Welcome from the Primary Swimming Carnival. Our message today is “dive on in!”

Trying something new and challenging is rather like standing on the edge of a pool and diving in! We have assessed the situation, thought wisely about what God would have us do, trained hard and given our whole-hearted effort. Whether the pursuit is academic, sporting or creative, we pray that this year our students will try something new and do so with joy and a sense of adventure.

Thank you parents for your continued partnership with us. Junior School parents, thanks for joining us at the Junior School Information Evening earlier this week. For Secondary parents, there is an opportunity to join us on-line for the Secondary Information evening.

We hope to see you in person soon. In the meantime, please continue with ‘kiss and drop’ and RAHTs (Rapid Antigen Home Testing) twice a week for your children. Thanks for your patience and prayers and we look forward to a great year ahead together. 

From the Prayer Group

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 136:1 (ESV)

For Prayer and Praise

Praise God that he is good and does what is good. Praise God that in his goodness, he has chosen to pour out his love for us, a love that is dependable and everlasting.

Prayer suggestions:

• Pray for Christian schools to continue to have the freedom to make choices in line with what the Bible teaches.
• Pray for our students to know God’s love for them and to respond by loving him and one another.
• Give thanks for the Professional Development time our staff had before school started. Give thanks for time in God’s word. Pray for staff to continue to remember God’s faithfulness particularly through the storms in life. Pray that his word will continue to be the solid foundation for their lives.
• Pray for each person’s faith in our community to deepen this year, and for unbelievers to come to Christ.
• Pray for ex-students, for believers to be an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity wherever God has placed them.
• Pray for unbelievers, that they will be convicted of the truth of the Gospel.

Pray for events this week:

Tuesday 15 February: Secondary Information Evening (online)

Prayer Group meets on Thursdays at 9am online. Come and pray with us for our school community. Email us at prayergroup@covenant.nsw.edu.au if you would like to come, receive the prayer notes or would like prayer.

Introducing Rhys Cole – Head Coach, Sports Academy 

We are only three days away from launching the Sports Academy for 2022!

We can’t wait to welcome your children to the program and have them train with us after school in Soccer, Netball and Basketball. 

I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce you to our Head Coach, Rhys Cole, and have him share a little about himself, his experience and training, and his hopes and dreams for our Sports Academy athletes. 

For those who are still considering joining, can I please encourage you to do so asap as enrolments close today at 5pm.

Sign Up - Netball

Sign Up - Soccer

Sign Up - Basketball

Silva Mekerdichian
Director of Co-Curricular and Learning Hub Manager

Staff and students alike are very much looking forward to Camp Week at the end of this term. Camps are a wonderful, rich experience for our students on so many levels.

Being offsite with friends adds a whole new dynamic to students’ school experience. They have so much fun participating in a whole range of different, exciting and challenging activities. 

Given the current Covid situation, we are very mindful of making wise decisions about the types of camps we run in 2022. We want to ensure we do everything possible to have the greatest chance of being able to proceed with camps for Years 7 to 10 given these uncertain times.

Therefore, we have made the decision to run year-based camps for Years 7 to 10 in 2022. While there may be some initial disappointment for Year 9 and 10 students who look forward to going on interest-based camps, we are confident that our students will have a wonderful camping experience with their cohort. 

Students will receive more information about camps from their Year Advisors in the coming weeks. 

Please be assured all camps will take place with clear and carefully considered Covid protocols in place to ensure student safety. More details regarding this will be provided closer to the date to ensure up to date guidelines have been considered

We thank you for your understanding regarding these changes. 

Silva Mekerdichian
Director of Co-Curricular and Learning Hub Manager

It’s been fantastic to welcome students back into the Learning Hub, and for it to once again be filled with cheerful voices and smiling faces. The beginning of the year is always busy for the Learning Hub, as textbooks are ordered, issued, and collected. At lunch, the Hub becomes a place for students to play card games and chess, as well as borrow and read books, catch up on homework and meet with teachers. 

February is Book Lovers Month in the Learning Hub, with activities planned around sharing our love of books. The 'Blind Date a Book' display features books wrapped in brown paper, with just a few clues to help the reader choose what to borrow. 

Everybody that borrows a book on Valentine’s Day will receive a special treat. 

Staff and students are sharing their favourite books and authors and we would like to invite parents to do the same.  We know that choosing a favourite book is like choosing a favourite child, but if you can narrow the list down to a few, then please send them to rknocker@covenant.nsw.edu.au. We’d love to display them on our wall to inspire our students’ love of reading. 

Robyn Knocker
Learning Hub Technician

Purpose

Helping people in need. Making a connection with the community around us. Providing opportunities to serve our wider community.

Opportunity

You are invited to join other school community members serving and helping the community around us who are in need of food parcels on a weekly basis - some on an ongoing basis and others for just a season of life when things get a bit tough.  

The role involves picking up surplus food from two local supermarkets on a Sunday, Monday and Tuesday each week. The pickup times are 11am for one supermarket and 9am or 7pm for the other supermarket. The collected food is brought to a central location for sorting, boxing and distribution to those community members in need. This may include home deliveries or the food being picked up from a central point at a set time.  

If this opportunity is of interest to you or your family then please contact Beth Manefield on 0422 888 619 to find out more. Please consider a minimum of one term's commitment. Your hours will contribute towards the school’s Parent Involvement Program (PIP).

Andrew Lowry
Business Manager

Every child (Prep to Year 12) will have four RAHT kits in their school bag today, (Friday) for weeks 3 and 4.  Please check your child's bag when they get home today.

Andrew Lowry
Business Manager

In 2022, we are anticipating the return of our wonderful volunteers to our classrooms. We value the role that parents and volunteers play in our school community. We ask that you assist the school in providing a safe and positive atmosphere by completing the Volunteers Code of Conduct every year. If you have not done so already, please complete the Volunteers Code of Conduct and return to the office as soon as possible.

2022 Dance Academy Enrolment Form And Timetable

Dance Academy Newsletter February 2022

We are looking forward to you joining us as we start up our ensembles. Please feel free to chat to Mrs Conway, Mr James, Mrs Burrell or Mrs Stanwell for more information. Students can come along to our first rehearsal for each group to join up. 

Junior Band (PAS) and Junior Strings (Cottage) – From Week 2 Tuesdays 7.45am

Guitar Ensemble (G2) – Week 3 Monday lunchtime

Senior Orchestra (PAS) – Wednesday 3.10-4.00pm 

Younger members of Senior Band (PAS - Year 7, 8 & 9) – Week 3 Friday 7.45am

Secondary Vocals (G2) – Week 4 Wednesday lunchtime

Whole of Senior Band (PAS - Years 7 – 12) – Week 5 Fridays 7.45am

Mrs Nicole Conway
Creative Arts Coordinator

The uniform shop will be open specifically for blazer fittings, Monday 14 February and Wednesday 16 February from recess 10:30am to the end of lunch at 1:20pm. 

NB – all orders must be placed by Wednesday 16 February. 

The Student Residential Address and Other Information Collection (Address Collection) is undertaken each year by non-government Approved Authorities and their schools.

The Address Collection collects the following data from eligible schools, for each location at the school:

• Student residential address (excluding student names)
• Whether the student is a primary or secondary student (education level)
• Whether the student is boarding or a day student (boarding status)
• Names and residential addresses of students’ parent(s) and/or guardian(s)

Residential address information is used and combined with other data to calculate a non-government school community’s capacity to contribute to the costs of schooling. This may influence the level of Australian Government recurrent funding for non-government schools. The information is also used to inform Australian Government school education policy.

Please read the 2022 Collection notice for parents (attached). It is important that you update yours and your child(ren)’s residential address this month. 

This can be done via the parent portal or email admin@covenant.nsw.edu.au and the Front Office will make the changes for you. 

Department of Education full information here: 2022 Collection Notice For Parents

Kind regards

Karen Auckett
Executive Assistant to the Principal

Tuesday 8 February

• Primary and Secondary Dance Eisteddfod Troupes 2022

Wednesday 9 February

• Covenant Sports Academy: Change to schedule plus new K-2 session
• Family Zone 2022
• 2022 Year 6 Future Problem Solving Team

Thursday 10 February

• Secondary Information Evening
• Secondary Swimming Carnival 2022

Friday 11 February

• Changes to Year 9 and 10 Camps in 2022
• Year 5 Future Problem Solving Team
• 2022 Year 7-10 Future Problem Solving Team