School Newsletter

I remember reading an account of a conversation amongst some university staff about the differences in faith beliefs. Apparently, the question was asked: 'What makes Christianity different from other faith beliefs?' The story goes that they were wrestling with different ideas and then C.S. Lewis walked into the room. They asked him the same question and he didn’t hesitate to respond, "It's Grace!".

I think the concept of grace is one that our society has an uncomfortable relationship with. The idea that we receive something that we haven’t earned or deserve usually makes us sceptical. Have you ever answered the phone or been on the internet to be given the message, ‘Congratulations! You’ve won a free…’? Our natural inclination is to think there is some catch, we are far more comfortable with the adage, ‘You don’t get something for nothing’.

For me, therein lies the problem with being able to understand grace. There are lots of passages in the Bible that explain how our salvation is a gracious gift from God. Hopefully you are familiar with the passage we placed up at the entrance to the Junior School: Ephesians 2:8-9, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." We will never be able to earn our forgiveness; it is a gracious gift from God. A gift that we should be eternally thankful for.

Even though there is nothing we can do to receive this grace, it doesn’t fall into the category of getting something for nothing. Indeed the cost of the gift we have received was the highest price God could pay – allowing the crucifixion of His own Son. There was an incredible consequence for us to be able to receive grace. I think Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it well when he wrote, "Grace is free, but it is never cheap."

Sometimes I have chatted with people who feel that grace means that we must forgive with no consequences. At times I have even heard people say, “I thought I would have been shown more grace in this instance”, implying that grace is almost an entitlement. When I read the Bible, I certainly don’t get the sense that this how God treats grace. We have an unfathomable gift of being able to live forever in Heaven with our Lord and Saviour. But that gracious act came at a great cost.

As I watch the news or read the paper I am constantly reminded of the sinful and fallen world we live in. As Paul wrote in Romans 3, "We are all sinners." What a wonderful reminder that despite all of this God has shown His gracious nature to forgive us and orchestrate a pathway for us to be back in relationship with Him. I pray that this will be an encouragement to you as you reflect on the amazing grace that has saved us all.

God bless,

• WCCS Twilight Tours Open Evening - Wednesday 26th March (Week 9)
• Years 3 & 4 Camp - Thursday 27th to Friday 28th March (Week 9)
• Junior School Athletics Carnival - Thursday 3rd April (Week 10)
• Years 7-11 Parent Teacher Interviews - Monday 7th April (Week 11)
• Years K-11 Parent Teacher Interviews - Tuesday 8th April (Week 11)
• Years K-12 Cross Country Carnival & Community Picnic - Thursday 10th April (Week 11)
• Years K-12 Easter Service at 9am - Thursday 10th April (Week 11)
• Junior School Celebration Assembly at 9am - Friday 11th April (Week 11)
  
• Secondary School Celebration Assembly at 2pm - Friday 11th April (Week 11)

WCCS SCHOOL MUSICAL - ALADDIN JR.

A whole new world is coming to WCCS!

Rehearsals are in full swing for our 2025 production of Aladdin JR. Get ready to be transported to the streets of Agrabah as our talented students and staff bring this beloved Disney classic to life.

The performances will be held on Tuesday 1st, Wednesday 2nd, and Thursday 3rd July (Week 10, Term 2).

Stay tuned for more details as the adventure unfolds! 🎭🎶🌟

If you have any questions about the Musical please contact Mr Isaac Creanor or Mr Alex Hellyer. For Junior School please contact Mrs Jody Farrell or Mrs Di Ormsby.

A MESSAGE FROM BUSWAYS

Please click here to read a letter advising of changes to Busways Bus Services 2642, 2699, 2700 and 2709 commencing Monday 24th February 2025. This information has previously been sent to families via email.

If you have any further questions regarding these bus services, please contact Busways directly on 1300 69 29 29.

• Praise God for the great Camps that have happened so far this term.
• Give thanks for our recent Years 1-12 Chapel and students now eating lots of vegetables.
• Give thanks for our Open Day where we could meet families thinking about belonging to WCCS.
• Pray for our School Board as they continue to seek God's leading for our school.
• Pray for God's protection over our students as they head out for various excursions.

Greetings friends of Junior School.

YEARS 5 & 6 CAMP TOUKLEY RECAP

Camp Toukley was an absolute success again this year. It was difficult to count, but there were approximately 20-30 students that decided to give their life to Jesus on the Wednesday evening. There was a party going on in Heaven, that is certain.

On the Thursday evening after worship, we separated into boys’ and girls’ groups and participated in a forum about Big Questions for God. There are some deep thinkers in this cohort and the questions were profound and incredibly mature. Some of the students also offered opinions and suggestions that were amazingly mature and considered.

During the days, students overcame fears, developed new friendships, increased their resilience, learnt new truths about Jesus and life as a disciple.

We witnessed so much kindness and compassion at Camp with our new students being well-looked after by our old students. These actions enabled our new students to feel welcome and gave them a sense of belonging. Very proud moments.

Special thanks to our parent helpers Mrs Yeung and Mrs Chown for their support. Thank you also Mrs Harris and Mr Marks for visiting camp and leading devotions and the message on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Our Stage 3 teachers and SLSOs were truly amazing. Whilst camps can be tiring, they provide the best experiences and fun for our students.

Here are just a few recaps from our students.

This year, Years 5 and 6 went to Camp Toukley, and it was an exhilarating experience! We had the opportunity to take part in a variety of fun activities, and each one was more exciting than the last. The food was also amazing – the lovely canteen staff treated us to mouthwatering meals and delicious desserts. One of the highlights was making our own damper and cooking it ourselves, and it turned out absolutely delicious! The experiences we had were even more fun, like the giant swing, it was sooo tall, the raft building (it was real wet), bush initiative (it was tricky), and many more activities. When Mr Marks shared the message it was really cool, we got to write down stuff we didn't want to forget, and questions we wanted answers to.

So, when you guys go to camp, I hope you have the best time ever!

- Stephen

This term Years 5 and 6 attended Camp Toukley, not only did we have fun on the giant swing or eating fresh damper, but we also learnt the value of teamwork. Whether that was being on the tow team or helping figure out some of the tricky activities during bush initiatives. The meals were delicious (as usual!) and we enjoyed foods like burgers, nachos and pancakes. We slept in comfy cabins and I think that’s one of the main things that made camp special- sleeping with friends old and new. On the first night we had an amazing time of worship, singing and dancing. Mr Marks gave a powerful message, giving us all the opportunity to accept Jesus into our hearts, and I think that there was several parties in Heaven that wonderful night! Thank you for the chance to go to camp this year and I’m sad to say that it will be my last time at Camp Toukley (being in Year 6).

- Phoebe

Years 5 and 6 went to Camp Toukley, it was Year 5's first time staying for two nights, and boy did we all have fun doing amazing activities including bush initiatives, raft building, crate climbing, bush cooking, laser tag, archery and last of all the big swing. The thing I loved about all these activities was that it showed us the true meaning of teamwork and friendship, when we were doing all of this fun stuff I realised that in every one of the activities we had to work together as a team to complete a task, like on the big swing we all had to work together to pull the rope to lift the person up. One thing I think all the Year 5 and 6 kids can agree on is that, this year, the teachers did an amazing job spreading God’s message.

- Molly

What I liked about Camp Toukley is that we had a timetable so we knew what was going to happen next, they weren’t just throwing activities at us. I also enjoyed the crate climb because they stacked up some of the crates then when the time ran out the builders pushed over the tower and the climbers were just hanging; it felt like you were flying. One of my most favourite things to do was the worship at the end of the day after dinner because it was just amazing. All the songs were great, some of them I knew and some of them I didn’t know. It just calmed me down and relaxed me before bedtime and it wasn’t all crazy like Chapel is sometimes. It was only two grades so it was a lot calmer.

- Alanah

NAPLAN 2025 PARENT & CARER INFORMATION

Each year the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is sat by students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Students will participate in tests for writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.

NAPLAN 2025 will take place from Wednesday 12th March to Monday 24th March.

NAPLAN is just one part of our school’s learning assessment program. The tests assess literacy and numeracy skills your child is already learning at school, so the best preparation is their everyday classroom learning. Our school will also undertake activities to help students become familiar with the types of questions and tools available in the online tests.

The Public Demonstration Site is available for you to see the format of the online tests. Further information about NAPLAN is available on the NESA website and the NAP website. If you have any questions about NAPLAN, please contact your child’s teacher.

God bless.

Chat soon,

Dear Secondary School Families,

We are definitely back into the rhythm of the school term! There have been lots of great things happening for our Years 7-12 students and there is so much to look forward to this term.

Parents of Years 7 and 9 students will soon be receiving information about NAPLAN. This will take place across the state and at WCCS from Wednesday 12th to Monday 17th March. Students will participate in tests for writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. NAPLAN is just one part of our school’s learning assessment program. The tests assess literacy and numeracy skills that your child is already learning at school, so the best preparation is their everyday classroom learning. Our school will also undertake activities to help students become familiar with the types of questions and tools available in the online tests.

Another really important event for Year 9 students and families is happening on Tuesday 25th February. We are holding our Red Centre Road Trip Information Evening at 6:30pm in the MPC. We would love all Year 9 students, parents and carers to be there so you can learn everything you need to know about this exciting milestone for WCCS students. This will also be a great opportunity for students to be fitted for their RCRT t-shirt.

As always, our teachers have been diligently preparing engaging activities, excursions and special days for our students, such as the Year 11 Orientation Day, Elevate Study Sessions, and Careers Days coming up for Year 10 students. We desire to resource our students with the knowledge, skills, values and behaviours that will allow them to succeed in their lives beyond school.

You will find below a snapshot of our Year 7 Home Room Team for 2025, led by Mrs Rachael Hastings. You can look forward to getting to know the teachers in each year group in our future newsletters.

ELEVATE EDUCATION PARENT WEBINARS

Elevate Education will be hosting their next parent webinar on Wednesday 26th February.

Elevate works with our students, delivering high-impact workshops on study skills, motivation, wellbeing, and exam preparation. By tuning into their webinar series, you’ll learn how you can help support your child at home by reinforcing the skills they’re learning at school.

Live Parent Webinar: How You Can Help Your Child Manage Their Time

Wednesday 26th February 6:30-7:30pm (AEDT)

Click here to register for free

Here’s what Elevate will be covering on the night:

✅ Align expectations on homework with your child

✅ Help your child balance their schoolwork and social life

✅ Set up a weekly planner tool with your child

God bless,

During Term 1 we will be introducing you to our Year 12 Student Leadership Team in our Newsletter. This fortnight we are introducing Matilda D and Xander F.

ANZAC DAY 2025

During Week 1, Term 2 we will be holding a combined K-12 ANZAC Day Ceremony. During the ceremony, we would like to commemorate and pay respect to the family members within the WCCS community who have served in past wars.

During the laying of the wreath ceremony, we are going to give students the opportunity to lay some flowers where we lay our wreath during the ceremony. Students can bring some flowers on the day and when the wreath is being laid, they can come up and place flowers down also as a sign of respect. If your child is interested in doing this, please email me and let me know.

We are also making photo montages in the hope that students make deeper connections and understand why we reflect on and remember ANZAC Day. This year, we are encouraging students from both Junior and Secondary Schools as well as staff 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 that you would like to include in the montage, please email a photo with the following details to the email address listed below.

Name of relative: Name or names of the relatives who served in a war

Family relation to you: E.g. Great grandfather of...

War/s they served in:

Their role: E.g. a soldier, nurse, navy, pilot, peacekeeping mission, etc.

Inquiries or pictures can be submitted to Mrs Linda Makepeace.

HISTORY COMPETITION 2025

Each year, the HSIE department signs students up to compete in the National History Competition which we run at our school. Last year we had students participate and achieve some outstanding examination results. We are looking for students who are interested in signing up for this examination. This is a great way for students to extend and test themselves without feeling the pressure of an official Assessment Task. It also gives them great practice for their formal History Assessment Tasks as multiple choice questions make up a component of their Half Yearly Examination questions. The History Competition is open to students in Years 7-10.

If students are interested, please email me their name and year group. Also, if you have any further questions then please feel free to contact me.

Mrs Linda Makepeace | HSIE Teacher

Year 7 had a fantastic time at Camp in Week 2!

They enjoyed ziplining, sailing, stand-up paddle boarding, and much more, as well as spending time with the CRU leaders in the word of God. It was encouraging to see how they got alongside each other and made friends, supporting each other to try new things.

What a wonderful way to begin Secondary School!

Mrs Rachael Hastings | Year 7 Year Advisor