Term 1 Week 5

Life in Abundance – Lenten Celebrations

Around the dinner table this week the question was asked “how’s your Easter going?”. This may seem a strange question if our experience of Easter is the long weekend at the end of March, however when Easter becomes the whole Lenten Season it’s a very good question indeed. A wonderful conversation ensued with talk of Easter bonnet building, fresh insights from Bible readings, a new hot cross bun recipe to try, Grandma’s Easter daisies are coming out and looking good, someone lamented their choice to give up caffeine and the youngest gleefully shared their countdown to Easter Sunday morning.

The season of Lent has traditionally been associated with a spirit of repentance, prayer, fasting, charitable giving and focusing on Jesus’s great sacrifice through his death and resurrection. In addition, this season of preparing to celebrate Easter is also characterised by the intentional appreciation and celebration of new life, unyielding hope, the miracle of a life transformed through faith, hope and love and the promise of life and life in abundance.

Student Investiture

Today was a very special day in the life of our Campus, Today we formally inducted our Project Care Students, House Captains and Prefects into their respective roles.

These students were selected through a comprehensive process stretching back to the beginning of term 4 last year.

This process honed in on a number of criteria including but not limited to; personal character, individual merit, readiness to lead, communication skills, positive attitude and a willingness to work with and serve others.

All of these roles particularly the role of Prefect is one in which we aim to provide opportunities to ‘experience’ leadership, not just to have the title.

I was particularly honoured to announce the two campus Captains for 2024 as Abhinaya Sanjeev and Alexandra Norgard, I look forward to working closely with these two outstanding young women.

From the Deputy Head of Campus

Well, what a wonderful five weeks of learning we have had! The first half of the term has been filled with so many learning opportunities and so much growth as our students have settled back in to the school year. Over the last five weeks it has been such a privilege to see how well our young people have transitioned into their new learning environments, navigating new routines, new learning and new and old friendships. At the heart of everything is the display of kindness and compassion amongst our community.

Research tells us that our brains love predictability, especially the developing brains of children. This is why it can be tricky for young people to settle into new routines and why there may be bumps along the way. Well known author and educator, Maggie Dent, shares the concept of connect and then direct, as a way to help young people move from one thing to another. She adds that it is also important to factor time into this transition, as it is important to direct from a place of calm rather than chaos and allowing time can support the calm. As our young people have settled back into the school environment, it has been pleasing to see how well they have adapted to their new routines.

Alongside the new routines with daily organisation and learning, our young people have been enjoying developing new and old friendships. Last week’s Cross Country and Colour Run was a wonderful opportunity for these friendships to truly blossom. It was fabulous to see smiling faces and hear the laughter as both students and staff simply enjoyed being in the moment.

Another moment of joy has been in welcoming Miss Joanna Smigowski to our administration team. Joanna will be working in the Student Office, looking after our students and supporting our families in the dailyness of our campus life. Joanna is no stranger to the Bellarine Campus, having worked here when Anne was on leave last year. I am sure you will enjoy getting to know Joanna and will appreciate her kindness and care for our young people.

Source: https://www.maggiedent.com/blog/tricky-transitions-why-they-happen-what-can-help/

What is Happening at Bellarine

Week 6 

• Monday 4 March Year 6 Camp (Angahook) commences 
• Monday 4 March Learning Conference bookings open – 4PM 
• Tuesday 5 March OPEN DAY – Bellarine Campus 9:30AM – 11:00AM 
• Wednesday 6 March Year 6 Camp (Angahook) concludes 
• Friday 8 March Junior School Assembly 
• Friday 8 March Learning Conference bookings close – 4PM 

Week 7 

• Monday 11 March Labour Day Public Holiday 
• Tuesday 12 March Face to face Student Learning Conferences – 4:00PM 
• Wednesday 13 March Naplan testing begins  
• Thursday 14 March Yr 9 Marine Studies Dolphin Swims Boat Tour 
• Sunday 17 March Cinderella College Production Rehearsal, full cast 10:00 – 5:00PM 

Preps Make the Paper

This week Prep students thoroughly enjoyed having their photographs taken for the Geelong Advertiser “My First Year” special feature. There were plenty of smiles as well as opportunities for some silly faces. Look out for this photo series in the Geelong Advertiser in the coming weeks.

Year 5 Students Explore Geelong’s History

Our Year 5 students spent Wednesday this week delving into Geelong’s history. We started the day at the Wool Museum where we participated in a workshop learning about the wool making process and how it developed over time in Geelong. Our students enjoyed seeing how shearers lived in the Geelong area and the many types of machines that were used.

The Geelong Gaol was a step back in time where our tour guide and matron shared stories of jail breaks and the history of the gaol. A particular highlight was seeing Gary shackled.

This valuable learning opportunity gave our students a valuable insight into the history of Geelong and will inform our learning in Humanities and English through the rest of the year.

Year 9 Tucker Time

As part of the Year 9 Business Food Studies class, the students chose to call their recess stall for the Middle School students, ‘Tucker Time’. Students created a business plan, selected a product to sell and then focused on trial bakes, advertising, ordering, calculating profit margins, customer preferences and customer service. The morning stall was a huge success with the groups selling crepes, waffles, pizza, brownies, sundaes, cookies and nachos. Personally, I loved watched the Year 9s interacting with their fellow students in this activity. Money raised will be donated to Geelong Mums, this term’s Project Care focus.  

Chaplain’s Check-in

Hello to Everyone in our Bellarine Christian College Community,

I want to introduce a community project that all our students and staff are participating in through this lead up time to Easter.

Below is an image, which is one in a series of 5 that depict the narrative of Jesus’s death and resurrection beginning with Palm Sunday, Passover/last supper, crucifixion, burial and an empty tomb and this image, which is of the resurrection. Each Campus has their image on canvas that is collectively a part of the Easter narrative.
All of these images are created using one long line broken only by the gap between canvases. This represents our college, all connected in the same story of God’s love and His transforming presence in our lives.

This is a way of participating in the Easter story (which we do all the time but especially during Lent) – all staff and students are placing their finger or thumb print on an image. Eventually when all five are assembled together we will have everyone’s thumb print together – a powerful image of community and dwelling in the same story, even if we’re experiencing different parts of Jesus’ story in our lives depending on the season we’re in, this is a way of remembering that the story goes on still and we are a part of it together.

Bellarine House Swimming Carnival 2024 

As the carnival season continues, we had both Senior School and Surf Coast Campus (Year 4-6) join our Bellarine students yesterday at Kardinia Aquatic Centre for a day filled with colour, excitement and plenty of competition in and out of the water. Year 4-9 students enthusiastically participated in the novelty events, earning house points in the team chants, bomb competition and body board relays whilst our championship swimming events saw some amazing results and tight finishes in the pool, with several College records being broken. Congratulations to Burrows House who came out with the win, narrowly beating Penman. House captains Annelise Draper and Hunter Westmoreland accepted the trophy on behalf of Burrows.   

It was also heart-warming to see the Junior school students, Prep – Year 3, engaging with house spirit in and out of the pool. A fantastic opportunity for all to participate and support each other. Well done to our Year 3 students who enjoyed the chance to swim the 25m freestyle event in the Olympic Pool. 

A big thanks to parents and spectators for coming down and cheering on the students and contributing to our College community.   

House Cross Country 2024

The House Cross Country kicked off the first of our three major carnivals for the term. It was great to be able to get together as a whole campus and to see a sea of colour across the course.

The format of the event gave the students the choice to run in a championship race, the Colour Run or both.

The championship run didn’t disappoint with some exceptional runners showing off their high level of endurance and talent. Congratulations to Thomas Stefanovski of Year 8 who was the fastest male completing the 2km in a time of 7:16. It was awesome to see Olivia Clark of Year 8 take out the fastest female with a time of 8:13 for the second year running.

The determined Year 3 students gave it their all in their cross-country race, getting a bit of a taste for what’s to come next year. Thank you to the Year 9 students who ran alongside and supported them during this race.

Maths Challenge 2024 Semester 1 Number 4

Welcome to the fourth 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. Did you get last week’s answer? Check out the solution below!

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

For Challenge Question Number 3 and last week’s answer, click to enlarge the images below

Deakin District Tennis Tournament

On Thursday, 22 February, three Bellarine students, five Highton students and three Surf Coast students from Years 5 and 6 headed to Geelong College to compete in the Deakin District tennis tournament against four other schools.

Ava Fitzclarence, Emmi Sekine, Oliver Brockman, Caleb Davies, Xander Watkins, Verushka Digwa, Darcee Dunoon, Maggie Tindale, Patrick Clark, Mason Kent and Kalan Ratnachandra represented the College with a great level of skill and superb sportsmanship in very hot and humid conditions.

Although we didn’t have any students make it through to the finals it was a valuable experience for all. We would like to congratulate all our CCG Eagles for their effort and enthusiasm over the day and for displaying our Sport Faculty mindset and values at this event.

The Middle School LOTE Room

Did you know we have a Middle School LOTE classroom for lessons of Indonesian and Japanese?

The room will gradually change over the year as decorations go up and come down to reflect different study themes. Students can look forward to Indonesian classes with Bu Leatham and Neza, as well as Japanese classes with Oataway Sensei, Masaki-san and Reidy Sensei.

Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize

Dear Parents and Guardians

As a Science Department we wanted to make you aware of a science opportunity for students across the middle years.

The Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize, presented by the University of Sydney, invites students to participate in a science video competition. Here are the key details:

• Theme: The theme for 2024 is ‘Energy’.
• Task: Create a 2-minute film that communicates a scientific concept related to energy in an accessible and engaging way.
• Eligibility: Open to primary and secondary school students.
• Submission Format: Films should be submitted in .mp4 format, with a display resolution of 1280 x 720 (preferred: 1920 x 1080, aspect ratio 16:9).
• Entry Deadline: All entries must be submitted online before the Entry Deadline.
• Content Ownership: Entrants must ensure that all content in their film is their own and secure necessary permissions for third-party content.
• Prizes: Prize money is divided equally between winning students and their schools.

For more information and to participate, visit the website using this link:

Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize – Primary and Secondary School – The Australian Museum 🎥🔬

Music Specialists at Bellarine

The Bellarine Campus is lucky to host around 20 instrumental staff each week, sharing lessons with many of our students from Prep to Year 9. Each teacher brings with them various areas of skill and a passion for sharing music with our young people. This week I would like to introduce and highlight Molly Hanson. She has been teaching piano on campus and is now also teaching classroom music in our Junior School. Here is a note from Molly to say hello and tell you a little about herself.

Hello everyone!

I’m Molly Hanson, and I’m absolutely thrilled to be here sharing my passion for music with all of you. Currently, I’m honoured to wear multiple hats as a music teacher, guiding students in piano, Year 3 classroom music, and leading a Keyboard Ensemble where young musicians explore the magic of tuned percussive instruments. While I have a fondness for many instruments, the Glockenspiel holds a special place in my heart.

An exciting development that has occurred because of music is the growth of ensembles like the Keyboard Ensemble, providing a wonderful space for students to come together, share their love of music, and explore contemporary repertoire on a range of tuned percussive instruments and keyboards. Teaching music fills me with an indescribable sense of fulfillment, as it allows me to nurture joy and enthusiasm in my students’ lives while also giving them the freedom to express themselves.

As a fun fact, I have a special connection to this school as I was once a student here myself! Coming back as a teacher has been an incredible journey, and I’m thrilled to continue fostering a love for music in this wonderful community.

From the Library

The library has been a hub of activity over the last five weeks, both class time and lunchtimes. 

Junior classes have been taking part in their scheduled library class, borrowing, learning library skills, and undertaking class and library related activities. 

A reminder, for junior students, the following is your scheduled library class lesson;

Prep – Tuesday

Year 1 – Wednesday

Year 2 – Tuesday

Year 3 – Monday

Year 4 – Monday

Can you please ensure your child’s library book is returned on their scheduled library day.  We thank you for support with this.

Camp Australia Newsletter

Term 1 Learning Conferences  

Our Term 1 Parent Student Learning Conferences will run a little bit differently this term. As a trial, we plan to run our conferences over two nights. 

Tuesday, March 12, will be a person-to-person, face-to-face meeting (Pre COVID), while Tuesday, March 19, will be an online TEAMS meeting. Please note, the change of date for one of our Conference evenings. Times for the sessions are March 12 (face-to-face) 4:00 – 6:00pm; March 19 (Teams) 4:00 – 7:00pm. 

Parents and Guardians will have the choice to book in to either evening.  We will be looking for feedback on these evenings, thus helping us to make decisions for subsequent Learning Conferences later in the year. 

Further details, including how to book and operational matters, will be sent in coming weeks.   

CCG Digital Wellbeing and Cybersafety Parent Forum

Thank you to the parents and guardians who have responded and registered for this upcoming event next Wednesday evening. Based on your responses to date, here are the top 5 topics parents are most interested in exploring on the night:

• Protecting my child from harmful or inappropriate content
• Screen time - finding a healthy balance
• Parental controls
• Cyber bullying
• Making informed parental decisions about specific apps and games

We’re especially excited about the opportunity on this evening for some rich sharing and discussion amongst parents attending and will also share information on how the school can support you and your children in this space, at school and at home.

As this event is intended for interactive participation by attendees in a forum-style format, there will not be a recording available.

This event will be suitable and relevant for parents of students of all ages, from Prep through to Year 12. This one-hour forum will involve a combination of information and support from the College, as well as an opportunity to share and discuss challenges and strategies with fellow parents.

Cross-Campus Vocal Evening

The Christian College Music Faculty held their first Cross-Campus Vocal Evening for 2024 on Wednesday, February 28 in the RW Gibson Music Performance Centre.

Vocal students from years 2-12 and from all five campuses performed solos accompanied by Regina Thomae, Tammy Treloar and Brad Treloar.

Our voice teachers Jacinta Burns, Brad Treloar, Tania Grant and me are all very proud of the students who performed and look forward to our next vocal evening.

Following on from this performance opportunity the music faculty will also be holding string, brass, woodwind and piano cross-campus evenings throughout the remainder of Term 1.

International Women’s Day Celebration at Senior Campus

All members of the CCG community are invited to join us at the Senior School campus for International Women’s Day on Friday March 8, as we continue the long-held tradition of the IWD breakfast. This year the event will be held in the RW Gibson music centre on Senior Campus, commencing at 7.20am and with formalities concluding by 8.30am. A light breakfast is provided, and we will hear from two inspiring women with links to our community who are making an impact in the wider world.

About our speakers - Former CCG student Ms Georgie Purcell MP was elected to the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament in November 2022, representing the Animal Justice Party. Georgie is a passionate animal protection advocate. After entering a political role at just 26 years old – she has noticed the way young people, particularly young women, are not represented in our halls of power. Georgie wants to change that.

Former teacher at CCG, Ms Gabrielle Blythe was an Olympic athlete, representing Australia in race walking events at the 1992 Olympic Games. Gaby now works with young women in her teaching and mentoring role at Clonard College, as well as inspiring a new generation of female athletes through her coaching. Gaby’s story is an amazing story about strong, resilient women who helped her to achieve her goals, despite significant difficulties along the way.

To join us on the day, please complete the booking form at https://www.trybooking.com/CPMKT.

In order to keep the day accessible to all, we are not charging participants for entry/breakfast. If, however, you are able to make a small contribution (gold coin or similar) on the day to help cover costs, it would be greatly appreciated.

Cinderella – Be Quick - Tickets are Disappearing Fast!

There are still tickets available for our major College production this year, but they are going fast, so to ensure you don't miss out - book now! Join us as we present three very special performances of this delightful story featuring students from Years 6 – 12 with exceptional talent throughout the cast, and an orchestra brimming with outstanding student musicians, all backed up by a wonderful community of staff, students and families backstage.

Performances are at Geelong Arts Centre Play House Theatre on May 3 and 4.

To purchase tickets, visit our website and click on the hotlink on our homepage, or go straight to ticket sales by clicking here. 

Camps, Sports and Excursion Fund

Financial Assistance for Eligible Parents

School camps provide children with inspiring experiences in the great outdoors, excursions encourage a deeper understanding of how the world works and sports teach teamwork, discipline and leadership. All are part of a healthy curriculum.

Every Victorian child should have access to the world of learning opportunities that exist beyond the classroom. The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) helps ensure that no student will miss out on the opportunity to join their classmates for important, educational and fun activities. Support from CSEF is provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities and forms part of the State Government’s commitment to breaking the link between a student’s background and their outcomes.

If you hold a valid means-tested concession card (HCC) or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. A special consideration category also exists for asylum seeker and refugee families. The allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting activities for the benefit of your child.

The annual CSEF amount per student is: • $150 for primary school students • $250 for secondary school students

How to Apply

Application Forms are available online through the Parent Portal (Go to ‘Student Information’ > ‘Important Forms for Parents’) these forms can be downloaded, completed then uploaded according to the instructions. Hard copy forms are also available from reception at each campus or by emailing enquire@ccg.vic.edu.au

More Information

For the CSEF application closing dates and more information about the fund please visit this webpage

CSEF_Application_Form_2024

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!

Class of 2014 10 Year Reunion

The Class of 2014 10 Year Reunion is set for Saturday, April 13, 2024. Join us at Blackman's Brewery Geelong from 5:30pm-8:00pm. Tickets are $15 each and RSVPs close on Thursday, 28th March 2024 at 5:00pm. 

This will be a great opportunity for you to reconnect with your peers, catch up with past teachers, and reminisce about your school days. 

Tours of the College Clocktower at Middle School - Highton will also be optional on the day of the reunion, if you would like to climb the Clocktower and find your brick, simply book in when you register. 

For those who would like to have a tour of the College grounds, please head to our website to arrange a tour. 

We look forward to catching up with the Class of 2014. If this is your year group, spread the word and register for your 10 Year Reunion today!  

https://ccgfoundation.org.au/2014

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!