Term 1 Week 2

Whole Campus Picnic

What a wonderful evening of companionship, play and fun was had at our 2024 Whole Campus Picnic.  It was beautiful to see our community coming together, everyone from our younger sibling toddlers through to our Year 9 students, the chat and buzz was evident. A special thanks to our talented musicians and their teachers for their contributions to the evening.  We will make this an annual event, maybe even add an end of the year picnic as well.

From the Deputy Heads of Campus

Welcome to the new school year!

Rich, purposeful learning

Over the past week it has been a joy to continue to get to know our wonderful students and to work alongside our incredibly dedicated staff. It has also been a delight to reacquaint myself with many parents whom I met in Term 4 last year and of course to begin friendships with our new school families. Having this personalised connection between school and home is such an important ingredient in the ‘recipe’ which creates rich and purposeful learning, engaged, happy learners, and an authentic sense of belonging and community.

By way of a somewhat belated introduction, I joined Christian College Geelong Bellarine in Term 4 last year in the role of Acting DHOC. This beautiful campus was no stranger to me as I have always worked across campuses since commencing at Christian College Geelong in 2006 in the role of Director of Teaching and Learning. Within my leadership of teaching and learning, I have enjoyed opportunities to develop bespoke programs such as the LITEeHouse and Q’ed program for Gifted and Talented learning. I have also been instrumental in the development of our annual standardised testing and scholarship programs.

I have always been an educator and will always be a learner. Most importantly of all, I will always believe in and reflect the love of God. What a privilege it is to ‘school’ daily -teaching and learning in an environment embedded in the love of God!

Looking forward to meeting you as we travel together through the year.

A Focus on Wellbeing and Pastoral Care

Having completed our first full week back at school, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and share a little bit about who I am and what my role will be at Bellarine this year.

I have been at Christian College since 2012, taking on a number of leadership roles, including Year Level Coordinator both here at Bellarine and at our Highton campus. Most recently I was the Director for Teaching and Learning, English, working across our campuses, looking after English from Years 5-12. I am a passionate educator who believes in a holistic approach to education. I want every young person to develop their character, alongside their academic endeavours and go out in the world and be the best they can be to make the world a better place, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16.

I began my teaching career in the UK, teaching English for several years before moving to Australia 20 years ago, where I have taught from Prep right through to Year 12.

This year at Bellarine will see me oversee the pastoral and wellbeing needs of each student from Prep to Year 9. I feel incredibly blessed to be back with the Bellarine community and to have the privilege to journey with each student and family as they learn and grow through the years of schooling.

I look forward to meeting with you all over the coming weeks and getting to know you all. I am here to support and guide your young person and help create a culture of wellness within us all.

What is Happening at Bellarine

• Week 3

  • Tuesday 13 February Year 7 Camp commences
  • Wednesday 14 February Junior School Getting to Know You Excursion
  • Thursday 15 February Year 7 Camp concludes
  • Sunday 18 February College Production Rehearsal 2:30PM – 5:00PM

  Week 4

  • Thursday 22 February Year 7 Humanities excursion to Melbourne Museum
  • Friday 23 February Junior School Assembly
  • Friday 23 February Bellarine House Cross Country and Colour Run
  • Sunday 25 February College Production Rehearsal 2:30PM – 5:00PM

Chaplain’s Check-in

Hello to you all in our Bellarine Community from the Campus Chaplain. Well, the second week of Term 1 has progressed really well. The students, (your children) are just amazing and it’s such a joy to be involved in their life journey.

I’m reminded of a story in Matthew chapter 7 verses 24 to 27 in the Bible about a man who built his house on a rock and a man who built his house on sand and what happened after that.

Here is the story…

 ……… “like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” ….

 Foundations matter, both in construction and in the way a person views the world. Those who follow Jesus’ teaching are like a wise man who built a house on a rock.

It’s a simple story but an incredibly important one for us all.

Enjoy the week and please contact me if you need to talk about any concerns you have, or to just come and have a chat about your child. Take care.

g.crole@ccg.vic.edu.au

First Middle School Assembly of the Year

The Year 9 prefects are trying to set the bar high when it comes to our Middle School assemblies. This week, Abhi Sanjeev and Lucy Rogers shared an important message about not judging others from the outside – it is how they are on the inside that counts. Students were engaged and especially grateful when the prefects tossed lollies into the audience to support their message; that you don’t judge a lolly by its wrapper, it is the sweet flavour on the inside that matters. In addition, Noah Hall gave an Acknowledgement of Country and Alex Norgard closed this time together in prayer.

We look forward to continuing these times of Middle School community sharing every second Wednesday, led by our 2024 prefects.

Preps Complete their First Week of School

What an awesome start our Prep students have made to their school journey! The students have adjusted quickly to their new classrooms and have already begun making some beautiful connections and friendships. This week the students were able to meet their Year 4 Buddies as they shared a Teddy Bear Picnic together. Bringing their favourite teddy to school gave the students a talking point and opportunity to get to know more about their new friends – (see below).

Classroom learning opportunities have been full of joy and excitement as the students have begun learning their letter names and sounds, even writing their first words! In Maths we have been focusing on concepts around numbers to 10 as well as 2D shapes. This week we made a range of friendly 2D shape monsters.

As part of our Interdisciplinary Learning sessions, we have been looking at families and what makes our families unique and special. We have also read the creation story and enjoyed learning about how God made the world. There have been some wonderful questions posed, including ‘Is God as powerful as an Avenger’ and ‘if I had long arms like Elasti-Girl could I give God a high five?’ (both questions were answered ‘probably, yes!’ by two very entertained teachers!)

We are looking forward to sharing more learning and funny Prep anecdotes with you as the year goes on, with such vibrant and joyful students in our classes we are sure to have lots of achievements and moments of laughter to share!

Teddy Bear Picnic

Prep and Year 4 students enjoyed a Teddy Bear Picnic today to celebrate meeting their special Buddies. The children enjoyed talking about their favourite teddies, listening to some teddy bear songs, and playing games together. A particular highlight was making the teddy bears fly high in the sky with the parachute! The Buddies are looking forward to spending more time together during their weekly in-class sessions as well as the yard as they develop these special relationships.

Jessica Chakir, Michaela Lyons, Hayley Keogh, Sam Kennedy

A Busy Week in Year 3!

Year 3 have had a busy second week of term. They participated enthusiastically in Structured Literacy lessons each morning and it is wonderful to see how quickly they are learning new routines and developing their literacy skills. This week we began our unit on Ancient Greece, hopefully they will go home and tell you some great facts that they have learnt!

In Maths the students had lots of fun developing their understanding of place value. Maths games are the highlight of the lesson for many students. Maths games improve listening skills and require students to recall facts in an engaging way.

The Year 3 students received their new recorder during their Music lesson. They proudly displayed their instruments when they returned to their classroom and were excited by the prospect of showing family members as soon as they got home.

The Welcome Picnic was enjoyable way to spend Thursday afternoon. It was a lovely opportunity for staff, parents, and students to get to know each other.

Year 4 Structured Literacy Program

The Year 4 students have done a fantastic job beginning the new structured literacy program. We have been so impressed to see their engagement and excitement in their learning.

Welcome Back to Bellarine Maths 2024!

We hope you had a great summer break and are ready to learn some amazing maths this year.

We are continuing to use Maths Pathways to help all students learn at their own pace and level, with questions that match their skills and understanding. We will also have fun and challenging problem-solving lessons that don’t need a computer. For example, some of our Year 8 and 9 students have been making origami boxes and exploring how perimeter, area, and volume change when they combine different shapes. This is a great way to see maths in action and make it more meaningful for all.

Our Year 5 to 9 program has also been updated with the latest research from maths experts like Jo Boaler, Robert Kaplinsky and Peter Liljedahl. We have embedded the use of Dot talks, Number talks and Building Thinking classrooms to make maths more engaging, interactive, and creative. We are very excited about our 2024 CCG Maths program at Bellarine Campus and we can’t wait to see all students grow and improve their maths skills this year.

Remember, getting better never stops! 💯

Year 9 Drama Elective: All the World’s a Stage

This term we have the Year 9 Drama (All the World’s a Stage) elective running. In this, we will be exploring theatre traditions from around the world. Students will develop skills and knowledge to create works in a range of styles including Greek Theatre, 20^th century Melodrama, Elizabethan Theatre and Brecht’s Epic Theatre – culminating in developing and performing an original piece in one of the learned styles.

One performance piece will also be chosen to be presented as a part of the Christian College Performing Arts Showcase, due to take place in Term 2 – watch this space.

Year 9 Food Studies

In this week’s Year 9 Food Studies classes, students completed Safe Food Handling tasks and learnt the importance of temperature when dealing with high-risk foods. For the practical class, students had so much fun cooking Tandoori Salmon with fragrant rice. Many skills were learnt, and I was very pleased with their first cook of the year.

Maths Challenge 2024 Semester 1 Number 1

Welcome to the first edition of the weekly mathematics conundrums and logic questions for 2024!

Each week a different maths question is posed to challenge your grey matter in the form of numeracy and mathematical trivia. Share the fun with your family and friends and amaze them with your maths skills!

Credit to our friends at Maths Pathways for allowing us to share clipped copies from their Instagram page.

Remember no Googling allowed. Answer in next week’s edition of The Vine. Enjoy!

Challenge Question Number 1 2024 – Click to enlarge the image below

Find Yourself at our Open Day!

On March 5, all five Christian College campuses and two kindergartens are holding Open Days. Our Open Days provide the opportunity for parents and others interested in enrolling their children at Christian College to have a firsthand look at our College campuses, speak with campus leaders, participate in student-led tours of the facilities, visit classrooms in real time and have their questions answered.

We would encourage everyone in our Christian College community to spread the word and tell anyone you might know who is considering schooling options for their children about our Open Day and the opportunity to come and visit one or more campuses and/or our kinders, with no tour booking required.

Details are on our website – follow the hotlink on our homepage or click Homepage > Join > Open Days.

Opening times for March 5 are as follows:

Junior School-Belmont and Williams House Kindergarten – 9:15 – 10:45am

Bellarine Campus – 9:30 – 11:00am

Surf Coast Campus and Butterfield House Kindergarten – 11:30am – 1:00pm

Middle School-Highton – 10:30am – 12:00 noon

Senior School – 11:30am – 1:00pm

We would love to see as many interested families as possible finding themselves at our Open Day!

Foundation Gathering Hope Appeal Luncheon

The Foundation Gathering Hope Appeal Luncheon is back on and has been scheduled for Friday, 24 May 2024.

You are invited to join us for lunch at the stunning Provenance Wines in Fyansford.

This is a fundraising event for the Foundation and an opportunity to hear about the success and progress of the College.

Our guest speaker is Jossy Chacko, Founder and President of Empart, a global ministry that exists to ignite holistic community transformation among needy communities.

Giving leadership to a team of over 13,000 people and offices in nine countries, Jossy travels around the world inspiring and challenging leaders to capture a larger God-size vision and not to waste gifts and opportunities. He is also the author of Madness! and Dare to Partner.

Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to come together. 

Secure your seat and book online today! 

https://ccgfoundation.org.au/gh

Golf Tournament 

Join the Christian College Foundation for an exciting four-person Ambrose Golf Day, including a $30,000 hole in one prize on Thursday, 24th of October at 13th Beach Golf Links, Barwon Heads.

Set on the stunning Bellarine Peninsula, the day provides an opportunity to enjoy the award-winning creek course, known for its undulating couch fairways, deep bunkers and interesting swales and hollows.

You will be treated to a scrumptious breakfast on arrival and an opportunity to participate in several fun activities including the longest drive, nearest to the pin etc.

There is plenty of prizes up for grabs, including a cash prize of $30,000. Score a Hole in One on the 12th Hole and you can win. *

You will also be treated to a delicious buffet lunch and learn more about the incredible work of the foundation. Every dollar raised will be dollar matched!