WCCS Newsletter - Wyong Christian Community School

Executive Principal's Message - Week 1, Term 3

Welcome back everyone to Term 3. I hope you enjoyed some restful time over the break and valued the diminished demand to have kids dressed, fed, and out the door in time for the start of school. I know there are those of us who love winter and the cooler days, but I am not one of them. I much prefer the warmer months, but God makes us all differently and loves each of us equally.

Last week the staff had a really productive Professional Development week. We spent time focusing on Teaching Christianly, effective classroom management and technology in education, amongst other things. On Monday morning I spoke with the staff about the equal priorities of pioneering and excellence. With the ministry leaning into a new season of multi-campus and multiple entities, we are certainly pioneering new ventures that we have previously not undertaken. At the same time, excellence is one of our School Values, and being in a season of pioneering doesn’t give license to compromise on excellence.

When I consulted the Bible on the dual concepts of pioneering and excellence, I was reminded that there are many occasions where this has been achieved. Joseph, Noah and Daniel are all people we could learn from, but I felt Nehemiah was the best example in the context of where we find ourselves as an organisation. If you are unfamiliar with the story, Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the Persian King Artaxerxes after the Israelites were taken off into exile but desired to return to Jerusalem to help restore it to its former glory.

When Nehemiah returned, he saw the walls were significantly damaged, the gates had been burnt and there was much work to do. He had to formulate a plan, cast a vision, and embark on establishing a new season for God’s people. That was his pioneering spirit. He then went on to plan meticulously, organise a team, delegate strategically, deal with challenges, and achieve a great outcome in a short time. That was his demonstrated excellence.

Given the life of the school, I believe there is much we can learn from Nehemiah, especially in relation to our new North Road campus. If you have driven past in recent days, you may have noticed that the old classrooms have now been demolished. Next will be the removal of the trees that impact new classrooms and car parks – this should commence this week. It is exciting to see progress occurring on the site. We are still waiting for some additional approvals, so we are yet to finalise when construction will finish and the school will commence, but we are doing all we can to make it happen. Nehemiah has certainly been a great example of pioneering for God’s glory, but equally, doing it with excellence.

I look forward to seeing you all upon the students’ return and to continue walking alongside you as we journey together through the ministry of WCCS.

God bless,

Community News - Week 1, Term 3

NORTH ROAD CAMPUS - DEMOLITION

Demolition has begun at our North Road Campus, marking the start of an exciting new chapter. You can view footage of the demo, here.

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.

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.

OPEN MORNING FOR KINDERGARTEN 2028-2030

Do you know someone interested in Kindergarten entry in 2028–2030 at Wyong Christian Community School, who has not yet toured our school?

Location: Wyong Christian Community School, Alison Road Campus
Date: Wednesday 19th August 2026
Tours: 9am, 10am, 12pm
Booking Link: https://www.wyongccs.nsw.edu.au/events/open-morning

Families interested in Kindergarten enrolment, who attend the Open Morning this August, will still experience a warm welcome and tour of our Alison Road Campus, as well as an introduction to our plans for the North Road Campus.

Families who currently have children at WCCS have already received the latest information on the progress of the new North Road Campus. Remember, information about the North Road Campus is available at our dedicated project web page: www.wyongccs.nsw.edu.au/our-community/1northroad

INTRODUCING OUR WELLBEING DOG MURPHY

We are delighted to welcome a very special new member to our Student Wellbeing Team in Term 3.

Murphy, a friendly chocolate brown Labradoodle, will be joining our Counselling Team alongside his human companion. While Murphy may have four legs instead of two, he has been working just as hard as the rest of our staff, undertaking specialised professional training to prepare for his important role as a wellbeing support dog.

Research continues to highlight the positive impact that well-trained therapy and wellbeing dogs can have within school communities. Murphy's calm presence will help create opportunities for students to feel settled, supported and encouraged as they engage with our counselling and teaching staff.

We look forward to introducing Murphy to our school community in the coming weeks and are excited to see the encouragement, comfort and joy he will bring to students, staff and families alike. Please join us in giving Murphy a very warm welcome to our school family!

NAIDOC WEEK ASSEMBLY

We are excited to announce that our NAIDOC Week Assembly will be held on Thursday 30th July at 12:15pm in celebration of the rich history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Families are warmly invited to attend this event. It will be a meaningful occasion where we reflect on this year’s NAIDOC theme, 50 Years of Deadly, where we will have several Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as guest speakers in a panel discussion.

We are also encouraging our students and the school community to get involved and help out with the assembly. Whether it’s through speaking, performing, welcoming guests, assisting with setup, or helping out with the bake sale, it’s a great opportunity to be part of something special and show leadership. Those who would like to participate can sign up and contact me on the email below or come and speak to me at school. Let’s come together as a school community to honour and celebrate First Nations' voices and cultures.

Mrs Linda Makepeace | Secondary Teacher

NAIDOC WEEK BAKE SALE

WYONG BAPTIST CHURCH - PLAYTIME

SYDNEY ACADEMY OF CHESS

Learn to be a chess champion! Coaching for students at Wyong Christian Community School is held for Years K-12 on Tuesdays from 3:15-4:15pm, starting on Tuesday 28th July 2026 (Week 1, Term 3).

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.

REMINDER: ACTIVE & CREATIVE KIDS VOUCHERS

Junior School News - Week 1, Term 3

Greetings friends of Junior School.

Welcome back students, parents and friends. We hope all of you had a wonderful holiday break and are excited for Term 3.

Last term was long with lots of sickness, so we are praying this term will be a healthier one for our community.

This term, we take the opportunity to welcome back our beloved Mr Marks. Mrs Brown and Mrs McKay are taking some Long Service Leave this term and we wish them safe travels as they enjoy this time. Mrs Watts-Thomas is teaching 1B and Mrs Wolstenholme is teaching 2M.

Thank you to Mrs Thomson for serving as Head of Junior School - Teaching and Learning in Term 2. Thanks also to Mrs Yates for leading Stage 3 and Mrs Wolstenholme for taking 6T; each contributed greatly to their roles.

Thank you for partnering with us and allowing our staff to engage in Professional Development last week. We are acutely aware of the challenges that this presents for working families and for this we are really grateful.

The teaching staff have been working on our Teaching and Learning Framework with a focus on delivering curriculum from an authentic Christian perspective. Mr Moody presented a really challenging session around working through some of the BIG faith questions with which our students wrestle. We have been blessed and challenged by Mark Ash, from Christian Schools Australia (CSA), with master classes on positive classroom management and motivating challenging students. Our I.T. Instructional Coaches, Mr Hellyer and Mr Crumbley, broke new ground with the implementation of new strategies, skills and programs to make our classroom use of I.T more effective. The highlight for us old timers was probably the morning devotions from our former and new Board Chairman, Mr Tony Heywood, and our founding Principal, Mrs Alison Graeve (nee Bannister). These devotions were a timely reminder for our school community to honour our foundations, battle against mission drift and avoid complacency. Mark Adam (Senior Pastor of Wyong Baptist Church) shared from Ephesians 2 and reminded us that our students are God's masterpiece, His poiema (where we derive the English word poem).

This term is shaping up to be another one filled with exciting adventures, especially for Year 5 who are heading out to Katoomba, Bathurst and Hill End for their field trip.

This week, Years 5 and 6 will attend an incursion from Brainstorm Productions. We will also hold a K-12 NAIDOC Week Assembly in the Multi-Purpose Centre.

Next week will start with Parent-Teacher Interviews, and our talented athletes will compete in the Zone Athletics Carnival.

This term we are preparing for Shine Evening. For our new families, this is an evening when students and classes present fun activities that they have enjoyed during the term. Our wonderful Mrs Lucas prepares a timetable of musical and creative presentations in the MPC and scheduled performances, activities and/or displays in classrooms all around the school. It is a delightful evening that brings the wider community into our school and encourages our students to demonstrate some of the talents with which they have been blessed.

We look forward to partnering with you during Term 3.

A note from Marksy –

I am really excited about being back at school. One thing that a long break like that reveals is that one is not ready for retirement. Which is good because things are really moving ahead at 1 North Road. May I encourage current Kindergarten families and anyone who is interested to check out the demolition. God has been very gracious and Mr Milligan has been working like a trooper to get this project completed.

We are planning a series of construction/induction/transition/anticipation building excursions to North Road for Kindergarten this term and in Term 4, commencing in the next two weeks. We plan to transport the students by bus to visit their new campus and view it in the various stages of construction. We will provide the kids with high-vis vests and hard hats, then take footage for posterity. We are praying that this will build anticipation and excitement for our pioneering students in our new campus for 2027. Permission notes will be distributed shortly.

Chat soon.

Secondary School News - Week 1, Term 3

Welcome back to Term 3!

We hope you enjoyed a restful and refreshing break from school routine and are now energised and excited for Semester 2.

Term 3 holds some significant milestones for our Secondary students as we move through the rhythms of school life and adolescence.

YEAR 9 RED CENTRE ROAD TRIP

Our Year 9 students have been preparing for this trip all year and the excitement and anticipation is building. This week, both the boys’ and girls’ trips head off from WCCS for two weeks of adventure, growth and challenge. Please make sure to check packing lists, departure times and dates, and expectations for behaviour and participation over the trip. Our older students regularly reflect on the impact of this trip in their overall Secondary School experience and their growth as individuals, and we look forward to hearing similar reflections from Year 9, 2026. We are praying that the time together and away builds deep faith, strong connections and great resilience.

FINAL TERM FOR YEAR 12

Our Year 12 students begin their final term of formal schooling this week. The next nine weeks are filled with study, submissions, exams, celebrations, camp and then graduation. Whilst there can be the temptation to begin to disconnect from school life, we want to encourage our Year 12s to make the most of these final weeks. There is much to enjoy, contribute to and experience as we walk alongside them to finish well. Continuing to attend classes, apply themselves diligently to their studies, engage in extra-curricular activities, finish major works, and participate in important events like study camp are all wonderful opportunities for students to step up and show maturity, commitment and resilience.

In our preparation for Term 3, staff have been considering how we can continue to strengthen our practice of teaching Christianly and what it means to pursue Biblical excellence – our focus value this year at WCCS. One expert has written that ‘the Christian view of excellence is not as vanity but as worship’, reminding us that true and faithful excellence means giving our best efforts for the sake of God’s glory, not our own. We hope and pray that our students are also growing in their desire to work at whatever they are doing with ‘all your heart, as working for the Lord’ (Colossians 3:23).

God bless,

Q & A with Rev - Week 1, Term 3

Welcome back. I do hope that the winter break has brought refreshment to your household. I hope too, that you might have had some time with your kids to chat about God’s Word. As a staff, we have been back at school for a week, learning side by side to be able to continue to grow in our understanding of what it means to serve at WCCS. We have had a mixture of both in-house training and external provider expertise. Lots of questions have been asked across the week and this has added to the life and health of our community.

One of the activities Mr Milligan had us do was sit in groups of 4-5 from different parts of the school around a little bucket that was filled with tricky questions. For an hour, each group would pull out a question and thrash out what we thought might be helpful ways of answering the question before moving on to the next one. The group I was with managed to attempt three questions in total. Our first thought was all about trying to make sense of God as 3 persons in 1, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, and it had us wrestling for probably 20 minutes. It was an exercise in listening well, stretching our brain muscle, some Googling and drawing on personal understandings.

One of the benefits of this type of activity is realising that a group may not arrive at a consensus. How we journey together in the conversation can help us better understand one another. Being gentle in our discussion helped us to carefully hear each person’s nuanced understanding of a topic, particularly when it was of a more sensitive nature. Hopefully, this activity will encourage our staff to be confident in answering some of those questions that we have talked about here in our Q&A with Rev.

On Friday, I along with many other staff, underwent First Aid training. We had to learn a whole lot of content as well as practical applications. We also had to learn which questions to ask and in what order. Let’s just say that this was quite challenging in the final assessment when my partner, Mr Knibbs, suddenly started exclaiming, “I’m heading towards the light…I can see the light!” as he slumped to the floor. For me, it was a reminder that assessments can be stressful, especially when you’re not confident you know the answers. I certainly think it will help us as staff to be even more understanding of the pressures that our students experience in exam conditions. Glad we all passed though. Phew!

In our next edition of the Newsletter, I won’t have a contribution to share as I will be on the Year 9 Red Centre Road Trip. Please be praying for our Year 9 students as they encounter firsthand our vast landscape in all its beauty. I hope that it will be a time where they may have some of their faith/life questions answered and grow in their understanding of who Jesus is. I also hope that they will open their hearts not only to God, but to each other as well, especially since they will be sharing space 24/7 for two weeks straight. Please pray for staff and volunteer family members attending too 😉.

REACH - Student Extension - Week 1, Term 3

PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION

Following our WCCS Public Speaking Competition, we are delighted to announce that the following talented students will represent Wyong Christian Community School this Friday (Week 1) at our inaugural Interschool Public Speaking Competition, alongside Green Point Christian College and Coast Christian School.

We wish these courageous speakers every success as they prepare to deliver both a prepared speech and an impromptu speech. We know they will represent our school with confidence, character and grace.

Year 3 – Charlotte A and Abigail H
Year 4 – Ava C and Josua D
Year 5 – Patrick C and Mateo H
Year 6 – Catherine B and Caragh S

RIPPLES WRITING COMPETITION

Many of our talented young writers recently embraced the challenge of composing original poems on the theme "Symphony" for the Ripples Poetry Competition. It was a privilege to read and submit so many thoughtful and beautifully crafted entries.

Over the coming Newsletters, I look forward to sharing some of these outstanding poems with our school community. This edition features the Year 7 entries; we hope you enjoy reading them, here.

IGNITE CURIOSITY

This year we are launching Ignite Curiosity, a personal interest project designed specifically for students in our Kindergarten to Year 2 Extension Literacy groups.

God has created an incredible world, and our prayer is that this project will ignite in each child a lifelong sense of curiosity and wonder about the magnificent, intricate and beautifully designed world He has made. From bees to bridges, from dinosaurs to drones, and from oceans to outer space, there are countless fascinating topics waiting to be explored.

As students investigate an area of personal interest, our hope is that they will grow in awe of our amazing Creator God while deepening their understanding of the world He has made. Along the way, they will develop valuable research, critical thinking, communication and presentation skills that will serve them well throughout their lifelong learning journey.

Using both primary and secondary sources, our curious K–2 students will become "experts" on their chosen topic before creating a display to showcase their learning. At the end of Term 4, families will be invited to our Ignite Curiosity Showcase, where students will present short talks and visitors will have the opportunity to meet our young experts, explore their displays and ask questions about their fascinating findings.

EVENING OF EMINENCE

Meanwhile, many students in Years 3–6 are eagerly looking forward to participating in the 2026 Evening of Eminence. Through this much-loved project, students will be inspired by men and women who have used their God-given gifts to make a positive impact on our broken world.

Whether sharing the saving message of the gospel, standing up for the vulnerable, creating works of beauty, advancing scientific understanding, or leading with compassion, these remarkable individuals demonstrate how God can use ordinary people to make an extraordinary difference.

Throughout Terms 3 and 4, students will research the life and achievements of their chosen person while making meaningful connections across Creative Arts, Geography, Science, Mathematics and History. As they prepare to "become" their historical figure, they will develop research, writing and presentation skills while gaining a deeper appreciation for lives lived with purpose and influence.

The Evening of Eminence promises to be a wonderful celebration, where visitors will have the opportunity to meet champions of the faith, scientists, inventors, explorers, artists, leaders, sportspeople and many others whose lives have left a lasting impact on God's world. We look forward to welcoming our WCCS community to this inspiring event at the end of Term 4.

Mrs Anne Livette-Vial | High Potential & Enrichment Teacher

School Newsletter

What’s next?

School Newsletter

WCCS Newsletter - Term 3, Week 1, 2026

In This Newsletter

Executive Principal's Message

Executive Principal's Message - Week 1, Term 3

Community News

Dates for Your Diary - Term 3, 2026

Community News - Week 1, Term 3

Prayer Points - Week 1, Term 3

Junior School News

Junior School News - Week 1, Term 3

Secondary School News

Secondary School News - Week 1, Term 3

Q & A With Rev

Q & A with Rev - Week 1, Term 3

REACH - Student Extension

REACH - Student Extension - Week 1, Term 3

What's happening around WCCS

Junior School Sport - Week 1, Term 3

Library News - Week 1, Term 3

Executive Principal's Message

Community News

Junior School News

Secondary School News

Q & A With Rev

REACH - Student Extension

What's happening around WCCS

Executive Principal's Message

Community News

Junior School News

Secondary School News

Q & A With Rev

REACH - Student Extension

What's happening around WCCS

What’s next?