From the Acting Vice Principal

As Term 1 draws to a close, if you were to look back over 10 weeks of Vine editions, scroll through the CCG Facebook and Instagram pages, or glance at the College calendar for the term, you will quickly realise that a lot of really, really good things happen on all our campuses. There are incredible learning opportunities in classrooms, excursions and camps, House competitions and other sporting events, music performances, parent morning teas, picnics and welcome evenings, learning conferences, community service initiatives and much, much more.

None of this would be possible, of course, without the enthusiasm, dedication and capabilities of our wonderful teaching staff at Christian College. They are not only committed to helping young people learn and grow, but willing to enhance their own skills as teachers in order to do so. A large proportion of staff, for instance, are this year undertaking the Christian College Professional Growth Program, our internally-developed framework for goal-setting and ongoing professional development. I am grateful for the work of Ingrid Staggard, Director of Learning Design and Teacher Development, who is guiding staff through this important process.

From the Head of Campus

It has been such a joy to observe the students engaged in their learning and connected with peers across Term 1. With a full program of camps, excursions and rich classroom learning programs our young people have been enriched through their school experience this term. It has been wonderful to have had the opportunity to fully engage together as a community, through our afternoon coffee parent catch ups, our various events and having our families in and around the campus on a daily basis, we have been blessed with a real vibrancy of conversation and connection together. I sincerely thank families for your support, engagement and partnership with us throughout this term. As a staff team we truly value this.

Today we stopped and paused as students and staff in our Campus Easter Services heard the ‘good news’ of the Gospel. God’s amazing plan to restore us into a relationship with him through the love and hope our Lord has offered us through the sacrifice of His son, Jesus.

Various students led us through the Easter story and we were blessed with musical pieces by our Middle School Strings and Junior Choir. All students were amazing in their impromptu singing and actions to the song ‘peace like a river’. This was a wonderful way to close out our service and our term together.

I wish all of our families a blessed Easter and a wonderful holiday break. We look forward to continuing our incredible learning journey together as a community throughout Term 2.

Eltham Band Visits Bellarine

On Tuesday this week we had the pleasure of hosting the Eltham High School’s Senior Wind Symphony at the Bellarine Campus. Our own band musicians joined the ensemble, creating a mega band of around 60 students. With such a powerful sound, our young musicians got to experience the power of large ensemble playing which was truly exciting and eye opening! For our concert we performed as one large ensemble then we went on to enjoy Eltham’s Program of four pieces, sharing some great music with our audience.

Milo the Monkey’s Birthday!

This week, the Prep students and teachers celebrated a birthday surprise party for Milo the Monkey! Milo is the main character in a storybook that helps to teach the Preps the sounds and letters of the alphabet through the ‘Little Learners Love Literacy’ program. It was fantastic to see so many of Milo’s friends arrive that morning. There was Isla Insect, Jocelyn Jellyfish, Cooper Caterpillar, Spencer Snake, Eddie Elephant, Ruby Rabbit, Louis Lion and Vivien Vulture to name a few. The day started with party games, such as pass the parcel, egg and spoon race and pin the tail on the monkey. This was followed by literacy activities and of course some yummy treats!
We are so proud of how far our Preps have come in only one term, and this was a lovely way to celebrate their achievement of learning the alphabet!

Under 12 Eagles Basketball

Congratulations to six of our Year 4 Bellarine students who won their first basketball grand final on Monday night playing for the Christian College Eagles. This is the girls’ first season of basketball for the Eagles and they have been working hard at both training and in games, to further develop their skills and basketball game sense. The team, consisting of Macki J Harris, Madison Keddie, Charlotte Thomas, Amelia McAleer, Abby Gaffney, and Madison Gelicrisio, held the lead all game and won the Under 12 division 3 grand final 14 to 10.

Our Junior School Japanese Room

This year, our Junior School students have had access to their own Japanese room. From the teacher’s perspective, the beauty of having a Japanese room is the ability to design learning activities at special rotational ‘Activity Stations’ for the students. By taking turns at different activities, students can experience learning that matches their interests or current emotional wellbeing.

The activities are all curriculum-related and involve things such as hiragana jigsaws, hiragana sand and playdough letters or numbers, Japanese chess, craft or origami-making, hiragana whiteboard writing and hiragana tracing on a lightbox. Furthermore, one of the Activity Stations always involves covering the lesson learning point with the teacher.

The room is decorated with Japanese items that will change each term, including previously donated  items from parents and friends of the school. If anybody would like to donate or lend an item for display, please contact Reidy Sensei.

Year 6 Share Their Stories With Year 4

As the Year 4s eagerly awaited entering the Year 6 classroom, the excitement could be felt as the students were thrilled with the opportunity to listen to our imaginative narratives. The Year 6 cohort have been studying the structure of a narrative and pulling it apart to analyse what makes an engaging story. The budding authors were appreciative of the opportunity to read aloud to fellow students, and receive feedback from them to assist with their future writing.

Year 5/6 Girls football

On Monday April 3, 22 Year 5 and 6 girls from the Bellarine and Surf Coast Campuses travelled to South Barwon Reserve to participate in the Interschool Girls’ Football competition. We were one of 14 schools that participated on the day and the girls did an amazing job, finishing the day with a couple of wins. It was great to see all of the girls grow in confidence and skill as the day progressed. We took with us, a group who did not know how to play football. By the end of the day, it was fantastic to see how much the girls had improved. One of the best parts of the day was watching the students from two different campuses come together to forge connections and friendships. The students displayed excellent teamwork and sportsmanship and were a credit to our school.

Year 9 Drama Elective: Epically Melodramatic

The Year 9s taking part in the Drama elective this term have been exploring theatre traditions from around the world. This has helped them develop their skills and knowledge to create works in a range of styles including Greek Theatre, 20^thCentury Melodrama, Elizabethan Theatre and Brecht’s Epic Theatre, culminating in students devising original pieces in one of the learned styles.

Over these past weeks, they have been putting the final touches on these pieces and, on Monday, they performed them to an audience of peers, parents and family in the Bellarine Auditorium.

We are also excited to announce that tickets to this year’s Christian College production, Picnic at Hanging Rock, are now on sale. This will be held at Platform Arts between May 11 and May 13. Tickets can be purchased through the Humanitix Ticketing website:

https://events.humanitix.com/ccg-picnic-at-hanging-rock

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

A huge thank you to all the parents who came into school recently to cover new books.  There were two lovely afternoons where we were able to connect and talk and get the job done!  Thank-you to Julie Leo and our Bean Break Staff for coffee and slices on campus and to our Library Assistant Jenny Morey for her expert book covering demonstrations.

Another huge shout out to all the parents who generously took books home to cover. It was very kind for you to offer your time on your already busy days to do this for us. I had so many offers, I even had to turn people away. WOW!

Thanks to all of these wonderful volunteers, a total of over 1000 books have been covered in the past few weeks, which is such a great achievement, and one that is so very appreciated by Junior School teachers and students.  

Progressing Through Teaching and Learning is in Full Swing….

Our Teaching and Learning programs have been in full swing across our campuses. We are excited to offer a breadth of rich opportunities for our students, and this is just the beginning of what’s on offer this year. During Term 1 at Bellarine Campus there have been many camps and excursions that provide wonderful opportunities for social and emotional development, teamwork, building self-identity, and applying classroom skills and knowledge in real-world contexts through critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, and ethical understandings through a Christian World View lens. We are also thrilled to offer plentiful opportunities for community involvement through our Campus Carnivals, House events, family events such as afternoon teas, information sessions, student learning conferences and more, as well as continued development in intercultural understandings through our international guests from Indonesia. Each of these has seen positive engagement with our Teaching and Learning program. Students and staff have been excited to be part of a program that enables students to engage with critical competencies and real-life opportunities and develop skills and knowledge in a diverse range of classes. We have seen our young people grow and develop as they view the world around them, develop their own self-identity and refine their purpose, passion and potential pathways.

You can view your child’s progress in each of their learning areas through our In Time reporting program via SEQTA Engage. Log onto the parent portal via the College website and select the Assessments menu to view your child’s progress. As a reminder, there is also the SEQTA App that can be downloaded to your phone. I have attached a couple support documents that highlight how to get the most out of SEQTA Engage.

SEQTAEngageMobileAppInstall

ParentPortalGuide_2023

Lost Property

The student office currently has a large supply of lost property, including unnamed College sport uniform, bike helmets, drink bottles and miscellaneous items.

Parents and students are invited to call into the student office to claim any lost property before the end of term.

Picnic at Hanging Rock – Performances on Next Week!

Picnic at Hanging Rock is a captivating and mysterious story that explores the disappearance of four schoolgirls and their teacher during a picnic at a local geological formation in Victoria, Australia, on Valentine’s Day in 1900. The novel by Joan Lindsay, published in 1967, was adapted into a film by Peter Weir in 1975, which became a landmark of Australian cinema and culture. The story has inspired many interpretations and adaptations, including the performances brought to you by our Christian College Senior School students.

Excitement is now running high - next week's shows are on at Platform Arts in Geelong in Lt Malop St, with three evening shows from Thursday May 11 to Saturday May 13.  Tickets are only $30 and the cast and crew are looking forward to performing to full houses.  Please note that Picnic at Hanging Rock contains mature themes, parental discretion is advised re the age of audience members.

To purchase tickets please follow this link:

https://events.humanitix.com/ccg-picnic-at-hanging-rock

Lots to Like at Back Creek Café!

Christian College’s Back Creek Café in Meredith is a vital part of our Year 9 residential farm experience. Located 15 minutes south of Back Creek Farm, the café is open six days a week (not Sundays) from 8:30am to 3pm. The school holidays are the perfect time to pay a visit!

While you’re there, enjoy the best coffee in town – or choose from a range of other beverages – indulge in an all-day breakfast or one of the other scrumptious light meal/snack options on the menu. There is also a variety of sweet or savoury treats to enjoy while you’re there and delicious home-made produce to purchase and take home.

Coming up on Saturday May 6, the Café is staging two craft workshops. Come along and discover how to create your own vertical garden. One session gets underway at 10:30am, the second at 1:00pm, conducted by Kathy from Coburg nursery, TD2M. Build your own standing or hanging frame, create a vertical garden to take home and learn about soils and mosses used in the process along the way.

Cost for the workshop is $90 per person with all you need provided. While you’re there, enjoy some of Back Creek Café’s delicious fare! 

You can check out the latest from the café via its Facebook and Instagram pages.

Back Creek Café is located at 1/27 Staughton Street Meredith. For enquiries and bookings, including bookings for the May 6 workshops, call 5286 1166.

Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Days!

All Christian College campuses will open their doors on May 2 in the first of our Open Days for 2023.

This is an opportunity for parents/guardians and families who are considering Christian College as an option for their young people to visit one or more of our campuses, meet students, teachers and campus leaders, tour facilities, visit classes in progress and have their questions answered. It provides an authentic insight to how our College operates on a day-to-day basis. For those considering either Junior School-Belmont or Surf Coast Campus, please note our Early Learning Centres - Williams House in Belmont and Butterfield House in Torquay - will also be open for visitation at the same time as the campuses.

No booking is required, with campuses open at the following times:

Junior School-Belmont: 9:30 – 11:00am

Bellarine Campus: 9:30 – 11:00am

Surf Coast Campus: 9:30 – 11:30am

Middle School-Highton: – 11:15am – 12:45pm

Senior School-Waurn Ponds: – 11:30am – 1:00pm

Big Science Competition!

We welcome all students in Years 7 - 10 to consider taking part in the Big Science Competition!

A 50-minute, multiple-choice competition, the Big Science Competition isn't like other tests. This test focuses on how students can use their science knowledge and critical thinking skills to solve problems. 

The Big Science Competition can also lead to BIG opportunities.

All students in Australian high schools who sit the Big Science Competition have a chance to win one of four great prizes*, up to the value of $1,498.

Here's everything you need to know. 

• The Big Science Competition is open to students in Year 7-10 who attend Australian and International schools.
• The Big Science Competition will run on a date to be determined between 15-26 May 2023.
• Expressions of interest will close at the end of Term 1.

Registering your interest

All students who would like to participate are asked to complete their details on the following form:

Expression of Interest Form

Please speak to your science teacher or email Mrs Huddart if you have any questions.

Future Enrolments 

For Deputy Head Mr Andrew Platt, and myself, it is a real privilege as part of our roles to meet with prospective families and conduct tours around our Bellarine Campus, sharing with them the rich and authentic learning program that takes place in each classroom with your young person on a daily basis. 

A tour of the Bellarine Campus provides each prospective family with a genuine ‘feel’ of everyday life and learning at our campus, and that’s something that really has to be seen and experienced firsthand to gain a full understanding and appreciation. 

With Term 1 2023 well underway, it has been wonderful to have had the opportunity to meet and talk with many prospective families as to their educational aspirations for their children. We feel both excited and privileged that many families are seeking a Christian College education at all year levels. In particular, Years Prep, 5 and 7 are filling quickly for next  year. 

Independent Schools – Meeting Needs of all Families

In recent weeks Independent Schools Victoria has been working with Independent Schools Australia on advocacy and information material to highlight the diversity and changing face of the Independent sector.

This material includes a short and engaging video that features Aitken College, one of ISV’s rapidly growing Member Schools on Melbourne’s outer urban fringe, and a new low-fee school in regional New South Wales.

ISV says that while the schools featured are localised, the message is nationwide. showing that Independent schools reflect the breadth of Australia, with every kind of school serving the needs of every kind of family.

The video is timely in light of Federal Education Minister Jason Clare’s announcement this week of an expert panel to review the National Schools Reform Agreement.

To see the video, check ISV’s website or click here

A MYTERN Thought for This Week

When you are on a rough road, people often tell you to get a grip and drive on.

 Try not to judge yourself harshly if that feels too hard. 

 Sometimes it's not as simple as just shaking it off and moving on.

 Slow down, take a deep breath and know that no road lasts forever 🙏❤️

Discover more about MYTERN here