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. 

Headspace Webinars

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.