Newsletter

As I write, there is a joyous hum around the staff room*, as today is the morning after South Africa were once again crowned Rugby World Champions. That’s a fourth time for those who are counting. We have a decent sized South African contingent here at BCC, not only on staff, but across our families. They said it could not be done, but together as a team, your national treasure managed to achieve a momentous outcome. Well done South Africa. To watch numerous players after the match commend the moment to their Lord and Savior Jesus was an encouraging reminder of what it means to live in ways that bring glory to God in all facets of life. 

Yet in that same breath, as we celebrate amazing sporting moments such as these, our world mourns over the division, the suffering and the angst of living within a broken and sinful existence. Everything just seems a little bit wrong and out of balance. At this moment, the latter parts of Romans 1 from the Bible rings loudly in our ears. 

This idea of imbalance in our world made me reflect on our upcoming BCC End of Year Festival, which will be held on 5 December in Week 9 of Term 4. On the one hand, the festival will be such a fantastic celebration for our community with the food, the student performances, museum walks, the awards assemblies, and much more. A time to pause, reflect on the year that was, eat together, and thank God for all that He continues to do at BCC, and yet, on the other hand, it will also be a stark reminder that we are part of a very privileged and blessed learning community, one that we can never take for granted. 

On that same night, as a College community, we will be raising funds towards our pioneer church’ (Belmont Baptist Church) social justice arm, Belmont Community Care. You may already know, but each Monday, a team of men and women from the crew at Belmont Community Care prepare meals for those in our local community who need a leg up and a kind, understanding presence. The team supports those who find it hard to provide the basics like a home cooked meal, presents for the kids at Christmas, and blankets for those colder months. They also get on the road each year and support regional communities with the basics that if I’m being honest, I simply assume will always be there. 

I encourage you as a family to prayerfully consider what that would look like on the night of the festival to financially support our friends at Belmont Community Care. What would it look like for your kids to set aside some pocket money in the lead up? Would you as a family ever want to join the team one Monday night and cook a meal alongside the team? What would it mean to take a week off work to deliver much needed care packages in places that need the support? 

Get pumped for the BCC End of Year Festival, knowing that there is an opportunity to not only thank God for his grace and goodness, but to also be a blessing to others in our wider community.

*Disclaimer: Unfortunately, not for any folks with New Zealand affiliations.

BCC Prayer Warriors

This year we are privileged to be able to run a monthly prayer morning. It’s a treat to pray for new families, students and staff, share some coffee and cake and enjoy great conversation. Everyone is welcome to join us on the first Monday of each month from 8:45am – 9:30am to pray alongside parents and local churches. Come for a bit, or come for the whole time. 

Please sign-in at the College Office. We meet near the Weathershed in the newly created College Garden. Simply follow the signs. 

For more information or to ask for personal prayer, please email prayerwarriors@bcc.nsw.edu.au.

Check out the prayer focus areas and upcoming dates in the image below. 

Prayer points:

1. HSC students as they come to their final weeks of exams

2. Interviews for Exec positions; and staffing requirements for 2024

3. Year 5 camp

4. Year 6, 10 and 12 Formals

5. Students and families that are struggling with personal, physical and mental health issues

6. Christians to stand strong, and be bold and courageous in their faith

Praise points:

1. Students who received silver medals for their relay run

2. Rain 

3. The opportunity to come to a Christian school to learn from Christian teachers

Upcoming Important Dates

Primary

6.11.23 | Year 1 Tocal excursion
8.11.23| Primary Zone Stage 2 Woolworths Cricket
13.11.23 | Kindergarten Orientation Morning #3
13.11.23-14.11.23 | Year 4 Camp
16.11.23 | Year 5 Student Leadership Speeches
20.11.23 | Primary CSSA Stage 2 Basketball
23.11.23 | Year 1- Year 6 Orientation Day New Students
29.11.23 | Year 6 Graduation Assembly

Secondary

6.11.23-8.11.23 | Year 12 2024 Camp
7.11.23 | Year 7 2024 Parents Information Evening
9.11.23 | Remembrance Day Ceremony
10.11.23 | Extension 2 English Workshop
13.11.23 | Yearly Exams Year 7 and Year 9
20.11.23 | Year 7 Experience Afternoon
22.11.23 | Year 12 Formal
22.11.23 | Secondary Super 8’s Cricket

Whole College

03.11.23 | Primary/Secondary CSSA Table Tennis
05.12.23 | BCC End of Year Festival – A celebration of learning and community

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 and/or email.

A Celebration of Learning & Community

Are you interested in becoming a Primary School BCC Grade Parent in 2024?

As the College continues to grow, we always want to be investing in ways to further build our BCC community in support of the College Vision and Mission. Our prayer is that BCC always remains a place where each student is known by name and cared for deeply, and we do this in partnership with you, our families. To this end, we are currently gathering feedback from our Primary School parents regarding a new program we plan to launch in early 2024, known as ‘BCC Grade Parents‘. We recognise that much of this already happens across our College, as many families care for each other deeply.

In summary, the ‘BCC Grade Parents’ program is designed to provide BCC parents with an official opportunity to support the grade that their child currently resides in, working alongside the College. As a start, each Primary School class would have one BCC Grade Parent representative, for a total of either two or three BCC Grade Parents per grade, depending on how many classes there are in that particular year. 

BCC Grade Parents would work closely with myself in my role as Director of Mission & Community for the year in question. Where appropriate, we would be in contact with the classroom teacher. Examples of what it may look like to be a BCC Grade Parent in the day-to-day includes, but is not limited to:

• Alongside staff, support and welcome new families into the College
• Help support the College with any big announcements and getting the ‘word around’
• Meet up with other BCC Grade Parents in your child’s year, acting as a conduit to families in that grade
• Possibly organise dinner or lunch outings with other grade families a few times each year, especially as a new year commences
• Alongside the College, help organise crisis support food rosters as necessary and direct families from your child’s grade towards our BCC Community Hardship Fund
• Within your child’s grade, advocate parent attendance at College events such as the End of Year Festival, Musical, Rise Up etc.
• Get involved and help build the team with parent organised College events e.g. Primary School Disco
• When encouraged, ‘rally the troops’ to serve across the College e.g. book laminating, exam support, musical support etc.
• Where appropriate, share prayer points relevant to the grade in question with our College Prayer Warriors team. prayerwarriors@bcc.nsw.edu.au
• Consider what it might look like to support and encourage participation in a grade based social media page e.g. Facebook

BCC Grade Parents will serve on an annual basis, ensuring the role is regularly shared around. BCC Grade Parents will gather onsite face to face with the Director of Mission and Community twice per year in support of your role, and we will have a celebration morning tea to thank all BCC Grade Parents at the end of Term 4 each year.

Today is an open to invitation to all current Primary School parents in Beginners through to Year 5 to express their interest in this new ‘BCC Grade Parent’ program for 2024. If the above interests you at all, please follow this LINK to indicate that you would like to be considered to become a BCC Grade Parent in 2024. Please note that our intention is to further grow the program into Secondary School once it has embedded into College life. 

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to pop them in the Expression of Interest form or email directly at david.gray@bcc.nsw.edu.au

All schools use community support for HSC reading supervision. This includes 2-3 hours of being a reading support for a student . If anyone would be open to being approached next year for this we would love to hear from you now. Please contact the Learning Enrichment department to be added to our database. 

We are delighted to share the success of our recent Cyber Safety event featuring Australia’s leading expert, Ms Susan McLean. Over two informative days, Susan engaged with both our Primary (Years 3, 4, and 6) and Secondary School (Years 7 – 11) students, equipping them with crucial insights into online safety and respect.

The students were not only captivated by Susan’s presentations but also actively participated, asking questions and sharing their experiences. It was heartening to see how engaged and eager they were to learn about Cyber Safety.

In addition to the student sessions, Susan conducted a dedicated parent seminar. We believe in fostering a strong partnership between our College and parents, especially in crucial areas like online safety. Parents and carers played an active role in this event, and we encourage parents to continue these vital conversations with their children and to stay informed about their online activities.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Ms Susan McLean for her insightful and engaging presentations. Her expertise and passion for Cyber Safety have left a lasting impact on our College community.

Below is some useful information to assist with student travel enquiries.

Students who need a School Opal Card or travel pass for 2024 can apply here. A new application will need to be submitted if they are applying for the first time, or if they are requesting additional travel entitlement because of new shared parental arrangement (e.g. joint custody).

Students who change address, school, campus location, have repeated a year or received an expiry notification from Transport for NSW for their school travel entitlement should renew or update their details before the end of Term 4. This will ensure that schools can endorse applications, and entitlements remain valid for the start of the 2024 school year. School Opal Card holders will have the changes applied to their existing card.

For more information and additional actions such as updating details download the 2024 School Travel Guide.

For all major announcements regarding College Life, student reports & absences, calendar access, newsletters, excursion permissions, fee payments and much more, the College uses the Sentral Parent App. If you have not already, 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 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.

BCC students achievement trophy at Junior Theatre Festival

We are excited to announce the outstanding achievement of four talented BCC students at the National Junior Theatre Festival. Ashton Spencer, Evie Spencer, Micah Bull, and Emma Bull represented our school with flair and passion as part of Hive Creative Studios.

These remarkable young actors not only showcased their theatrical talents but also brought home the trophy for Best Acting! This recognition is a testament to their talent, dedication and hard work.

Their success is not only a source of pride for our school but also an inspiration for fellow students who aspire to pursue the performing arts. These four young actors are a prime example of our dedication to nurturing and celebrating talent.

Congratulations to Ashton, Evie, Micah, and Emma for this remarkable achievement. We are excited to see where their theatrical journey leads them in the future, and we will continue to support and celebrate their artistic endeavours.

NSW PSSA Athletics

Senior Girls Long Jump

Congratulations to Mya Terbeeke who finished 18th from 40 entries in the 12yr Girls Long Jump.

During this school representative season, Mya has jumped very well and improved her abilities during the year.

Although she was disappointed with her result at PSSA, Mya has broken her Long Jump Personal Best twice along the way to this point.

It’s an outstanding achievement. Well done Mya!

Senior Girls Relay

Over the past few months, you will have read about our Primary Senior Girls Relay team.

Mya Terbeeke, Indy T, Charlotte Campbell and Kari Croxford.

Last Thursday was their final event for the year. 

After 3 previous carnivals as a team, they had now qualified for the NSW PSSA Athletics Carnival with a very competitive time.

They put in extra training sessions during school, after school, and during the holidays.

The girls were committed to performing well at the All Schools event.

This day involved 40 relay teams in the Senior Girls competition. The best from all over NSW.

The Belmont Girls started their day well, winning their heat, with the 2nd fastest time in all heats.

In the Semi-Final, our Girls went event faster, however the competition lifted as well and Belmont finished 3rd in their Semi, 5th fastest overall, and automatically qualifying for the Final.

Unbeknown to the team, the entire K-6 cohort back at the College were able to watch the Semi-Final, cheering and screaming for the girls, following Rise Up in the BCC hall. The noise in the hall was incredible!

With the Final slated for 3:50pm, many students went home to watch on YouTube, staff also waited around, with teachers huddled around at least 5 different screens around the College.

The 4 girls gave their all. They set their race up perfectly. It was error free. The runs were fast, the changes were clean.

When Kari took the baton in the final straight with the team sitting in a very tight 4th position, there was a genuine belief that she could bring something home for the team. We’ve seen her do it before.

She ran the team into 3rd place before setting her sights on 2nd.

In a thrilling finish, our girls finished with a very hard earned and well deserved NSW PSSA Silver medal. PSSA medals are very hard to achieve, particularly in Athletics. Victoria Robinson is the only other athlete from BCC to earn a PSSA Athletics medal.

It was an exciting race to watch. You can still view it on our social media pages

The girls are pictured here at the medal presentation and with a photo of Australian Paralympic legend and BCC parent Evan O’Hanlon, who came into the College to help coach the girls and give tips for their races.

The final pic shows the girls praying together in the marshalling tent. They weren’t praying for a win or a medal. The girls prayed that their nerves would settle and they would do their best.

Such a brilliant achievement for a hard working group of girls. Congratulations!

Primary CSSA Cricket

Our Primary Cricket team travelled to Gosford last week to play in the Preliminary round of State Cricket, with the winner earning a place in the Final.

Our team played Green Point CC first, and batting first, were absolutely humbled being bowled out for just 32!

However, Cricket is a funny game and with good strength in our bowling, our team managed to fight back, bowling the opposition out for 26 in a tense finish to the match.

In the second game, we faced a strong Northern Beaches CS side who had just scored over 100 runs in their first match. Bowling first, we were able to do some by breaking their dangerous opening batting partnership with a sharp runout and then a fine outfield catch. Restricting the side to 44, Isaac King scored a magnificent 31 not out to guide BCC to victory in just 7.1 overs.

Batting first against Pacific Hills CS in the final match, we knew we needed to put on a good tally to give our bowlers an opportunity to seal the game. Isaac King once again shone, retiring at 33 not out and joining him was Martin Hallin who retired 31 not out. BCC put on a very impressive 4/101 which was always going to be a challenge for the opposition.

Pacific Hills came out firing though and at the halfway point were very much in the game at 3/48. Once again, our bowlers worked hard, keeping the bowling tight and in the end, restricting Pacific Hills to 6/72 at the end of their innings.

Congratulations to our Primary Cricket team who now go one to play the CSSA Final against ACC Marsden Park later in November.

Belmont CC 32 (J. Lombard 9 n.o, H. Batchelor 9) def Green Point CC 26 (H. Batchelor 2/0, M. Keast 2/4)

Belmont CC 1/48 (I. King 31 n.o) def Northern Beaches CS 44 (H. Batchelor 2/1, I. King 2/4)

Belmont CC 4/101 (I.King 33 n.o, M. Hallin 31 n.o) def Pacific Hills CS 6/72 (J. Bell 2/13, I. King 1/6)

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. 

Free myfuture webinars for parents and carers

Where do young people go for career information?
Thursday 30 November, 1:00pm (AEDT)

Where do young people look for information about careers? Monash University researchers recently
set out to find the answer to this question, analysing what sources of career information young
people use and which ones they are most confident in. Their findings describe a broad range of
sources that complement one another in a ‘careers information ecology’, as well as how much young
people trust each source, noting the crucial role that parents and carers play in providing trusted
career information.

Based on the new myfuture Insights paper ‘Thinking in a joined-up way: the importance of the
careers information ecology’, this webinar, presented by the authors Professor Steven Roberts and
Dr Ben Lyall, will summarise their research findings and explain how you can support your young
person to access and make sense of the information they need.

Register Now

Career conversations at results time: Support your young person’s wellbeing and help them plan
their next steps.
Tuesday 12 December 1:00pm (AEDT)

The end of the year can be an anxious time for senior secondary students as they await their exam
results, and also an anxious time for parents! Some will celebrate, some will be disappointed, and
many will just be uncertain about what it all means.

Join us as Dr Michael Healy shares practical tips on how parents and carers, teachers, friends, and
others can support young people to understand their results and plan their next steps accordingly.
Learn how to help your young person recognise and manage their emotions at results time (both
positive and negative), discover post-school pathway options for them to consider, and how they
can make good career decisions and approach the next chapter of their journey with confidence.

Register now

Attune Health Centres Wellness Wednesday

Christmas Celebration with Variety Children’s Charity

🎄 Join Us for our Annual Christmas Celebration with Variety Children’s Charity! 🎄

Variety – the Children’s Charity NSW/ACT is delighted to invite you to our annual Variety Kids Christmas Party!

When: Thursday, 7 December 2023
Time: 3pm– 7pm
Location: McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle

This year’s event will be the most magical one yet, filled with festive fun and exciting activities. Here’s a glimpse of what you can expect:

Quiet Hour (3-4 PM):
An exclusive hour dedicated to children with sensory processing issues, providing a calm and comfortable environment.
A visit from our gentle and understanding Quiet Santa.
Please note: Quiet hour is reserved for 100 kids maximum.

Christmas Party (4-7 PM):
Arts and Craft stations to let your creativity shine.
A visit from Santa himself.
Face and glitter painting to transform into your favourite holiday characters.
Inclusive sports for everyone to participate and have fun.
Stage entertainment that will keep you entertained and captivated.
Karaoke for those who love to sing their hearts out.
Amusements and roving characters to add to the festive atmosphere.
Plus, many more surprises and delights!

Tickets are limited, so please RSVP by Thursday, 23 November to secure your spot.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out to Georgia Kelly at events@varietynsw.org.au.

Here at Variety, we are committed to ensuring that every child, regardless of ability or background, can experience the magic of the holiday season. We look forward to sharing this special day with you and creating cherished memories that will last a lifetime.

Warmest regards,

The Variety NSW/ACT Team

Scholarships for women aged 18 – 20, studying a STEM related degree 

Applications Open:

Friday, 15 December 2023

To help provide opportunities for young women, last year we launched our Women of STEM Scholarship for women aged 18-20 who are entering their first year of a STEM degree at university.

The Women of STEM Scholarship is a national program and provides women with financial grants of $5,000 per year for the life of their degree, up to a maximum of 5 years . This year we have awarded scholarships to three exceptional female students.

Learn more

Applications Close:

Friday 16 February 2024

MBA Scholarship Program 2024 -2025

For a limited time only, we are offering epic discounts on our popular Multi City Membership

• Save $20 on 12 month Multi City Memberships
• Save $50 on 24 month Multi City Memberships

Whether you’re looking to save on the finer things in life or simply access the sweetest deals across Australia and New Zealand, unlock around 8000 offers with a Multi City Membership to The Entertainment App!

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:

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