A lot of media attention is being paid at the moment to the issue of consent, especially when it comes to sexual advances. In considering this serious issue we should consider consent in a broader sense because it relates to most relational interactions we have as people. Giving or withholding consent happens often for all of us and having a healthy view of that as both the requestor and the receiver is important.

The media have tended to focus in on the problem of sexual consent and it is a significant issue for many people. Surveys done involving school age children seem to indicate that often schools address this issue too little and too late. But sometimes a young person will not understand the potential relevance of an issue when it is raised with them and so not pay particular attention to it, only to realise much later that it would have been good to have been better prepared.

At GPCC we address this issue in a range of ways. It starts with helping Kindergarten children to learn to respect others and read simple social cues when things like a request to "play with me" are made.  As a school, we try to enforce the importance of showing respect to others at all times, even when you may disagree with them, not get along with them very well, or when they are being rude or difficult towards you.

Pressure to say "yes" to a request comes in many forms and helping children and young people to manage this tricky social issue is not easy. Here we can partner together as home and school. If you are also reinforcing at home what we are teaching at school, (and vice versa) they are more likely to get the message.

The danger with the current focus on consent is that it may come across as a very black and white issue – a "yes" or "no" response is all that is required. But often in giving or withholding consent, there are grey responses such as, “I do, but not now,” or “I would if …,” and so on. Or we may change our mind after giving consent and that also should be respected. For children and teenagers, learning how to live with the grey can be difficult and we need to help them through this potential minefield.

For older teenagers, consent in the area of sexual activity is a significant issue. The messages today are very confusing. Pornography is not condemned yet the message it gives teenagers is very contrary to the idea of respectful consent. Until our society is courageous enough to condemn the harmful pornography industry in the same manner it has condemned other harmful practices (like cigarette smoking and now vaping), we are making it difficult for our young people to learn how to show respect to each other and say and accept no as being okay.

This is an area where we can work together to guide the children in our care through a complex issue so that they know how to live Godly lives, extending love, care and respect to those around them.

Phillip Nash

Principal

Mrs Nicole Smith | Head of Primary

CSSA State Swimming Carnival

Last Monday 20 Primary students went to Sydney Olympic Aquatic Centre, Homebush to compete against other independent schools in the CSSA State Swimming Carnival. We are so proud of our team - combined with the other Christian schools in the Hunter region, we won the carnival. Well done Hunter Zone. Please see the Sports section of the Messenger for further details. 

Cru Fit

On Thursday last week Primary Prefect body attended a CRU FIT (Followers in Training) training day. Following their training these emerging leaders will be able to lead CRU groups for Years 3 - 4 and Years 5 - 6.

In Term 1, students will be encouraged to love God and others. Students learnt some practical and creative ways to share Jesus with their friends.

Photo: Our Year 6 Leaders accompanied by Mrs Bourke and Mr Turner 

BIG VEGIE Crunch - Thursday 18 March

Did you know that only around 6% of Australian children eat enough vegetables? To help our community do their bit to improve this number, our school will be taking part in The Big Vegie Crunch (part of Vegetable Week) at 10:00am on Thursday 18 March during our Crunch’n’Sip’n’Move.

Primary schools across NSW will be joining together to break the record for the most students crunching vegetables:

• 50,260 students crunching simultaneously (2018 record)
• 14,991 students crunching at other times over Vegetable Week (2019 record)

What can you do to help?

• Pack a container of vegetables for your child to eat on Thursday 18 March.
• Remember to keep serving up the vegetables at home and in your children’s lunchboxes. Check out the UP THE VEG at Home resource for ideas. Great recipes can be found at

Recipes with Vegetables                                   Link to a song: The Big Vegie Crunch

Kindergarten Information Night 16 March

On Tuesday evening, we will be holding a Kindergarten Information night for any families or members of the community, looking to enroll for Kindergarten in 2022/23. This event will involve presentations from Director of Enrichment, Kindergarten Teachers, and the Head of Primary. Please encourage any one you know to come along and hear about our amazing college and this very important milestone in your childs first year at school. Please register for our Kindergarten Information Evening.

Head of School Awards

Congratulations to the following students who achieved the Head of School Award for Week 7:

Elle S KDL; Samuel A KJ; Scarlett M KG; Harrison L 1PH; Ryder G 1B; Zion F 2D; Elsie H 2P; Zara L 3B; Caitlyn H 3D; Gabriella K 4B; Alex L 4M; Sam C 4G; Alyssa C 5P; Bonita C 5L; Charlotte W 6M; Arabella Cooke 6S; Brianna B 6T 

Photo: Primary Chapel

National Day Against Violence and Bullying

On Friday, 19 March we will celebrate the National day of Action Against Violence and Bullying. Children are invited to wear an orange accessory, such as a hair ribbon, scarf or hat to highlight our stance against bullying. All classes will have instruction around identifying and preventing these behaviours.

Resources for parents include information on reporting bullying and working with schools. Please use attached link Family response and the E-safety commissioner resources to prevent your child being harassed online. 

Mr Peter McLellan | Head of Secondary

I would like to thank all the parents, students and staff who came to the Year 7 Meet the Teacher Night on Tueday last week. It was great to get to chat to so many parents.

One thing I mentioned is the idea that we as parents reclaim our children from the cyber world.  We can create structures at home for our children that give time for study, time for play, time for relationships and time for rest.

It is time for phones and the cyber world to stop interfering with the normal function of our homes and allow our children’s brains to be free from the anxiety created by this whole world.

It would enable them to get to bed early and allow parents to have their time. Children and students need structure that creates freedom to live and truly enjoy this wonderful world.

Like I said, we need to start a revolution. I saw this article on raisingchildren.net.au on creating routines at home as a family and why that is positive. Please click on this link to view: Raisingchildren.net.au

GPCC Secondary Athletics Carnival - Thursday 18 March 2021

Venue: Mingara Regional Athletics Centre, Mingara Drive, Tumbi Umbi.

Time: Commencing at 8:45am and concluding at 2:00pm.

What to bring: House colours, recess, lunch, sports uniform, sunscreen and water. A canteen will be available for students.

Spectators: Parents/grandparents are welcome to attend as spectators and must adhere to the venue's COVID-19 safety plan.

Transport: All students are required to make their own way to and from the carnival, however if students do require transport, there will be a bus departing the College at 8:30am and returning by 3:00pm. 

Parents will need to book transport for their child on the Parent Lounge no later than 3.00pm on Tuesday 16 March 2021.

If your child requires bus transport you will need to log into your Parent Lounge and in “Events and Payments” locate the event named TRANSPORT FOR 2021 GPCC ATHLETICS CARNIVAL and tick the bus transport options.

Note: Once seating capacity is reached on the bus we cannot accept any student requests for transport to and/or from the carnival.

Only students whose parents have booked transport on the Parent Lounge by 3.00pm on Tuesday 16 March 2021 will be permitted to board the bus on the day of the carnival.

Introducing Mark and Harley   

We are excited to welcome Mark and his Labradoodle Harley from Delta Dogs to our English Department each fortnight on Fridays. Mark is a volunteer and will help facilitate our new Canine Classroom program in Years 7-10.

It is important that the programs we engage with are evidence-based, and recent research has shown that involvement in this program can help to increase student engagement, confidence and reading levels. Reading to and interacting with a dog, as well as the volunteer, and the dog building an ongoing relationship of trust, fosters confidence, lowers anxiety and contributes to positive and holistic student well-being.

This week’s Careers Newsletter has information about an Apprenticeship and Traineeship Expo to be held later in the year.

For more details, please see this week's Careers Newsletter or visit the "Student Careers" section on the GPCC College website.

Mr David Russell

Curriculum Co-ordinator (7-12) | Student Advisor (7-12)

Nathan Lambert  |  K-12 Sport Co-ordinator

Zone Primary Swimming Carnival

Our Zone Primary Swimming Carnival was yet another close race to the finish, with Belmont and GPCC going head-to-head in the points score for a majority of the day. It wasn’t until the Backstroke, Butterfly and Relay events did GPCC took the lead and never looked back. They won the carnival eventually by over 100 points, a reflection of the talented efforts of our swimmers.

GPCC were just superb throughout the day, swimming beautifully in the water and being rewarded with impressive results.

A number of students finished in the top three for Age Champion, and these will be presented in Chapel in several weeks’ time, the same time we present our own GPCC Primary Swimming Age Champions for 2021.

It was also great to finish the carnival and see so many students, 20 in total, who had qualified for the CSSA Primary Swimming Carnival.

CSSA Primary Swimming Carnival

What an amazing day. We had 20 students qualify to compete in the CSSA Primary Swimming Carnival. This carnival was up against some of the elite swimmers from Primary Schools across NSW. It was going to be a big day and our students were going to have to put in a big performance.

And … they did exactly that! They were absolutely amazing, swimming PB’s throughout the day, all to the encouragement of the crowd and their team mates. It was very exciting to see, not just the students supporting one another from their own school, but also those from other schools as well.

We had so many wonderful results - here is just a snippet:

• Emily C came 2^nd in the 8yrs Girls 50m Backstroke
• Sophie C had 2 x 3^rd places and 2 x1^st places, to earn her the 9yrs Girls Age Champion
• Penny L finished 2^nd in her 10yrs Girls 50m Breaststroke
• Henry L had an impressive 4^th place in his 8yrs Boys Breaststroke
• Bronte McK went in many events, finishing in the top 10 three times
• Reef M had an amazing carnival, with a 1^st place in his 100m Freestyle and 2^nd in the 10yrs Boys 50m Freestyle
• Ben T had a strong day, with a 1^st, 2 x 3^rd places and a 4^th
• Cruz T also was busy throughout the day, producing some superb swims: 2 x 2^nd places and 2 x 3^rd

To have Sophie take out the 9yrs Girls Age Champion is a wonderful effort; Reef, Cruz and Ben also finished in the top 3 for their Age Champion race, which is also a phenomenal effort.

The day finished off with the Relays which is also an exciting way to end a carnival. Our relay teams were just sensational, with our Junior Girls finishing 9^th overall, then Junior Boys Relay finishing 2^nd, Senior Boys Relay also finished 2^nd, Senior Girls Relay took out 3^rd place. These results are some of the best we have had in relays for over five years.

Not only did the students perform superbly, but they were also rewarded with 14 students now qualifying for the CIS Primary Swimming Championships. This is the most we have had qualify for this level for a number of years.

To top off such a phenomenal day for Green Point Christian College, we found out that our Hunter Zone won the carnival. This is the first time that I can remember our Zone has taken out the carnival. It was a true reflection of the talent that we have in Christian Schools from the Central Coast, all the way up to Tamworth.

Zone Secondary Swimming Carnival

Our Secondary Squad who competed at the Zone Secondary Swimming Carnival again cemented their status as the school to beat, winning their 16^th Zone carnival.

This carnival was held at a new venue, the Peninsula Leisure Centre, and it was a fantastic day. With an electronic scoreboard and touch pads, the carnival was run in a professional manner, reflecting the talent of the athletes competing.

Our swimmers produced many amazing swims, with some event breaking records:

• Eliana B set three new records in the 17yrs Girls 50m Backstroke, 50m Freestyle and 100m Freestyle
• Olivia E also broke a record, setting the new benchmark in the 14yrs Girls 200m Freestyle with 2:21:28
• Our Super Relay was made up of the six fastest swimmers in each age - they smashed the record with a fast swim of 3:06:95

We not only broke a number of records, but also had numerous athletes from GPCC who finished in the top 3 for Age Champions:

 

	GIRLS	BOYS
12yrs	1st - Ariella N 2nd - Katie E	3rd - Yaroslav K
13yrs	1st - Felicity R 3rd - Megan L	2nd - Caleb S 3rd - Fraser B
14yrs	1st - Olivia E	2nd - Caleb N
15yrs	1st - Mia H 3rd - Sienna P
16yrs	1st - Angelique A 2nd - Sinaed W 3rd - Claire H
17yrs	1st - Eliana B	3rd - Declan R

Open Judo Competition

Congratulations to Crosby P (Year 7), who recently competed at the Sydney International Open Judo Competition and won his Age and Weight Division. Well done Crosby.

 

Year 6 Newspaper - "What's Up GPCC"

We are so excited to have this amazing opportunity to influence our school and College life.

We think we are so blessed with everything God has given us in this wonderful school and would love to share them with our fellow students and friends.

This paper is a great way to contribute to school life and to lead other students. We believe that setting an example is also a big part of this paper. We want to make the most of school every day. We want to show other students to take hold of school while they can and enjoy the good around them. The devotions page is a wonderful opportunity for students to get to know the love of God. This week’s devotion, “Too much fear”, was written to encourage students to remember that our Father is always with us and will never let us go.

We hope this newspaper will help students feel more connection to their wonderful school, get to know their beautiful teachers and discover more about the world around them. But most importantly, we hope this paper will bring students closer to God and grow in their knowledge of Him. Our prayer over this project is that God will use our devotions and weekly messages to draw kids into His love and remind them of His great kindness and compassion towards each and every student in this amazing school.

We are selling our newspaper at 50 cents per copy to raise funds for our Primary School sponsor children. 

Thank you for all your support.

Lily B, Brianna B, Arabella C, Millie M, Eadi R, Milly S

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as if you are working for the Lord, not human masters.”

Colossians 3:23

Photo: Year 6 Newspaper Editors (Brianna B is absent)

Secondary School Photographers

Thanks to Eden W (Year 10), Annika A (Year 10), Sophie B (Year 8), Rachel S (Year 8) and Xavier B (Year 8), who have been out and about capturing some candid images around the College. The gallery below captures some of their great images.  

Student Contributions in The Messenger

Long Serving Staff

At Staff Devotions, Mrs Kerrie Rochford, Mr Brian Shaw and Mr David Russell were presented with a gift by our Principal, Mr Phillip Nash to acknowledge these long serving staff members at GPCC.

Mrs Kerrie Rochford   - Commenced January 1989 

Mr Brian Shaw          - Commenced August 1990 

Mr David Russell       - Commenced February 1991 

CSA Survey - Please tell us what you think

We are conducting a survey to better understand the reasons why parents choose to send their children to our school. The Christian Schools Community Profile: WHY PARENTS CHOOSE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS survey is offered by Christian Schools Australia. It will be conducted amongst all families with children enrolled in participating Christian Schools. It is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of parents’ choice of school, their satisfaction with their children’s learning, their engagement in the school community and their general background. Our school will use the survey results to help gain a better understanding of our community, to inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies.

All GPCC families are invited to participate in the survey which has been
sent to you via email. The survey will be conducted online and will only takes 20 minutes to complete. The survey can be accessed at any convenient time within the fieldwork period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones.

All responses to the survey are anonymous. The survey will be conducted from Monday 8 March to Thursday 1 April 2021.

Green Point Christian College will receive the results in June at which point we will share any insights with you. Please do not hesitate to contact Brendan Wood at community@gpcc.nsw.edu.au if you have any general queries about the survey.

"To The Point" Lecture Series

This time last year we launched the "To the Point" lecture series which then had to be postponed due to the onset of COVID-19. We are excited to announce that the "To The Point" lecture series is now returning with our first event at the end of this month.

The "To The Point" lecture series is a program designed to bring the very best academic scholars and lecturers from around Australia to our College for free lectures on a range of stimulating and exciting topics. This is in keeping with our commitment to inspire life-long learners in our school and in our society.

The series is open to everyone on the Central Coast, whether it be parents, students, people from other schools, or even curious individuals from the local community.

For our re-launch of the series we are pleased to be hosting Dr Luke Barnes, a Cambridge University trained astronomer, who will explore the fine-tuned nature of the universe and examine its value and limitations when answering some of the big philosophical and theological questions we have about cosmology.

This will be an exciting lecture designed for all people, whether they have a background in science or not, and an opportunity to learn from a leader in his field. On the night Dr Barnes will deliver a lecture for 1 hour, and then there will be discussion and Q&A for 30 minutes.

We would like to encourage you and your family to come to this free event, with registrations necessary through the link below.

To The Point Lecture Series with Dr Luke Barnes Tickets, Wed 31/03/2021 at 7:30 pm | Eventbrite

Please click on this link to view a video from Mr Michael Street, our Secondary HSIE Co-ordinator to introduce "To the Point" lecture series.

Library News

Official Library Opening - Tuesday 27 April 2021

We are excited to announce that our Official Opening of our Library will be held on Tuesday 27 April 3:45pm - 4:45pm. Students and parents are welcome to attend this event. Due to ongoing COVID restrictions, our numbers will be limited. Please register your attendance.

Premiers’ Reading Challenge

Students that started at Green Point in the last 12 months will have received a new PRC username and password. If these students have completed the PRC before at a previous school, we will join the accounts together in the next few weeks. Any Premiers’ Reading Challenge questions, please contact Mrs Nicole van Wyk-  nvanwyk@gpcc.nsw.edu.au

Makerspace Winners

Congratulations to our Makerspace winners. We had some very colourful creations, with Amelia D and Irene N from Year 4 our overall winners with their colourful pinwheels which are also amazing spinners.  

Kindergarten	1stBourne R (KDL) & Eliana VB (KDL) Highly Commended: Ruby P (KG)
Year 1	1stMahli Y-B (1PH), 2ndRyder G (1B), 3rdWinter G (1PH) Highly Commended: Vaaris M (1B), Amelia H (1B), Skye B (1B)
Year 2	1stAvalon R (2P) Highly Commended: Chloe H (2D)
Year 3	1stRiley D (3B) Highly Commended: Orlando G (3B)
Year 4	1stAmelia D (4B) & Irene N (4M), 2ndZoe D (4G) & Chloe I (4G) Highly Commended: Jiya M (4M) & Alleah M (4G)
Year 5	1stGeorge W (4G) & Sam M (5P) Highly Commended: Anna K (5L), Eliana S (5L) & Zoe O (5L), Harper F (5L)

 

Story Time for Pre-schoolers

We meet for stories, craft and fun in the Library at 9.15am on Monday mornings during the school term. This is a fun time for pre-schoolers and their parents. Parents will need to sign in at the office. Please sanitise hands as you enter the Library. We look forward to seeing you there. Click this link for the Story Time schedule. 

Green Point Christian College Basketball Club

GPCCBC_Winter_2021_Rego_Promotion_Coaching_Ad.pdf

Private Music Tuition

Green Point Christian College has a vibrant Music Tutor Program offering tuition in a wide range of instruments, and catering from the beginner to the advanced student.

Please visit our website below to download an electronic enrolment form to complete and email to the College. This can be downloaded and filled in electronically using Adobe Acrobat (note that internet browser PDF readers will reduce functionality and including the digital signature option).

Alternatively you can down and print the brochure and return to the College Reception.

Uniform Shop

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday during the School Term:

8:30am - 11:00am

(Closed Wednesdays)

Afternoons by appointment only. Contact (02) 4367 9954

gpcc@alinta.com.au

Munchery News

The Munchery is open for business every day from 8:00am – 2:00pm and accept lunch orders from students and staff across the counter and also electronically.  

Lunch orders can be placed online each morning prior to 8:30am.

The Munchery have partnered with Munch Monitor (www.munchmonitor.com) to provide an online ordering and payment system. Parents access this system by browsing the Munch Monitor site at https://www.munchmonitor.com 

Username: greenpoint        Password: munch2251

Book at EXTEND for 2021 (Before and After School Care)

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/children (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 Trader

Terrigal/Wamberal Junior Rugby League Club.

Please click on this link for more informaton on how to register.

Police Citizens Youth Club - Umina Beach

PCYC are running an Easter Holidays program. All activities are suitable for kids aged 5 – 12 years.  We also accept the Creative Kids Voucher for the School Holiday bookings too (Conditions apply).  More information can be found on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pcycUminaBeach01/

Green Point Baptist Church

Church service times
9:30am – Worship Centre
6:00pm – Jacaranda Room

Attention Years 7-12 - Green Point Youth 

Green Point Youth is held on Friday nights 7:30pm - 9:30pm on Friday nights.

Website: www.gpbc.net.au    

Facebook: www.facebook.com/greenpointbaps/ Sometimes we meet off site so please make sure you have a term planner or search for “Green Point Youth” on Facebook or Instagram to follow us for weekly updates. If you have any questions about GP Youth, please don’t hesitate to call GPBC’s Youth Pastor, Will Richards on 0424 278 948 or email at will@gpbc.net.au. We are very diligent about following all government guidelines on COVID safe practices, and are committed to keeping everyone healthy and safe.

Coming up this week

Monday, 15 March

Vegetable Week - The Big Vegie Crunch

CIS Primary Girls Soccer Trials

Tuesday, 16 March

Kindergarten Information Evening

Year 12 Ancient History Extension Day - Sydney

Wednesday, 17 March

Year 12 English Study Day Excursion - Wyong Christian College

Thursday, 18 March

GPCC Secondary Athletics Carnival - Mingara 

CIS Primary Swimming Championships  

Paul Kelly Cup - Years 5 and 6

Primary Vegie Crunch Day - Vegetable Week 

Friday, 19 March

Secondary Girls and Boys Soccer Trials 

Primary Anti Bullying Day

Dates for Your Diary 

Term 1, 2021

Wednesday, 27 January 2021 for Years 1 - 7, 11 and 12 

Thursday, 28 January 2021 for Kindergarten and Years 8 - 10

to Thursday, 1 April

Term 2, 2021

Tuesday, 20 April 2021 to Friday, 25 June 2021

Term 3, 2021

Monday, 19 July 2021 to Friday, 17 September 2021

Term 4, 2021

Wednesday, 6 October 2021 to Wednesday, 8 December 2021