Welcome to the new school year!

There are many new parents and students joining us this year, as well as a number of staff. We hope that this year will be one that is both deeply satisfying, and yet challenging as together we seek to honour God in the area of schooling. Our Vision and Mission statements are living and vibrant and shape the very essence of what we seek to do at school. They are:

VISION STATEMENT
To faithfully serve in God’s plan to restore all things under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

MISSION STATEMENT
To assist parents in the nurture of their children, by providing a Christ-centred, biblically grounded, culturally engaging and academically rigorous education that equips children to live for God’s glory.

We recognise that parents are the primary caregivers and educators of their children, and that part of this mandate is well expressed in parents being involved in the governance of the school. That is why the School Association and the School Board exist. Being on the School’s Board is a weighty responsibility, setting the course for the school. Please pray for them as they undertake this critical task.

I am pleased to announce the following staff who are joining us in 2019.

• Lyndell Pym has been appointed to teach Music part-time in the Secondary School
• Katie Clarke and Joshua Hii will be teaching Year 4
• Tim Hewitt has joined us as Deputy Principal (7-12 Curriculum)
• Karinne Bedingfield will be teaching HSIE part-time
• Amy Thompson will be working as a part-time counsellor
• Emma Young and Karen Albances will be joining the Education Support Team in the Secondary School
• Gwyneth Burns will be working in part-time in Junior School Education Support.

I am looking forward to the way in which they will contribute to our school community. 

Finally, I would like to remind/inform you that Monday mornings (8.30-9.30am) are “drop-in” time if you would like to chat with me. I will endeavour to spend that time at Café Covie during this time. Of course, if you have a specific or private concern that you would like to discuss, it is best if you make an appointment via the school office.

Bill Rusin
Principal

Welcome back to Covenant for 2019. The first day of school is always met with mixed feelings for both students, parents and staff. We pray that all our families will have a positive start to the school year. 

A name is an interesting thing. As parents we take a great deal of care when choosing a name for our children. Well, most parents do - I spent some time on google recently to discover some wonderful and creative names: Callum Murray (slightly fishy), Kash Register (a real name, with a sad story - google it yourself!), Jed I Knight (strong, the force is), and Chris P Bacon (everyone's friend) to name but a few. 

During 2018, we considered the name of our Technical and ICT support services here at Covenant. We were referred to in many ways: Servicedesk, Covenant ICT, ICT, and probably others, none of which really captured what it is that we are trying to achieve. Our purpose statement is: 

To willingly serve and empower the Covenant community by leading a Christ-centred response to technology, delivering services which support and enhance teaching and learning, while being responsible stewards of creation. 

We spent some time thinking and asking for feedback, finally deciding that we will henceforth be known as (drumroll please)… 

Why TechServe? 

To be honest, to start with, I didn't really like the name. However, the more I reflected upon it, the more I (and our whole team) became convicted that TechServe really sums us up well. 

ICT to many people, doesn't really mean anything, and TLAs (three letter acronyms) are so 2003! So we wanted to stay away from that. The abbreviation "tech" is one that most people can immediately identify with, and so makes sense for our name. We also want to promote (and be reminded of) our servant hearted focus. We are here to serve. Parents, Students, and Staff members alike, our purpose is to serve in whatever way we can. 

So TechServe it is.

Mr Dave Youl
Director of ICT

Each year NSW Health works in partnership with schools to offer the vaccines recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for adolescents as part of the school vaccination program.

In 2019 the following vaccines will be offered:

Parent Information Kits that include an information sheet, consent form and privacy statement will be sent home to parents/guardians. To consent to the vaccination of their child, parents/guardians are advised to:

• read all the information provided
• complete the consent form, including signing their name next to the vaccine/s  they would like their child to receive
• return the completed consent form to their child’s school
• ensure that their child eats breakfast on the day of the school vaccination clinic.

Please note that students who commence HPV vaccination in school clinics in Year 7 but do not complete the course during the school year may be offered catch-up doses at school in Year 8. Students who have any HPV doses at their GP will be advised to complete the course with their GP.

Parents/guardians who wish to withdraw their consent for any reason may do so by writing to the school Principal or phoning the school. The Procedure for Withdrawal of Consent is available here on the NSW Health website.

To improve vaccination completion, students will be opportunistically offered any missed doses throughout the year where possible.  

A Record of Vaccination card will be provided to each student vaccinated at each clinic. Parents/guardians should ensure that this record is kept for future reference and should not assume that their child has been vaccinated if they do not receive this Record of Vaccination. 

Frequently Asked Questions

• My child received the Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine when they were aged 4. Do they need this one? Yes this is a booster dose that all adolescents in Year 7 require. 
• My child received the Meningococcal vaccine when they were an infant. Is this the same vaccine? The Australian childhood immunisation schedule included Meningococcal C vaccine. This vaccine contains four strains offering additional protection against Meningococcal ACWY. 

Visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation for further information and translated copies of the Vaccination Information Kits

13/02/2019

Year 7 Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (Dose 1)

Year 7 Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis

26/06/2019

Year 10 Meningococcal ACWY

21/08/2019

Year 7 Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (Dose 2)

Year 8 Catch up vaccinations may be added to a clinic depending upon the interval between doses. The Year 8 Catch up student list will be sent to the School Immunisation Coordinator prior to each clinic to facilitate planning. 

Please be vigilant about checking your children's hair for evidence of head lice. If found, please treat immediately. A fact sheet provided by the NSW Government containing information on the best treatment of head lice can be found here. It is strongly recommended that all children with long hair keep it tied back in braids or buns as head lice are extremely contagious and very easily transfer from person to person through hair to hair contact. 

If your child has any of the following general medical symptoms please do not send them to school but keep them at home to rest and recover, and seek medical advice from a GP if necessary or worried: 

• a fever (temperature above 37.3 degrees Celsius) 
• a green snotty nose 
• has vomited in the last 24 hours
• has had diarrhoea in the last 24 hours 

At this time of year colds and stomach bugs abound when all our children return to school. To help keep infections to a minimum and stop the spread of germs, please talk to your children about good hand hygiene (wash, wash, wash), cough and sneezing etiquette (cover your mouth with your elbow, not your hands, then wash your hands) and please do keep children at home if they are unwell. 

Thank you.  

The ordering of the senior blazers will take place in the next two weeks (11 – 20 February). Each student needs to be fitted with ‘try-on’ sizes. Please note that we have separate styles for boys and girls.

The cost of the regular blazer is $200. No deposit is needed at the time of ordering. However, a $50 surcharge and deposit is needed for blazers with special measurements (sleeve and coat length variations). There is also a $50 surcharge per blazer for late orders (after Wednesday 20 February).

The uniform shop is open:

• Monday 2.15-3.15pm (will open at lunchtime on Monday 11 and Monday 18 February for your convenience)
• Wednesday 8.00-9.30am

All orders need to be placed by Wednesday 20 February. You are reminded that blazers are compulsory for senior students to wear in Terms 2 and 3.

If you have any questions relating to the blazer, please do not hesitate to call Mrs Kitty Au-Yeung at the Uniform Shop during the hours above on 8459 4396.

Under new management

We would like to advise our community that the Covenant Canteen is now under the management of Tam Khong.  

Tam and his wife Lien have significant experience in the food service industry and have been catering for Covie functions for many years. Our community have enjoyed their catering at numerous Association AGM's, as well as at our 40th dinner in 2018. They have regularly catered for various staff functions. as well as other in-house events. 

Tam would greatly appreciate the assistance of 3-4 parents each day in the Canteen. If you are able to assist, please email sbennett@covenant.nsw.edu.au for more information. All work done in the Canteen can contribute towards your PIP. 

To order from the Canteen, continue to use your MunchMonitor account as per 2018. If you need to set up a MunchMonitor account, please click here.

Welcome back to 2019.

We are looking forward to a great year of Music. Once again we have a very capable team of conductors and tutors who are all keen to get the year off and running. We welcome a new member of staff, Mrs Lyndell Pym who is replacing Mr James while he is in England this year. There are a couple of new ensembles starting in the Senior School this year, so please feel free to make enquiries about anything listed below. To join these groups, come along to the first rehearsal in Week 3 and introduce yourself to the conductor. 

All rehearsals will commence in Week 3 of Term 1.

The Premier's Reading Challenge is an initiative of the NSW State Government which aims to encourage in students a love of reading for leisure and pleasure, and to enable students to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely.

The Challenge opens on March 4, however students can keep a record of books they are reading now to include in their 2019 reading records when the online reading records open. The Challenge finishes in August, however all reading records need to be in to Mrs Watson by 15 August for it to be validated. 

The Challenge is divided into four groups. Kindergarten to Year 2, Years 3-4, Years 5-6 and Years 7-9.  

The readathon will be promoted and explained in the Junior School Library. For more details of the challenge refer to this website or pick up information from the Junior Library.

Students who wish to participate must write their name and class on a list found in the Junior Library by Monday 25 February 2019. The school will then register the students in the Challenge if they haven’t already registered online.

Students who complete the Challenge for four years will receive a Gold Award. Students who have participated for seven years receive a Platinum Award.  Students who have participated for nine years receive a medal.

Students who complete the Challenge each year from Year 3 to Year 9 inclusive receive a PRC medal.  

Mrs R Watson
Junior School Teacher Librarian

“Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!  Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” Rev 15:3b-4 (ESV)

For Prayer and Praise

• Praise God for He alone is holy and is Lord and King. Pray for our community to know and follow Him as Lord of their lives.
• Pray for students and staff to settle well into school, particularly for new students to feel welcomed and form friendships quickly. 
• Pray for our teachers that God will enable them to provide a Christ-centred, biblically grounded education that will equip our students to live for His glory. 
• Pray for our students that they will not only gain academic knowledge this year but also gain godly wisdom, biblical discernment and integrity.
• Give thanks for God’s goodness to us in 2018 and pray that our School Board and Executive will prayerfully seek Him in every decision they make and He will give them wisdom to ensure that our school continues to be Bible-based and provides sound teaching. 
• Pray for parents that God will give them wisdom to raise their children up in the knowledge of God. 

Please join us in prayer. Prayer Group meets at 9.00-9.30am on Thursdays in T7 starting from Week 2. If you are unable to come but would like to pray from home, please email us to receive a copy of the prayer notes. If you would like the Prayer Group to pray for you, please also email us at prayergroup@covenant.nsw.edu.au.

For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. Psalm 94:14-15 (ESV)

• Praise God for He will never forsake those who have placed their faith in Him, for His Son who suffered and took the punishment for them. 
• Give thanks for and pray for Year 11 and 12 students and their teachers. Pray for these students as they face the stress of HSC, that they will not neglect devotion time with Him, and will look to God for comfort.
• Pray for Year 10 Yarrabah Kids Games Training on Friday 8 Feb and Sat 9 Feb. Pray that the message they learn and give, will be clear and true to the Gospel. 
• Pray for our 2018 Year 12 students to know God’s presence and His love for them. Pray they will seek His guidance and trust in Him in their placements in further studies or at work.  

Please join us in prayer. Prayer Group meets at 9.00-9.30am on Thursdays in T7 starting week 2. If you are unable to come but would like to pray from home, please email us to receive a copy of the prayer notes. If you would like the Prayer Group to pray for you, please also email us at prayergroup@covenant.nsw.edu.au. 

Everyone's favourite Miss Fruitcake is back and delighted to be running classes at Covenant. 

Click here for more information or to enrol.

Dear Parents,

I hope you managed to have a fantastic Christmas and New Years Break! We had an incredible year with the Basketball Academy last year with 3 new Covenant Christian School Players being selected into Manly Warringah Representative Teams + 3 additional Covenant schools teams competing and representing Covenant Christian School.

This is what the program is all about - to help provide opportunities to those kids interested in simply enjoying basketball with school friends or seeking to take their game to another level. Our Head Coach Lachlan Clark who is a now a State Performance Program Coach for NSW will be returning for 2019 Term 1. It is very exciting for Lachlan to be levelled up as a coach and this should only further benefit the program.

We hope to see you all back, alongside many new faces.

Academy will start next week Feb 5 and 6 on TUESDAY (Years 4-6) and Wednesday (Years 7-12) from 7.30-8.30am.

We will also be running some IN-SCHOOL trial sessions with our academy session coaches to give students a taste of academy if they wanted to try it first. If you would like to trial academy on the first week and haven’t been involved before please email Timothy Hill at timothy.hill@findmycoach.net.au.

Register at http://www.findmycoach.com/basketball-academy-covenant 

Aussie Hoops

• Primary school training for 5-10 years on Sundays 9.30-10.30am at NBISC.
• Starts 10 Feb with super skills coach Jerome Lee.
• Sign up for the eight week program at https://www.aussiehoops.com.au 

Pink Ball

• Great training program for girls aged 7-12.
• 1.30-2.30pm on Saturdays at NBISC. 
• Starts Saturday 9 February to 6 April.
• Cost = $100 which includes a pink basketball and female coaches.
• Book here: https://www.trybooking.com/book/sessions?eid=448543

Saturday Skills
Every Saturday during school term.

Potter League

• Primary school basketball competition
• Tuesdays 4.00-6.00pm for Years 1-4
• Saturdays 2.30-5.00pm for Years 3-6
• Individual entry and team entry
• Book here: https://www.trybooking.com/book/sessions?eid=451744

Students from Covenant Christian School are invited to join in Lisa Catto Coaching Services’ after school tennis program.

Term 1, 2019
Tuesdays and Fridays - 3.10-4.10pm
Covenant courts, Dell St Tennis Centre, Belrose.

To register contact Lisa Catto on 0407 051 138.

From 11 February to 8 April.

Classes are on Monday afternoons. 

3.00-3.50pm for Kindergarten - Year 12 students

Enrol for Term 1 or book a free trial lesson for your child at dalin@mandarinstars.com.au or call 0425 852 282. 

For more details about Mandarin Stars, their programs and teachers, please visit www.mandarinstars.com.au.

Click here for more information about Mandarin Stars.