Bellarine Community Events
- Junior School Assemblies – Monday mornings, 9.00-9.45 as per calendar throughout the term
- Year 5&6 Parents – Social Coffee and Afternoon Tea (Bellarine Barn) – Tuesday 21st February, 2.30-3.30pm
- Year 7 Parents – Social Coffee and Afternoon Tea (Bellarine Barn) – Friday 24th February, 2.30-3.30pm
- Student Learning Conferences – TEAMS, Tuesday 7th March, 4.00-8.00pm and Thursday 9th March, 4.00-6.00pm
- Year 8&9 Parents – Social Coffee & Afternoon Tea (Bellarine Barn) – Friday 17th March, 2.30-3.30pm
Noah’s Ark Makes an Appearance at Junior School Assembly
The children of Year 3D presented the story of Noah and the Ark to the students of Junior School on Monday. Every one of the readers, actors and the animals did a sensational job. Their understanding of the story was evident during discussions and rehearsals. Below is the prayer so capably read by Chloe. It was a fitting end to a wonderful sharing time for us.
Dear God,
Thank you for the love you have for us all. We have enjoyed learning about Noah, who showed his love for You in the way he lived his life. Help us to be more like him and his family, sharing Your love with others. We thank you for our wonderful families and all the people you have placed in our lives.
In Jesus’ name we pray
Amen
Mark Jacobi
Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre
On Wednesday the 15th of February, Year 3 and 4 students visited the Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre where they participated in a number of fantastic activities to develop a richer understanding of the traditional practices of Aboriginal culture.
The students took part in an interactive discussion where they built on their knowledge about Indigenous food gathering practices, tools and weapons. They listened to a sound scape of animal noises and tracks on a traditional instrument known as the Yidaki (formerly known as the Didgeridoo).
They then ventured out to the gardens and were very excited to learn how to correctly throw a boomerang. Afterwards, students participated in a guided walk through the native gardens where they fed and patted emus, wallabies and kangaroos. The students displayed great curiosity, asking thoughtful questions about the animals and their habitats.
The students returned to campus brimming with excitement, new knowledge and a deeper understanding of Indigenous culture.
Samantha Bett, Sam Kennedy, Mark Jacobi, Renée Cunningham and Melissa Smith
Connecting With Families
It has been wonderful to have had the opportunity to connect our Junior School community this week, commencing with our Year 3 and 4 parents’ social afternoon tea, followed by our Junior School classroom visits and welcome picnic and to close out the week, our Prep to Year 2 parents’ social afternoon tea. These occasions have proven to be integral in the building of relationships between staff, parents and students. We look forward to opening up further opportunities to connect with families as the year progresses.
The classroom visits provided parents with an overview of the learning program thus far in the year, whilst also outlining classroom learning processes and a snapshot of what lies ahead for the year. The vibe through the grounds during our picnic was palpable – so wonderful to see our families connecting with one another and students joyfully playing together!
Nicholas Watson, Head of Campus
Year 7 Camp – Cave Hill Creek
Year 7 students and staff returned from a wonderful two nights and three days of fun, challenge and relationship building at Cave Hill Creek Camp from Tuesday 14 – Thursday 16 February. What a blessing it was to go away together, enjoy the fresh air and spend time building our Year 7 community.
Upon arriving, students were told which of six tribes they would work through various activities over the duration of the camp, competing for tribe points in a friendly competition. Students enjoyed activities including abseiling, archery, canoeing, raft building, hut building and giant’s ladder. There was also opportunity to spend time with their CCG tribe leader reflecting on the first few weeks or Year 7 and sharing stories of new connections being made, what is going well, what students are finding challenging / surprising / different from Year 6 etc. In the evenings, students participated in a bushwalk and campfire with damper making.
Another important aspect of our camp was the opportunity to participate in a devotional message by the lake, led by Campus Chaplain, Mr Crole. Students were encouraged to enjoy being still in the beautiful, natural habitat that God had created for us at camp and to notice their surroundings wherever possible.
Students completed their final activity on Thursday morning before our annual Cave Hill Creek Challenge. They competed against one another in the spirit of friendly competition, perseverance and challenge combining disciplines of swimming, running and canoeing, amongst others, around the picturesque course. Congratulations to Red tribe on their win in the Challenge, and to Blue tribe on being the overall Tribe points winners. Also, congratulations to Elise Schmidtke and Cooper Bell (Most Valuable Campers) who demonstrated CCG values throughout the three days and made the camp an enjoyable experience for those around them, as well as William Paterson (longest leaf competition).
All Year 7 students should be congratulated on the way they embraced the camp, challenged themselves, and for the relationships that were built. Thank you also to the following staff: Victoria Kent, Matthew Burgess, Gary Crole, Sophie Maye, Bishi Leatham and Maddison Connally who supported the camp. We trust this will provide an excellent platform for a successful year ahead for our Year 7 students.
Aaron Loats
Year 8 Art Making & Exhibiting – Printmaking Fun!
Our year 8 Art Making & Exhibiting students have started exploring printmaking this term. It has been pleasing to see them engaging energetically and with determination while experimenting with stencil-making. The students have demonstrated problem-solving and careful critical thinking to ensure that their stencil design will work the way they intend, and the results have been fantastic. Their willingness to experiment by printing on different backgrounds and with different colours has helped them to produce some stunning and eye-catching artworks.
I look forward to seeing this group of students experiment with lino-printing throughout the term and seeing how they explore their chosen themes. I also want to celebrate the wonderful classroom environment these students have helped to create – it is an inclusive, collaborative, and positive learning space that is enabling all members of the class to succeed and create beautiful pieces of art.
Liam Monagle
Library News
The library has had a busy start to the year. All classes have begun their reading and library classes, borrowing books and having relevant and fun class activities.
Borrowing
A reminder of the expectations for student borrowing:
Junior School – borrowing is for 2 weeks for fiction and picture books, 1 week for non-fiction
Middle School – borrowing is for 2 weeks for both fiction and non-fiction. Also, some books in the Middle School Library are restricted to Year 7-9. These are indicated with a blue sticker and students are aware of this.
We want to encourage all students to show responsibility for returning their books by the due date. Unfortunately, if students do have overdue books, they are unable to borrow until the overdue books are returned.
Events
We’ve celebrated Library Lovers Day throughout this week. We’ve had fun making origami heart bookmarks; student write in a heart letting us know their favourite book or why they love the library.
I love the book Check on Me
I love the book Be Kind
I love this library because the whiteboard tables are fun to use
The CCG Bellarine Chess Club is back! Wednesday lunchtime in the library.
The Bellarine Library Staff
Canteen Service
The Bellarine campus offers Christian College Bellarine students a fast and easy lunch service each Tuesday and Thursday.
The Fresh Meal Fairy located in Drysdale, will be the provider of this lunch service to the Bellarine Campus. Servicing many schools across our region, The Fresh Meal Fairy offers a broad menu in line with Nutrition Australia Guidelines, made fresh daily in a local commercial kitchen that is then carefully packed and delivered to the school.
The Fresh Meal Fairy will use an online ordering service https://www.school24.net.au/ which also includes the option of a mobile app. The registration details including unique school ID number is included in the attached Parent Registration Guide. This is a very convenient platform for weekly student orders and payment.
Parents and students can place orders online up until 9pm on the evening prior to the service. The order is delivered to classrooms prior to lunchtime. Please see attached a parent information sheet from the Fresh Meal Fairy. Please note that Snacks for recess time will need to be supplied by parents.
Canteen Fresh Food Fairy Annoucement
MENU2023! (1)
Registration Guide – Christian College Bellarine Campus Drysdale
Leading the Learning
During this week our leaders of learning from each of our campuses and learning areas joined together in a Teaching and Learning retreat to collectively work together on what will the future of education look like.
The last few years of education have seen immense changes, both socially and academically, as new and emerging technologies continue to challenge what it means to be educated.
As leaders we deliberated on our purpose as educators, and set goals to enable an inclusive, adaptive and engaging landscape of learning for all of our students.
To Seek First the Kingdom of God in all that we do, guided by our College’s philosophical statement, so that our students will be prepared to make a positive difference in the lives of others through ‘Good Work’ that is excellent, ethical and engaged in local, national and global contexts.
With endless knowledge at their fingertips, student engagement in, and ownership of, their learning was high on the agenda. There were many great discussions, deliberations and immersive activities that fostered a rich design thinking approach to not only our five strategic goals for Teaching and Learning, but how that might look across all of our campuses, in all aspects of College life.
It was fabulous to have our campus leaders, directors and leaders of learning areas, including our Rural and Transformation programs, as well as our newly appointed Dean of Christian Culture and Director of Wellbeing present.
We are excited about the future of education and are inspired to ensure that our students are well supported, nurtured and challenged to make a positive influence in the world around them.
Antony Benson, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg Seminars
On March 9 and 16, renowned psychologist, Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, will conduct two seminars in Geelong at GMHBA Stadium for parents and carers of adolescents at either end of their secondary school journey.
On March 9, he looks at ‘Starting Secondary School’ and on March 16, ‘Surviving Year 12’.
The sessions are presented by Read the Play, a local not-for-profit organisation that delivers programs in partnership with sporting clubs to empower young people to take control of their mental health and wellbeing. Read the Play aims to: increase knowledge and awareness about mental health problems; increase knowledge about local support services; and increase confidence and skills in guiding our youth to relevant support services.
Tickets to each of Dr Carr-Gregg’s sessions are priced at $15 per person (plus booking fee) with 100 per cent of all ticket revenue going to Read the Play.
See the attached PDF for more details on each of the sessions. Tickets can be purchased from: www.readtheplay.org.au
MCG Seminar Series Geelong March 2023
Notice to All Parents Regarding CSEF Funding
The Victorian State Government runs a program called the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF). As the name suggests, the fund is designed to assist families meet costs associated with school camps, sport and excursions and requires families to apply in each year they have a child who is eligible. Families who have an eligible child will receive $125 per year for a primary aged student and $225 per year for a secondary aged student.
If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. Please complete a 2023 Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) Application Form and return to your campus administration office by the end of Term 1 please.
Please read the attached document for further information.
