School Newsletter

Awake My Soul

Over the holiday break, I was able to attend a Christian Youth Conference with around 250 young people. Rather than being a traditional fun camp, the focus of the conference was on creating space for young people to reflect on and grow in their spiritual formation journey.

The theme for the conference was “Awake My Soul”. This phrase comes from the Psalms, a collection of poems and prayers, many written by King David. In Psalm 57, David praises God and declares:

“Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.”

To help us think more deeply about the meaning of the soul, the conference leaders described it this way:

“The you-est you. You are a soul. It’s the whole you — your hopes and dreams, desires, experiences, and relationships — animating your body, mind and heart. It is within and through your soul that you relate to God, now and always.”

On the first Monday of Term in staff devotions, I reflected on this theme of Awake My Soul and invited staff to ponder two questions:

1. In the busyness of school life, we are blessed with school holiday breaks throughout the year. These moments give us an opportunity to slow down and choose activities that bring joy and refreshment. What were the moments, activities, practices or experiences during the break that you felt awakened your soul?
2. As you return to the ministry of WCCS, what parts of your role awaken your soul?

There was rich conversation as staff shared their thoughts with those around them, and it was encouraging to hear from some on how the ‘awake my soul’ theme resonated with them.

I would also like to reframe the question and invite our families to reflect in a similar way. Over the holiday break, or even during the extended breaks of Easter and the ANZAC weekend, what moments, activities, practices, or experiences did you participate in that awakened your soul?

Perhaps you can’t think of a time when you felt this way. Often, there are seasons when we experience a spiritual malaise or slumber, when joy feels distant and connection with God is faint. This is a natural part of the Christian journey at times, but I want to encourage you to be intentional in seeking the practices that help you engage with God, so that you may once again experience His overwhelming joy with an awakened soul.

God bless,

ANZAC DAY

On Friday 24th April, we commemorated ANZAC Day as a school community through our ANZAC Day Service. It was a meaningful and respectful tribute, with many of our students contributing thoughtfully to the occasion. Sincere thanks to Mrs Linda Makepeace for her leadership in coordinating this service and supporting student involvement.

On ANZAC Day, WCCS was represented at the Dawn Service in Wyong by our Senior Leaders and Mrs Worboys. Later in the day, 24 students from both Junior and Secondary School, along with staff and families, participated in the ANZAC Service and March in Wyong.

Our Year 11 students and staff on the Moree Mission Trip also attended the Dawn Service in Moree before beginning their journey home.

It is wonderful to see our school stand alongside the broader community in honouring this important day.

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.

• 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)

• We give thanks for the grandparents who have shaped our lives.
• We give thanks for all those who have served our country so that we can live in freedom.
• We pray for God's protection as we continue to proclaim Jesus as Lord.
• We pray for all the students and staff who lead Bible studies across our school community.

I pray that the school holiday break provided your family with quality time to rest, reconnect, and reflect on the incredible love and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. Easter is always a powerful reminder of the hope we have in knowing we have eternal life because of our King.

Our final day of Term 1 was filled with joy and celebration - from praise songs that raised the MPC roof in our Easter service, to the energy and determination displayed in the Cross Country races. The Secondary School Colour Run was a highlight, as always! It was a day that reflected the culture of our Christian school community and a fantastic way to finish the school term. Those snow cones looked pretty yummy too.

Since then, we have enjoyed the opportunity to return to our classes, and to gather and reflect during our K-12 ANZAC service. It is such a privilege to be able to take a moment to show our respect to the men and women who served our country and continue to do so.

As we head into Week 3 of Term 2, we are excited by the opportunities ahead to provide quality learning in all classrooms across our K–12 school. Building on the strong foundations established in Term 1, students will continue to be encouraged to pursue excellence in all they undertake.

There are many exciting events ahead on our calendar including the Mother's Day Breakfast this coming Friday, Years 3 and 4 Camp, InterCru for the Secondary students, and our first gathering for our Indigenous students also in Week 4 - just to name a few! We look forward to seeing our students flourish, as they serve one another and the wider community.

I am continually reminded of the uniqueness and value of each of our students. Two verses I often reflect on are:

Psalm 139:14, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

And:

Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

May we encourage our young people to embrace who they are in Christ, to recognise and use their God-given gifts, and point them toward the peace that comes with knowing God has a plan for their lives.

I look forward to all that Term 2 will bring as we continue to partner together to equip our young people to be responsible and responsive disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God bless,

Term 2 will be jam-packed with many fun learning opportunities, from Debating to State da Vinci Decathlon to a variety of Writing and Maths competitions, as well as a new opportunity – the World Scholar’s Cup!

This week, we have launched a Years 3-6 Public Speaking and Debating Club, and it was exciting to see 25 eager students come to our first meeting (Wednesday lunchtimes in the 6Y classroom), keen to play some games and eager to develop their public speaking skills. Our Years 6 and 7 debaters are starting to train together each week, in preparation for competing against schools across Australia in the Australian National Virtual Debating Competition.

Congratulations to our Years 5, 6 and 7 da Vinci teams, who were crowned the Regional Champions at last term’s Regional da Vinci Decathlon at Central Coast Grammar. Their hard work and ability to work as a team shone brightly, as they thoughtfully grappled with the concept of ‘Time’ in English, Maths, Science, Cartography, Drama, Art, Poetry, Engineering, Code Breaking and Legacy. We wish our three champion teams all the best, as now they head off to Knox Grammar on Tuesday 12th and Thursday 14th May to compete in the State da Vinci Decathlon competition.

We are never too young to make a difference in the world, and I’d love to encourage our Years 5-12 students to consider using the written word as a way to have their voices heard. In the What Matters Writing Competition, Years 5-12 students may submit fiction, non-fiction, poetry or prose of up to 600 words by Friday 15th May. For more details see https://www.whitlam.org/what-matters.

This year, we are providing students with the opportunity to participate in another exciting competition, the World Scholar’s Cup. This is an extension and enrichment opportunity that brings together over 50,000 students from more than 70 countries each year. Working in teams of three, students have the opportunity to write creatively, debate respectfully, think strategically, and build meaningful connections with like-minded peers. This year, we are planning to take 8 teams (Years 6-10) to the World Scholars Cup Hunter Valley Regional Round, to be held on Monday 1st June and Tuesday 2nd June 2026. More information can be found at https://www.scholarscup.org/ .

We are looking forward to once more offering our students the opportunity to further develop their higher order thinking and problem-solving skills through ICAS, a highly acclaimed online academic competition. Every student who participates is celebrated and recognised with a printed certificate in each subject area, and a results report to track their development each year. Top performers are eligible for one of the highly coveted ICAS medals.

The dates of this year’s competitions are as follows:

• ICAS Digital Technologies competition: 3rd-7th August – Years 2-7
• ICAS Writing competition: 3rd-7th August - Years 3-12
• ICAS English competition: 10th-14th August - Years 2-12
• ICAS Spelling competition: 17th-21st August - Years 2-7
• ICAS Science competition: 17th-21st August - Years 2-12
• ICAS Mathematics competition: 24th-28th August - Years 2-12

  If you wish for your child to participate in ICAS this year, you can;

• read about ICAS subjects and prices here: (icasassessments.com/products-icas/),
• go to the Parent Portal to sign up to chosen subject areas (https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/parent-payment/YUV807)
• enter our school’s access code – YUV807
• enter your child’s details, select the subject areas your child would like to participate in, then proceed to payment. 
  

Mrs Anne Livette-Vial | High Potential & Enrichment Teacher

Apologies folks, for not having Q&A in the last Newsletter. I had a very full holiday break that managed to help me forget to write until I had run out of time. So farm trips, cooking on a youth camp, cruising the Clarence River on a houseboat and writing a sermon took precedence. During the holidays, I also moved from reading Old Testament prophets in my daily Bible time to Paul’s letters in the New Testament. Quite different in many ways and surprisingly similar in others.

One of the main themes that comes up again and again in the Old Testament is this idea of faithfulness. The Hebrew people were often told by the prophets that they needed to be faithful to God and turn from their wicked ways. They were warned over and over that God needed to be number one in their lives and to throw away their idols. It seems like nothing much changes with humanity, because Paul’s message is almost identical as he encourages his audience to be faithful to Jesus. So, who were the Hebrew people being tempted to worship instead of God and how did the worship of God last when the worship of these idols seemingly hasn’t?

There are something like 20 different deities mentioned in the Old Testament and quite often the other people groups that the Hebrew people lived amongst worshipped more than one god. Polytheism, the worship of more than one god, was common and so the Hebrew people were quite different in that they were monotheistic, only worshipping the one true God. The two most common names of gods are Baal and Asherah, who were worshipped by the Canaanites. One of the most famous encounters with Baal is in the book of 1 Kings, chapter 18. God’s prophet Elijah has a public showdown with 400 prophets of Baal who had the favour of the then King and Queen of Israel, Ahab and Jezebel. It is a gruesome story, but it highlights how Baal, as the supreme god of the Canaanite people, is powerless and that Yahweh, the one true God is only to be worshipped. At the time the Hebrew people were being encouraged to trust Baal for favour in their lives by their leadership, particularly in the area of fertility and farming productivity (rainfall as key ingredient), but it was a drought. The prophet Elijah demonstrated that it is God who controls the heavens and that He is to be trusted for providing the needs of the people. Asherah was the mother of all Canaanite gods and, like Baal, was worshipped with regard to fertility and life. Often depicted as a tree-like being, Asherah poles were set up in places of significance, and many clay figurines have also been found in archaeological digs. In the book of 2 Kings, chapter 23, the young king Josiah was leading his people to be faithful and had all the items associated with both Baal and Asherah, including the Asherah poles, removed from the temple and burned outside Jerusalem. Josiah, like Elijah, demonstrated that only God was to be worshipped.

Whilst the worship of these ancient gods might seem strange to us, we can see that the issue still remains the same. Who do I trust to meet my daily needs? Is it God, the one true God, or is it someone else?

Next article, we will have a look at how Paul in the New Testament has to deal with this same issue in some of his letters and how the worship of God continues to grow across the globe.

JUNIOR SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY CARNIVAL

On Thursday 2nd April we hosted our annual Cross Country Carnival, a day filled with joy as students showcased their endurance in long-distance running. The weather was superb, and the presence of numerous spectators added to the festive atmosphere. The races commenced with the 8/9-year-olds leading the way, followed by competitors of all ages. The event culminated in an endearing run by Kindergarten and Year 1 students. Throughout the carnival, community spirit remained high, with participants running with smiles on their faces. Crossing the finish line was met with delight as each runner received an ice block. The day concluded with a community picnic and concert, bringing everyone together to celebrate. A special thanks to all the spectators whose presence enhanced the day's ambiance. Overall, it was a fantastic event filled with camaraderie and spirited competition.

I would like to say a big thank-you to our wonderful groundsmen for helping with set up and pack up. A huge thanks must go to Mr Thomas and his wonderful PE class, who didn’t stop running all morning.

Those students who came in the top 4 will progress to the CSSA Cross Country Carnival on Friday 29th May at Sydney International Equestrian Centre. Permission notes will be coming out shortly.

Students will receive their trophies in the coming weeks at our Primary Assembly. Parents will be notified in advance when trophies are getting being presented.

Congratulations to the following age champions:

Final House Standings:

Thanks for a great day.

JUNIOR SCHOOL ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

On Wednesday 22nd April, Junior School participated in their Athletics Carnival and Infants Fun Day at Mingara. It was a fabulous day with fantastic weather. The Years 2–6 students loved running, jumping, throwing and competing against their friends. The Kindergarten and Year 1 students enjoyed running 70m and running in a super relay, chucking (plastic) chickens, throwing turbo javs, jumping in sacks, hurdles and the long jump pit.

Several students broke records across the day. Congratulations to the following students for breaking records:

Charli H (9 Year Girls 200m), Kiana B (Junior Girls 800m), Thomas B (8 Year Boys 100m) and Ethan C (11 Year Boys Discus).

I would like to thank the teachers and amazing Year 11 SLR and Year 10 PASS students who didn’t stop all day. Special mention must go to Mrs Papalexion and Mrs Estherby for all their hard work behind the scenes collating results.

I would also like to thank all the parents and family members who attended the carnival. All the staff really enjoyed having you all there in what was a great community event.

We are still collating results and will present Age Champions and House Champion in the coming weeks.

Thanks for a great day!

Mr Dean Knibbs | Junior School Sports Coordinator

SECONDARY SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY CARNIVAL

Last term’s Secondary Cross Country event was a great success, bringing together students and staff for a day of fitness, competition, and community. The competition was strong, with students giving their best effort across all year levels including some incredible determination from our staff, joining in as celebrity runners with our students!

A highlight for many was the Colour Run, which added an element of novelty and excitement. It was truly a great way to conclude our carnival. It was great to see so many students getting involved, whether they ran or walked and simply enjoying participating and cheering on others giving their very best. The way our students support each other makes our school uniquely special.

We are eagerly looking forward to witnessing our students who have qualified to go on to represent WCCS at the annual CSSA Cross Country in Week 6 this term. A big thank you to our Secondary staff, grounds team, and admin for their work in the lead-up and on the day. Their continued support doesn’t go unnoticed, making the day truly enjoyable for all.

In reference to our Secondary Cross Country results, there was some terrific competition and rivalry amongst the sports Houses on the day of the carnival with many of our new students competing for the first time! On 166 points, congrats Cuthbert. On 176 points, congratulations Bannister! You wouldn’t believe it, only 1 house point separated Bannister and Ashe on 177 points; congratulations Ashe! And a special congratulations to your 2026 Cross Country champions, on 203 house points, Liddell.

A congratulations to the following students who have qualified for the upcoming CSSA Cross Country Carnival in Sydney in week 6 (more details to follow):

12 Years old

13 Years

14 Years

15 Years

16 Years Old

17 Years

18+ Years

HCSZS ZONE VOLLEYBALL GALA DAY

Last term, in Week 9, our students competed at the first Hunter Christian Schools Zone Sport (HCSZS) Volleyball Gala Day, marking our first time participating in this event. It was a strong introduction, with our team showing steady improvement across the day against quality opposition.

Throughout the competition, students demonstrated resilience and teamwork, securing several wins and narrowly missing out on a few closely contested sets. Their effort and adaptability were evident as they grew in confidence and cohesion with each game.

Finishing 4th overall in our first gala day is a great achievement and sets a solid foundation for future competitions. Thank you to all students involved for representing WCCS with grace and for the way they supported each other and improved throughout the day.

At the end of each gala day, we like to present an award called the ‘Colossians 3:1-17 award’. This award is presented to students who have participated in sport in a way that honours God. Coaches have identified these students as those who strive to play without sin – meaning that they show very little greed, anger, rage, slander, filthy language or lying. Instead, these students play with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love.

They play sport in a way that bears faithful witness to the Lord Jesus. Many of our students do play in this way but today we would like to acknowledge one student from our Senior Volleyball team for their skill and the character in which they played sport in. This year’s volleyball Colossians 3:1-17 award recipient goes to Miranda R! Congratulations Miranda.

Mr Nathan Irvine | Secondary School Sports Coordinator

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 Lily and Sierra.