Bellarine Community Events
- Junior School Assemblies – Monday mornings, 9.00-9.45am as per calendar throughout the term
- 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 and Afternoon Tea (Bellarine Barn) – Friday 17th March, 2.30-3.30pm
Getting to Know You…
This week our Year 1, 2, 3 and 4 students travelled to Point Lonsdale for our Getting To Know You excursion. This is a day where the aim is to build community and friendships through beach activities and fun exploration. It was lovely to see them interact with each other, and our new prefects, in such a happy and joyous way. One of the highlights was the sand castle competition where students worked with their friends to create some amazing designs and structures. It was a great day of community early in our year.
Jonathan Maddock
Recognising and Exploring Digital Systems for a Purpose in Prep
Prep students have been developing an understanding of the presence and role of digital technologies (computers) in their everyday lives and for a range of purposes – including in the classroom. Students consider ‘What is a computer?’ and consider the basic features that make up a digital system. By comparing the Windows laptops used in Digital Technologies classes with iPad devices used in general classrooms, students can identify similarities and differences between different digital devices.
An eSmart focus for Prep is to set healthy Screen Routines for a safe, positive digital experiences. Actually, digital technologies classes this term are ‘unplugged‘ (no screen time) as we develop these habits with the students to instil positive digital routines for learning.
Preps have been exploring their first name, surnames and usernames and recognising characters in upper and lower case on a keyboard printout. We also enjoy building cardboard computers. This has given them some fun creative freedom but also an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of key hardware and software components that make up a digital system used to support their learning.
Online safety hub: Home – Christian College Geelong (VIC) – Hub (onlinesafetyhub.com.au)
Screen routines: Screen time – Christian College Geelong (VIC) – Hub (onlinesafetyhub.com.au)
Planners to monitor screen time at home: Screen-Time Planner Primary Schooler (onlinesafetyhub.com.au)
Writing name and recognizing capital letters on a keyboard printout: studentWork.jpg
Tom Hartley
‘Plein Air’ Drawing
Year 5 students found themselves outside experiencing drawing in the school landscape this week.
It was such fun to draw in this way as we had a morning of wonderful sunshine and a light breeze to add to our enjoyment, but it was also exciting to experience a new way to capture our inspiration for what we were going to draw.
The students each had created a viewfinder the week before. A viewfinder is a piece of card with a rectangular window cut in the middle. It works like a window in that it helps the artist find compositions for drawing or painting, whether this is landscape or portrait mode. All the artist must do is look through. Students then practised their line and shading techniques — crosshatching, stippling, scumbling, dots and dashes — with wax crayons, to add variety and interest to the surface of the landscape. The Year 5 artists experimented with ink resist technique to complete the final layer of embellishment to the ‘plein air’ drawings.
Anne Young
Year 7 Omelettes
The Year 7 Food Studies students made delicious omelettes on rye bread for their breakfast cook. Students are trialling different breakfasts before creating their own design in the coming weeks. I was so impressed with the students’ efficiency, teamwork and enthusiasm!
Julie Leo
Snap! Flow, go Slow and…FREEZE!!!
In the Year 8 Drama elective this term, students have been continuing their focus on non-verbal communication through mime. We have taken part in workshops, performed solo mimes – which saw us stuck in gum or thinking we could lift more than we were actually able to lift, at the gym.
Since then, students have been devising short group mime performances. These needed to include mime conventions: snap, flow, slow motion and freeze frame (tableaux).
Students were able to use or adapt a given scenario, or devise their own – with a car crash love story, a deadly wedding, as well as a story that was created about a very in-demand scarf.
Now we turn our learning to Italian-based theatrical form, Commedia dell’arte, to further extend our expressive and performance skills.
Victoria Kent
Year 9 History
Students gained a deep insight in Year 9 History this week as they played the European Settlement Game. Clearing bushland, constructing farms and woolsheds, hunting and living off the land helped students develop an understanding of the impact of British settlement on the Australian environment and our First Nations People.
Here are some reflections from our Year 9’s –
“When playing the game, I didn’t think about that my actions would affect local Indigenous People because I was too busy worrying about making money and making my farm bigger and better than the other team’s.” – Pippa
“We should have predicted that cutting all of the trees down and killing all of the wildlife would have had an impact on the land. Our actions would have affected the Indigenous People because…they would have had nothing to eat and the land is so special to all Indigenous Australians, so to see that destroyed would be heartbreaking.” – Minnah
Joanne Lowe
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.
As a family within our school, should you be aware of other friends and family who may be considering future educational opportunities for their children, please encourage them to come and visit us for a tour, to experience for themselves the learning program, culture and ethos of Christian College Bellarine. Similarly, if siblings of current students have not yet had a tour of our Campus, or completed an enrolment application, to ensure a place for them I encourage parents to promptly book a tour.
Every Day is an Open Day at Christian College. To make a tour booking, please click ‘Book a Tour’ on our website homepage
Please note, along with all other campuses, we are also opening on May 2 when interested parents and others can visit between 9:30am and 11.30am with no booking required.
Nicholas Watson, Head of Bellarine Campus
Symphonic Band Blast – The Senior Wind Symphony Puts on a Show!
The Year 5 and 7 students from Bellarine, Highton and Surf Coast Campuses all attended a concert and band instrument demonstration/trials this Wednesday. The Senior Wind Symphony performed for the students and also demonstrated their individual instruments. This ensemble is the most advanced of the five concert bands across the College, it is a 50-piece band with students coming from years 10-12 at the Senior Campus.
The concert was a great avenue for our senior students to inspire the younger students with their beautiful music and generous spirit. The band performed three works which is a great effort so early in the year! As conductors, Mr Rankin and I are very proud of the enthusiasm and energy and look forward to our rehearsals and performances throughout the year!
Bravo Senior Wind Symphony!
Fiona Gardner, Director of Teaching and Learning – Music
Teachers Growing and Learning
Earlier this week, Christian College teachers, Julie Shutie from Junior School-Belmont, Emma Workman and Nicola Morrish both from Senior School, commenced a year-long learning journey with the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership as Teaching Excellence Programme participants.
The opening conference was held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre with the opening address from Victorian Education Minister, Ms Natalie Hutchins. She celebrated the role and work of the teaching profession and the work we would undertake as participants in this prestigious program. She charged us with growing ourselves as learners to ensure we are providing the best possible learning outcomes for our students across the state.
We then heard from the CEO of the Academy, Dr Marcia Devlin OAM, who celebrated the teaching profession and this innovative teacher program where 500 leading teachers from across all three sectors (Independent, Catholic and Government) are working together to explore best practice in learning. She also celebrated the Master Teachers who will lead and guide the participants through the learning, with Christian College’s own Angela Tutty working as a Master Teacher for Humanities. Dr Devlin strongly emphasised that together, teachers can change the world.
Keynote speaker for the day was Professor Eric Mazur, Academic Dean for Applied Sciences at Harvard University, who challenged us to advance the quality of teaching through focusing on the quality of learning that takes place in our classrooms. He explored the human, social, cognitive and aspirational sides of learning and emphasised how the hard work of learning must be completed by the learner, with the teacher being more of a ‘guide on the side’. He challenged us to consider intrinsic and extrinsic desires of learners, inspiring us to continue to seek the inner spark of our learners and how this joy enhances their curiosity and improves student outcomes by building meaningful connections to their learning.
We leave this first stage of the Teaching Excellence Program feeling energised to embrace the program objectives and well placed to positively contribute to the teaching profession.
Nicola Morrish, Julie Shutie & Emma Workman
Device Program and Digital Wellbeing Parent Resources
Over the past two weeks, parents of our Year 4 students across the campuses have had the opportunity to attend an information session about the College’s 1:1 Device Program and Cyber Safe Schools Program. At Surf Coast and Bellarine Campuses, where students attend beyond Year 4, this invitation was extended to other families, especially new families to the College.
It is our desire to partner with parents in supporting students at all ages to develop positive digital behaviours and online safety, and these evenings provided information, guidance and support to parents – particularly parents of Year 4 students prior to the students having the opportunity to begin bringing their laptop home.
Though there was some emphasis on supporting parents in the Year 4 context, the information shared during these evenings is relevant and useful to all College families and parents. At each evening, a parent resource was made available to parents with a range of information about the device program, policy, eSafety parent guides and more.
I encourage all parents, regardless of the stage of their child’s learning journey, to explore the video recording of one of these evenings and the parent resource pack. Both of these are available via the links below.
- Video Recording of Device Program and Digital Wellbeing Parent Information Session
- Device Program Parent Resource Pack
During these evenings, the Qustodio parent app was explored as one tool available to College families as a support in the home. Families with students new to the College can expect information about how they can make use of this tool, if they wish, in the next couple of weeks.
Brendan Vanderkley, Director of Digital Learning
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
Visit 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. On weekdays during term time, working at the café is part of the schedule for the Year 9s’ Farm Program work groups. Students learn a whole range of hospitality-related skills as they assist with the day-to-day café operations.
If you’re passing through Meredith this weekend, or just fancy a 35-minute drive up the Midland Hwy from Geelong, make sure you drop in and say hi. 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.
You can also 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, call 5286 1166.
A MYTERN Thought for This Week
Being in control of your steering wheel is a responsibility but it is also liberating.
No longer allowing people and circumstances to take over your steering wheel has a profound impact on every aspect of your life.
Worth working towards 👍❤️
Discover more about MYTERN here
