Welcome Back

Welcome back to all our returning families and an enormous welcome to those who are new. We have been waiting with eager anticipation to hear stories of holiday adventures, to share learning adventures and to journey together in growing more like Jesus.

This week, we welcomed many new students (including 45 lovely Kindies and 43 beautiful Beginners), which was incredibly exciting. I love meeting new families and sharing in their hopes and expectations for their children. We also introduced new staff:

1. Primary Teachers – Elijah Roussos, Sarah Pearson, and whilst they are familiar to us as Casual Staff, we welcome Sarah Morris and Shelby Brown officially to the Teaching Staff.
2. Learning Enrichment Aides – Caleb Chatburn, Carol Durnin, Miriam Haynes, Gabrielle Fryer, Sophia Pyke
3. Sports Administrative Assistant – Kavan Hahn
4. IT Services Officer – Gene Tagala
5. Secondary Maths Teacher and Trainee – Angelique Van Coller, Samuel Hodson
6. Secondary English Teacher – Ruby Park
7. Secondary Science Teacher – James Giltrap
8. Secondary Music Teacher – Samantha Ferguson
9. Chaplain – Luke Fricker
10. Our Deputy Principal, David Holland will commence in Term 2
    

I am confident that you will make all our new staff very welcome.

It was a pleasure to be able to welcome back Sophie Neale from Maternity Leave and Andy Pearson after 12 months of teaching and serving the Gunbalanya Community School in the Northern Territory.

Over the holidays, we have made significant improvements to the appearance of the College with painting works being carried out and the replacement of our roofs after last year’s hailstorm. There have been significant upgrades to the grounds that just make our College beautiful.

We are committed to building close-knit communities, where a sense of belonging and a culture of kindness is evident in the relationships of the College. For this reason, you are welcome to book a meeting time with me. Teachers are eager to talk with parents and discuss any aspect of children’s learning and wellbeing. If you have any concerns, or just want to drop an email to tell us we’re doing a good job, can I encourage you to do so. Good communication is at the heart of good communities.

Sharon Sopher
Principal

As we complete one cycle of the Secondary timetable, I’m excited to share with you some of the new initiatives for 2024 for the College. Our vision for all Secondary students is as follows from our academic and wellbeing strategic plans: ‘Every student engaged and growing, every lesson, every day’ & fostering student and staff wellbeing so that all are ‘feeling well, functioning well and connecting well’.  These two principles are held in balance, encouraging learning and wellbeing growth. Some new initiatives to encourage these outcomes are as follows:

Timetable structure

As may be aware, we have restructured elements of the timetable to suit the learning needs of our students and to leverage the best times of the day for various types of learning.  We have focussed the learning of key core subjects to be scheduled in the earlier parts of the day. This includes creating a period ‘0’ for the Senior extension classes. Students who are engaging in core learning in the earlier parts of the day are more likely to experience higher levels of growth, supporting vision for learning. We’ve also reshuffled our Tuesday timetable with an early lunch and double period in the afternoon. 

Sport Plus and catch up

Our restructure of the Tuesday secondary timetable allows for a concentrated afternoon of physical activity. The NSW Department of Education recommends that students in years K-10 participate in a minimum of 150 minutes of planned moderate activity with some vigorous physical activity across the school week. The Tuesday Sport Plus facilitates the bulk of this recommendation, helping to support our learning and wellbeing focus for staff and students. The creation of the flexible space in the timetable also allows for a concentrated learning sessions for any student who has fallen behind in their learning, tutored by a teacher to catch up on the work missed. This focussed time means that students are not left behind in their learning, supporting our vision for learning. This would include gala day absences, where students will be expected to demonstrate that they have caught up from absence, or attend catch up on Tuesday during Sport Plus. 

Early departures on Tuesday

When providing permission for students to leave from a venue as a one off e.g. walking directly home from Sport, parents and carers should provide a current and dated handwritten note on the day of Sport. If this will be recurring for the term, an email to kathy.evans@bcc.nsw.edu.au is best, at least the day before. Emails to Kathy the day of Sport cannot be actioned, and students will not be able to leave early. 

Transport and Buses

Transport and traffic remains a pressure point as we endeavour to meet the transport needs of families. A development application has been approved and we are in the process commencing significant works to streamline traffic. In the meantime we’d ask that families help out with the traffic burden in the following ways:

* Utilise the buses and make sure your child has an Opal card. This reduces congestion and supports or requests to provide adequately sized buses. Without the card usage, Newcastle Buses do not have sufficient passenger data. Buses such as the 847 are consistently at capacity, despite the larger buses provided. Opal card usage can only help to support our request for a second bus. Please contact the bus company directly regarding any concerns you may have, including the late arrival of buses outside of school hours – https://www.newcastletransport.info/get-in-touch/. 

* Respecting the 10 minute parking zones in the College and arriving 10 minutes later. This further reduces congestion and traffic loading by staggering arrivals and departures. 

These are just some of the new initiatives in Secondary School, and we look forward to partnering with you in the months ahead, supporting the learning and wellbeing journeys of our students, honouring our Lord and Saviour in community. 

BCC Prayer Warriors

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. The BCC staff as begin the term with the students
2. The students that have started school this term – that they would know the peace that Jesus gives.
3. All new staff and students, that they would quickly find a sense of belonging and establish supportive relationships

Upcoming Important Dates

Primary

14.02.24 | Primary Meet the Teacher Night
22.02.24 | Primary Zone Swimming Carnival
22.02.24 | Primary Grade Parent Launch 7pm
07.03.24 | Primary CSSA Swimming (Evening Event)

Secondary

06.03.24 | Secondary Zone Swimming Carnival
08.03.24 | Year 10 Visual Arts Excursion
11.03.24 | Secondary Zone Touch Football Gala Day

Whole College

20.02.24 | Staff Commissioning Service
20.02.24 & 22.02.24 | Restore Parent Coaching Info Night (Online)
21.02.24 | NSW All Schools Triathlon
08.03.24 | Student Vaccinations

SAVE THE DATE

03.12.24 | End of Year Festival

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.

Meet the Teacher Night is an important event that kicks off the start of a new school year. It’s an opportunity for parents and carers to get acquainted with their child’s teachers and learn more about the expectations for this upcoming school year in Primary School at Belmont Christian College. Meet the Teacher Night allows parents to start building relationships with their child’s teachers so they can be involved with their learning throughout the year. It’s an important event to attend, as it can help your child obtain the most out of their educational experience. Meet the Teacher Night is a great way to gain insight into what Primary School at Belmont Christian College offers and learn more about how parents can work closely with teachers. It’s also an excellent opportunity to discuss wellbeing, as we believe all students should feel supported and cared for in order to achieve.  Belmont Christian College is committed to providing our students with a safe, caring, Christian environment.

We look forward to welcoming you at Meet the Teacher Night to celebrate the start of a new school year.  If you have any questions or concerns before the evening, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s classroom teacher or Mr Chris Stewart, Head of Primary.

Sessions:

Beginners – 4:30 – 5:00pm

Kindergarten – 5:05 – 5:35pm

Year 1 – 5:40  – 6:00pm

Year 2 – 6:05  – 6:25pm

Year 3 – 6:30  – 6:50pm

Year 4 – 6:55  – 7:15pm

Year 5 – 7:20  – 7:40pm

Year 6 – 7:45  – 8:05pm

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.

Staff Update

We are pleased to have many new staff that have recently joined us here at the College. Over the term you will have the opportunity to learn more about them in our Newsletter.

You may also like to read the Our People page on the College website to find out a little more about all of our staff.

Introducing…

Mrs Amy du Toit – Learning Enrichment Aide

Tell us about your photo.
My family had the privilege of living in South Africa for many years. There I worked alongside incredible, stoic, courageous and wise local women who taught me some of life’s most important lessons. A talented street vendor carved this from a fallen tree branch the day before we left and it reminds me daily of the inspiring people I love and miss so much.

What church do you attend?
Hunter Bible Church

What church ministries excite you?
Ah, can I say all of them?! I can’t sing, but I LOVE to WORSHIP! My three boys are blessed every week by their incredible servant-hearted YOUTH leaders. My husband and I are on the WELCOME team and enjoy the opportunity to chat and pray with people, while we have always loved coming alongside NEW BELIEVERS to teach the Alpha course as their fresh faith stirs up ours.

What makes you look forward to working at BCC?
Beautiful, helpful and welcoming staff + fun and respectful students = great atmosphere that really stands apart as something special!

Mrs Kim Dooley – Learning Enrichment Aide

Tell us about your photo.
I like to brings things into order and am always organising areas of life. This was lots of fun when getting married, setting up a new home and being a homemaker. I came across macrame a couple of years ago and have enjoyed making different items for my home and for family and friends.

What church do you attend?
Grace Evangelical Church

What church ministries excite you?
I have a been serving on the women’s ministry team and on the primary youth team for the last few years. I love to build relationships with women and children, help them grow in their knowledge of God and encourage them in their relationship with God.

What makes you look forward to working at BCC?
The community that is centred on Christ and is seeking to instil the truth and love into all the kids lives – just beautiful!

Mrs Natalie Fackler – Learning Enrichment Aide

Tell us about your photo.
My lifejacket and enduro mountain bike helmet represent the two parts of creation I spent the most time in and that I am most thankful and joyful in!! From riding the ocean on a jet ski to scaling the tops of mountains and flying down rock drops and berms. I thank God that he gave us a wonderful playground and a desire to play! How gracious is our God.

What church do you attend?
Hope UC Charmhaven

What church ministries excite you?
Anything community orientated outside of the walls of the church. I love when our church focuses itself out to the community as the mission field. It can be the street you live in or the activity you do! Do all things to the Glory of God.

What makes you look forward to working at BCC?
It’s so community orientated and focused. I love the mission side of BCC to share the good news about Christ to all!

Primary Music Ensembles

At BCC, we provide many avenues for students to grow in musical ability and appreciation. 

Enrolment for our key extracurricular music ensembles will be available soon.

Senior Vocal Ensemble

The Senior Vocal Ensemble is where voices blend in perfect harmony to create enchanting melodies
that resonate with emotion and passion. This extra curricula opportunity is designed for students to
harness their vocal skills, build self-confidence and performance techniques, whilst establishing
strong choral and group skills in preparation for future Musical productions and College
performances.

Led by Mrs Ferguson, this group is open to all students across Year 7 to 12. Rehearsals will be held
each Wednesday from 1.10 – 1.50 p.m. in A2 (Music Room).

This Vocal Ensemble will commence in Week 4, Term 1.

Through singing, students have the opportunity to enjoy an activity which promotes healthy
wellbeing, cognitive development, working in a team and spiritual connectedness.

Our Vocal Ensembles are designed to build on the foundations of singing achieved across Primary
and Stage 4 Music, and challenge students to further develop technical skills, repertoire and
performance.

Senior Band Ensemble

The Senior Band Ensemble is where passion meets expertise in harmonious melodies. Our ensemble
showcases the pinnacle of musical collaboration, offering a diverse repertoire that transcends
genres. This extra curricula ensemble caters for woodwind, string, brass and percussion instruments.
General Information

Senior Band Ensemble is for students in Year 7 to 12.

Students must be established on an instrument and is directed by Miss Emily Shield.

Eligibility to play in the band requires members to play an instrument within a section.

It is necessary that a band member have their own instrument (owned or hired).

It is recommended that band members are receiving, or have received, private music tuition.

Rehearsals

Senior Band Ensemble rehearsals are held every week in school term and begin at 7.40 till 8.40 a.m. on
Thursday morning.

This ensemble will commence in Week 3, Term 1.

Students will need to arrive 5 – 10 minutes prior to the rehearsal start time in order to set up and be
ready to play.

Arriving prepared and on-time is crucial in ensuring that the band maximizes its rehearsal time
together. Students need to arrive with everything they need (instrument, music, water bottle and a
pencil).

Rehearsals take place in the band room, currently located at the southern end of K Block.

Rehearsals are a chance for members to participate in a focused session of playing together as a
team. They are an opportunity for students to hone their performance skills and work alongside
likeminded and disciplined musicians.

If interested, please click on this link to express your child’s interest. (need to do up a google form)

Instrument Hire-to-Buy Program

A range of Concert Band, strings and contemporary instruments are available for hire from the
College. This is a fantastic way for students to trial an instrument without the costs of purchasing
their own.

To hire a College musical instrument, please click here

Music Tutors

You may also like to see the details for our wonderful music tutors here. We have a wonderful tutoring team ready to teach your child one of the following instruments:

• Vocals
• Piano
• Guitar/Bass
• Clarinet/Saxophone
• Flute
• Drums/Percussion

Primary School Swimming Carnival

We faced all 4 seasons at our 2024 Primary Swimming Carnival. There was rain, heat, humidity, and wind, but nothing could deter the smiles on students’ faces as they swam to the best of their ability and enjoyed a day out at our annual Swimming Carnival.

Once again students had the opportunity to race for House points and stickers in the 25m pool, or face off for Age Champion points, House points and places on the College team for the Zone Carnival later this month.

The House competition was exceptionally close, coming down to the final race of the day. After see-sawing with the lead all day, Cuthbert managed to grab the win by just 8 points over Booth. Liddell finished just a further 9 points behind in third place with Robinson in fourth.

A special mention to Blair Gillon who broke 2 College records on the day:

Congratulations to the following Age Champions for 2024

Secondary School Swimming Carnival

It was hot, very hot, the weather, the racing, and House Point Competition. Last Friday saw the annual running of the Secondary Carnival at Charlestown Pool. Participation was very high with many hotly contested races and many fun splash and dash ‘races’. All participating students should be congratulated on their enthusiasm and outstanding attitudes. The House points competition was close all day with Booth and Liddell swapping back and forth throughout the day. Congratulations to Liddell House for relegating to second Booth by 5 points. Congratulations to all Age Champions and Record Breakers. 

House Points

Age Champions

Record Breakers

College Office Hours

The College Office hours are 8am – 4pm.

College Office Contacts

Our Administration Team can be contacted by phoning the College on 4922 8300 and following the prompts or by using the email format firstname.lastname@bcc.nsw.edu.au.

• Primary Administration Assistant: Mrs Debbie Paardekooper – Primary enquiries, absences, medical information etc.
• Secondary Administration Assistant: Mrs Kathy Evans – Secondary enquiries, absences, medical information etc.
• Registrar: Ms Teena Knott – enrolment enquiries
• Receptionist: Mrs Sarah Bell & Mrs Laura Ioannides – payments, general enquiries
• Assistant Business Manager: Mrs Michelle Mazzantini – school fee enquiries

Bus Transport

A range of buses service the College. Information on the catchment area, routes and timetables can be found by visiting our Transport page on our website.

Opal Card applications and updated information need to be completed online. The application will be endorsed by the College and then the Opal Card is mailed directly to the address provided on the application.

Medical Action Plans

If your child has a medical action plan, please contact the Administration Assistant for your Primary or Secondary school student at the College Office so that the management plan can be implemented or updated for your child.

Manage Your School Fees

Belmont Christian College uses our Student Management System, Sentral, to manage our school fees. School fees statements and further information has been emailed this week allowing you to register and set up your payment plan via the Sentral Parent Portal. The Portal gives you payment options and flexibility to break up your payments over the course of the year. For further information on fees and payment options you can visit our website, or email Michell.Mazzantini@bcc.nsw.edu.au and she will be happy to assist.

Parent Volunteers

Parents & Carers have many opportunities to assist the College in a variety of ways. Opportunities for parent/carer help include sports coaching, community garden, working bees and excursions. Notices requesting help regularly appear in the College Newsletter.

Please note that all volunteers who assist at the College must complete a Volunteer Booklet each year which is available at the Office.

When volunteering parents need to sign in and out at the College office.

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

Our Parent’s Business Directory is available on the 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.

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. 

The Place afternoon program

Career conversations at results time 

NSW Mining would like to remind you that due to their immense popularity, the 2024 NSW Mining Careers Dinners will be held across 2 locations in the Hunter Region.

May 1: Singleton Civic Centre

June 12: Newcastle City Hall

Just choose the Hunter location which is most convenient for you.

Registrations for both events open for students, careers advisers and parents on March 4. Put the date in your calendar!

As always, NSW Mining Careers Dinners are free events, including a 2 course meal, and an expansive industry showcase with displays and guest speakers from local mining employers, universities, and training providers.

Go to www.nswminingcareers.com.au for more information

UAC Information for Parents

University Admissions Centre (UAC) has a newsletter specifically for Year 12 parents to keep you informed about the application and university entry process. Please either subscribe by using the link below, or go to the ‘Parents’ page of the UAC website.

Subscribe to the UAC parent newsletter

UAC Digital

This year UAC will be running a number of LIVE webinars for Year 10 to 12 students and their parents. Dates and registrations will be released very soon. We will keep you up to date via our social media pages and the UAC Digital web page.

The first LIVE webinar will be aired on Wednesday, 27 March, at 6 pm; a session for parents with information about the application process and how to support their Year 12 student. This event will be live-streamed on Facebook and our webinar platform. Registration will open soon.

University of Sydney Central Coast Info Night

Discover the University of Sydney

Central Coast Info Night

Tuesday 26 March, 6 – 7:30 pm
The Entertainment Grounds

Register now

Discover why the University of Sydney is the right place for you at our Information Night for year 10 to 12 students on Tuesday 26 March at The Entertainment Grounds.  

You’ll have the chance to speak with current students and alumni from the Central Coast who have undertaken a variety of degrees from across the University.   

Learn about admission requirements, entry schemes, pathways, fees, scholarships, financial assistance and support services from our expert staff and UAC representative.  

Year 10 students joining us will take part in a separate interactive session that aims to help link personal interests and skills with careers and courses and has a specific focus on selecting the right subjects for senior high school. 

Light refreshments will also be provided.  

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:

~ 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.