From the Deputy’s Desk
Respect: Building a Christ-Centred Community Together
Respect is foundational to who we are as a Christian community, and it’s something we’re all called to demonstrate daily. Romans 12:10 encourages us to “be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves.” Respect is more than simply being polite; it’s about honouring each other as God’s children—students, parents, and staff alike. In our school, respect is shown when we listen to others, treat one another with kindness, and take responsibility for our actions. When we speak and act with respect, we create a positive environment where everyone can thrive. And while respect is freely given, it’s also something we earn through our consistent words and actions.
This week, I’d like to extend a huge congratulations to our primary school students and staff for their outstanding performance of The Little Mermaid Jr! The level of dedication, resilience, and teamwork was inspiring. From memorising lines to practicing songs and choreography, every student contributed to a vibrant, successful show. Well done, everyone!
Lastly, let’s continue to keep our Year 12 students in our prayers as they continue their HSC exams. Their grit and determination during this challenging time reflect a strong commitment to their goals. You’re almost at the finish line, Year 12. We are immensely proud of your efforts and dedication.
Coming up at OCS
Term 4 is packed!
- HSC continues
- Kinder Orientation 4th + 6th Nov
- Year 9+10 Exams 6th – 8th Nov
- Year 7+8 Exams 11th– 13th Nov
- Year 10 Celebration 13th Nov
- Association Meeting 14th Nov
- Rite of Passage 14th + 15th Nov
- Stage 4 Camp 20th-22nd Nov
- Wellbeing Week 25th-29th Nov
- Year 7 Orientation 27th Nov
- Ethics Olympiad Secondary 29th Nov
- SLT Training 5th + 6th Dec
- K-4 Water Fun Day 5th Dec
- Stage 3 Pool Day 5thDec
- Year 6 Celebration 6th Dec
- STAR – Mon-Thurs from 3:15-5:00pm
- Active Kids Club – Mon-Fri from 3:15-5:00pm
- Primary Assembly – Friday Week A 9:30am
- Secondary Assembly – Friday Week A 10:50am
- Parent’s Connect in Bembooka – Friday Week A 8:45-9:30am
Respect Online
Respect is a core value at our school, and it’s especially important in today’s tech age. In The Anxious Generation, author Jonathan Haidt discusses the impact of social media on young people, highlighting how screen time and online interactions can influence mental health and wellbeing. As a school, we encourage our students to use technology thoughtfully and to treat others with respect both online and offline. Parents, we invite you to join us in reinforcing these values at home, encouraging healthy conversations around mobile phone use and digital respect. In Week 7 of this term, we are hoping to hold a seminar with our local police liaison officer to address this issue specifically. Parents will also be welcome to join in on this event, more information to come. Additionally, we have an exciting opportunity for parents to contribute directly to our school community. We’re looking for volunteers to donate time and expertise to help build picnic tables, creating welcoming outdoor spaces for our students to gather. If you’re interested and able, I have some ideas on how this could be done, please contact me if you may be able to assist.
From the Head of Primary
Congratulations to our Prep and Primary students on your outstanding performances in The Little Mermaid Jr. Your hard work, enthusiasm, and talent brought the story to life, making each scene a joy for the audience. A production like this requires a tremendous team effort, so I extend a heartfelt thank you to the Primary and Secondary teachers, Executive, Support and Admin staff, Maintenance team and Secondary students who contributed to this unforgettable show.
A very special thank you goes to Mrs. Elyse Denham and Mrs. Rachel Drummond for their dedication and countless hours working with our students to make this musical a reality.
From the Head of Secondary
As the HSC examinations enter their last week, please pray for the Stage 6 students who are preparing and sitting these exams, which include Biology, PDHPE, German and Design & Technology.
We have some exciting events coming up in Secondary over the next month. Year 12 Graduation, Year 10 Celebration Dinner, Rite of Passage Camp for Year 10 + 11 moving into Year 11 and 12, Year 7 Orientation Day, and who can forget Year 7 – 10 exams. Keep studying everyone and please check School Stream for more details on each of these events.
From the Director of Student Development
Rite of Passage and Waves are our two camps coming up in Term 4. These camps are significant events in the lives of our students. Particularly Rite of Passage marking the end of junior Secondary schooling for our Year 10 students and the launch of their HSC journey. For Stage 4 the Waves camp will be an action-packed event with surf school, kayaking and rock climbing thrown in.
In the lead up though don’t forget that the best way not to feel stress about exams is to be prepared. Do some practice questions, revise the content and ask your teacher to clarify anything of which you are unsure. All the best to the HSC students for the remaining exams and to our Stage 4 & 5 students for their end of year exams.
From the Prep Director
Prep’s Orientation was held last Saturday. This provides an opportunity for the children to meet other children and familiarise themselves with the Prep environment. It was wonderful seeing so many families coming along and looking forward for their child starting Prep in 2025.
This week, the Prep children will be the opening act for the school musical. They have been practicing their singing and dancing and are so excited to go on stage and perform. The children need to be congratulated on their enthusiasm. Being involved in the musical is a wonderful opportunity for the children to grow in confidence and work together as they express their creative flare.
TAP (Talented Athlete Program) News
This term TAP students will be training on site at Emus. This opportunity allows our TAP students to use the fields but also access the onsite gym. This has been an exciting move for our students, and we cannot wait to watch them go from ‘strength to strength’ this term.
Sport Spot
Term 4 is in full swing!
At the start of the term, we welcomed Miss Gen McKeown from the University of Sydney, who will be completing her final practicum. Miss McKeown will be teaching in PDHPE with Geography being her second area of specialisation. Already Miss McKeown has established a rapport with many of our students and will be an asset to the school over the next 7 weeks.
NSW PSSA Results
In Week 2, Year 4 student Jacob Price made his debut at NSWPSSA Athletics at Sydney Olympic Park. Day 1 he competed in the 800m and 1500m events placing 13th and 11th respectively. Day 2 Jacob competed in the Junior Boy’s High Jump. It was a tightly contested event running over 2 hours. In the final stage Jacob was in a jump off for third place, eventually securing the Bronze Medal clearing the bar at 1.40m. This is a fantastic feat that will now see Jacob progress to the Primary Schools National Athletics Event from 28th November to December 2nd at Sydney Olympic Park. OCS and wider OCS community extend their congratulations to Jacob on this momentous achievement and wish him all the best for Nationals in week 7.
Key Dates for 2025
Term 4 is in full swing, and it is important to make our community aware of some of our major sports dates for 2025. See below:
| EVENT | AGE GROUP | DATE |
| OCS Swimming Carnival | Years 3 -12 | Tuesday, 4th February, the second day Term 1. |
| Zone Swimming Carnival at Wagga Wagga | Years 3 -12 | Friday, 21st February |
| CSSA Primary Swimming Champs | Primary Years 3 – 6 | Thursday, 6th March |
| OCS Secondary Athletics Carnival at Waratahs Sports Ground | Secondary 7 – 12 | Friday 21st March |
| CSSA Secondary Swimming Champs | Secondary 7 – 12 | Tuesday, 25th March |
| OCS Primary Athletics Carnival | Primary Years 3 – 6 | Friday 4th April |
| OCS Cross Country | All OCS K- 12 | Friday 2nd May |
| CSSA Cross Country | Years 2 – 12 | Friday 30th May |
We love having our parents help at our school events. If this is something you would like to do, we ask that you be prepared nice and early and forward your Working with Children Check (WWCC) details into the school in preparation for the 2025 school year. WWCC last 5 years, however even if you have supplied your details in 2024 to be a volunteer, we require these to be re-checked each year to ensure compliance. Thank you so much for all the help that you’ve given in 2024, looking forward to what we will do in 2025.
TAS News
Movie Snack Creations
At the end of Term 3 the two Year 9 and 10 Food Technology classes culminated their study of Food Service and Catering with a practical assessment. The assessment brief involved the students creating a new snack for the movie snack bar to coincide with a popular children’s movie. Students shone in this task and created an array of snacks. Mrs Green and I are so proud of the results. Can you guess the popular movies that go with each student’s dish?
Photo Gallery
New wellbeing initiative
Over Term 4, we’ll be enjoying a fantastic new initiative at Orange Christian School. Starting Tuesday just gone, Jarred Szcudlo, the Youth Liaison Officer from Orange City Council, will be joining our students during lunch times this term to play basketball. This initiative is part of our ongoing efforts to foster strong community ties and provide our students with unique opportunities to engage with local council representatives.
We believe that this program will not only provide a fun and healthy activity for our students but also help them build a sense of community and understand the role of local government in their lives. We look forward to a strong partnership with Orange City Council and are excited about the positive impact this initiative will have on our students.
