Bayside Christian College

College News

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." - Ephesians 4:11-13

Principal's Piece

The Olympic Games have been hot topic around the College for the past few weeks as the world’s best sports men and women gathered to go head-to-head to see who comes out on top. Upon reflection however, the reality of the Games is quite sobering. As one Olympian once put it “being at the Olympics is like experiencing 10 funerals for every 1 wedding.”  As brutal, as it is simple, this sentiment remains true not just for the Olympic games but for all competitive sports. One can only win in this context by defeating another. 

 

This Truth begs the question of - how might we as a Christian learning community, passionate about nurturing and preparing young people speak into how students might approach competitive sport? Having had many years teaching physical education and coaching students I have often pondered what I would like students to learn as they compete. These are three that have stayed with me over the years.

 

1. God has called us to sport to experience true joy

The first reason God gave the gift of sport is for it to bring joy. Every race, every match, every competition, is an opportunity to experience God-given joy. This joy will help us in the ups and especially in the downs as we compete. The Bible tells us that it is joy that helps us endure the difficulties in life. Students need to learn to count every blessing as they compete win or lose. Thanking God for the joy of sport and the amazing experiences he provides through it.

 

2. Competition isn’t only about joy. It includes uncertainty, fear, and even loss. God can use all of these things to draw us closer to Himself.

As students compete and lean on the promises of God, they have endless opportunities to grow their faith as they remember:

  • Their identity is based on the cross - not their win loss record. 
  • The power they have to compete does not come from their own strength but from Christ who is at work within them.
  • Win or lose - God does not change, and; 
  • That if we do lose, God will be there with us, ensuring that the sting of losing will not have the last word.

3. We can serve others as we compete

As we compete, we can witness wonderful joy of sport to others:

  • By competing within the rules we demonstrate an alternative to the winner-takes-all attitude that is so prevalent in sport.
  • By not treating our opponents as the enemy but valuing them as ‘co-players’ we can push each other on to excellence.
  • By showing humility and thankfulness in victory, recognising that others have worked just as hard and prayed just as much as we have.
  • By not torturing ourselves in defeat with self-loathing and shame, instead rejoicing with those who win and weeping with those who don’t.

In all these things we can show the wonderful, transforming news of the gospel at work in our lives as we experience joy in the midst of the ups and downs that are present in each and every season and competition. Too often we’ve been taught to only feel good about ourselves when we’re winning, that if we lose, we’re nothing. This was not Gods intention for competitive sport.

 

My prayer is that ultimately students will learn to separate their sense of worth, their identity, from their performance. That they will know that they are valued and loved not because of the talents they have or the way they compete. But simply, they are loved unconditionally by God – win or lose. 

 

Mr Andrew Manning, Principal (Informed by Sports Chaplain – Ashley Null)  

Updating Digital Safety at Home

Our students are spending more time online than ever before. This paradigm shift presents many new challenges, not to mention an increase in online risks and threats to your children's wellbeing. We take our students' digital discipleship, safety and well-being very seriously. 

 

In our continuous efforts to be proactive, we are updating the services available to you through our partnership with Linewize. This collaboration will enhance our ability to ensure children remain safe online and provide you, as parents, with valuable tools and resources to navigate your child's digital discipleship journey. 

 

Expanding parental partnerships

In the coming weeks, we will invite you to partner with us, and we will provide you with tools and resources to help you better understand and engage with your child in their digital journey. Included will be the Qustodio Online Safety Hub that will enable you to:

  • Pause the internet on your child's school learning device (outside of school) from your app
  • Receive aggregate reports of your child’s online activity, again outside of school
  • Receive detailed Timeline reports of your child’s online activity, including word and video searches
  • Get access to online safety expert advice directly through the app.

This offering also allows you to protect one personal device (phones, shared iPads, etc.) per child (who attends the school). In addition, all school-managed student learning devices will be continue to be protected with a school-defined level of content filtering, preventing exposure to harmful or inappropriate websites while reassuring you that your child’s learning device is always child-safe and learning-ready. 

 

Next Steps

We are excited about this new school initiative and your partnership with us. Your involvement is crucial in developing a culture of online safety and wellbeing for all students. Together, we can create an environment where each child can thrive on their digital journey. The next email you receive will guide you on how to create your Qustodio parent account, marking the first step in this journey. 

If you have any questions, please get in touch with the ICT Team or stop by the ICT desk at Parent Conferences for more information.

TALIS

Bayside Christian College is proud to be one of only 400 schools in Australia participating in  the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS).  The OECD survey asks teachers and principals about their experiences, their schools and their working conditions. Watch this short video about why TALIS is important and how the results are used. 

Raising Tech Healthy Humans

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed as a parent in our digital age, navigating challenges around screen-time, smartphones, and social media with our children. That’s why we’re inviting you to sign up for a free online course for parents, carers, and grandparents, created by award-winning author and tech-parenting expert, Daniel Sih. 

 

Note: As this is typically a paid course, Daniel Sih has asked that we refrain from sharing the signup link on public social media platforms. However, feel free to invite friends within your relational circles to benefit from these resources, which are suitable for individuals who are just exploring Christian faith. 

 

Topics covered: The “Raising Tech-Healthy Humans” series includes fifteen short, encouraging videos exploring a range of parenting topics.

  • How do I encourage healthy screen-time limits? 
  • What is the impact of interactive media on my child's developing brain? 
  • When and how should I give my child a smartphone? 
  • How is our technology use a discipleship issue? 
  • What is the impact of social media on a child’s mental health? 
  • How do I engage in relationship-forming tech-conversations? 
  • What can I do to get my kids outdoors to have fun? 
  • How do we support each other to make healthy tech-decisions as a community?
Sign Up to Watch the Videos

 

You can share insights and discuss what you learn from the videos with others in our community through the College Facebook and Instagram pages.

 

Our aim is to bolster the health and wellbeing of families and encourage them, in Daniel’s words, “to raise faithful, loving, tech-healthy humans as a community.”  

 

Mrs Toni Steinbergs, Deputy Principal

Winter Woes

Many illnesses are going around, some quite serious, including Respiratory Syncytial virus (RSV), Influenza A&B, Gastro and COVID are still about. It is essential that you ensure your child is well before sending them to school.

 

Spreading illness causes significant issues to our school community. If the Student Health Coordinator or teacher calls to tell you that your child is unwell, please know they have been monitored closely for some time in our sick bay, before that call is made. 

 

It is essential that you arrange to come and collect your child as quickly as possible. The consequences of knowingly sending unwell children to school could be serious. At these times your child needs you!

 

Ms Katherine Suttie, Student Health Coordinator

Term 4 Fees

Term 4 fee payments are due on or before Friday 16 August. Please ensure your payment is received by the due date. Parent fees form an integral part of managing our budgets and cash flow. If your circumstances change or you wish to alter your current payment terms, please contact the Finance Manager at the earliest opportunity helen.spink@baysidecc.vic.edu.au

Finance Notice

Have you deposited fees into the College bank account without telling us who you are? We have received the following deposit which is sitting in our suspense account because we haven’t been able to identify who the funds are intended for:

  • 18/7/2024 $400 statement description - Payment from Barbara L McMahon Bayside Christian

Please contact the Finance Manager, Helen Spink, if you can assist.

Notice of Intention to Withdraw from the College

Planning is well underway for the 2025 school year. If you are intending to withdraw a child/ren from the college at the end of this year please ensure you provide the necessary written full term’s notice before the start of Term 4. This should be emailed to both the Registrar registrar@baysidecc.vic.edu.au and Principal, Mr Andrew Manning andrew.manning@baysidecc.vic.edu.au

 

A full term’s fees will be charged where the required full term’s notice is not provided. We recommend you provide notice even if your plans are not yet confirmed.

Seeking Donations

Do you have new or used board games and sports equipment in very good condition that you don't use anymore? You can donate the items to the Indonesian orphanage that the Years 9 and 10 Indonesian students will visit during their immersion program in Bali and Nusa Lembongan next month. They will bless them immensely. Doantions can be dropped off at College Reception up to the end of August. Thank you very much and God Bless your generosity. 

 

Mrs Chandra Schokman, Indonesian Teacher

Campion Education Offer

Later in the year, the College will provide parents and carers with a list of books and resources required by Secondary students in 2025. To assist parents in preparing for this expense, Campion Education have released a service in which families can purchase vouchers throughout the year in lead up to placing an order.

School Student Broadband Initiative

With less than 5 months to go for families and carers to redeem their vouchers, NBN Co are wanting to make sure that the offer gets into the hands of those who may need it.

 

This Australian Government program is for families and carers with school-aged children who are struggling with bills. Contact the National Referral Centre team to see if you are eligible and for help getting your house connected.

 

To qualify for this offer:  

  • Applicants  must be caring for a school age student at their home.  
  • Must not have an active nbn connection at the home now or in the past 14 days. (Having a mobile internet service does not affect eligibility).  
  • Must live in property that can access the nbn network through a standard connection.   

Applicants must apply for the offer:

    What’s included in the offer?  

 Free home internet until December 2025  

  • Free WI-FI router (you can keep it)  
  • Unlimited data  
  • 50 / 20 plan (this is a typical household plan)  
  • No lock in contracts  
  • Choice of participating internet providers  
  • Ongoing support from the National Referral Centre to apply – callback, webchat, and interpreting services available  

Parent Volunteers

To ensure your safety and under legislative requirements, the College requires every volunteer to complete a College Volunteer Expression of Interest Form and undertake an Induction. This induction has been developed to cover all aspects of volunteering at the College from classroom assistance through to participating in trips, excursions and camps.

 

The induction will take approximately 10-20 minutes to complete and you will be required to upload a photo of your current Working With Children Card before approval is granted.

 

If you are interested in volunteering in the ELC or other areas of the College, please visit the link below to complete the forms:

 

Volunteer Expression of Interest

 

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B2Me: Community Business Directory

Have you discovered the Bayside Christian College B2Me profile? Its purpose is to assist in connecting trusted service providers with the College community in a way that builds valuable relationships. Consider it our very own Yellow Pages or Google!

 

It takes minutes to create a profile to view and support the many local services offered by members of our community. If you have a business you would like to list, please feel free to add your business profile to our group.

https://b2me.com.au/members/bayside-christian-college