Melissa Brown heads to Junior School where they celebrated the end of Term 1 by dressing up as their parents! Our mufti day raised $467.10 in support of Zambia's Child, thanks everyone for your donations.
We pray that you have a wonderful and safe holiday break. All students return for Term 2 on Tuesday 30 April.
“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out and find pasture.” (John 10:9, NIV)
Praise God for He has provided a way to have salvation through Jesus!
Please continue to pray for our school and community:
Give thanks for a successful first term at school, for friendships made and new students who have settled in.
Upcoming holidays, that they might be a wonderful time of rest and relaxation for staff and students, and that all will return recharged for Term 2. For safety for those travelling, and for good quality time spent with loved ones these holidays.
Give thanks for staff and volunteers who work in Café Covie and the Canteen, for their hard work in hospitality in service to our school.
Student enrolments for both now and in the future. Give thanks for the 550+ families that currently partner with Covenant.
Successful Development Application for proposed building works at Covenant.
The Religious Discrimination Bill that is once again being considered by government. That Christian schools would be able to continue to operate under a Christian ethos.
Parents as they navigate appropriate boundaries with screen time/devices for their families. Wisdom for parents in this age of technology, how best to keep their kids safe online and the appropriate use of mobile phones.
Prayer Group will resume in Week 2, Term 2 on Thursday 9 May, 9.00-9.30am, in T9. All welcome. Please email us at prayergroup@covenant.nsw.edu.au if you would like us to pray for you.
As our Year 7 to 10 students returned from their various camps today, take a look at what they've experienced and enjoyed over the past few days.
Sam Glassock, Head of Secondary School, gives us a quick glimpse into all the camps and catches up with some Year 10 students on Urban Camp about the value of camp and some of the things they have loved and learned this week.
And from the photos and videos coming in, it looks like there will be many stories told over the next few days!
Do you have younger children not yet enrolled at Covenant? Have you submitted an application form?
We are now considering new applications for 2025 and 2026. Applications for new students in Year 7 2027 should also be completed as soon as possible.
If you have applied for Year 7 for future years but would like to consider starting in Junior School instead, our Registrar, Wendy Boase, would love to chat to you about the benefits of starting early prior to Secondary School.
If you have any questions or are not sure if you have applied, please contact Wendy Boase via email (wboase@covenant.nsw.edu.au) or call Wendy on 02 8459 4221.
Prep 2024 - additional days are available
We currently have vacancies on Monday and Tuesday in our Prep program for 2024. If you would like additional days for the remainder of this year, please contact our Registrar, Wendy Boase, to enquire (wboase@covenant.nsw.edu.au).
Extended hours care for Prep 2024 children (CAP)
Vacancies are available in our Care After Prep (CAP) program from 3.00pm to 6.00pm each day. CAP is available to children who are enrolled in Prep at Covenant on the days they attend and who are expected or eligible to enrol in Kindergarten in 2025. Permanent and casual bookings can be made via the Co-Curricular tile on the Covie App.
If your child is currently attending CAP in Term 1, don’t forget to enrol for Term 2 CAP via the Covie App > Co-Curricular.
Year 7 students travelled back in time to see Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs exhibition at the Australian Museum.
Thanks to Kate Fletcher, our HSIE Teacher, for coordinating this wonderful learning experience where students viewed mummified pets, exquisite jewellery, the art in the tomb of Abu Simbel, the Battle of Kadesh and the sarcophagus of Ramses.
Here are some of their highlights:
Ramses was the second longest reigning Pharoah, reigning for an amazing 66 years. The exhibition was an amazing experience as it taught us a lot about the ancient world and Ramses II.
Jack, Micah, Ryan, Daniel F and Levi - Year 7
Last Thursday, the whole of Year 7 hopped on the bus and travelled all the way to the city to the Ramses and the Gold of the Pharoahs exhibition. As we walked inside the museum everything came to life! The modern features and the Egyptian style and music made us feel that we were actually in the ancient past.
The long wait outside the exhibition was so worth it - as we walked in, the sights gave us the chills! It was dark with tiny lights and Egyptian music. We watched an introduction video which helped a lot for us to understand what we were seeing in the exhibition. Our jaws dropped as we saw all the artefacts and statues. They were so detailed and perfect, some artefacts seemed older than others, but were still in good shape, and some were just really wrecked and needed to be taken care of. The Ramses exhibition was a magical experience!
Lilian, Remi, Janice, Addi Year 7 students
Backflips against Bullying
‘Backflips Against Bullying’ is one of the amazing wellbeing seminars we provide for our students in Years 5 to 7.
On Monday, as upside-down was turned right-way-up, students were engaged and equipped with tools and ideas for what to do in a bullying situation.
These new skills were put to the test in the session with three brave students acting out a scenario and then dealing with a bullying situation. The seminar supported building positive relations and challenging negative interactions as part of our Mental Fitness Program. In this program we seek to build resilience that is centred on God as our foundation with our minds set on things above (Colossians 3:2).
Last week, eight students from Years 6 to 12 braved the wet weather and headed to Penrith for the CSSA and HZSA Schools Triathlon at the International Regatta Centre. Our students competed in both Individual and Team events with outstanding results.
Individual events:
Madeleine W - 2nd in Senior Girls
Chloe DP - 3rd in Senior Girls
Alexander L - 6th in Senior Boys
Ellie T - 4th in Intermediate Girls
Isaac T - 4th in Primary Boys
Team events (where each competitor completed one leg of the race):
Ellie T, Chloe DP and Madeleine W - 2nd in Senior Girls Team
Joshua C, Samuel S and Samuel J - 11th in Intermediate Boys Team
Ellie from Year 10, shared her experiences of the competition:
The highlight of the event was everyone coming away with great results they were all happy with. This is such a fun event for everyone to try doing a triathlon, as you will find there are a lot of people who are also giving it a go just for fun. It is great day to go and compete individually or do a team, which is where you only have to do one leg that you are best at. It would be amazing to send out a big team from Covenant next time.Thank you to the Sports Department for entering us. Thank you to our triathlon coaches for teaching us everything we know and helping us prepare for this race.
Thanks Ellie, and congratulations to all our competitors on your fantastic achievements!
A plethora of exciting Secondary camps just wrapped up on the last day of Term!
Each of our Year 7 to 10 students embarked on a journey this week, with skills to learn, challenges to take on and friendships to be forged.
We are so thankful to our fabulous teachers who have gone above and beyond to arrange (and attend) these camps!! Special thanks to Alison Vander Straaten, Director of Co-Curricular, for overseeing our entire camp program.
Mother's Day Morning - FINAL day to purchase tickets!
We love to celebrate and honour the beautiful mums in our community, so this year we have reimagined our Mother's Day event! Covie mums and their children are warmly invited to our Mother's Day Morning on Friday 10 May.
We are looking forward to seeing you there!
Bookings close tonight! To assist our Catering team, please book your tickets by the end of Term 1 (Friday 12 April).
From Term 2, all students are required to wear full Winter uniform.
The Uniform Shop will open on Monday 29 April from 9.00am to 12.00pm for families to purchase winter uniforms. No appointment is necessary.
Please read the following for details of Winter uniform requirements (Kindy to Year 12).
Infants
Students have two options, the play-based sport uniform or the traditional uniform:
For Terms 1 and 4, the uniform worn is the Summer dress for girls and the blue shirt and grey shorts for boys. Alternatively all students can wear the play-based sports uniform.
For Terms 2 and 3, the traditional winter uniform can be worn. For the girls - blue blouse, tunic (no tag), navy blue socks or stockings and black shoes. For the boys - blue shirt, grey pants (long or short), grey socks and black shoes. Alternatively, all students can wear the play-based sports uniform.
Note that if wearing the traditional uniform, it is expected that students will wear either the microfibre jacket (not sports) or the knitted jumper. If choosing the play-based option, the students can wear school-issued tracksuit pants and either the sports jacket, the microfibre jacket, or the knitted jumper.
Primary
For Terms 1 and 4, the uniform worn is the Summer dress or the blouse and shorts/long pants combination for girls, and the blue shirt and grey pants (long or short) for boys.
For Terms 2 and 3, the uniform worn is the Winter uniform for girls, blue blouse, tunic (no tag), navy blue socks or stockings and black shoes, or the blouse and shorts/long pants option. The boys uniform includes the blue shirt, grey pants (long or short), grey socks and black shoes.
Note that it is expected that students will wear either the microfibre jacket (not sports) or the knitted jumper on non-sport days. The sports jacket should be reserved for wearing with the sports uniform on sports days. The microfibre jacket can also be worn on sports days.
Secondary (Years 7-9)
Girls can choose to wear either the navy skirt, shorts or long pants with the blue blouse (with navy socks or black or navy stockings and black school shoes). The boys uniform remains the same as Term 1 – blue shirt, grey pants (long or short), grey socks and black shoes.
Note that it is expected that students will wear either the microfibre jacket (not sports) or the knitted jumper on non-sport days. The sports jacket should be reserved for wearing with the sports uniform on sports days. The microfibre jacket can also be worn on sports days.
Secondary (Years 10-12)
Girls can choose to wear either the navy skirt or long pants with the white blouse, with navy socks or navy or black stockings and black school shoes. For the boys, white shirt, grey long pants, tie, grey socks and black shoes.
Note – the blazer should be worn as the outer layer to and from school. On cold mornings, the jumper can be worn under the blazer to and from school. During the school day, either the blazer or jumper can be worn. (The microfibre jacket and the sport jacket can only be worn with the sport uniform.)
Faith in our Future
Recently, the Australian Law Reform Commission made recommendations that could impact faith and freedom of belief in Australia, particularly in our schools.
In response, My Christian School is running Town Hall events in major cities across Australia to allow parents, teachers and students to have their voice heard.
These events are called ‘Faith in our Future’ and will bring together supporters of Christian schools and their representatives in Parliament.
These events are an opportunity to share about the impact of Christian faith in our schools, to share our concerns with our Federal political representatives and ask for their support.
If you want the Government to continue to value the faith of Christian teachers and staff, you need to be there!
Bookings are now open for Term 2 Dance Academy, Sports Academy and Coding opportunities via the Co-Curricular tile on the Covie App.
Dance Academy timetable
Sports Academy
Coding
Care after Prep (CAP)
Dance Academy timetable
Sports Academy
Coding
Care after Prep (CAP)
Vacancies are available in our Care After Prep (CAP) program from 3.00pm to 6.00pm each day. CAP is available to children who are enrolled in Prep at Covenant on the days they attend and who are expected or eligible to enrol in Kindergarten in 2025. Permanent and casual bookings can be made via the Co-Curricular tile on the Covie app.
If your child is attending CAP in Term 1, don’t forget to enrol for Term 2 CAP via the Covie App > Co-Curricular.
Planning an absence of up to 4 days?
There is a new form you will need to complete if you are planning to take your child out of school for up to 4 days (Secondary students only).
If your child will be absent for up to 4 days due to a holiday, a planned medical procedure etc., you will need to complete a Planned Absence Form. This will ensure any missed assessments are rescheduled.
This form can also be found under Parent Resources > Quick Access: Essentials > Absences.
The current request for leave form for 5 days or more is also available under Parent Resources.