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Joel van Bentum
Principal
Who am I
“Who am I” This is one of the great human questions. It is a question that we all ask at some point in our lives. We often ask this question during times of great change and upheaval. It is a core question that shapes who we are and how we live. How we answer this question will help us answer questions of belonging, purpose and community.
However, I often see people living out their answer to this incredibly important question having never really explicitly considered the implications of this question for themselves. They simply adopt the answer given to them by others and by our broader society. It can lead to some good a positive answers; I am a child, I am a friend. Or it can lead to some fairly dubious answers; I am a worker, I am a consumer. Or it can lead to highly destructive answers; I am nobody important, I am hurt and broken.
Having a well-grounded, true and deep understanding of who we are is an important element of living the good life, and is one of the foundational orientation points of our lives. As such ‘Who am I’ is a question that the Bible spends a good deal of time helping answer.
So who does the God of the Bible say I am;
I am created in the image of the Creator – In Genesis 1 the sovereign God of the universe creates man and woman in his image. He creates them as the pinnacle of his creation and in infuses them with His own breath. He then empowers us to continue His work of forming and filling the world, to find our purpose in his purpose by creating in step with the creator.
I am broken – In Genesis 3 we see that human took a giant misstep and as a result we are broken imperfect and distorted. Whilst we remain capable of amazing acts of creation and good; our hearts fight God and we are broken, capable of causing ourselves and each other great pain and suffering.
I am loved – Despite our brokenness our creator God loves us. All through the Old Testament of the Bible we read how God despite our brokenness turns his wrath away from us. He saves Noah, He makes a covenant with Abraham, He rescues the Israelites from slavery. God’s love for each of us is ultimately expressed in him sending His Son Jesus to fix the brokenness once and for all.
I am saved – John 3:16 reminds us that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jesus’ death and resurrection allows me to be redeemed and saved.
I am filled – In Acts Jesus tells his followers that a helper is coming. That helper is the Holy Spirit. It is God in us. For those that believe in Jesus it is no longer they that live, but Jesus that lives in them.
I am part of a body – Paul writes to the Christians in Corinth that they are no longer individuals. Rather God has given each and every one of them, and each and every one of us gifts that we are to use not for ourselves but for the good of all around us. We now belong not to ourselves but to a body of others that work in harmony to fulfil God’s purpose in our world.
Here at Green Point Christian College we hope to help our students live reflective and questioning lives. We seek to help them answer the big questions, like “Who am I?” Our hope is that in asking this question they find the Truth of who God has made them to be, so they may begin to fulfil the good life, which is in essence living out God’s purpose in their lives.
Joel van Bentum
Mrs Amanda Rutlidge | Head of Primary
A great effort by our students
Each week this term, I have been setting goals for our students to work towards as a class. These goals have included lining up sensibly after recess and lunch, remembering to wear hats during outside play, walking in two lines in an orderly manner through the school etc. The students have made a tremendous effort to improve in each of these areas and they are to be congratulated for this! Next week, we will focus on wearing uniform correctly.
Chapel
This week in Chapel, the Primary school were blessed by the talents of our Chapel band who led us in worship. Thank you to Mrs McKeown, Mrs Bourke, Mr Gibbins and Ryan from Year 5 for using your musical talents to play worship songs for us to sing along with and praise the Lord. Our Chapel service is held each Wednesday in the MPC from 2:30pm. All our welcome to come along and join in with the fun.
Bebras Challenge
Earlier this term, the Extension Mathematics students in Years 2 - 6 participated in the Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge; a fun and engaging competition held in over 60 countries worldwide. The Bebras Challenge tests skills such as decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithms.
Special mention to Finn B (Year 2), who received a Credit award in the Year 3/4 challenge, and
Conor M (Year 6), who received a Certificate of Excellence (perfect score) in the Year 5/6 challenge.
Congratulations to the following students, who received their awards recently at assembly:
Credit: Finn B (Yr 2), Isla C (Yr 4), Jake B (Yr 4), Matthew L (Yr 4), Elsie H (Yr 5), Henry H (Yr 5), Bella L (Yr 5), Zara L (Yr 6), Orin S (Yr 6), Ashley J (Yr 6)
Distinction: Joel M (Yr 3), Nathan Y (Yr 5), Mitchell M (Yr 6), Mitchell E (Yr 6)
High Distinction: Alison H (Yr 4), Ryder G (Yr 4), Dylan B (Yr 6), Jacob R (Yr 6)
Certificate of Excellence: Conor M (Yr 6)
We look forward to presenting Round 2 of the Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge in early Term 4.
Colds & Flu
There has been a lot of sickness spreading throughout the school in the form of minor colds and flu. Please take some time to remind your children about handwashing and hygiene.
Students of the Week
Congratulations to the following students:
Ivy H; KDL, Callum D; KK,Isaac H; KS, Harrison F; 1C,Hamish M; 1G, Maison D; 1PS,Adam L; 2J, Miikè H; 2G,Bourne R; 3B, Kalli H; 3D,Simeon S; 3M, Paige R; 4H,Jamie C; 4M, Jack P; 5B,Thomas B; 5L, Adam T; 5P,Finlay W; 6B, Dylan B; 6SH,Mitchell E; 6S.
Imagine a situation where someone has the courage to stand up for another person who needed it. They were willing to step into a situation even though it would come at a cost to them. Most other people actively ignore what is happening and this person could quite easily do it as well, but they decide someone needs help and they are going to do something about it.
How would you view this person and what might you call them? I would think of words like brave, hero, champion, defender of the people . . .
Unfortunately, adolescents take time to realise the strength of someone willing to help those in need and when it comes to what they may call this person, the one I hear far too much is ‘snitch’.
It’s an ugly word, isn’t it? But it is an effective one. People doing the wrong thing are able to manipulate others to not do anything about it, with the threat of having this label applied. Students who otherwise would have a strong sense of justice and have a desire to care for those on the outside find themselves joining the army of bystanders allowing something unreasonable or unkind to continue on.
While students need to learn how to function in difficult circumstances and we do not expect someone to run to a teacher whenever an incident occurs, I encourage you to have a conversation with your child about when should someone step up to help another person; and to put some positive language around the type of person who would do this.
Year 12 Music Excursion
Duke of Edinburgh Hike
On Thursday June 6 and Friday June 7, ten of our Year 9 students participated in the Duke of Ed Bronze overnight practice hike with guide James from the Collaroy Centre and Dr Langley from GPCC. The hike commenced at Berowra train station at 9am and following a very wet and challenging 19 km hike via Waratah Bay and Mount Kuring-gai, students arrived at Crosslands campground just before dark. On Friday, students hiked another 7 km mainly uphill, from Crosslands back to Berowra train station.
Upcoming Years 8 and 10 Subject Information Evenings
Students and parents are invited to join us at our upcoming Subject Information Evenings, please see details below.
School Vaccination Program: Catch-up Clinic
If students missed attending the recent Vaccination Clinic (Year 7 and 10) a Catch-Up Clinic will be held at the college on Tuesday 3 September 2024 between 8.45am and 10.30am.
In Year 7, students are offered free vaccines for diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dTpa) and human papillomavirus (HPV).
In Year 10, students are offered the meningococcal ACWY vaccine.
Vaccination will only be provided at school if consent has been received.
How to provide consent:
To complete online consent for your child’s school vaccinations, visit: https://nswhealth.service-now.com/school
Follow the steps to log in to your existing ServiceNSW account. This is the same account you may already use to renew your driver’s licence. If you don’t have a ServiceNSW account, refer to ServiceNSW to create one.
Update or confirm your personal details in ServiceNSW as required.
Complete the School Vaccination Consent Form for your child/ren. You will need to:
Enter your child’s personal details
Provide the Medicare card details for you and your child
Read the linked Parent Information Sheet and privacy statement
Provide consent
If you or your child do not have a Medicare card, consent can still be provided by requesting a paper-based consent form directly from your child’s school.
The benefits of providing consent online:
Easily update your child’s details
Receive SMS and/or email notifications when vaccinations are given
Faster upload of vaccination records to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).
For more information on routine school vaccinations, please visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/schoolvaccination.
If you require information in your language, please visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/school_vaccination_language.aspx
Mr Stuart McSwan | K - 6 Sport Co-ordinator
CIS Cross Country
Last Thursday 6 June, Chloe B from Year 3 represented CSSA at the CIS Cross Country Carnival in the 8-12 Year Girls Multi Class race running 2km in extremely wet conditions.
Chloe did an amazing job finishing muddy as well as 3rd overall. This is an excellent result for Chloe who has been working hard to make sure she can run the distance in a safe, determined and quick fashion.
Due to this wonderful placing, Chloe has qualified to represent CIS at the PSSA (All Schools) Cross Country carnival in July.
Congratulations to Chloe on a fantastic result. We are very proud of you.
CSSA Gymnastics - Levels Only
On Tuesday, Taya K from Year 4 travelled to Sydney to compete at the CSSA Gymnastics Day and did extremely well competing against many other talented gymnasts within her level.
It has been noted that:
‘Taya came 5th overall on Level 4 Division 1. Pretty good considering these are the routines she hasn't done since last year. She had an amazing day with some of her old coaches and doing what she loves.’
Excellent work Taya.
Athletics Training
Congratulations to our GPCC Primary Athletics Zone squad that will compete at the THACCCSA Zone carnival early next term. Remember to try and get some training done between now and then. Some suggestions include:
- Going for a run/sprint at the local oval or on the beach.
- Going down to the local oval and practicing your starts.
- Going to the beach and doing some jumps in the sand or finding an oval that has a long jump pit.
- I’d also be happy to lend our shot put and discus competitors a shot put or discus for safe practice, but these will need to be returned after the carnival. Let me know if you would like to borrow one.
There’s always lots of things you can do to maintain your fitness and be ‘ready’ for the carnival.
Dates for your Calendar
School Carnivals
TERM 3
(NEW DATE)
Wednesday 25 September - GPCC K-2 Athletics Carnival (GPCC grounds)
TERM 4
Friday 25 October - GPCC K-2 Swimming Carnival (Peninsula Leisure Centre)
Representative Carnivals
TERM 3
Tuesday 6 August - THACCCSA Zone Primary Athletics Carnival (Glendale)
Friday 23 August - CSSA Primary State Athletics Carnival (Blacktown)
Friday 6 September - CIS Primary Athletics Carnival
GPCC Sport Teams
We are looking forward to sending our teams to a number of Gala Days and competitions in Primary this year.
Students will have a chance to trial for certain school teams over the coming terms and will need to keep a close eye on the notices and listen out for Assembly announcements for when trials will be held.
The protocol for team selection is as follows:
- Teams have at least 2-3 trials before final selection.
- Unfortunately, it is simply not possible for all children who trial to be included in final teams. It is not uncommon for up to 60 students to trial for a team that only has 10 spots available. Due to these limited spots, it is highly likely that students will miss out on making the team. We acknowledge that we have a number of skilled athletes who trial for these representative teams and we strive to give opportunity during trials for students to demonstrate their skills.
- Once teams have been chosen, they will aim to have at least one training session each week before a competition.
CSSA (Christian Schools Sports Association) Child Protection training and Risk Warning
CSSA have recommended that all adults (teachers, volunteers, parents) complete the following module on Child Protection before attending any CSSA event (trials, gala days or carnivals). Thank you
https://www.cssa.net.au/child_protection/index.html#/
Below is a link for the Risk Warning that accompanies all CSSA run events
https://cssa.net.au/risk-warning.html
Congratulations to Felicity R (Year 10) who will be competing in the 2024 Australian Swimming Trials. She will be swimming the 50m freestyle this Saturday morning. These are the Paris 2024 Olympic Trials.
She is currently training at the swim centre with all the Olympic athletes. Additionally, she has also been named in the Swimming NSW Sharks Squad.
Dates for your Calendar
Tuesday 18 June - CSSA Secondary Girls State Netball Gala Day 15&U & Open Netball Trials (Jamison Park)
Tuesday 18 June - ESCC Oztag Year 9 & 10 & Opens Boys and Girls Gala Day (Tuggerah)
Wednesday 19 June - CCRL Independent School Girls Rugby League 9’s Gala Day (Rogers Park Woy Woy)
Thursday 20 June - CC Oztag Junior 7 & 8 Boys and Girls Gala Day (Tuggerah)
Friday 21 June - CSSA Secondary Open Boys Football finals (Valentine Park)
CSSA Calendar
Download CSSA CALENDAR 2024
Author visit - Louise Park
On Thursday 13 June, Primary students enjoyed hearing from local author Louise Park, who writes popular children’s series: Zac Power, Bella Dancerella, Boy VS Beast and Star Girl, as well as other books. The students enjoyed hearing about the books and the process of publishing. Thank you to Louise for coming to share your amazing stories with us.
Parents can still order books for another week.
Lego Makerspace
Primary students created amazing Olympic and French themed Lego creations. Mrs van Wyk’s Top 3 selections are below but we had some amazing builds. Well done, everyone.
|
Stage |
Subject |
Creators |
|
K-2 |
Olympic diving pool |
Aubrey & Annabelle -KK |
|
3-4 |
Eiffel Tower, torch, Olympic rings and racetrack |
Joel X, Joel M, Jacob, Dom, Levi & Moses- 3D |
|
5-6 |
Eiffel tower, Olympic torch |
Henry, Kade, Nathan & Ryan- Year 5 |
Book Week Date Change - Wednesday 21 August
Due to a sport clash, Book Week Parade will be on Wednesday 21 August this year. We will also be staying down on the soccer oval and basketball courts for a BBQ and fair as there is limited access to the Primary site currently. More information will come home next term.
Scholastic Book Club - Issue 4
Issue 4 Scholastic book club magazines went out this week. Parents can order online at LOGIN (scholastic.com.au). Issue 3 orders close on Wednesday 19 June.
Storytime 2024
Preschool story time themes for Term 2 are below. Please register your interest with Nicole van Wyk: nvanwyk@gpcc.nsw.edu. See the flier for more information.
Casual Teachers Primary
https://www.gpcc.nsw.edu.au/employment/casual-teacher_secondary
This week our staff member of the week was awarded to Phillippa Oakden-Patch.
Phillippa is a terrific support to other staff facilitating MiniLit, she takes time to assist staff who are new to the program to feel adequately resourced and prepared. Phillipa is an asset to the Enrichment team.
School Bands
Music Tutor Program Concert
The Music Program Concert Evenings are fast approaching. These are a great opportunity for students currently involved in the Music Tutoring Program to showcase their hard work. These nights are also great opportunities for students who are interested in music tuition to listen to some great music and meet our GPCC tutors. Tickets can be booked at the TryBooking link below. If you have any questions please contact Mr Daniel Friend at daniel.friend@gpcc.nsw.edu.au
Book via Trybooking - https://www.trybooking.com/CSGKO
If you arrive early to the Wednesday 19 June Concert there will be some tea and coffee before the concert, with some beautiful violin and cello music provided by our string tutors Marina and Monica. Tea and coffee served at 5:40pm. The student concert will begin at 6pm.
Performance 1: Wednesday 12 June 2024 6:00pm – 7:15pm
Students of singing, drums, guitar & bass.
Performance 2: Wednesday 19 June 2024 6:00pm – 7:15pm
Students of piano, violin, woodwind & trumpet.
HSC Exam Volunteers
Volunteers needed for HSC Exams
If you are interest to be a Supervisor, Reader or Writing during Year 12 HSC Exams, please contact:
Glenda Fourie at glenda.fourie@gpcc.nsw.edu.au or 4363 1266.
Year 12 HSC Trial Exam Dates: Mon 5 Aug to Mon 19 Aug 2024
Year 12 HSC Exam Dates: Tue 15 Oct to Fri 8 Nov 2024
Working with Children Check Number needed
Uniform Shop
2024 Uniform Shop Trading hours
Monday: 8:00am - 10:30am
Wednesday: 1:30pm - 4:00pm
Thursday: 8:00am - 10:30am
Friday: 8:00am - 10:30am
For the price list and further information on ordering through Alinta, please visit our website – https://www.gpcc.nsw.edu.au/enrolment/uniform
The Munchery Canteen Operations and Menu
Please note: All bakery goods will now be supplied by Bakers Delight.
Click on link to access: THE MUNCHERY MENU
All students are strongly encouraged to order online. However, over the counter sales will also available.
Please visit the GPCC website for the link to The Munchery portal: https://www.gpcc.nsw.edu.au/community/the-munchery-canteen
Munch Monitor Account Settings
To assist the staff at the Munchery Canteen in serving your children, if you have a Munch Monitor account you may indicate your preferences for snack money, a daily or weekly limit, and if your child has any allergies.
Please note that The Munchery Staff are under strict instruction to follow these preferences. Please log in to your account and update these settings if required.
Please download document below for more information.
GPCC OSHC Provider - Camp Australia
Out of School Care is available at the College, offered by Camp Australia.
Camp Australia will be operating their holiday program across the July school holidays.
Please register and pre-book via Camp Australia https://www.campaustralia.com.au/rocketeers
Parent Lounge Details
The College has a legal requirement to keep our records up to date.
Please review your details on Parent Lounge to ensure that all your information is correct. This includes medical information on your child/ren (only complete the immunisation question if your child is not immunised).
Please note: Should you require both parents/carers to receive SMS notifications, please tick the appropriate boxes.
Green Point Community Notices
Go4Fun
Registrations for Term 3, Go4Fun program are open.
Service NSW - Active and Creative Kids
Code Camp
Lego Brick Fair
This community event is being held at Saratoga Community Hall on Sunday 23 June,. All funds raised will go towards the pruchase of an AED (Heart Defibrillator) at the hall.
Firewood for Sale
Contact Brian Shaw at the College on 0404 478 341.
If you would like to place an community advertisement in the Green Point Community Notices, please email details to our Messenger Editor, Justine Collins at newsletter@gpcc.nsw.edu.au
Green Point Baptist Church
Services: 9:30am Worship Service, 6:00pm Service
Services continue to be available online each week.
Coming Up this Week
Monday 17 June
Secondary GPCC Aboriginal Students Cultural Trip Brewarrina (17 - 21 June)
Year 11 Biology Field Trip Excursion
Year 12 Experiment Fest Newcastle University (Science)
Bali Team Training (after school)
Tuesday 18 June
Secondary CSSA State Netball Gala Day and Trials
Years 9-10 Central Coast Oztag Secondary Gala Day
Year 10 Courage to Care Seminar
Wednesday 19 June
Year 10 Science & Engineering Challenge
Year 11 Prefect Training Day - prospective students
HACCCSA Zone Primary Soccer and Netball Gala Day (Maitland)
Music Program Concert 2
Thursday 20 June
Prayer at the Post (8am)
Year 12 Geography excursion - Taronga Zoo
Year 12 Ancient History, Modern History Study Day - Sydney University
Years 7-8 Central Coast Oztag Secondary Gala Day
NNSW State Futsal Primary Gala Day -Maitland Basketball Stadium
Friday 21 June
CSSA Secondary Open Boys Football Finals
Dates for your Calendar
Monday 17 June
Secondary GPCC Aboriginal Students Cultural Trip Brewarrina (17 - 21 June)
Year 11 Biology Field Trip Excursion
Year 12 Science Experiment Festival Newcastle University Ourimbah Campus
Bali Team Training aftere school
Tuesday 18 June
Secondary CSSA State Netball Gala Day and Trials
Year 9 - 11 Central Coast Oztag Gala Day
Year 10 Courage to Care Seminar Incursion
Wednesday 19 June
Year 10 Science & Engineering Challenge
Year 11 Prefect Training Day - prospective prefects
THACCCSA Zone Primary Soccer and Netball (Maitland)
Music Program Concert 2
Thursday 20 June
Prayer at the Post - led by Prefects 8am-8:30am
Year 12 Geography Taronga Zoo excursion
Year 12 Ancient & Modern History Study Day
Year 5, 6 NNSW State Futsal Primary Gala Day - Maitland
Friday 21 June
Biggest Morning Tea Fundraiser for Cancer Council
CSSA Secondary Open boys Football Trials
TERM 2 DATES
Frday 5 July - Last day of Term 2
TERM 3 DATES
Monday 29 July - Students commence Term 3
Friday 27 September - Last day of Term 3
TERM 4 DATES
Monday 14 October - Students commence Term 4
Wednesday 11 December - Last day of Term 4