school...we are into our final week of swim school for our infants students. sincere thanks to our...

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School NEWSLETTER WEEK 5, TERM 4 9th November 2020 ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS MESSAGE On Thursday and Friday of last week I had the wonderful privilege of being part of our annual Prefect Leadership Camp. This is a time each year when the newly appointed Prefects spend two days at a camp investigating what Biblical Leadership really looks like. We have been running the camp now for nearly 10 years and it originated out of a concern that many of the messages around leadership, particularly for young people, are deviating further from what Jesus modelled in His time on Earth. Sadly, around the world there are many examples of those in leadership who are leveraging their power and authority for their own personal gain. I have attended leadership seminars that exalt our young people: you can conquer the world, you can live your dreams, you can do whatever you want, you should not let anyone stand in your way. As you have no doubt picked up, there is very much a focus on yourself, and it becomes easy to conclude that my focus in leadership should be how is it going to benefit me. This is not the model of leadership that Jesus promotes through His words and actions in the Bible. In Philippians 2:5-11, the apostle Paul writes about how despite the fact that Jesus was in very nature God personified on Earth, He did not use His position to leverage power and authority over others, in fact He did the exact opposite, He used His status as an opportunity to serve others, and He did it all for the glory of God the Father. I have written on other occasions of how, from my humble viewpoint, it appears that being a genuine Disciple of Christ is becoming more counter cultural in the society we live. The area of leadership seems to be yet another example. It was tremendously encouraging to work with our new Prefects, to see their enthusiasm for contributing to the ministry that is our school. To watch them grow in their understanding of why we should model our leadership on Christ. Pastor Jamie ran sessions on counter cultural biblical leadership. Our School Chaplain, Mr Holland, ran a seminar on relevancy without compromise - how do we humbly and sensitively engage with our community but at the same time not compromise what we believe. And I ran sessions on what we learn from Jesus as a leader. Over the coming weeks you will have the opportunity to get to know our Prefects better as their profiles appear in later editions of the School Newsletter. I would encourage you to pray for them as they seek to fulfil the mandate given to them, of humbly serving those around them for the glory of God the Father. Of course all of us have areas where we are leaders, whether we want to admit to it or not. Perhaps there would be value in us all reflecting on what servant leadership looks like in the spheres of influence that we have. To provide a Christian education community founded on Biblically based beliefs, values and behaviour. We do this to equip young people to be responsible and responsive disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Mission In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus”. Philippians 2:5 Shining Light A Ministry of Wyong Baptist Church Find our free School App on the App Store or Google Play. Find us on social media @wyongccs God bless, Mr Darren Milligan | Assistant Principal

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Page 1: School...We are into our final week of Swim School for our infants students. Sincere thanks to our Groundsmen, Neil, Ryan and Sincere thanks to our Groundsmen, Neil, Ryan and Mat,

Page 1

School NEWSLETTER

WE

EK

5, T

ER

M 4

9th

No

vem

ber 20

20

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE On Thursday and Friday of last week I had the wonderful privilege of being part of our annual Prefect Leadership Camp. This is a time each year when the newly appointed Prefects spend two days at a camp investigating what Biblical Leadership really looks like. We have been running the camp now for nearly 10 years and it originated out of a concern that many of the messages around leadership, particularly for young people, are deviating further from what Jesus modelled in His time on Earth. Sadly, around the world there are many examples of those in leadership who are leveraging their power and authority for their own personal gain. I have attended leadership seminars that exalt our young people: you can conquer the world, you can live your dreams, you can do whatever you want, you should not let anyone stand in your way. As you have no doubt picked up, there is very much a focus on yourself, and it becomes easy to conclude that my focus in leadership should be how is it going to benefit me. This is not the model of leadership that Jesus promotes through His words and actions in the Bible. In Philippians 2:5-11, the apostle Paul writes about how despite the fact that Jesus was in very nature God personified on Earth, He did not use His position to leverage power and authority over others, in fact He did the exact opposite, He used His status as an opportunity to serve others, and He did it all for the glory of God the Father. I have written on other occasions of how, from my humble viewpoint, it appears that being a genuine Disciple of Christ is becoming more counter cultural in the society we live. The area of leadership seems to be yet another example. It was tremendously encouraging to work with our new Prefects, to see their enthusiasm for contributing to the ministry that is our school. To watch them grow in their understanding of why we should model our leadership on Christ. Pastor Jamie ran sessions on counter cultural biblical leadership. Our School Chaplain, Mr Holland, ran a seminar on relevancy without compromise - how do we humbly and sensitively engage with our community but at the same time not compromise what we believe. And I ran sessions on what we learn from Jesus as a leader. Over the coming weeks you will have the opportunity to get to know our Prefects better as their profiles appear in later editions of the School Newsletter. I would encourage you to pray for them as they seek to fulfil the mandate given to them, of humbly serving those around them for the glory of God the Father. Of course all of us have areas where we are leaders, whether we want to admit to it or not. Perhaps there would be value in us all reflecting on what servant leadership looks like in the sphere’s of influence that we have.

To provide a Christian education community founded on Biblically

based beliefs, values and behaviour.

We do this to equip young people to be responsible

and responsive disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Mission

“In your relationships with

one another, have the same

mindset as Christ Jesus”.

Philippians 2:5

Shining Light

A Ministry of Wyong Baptist Church

Find our free School App on the App Store or

Google Play.

Find us on social media @wyongccs

God bless, Mr Darren Milligan | Assistant Principal

Page 2: School...We are into our final week of Swim School for our infants students. Sincere thanks to our Groundsmen, Neil, Ryan and Sincere thanks to our Groundsmen, Neil, Ryan and Mat,

Page 2

Community NEWS

• Pray for clarity and peace over our

students who are completing their

End of Year Examinations.

• On this Remembrance Day, thank

God for the people who fought in

the wars. Pray that we can be

thankful for the sacrifice that these

men and women made for our

country.

• Give thanks for our Year 12 students

as they celebrate the end of their

school life at their Graduation and

Formal this week.

• Pray for our upcoming Orientation

Day. Pray that all students

experience a smooth transition into

our school and for opportunities to

make new friends.

Prayer Points

CHAPEL, ASSEMBLIES & SPORT

END OF YEAR ASSEMBLIES CANCELLED

Some of the special times in our school calendar are the festivities that occur

at the end of Term 4. The Junior School Carols Evening, Celebration

Assemblies and ultimately Presentation Night are all events that we look

forward to with anticipation. Whether we would be able to stage these events

this year has been a topic of ongoing discussion given the pandemic situation.

It takes quite a lot of planning and rehearsing to ensure these events occur at

the high standard we strive for. That requires preparation that commences

several weeks ago. At the time of determining whether it would be feasible to

run such events, the NSW Government information was “Advice regarding all

other end-of-year assemblies and graduations are currently still under review.

Further information will be provided later in Term 4.” Given that we did not

know when further advice would be forthcoming, we had to make the difficult

decision to cancel our end of year events. We are still planning to present

most of our awards, the students certainly deserve them, it is just that we will

not be able to do it in our usual formal gatherings.

CHRISTMAS TREES FOR SALE

Wyong Baptist Church will once again be selling Christmas Trees.

Due to flood damage, unfortunately they have far fewer trees to sell this year.

Trees will go on sale at 8am on Saturday 5th December. All trees will be $65

freshly cut and ready to take. First come, first served.

If you are part of the Church or school family and you feel strongly about

securing your tree, or you want a particularly tall one, you can purchase a tag

from the Church office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at $85. All

proceeds from the Christmas Tree sales are donated to local charities.

Mondays 8-10am Wednesdays 2:30-4pm

Thursday 8-9:30am

Head Office: 4321 0433 Onsite Shop: 0413 353 787

UNIFORM SHOP

WYONG BAPTIST CHURCH

8am-4pm P: 4351 2020

[email protected]

WCCS OFFICE HOURS

All Assemblies and Group Gatherings

have been cancelled until further

notice.

Visit www.wyongbaptist.org for more information.

Page 3: School...We are into our final week of Swim School for our infants students. Sincere thanks to our Groundsmen, Neil, Ryan and Sincere thanks to our Groundsmen, Neil, Ryan and Mat,

Page 3

Junior School NEWS

Greetings friends of Junior School. We are into our final week of Swim School for our infants students. Sincere thanks to our Groundsmen, Neil, Ryan and Mat, who have been driving our students to and from the pool whilst still maintaining our beautiful facilities. Your service to our community is greatly appreciated. As the school year starts to draw to a close, many families will be saying, “Good bye to 2020”! We would not normally publish the proposed class Teachers for the following year so early because there is always a possibility that things can change over the Christmas break. However, due to the stress and anxiety that some of our students and families are experiencing, I thought it might help the students transition if they know what teachers they may have in 2021. Please note that THIS MAY CHANGE due to unforeseen circumstances. You will see that we have asked some teachers to move with their current classes. Hopefully this will reduce some of the anxiety around building new relationships with new Teachers in 2021 for some of our students. When we analyse the grade sociograms and create actual class lists we will be looking at the spiritual, social and educational needs of each child and groups of children. This process takes months and we refine the lists right up until the first week of school. Currently we are reviewing our proposed classes; NCCD information; Case Management Data and strategies; student profiles; to ensure that we are ready to maintain and improve student progress as soon as the students re/commence school in Term 1, 2021.

God bless,

Mr Paul Marks | Head of Junior School

Kindergarten – Mrs McKay (LL), Mrs Harris, Mrs Reynolds

Year 2 – Mrs Brown, Mr Knibbs Year 4 – Mrs Thomson (LL), Mr Higgins

Year 6 – Mrs Jones, Mrs Austin

Year 1 – Mrs Scarr, Mr Thomson

Year 3 – Mrs Knox, Miss Simes

Year 5 – Mrs Ormsby, Mr Watts-Thomas

Page 4: School...We are into our final week of Swim School for our infants students. Sincere thanks to our Groundsmen, Neil, Ryan and Sincere thanks to our Groundsmen, Neil, Ryan and Mat,

Page 4

Secondary School NEWS

YEAR 12 GRADUATION

The HSC finishes on Wednesday and we will celebrate our Year 12 Graduation and their Formal on Thursday 12th November. We are so glad that restrictions have changed and that our Year 12 parents are now able to join us for the Graduation Assembly. It has been a difficult year for these students so it will be extra special to celebrate with them on Thursday.

YEAR 7, 2021 ORIENTATION

We will welcome our Year 7, 2021 to school next Thursday 19th November. The students will experience a variety of Secondary School classes during the day and meet the teachers that may teach them next year. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, parents will not be able to attend on the day, and the students will be isolated to one part of the playground during recess and lunchtimes.

YEAR 10 FINISHING WELL

In the second last week of Term 4 each year (Week 8 in 2020), we give our Year 10 students the opportunity to be involved in further work experience or to serve as volunteers in the wider community with a number of churches and other non-for-profit organisations. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, we have had to put this program on hold for 2020. Year 10 students are still welcome to explore work experience options, but we have found that most businesses are not taking on students due to COVID-19. Therefore, normal classes will operate in Week 8.

In Week 9, Year 10 students will participate in Peer Support Training on Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th December. There will also be an opportunity for these students to participate in the All My Own Work Program which is a mandatory program that is written by NESA for any students who wish to continue their schooling into Year 11.

NAIDOC WEEK

This week is NAIDOC Week in Australia - a time to celebrate the ancient origins of our nation and the incredible impact of its First Peoples. Students will be participating in class activities that provide a great opportunity to celebrate our nation's unique cultural heritage, as well as acknowledge our own Indigenous community here at WCCS, and to dialogue with our students about the importance of reconciliation and praise God's great diversity in creation!

REMEMBRANCE DAY

This Wednesday is Remembrance Day - a day to remember when the guns fell silent on the Western Front in 1918, but also a day to acknowledge the sacrifice of all the men and women of all conflicts, who have given their lives for us to enjoy the freedom we have in Australia today. In classes on Wednesday, teachers will explain the significance of this day to our students, and observe a minute's silence.

Mr Stephen Moody | Head of Secondary - Teaching & Learning

[email protected]

Mrs Rachael Wilesmith | Head of Secondary - Student Wellbeing

[email protected]

Page 5: School...We are into our final week of Swim School for our infants students. Sincere thanks to our Groundsmen, Neil, Ryan and Sincere thanks to our Groundsmen, Neil, Ryan and Mat,

Page 5

WCCS WHAT’S HAPPENING

AROUND JUNIOR SCHOOL ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

Over the last two Fridays of Term 3, Junior School were able to run their Athletics Carnival. Due to COVID-19, we had to hold the carnival at WCCS, about 4 months later than the original date. Our students had a great time running, throwing and jumping, and competing in all their events. The infants also participated in their Infants Fun Day. They enjoyed running 70m, chucking (plastic) chickens, throwing turbo javs, jumping in sacks and carrying pizza boxes.

I would like to thank the teachers and amazing PASS students who didn’t stop all day, as well as Mr Higgins, Mr Harris and Mr Hansen for helping with set up and pack up for both weeks. Special mention must go to Mrs Papalexion for all her hard work behind the scenes preparing marshall sheets and collating results to announce our Age Champions and House Champions.

Congratulations to all of the Age Champions who received their Age Champion medals last Wednesday. Congratulations must also go to Ashe for being crowned Athletics House Champion for 2020.

Final House Standings

Age Champions

Mr Dean Knibbs | Junior School Sports Coordinator | [email protected]

House Points

Ashe 905

Liddell 832

Bannister 819

Cuthbert 588

Age Place Girls Boys

8 Years Old 1st Evie W Malachi C

2nd Zali C Chase M

3rd Isabella D Kaiden K

9 Years Old 1st Amaya I Otis H

2nd Jessica T Mathias W

2nd Kiana J Menzies G

10 Years Old 1st Harper D Connor C

2nd Elizabeth W Tristan H

3rd Chloe N Leo R

11 Years Old 1st Amelia H Joel E

2nd Grace W Cooper C

3rd Rachel W-T Levi F

12 Years Old 1st Lily M Laurence T

2nd Keisha C James Z

3rd Charli B Ashton C