School Newsletter

As I’m sure you are aware, we are very committed to our School Values, understanding what they mean, and living them out authentically. One of those values is Service. This week I have the wonderful privilege of accompanying Mr Newman and Mrs McKay and thirteen of our Year 11 students on a service trip to Moree. If you are not aware, we have established a partnership with a church and a number of schools in the region. In November last year, fifteen Year 10 students spent eight days in Moree undertaking a very similar trip. Our current team of students are the first of what we hope are many follow-up trips to continue the partnership, strengthen the relationship, and be a blessing to the community of Moree.

At the time of writing, we have only been in Moree for two days, but I have already been very impressed by the servant-hearted nature of our students. Their willingness to give up two days of their school holidays, their initiative to get involved and serve as needed, and the way they are growing together as a team, are all wonderful examples of Jesus working in their lives.

As I learn more about what it truly means to be a disciple of Jesus, it seems the idea of service as a leader is one of the most counter-cultural issues that Jesus embodies. So much of what is modelled to our young people in society is about being the boss, telling others what to do, enjoying the privilege that comes from positions of power. This is not necessarily a new idea. History is littered with people in positions of power using their authority for their own advantage; abusing others physically, financially and emotionally. It was clearly an issue for the disciples when they walked with Jesus, which is why He explained to them: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28. Truly there is no greater act of service than what Jesus did by dying on the cross for the sins of the world.

It is a great privilege to be involved with young people who are developing a servant heart, putting it into practice, blessing others, and being blessed as a result. I look forward to seeing the impact of this trip for Moree and also for our own community as they return to school and share their experiences with those around them.

God bless,

• First Day Term 2 - Monday 20th April (Week 1)
• Junior School Athletics Carnival - Wednesday 22nd April (Week 1)
  
• K-12 ANZAC Service (12pm) - Friday 24th April (Week 1)
• Anzac Day Public Holiday - Monday 27th April (Week 2)
• Junior School Grandparents' Morning (9:30am) - Friday 1st May (Week 2)
• Mother's Day Breakfast - Friday 8th May (Week 3)
• Junior School Mother's Day Stall - Friday 8th May (Week 3)
• Kindy Starters (2027) Session 1 - Tuesday 12th & Thursday 14th May (Week 4)
• Secondary School Athletics Carnival - Monday 18th May (Week 5)
• Understanding Faith Course - Night 1 (6pm) - Wednesday 20th May (Week 5)
• School Reunion - 2019-2024 Alumni (3:30-6pm) - Saturday 23rd May
• Winter Uniform Change Over - Monday 25th May (Week 6)
• Understanding Faith Course - Night 2 (7pm) - Wednesday 27th May (Week 6)
• Wellbeing Week - Monday 1st to Friday 5th June (Week 7)
• Understanding Faith Course - Night 3 (7pm) - Wednesday 3rd June (Week 7)
• K-12 Combined Chapel (12pm) - Thursday 4th June (Week 7)
• King's Birthday Public Holiday - Monday 8th June (Week 8)
• School Photo Day (Secondary School) - Wednesday 10th June (Week 8)
• School Photo Day (Junior School) - Thursday 11th June (Week 8)
• Secondary School Production (PM performances) - Tuesday 30th June, Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd July (Week 11)
• Junior School Celebration Assembly (9am) - Friday 3rd July (Week 11)
  
• Secondary School Celebration Assembly (2pm) - Friday 3rd July (Week 11)
  
• Last Day of Term 2 - Friday 3rd July (Week 11)

EARLY DEPARTURE PROCEDURE

As indicated in our School Information Handbook, any parent/carer needing to sign a student out of school early is required to come to the office to sign them out and then collect them from the classroom. If you are heading to an appointment, please allow enough time to do this.

Due to the demands within a busy school environment, it is not appropriate to ask our office staff to collect your child for you, or to expect that an email to the teacher with little notice will be received in time.

If you would like your child to meet you at the office, you are required to:

• write a note/email to the class teacher and school office (Junior School)
• write a note/email to the school office (Secondary School)

We can not accept text messages from parents/carers to sign students out.

It will then be the student's responsibility to inform their teacher (at the required time) of their early departure, prior to coming to the office to meet you.

Thank you for your understanding and support in this matter.

WEDDING ANNOUNCEMENT

A huge congratulations to Miss Alicia Simes, who was married to Darryl on Tuesday 17th March 2026. We pray that God will bless and guide their marriage in the years ahead.

IMPORTANT REMINDER - ALLERGIES

Please be reminded that we are a “High Risk Foods – Minimised” school. This means that parents, students and staff are requested to refrain from bringing fava beans, peanuts, tree nuts, and peanut butter or Nutella (chocolate/hazelnut) spreads to the school. Please adhere closely to this policy, as we have numerous students throughout the school who have an anaphylactic allergy to nuts and fava beans.

SCHOOL APP

Please be reminded that WCCS utilises our School App to communicate important information with parents (along with our fortnightly Newsletter and EdSmart). The App is available for free download from the App Store and Google Play by searching ‘Wyong Christian Community School’. The App contains lots of great information on school notices, events, staff email addresses and our Newsletter. You can also submit student absences via the App.

JUNIOR SCHOOL CRAZY HAIR DAY

There were plenty of wild and wonderful hairstyles on display at our Junior School Crazy Hair Day late last term. Thank you to our families for your support and creativity. Students also enjoyed a lunchtime concert, and we raised over $370 for the Leukaemia Foundation.

YEAR 11 WORLD'S GREATEST SHAVE

At the end of last term, some of our Year 11 students participated in the World’s Greatest Shave. We thank all those involved, and the generosity of those who donated money to the cause. Together, we raised over $20,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation. What a wonderful reflection of our School Value of Compassion - to help others in need.

CHESS TUITION - A MESSAGE FROM SYDENY ACADEMY OF CHESS

Learn to be a chess champion! Coaching for students at Wyong Christian Community School is held for Years K-12: Tuesdays in the Library from 3:15pm to 4:15pm, starting on 21st April 2026.

Learning and playing chess helps children develop their logical thinking and problem solving skills, improves their concentration and focus, while also being a great source of enjoyment. Activities include group lessons on a demonstration chess board or interactive whiteboard, puzzle solving and fun practice games. Students earn merit awards by making checkmates, or by displaying skills and positive qualities, which all good chess players strive to develop.

Each student in the Chess program will also receive access to Chess Squad https://www.chesssquad.com/ which is an online teaching/playing platform.

If your child is interested in taking part in the class, please email office.sydneyacademy@gmail.com for an enrolment form. For all enquiries, please contact Sydney Academy of Chess on (02) 9745 1170.

WCCS PARENTS' PRAYER GROUP

Our Parents' Prayer Group is an opportunity for WCCS parents and carers to gather each week and pray for our school community.

When: 8:45am on Wednesdays during term time.

Where: Wyong Baptist Church Green Room - accessible via the Good Day Kiosk.

The group is hosted by our School Chaplain, Rev Matt Shorten. All are welcome to come and pray together.

MORNING SUPERVISION OF STUDENTS FROM 8:15AM

Please be reminded that staff supervision of students commences from 8:15am. So we can best care for our students, they should not arrive at school before 8:15am.

Junior School students who need to be supervised prior to 8:15am can access the WOOSH program (Wyong Baptist Church Out of School Hours Care).

Thank you for your understanding.

JUNIOR SCHOOL GRANDPARENTS' MORNING

MOTHER'S DAY BREAKFAST

EPLATFORM DIGITAL LIBRARIES

Please click here for a letter from Mrs Bronwyn Hutchings, Head of Library, regarding access to ePlatform - a digital library for students that provides free access to eBooks and Audiobooks.

WCCS SCHOOL REUNION FOR 2019-2024 GRADUATES

WCCS is excited to welcome back 2019-2024 graduates for a special WCCS School Reunion on Saturday 23rd May 2026 from 3:30pm to 6:00pm.

This will be a wonderful opportunity for past students to reconnect with old classmates and staff, share memories, and hear about everyone’s journeys since leaving school.

If you know of any students who graduated in these years, we encourage you to share the details with them.

For more information and to RSVP, please click here.

• Give thanks for a time of rest over the school holidays and pray that, as we return to Term 2, students come back focused and ready to learn.
• Pray that our students on the Moree Service Trip will be a blessing to the Moree community. Pray also that students will grow in their faith through this experience and build stronger friendships with one another.
• Pray for those in our community who are unwell. Pray that they will know God's peace and presence during this season.

Greetings friends of Junior School.

Welcome back. I hope all our families were able to have a wonderful Easter and holiday break. Term 2 will be another busy term with many exciting events to look forward to. We are keen to partner with you to ensure this term will be positive for all students.

Mr Marks will be on Long Service Leave this term, enjoying a well-earned rest. Mrs Thomson and I will be taking care of Junior School during this time, with Mrs Yates taking on the role of Stage 3 Learning Leader. I would like to welcome Mrs Wolstenholme who will be taking 6T while Mrs Thomson looks after the Teaching and Learning space from the office.

Mrs Harris will also be enjoying some Long Service Leave for the first five weeks of this term. KH will be taught by Mrs Hansen who has worked closely with our Kindergarten children already this year.

Congratulations to the wonderful Miss Simes who took some leave last term to get married. I was privileged to witness this amazing day. Miss Simes, you looked beautiful!

This Wednesday 22nd April is our annual Junior School Athletics Carnival at Mingara. This has always been a fun day where all students from Kindergarten through to Year 6 have the opportunity to participate in a variety of track and field events. Parents are welcome to attend. Infants’ students (K-2) will finish their day at 12pm and can be signed out by parents as soon as their activities have been completed.

We would like to invite our Grandparents to attend the very first Grandparents' Morning for 2026 on Friday 1st May (Week 2) at 9:30am. This is always a special day for the students. We begin the day with our Chapel service in the Multi-Purpose Centre. This is followed by time with the students in their classes before a special morning tea held on the B Block verandah. Whilst it is lovely to share morning tea with the grandchildren, we ask all students to have their own recess, with the morning tea available only to our Grandparents and visitors.

God bless,

Welcome back to school for Term 2. I hope that you and your families enjoyed some rest, perhaps some adventure, the stunning autumn weather we were blessed with, and time reflecting on all that Easter means for those of the Christian faith—as we remembered the death of Jesus and celebrated His resurrection and the life offered to all who trust in Him.

As we continue to seek strong partnerships between home and school in educating your children and investing in their growth and development, we would like to begin Term 2 by again highlighting the issue of mobile phones—something we, as educators of teenagers, remain in an ongoing arm wrestle with. Throughout Term 1, we continued to “shine the spotlight” on the challenges arising from mobile phone use through staff professional development and conversations with students.

We remain committed to setting high standards for our Years 7–10 students by maintaining a mobile phone–free zone in both the playground and the classroom. Students who are seen with their phones during the school day will have them sent to the office. If a phone is sent to the office three times in a term, the student will be required to hand it in at the start of each day for a two-week period. We value your support in encouraging your children to remain off their mobile phones during the school day.

If you need to contact your child during the day, please be assured that the school office is available to pass on messages or arrange for your child to call you if needed. The heart behind this approach is captured well in the following quote:

“We are continually being nudged by our devices toward a set of choices. The question is whether those choices are leading us to the life we actually want. I want a life of conversation and friendship, not distraction and entertainment; but every day, many times a day, I’m nudged in the wrong direction. One key part of the art of living faithfully with technology is setting up better nudges for ourselves.”
— Andy Crouch, The Tech-Wise Family

Our desire is simple: to gently “nudge” our students toward genuine connection, attentiveness in class, and healthy face-to-face interaction while at school. We are very grateful for the overwhelming support we receive from the vast majority of parents in our community regarding this approach. Our students are among the first generation to have never known life without smartphones and social media, and we are reminded that we are among the first to parent children in this increasingly digitally connected world. It is a great blessing to experience such unity with parents as we navigate these challenges together.

Students in the Secondary School have recently been reminded that showing office staff an SMS on their phone from a parent is not an approved method of signing out early. There are simply too many potential issues with this approach. We kindly ask that parents either email the school office or send a signed and dated note with their child when early departure is required.

Finally, this week we are pleased to introduce the wonderful staff on the Year 9 Home Room team, led by Year Advisor, Miss Kayla Christensen. This term, they will be busy preparing our Year 9 students for the Red Centre Road Trip, and many of the staff are just as excited as the students for this character-shaping journey! If you are someone who prays, we invite you to hold our Year 9 cohort in prayer this term, that God would be doing a great work in their lives.

MEET OUR YEAR 9 HOME ROOM TEAM

God bless,

YEAR 12 STUDENT LEADERS

We will be getting to know our Year 12 Student Leaders in the Newsletter this term. This week we are introducing Matilda and Ashton.