Join us for a joyful evening at the ICS Christmas Markets on Saturday, November 29 from 5–8pm! Come and explore a delightful range of crafts, cakes, plants, hampers, and other handmade goods created by members of our school community.

Enjoy barista coffee, food truck burgers, BBQ treats, donuts, fairy floss, and much more, all while you're entertained by musical performances from our talented K–11 students, and lots more exciting stalls around our school grounds.

Can you lend even an hour of your time to help make the evening run smoothly? If you’re able to volunteer, we’d love to hear from you – sign up via this link.

We can't wait to see you there!

It was a fantastic opportunity to welcome so many members of our wider school community as they spent time with their grandchildren and experienced a glimpse into school life at ICS.

Thank you to the grandparents and grand-friends who visited!

Well done to our Year 12 2025 cohort on finishing their HSC Examinations! The final examination finished last Friday, that being Food Technology.

On Wednesday 12 November we were able to celebrate and acknowledge our wonderful Year 12 cohort with their Year 12 Formal at The Grange. Our prayers will continue to be with Year 12 as they move on to the next step of their journeys. May they always keep perspective of that which is most important in life; that being knowing Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

On Wednesday 19 November, we welcomed our new Year 7 2026 cohort on site for their Year 7 Orientation Day.

Our team put together an exciting day designed to help our new students make friends and find out a little bit more about Secondary school. I challenge our new cohort of students in the following two ways, and I would love to extend this to everyone in our school community:

I love to see when students genuinely look out for the needs of others. It is powerful and makes a significant difference in the lives of others. Seek to serve just as Christ came not to be served but to serve.

Take every opportunity! Embrace challenges, accept reasonable risks, and be ok with making mistakes. Memories will be forged, experiences gathered, and character forged as students seek opportunities to test themselves both inside and out of the classroom.

Beyond this, our greatest desire is for our students to know Jesus, live like Jesus and lead others to Jesus. In 1 Peter 1:3-5 it says:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

As our new Year 7 students journey through this school with us, it is our prayer that they will feel a sense of connection and belonging, that they will thrive and grow into tenacious, individual learners, that they will embrace the challenge of the many opportunities presented to them and that above all else, that they will see the true and living hope that is in Jesus Christ.

As I am sure you are aware, from 10 December 2025, the Australian Government will introduce new age restrictions for social media use, with most major platforms requiring users to be 16 years or older . You can find full details and parent resources on the eSafety Commissioner’s website .

This move responds to well-documented concerns about how constant online engagement affects young people’s mental health, sleep, relationships, and sense of identity. As a school community, we see the effects of these pressures firsthand. We want our students to be truly present, to build friendships face-to-face, to take healthy, age-appropriate risks, and to enjoy the freedom and independence of real-world experiences.

If you haven’t already, now is the time to begin intentional conversations with your children about their online habits. The eSafety website offers excellent guides and practical ways to help families set boundaries that reflect wisdom and care. This is a significant cultural moment; one that gives parents permission to say “not yet” and to set limits confidently. Together, we can help our young people flourish both online and offline, growing in Christ-centred relationships, compassion, curiosity and courage.

Mr Peter Richardson
Director of Secondary School

Renee's Industrial Technology Multimedia Major Work, titled ' The Fragments ' , is a short, immersive horror experience on Roblox, combining mood, music, and visual storytelling to explore a character’s eerie world. Built using Roblox Studio, Blender, GarageBand, and supported by promotional content like a website, character designs, and tutorials, it forms a cohesive and creatively crafted narrative.

Madison's Drama Major Work, a costume design for ' Girl Asleep ' by Matthew Whittet , explores the complex and often conflicting emotions of growing up. The concept focuses on visually expressing the protagonist's internal journey, capturing her fears, desires, and transformation as she moves through the unfamiliar and daunting landscape of adolescence.

Congratulations to Renee and Madison for these outstanding achievements!

Held at the Wollongong Leisure Resort, with generous support from the Wollongong Reformed Church who kindly provided access to their facilities, the retreat focused on developing Christian leadership grounded in character, service, and spiritual growth.

Students engaged in powerful devotions led by Dan Kroon (Minister, Wollongong Reformed Church) and Dave Matthews (Minister in Training) , exploring themes of self-control, integrity, and sincerity in leadership. Keynote sessions were delivered by Mr Simon Lainson (Principal) , Mrs Melinda Sharpe (Deputy Principal) , and Miss Heather Mansley (Director of Wellbeing) , offering practical Godly insights and encouragement for the year ahead. The program also included breakout sessions tailored to each leadership area, giving students the opportunity to reflect, collaborate, and prepare for the unique responsibilities they carry.

“The student leadership camp was a great experience for maturity and growth in my personal faith. It allowed me to understand how to lead as a servant leader. I learnt to hold close to values of self-control and integrity, being authentic and strong in character. My biggest takeaway was when Mr Lainson said, ‘Leadership falls down when character comes into question.’”
— Josh Olsen

“The 2025 leadership camp was a valuable, fun and enriching opportunity for the new ICS leaders to deepen our understanding of the importance of integrity, humility, and servant-heartedness within our roles. I am especially grateful for the teachers who came along and contributed to the fun and positive environment, making it a truly special experience. Overall, camp has made me even more excited for the year ahead and the chance to serve as a leader—for God’s glory and the good of our ICS community.”
— Jemima Dombkins

This retreat was a truly worthwhile experience, one that not only strengthened leadership skills but also deepened faith, built community, and prepared our students to lead with purpose and conviction in the year ahead.

Mrs Melinda Sharpe
Deputy Principal

On Monday, October 27, Stage 5 students hosted a vibrant Creative and Performing Arts Night, showcasing their talents across the disciplines of Music, Visual Arts, and Drama.

The evening featured a lively drama performance of Murder on the 518 , alongside some impressive musical performances and visual artworks students had crafted acrpss the year.

Check out some more photos of the event here.

On Wednesday, November 5, the ICS Primary CAPA Evening returned for the first time since 2018!

Artwork from every ICS Primary student was on display in the Hall, with a selection of music, drama and dance performances taking centre stage throughout the evening. Also sharing the limelight were a selection of performances from our talented Primary musical groups, including our Training and Primary Bands, Primary Choir, Year 5/6 Strings Ensemble, and the newest addition to these groups – Joyful Noise, our K-2 Choir!

What a great start to Term 4 in the creative and performing arts scene! It has been wonderful to see the talents of our students on display.

On October 18 and 19, these three teams headed to the national finals held at Knox Grammar School to compete against the best teams in the country.

On the topic of nanotechnology, teams were presented with a future scene set in around 2045 outlining a scene whereby challenges are encountered due to the use of nanotechnology. In a 2-hour period, these teams of four:

A side competition, held just at nationals, is the action plan presentation , whereby the action plan developed in the booklet is transformed into a drama to perform in front of an audience.

This year, there were 35 Middle Division (Years 7 to 9) teams who were invited from across the country to complete at the finals. The academic booklet is highly challenging and the Middle Division is the biggest division at the competition.

We are incredibly delighted to announce that our middle division team consisting of Hannah Williams, Sarah Antony, Dakota Delfs and Rosalind Grice were announced as the 2025 Middle Division National Champions ! They have now received an invitation to the international conference held in the USA in June 2026. This is an absolutely outstanding achievement and we couldn't be prouder of our students.

In the action plan presentation competition, our Senior Division team placed second out of the 16 senior teams (Years 10-12) in their division at the national event. We were informed they were only one point away from placing first!

Their presentation was engaging, funny and entertaining and we are incredibly proud of them. The team consisted of Piper Story, Sree Nair, Abby Haines and Miriam Olmos, Abby Haines and Sree Nair .

Our third team was outstanding throughout the event. They worked together exceptionally well and represented Illawarra Christian School admirably. We are very proud of them. The team consisted of Emily Evans Gildea, Isabel Carroll, Jasmine Davies and Olivia Arthur .

We are so proud of our teams and we are delighted to be able to provide opportunities for our high-potential students to develop their skills, have amazing experiences and increase in confidence by engaging in programs such as Future Problem Solving.

Mrs Simone Brown
Director of Teaching and Learning

Colin’s Christmas albums have spanned generations, bringing his songs to schools, churches, carols by candlelight - and Christmas parties - across Australia. His Aussie Jingle Bells is a true blue Aussie classic. His Scholastic storybooks - Santa Koala , The 12 Days of Aussie Christmas and the like - have become Aussie family favourites.

And as Australia’s #1 kids Christian artist, Colin’s King of Christmas and Jingle Jingle Jesus albums have had families singing and celebrating the birth of Jesus, year after year.

Bible-based songs like On That Very First Christmas , Merry Merry Christmas , Happy Happy Day and Go Tell It To Australia (No Bells!) have become Colin Christmas classics. They join Colin evergreens like 10, 9, 8…God is Great , King of the Jungle and Jesus Rocks The World . And Colin’s collaboration with CityAlight, Jesus Strong & Kind has introduced him to a worldwide audience.

Says Colin, “This year, I’m ready for a good old Christmas singalong! Christmas carols are some of my favourite songs of all. Nudge and I can’t wait to do some carol singing with our friends! I just hope there’s no puppet mischief!”

A Colin Concert has become something special not only for kids but for generations who have grown up with Colin Songs. “I just love how these shows are becoming all-age! There are pre-schoolers, big kids, teens, grandparents…and a lot of the children who came to the concerts back in the day have their own children now! It’s like a great big all-age Christmas Party! I love that!"

Colin Buchanan’s Big Christmas Concert is a family show is full of energy, participation, dancing, singing and a heathy dollop of unpredictable fun - all wrapped around the Colin songs that have been the soundtrack to countless kids clubs, Sunday schools, church services, long drives and family bedtimes.

Everyone's invited to come and add their voice to Colin Buchanan's Big Christmas Concert Tour! Colin can't wait to hear you sing, watch you dance, throw out the beach balls and fire up his remarkable Dunny Blasta™ toilet paper blower for a Christmas party like no other! He'll see you there!

Wollongong City Council has recently received feedback from a member of the public regarding unsafe and illegal parking around Illawarra Christian School, particularly during busy drop-off and pick-up times.

These behaviours, such as parking across driveways or too close to intersections, can create serious safety risks for our students, families, and neighbours.

As a school community, we all share the responsibility of keeping one another safe. Council has asked us to pass on some important reminders about parking rules under the NSW Road Rules:

Do not stop or park your vehicle:

Failure to follow these rules may result in fines or demerit points, especially during active School Zone times when penalties are higher.

Let’s continue to work together to ensure our school remains a safe and welcoming place for everyone. By parking legally and respectfully, we show care not only for our children but also for our wider community.

See below for some more information from Wollongong City Council regarding common parking rules and signage.