Tickets are now on sale for this year's CCS Dance Academy End of Year Concert.
CCS Dance Academy presents a night of dance set to your favourite artists, rock stars, pop stars and famous composers.
2. Select "Continue Shopping: This event" and order a DVD if required.
Parents and Staff join us to enjoy a scrumptious morning tea as we give thanks to God for 2017. It’s a day to remember, to connect, to catch up, to be loved and to know you are appreciated. No RSVP needed.
Parents and Staff join us to enjoy a scrumptious morning tea, prepared by Michelle Rogers and her senior Hospitality students, as we give thanks to God for 2017. It’s a day to remember, to connect, to catch up, to be loved and to know you are appreciated. No RSVP needed. Come and go as you need to.
Together we want to say thank you for your partnership with the community at Covenant.
We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
In collaboration with the Greener Communities and Waste Teams we are hosting a Beach Clean Up, an Outdoor viewing of A Plastic Ocean and a subsidised Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary Tour on Saturday 25 November starting at 5:00pm at Manly Cove Beach. Our Creeks, Lagoons and Beaches are what making living on the Northern Beaches so special. However, plastic is threatening the place we hold so dear. Join us for this fun filled night to show your love for the sea and see how we can solve this plastic problem together.
Outdoor Screening of A Plastic Ocean Starts at 7pm – BYO Picnic Blanket.
Learn about Urban Art from Industry Professionals in this free hands on course. Sessions are held every Wednesday 4-6 pm for 6 weeks, starting November 1, ending December 6 at YoYo’s Youth Centre in Frenchs Forest.
Things are sure busy at Covenant Christian School this term. You will no doubt have noticed by now that we are in the busyness of a building development, something we are very grateful to God for. The new C Block will be a wonderful addition to the resources of our school, and we are excited about the opportunities ahead.
Besides the obvious, it is now week three of the HSC examinations, and a number of our students are now finished their final examinations, and many getting close to the end. We would appreciate your ongoing prayers for our students as they seek to communicate their understanding in their exams at this time, as they approach the last day of testing on November 7. But much more than that, our prayer is that the students, who complete Year 12 and move onto other things, will remember the things they were taught at school, and find their identity in Christ Jesus.
On Monday, I was one of the parents picking up children after the Musical rehearsals, feeling thankful for the time our staff and students are putting into their preparations for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which is only a few short weeks away. As you continue to pray, please remember our staff in particular, who on top of their enormous marking and reporting load, are giving up many hours to ensure that the show is a great success! Don’t forget to buy your tickets, and I look forward to seeing you there!
As we come to the end of another year, it provides an opportunity to reflect on the things God has taught us, and the privilege it is to serve Him here at Covenant. For me, this year has been a year when I have learned much about trust. Trust in God and His sovereignty in all things. A reminder that He is in control and I am not. That His ways are higher than our ways, and that He is worthy of our trust. To God be the glory.
​This year, Covenant again hosted the annual Pushing the Boundaries Extension and Enrichment Day for Year 9 students. The day was a buzz of energy, creativity and academic fervour as 225 students from schools all around the state came together for a day of exciting workshops.
This year, Covenant again hosted the annual Pushing the Boundaries Extension and Enrichment Day for Year 9 students. The day was a buzz of energy, creativity and academic fervour as 225 students from schools all around the state came together for a day of exciting workshops. There were nine morning workshops and nine afternoon workshops for students to consider. Topics were many and varied, from UNSW Engineering, to Philosophy to Digital Music and Psychology. The Australian Theatre for Young People hosted a Physical Theatre and Stage Fighting workshop for those who were dramatically inclined and the University of New South Wales hosted a coding workshop for those eager to develop their computing skills.
It was fantastic to see students pushed creatively and academically with like-minded peers. Many were excited to experience subjects, which aren’t normally addressed in the regular curriculum. One highlight was seeing so many students from so many different schools come together and form new friendships.
All in all, an exciting day!
Year 9 IST visited Telstra and Apple in the city. At Telstra they spent time looking at the technology that Telstra use to both communicate and support their customer requirements. They looked at how technology is now being used in the home and also in the store. They saw how sensors are used to track popular products in store by looking at the location of people in the store and how prices on products are now updated digitally rather than printing new prices for stock.
Students then went to Apple and looked into the history of Apple products up to the future. They focused on Augmented Reality and spent time learning to code using the new Swift application.
At the beginning of the last holidays, I was lucky enough to be awarded a scholarship to attend SCIVIS which is Space Camp for visually impaired students held in the US Space and Rocket Center in Alabama USA. I was just old enough to participate in the Advanced Space Academy which was pretty awesome.
At the beginning of the last holidays, I was lucky enough to be awarded a scholarship to attend SCIVIS which is Space Camp for visually impaired students held at the US Space and Rocket Center in Alabama USA. I was just old enough to participate in the Advanced Space Academy which was pretty awesome.
I flew over with two students and two chaperones from the RIDBC (the people who support me at school). We were even allowed to sit in the cockpit once we had landed (which is really unusual nowadays with all the security stuff). We went a few days early so that we could get over the jetlag because you do not want to be tired at space camp as every day was from 7am-11pm.
The camp facilities themselves are really cool. The dorms are replicas of shuttles and rockets and are designed to look like a futuristic space station. There are also various shuttles, rockets and military vehicles all around the camp.
We were all put into teams of about 12 people and we stayed with our team for all 6 days of camp. As part of a team you do a lot of things together: eat meals, hang out, do missions and lots of physical and team building exercises to build up trust and believe me, you definitely want to trust your team at space camp, especially when you are relying on your team to not crash your shuttle when you are entering Earth’s atmosphere.
We also completed many different space simulated missions. I was appointed shuttle commander on our final mission to Mars. Throughout the mission I had to fill out a checklist of things to do like pressing buttons, flicking switches and doing a lot of calculations so that you don’t aim your shuttle in the wrong direction. We had to fix malfunctions of the shuttle when a light from a panel of lights would turn on saying there was an “Oxygen deficiency” or “Rocket thrusters go offline” and things like that. These missions and situations really help you to think on your feet and handle stress quite well.
We also had people from NASA come in and talk to us about their jobs, some of whom were visually impaired and they were doing really high-level jobs at NASA like engineering. Their stories were really encouraging for us because it showed us that nothing can stop us from pursuing our passion.
The Physical Challenges are really full on, with the hardest one probably being the one where we have to climb to the top of a 35ft telegraph pole, stand on the top for a few seconds, and then jump off.
At space camp, we were given a lot of different simulations to give the feeling of lack of gravity. We even went scuba diving (in a tank so no sharks!) which was really fun. We also went on a device called the 1:6 chair which holds 5/6 of your weight and gives you the experience of being super light.
We also went on something called the multi-access trainer which spins you around and gives you the feeling of what it would be like if your shuttle was hit in space. Luckily, nobody threw up! We also took part in engineering challenges where we were given a small amount of time and fake money to design things like rockets (which we launched at the end of camp) and Mars land rovers. We also attended a lot of different seminars based on astronomy and history.
Space Camp is open all year but once a year it is open to visually impaired students only. All the instruction and information is in Braille or large print so that everyone can participate. It was great to meet so many different people from around the world and see what their lives were like, and how they face their own challenges in life (I also had people believing 'drop bears' are real and Australia doesn’t have SpongeBob).
I am so thankful for the opportunity to have attended Space Camp. I was sponsored by Northrup Grumman (which is a company who creates parts for the Shuttles and Rockets for NASA) and the RIDBC who sent over chaperones to take photos of our course. Space Camp was an unforgettable experience and something that I would recommend to anyone.
Last week at Extend After School Care we were very creative. We made origami crabs and chatter boxes. On Tuesday we had a picnic and did running races from one side of the high school oval to the other. I think it was a very active week!
Term 4 Working Bee will be held on Saturday 11 November, from 8:00am to 12:00pm. Working Bees are a great way to meet other members of our community while assisting the school in a practical way. Morning tea will be provided. Please bring a pair of gloves.
Praise God for Jesus, who gave up His life for us, so that through faith in Him we can have life eternal, and are blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing.
Pray for HSC students as they continue their exams till next Tuesday.
Pray for Duke of Ed Information night on Thursday.
Give thanks and pray for teachers and students in Secondary School.
Pray for safety around school during construction and for minimal disruption to staff and students.
Pray for those grieving and suffering in our community, that God will give them comfort in this time.
Pray for our students to know the hope and grace that is in Christ, to know that He gave His life for them, and to know that they are never alone in their struggles.
Please join us in prayer from 9.00 - 9.30am on Thursdays in T9 (classroom between Preschool & K Block) during term time.
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.
Many young people want to work with animals, but don’t know where to start looking. They also often feel like veterinary science is out of their reach. Here are a few websites and ideas to start researching jobs with animals.
(Even though this an American website it has some good ideas and a good place to start thinking about potential jobs with animals. Note the pay scale would be different in Australia).
Find out about mechatronic engineering. It is documented that around forty-four per cent of jobs are under threat from automation, according to CSIRO. And it’s not just manufacturing, even jobs like accounting and law are at risk. But the news is not all bad. Just as fast as robots are replacing jobs, new careers are being created and many of them are in robotics.
Free ACE the HSC seminars for parents and students at Macquarie University & UTS. It is a series of seminars for Year 11/12 students and/or parents (10am-12:30pm) on Sunday 12th November. Topics include: Stress-Free HSC, HSC English presentation, exam/study strategies and parent information. Due to limited places, registration is essential. RSVPhttps://hscintheholidays.com.au or call 1300 677 336.
Sat 4 November 10am-12pm, 2/40 Oxley St, St Leonards.
Love interiors? The Open Day is an opportunity to explore a creative career in interior design and decoration. You'll get hands on building your own interiors mood board and find out everything you need to know about their accredited careers courses and flexible learning options.
Becoming a commercial pilot is easier than you think according to the Sydney Flight College. If you have a Passion for Flying there is an opportunity to explore this further at the Sydney Flight College Open Day. Some free air experience flights to the first ten Y12 students to register for the open day on Sunday 19th November 2017 at Bankstown are available. To register for a free flight visithttp://bit.ly/2xI2Weo or call us on 9709 8488 for more information.
Scholarships are available for study in 2018 across a range of areas including business, design, education, health, and hospitality.
Throughout January, Whitehouse Institute are hosting short workshops that will give you introductory skills in fashion, interior design or photography.
Time has flown by, and we are racing towards opening night of the Secondary School Musical ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ - the magical adventures of a flying car. Ninety people successfully auditioned as cast and chorus members.
Time has flown by, and we are racing towards opening night of the Secondary School Musical ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ - the magical adventures of a flying car. Ninety people successfully auditioned as cast and chorus members. These fabulously DRIVEN performers have been working TIRE LESSLY for many Terms. Learning dances, memorising lines, TUNING their voices and rehearsing to the point of EXHAUST-ion.
There have been extraordinary mothers behind the scenes sewing costumes. With 90 people in the cast, most have two or three costumes… that’s a lot of skirts and hats. The art department have been painting, the maintenance team have been building the most exciting props.
So people - START YOUR ENGINES - REV YOUR MOTORS - this is going to be a the most FANTASMAGORICAL MUSICAL.
There are four performances for you to enjoy. Opening night on the Wednesday, Thursday afternoon, stay after school with your friends to see the 4pm show. Then of course Friday night- bring your youth group along. And you can’t miss the excitement of closing night when Chitty flies away for ever!
Also, we have a fabulous opportunity for you and your family and friends to have your photo taken in our magical car.
Drama Teacher, Mrs Pitt, would like to leave you with a joke - what has four wheels and flies? Scroll down.
Almost 40 years ago in 1978 on Saturday the 20th May, Dr Joel Nederhood, a radio Minister on the ‘Back to God Hour’, addressed the fundamental reason for why a group of parents set out to start Covenant Christian School.
Our society has, basically, two answers to this question.
There is the Marxist idea: children belong to the Government, they are part of the State. And so the State is in control of education. Children have to be taught that they grow up into the kind of persons the State wants them to become. Parents have no responsibility regarding education and should not do what the State has to do.
Then we have the individualistic approach: these children are MY children, they are my possession and I can do with them as I please. This approach can have terrible consequences. Let us think for an instance of abortion. The basic thing here is that when you have a child, even an unborn child, then it is up to you what to do with that child. It is said: "It is the right of then mother to make a choice whether her child will live or die". The future of the child is dependent exclusively on what the mother decides will happen to the child.
As Christians, we reject the notion that our children belong to the State. We also reject the notion that our children are the possession of the parents. As Christians we joyfully believe that our children are GOD's children. In 1 Corinthians 7 Paul is speaking about women who married unbelievers and husbands who married unbelieving wives. He then says that the unbelieving husband is sanctified by his wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by her believing husband. Otherwise - he says - your children would be unclean, but no they are holy.
Paul makes here an important point. Even though the marriage is not an idea one - one of a believer and an unbeliever - yet the child of a believing parent is a holy child. That does not mean that these children are perfect, but it means that these children have been set aside (the word "holy" often means that), they have a special position: they belong to God, they belong to the Covenant.
What does the "Covenant" mean?
It means that when God works His grace in this world He does not say: I include this man, that woman, that child; but when He comes in His grace He says: I will be your God and the god of your children.
This does not mean our children are automatically saved because they are Covenant children. It means that before they know their right hand from their left, God comes into their lives with His message of Salvation. He sets His mark upon them and says: "this child belongs to Me!" That is the dynamic of the Covenant.
What a blessing it is to be brought up in the fear of the Lord. What kind of children are they? The children of believers!
What a wonderful and glorious privilege. We received our children from the hand of the Lord and we know that. Now it is our responsibility to bring up our children in the fear of the Lord.
I like to approach this matter of Christian education first from the negative side; the alternative.
Christian education is not just the icing on the cake - it is absolutely necessary, for the alternative is to bring them into a pagan temple! Let me show you what I mean by that. I don't want to day awful things about people. I know that there are wonderful people in the State schools and we thank God for teachers, principals and administrators in those schools who love the name of Jesus Christ. But I am talking about the State school as a system. Because education in the State school is pagan, the school itself is a pagan temple!
A nation confesses its faith when it educates the children. It is a totally religious affair. Decisions have to be made which are fully religious. A decision has to be made whether there is a God who made everything. When education deals with all the things around us a choice is to be made: did God create it all or it is all the result of evolution? The answer is most important, and one way or another it is a religious answer!
To mention another example: what exactly are the children, what is man? The State school says: man is part of the animal kingdom. That is a decision, a religious one! Or: what is the ultimate authority? Is it man's rationality or is it the Bible?
Education is religious and the school is a temple. It is a pagan temple dedicated to naturalistic evolution, or a temple of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Every day of every school period is a confession of faith When we talk about the world we say: "this is my Father's world." And we can't send our children to a place where the idols of this world are being worshiped all the time.
A Christian school is not a school where we teach church doctrine. That is the church's responsibility. But it is the task of the school to witness to the children about the saving love of Jesus Christ. We teach them to think in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is a tragedy of our time that so many children of Christian parents are sent to State schools. They may attend Sunday school, they may go to church and learn there to worship the LORD. And then they are sent to a school where they are taught to worship a secular idol.... State schools are fine schools for people who do not believe in Jesus. But there is no place in it for children who belong to God!
To faithfully serve in God’s plan to restore all things under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
To assist parents in the nurture of their children, by providing a Christ-centred, biblically grounded, culturally engaging and academically rigorous education to equip the children to live for God’s glory.
Recently, Rachael Lin (Year 9), Emily Stewart (Year 10) and Daniel Cooke, represented Covenant Christian School for the first time in the NSW Philosothon, hosted by St Andrew’s Cathedral School.
Recently, Rachael Lin (Year 9), Emily Stewart (Year 10) and I, represented Covenant Christian School for the first time in the NSW Philosothon, hosted by St Andrew’s Cathedral School.
Is it moral to create a donor baby?
Is the mind a physical thing?
The evening involved students from a range of schools such as Ascham School, North Sydney Girls High School, Meriden School and Cranbrook School (among others). Students ventured avenues such as utilitarianism, Kant’s Categorical Imperative, the transcendental qualities of mind and art, the planes of interaction between the brain and the mind, the sacrificial nature of safety, totalitarianism, and the true nature of Being, in an attempt to answer these perplexing questions.
Overall, the night’s discussion was both fascinating and enriching for all students and spectators and it has hopefully encouraged students to consider with greater depth, issues or notions which may often be erroneously pawned off as being superfluous or pointless.
Year 8 went to Orchard Hills Water Recycling Plant and St Mary's Water Recycling Plant to see how water is managed in the greater Sydney area. Orchard Hills provides Sydney with all its drinking water and the students learnt how this process is managed. St Mary's treats all the waste water that is generated by removing all the dirty items imaginable that are flushed away and once the water is treated it is returned to the river system.
The students completed some scientific water testing to ensure our water meets drinking standard and learnt what we has humans can do to help manage this valuable resource.
​On Thursday 26 October, a team of 25 Secondary School students and seven Junior School students ventured to the International Regatta Centre, Penrith, to participate in triathlons and biathlons. For the majority of students, this was their first experience in participating in such an event.
Thank you to the awesome support crew of Mrs McDonald, Mr Cochrane and the many parents who helped on the day with transporting students and bikes. The triathlon team are very grateful to be given this opportunity to compete in these events.
Early one morning, 45 students loaded their instruments onto a coach ready for a day of music. Timpanis, Trumpets and Tenor Saxs were transported all the way to Newcastle where the Senior Band linked up with Music students from Belmont Christian College for a day of performances and workshops.
Belmont Christian College's Principal, Miss Sopher, was at Covenant for over 10 years before taking up her new role in 2016. The College have just started a new band program in their Junior School, so our students were able to provide them with some workshops and section tutoring, as well as presenting a concert that will hopefully inspire them in their desire to pursue their instrument further. A fun day was had by all!
Thanks Belmont for hosting us, and thanks to our teachers for letting us out of class for the day to make the most of this great opportunity.