From our Principal – Mr Stanway

Dear Parents/Guardians, 

As we bring a close to the end of 2022, I reflect back on the year with a sense of relief, that we made it through such a challenging year mostly due to the impact of Covid-19. I am also so thankful and appreciative for all the support that the College Board, staff, students and parents have given throughout the year. 

FCC 25th Birthday Anniversary Celebration 

It was so wonderful to honor those who dreamed-the-dream of having a Christian school in the Mandurah region in 1994. These dreams became a reality, when the College commenced with 22 students in 1997. Today, we currently have just over 700 enrollments plus 105 staff for 2023. Wow!!! God is so faithful!

 I would like to honor the following people who attended the celebration for their part in the journey of Foundation Christian College:

• Mrs Dierdre Barrett-Lennard – First Teacher at Foundation Christian College 
• Mrs Janine Vander ven – Started the original parent Steering Committee 
• Mr Gary Daglish – Member of First Parent Steering Committee
• Mrs Sharon Mitchell – Head of Primary for 13 years 
• Mr Andrew Tennent – Mr Tennent served on the College Board, primarily as Chair, for over 20 years 
• Mrs Deb Hoffman – Our longest serving staff member (commenced in 1998) 
• Mr and Mrs Jackson – Whose daughter was in the very first class in 1997 
• Mrs Andrea Knoppers – Long-term board member whose daughter Jacinta, was one of our two first Year 12 Graduates
• Mrs Jacinta Robertson – One our first Year 12 Graduates who graduated in 2007
• Ms Lisa Wray – Teacher – After Dierdre, joined the teaching team while we were still located at the Church of Living Waters
• Miss Christine Smith – Joined the teaching team in 2001

The celebrations commenced with a special luncheon with the FFC Board, Executive Team, and the honoured guests. Following the luncheon, we had a special tour, led by Mr Daniel Aubrey (FCC Grounds/Maintenance) who gave a wonderful description of the recent tree-planting day in honor of Queen Elizabeth II. (The College received a grant of $14,000 to plant a range of Australian Native Plants throughout the College grounds.)

After the tour, we held a whole-College Christmas Service in the MPH, where we honored our special guests, read a special tribute (written by Federal Member of Canning, Mr Andrew Hastie) to Queen Elizabeth II, and had a Christmas Service. The Music team led the worship, and I shared a brief Christmas message on the birth of Christ, and the open invitation God gives to all humanity to receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. 

After the Christmas Service, we went outside and had gathered together and enjoyed a Family Picnic where we had 25th Anniversary birthday cake, sausage sizzle, icy-poles, and coffee! It was such a great way to finish the year celebrating as a College Community. 

I pray that you have a wonderful time over the Christmas and New year period with your family and friends. 

May God bless you, and I look forward to seeing you again in 2023!!!

Kind regards, 

Neville Stanway 

Principal 

PS

Enjoy the photos from the 25th Birthday Celebration article in this newsletter!

Lego League Champions!

On Saturday 3 December, two teams represented Foundation Christian College at the FIRST Lego League robotics competition!

The Sparks and the Flames have been working hard all term to prepare for this competition where they had to present an innovation project that solves a problem in the energy journey and compete in 3 sets of robotics games.

They had to complete challenges to earn points with robots, present their project and demonstrate their 21^st century skills – something the students had developed over the year. The growth mindset and the encouragement the students gave one another in the face of failure and things not going right was admirable and, for this effort, one of our teams took away – The Motivation Award!.

This means they motivated others and were motivated to learn and improve. What a great recognition for our Team!

A huge congratulations to all the students who represented the College; they did so with respect and integrity and continued to shine the light of God in their interactions.

WACSSA WINNERS!

Our Primary School Interschool Athletics Team won the WACSSA Division 2 Carnival (both track and field) earlier this term. This is the first time we have won a carnival since 2018! It was a close competition but every competitor who chose to compete helped make a difference to our score!

We even had some winners of championship trophies in our team!  The following students received medals:

Pheobe Nicoll – Runner-up Champion Girl, Year 3

Tristan Subke – 3^rd Place Champion Boy, Year 4

Nyaguam Gatluk – Runner-up Champion Girl, Year 4

Majiok Kir Riek – 3^rd Place Champion Boy, Year 5

Li-Anke Fick – Champion Girl, Year 5

Well done Team FCC!

Water Fun Day – Primary School

What better way to enjoy cleaning your classroom and marking the end of a school year than by having a WATER FUN DAY!

Our Primary Students enjoyed climbing and sliding on the giant (and the small) waterslides as well as played outside games and clean their desks and chairs – yes – they enjoyed cleaning because they had fun!

Thank you to our Primary School Team for making this day happen and for Teachers to be so willing to enjoy the water with the students!

Highlights from our Wonderful Triple Celebration!

On Thursday 1 December we celebrated Christmas, Her Majesty The Queen’s Jubilee Tree Planting AND our 25th Birthday!

It was so special to see so people from the beginning, who helped shape Foundation Christian College and then so many families, join in for the Assembly and after school fun! Mrs Cronin was almost knocked over with surprise at such a powerful and hearty rendition of “Happy Birthday” by our families and students – well done!

The College’s first teacher, Mrs Dierdre Barrett-Lennard cut the cake and sent the following message to us:

“Thank you for a most wonderful afternoon. It was good to be part of the celebration, to listen to Daniel explain about the new trees and gardens, to see and hear Neville Stanway interact so well with students, staff and parents.

Dierdre Barrett-Lennard”

You families, are what make our school so special, thank you for investing your time to celebrate these milestones with your family. Please enjoy some of the photos.

Do you have our APP?

Please make sure you access the College App so that you keep up to date with notifications, newsletters, and find links to teacher contact emails, absentee forms, class Facebook Groups and more!

You can get the App from the App Store or Google Play – just search for “Foundation Christian College”

The username is:

fccparent

Password is:

2022fccapp

The password will be changed when school has commenced in 2023 and families will be notified via email when this occurs.

Step-Up Day Appreciation!

Dear Step Uppers,

We would like to send a big shout out to all the staff and students that made Step Up Day such a success. It was so good to see the enthusiasm dissolve trepidation, courage destroy fear and see how new friendships are starting to be formed.

The induction speeches by the various leaders were short and sweet and we were able to get students off to their goody bags which had sticky notes, a map of the school, a highlighter for studying, a Foundies pencil and their classes for next year.

Thank you to the MESH classes and electives that were run. Classes were engaging and we started to have an idea of the capabilities of students for next year. The student leaders were a shining example of what it means to be a ‘Foundy’. They were friendly and helped all of the new students to get to events on time and set a standard of fantastic behaviour. These students received a much deserved lunch pack from the school for all of their efforts. Special must be made of TJ, our amazing Head Boy, who was on holiday and came in especially to serve the College by ushering a whole year 7 class around the college for the day.

Thank you for all those who worked behind the scenes, we really appreciate it.

Please give us any feedback that we can continue to work on to make this an even better day next year.

Blessings,

Evan Fisher and Ivor Marillier

History Showcase by Year 7 and 8

On 30 November the Year 7s and 8s showcased the results of their historical inquiries undertaken in Term 3.

Year 8s created artefacts and dioramas reflecting Medieval European history and the Year 7s productions were from Ancient Egypt.

There was a wide range of artefacts from swords and a scold’s cap to pyramids and canopic jars. The Whole College was invited to visit the museum display, which was open from recess until the end of lunch. We would like to thank everyone who came and supported us and hope and pray that next year it will be bigger and better.

I would also like to take this opportunity on behalf of myself and my team to wish our students and families a safe and joyous Christmas break. I pray that you remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. Blessings.

Deborah Kemp

Head of Humanities and Social Sciences

Beach Day @ Western Foreshore – Secondary

This year instead of going to the Rockingham Foreshore, our Team thought it would be great to try out the newly developed Western Foreshore to celebrate the end-of-year for our Secondary School.  And it sure was GREAT!

Students from Years 7-10 rotated through 4 Activity zones: Swimming, climbing in the Adventure Park, scooter or skate at the Skateboard Park and Volleyball. Within each of these zones’ students could not only choose the main activity, but were also free to play basketball, chill, play cricket, sit in the shade, or throw the frisbee. 

It was wonderful to see the students and staff interacting and playing sport or relaxing together, this made for a fun and enjoyable day, a great way to end a busy school year. We think this may get the tick of approval from staff and students alike, as the travel time that was saved from having to go to Rockingham, meant more time on the foreshore for fun! 

Thank you to Mr Harding for coordinating this event and special mention to Mr Aubrey our grounds man who is also a great skateboarder who was on hand to give tips to students who were keen to learn some tricks and skills.

Thanks, FCC Team, for a wonderful event!

Meet our Secondary School Chaplains…Mrs Caroline Perry

My name is Caroline Perry. I’ve been professionally counselling for the past 7 years.

I have a private practice and work for a training organisation, assessing students that are studying counselling, mental health, or social work at diploma level.

In my private work, I have found that the Lord has really brought mainly women and young girls to me that are struggling with self-worth, anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship issues and unresolved conflict.

I’m so excited to be in this space of Chaplaincy in the high school. Over the past six weeks of being here, I have been assessing:

1. How conflict is handled;

2. Anxiety is a big issue for numerous students;

3. Anger another emotion that could do with some healthy ways for students to process and cope better; and

4. Ongoing behavioural issues and how to manage them more effectively.

I believe every child has the right to feel safe at school, to know when they have something to say it’s heard and if help is needed then it will be given.

I pray my role here will bring value to those children/teens seeking support. That as we move into 2023, I can work alongside staff to support the needs they are seeing too and to bring about change that will empower your children to be equipped to deal with life’s challenges, as there will always be challenges!

The key is to help them feel confident, have a voice, learn tools to deal with big emotions and learn to self-regulate. Most importantly to know who they are in our precious Heavenly Father. This is a place where they can then thrive and continue to grow and learn.

I’m looking forward to 2023 and helping to implement ways that will benefit the kids and the College.

From our Inclusive Education Co-ordinator …What are IEP’s?

What are IEP’s?

“Students who require a modified curriculum or adjustments to the reporting of their achievement should have this information documented in an Individual Educational Plan (IEP), Individual Learning Plan (ILP), or differentiated learning plan.

An IEP is a personalised written plan that describes how classroom instruction is to be varied and the school curriculum is to be modified to ensure that the student will have equal opportunity to fulfil their potential within the classroom.

The plan may be developed by a team of people including you (the parent/guardian), the classroom teacher, support staff, and if appropriate, the student. Developing an IEP in a collaborative manner ensures that there is a shared understanding of the student’s strengths and difficulties as well as the specific aims and strategies of the document.

There are many different formats for an IEP, but ultimately, it should be clear and easily understood by everyone involved. An IEP is essentially an “Action Plan” and should include:

• Both long and short term goals with a clear timeline;
• Information about the specific equipment, programs or approach being used;
• Information regarding the assessment, reporting and reviewing of the identified outcomes;
• A statement about who will be taking responsibility for implementation and coordination of the IEP;
• The timing and frequency of reviews.” 

Visit Individual Education Plans (IEPs) explained – Parent’s Guide (uldforparents.com) to continue reading about IEP’s.

Should you have any queries about your child’s IEP or to discuss whether your child should have one, please contact Miss Allison Williams our Inclusive Education Coordinator.

Christmas Pageant Highlights

What a wonderful way our students, parents and staff represented the College on Friday 2 December at the City of Mandurah Christmas Pageant!

Thank you to Miss Sanderson and Mrs Cronin for coordinating our pageant entry and to Mandurah Towing Services for supplying the Tow Truck that carried our float.

As usual we presented the Nativity Scene and this year the Chidlow family – Kara, Dan and Thad blessed us by being Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus! Our Year 1 and 2 Students finished the scene by dressing as Angels, Wisemen and Shepherds.

Following the Nativity float were our amazing troupe of Drummers, Dancers and Singers who performed with all their hearts – awesome!

A special thank you to Mr McQueen for holding up the speaker in the middle of the pack so that everyone could hear the music! 

Well done everyone – Enjoy the photos! 

Can you bring HOPE to FCC?

A special thank you to our parent HOPE Volunteers at the College!

These parents are the class contacts for each year group and do an amazing job of keeping our Community Relations Officer informed of any needs within the College Community and they also assist with keeping each year group Facebook groups ticking along.

We are always looking for new volunteers to fulfil this role, so if you are passionate about Christian education, and have a heart to be involved in your school community, please let Michelle Cronin, Community Relations Officer know, and she can meet with you to talk further about HOPE.

What is HOPE FCC?

HOPE FCC stands for Helping Other Parents Enjoy Foundation Christian College.

If you would like to help our families enjoy the College and see yourself in this role please let Mrs Cronin know!

michelle.cronin@fcc.wa.edu.au

Uniform Shop Links

A reminder for all students and parents that Term 1 2023 requires summer uniform!

Students must be in full summer formal and sports uniform including their College Hat.

Here are the links to our Uniform Shop:

Locations

Online Uniform Shop Orders

Secondhand Uniforms

Alternatively if you would like to try and acquire secondhand uniforms please visit our parent-run Facebook group fcc buy and sell.

Help us Fundraise – Link your Rebel Sport Account to our College!

Our College is part of the Rebel Sport Community Giveback programme!

When you buy sporting gear from Rebel Sport – please consider linking your details with our College. Every dollar spent, goes towards a tally and at the end of each year we receive a percentage to spend at Rebel Sport. This is a great opportunity for our Sporting Department to add to our supplies.

Peel School Program – Gilbert and Sons – Help us Fundraise!

If you shop at Gilberts – please ask for a Gilbert’s card and link it to Foundation Christian College!

Every time you shop at Gilbert & Sons, scan your card at the checkout and they will donate 1% of the money you spend to your nominated school.

So far our College has received $2600 from the programme!

You can register instore or apply online and nominate Foundation Christian College as your chosen school.

 https://www.gilbertandsons.com.au/support-our-schools

Together with Gilbert & Son’s help us make a difference for our children and our school.

Do you own a Business? – Join our Business Community in B2Me!

We want to support our families who own a business and if you do, please consider joining our Community Business Directory in B2Me.

Our College was one of the first schools to be part of this platform and it is a great way to promote your business and also to link in our community so that we can support you!

The link below takes you to our website where you can either join to register your business or join to be a member and find great businesses to support.

FCC Business Directory – B2Me

Christmas Cupboard Countdown

This year we collected over 1550 items for the Peel Community Christmas Hamper Appeal – we beat our goal of 1500 items! You are amazing!

I have stopped by Eastlake Church, which is the pick-up point for the hampers that have been made for people in need this Christmas and they are expecting to give out over 2000 hampers! You are all amazing! Families in our community will be able to have a lovely Christmas when they receive the hampers. Thank you for your generosity with supporting this project. Our contributions will make a massive difference to this appeal.