From our Principal, Ms Sharon Sopher
As the College observes World Teachers’ Day on Friday morning, it is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the incredible impact our teachers have on the lives of our students. At BCC, we are blessed with a dedicated team of educators who not only impart knowledge but also model Christ-like character and values every day. Their commitment to nurturing “young people to grow up into Christ” and the academic growth of each child is at the heart of our mission to provide quality Christian education.
Teaching is more than a profession; it is a calling. I’ve seen first hand how our teachers at BCC invest countless hours preparing lessons, providing guidance, and supporting students on their unique learning journeys. Just recently, I asked both a Year 2 and a Year 9 student what they loved most about coming to BCC, and their response was the same: ”We love our teachers.”
Our teachers do more than teach—they shape hearts and minds, fostering a love for learning, deepening faith, and inspiring a desire to serve others. These priorities are what makes Belmont Christian College so distinct and valuable.
As a College community, we are deeply thankful for the passion, dedication, and love our teachers bring to their work each day. Today, can I encourage you to take a moment to pray for them, offer words of encouragement, and express your genuine appreciation. Their efforts go far beyond the classroom, shaping the hearts and minds of the next generation of leaders—leaders who are grounded in faith and whose lives will have a lasting impact on families, communities, and culture.
I would like to publicly acknowledge the commitment of our BCC teachers to the students in their care and thank them for their hard work and their relational approach to teaching. May God continue to strengthen and bless our teachers as they remain faithful to the task to which they have been called.
Prayer and Praise
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 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:
- World Teachers’ Day: We give thanks for the dedication, joy, and passion of our teachers. We are grateful for the invaluable work they do and the blessing they are to our children and our community.
- HSC Students: As our Year 12 students continue their HSC exams, we pray for peace and clarity of mind. May they be blessed with the ability to recall their knowledge and articulate their responses well.
- Planning and Strategy for 2025: As the Executive and leadership teams work to finish this year on a high and prepare for the next, we ask for wisdom and guidance in their decision-making and strategic planning for the College’s future.
Prayer for HSC Students
It’s that time of year again when we ask people to volunteer to pray for the 2024 HSC students. Our goal is for each HSC student to have at least one person from the College community committing to pray for them each day from the beginning of Term 3 until when the HSC exams finish on 8 November. We are asking people to commit to praying for two specific HSC students, the names of whom we will provide to you.
Why start specific prayer in Term 3? Well, in Term 3 the HSC gets more real for the students as they have their HSC Trials in August, Major Works (Art and D&T) are due towards the end of August, and Drama and Music performances, along with Language Oral Exams in September. The HSC Exams start on 14 October.
As part of our wider community focus, we also ask that you please pray for the HSC students at Belmont High School. It can be a challenging time for so many young people.
If you are interested in committing to praying for two of our HSC students, please contact us via prayerwarriors@bcc.nsw.edu.au
Introducing our new College Registered Nurse
Danielle MacDougall
What is my prop all about?
Coffee and Sleep ( I know they’re contrary to each-other) nonetheless, vital for a Nurse.
What church ministries excite me?
Kids ministry. Seeing the beautiful seeds that are sown in my own children and, in turn, my prayer is they are equipped to share Jesus with whoever they come across.
What does a lazy afternoon look like for me?
A nap and sharing a cheese board with my husband, having an uninterrupted conversation.
The best thing about working at BCC is…
Being able to openly share Jesus, unapologetically.
Upcoming Important Dates
Primary
30.10.24 | Stage 3 Cricket Day
31.10.24 | Yr3 Tree Tops Excursion
Secondary
30.10.24 – 1.11.24 | Yr12 Camp
04.11.24 – 08.11.24 | Yr12 Hospitality work placement
04.11.24 – 08.11.24 | Yr8 & Yr10 Yearly Examination Period
Whole College
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.
BCC End of Year Festival – A celebration of learning and community
The Annual BCC End of Year Festival is fast approaching. Lock away in the diary Tuesday 3rd of December from 5pm.
Bring your camp chair and come along with all the family, including nana and pa, for a fun-filled evening to celebrate learning and community at BCC. The night will host our student awards assemblies, display student works, there will be a stage of performances, live petting zoo, museum, kids zone, a time to eat together, and much, much more.
We still have three sponsorships available on the night. If you would like to get involved with sponsoring the festival please contact simon.brown@bcc.nsw.edu.au for more information.
We wish to thank the following sponsors who have already jumped on board.
Update to College fees
As per previous communication from our Business Manager Mr Rhys Tippett, the College has published the updated fees for 2025 which can be found in the pricing table or in the College fee calculator on our website. visit the College fees page. If you have any queries, please feel free to contact rhys.tippett@bcc.nsw.edu.au
Download the Sentral Parent App today!
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.
Creative News
BCC Students awarded at inaugural Seahorse Film Festival
Huge congratulations to James and Noah for taking home the High School Student Jury Prize in the University of Newcastle Seahorse Film Festival! Your film’s captivating storytelling around important issues young people face was a standout—what an incredible achievement!
Year 8 Poetry Slam Competition 2024
Recently, Year 8 competed in the annual Poetry Slam competition. All Year 8 students performed Slam poems in front of their class, with the top 3 performers from each class going into the Poetry Slam Final with all of Stage 4 as the audience. Despite the nerves, each competitor did an exceptional job. Finalists were judged and given positive feedback on their performance by last year’s Poetry Slam winners, Ella Beer, Lara Jones and Kaiden Boyce. From the powerful topics, to the emotion in their voices, these performers definitely exceeded the expectations of the entire audience.
Teachers and students in the audience were extremely wowed by the standard set by these incredible young poets. The Stage 4 audience were respectful, supportive and engaged, giving the Finalists on stage more confidence and courage to perform
The Year 8 Finalists included – Lillian Stewart, Gideon Du Plessis, Hannah Stonehouse, Willow Timms, Stella O’Toole, Layla Wass, Aria Bunting, Pippa Ioannides and Isla Gearside. Whilst all students did an exceptional job, three of them stood out to the judges with Aria Bunting achieving 1st place, Pippa Ioannides 2nd place, and Isla Gearside 3rd place. These three poets were incredible, and spoke with emotion and heart.
We can’t wait to see the slam poems that will be performed next year!
Written by Hannah Stonehouse, Stella O’Toole, and Amber Sage
Sport News
Primary Zone Basketball
An extraordinary day for our Basketballers at the Basketball Zone Gala Day last week. Our teams were fabulous throughout the day, demonstrating the skills that they have learned through their own Basketball competitions and College PE lessons.
BCC sent a team in each of the 4 divisions and, amazingly, finished with three of the teams winning the day, with the Senior Boys team being beaten on the buzzer in the semi-final.
Our Junior Boys and Senior Girls both went through their competitions undefeated and, although they faced challenges along the way, both teams stood tall and held their nerve to play some great games. The Senior Girls won a nail biting semi-final by just one point.
Our Junior Girls lost just one game on their way to the final and were given a second chance, playing the same team they’d lost to in the final. They took that opportunity with both hands in a much better performance which saw them run away with the win.
Our Senior Boys, who are a very strong team, found themselves in the strongest and biggest competition we’ve seen at this level, with ten teams entered. BCC played well, coming through their pool undefeated. The boys were heartbroken in their semi-final after leading by nine at one stage and then fighting back to tie the game with eight seconds to play, only to see the opposition sink a tough shot on the buzzer to knock them out of the day.
Well done to all of our teams who will come together again in a few weeks time in the NSW CSSA competition.
Primary CSSA Oztag
Belmont Christian College sent both Junior and Senior teams to the NSW CSSA Oztag Gala at the end of last term.
Our Junior side had a great day of games, finishing in third place in their six-team pool. A lot of those students were playing in just their second gala day after the Zone competition in the previous week.
Our Senior team finished second in their pool, qualifying for the quarter-finals which they also won. An error in the draw unfortunately meant that they had to play a team from their pool again. BCC improved greatly from their first meeting but went down in a nail biter in a game that should have actually been the final.
Well done to our Oztag teams.
CIS NSW Athletics Championships
Congratulations to the following students who represented NSW CSSA at the CIS NSW Athletics Championships: Mitchel Davies, Alex Campbell, Violet Burgum, Kari Croxford, Mya Terbeeke, Holly Blowes and Archie Bell.
Further Congratulations for the following exceptional performances:
Mitchel Davies – 1st 14 Yrs Boys 100m Hurdles
Alex Campbell – 2nd 15 Yrs Boys Javelin
Violet Burgum – 3rd 15 Yrs Girls – 1500m
Victoria Robinson – 3rd Para Athlete Discus
Out of School Success
We are proud to share the exciting news that Reef Sattler has once again secured the title of NSW Opens 60kg Boxing Champion over the weekend! This marks an incredible three consecutive years of success in this category—a truly significant achievement. Reef’s hard work, dedication, and perseverance continue to inspire us all. Congratulations to Reef on this outstanding accomplishment!
Congratulations Siena Iannazzo – National Futsal
In the last week of Term 3, Siena Iannazzo represented the NSW Central Coast side at the 2024 National Futsal Championships held in Brisbane.
The team had a great competition and lost only one game to Victoria along the way to the finals.
They then faced Victoria a second time in the semi-final where Siena scored the golden goal in extra time to get her team to the Grand Final which they won and were named U12 Girls Champions for 2024.
Siena also won the Goal of the Tournament.
Congratulations Siena!
Congratulations Aleksander Gillon
Congratulations to Aleksander Gillon, Year 9 on some recent outstanding sporting success.
Aleks was named Hunter Academy of Sport 2024 Athlete of the Year – Swimming.
Aleks has been selected in the Swimming NSW Performance Pathway Sharks Squad. This includes a targeted program attending camps in high-performance locations including the Australian Institute of Sport.
Careers News
ICMS Parent Information Evening
Parents play a vital role in their students successful transition from school to higher education. We understand that choosing where and what to study can be a daunting and stressful decision – not just for school leavers, but parents too.
The ICMS Parents Information Evening is an opportunity to support parents as they navigate the complex tertiary admissions process.
Some of the content that will be covered includes:
The Application Process: learn about the complex Universities Admission Centre (UAC) preference process.
Key Dates: a summary of the key dates and entry requirements for 2025 applicants.
Fees: gain an understanding of FEE-HELP, High Academic Places, eCAF and other tuition fee-related options.
Teaching Methods: our Dean will explain our authentic, industry-driven, assessment-based teaching methods.
Industry Training: find out how ICMS can offer 100% of degree students professional placements through our Work Integrated Learning (WIL) program.
Student Story: listen to a current student share why she believes the ICMS community and support is unique.
Parent Perspective: one of our current parents will share their perspective on how and why they made the choice to study at ICMS.
Mingle and Chat: faculty will be there to chat about specific degree course structure and subjects.
Drinks and canapés will be served from 5:30pm onwards. The evening takes the format of a sit-down presentation, which will begin at 6:00pm sharp and presentations will be followed by Q & A time.
Date: Friday, 21 November 2024
Time: From 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Location: ICMS Campus, 151 Darley Road, Manly, NSW
Newcastle ADF Careers Day
Law Insights Evening
The University of Newcastle’s School of Law and Justice invites class of 2024 Year 11 & Year 12 students, teachers and parents to attend our Law Insights evening.
The evening is an invaluable experience, allowing students to hear first-hand about the Law degree on offer at the University of Newcastle.
Students will be able to hear from, and speak with, academic staff and current students from the School of Law and Justice. Students will also learn about our Legal Centre.
This is an excellent opportunity for students to ask any questions they might have about the Bachelor of Laws (Honours) program.
Location: NUspace (City Campus)
Time: 5pm – 7pm
Date: Wednesday 13th November 2024
Canapés and drinks will be provided.
Register here
Parent/Carer Information and Support
The following activities and services are offered by external providers and 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.
SWAP IT – Everyday in a lunch box
Sunday Night Discipleship Group
Fundraising with Entertainment Book
Entertainment Book Available Now
Support a cause that’s meaningful to you by purchasing a Membership to The Entertainment App.
20% of each Membership purchase will go directly to your chosen Fundraiser.
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.