Learning Conferences

We have been delighted to see and hear the exciting from our students as they commence the new term and semester. It is our intention to continue to provide feedback to both parents and students on a regular basis, as we know that this impacts the learning process in a positive way and allows us all to work together in supporting our students. 

Our Parent/Teacher/Student Learning Conferences on Monday August 7 from 4.00-6.00pm and Wednesday August 9 from 4.00-8.00pm are an opportunity for parents to discuss the learning progress of your son/daughter through Semester 1, and areas of learning focus as we progress through Semester 2. Conferences will be held ONLINE via Microsoft Teams video conference. Each conference is 10 minutes in duration. If additional conference time is required, an alternate time will be discussed with the relevant teacher. 

Online Learning Conference bookings are available by going to www.schoolinterviews.com.au. Enter the school event code xnmx3 and book the teachers and times requested. Please see further instructions in the attached flyer, for your convenience.

What is Happening at Bellarine

Week 3

• Monday July 31             Year 2 camp through until Wednesday
• Monday July 31             Learning Conferences bookings open
• Tuesday August 1         Y5 Surf Coast students visiting our campus
• Wednesday August 2    Prep Discovery Learning
• Thursday August 3          Year 5 and 6 Swimming commences
• Friday August 4             Naga High student visit
• Friday August 4            Learning Conferences bookings close

Week 4

• Discover Prep Week
• Monday August 7          Learning Conferences
• Monday August 7          Junior School Assembly
• Wednesday August 9    Preps’ 100 days of school
• Wednesday August 9    Learning Conferences
• Thursday August 10      VSMF Bellarine Novice Concert band and Concert                                                                                                band performance
• Thursday August 10      Year 5 and 6 Swimming continues
• Thursday August 10      Y7 Visit to Boronggook Library

Jayden’s on top of the World!

Congratulations to our newest World Champion, Jayden Shrume, Year 6S.

Jayden recently returned from the World Championships held in Florida USA.  Jayden is officially the World Champion in his Junior Age level for Karate and specifically in the Weapons and Sparring categories. In addition to these victories, Jayden also finished in second and fourth place in two other categories.  Well done, Jayden, we are very proud of your efforts!

Year 1 Time

This week in Mathematics, we have been working on telling the time. We began by looking at what the children already knew, and we were very impressed with their knowledge! The children shared lots of things they knew about time including that their parents were not always very good at keeping to it! Our first task was to make a clock with hands that we could move; we even managed to recognise that each number was worth 5 minutes and colour coded them to show this.  The children then enjoyed making different times with their clocks and suggesting activities that might happen at this time. The rest of the week we focused on learning o’clock, half past, and some even managed to look at quarter past and quarter to. We have drawn hands on clocks, played games as a team and got to use the iPads. We have been working on telling the time on both analogue and digital clocks which has proved a tricky task! The children were very determined though and worked hard all week to try and understand the concept. We finished off the week by eating Arnotts Tic Toc biscuits in our lesson, which definitely helped our learning!

Years 3 and 4 Hooptime

On Wednesday the July 26, three teams of selected Year 3 and 4 students represented the College at the Hooptime basketball competition at AWA stadium in Belmont. All teams were competitive throughout the day, with all students displaying good teamwork and sportsmanship. All teams were involved in the Future Stars Program, with two of the three teams playing off in the finals. The Tigers ended up winning the grand final by 5 points, beating a team that was undefeated and that they had lost to by just three points during the rounds. They will now progress through to the next stage later in the year. A big thank-you to our coaches Gary, Marli Milne and Mia Pearce who provided the students with great fun, guidance, and encouragement. All Year 3 and 4 students will have an opportunity to participate in a basketball extravaganza next term. Any students interested in playing basketball for Christian College can contact Miss Hoiles for further information.

Who Would Have Thought…?

Year 6 Art students, that’s who!

Ordinary materials like scrunched newspaper, card and masking tape have come alive under the skilled hands of the Year 6 Art students.

After researching together and examining God’s amazing creation of bird species, the students were inspired to shape and manipulate media to sculpt their own birds, learning to construct, join and papier mache even the smallest of shapes- beaks and feet.

Our Art room benches have begun to look like a veterinary clinic, with a variety of birds, their wings and other features drying in specific poses to create the desired angle or position.

As you can see, the Year 6 Art students have pushed their imaginations beyond the ordinary and created the extraordinary.

Learning the Importance of Democracy             

During a recent Humanities session, Year 6 students were tasked with building a marble run, with a catch! Everyone was split into two teams. Team A had stronger materials and more time to build their marble run. Team B only had one resource and a third of the time to create their marble run. Both teams successfully accomplished this task, but they saw how unfairly everyone was divided up. After the experiment, there was rich conversation around the importance of a democratic society and how rules create a safe place to live. We also shared how equality and a fair environment make for a happier and more content community.  This was a valuable lesson which the students can refer to as we dive into this term’s unit of study.

Year 7 Drama and Dance Electives

Students in the Year 7 Dance elective this term have the opportunity to learn from former student turned choreographer, Nikki Menzel (Geelong Dance Movement). This involves the beginnings of two dances – one musical theatre and another that students will vote on according to which style would they like to find out more about. Over the coming weeks, they will then decide which of these dances they want to move forward with. They will also be given the opportunity to develop this piece further by adding their own choreography. Additionally, there will be fun learning some jazz across the term – giving us another piece to share at our end-of-semester showcase towards the end of the year.

Meantime, students in the Year 7 Drama elective this term are taking part in a comedy unit where we are learning about non-verbal communication as a performance tool. This will culminate in them ‘clowning around’ – literally – devising a clowning performance to share with some of the younger year levels in a few weeks’ time. Currently, we are working with neutral masks and have been scaring a few teachers in the process!

It is such a blessing being able to watch student creativity shine in these subjects.

Ella is a Zero Hero!

Earlier this year, Year 8E student Ella Williams-Clark was nominated for the 2023 Young Person’s Zero Hero Award. This award is given to exceptional young people who have made an emergency Triple 0 call and performed extraordinarily in life threatening situations. From the more than 11,000 young callers, Ella was one of only 24 nominated. Yesterday, she had the opportunity to attend an award ceremony at the MCG. Ella was awarded for her quick thinking, calmness and clarity when relaying the emergency on the phone. Ella followed directions from the call-taker with ease and without panic! For her efforts, Ella received a certificate, a 000 teddy bear and a gold medal as well as praise from the Police Commissioner and others.  Congratulations Ella!

Old Fashioned Risotto

This week the Year 9 Food Studies class learnt how to make risotto using the absorption method. It is quite time consuming with endless stirring. The students persevered and were rewarded with delicious mushroom risotto with a topping of roasted pumpkin and zucchini. It was also wonderful that the students were able to gather the necessary herbs, that is, thyme, parsley and rosemary from the barn garden.

Year 9 Japanese Excursion to Melbourne 

On Friday July 21, the Year 9 Japanese class went to Melbourne to attend a lecture about travel at the Japanese Consulate, eat at a Japanese Udon restaurant and visit shops just like those one would find in Japan. 

The students did a great job of taking notes about each place they visited. In the next class at school, the experience will be written up as an essay task that simulates a day in Japan. 

The class was very fortunate to have Oataway Sensei from Senior School come and provide her knowledge about Japan and advice about future Japanese study at Year 10 level.  

Thank you to all parents for their cooperation with this valuable educational experience. 

Bellarine Novice Concert Band

The Novice Band have been busy preparing music for the upcoming VSMF festival on August 10. This band is a great place for students to begin their large ensemble journey from the woodwind, brass and percussion families. We also make room for some lower string instruments and enjoy wonderful contributions from bass students as well. We have been excited to welcome lots of new members this year and look forward to sharing in some performances in the coming months!

National Tree Day

With grateful thanks to the Bellarine North Rotary Club, we were able to invest in some colourful, native and well-established trees to plant around our grounds. In recognition of National Tree Day, students across the Bellarine campus – many of whom are homeroom Sustainability Representatives planted, staked, fertilised and mulched each tree. Our fence-lined soccer and AFL ovals will soon look a little more colourful, leafy and busy with local birdlife. Many thanks to Andy Allen for his work in sourcing suitable species and preparing the areas for our planting session today. Well done to the students who were involved in presenting to homerooms about the importance of National Tree Day and also those who got their hands dirty in the planting session.

Victorian School Music Festival

On Monday of this week, the Middle School String Ensembles form Highton and Bellarine had the opportunity to take part in the Victorian School Music Festival. The day began with a combined rehearsal at the RW Gibson Auditorium, as the groups had rehearsed separately, and this was their first and last chance to put the finishing touches on their performance pieces as a combined ensemble.

After a smooth bus trip to the Hawthorn Arts Centre, the students were able to warm up and have a brief rehearsal, before taking to the stage for their performance. Members in the audience included students from other schools as well as some family members that had come to cheer along the Christian College students.

Following on from a very polished presentation, the chief adjudicator Chris Kopke, took to the stage and workshopped some ideas and strategies to improve their playing and performance as an ensemble.  

Each student should be extremely proud of the way they represented Christian College in a public forum, and for the way in which they participated and contributed on the day. 

The end result speaks for itself as the combined group was awarded a “Gold” award for their performance- a testament to each student’s dedication to home practice and concentration in rehearsals. Well done to all involved!

Library News

Book Week preparations have begun!  Over the next few weeks junior students will be reading the shortlisted books and sharing in fun activities.  The Library Staff love hearing about what the junior students love about books.

Don’t forget the Book Week Parade for Prep to Year 4 on Thursday August 17.  We can’t wait to see the students’ fabulous creations!

HAVE YOU BEEN PRACTISING AND DESIGNING AN ACT TO SHOWCASE YOUR AMAZING TALENT!??

On the last day of this term all 3 Middle Schools will come together to share in this fun day of entertainment and a whole lot of silliness at the….

THE ANNUAL MIDDLE SCHOOL CROSS CAMPUS TALENT QUEST!

In the coming weeks we will be starting to hold auditions for any middle school students that can showcase a talent they have – think outside the box!!!!

We love to see performers of any type, think: dancing, music performance, drama, comedy, physical talents, group items.. magic tricks! The options are endless….

Auditions will be:

Friday Week 5 – Lunchtime

Friday Week 6 – Lunchtime

Tuesday Week 7 – Lunchtime

Friday Week 7 – Lunchtime

*Online Sign Up Sheets will come out in Week 3, they will be shared with students via email.

Reach out to a staff member or Ms Huber if you want to ask any questions.

We are EXCITED to see your talent…

Subject Selection Information Evening 

On Wednesday July 26 our campus hosted the 2024 subject selection evening, it was a great evening that showcased what a great place our senior campus and the opportunities available for students to thrive in their education. The night provided many of you the opportunity to explore subjects, meet teachers and engage with our many support services. We encourage you to continue the conversation at home around subject selections and use the tools available to assist you with this. The Senior School Hub is a great source of information regarding subject selections. To further support students to make subject selections with their learning pathway in mind, the College has developed Pathways Mapping software. This software is available on the Senior School Hub under the “Subject Information” tab. 

Sport Update

The 2023 All Schools XC Championships were held last Saturday at Bundoora Park in beautiful running conditions. In the wake of some very good performances at the GISSA Championships last term, the following students represented our college at the All Schools, which attracts some of the best runners from across the State.

Thomas Stefanovski (Yr7 Bellarine Campus) and Nate Bradley (Yr7 Highton Campus) competed in the U14 boys’ section where 170+ competitors completed the undulating 3km course. Nate finished in 49th position with a time of 10:57mins, and Thomas finished 85th in 11:35mins. Both boys competed brilliantly against some quality competition, where the winner’s time was 9:39mins.

Lewis Reed (Yr8 Highton Campus) ran solidly in the U15 boys’ age group, finishing 75th in a field of 150+ competitors. His time of 15:29mins for the 4km course was a credit to him, with the winner clocking 12:02mins.

Promoting Parent Tools and Resources for Digital Safety and Wellbeing at Home

At this early point in a new semester, and with several families who are new to the CCG community across our campuses, I’d like to encourage all parents to partner with us in your child’s digital safety and wellbeing by making use of the parent tools and resources available to all of our parents through our Cyber Safe Schools Program.

Base Level ‘Safety Filtering’ on College Laptops and VPNs

Most parents will be aware that we provide a base level of ‘safety cover’ filtering of internet content on all College student devices. This filtering is always active, on any network (home or school). The purpose of this level of filtering is to help protect students from potentially harmful content when they are engaging online – anywhere, anytime.

A change we will be making on school devices from August 14 is that VPN traffic will also be included in this base level of safety filtering. This is an important improvement to ensure that our safety filtering can always function correctly. This will mean that from 14th August, students will not be able to access and use VPNs on their school device.

East Timor Trivia Night

Preparations are underway for our annual Trivia Night which raises much needed funds for the work we do in Viqueque, East Timor.

Money raised this year will help pay for a new roof for Uma Maun Alin – Friendship House – where some amazing staff and volunteers run kindergarten classes for local little ones and English classes for older children and teens.

Part of the night is a Silent Auction and we are asking CCG families for any donations.

Some donations made already, thanks to the hard work of some of our prefects, include: a signed Cats guernsey, personal training sessions, café vouchers, Geelong Lawn tennis memberships, tennis racquet and re-stringing voucher, a vet clinic voucher... and so much more!

If you are in a position to be able to donate something to this incredibly worthwhile cause please contact:

Surfcoast Campus: Claire Deretic

Junior School: Carla Dunlop

Highton Campus: Graham Barton

Bellarine Campus: Samantha Bett

Senior School: Lee Stringer

2023 CCG Science Photography Competition

As part of National Science Week, the CCG Science Faculty is delighted to invite our Year 5-12 students to enter the 2023 CCG Science Photography competition.

Students are asked to submit photographs which record some scientific event or illustrate some scientific phenomenon. They may submit between three and six photographs, which must be linked by a common theme. Prints must be submitted.

The topic may be based on any scientific theme or you may use the theme for this year’s science week which is Innovation: Powering Future Industries.

Competition entries must be submitted before Friday August 11.

Winners will be announced and entries displayed as part of our National Science Week celebrations.

We are offering three age categories for the competition.

Junior – Years 5 and 6

Intermediate  – Years 7 – 9

Open – Years 10 – 12

Detailed guidelines and entry forms are included here and can also be obtained from your science teacher.

Good luck to all entrants, we look forward to viewing your submissions!

2023 Photography entry form

2023 Photography entry guidlines

Important VET Information and Subject Selection for 2024

Vocational Education Training (VET) is offered as a subject in Year 10, 11 and 12 at CCG Senior Campus. Students travel off campus to either The Gordon or a government or catholic school (non-Gordon) who offer the courses one afternoon a week. Year 10 students who select VET also study VCE VM Unit 1 Work Related Skills over the whole year and complete one week of work experience. VET is mandatory for students studying VCE Vocational Major (VM) and optional for VCE (ATAR) students. More information can be found in the subject selection booklets and VET tab located in the Senior School Hub on SEQTA.

VET Course Information, Application Processes and Dates for 2024

1. SELECT VET AS A CCG SUBJECT.
2. Create a Unique Student Identifier at https://www.usi.gov.au/
3. Choose your VET course from either The Gordon or Non-Gordon supplier.
4. APPLY FOR YOUR VET COURSE. Choose PM classes only.

NON-GORDON COURSES (GOVERNMENT AND CATHOLIC SCHOOL OFFERINGS)

COURSE INFORMATION AND HARD COPY APPLICATION FORMS can be found on the Senior School Hub under the VET tab and at CCG campus student offices. All Year 9,10 and 11 students and parents will be informed via email.

A HARD COPY APPLICATION FORM FOR NON-GORDON COURSES IS TO BE COMPLETED AND RETURNED TO CCG Senior Campus student office via email to [email protected]

Discover Prep Week

During Discover Prep Week, August 7 – 11, three CCG campuses are offering interested parents, families and guardians the opportunity to get a firsthand view of Prep at Junior School-Belmont, Bellarine Campus and Surf Coast Campus. Our Prep programs are unparalleled and we invite anyone interested in enrolling children in Prep in 2024 and beyond, to come and visit, join a class, see our facilities, speak with teachers and campus leaders and have their questions answered. There are multiple opportunities at each of the three campuses to participate.

We would encourage our College community to spread the word about Discover Prep Week to anyone who is considering school choices for their children in 2024 and beyond.

All details, including booking information for sessions, can be found on our Discover Prep Week webpage – hit the hotlink on our homepage or click here to access it.

Scholarship Applications are Now Open!

Each year Christian College offers Academic Excellence Scholarships for entry at Year 5, 7 and 10 levels. Applications are now open for this year’s scholarships, which apply to entry in 2025, at three campuses – Middle School-Highton, Bellarine Campus and Surf Coast Campus.

Year 10 entry applies to Senior School-Waurn Ponds only.

To find out more, and to apply, visit our website and look for the homepage hotlink, or click here.

Scholarship applications are open to students who do not currently attend Christian College, as well as those who are currently enrolled here. Scholarship examinations will be held at Christian College on Saturday October 7. Closing date for applications is Thursday, September 28.

Foundation Golf Day 2023

Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, we are delighted to announce the Christian College Foundation Golf Day tournament for 2023.

Save the date: Thursday November 9.

We are seeking prizes for this event – if you own a local business and are interested in creating partnership opportunities with Christian College, please contact Fiona Provan on 0400 477 467, or email [email protected]