Unless you were living under a rock these past few weeks, you would be well aware that Taylor Swift has recently toured Australia. She certainly is a very talented artist. I would imagine in a community of our size there would have been some who managed to attend one of her concerts. I was genuinely amazed at the level of media coverage that she received. Whilst I didn’t read them, I noted with interest the sheer volume of newspaper reports, television segments and online articles. It seemed it was almost a game the media were playing with themselves – how can we write something else about Taylor today.
One article I did read with interest was a comparison between the size of the crowds for Taylor Swift concerts compared with the 1959 Billy Graham crusade. The short summary is that as popular as Swift clearly is, her crowds didn’t compare; 96,000 attended Swift’s MCG concerts. When Billy Graham spoke at the same venue, the recorded crowd was more than 130,000. The MCG itself estimates it could have been as high as 143,750. Indeed, the ABC reported that more than 3 million Australians went to see the charismatic preacher during his 1959 tour — nearly a third of the country's entire population at the time.
Billy Graham often spoke about the brevity of life. That when we are young, we have difficulty accepting that life is short and that one day we will all be in the presence of God. Whether we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour will be the defining factor of our life.
I sometimes wonder in our modern world whether the challenge of helping young people conceptualise the brevity of life is amplified. The idea that you only live once (YOLO) and you should do everything you want and be anything you want because you are the master of your world is marketed in a way that is enormously attractive. Indeed, King Solomon lived this way for a time, chasing after every human pleasure possible – and he had the wealth to achieve it. He writes in Ecclesiastes 2:10, “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.” He then goes on to recognise that after he had all these experiences, they didn’t bring him fulfilment, they ultimately became meaningless.
We certainly should enjoy life. God gives us many blessings that we should find joy in embracing. But as Billy Graham reminds us, and as Solomon experienced, let’s not lose sight of the fact that within the scale of eternity, life is brief, and ensuring that we are set up for eternity by embracing Jesus is most important.
God Bless.
Community News & Prayer Points
Dates For Your Diary - Term 1
Junior School Celebration Assembly at 9am - Friday 12th April (Week 11)
Secondary School Celebration Assembly at 2pm - Friday 12th April (Week 11)
Community News - Week 7, Term 1
SECONDARY SCHOOL WORLD'S GREATEST SHAVE - FRIDAY 22ND MARCH (WEEK 8)
A team of our Year 11 students, along with some staff members, will be participating in the World's Greatest Shave this month.
Mrs Alison Johns has shared her reason for participating this year: "My daughter, Amelia, had cancer when she was 6. She is now 24 and is only alive because of research. Please donate a little or a lot. It all counts. I will let a student cut off my ponytail if the team raises $10,000. I will let a student shave my head if the team raises $15,000. Go team Tangled 2024!"
To donate to the Leukaemia Foundation and support our team, click here.
K-12 EASTER CHAPEL SERVICE
Our Easter Chapel Service will be held on Thursday 28th March (Week 9) at 9am in our Multi-Purpose Centre. We invite you to join us as we reflect on Jesus’ death on the cross so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life in Heaven.
The Easter Chapel Service will be followed by our Cross Country Carnival and Community Picnic.
CROSS COUNTRY CARNIVAL & COMMUNITY PICNIC
We invite all families to join us for our Cross Country Carnival & Community Picnic on Thursday 28th March (Week 9).
More information to come.
EASTER SERVICES
Wyong Baptist Church
If you are not already part of a Church, Wyong Baptist Church welcomes you to their Easter services. Services are held in the Multi-Purpose Centre on site at WCCS.
Good Friday Service - 9am
Easter Sunday Service - 10am
WBC looks forward to welcoming you this Easter.
Ecumenical Service
An ecumenical Easter service will be held at Soliders Beach, Norah Head, on Easter Sunday (Sunday 31st March) at 7am.
PARENT-TEACHER INTERVIEWS
Parent-Teacher Interviews for Semester One will be held in Week 10 of Term 1 on the following dates:
Junior School - Tuesday 2nd April from 3:30-8:30pm
Secondary School - Tuesday 2nd April from 3:30-8:30pm and Wednesday 3rd April from 3:30-5:30pm
Instructions on how to book will be emailed to families soon.
ANZAC DAY SERVICE - TUESDAY 30TH APRIL 2024
On Tuesday 30th April at 11:45am (Week 1, Term 2), WCCS will be holding a combined K-12 Anzac Day Service in our MPC. During the service, we would like to commemorate and pay respect to the family members within the WCCS community who have both served in past wars or are still serving.
We are making a photo montage in the hope that students make deeper connections and relevance as to why we reflect on, and commemorate, Anzac Day. This year, we are encouraging students from both Junior and Secondary School, as well as staff and the community, to submit pictures of loved ones to be a part of this collage. We would also like to print these off and display these montages in the Library during April.
If you have a family member who you would like to include in the montage, please email a photo with the following details to me (Mrs Makepeace).
Name of relative
Family relation to you e.g. Great grandfather of ...
War/s they served in or are currently serving in
Their role e.g. a soldier, nurse, navy, pilot, peacekeeping mission, etc.
During the laying of the wreath ceremony, we are going to give students the opportunity to lay some flowers alongside the school's. Students can bring flowers on the day and when the wreath is being laid, they are able to come up and place flowers down as a sign of respect. Students who have submitted a photo will be given a flower and the opportunity to lay it down during the laying of the wreath ceremony. If your child is interested in doing this, please contact me at the email below.
Please click here for information on WOOSH's Vacation Care Program for the April school holidays.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - COLLECTION OF INFORMATION NOTICE
Please click here for a letter from the Department of Education regarding the collection of students' residential addresses and other information.
Prayer Points - Week 7, Term 1
Pray for the upcoming NAPLAN testing; that the students would feel calm and confident going into their tests.
Give thanks for the Year 11 students who have volunteered to participate in the World's Greatest Shave event to raise awareness and funds for blood cancer research on behalf of the Leukaemia Foundation. This is a great example of our school value 'Compassion', and how we can help others in need.
Give thanks for God’s Word and that we can study and rely on it daily. Ask for God’s help in interpreting different passages of the Bible, so that we can increase our knowledge and understanding of Him.
Junior School News
Junior School News - Week 7, Term 1
Greetings friends of Junior School.
We are proud to announce our Junior School Leaders for 2024.
Our Junior School Leaders attended their first official event last week on Monday 4th March. It was the Halogen National Young Leaders’ Day at the ICC in Darling Harbour. Mrs Thomson and Mr Marks had the privilege of escorting our new leadership team on the train and supporting them during the day. As expected, their behaviour and attitudes were exemplary, they honoured our God and our school community.
All of our Young Leaders have offered some reviews on the event.
Vienna - Events
"Leaders’ Day was so much fun! I loved listening to the different speeches and hearing how everyone can be a leader. It was so interesting hearing about all of the different ways people became leaders and how we can too! I loved how different they all were from each other. I am so happy that we got to learn how we can become better leaders in our own way."
Billy – Sports
"I like that you can make a difference even though you are young. When we go through tough times, we should never give up, especially if it is something that we are passionate about. I now understand that being a leader is about sacrifice."
Malachi – Environment
"The speeches were so inspiring. What surprised me the most about the stories that they told us was that they all started when they were young. It reminded me that you don’t have to be big or be the leader of your country to make a difference. The smallest person can make the biggest difference if they persevere through the challenges; don’t care about what people think of them; allow others to help and give advice."
Anna – Sport
"I personally loved how inspirational all of the speakers were. They told us how they never gave up on their dreams. They showed us that when you don’t give up and you push through obstacles you can achieve anything. Not giving up can also be a good influence on others."
Zali – Communications
"I learnt many important lessons at National Young Leaders’ Day. One of my favourite lessons is that sacrifices are worth it. If you are prepared to make sacrifices then you can achieve your goals and dreams. Sacrificing things can give you more time to make your dreams come true. I learnt to take your time, persevere and make sacrifices because they are worth it."
Isabelle – Library
"The National Young Leaders’ Day was really fun and an essential experience for my leadership journey. The speakers were funny and had important advice for us. One of my favourite parts were the dance breaks. Honestly, it couldn’t have been better."
Marcus – Events
"I really enjoyed National Young Leaders’ Day. The speakers inspired all of us to persevere and push on."
Emily – Library
"I was inspired by Anastasia Woolmer. She had an average memory and worked really hard, on her memory exercises, and now she is the best memory expert in Australia. I found this really inspiring because it shows that if you work really hard you can get better at anything."
Simeon – Pastoral Care
"I really liked that we got booklets to complete and we could take notes to remember the lessons that we learned, so we can use it for later on in our lives."
Jorja – Pastoral Care
"I really like Dance Curriculum, they taught us some cool dances and showed us their website link. All of their songs are meant to inspire you to do the things that you need to do. They also made it really fun."
Nate – Environment
"I like the Halogen Pin, it is a daily reminder to always do your best, and you can wear it to school. It costs $5 so remember to bring your money next year."
Lachlan – Communications
"The venue was really nice and I liked it a lot. I have some advice for the JS Leaders next year; make sure you bring a debit card for the vending machines, they don’t take cash."
CRAZY HAIR DAY
What fun Crazy Hair Day was for our Junior School family. The day started with children trying to get out of their cars with their amazing hairdos in one piece. There were balloons, spiders, under the sea, unicorns, mermaids, Rapunzels, bird cages, noodles and lots of coloured hairspray and glitter, just to name a few.
The students really loved showcasing the masterpieces on their heads. It made for a very cheerful playground. We thank you also for your donations to the Leukaemia Foundation. This money will go to research to help find the cure for blood cancer.
A huge thank you, mums and dads, for your hard work and the extra time it took to get your children ready for school on Friday. We appreciate you.
NAPLAN
This week is all about NAPLAN and we commence with Writing on Wednesday 13th March. Just a gentle reminder to the parents and carers of Years 3 and Year 5 students that the NAPLAN is just a snapshot in time. The tests results provide us with great data points. We use these for Professional Development, program analysis, specialised programs and resource acquisition. However, the tests do not take into account the day-to-day stressors and illnesses that children experience. Something as simple as an argument with a sibling or peer, even a simple headache, before the tests can really affect our kids. These tests also do not take into account the amazing God-given gifts that our students possess in spiritual, pastoral, social-emotional, humanities, the arts and/or kinesthetic pursuits.
Educational research informs us that students will perform best if they are slightly/mildly anxious but feel supported. Please be gentle, calm and relaxed with the kids for the next two weeks as the formal testing setting and process will provide enough anxiety for them to take the tests seriously and perform at their peak. Punctuality will also help the students during this process, it is quite embarrassing for the students to enter the test room late and then have to be entered into the session separately and also finish after the majority of students have already completed the test. Obviously, unforeseen situations arise, and if so, we will do our best to ensure that the students are relaxed and welcomed.
Please join us in prayer for our Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 students over the next two weeks, so they might even enjoy the process of demonstrating their knowledge and skill during the NAPLAN tests.
To see the questions the students experience during the NAPLAN tests, visit the NAPLAN Public Demonstration Site, here.
God bless.
Secondary School News
Secondary School News - Week 7, Term 1
THANKFUL FOR GOD'S PROVISION
We are thankful for another busy fortnight in Secondary School. Highlights include the ‘Your Choicez’ seminar for Year 8, Red Centre Road Trip (RCRT) Information Evening for Year 9, Christian Ministry & Theology (CMT) Retreat for Year 11; together with several subject-specific excursions. We continue to be thankful for the resources available to our students and the willingness of the dedicated staff and families to provide these opportunities.
ASSEMBLY REMINDERS
Our Assistant Principal, Mr Stephen Moody, has been prompting all students to maintain high standards regarding wearing the correct uniform, behaviour in the classroom and cleanliness in the school playground. He also reminded students that gum is not permitted on site, and emphasised our strong response to prohibited items such as possession of a vape.
The vast majority of our students continue to display excellence in taking personal responsibility for their choices, contributing to the safe, secure environment for which WCCS is renowned.
NAPLAN
During Weeks 7 and 8 from Wednesday 13th March to Monday 18th March, we will be running the annual Years 7 and 9 NAPLAN tests. It is very important that students bring their laptops to school and ensure that they are fully charged. It is also important for students to bring headphones to school for the NAPLAN examinations. Below is an outline of the test schedule that we will be running. You can also click here for a helpful information brochure for parents regarding NAPLAN from ACARA.
The HSIE department is comprised of a variety of subjects. In Years 7-10, students learn History throughout Semester One and Geography in Semester Two. We also run a Stage 5 Elective Commerce course. For Stage 6, our HSIE subjects include Ancient History, Business Studies, Geography, Legal Studies, Modern History and Society and Culture. Within the HSIE department, we have Mr Andrew Warner, Mr Caleb Sandford, Miss Kayla Christensen, Mr Sean Kelly, Mrs Linda Makepeace, and me, Mr Jonathan Eloff.
This term has started off busy for our department as we have been running activities and initiatives to support and engage our student learners.
Our Year 11 Historians have thoroughly enjoyed their exploration of the methods and techniques of archaeology, particularly Mr Kelly’s innovative 'cakescavation' lesson which offered them a unique hands-on archaeology excavation experience. Our Year 7 students are eagerly awaiting the Tut Roadshow incursion scheduled for Week 9. The Tut Bus is a specially designed semi-trailer equipped to provide students with an immersive archeological experience, allowing them to handle objects crafted thousands of years ago. They will also examine accurate replicas, gaining insights into their historical significance and the stories they tell.
Meanwhile, Year 10 students have delved deep into the complexities of the Cold War and Vietnam War. Their studies were enriched by a captivating performance from actor, musician, and singer/songwriter Brett Hunt, who presented his show ‘Dusted Off’. This performance provided a moving exploration of the Vietnam War's legacy, the impacts of post-traumatic stress, and a powerful narrative of his family’s journey through intergenerational trauma, survival, and redemption. Under the guidance of Mrs Makepeace, many of our history students will also participate in the K-12 ANZAC Day Ceremony at the beginning of Term 2.
Students will also have the opportunity to challenge themselves by participating in the annual History and Geography Competitions, which are open to students in Years 7-10 who wish to test their knowledge and skills in Geography and History. A big thank you to all the students who have already registered their interest in these competitions. Those who are still interested in participating in either the Geography or History competition should email Mr Eloff before Tuesday 12th March.
I’m very excited to be working with Year 10 this year for the third year running, and again we have an excellent team of teachers supporting them in their first year that counts towards their Record of School Achievement (RoSA). If you would like to know more about the RoSA, there is a link here that may help you, or feel free to contact your child’s Home Room Teacher or myself. This year in the wellbeing program, Year 10 will focus on careers and pathways for post-Secondary School direction. We will also spend time on character development, spiritual formation, organisation, study skills, and tapping into more areas from Martin Seligman’s PERMA framework for personal wellbeing. We attempt to underpin all of this with biblical principles, as we seek to show students how to live well in this world from a Christian perspective.
Witnessing this group of young people grow and mature together over several years now and seeing a developing sense of community and care for each other has been a highlight. This is a special bunch of young people who God is doing a great work in and I am enjoying getting to see this up close as I work with them daily.
What is your favourite holiday activity?
Going bush and camping at places with loads of space for my young kids to run wild - or if I’m on my own, you’ll find me in the surf.
Mr Caleb Sandford (10Dev 2)
Subjects Taught:
HSIE
What are you enjoying about working with Year 10?
I am enjoying seeing relationships become stronger within the year group and seeing students step up into areas of maturity.
What is your favourite holiday activity?
Wetting a line (fishing).
Mr Jason Benn (10Dev 3)
Subjects Taught:
Mathematics
What are you enjoying about working with Year 10?
I enjoy seeing a noticeable jump in maturity as Year 9s go into Year 10 (and again from Year 10 to 11).
What is your favourite holiday activity?
I enjoy either watching or competing in sporting events as a holiday activity.
Mrs Hannah Kelly (10Dev 4)
Subjects Taught:
PDHPE, Community & Family Studies
What are you enjoying about working with Year 10?
I am really loving the community at WCCS and the connections I have built with Year 10. I have the pleasure of teaching two Year 10 classes for PDHPE, as well as taking my lovely Home Room girls. We have had lots of fun in Home Room, studying the bible, playing games and of course Food Fridays!
What is your favourite holiday activity?
Heading down to the beach, taking my book and reading near the ocean.
Mrs Tiernan Schwenke (10Dev 5)
Subjects Taught:
Drama
What are you enjoying about working with Year 10?
This is a time when Year 10 students are asking lots of questions and becoming their own people. Lots of students are beginning to own their faith and become more comfortable sharing it with others. It is really exciting to be able to get alongside students and encourage them to grow in this way!
What is your favourite holiday activity?
Anything snow related (especially skiing).
Mrs Erin Cowling (10Dev 5)
Subjects Taught:
Visual Arts
What are you enjoying about working with Year 10?
I’m enjoying getting to know all the characters in 10Devos5 and hearing about their goals for Year 10, but also their futures, such as various study paths and career options. It’s also been special to journey alongside some of the students as some challenging personal situations arise, but also to share a laugh and have some fun in our Home Room time each week.
What is your favourite holiday activity?
Just in recent years I’ve really started to enjoy reading for pleasure. I also enjoy eating out and exploring new cafes. As a family, we work really hard at clearing the schedule, slowing down and making an effort to enjoy the little moments with each other.
God bless.
REACH - Student Enrichment
Reach Student Enrichment - Week 7, Term 1
DEBATING & DA VINCI DECATHLON
Due to an overwhelming amount of interest in Debating this year, I was delighted to run three debating workshops for potential debaters. We now have two very enthusiastic groups of students (Years 5/6 and Years 7/8) meeting weekly for debating training, as we prepare to enter four teams in the upcoming Australian National Virtual Debating Competition. We also have four teams of students hard at work preparing for the challenges of the Da Vinci Decathlon, to be held in May at Knox Grammar School. Each week, we meet together to wrestle with the interesting and complex challenges of the ten da Vinci Decathlon subject areas. The theme of this year’s State Decathlon is ‘Utopia’.
SCIENCE FAIR
Our Science Fair project is about to commence! In Week 7, students can register their interest in being part of our 2024 Science Fair. I am running information sessions this week for students to learn more about what the Science Fair involves and they will be asked to make a commitment to the project by Week 9 of Term 1. Those students who are up for the challenge will discuss what makes a good scientific question and then seek approval on their scientific question by Week 11, ready to start at the beginning of Term 2. All projects will be completed by the end of Term 2, ready to present during Science Week at the start of Term 3.
LEARNING TO MANAGE OUR FINANCES WITH BANQER
This year, students in our Years 5-8 Mathematics extension groups have embarked upon an interactive journey into the world of financial literacy. Through the Banqer website, each student receives a weekly (virtual) income for doing their job as a student, they pay expenses (wi-fi, electricity, desk rental) and earn interest through their savings account. Students can create a resume to apply for an extra job, after which they will need to pay tax and set aside superannuation. With their savings, students may choose to purchase scooters, bikes, cars and eventually houses, which they can then optionally insure. Random events occur throughout the adventure, leaving many vehicle owners and homeowners relieved that they did choose insurance! Students are given optional homework (earning extra Banqer dollars if completed) which involves discussing what they have learned with their families. In addition, parents can sign up to receive regular updates; it really is quite something to receive an email letting you know that your child has bought their second car and is currently applying for a mortgage! Just a few weeks into this adventure, our students are certainly enjoying the dynamic virtual world of Banqer.
On Thursday 22nd February, 35 Junior School students represented WCCS at the Zone Swimming Carnival. The carnival this year was held at The Forum Pool, Newcastle University. The students cheered on their fellow teammates all day. It was great to have parents in attendance this year, cheering on the competitors. Special thanks must go to all the parents who helped out on the day and also to Mr Higgins for being a great team manager.
WCCS finished in 2nd Place overall, which is a credit to all the swimmers and the effort and training they put in all year round. We had nine students bring home medals and many more progressing onto the CSSA State Swimming Carnival.
Congratulations to the following Age Champions: Holly P (2nd 8 Years Girls), Alannah W (2nd 9 Years Girls), Myah J (1st 10 Years Girls), Harvey C (3rd 10 Years Boys), Lotus V (3rd 11 Years Girls), Brodie C (3rd 11 Years Boys), Isabelle J (1st 12 Years Girls), Billy C (2nd 12 Years Boys) and Lachlan R (3rd 12 Years Boys).
As well as the Age Champions, the following students qualified for the CSSA State Swimming Carnival, that was held on Thursday 7th March: Andrew A, Chase M, Dylan M, Chloe P, Jack T, Layla T and Cadence Y.
A total of 16 students qualified for CSSA, which is an outstanding achievement.
Congratulations to these students who participated at Zone: Nixon A, Andrew A, Jack C, Ava C, Billy C, Harvey C, Mika C, Brodie C, Charlie C, Henry D, Zachary G, Hannah G, Isabelle J, Myah J, Asher k, Ryder K, India K, Anna L, Chase M, Dylan M, Leonardo M, Summer N, Chloe P, Holly P, Addison R, Lachlan R, Jack T, Kaitiaki T, Addison T, Layla T, Lotus V, Alannah W, Phoenix W, Brielle Y and Cadence Y.
It was a wonderful day and all of the students should be proud of their efforts and the way they represented the school.
Secondary School InterCru Excursion - Wednesday 28th February 2024
On Wednesday 28th February, some of our Secondary School students attended InterCru - a combined schools Youth Group event held once a term. Two of our Year 11 students who attended have written a review of their experience.
InterCru was an amazing experience. It allowed kids of all ages to reach out and network with other Christians and worship as a community. St Philip's Christian College welcomed us with big smiles and an amazing food table. We started by taking our seats and the hosts introduced themselves. We played icebreaker games to get to know everyone. Then Zane from Cru spoke about what it is to be distinctive as a Christian. Overall, InterCru was an amazing way to connect and learn more about faith, and we would highly recommend going to the next event which WCCS will host on Wednesday 29th May.
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