Term 1 Week 9

From the Head of Campus

Wow, what a term!  I fear if I start to list all of the happenings and events, I will leave something out.  It certainly has been an incredibly busy and successful term. I have loved the positive community feel, the numerous community connections and the realigning of our timetables to reconnect Junior and Middle School.  One Campus, – parents, staff, students – Prep to Year 9.

Our Preps deserve a special mention, they have been simply amazing, taking everything in their stride, very little has phased them. They do have a busy term ahead however.

They go full time, no more Wednesday sleep ins, Prep Discovery excursions commence, and fun experiences scheduled to celebrate their fiftieth day and a dress up Kings and Queens day towards the long weekend.

Term 2 will be a little quieter as we continue to focus on the teaching and learning of our students. 

From the Deputy Head of Campus

As this busy term ends, it does so with a vivid tapestry of teaching and learning experiences populating and embedding the Term 1 memories of teacher, learner, and family members.

Throughout the term it has been exciting to observe teachers planning and delivering richly varied curriculum in purposeful and meaningful ways. Active and engaged learning has been visible in all classrooms across the campus and in learning experiences undertaken off campus.

Feedback on the progress of learning is cumulatively built via In Time reporting of formative and summative assessments. Sitting and reading this feedback with your young person is an excellent investment of time as it opens up opportunities to chat about the school journey. This time of sharing offers insight into the student’s level of engagement and ownership of their learning in various subjects as well as providing a starting point for conversations around friendships and wellbeing.

As you engage in some of these conversations over the holidays, it is important to focus not so much on the results in and of themselves, but the reason/s for, and attitudes around, the results. Whilst acknowledging that C expects At Standard learning, be aware that not all young people can work at or above standard. What is important is to celebrate individual endeavour, and to support and encourage efforts to reset if this is what the young person identifies as a personal goal for Term 2.

Wishing everyone a blessed Easter, and happy, safe holidays.

Wowee…What a Term!

I have had the pleasure this term of witnessing many moments of connection and celebration unfold across the College and the tapestry of experiences that have enriched our school days, is a testament to our collective commitment to fostering wellbeing and creating opportunities for all individuals to flourish.

From the swimming and athletic carnivals to the colour runs, from the lunchtime clubs to the competitive fervour of House challenges, the opportunities to explore the great outdoors, the camps, the incursions, the excursions, the music performances, and the production rehearsals…well needless to say it has been a whirlwind of activity and achievement. Our Project Care teams passionately championed important philanthropic causes, dedicating their efforts to raising awareness and funds for worthwhile initiatives and our Year 9s began their journey of experiential learning via the farm and transformation program.  Our Prefect Investitures afforded us the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate our new student leaders of our College and Harmony Day and International Women’s Day reminded us of the importance of inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. We sang and we danced, we performed and rehearsed, we studied, we tried, we laughed and we cried, we paraded and hunted for easter eggs. You name it…I think we did it!

What’s Happening at Bellarine

Term 2, Week 1

• Monday 15 April Staff commence
• Tuesday 16 April Students commence

Term 2, Week 1

• Monday 22 April Year 3-4 camp depart (Sunny Stones)
• Wednesday 24 April Prep Discovery
• Wednesday 24 April ANZAC service
• Wednesday 24 April Year 3-4 camp return
• Thursday 25 April ANZAC Public Holiday
• Friday 26 April Year 9 LOTE visit to Japanese Consulate

Year 4 Easter Bonnet Parade to Drysdale Preschool

The Year 4s and two of our Prefects, Eve and Molly, along with teachers Mr Kennedy, Mrs Keogh, Mr Crole and Mrs Morrish looked splendid in their Easter bonnets as they set off from the campus down the High Street to go visit Drysdale Preschool. The students enjoyed waving to passers-by and wishing them a happy Easter as they walked through Drysdale town to get to the Kinder.

At the Kinder, it was an absolute delight to connect with the younger children with an Easter Bonnet Parade and to read a few picture books about Easter.

The students were such a credit to our community and seemed to really enjoy this opportunity to spread the joy of Easter.

Prep Alphabet Activity Day

What a wonderful first term we had in Prep! The Prep students celebrated learning all the letters of the alphabet by participating in a special Alphabet Activity Day.

The children dressed up in something to do with their favourite letter of the alphabet and enjoyed activities like an alphabet hunt around the playground and a letter-themed disco party which their parents attended.

We are so proud of the effort and achievement we have seen in Prep this term as well as the enthusiasm and joy the Prep students bring to school each day!

Year 5/6 Girls Football

On Monday this week, 31 Year 5 and 6 girls from the Bellarine, Highton and Surf Coast Campuses travelled to South Barwon reserve to participate in the girls’ football competition. It was great to see all of the girls grow in confidence and skill as the day progressed.  We took with us a group of girls for the day who didn’t have much football experience but by the end of the day, it was fantastic to see how much the girls had learnt and improved. One of the best parts of the day was watching the students from the three different campuses come together to forge connections and friendships.

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 of respect, invested, safety, effort, unselfish and prepared at this Event.

Japanese Weather and the ‘Switch’

The Year 1 students have been learning about the weather in Term 1. To learn the vocabulary, the students made a ‘Switch’ controller that had weather buttons on it. This controller is inspired by the Japanese NHK TV Education Channel program for children called ‘Pitagora Switch.’

The idea of the controller was to say the weather button while pushing the button. This would then send a command from the controller’s antenna, and the person who received the command would perform a gesture matching that weather button.

If your child brought home a strange-looking cardboard object with a straw sticking out of it, and then started to point it at family members while saying Japanese words, then they were using their weather controller just like they did in Japanese class.

Easter Extravaganza

The Junior School students had a wonderful day celebrating Easter during our Easter Extravaganza. Students participated in many different craft activities that were lots of fun and some wonderful creativity was on display. A highlight was the Easter Bonnet parade, where students wore a special bonnet that they each made. We also had a beautiful service, where the students and staff reflected on the message of hope that we can all receive because of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Pass the Snacks – Pilot Project

The Project Care reps were lucky enough to be involved in a pilot project this term called Pass the Snacks. The program has been started by one of our very own school families to provide ‘snack’ foods boxes to families in need for the Term 1 Holidays.

The program is entirely community-funded and supported by volunteers who sourced the snacks from various places around the Bellarine Peninsula. The Project Care Reps then volunteered to pack the boxes ready for delivery. This involved making a human conveyor belt in the music foyer, ensuring they had included a variety of snacks in each box such as pasta, crackers, cereal and of course some treats! The reps managed to pack 62 boxes in total in less than an hour, which was an amazing effort! The boxes will now be delivered to schools around the Bellarine to be given to families in need. This will make a huge difference to these families for the holidays!

This was an exciting project to be involved in and we hope to continue supporting this great idea as it develops throughout the year! Watch this space for more news 😊

An Epically Elizabethan Melodrama

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, Twentieth Century 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 these 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, Cinderella, are now on sale. This will be held at the Geelong Arts Centre (The Playhouse) between May 3 and 4. Tickets can be purchased via the GAC website.

Coin Fun

 Wow! What a great effort from everyone at our campus these last few weeks in collecting the coins for our Lent Project Care Collection!

Junior School had a super, fun morning in the glorious sunshine making their coin trails. They all worked well as a team to line up all their coins across the basketball court to see whose was longest. It was a pretty close contest in the end between a few classes, but Mr Kennedy and Mrs Bett’s classes were declared joint winners. The children in these classes all enjoyed a special Easter treat for their efforts.

Middle School didn’t want to miss out and used their coins to make some cool pictures. Some of the pictures included seahorses, cactus, and a chicken! Another close call between the classes, with Mr Monagle and Mr Lees’ classes being announced winners, also receiving a special treat!

Overall, we collected a huge $821.30 for the Jesuit Mission. This has allowed us to donate enough for eight families to start chicken farms, and the rest will go towards supplying a water source to the village. Thank you so much for all your support with this very important, life-changing collection!

Year 9 Prefect Fundraiser: Cash for cans

Have you seen those blue and orange can and bottle recycling stations popping up everywhere? We have. That is why, beginning at the start of Term 2, we will be starting a new fundraiser that will be set up around the Bellarine campus. In this, we will be using the Victorian Container Deposit Scheme to raise funds for Project Care causes, supporting Bean Break and events around the College.

At the beginning of Term 2, we are going to have some tubs set up in the barn in which students are encouraged to bring empty cans or bottles in. Over the holidays I am sure we will be able to gather a few to get the ball rolling on our return. It would be very much appreciated if you could rinse out the cans/bottles before bringing them in. Please do not crush cans or remove labels from bottles.

Any donations would be greatly appreciated, so long as they follow the regulations that you can find at this website: Victoria‘s Container Deposit Scheme | Find Eligible Containers (cdsvic.org.au).

Let’s see how many cans we can get and cash we can raise!!!

Abhi Sanjeev, Lucy Rogers, Alex Norgard
Year 9 Prefects

Qustodio Parent App

As part of the College’s commitment to supporting students and families with positive digital interactions in the home, we provide access to the Qustodio Parent App for all College parents and carers.

Relationship, clearly established boundaries, and adult modelling of healthy interactions with digital technologies form the best foundation for supporting young people’s own positive digital interactions. eSafety identifies parental controls as an important tool for parents in support of home digital wellbeing and provides an excellent parent guide to parental controls.

• Parental controls | How to keep your child safe (esafety.gov.au)

Parental controls tools, such as the Qustodio Parent App, can help to enforce agreed rules, provide safety barriers, and better empower parents and carers by providing visibility over their children’s digital activity. Parents are encouraged to consider how the Qustodio Parent App can support them and their young people at home.

Video Link: A Parent's Initial Introduction to Qustodio

Interested parents who have not already registered their Qustodio parent account can learn more about how to get started below. This includes video guides on registering your parent account as part of our school program and getting started.

• Getting Started with the Qustodio Parent App

Qustodio is a valuable tool for parents which can be used in a range of ways depending on your child’s individual age, needs and context. I encourage parents and carers to consider and explore how Qustodio can support you and your young people with positive digital interactions and wellbeing at home.

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

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!