General Information
- School Service Policy
- Our School Service Policy encourages parents to demonstrate a practical commitment to the school they have chosen for their children, by contributing to the life of the School in some way. The Policy asks each school parent to contribute a minimum eight hours per year in School Service. The opportunities are numerous and the School does not dictate where or how parents can complete their School Service. It may be in reading groups, library assistance, activities week, gardening , cleaning, or with odd jobs- School Service hours can be achieved wherever a need exists.
We highly value the once a term Working Bees as this allows additional care of the spacious surroundings and wonderful facilities the the students of SHCS enjoy. As such Working Bees attract double time in School Service hours and are a great way to get to know other school families. Although we would much rather have a contribution in School Service, there may be some families who are unable to attain the requirement. In such cases these families will be asked to contribute $200 to the School Building Fund in lieu of the completion of their School Service hours. This will be added to their school fees account.
- Term Dates
- SHCS operates on the NSW school term dates with the exception of term 3 which has one week less than the normal school term. This allows for teacher training to take place and is in lieu of the normal one pupil free day per term.
- Discipline of Students
- The continued enrolment of students is dependent on their behaviour being in accordance with the school rules and regulations, as amended from time to time, and excursion privileges may be forfeited with failure to comply with these rules. Further details regarding discipline can be found in the school's Discipline Policy, a copy of which can be viewed in the school office or is available on the school's website.
- Special Needs
- Because of the size of the School and it's supportive environment, many requests are received to enrol students with a special social, emotional or educational need. In most cases the school does not receive the level of funding that public schools do for special needs, and as such, our capacity to cater for all of these enrolments is limited. Each application for enrolment is considered on the basis of places, resources and facilities available at that given time.
- Mission and Community Service Program
- At SHCS we are committed to the development of the whole child, mentally, spiritually, physically and emotionally. Part of this commitment is to help them achieve an outward focus. As an element in this development, our entire student body is involved in the Compassion Child sponsorship program and we currently support 3 children. The students are encouraged to bring a weekly coin contribution which is collected at a class level and then channelled to the Compassion group for distribution to our chosen children. By being involved in this, the students have the opportunity to help those less fortunate than themselves.
The highlight of school for many of the students is our camping and mission program. Year 7 enjoy their Orientation Camp, while Year 8 participates in a leadership challenge activity. Our Year 9 students take part in a self discovery outdoor education camp as well as being involved in community service programs such as assisting in local nursing homes, sheltered workshops and charity organisations. There is also a wide selection of community support opportunities, which in the past have included fund-raising for numerous charities such as Bikes 4 Bibles, Angel Flight and CanTeen. Students from Years 10 and 11 have the opportunity to be involved in our mission trips both within Australia, such as Bourke and Darwin, and overseas to countries such as Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu or they may chose to participate in self awareness trips such as Walk the Line which is a week long hike from Wollongong lighthouse to the Sydney Opera House and raises funds for a charity; or The Grand Cycle Tour, whereby students bike from the Highlands to Jenolan Caves. Without a doubt, these trips are the highlight for many students, and they see the unique opportunity provided to them in serving others.
We want to challenge all students to not only respond to Christ but to share His love and the offer of salvation that He freely makes.
Each year of High School aims to see the students mature in character, academia and Christian outlook. As a result, the students' experiences in camps, mission trips and service programs increase each year, which demands more of the students in a nurturing environment. Students learn responsibility and accountability in an effort to develop compassion and wisdom. SHCS believes in giving 'life' to the curriculum by providing excursions and field study experiences that directly reflect the curriculum being studied. These outings are designed to enhance the students' understanding of the particular subject through first hand experience.
As you look through the pages of our website, we hope you will gain a deeper understanding of life at SHCS, but more importantly, how life can be an amazing journey with many fantastic opportunities which we endeavour to share with each student.
