As our students in Years 7-10 receive their Semester 2 examination results, this is an ideal moment for families to pause and guide their children toward healthy perspectives about learning. At Orange Christian School, we view assessment not only as an academic measure but also as an important part of shaping character, perseverance and wisdom as students grow into the young people God has created them to be.

Exams are returned with a mark, either as a percentage or raw score. While this number can be useful, it is important to remember that examinations often assess several topics and a variety of skills. Students may achieve different levels of understanding in different topics and across different styles of questions. We encourage families to help their children reflect on their exam performance by asking, “What level of understanding or skills did I demonstrate in each topic within this assessment?” Relying only on the overall mark can be unhelpful, as it hides the more detailed picture of what a student has shown they know and can do.

To determine grades on Semester 2 reports, teachers consider a range of evidence gathered throughout the semester. This includes formal assessments, classwork, practical tasks, discussions and ongoing formative learning. No single task determines a student’s achievement; each piece of evidence contributes to a holistic and fair understanding of their progress over time.

Parents and carers can play a valuable role in helping students respond well to their results. You may like to talk with your child about:

• what they did well
• the concepts or skills they found challenging
• how they can use feedback to improve
• which habits or strategies could strengthen their learning next time

Instead of viewing results as good or bad, or comparing marks with others, encourage your child to focus on their own growth. This approach supports academic confidence and honours the belief that every student has been uniquely gifted by God, with different strengths and areas for development.

John Dewey wrote, “We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.” Encouraging students to reflect on what is within their control and to use feedback wisely helps build resilience, maturity and a genuine love of learning.

Although formal assessments have concluded for the year, meaningful learning continues throughout the final weeks of Term 4. Thank you for partnering with us in supporting students to grow as capable, thoughtful and confident learners.

Our teachers are currently working carefully on class placements for next year. This process considers each child’s learning needs, friendships, wellbeing, and the overall balance of each class to ensure the best possible environment for all students.

We are excited to welcome Miss Heather Gardner to our teaching team next year. Heather is an experienced Primary School teacher coming to us from Pacific Hills Christian School in Sydney. In addition, several teachers will be switching grades, bringing fresh energy and expertise to each year group.

As this is a detailed and carefully managed process, class placements are final once decisions are made. This update is provided to keep families informed; parents will receive their child’s class allocation at the end of the term.

We appreciate your partnership and your support in helping your child approach the new year with confidence over the holidays. Thank you for trusting us with this important work.

We had a wonderful time celebrating with Year 12 at their Graduation last week. For them, it was a significant occasion marking the culmination of many years of hard work, the building of relationships, and hopefully a strong sense of achievement. From the photos, I’m sure you will agree that the students looked fantastic. May God bless each of you in your future endeavours.

We have an exciting couple of weeks ahead. Secondary Student Leadership Training will take place next Friday, 5 December, for our 2026 leadership team. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the students who nominated this year.

On Wednesday, 10 December, we will celebrate with a Secondary Celebration Day at the pool following our K–12 Christmas Assembly. We warmly invite you to join us for the Secondary Thanksgiving Service on Thursday, 11 December, at 5.30 pm.

If you missed my ‘Welcome’ in the last newsletter, please have a read. I’ve been part of the OCS community for a couple of years now as a staff-spouse, parent, and Drama contact. It is an absolute pleasure to now be working here and getting to invest in the school in a more direct and meaningful way.

It was special to sit in on an interview last week and be able to reflect with the applicant my initial feel of the school; the staff are incredibly welcoming, and the students have shown a genuine interest in getting to know me and have made me feel very welcome. There is a very warm and friendly atmosphere at OCS, which largely comes down to the parenting of the students and the values modelled to them at home. Thank you, parents/carers, for shaping your children to be such wonderful humans.

We have had a very blessed recruitment run in the Wellbeing space, with several quality applicants who bring a broad range of skills and experience as well as their strong commitment to their faith. While it’s sad to see some wonderful people moving on from OCS who have served faithfully and generously over their time here, we are looking to the future with anticipation as the team continues to develop and grow. We give thanks to God for the important work of those who’ve gone before, and for bringing skilled and caring people to interview. We look forward to introducing some new faces in the Wellbeing space in 2026.

The Wellbeing Office in the Hub is now open. We’ve done a soft launch as the year draws to a close and will provide more information to students at the start of next year, ensuring that every student knows how to access the support they need.

Our Year 7 2026 students had a great day recently, experiencing what high school is like at Orange Christian School. Our current Year 6 cohort as well as 17 students coming from other schools all around Orange and surrounding areas had a great day connecting with each other, meeting the high school teachers and hearing about what the privileges and expectations are of being a secondary school student at OCS.

SBAT – School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships are a growing area of our Careers offering.  In recent years we have gone from one to two to, in 2026, five, SBAT students. Students experience the workplace and on the job learning, TAFE study and school through to Year 12. For many students this is a good way to manage the transition from school to work and training.

University – Many our 2025 Yr 12 cohort have already received early entry offers to universities as far afield as Wollongong, Newcastle, Canberra and CSU in Bathurst. Congratulations to all those students.

Leadership – for the Secondary SLT selections is underway now and once again, the level of candidature is very high. The SLT Training Day will take place on Friday 5 December. Here the students will plan together with the Primary SLT for the year ahead and here form other leaders about Biblical patterns of leadership.

White Card Course – School is hosting a NSW Prepare to Work Safely in the Construction Industry (White Card) course on Dec 8 run by experienced trainer, Robert Hughes. Textbooks, PPE and all required material will be provided on the day. Please see the note on School Stream and emailed to students in Years 9 and up for further information. The cost will be $130 and must be paid to the Front Office by Thursday 4 December. Students will also require a USI. There are 20 places available.

Personal note – I wish everyone all God’s blessing as we celebrate our Lord Jesus and for the future. May the Lord bless you and keep you. Kind regards, Adrian

Yes, he’s done it! Jacob Price is the second fastest 11-year-old boy 800m runner in Australia and has achieved a silver medal at the Primary School Sport Australia Athletics Championships. After a long year of championships Jacob achieved what he set out to do – and stood on the podium as a national medalist. The OCS community joins together in congratulating Jacob on his success.

Bridie and Storm Wiggins in Primary also stood on top of the winners’ dais recently for Mountain Biking (MTB). At the CSSA MTB championships Bridie won Gold in the U/13s and Storm won Gold in the U/11 – an amazing achievement by these young ladies. To top it off, they both achieved the following results in the final tally of the NSW All Schools MTB championships.

Bridie: 4^th overall in U/13s Funduro and 4^th in Cross Country

Storm: 6^th overall in U/11 Funduro and 8^th in Cross Country

Their combined effort alone, allowed Orange Christian School to place 26^th overall in the Primary division out of 200 schools.

This is an outstanding result by Bridie and Storm and at OCS we are so very proud of their achievements across the year and congratulate them on these fantastic results.

Our Talented athlete Program (TAP) held their end of year excursion on November 17. It was a celebration of a long year of training hard and achieving many goals, PB’s and representative honours. An early morning game of Archery Tag followed by Pizza Hut, then a swim, was a great end to a successful year for our TAP athletes. We are extremely proud of this program and all of their successes. A huge congratulations to this group of young men and women who honour God in all their sporting endeavours.

Shout Out: As the sporting year draws to a close at OCS, we wish to thank all our parents who have worked in partnership with us to help our students at the many carnivals and sporting events. We are so blessed to have each and every one of you help our school provide the many opportunities afforded to them.

It is with great joy we congratulate Joaquin Vicente in Year 12 on his recent success at The Le Cordon bleu Sydney Culinary Institute. Among many applications across the state Joaquin was selected to attend the residential immersive program over 2 days and to top it off he was named ‘Best Chef’. His outstanding culinary skills, knowledge, resourcefulness, and ability to learn quickly made him a standout candidate.

Joaquin Vicente had this to say about his experience:

“I was fortunate enough to be one of twelve students to experience the most prestigious cooking school in the world, Le Cordon Bleu. I was able to meet several chefs and experts in the Hospitality industry, and it really gave me hope for finding success within this industry in the future. I was blessed to take part in immersive Patisserie and Cuisine courses, coming out with the best Chef award! I am forever grateful to the Le Cordon Bleu team for this opportunity.”

Joaquin is currently studying for his Certificate II in Hospitality at OCS and undertaking an opportunity like this will help him continue to hone his craft.

our Year 10 students stepped into a night filled with glamour, excitement and a sense of accomplishment as they celebrated one of the key milestones in their school journey. The Celebration Evening was not only an opportunity to dress up and enjoy time with friends, but also a meaningful moment to recognise how far these students have come.

As families and staff watched them arrive—confident, well-presented and surrounded by the energy that comes with stepping into young adulthood—it was clear that this group has grown remarkably over the past few years. Their laughter, their connections with one another, and the pride they carried into the evening all reflected the maturity and character they’ve been developing.

This event marks an important turning point as Year 10 transitions into Stage 6. It’s the beginning of a new chapter where students step into greater responsibility, deeper learning and increasing independence. The excitement of the evening reminded us that they are ready for this next step—and that they’re capable of approaching it with enthusiasm, resilience and the support of a strong community behind them.

We are incredibly proud of our Year 10 cohort and the young adults they are becoming. Their Celebration Evening was not just a night of glamour, but a beautiful acknowledgement of their journey so far and the bright future ahead.

Well done, Year 10—Stage 6 awaits!