Term 3 Week 3

What is Happening at Bellarine

Week 4

• Discover Prep week
• Monday 7            Learning Conferences
• Monday 7            Junior School Assembly
• Wednesday 9       Preps’ 100 days of school
• Wednesday 9       Learning Conferences
• Thursday 1             VSMF Bellarine Novice Concert band and Concert band performance
• Thursday 10        Year 5 and 6 Swimming continues
• Thursday 10        Y7 Visit to Boronggook Library

Week 5

• Monday 14             Junior School Assembly
• Tuesday 15          Year 1 and 2 Bravehearts presentation
• Tuesday 15             Guest Speaker to Year 7,8,9 Sergeant Robbie Noggler
• Tuesday 15             Middle School Elective Expo
• Wednesday 16     Prep Discovery Learning
• Thursday 17        Junior School Book week parade
• Thursday 17        Year 5 and 6 Swimming continues
• Thursday 17        VSMF Bellarine Novice Stage band excursion

Subject Selection Evenings

Developing your young person’s purpose, passion and pathway…. 

You are all invited to attend the Bellarine Middle School Elective Expo, held Tuesday, 15 August, from 4pm – 7pm in the Auditorium Foyer.

Christian College is proud of the engaging subjects and pathway programs that foster purpose and passion for our Middle School students, with specialisation and experiential learning being implemented from Year 5. In a learning journey where students are encouraged to become active participants in their own educational journey, it is with much excitement that we share with you the Subject Information Evening for the 2024 academic year.

This plans to be a great community event providing you the opportunity to explore subjects, meet teachers and engage with our many support services, that will aim to develop your young person in the variety of learning opportunities available to them at Christian College Geelong.

To help prepare for Tuesday’s event, please follow this link to access the Bellarine Campus Hub, where you will find lots of subject information for the 2024 Academic Year. These resources provide a detailed outline of the content, structure, and pathways for each of our core and elective subjects. It also explains relevant rules relating to the selection of subjects. We anticipate these resources will be extremely beneficial when considering and deciding on electives for 2024 and beyond.

Prep Discovery Learning

The Preps were very excited to begin our ‘Discovery Learning’ program this term. We departed by bus to head to Ocean Grove Nature Reserve, where the children were able to climb trees, find creepy crawlies and appreciate all that nature has to offer! It was so great to see the children using their imagination whether it was for fishing with their sticks in the dam or doing their best koala and sloth impersonations in the trees. A highlight for many was working as a team to build forts out of branches. One comment from a Prep student on the day sums up their experiences perfectly, “I wish we could have Discovery Learning every day!

Year 1 Egg Drop Challenge

This term has created the opportunities for the Year 1 students to participate in a range of Science experiments. In our Materials and Movement Integrated Studies topic we are exploring how everyday materials can physically change in a variety of ways. Students will pose and respond to questions and make predictions about familiar objects and events. We are also participating in guided investigations to explore and answer questions. Students had the opportunity to use a variety of materials including cardboard, recycled boxes, material and balloons to make a creation that would allow the egg not to crack when it was dropped from height. The students worked in pairs, brainstorming, collaborating and inventing some wonderful and unique devices. The excitement in the Auditorium foyer when these were blasted off was incredible and there were many happy faces when the egg was revealed not broken!

Year 2s Visit Camp Wilkin

This week the Year 2s headed to Camp Wilkin in Anglesea. It was a big adventure camp, staying two nights and participating in some incredibly fun activities. The first day we went to the beach to create some sandcastles, play some games and look for crabs. Later in the day we arrived on site and went into some adventure activities, including rock climbing and archery. A number of our students showed themselves to be capable mountaineers, climbing the wall with ease.

On Tuesday, we went for a walk to Coogoorah Park to create natural art pieces using fallen sticks, leaves, branches, wildflowers and nuts that we found in the area. Students gathered their pieces and developed their work in groups, creating pieces they were proud of. In the afternoon, there were more adventure activities to enjoy. They especially loved the flying fox and the low ropes course. We finished the day with a campfire and watched the Dr Suess movie, Horton Hears A Who.

On our final day we took another walk to the beach to do some team challenges. Our final activity was to build the largest turtle we could out of sand. The students created some amazing turtles, some which looked quite lifelike.

It was a lovely few days to spend together as a group, sharing lots of fun, joy and laughter while creating some great memories.

Piano Day

Bellarine piano students were inspired at the Piano Day on August 3, a cross-campus experience for players from Year 3 onwards, organised by the piano staff. The day was filled with sparkling student performances and guest clinician Teresa Lavers gave some fabulous insights and practice tips. Highlights included Brad Treloar’s sneak peek into the inside workings of a piano and 2022 graduate Adela Karol’s performance. The students also workshopped Cole Porter’s classic ‘I’ve Got Rhythm’ in an enormous keyboard ensemble. The following are quotes from some of the Year 6 attendees.

“My favourite part was listening to Adela play because of how smoothly she played, with different dynamics. It was really effective, and it flowed really well.” Abharna

“I loved watching the piano get taken apart. I’ve seen inside a piano before but never the whole thing. It was explained so well. 12,000 parts….that’s insane! The one-note piano was really cool! I loved performing on the grand piano and hearing the older students play. It was so inspiring.” Elodie

“It was cool! I liked how we looked inside the piano.” Sammy

“It was really fun to sit and watch your friends and other people play piano and see the techniques that they have.” Imogen

“I liked the Top Gun performance from Junior School. The dynamics and the harmony of the song made me speechless. It was a beautiful day- I can’t describe how beautiful!” Jayden

Treasure Hunting in Year 3

As part of our Mathematics topic of Location and Transformation, the Year 3s used their knowledge of ordered pairs to create their personalised Treasure map. This included written instructions that used the terminology taught in this topic, to assist the treasure hunter in successfully finding the location of the hidden treasure.

There was such a wide variety of maps, each themed differently, but which followed the concepts taught in this topic and presented in such creative ways. Our Year 3 pirates were certainly proud of their creations and their map-reading skills.

Year 5 Surf Coast Visit

On Tuesday August 1, we had a visit from our Surf Coast Campus friends in Year 5. We had a jam-packed day full of fun and learning.

The day started with our Year 5 Music program. All students practised together and played the tune Kick Start they had been working hard to learn in the lead up to this day. It was an impressive display considering the majority of the students had only picked up their instrument at this year.

After some fun at recess, we all packed into our school library for an author visit. We listened to the local author Kristine Fitzgerald and she spoke to the students about her writing journey. She made it clear that if she could do this, anybody can. Kristine then helped our Year 5 students plan and develop their characters for their up-and-coming picture story book project.

For the rest of the day students participated in rotational activities based on our Humanities theme Stories of Settlement (Early Australian History). These activities included Calligraphy with dip pens, QR code First Fleet scavenger hunt around the campus and old-fashioned games.

To finish our day, we had a sausage sizzle lunch and said farewell to friends. We will see them again at our combined Year 5 camp next term.

Science – All Systems Go!

Students from across the Middle years have been busy immersing themselves into their scientific studies. Year 5 are focusing on layers of the Earth and how weathering and erosion can impact the crust of the Earth. Year 6 have been investigating changes to materials and identifying evidence used to classify various changes. Year 7 students have been developing their understanding of forces and how they are needed for anything to occur. Meanwhile our Year 8 students have been investigating chemical and physical reactions and our Year 9 cohort have been studying atomic structure and the periodic table.

Sophie Maye, Alice Vincent, Georgia Scott, Middle School Science Teachers.

A Year 5 Mega Band!

“Music is about communication, creativity and cooperation.” Bill Clinton.

Year 5 students from Bellarine and the Surf Coast showed fantastic cooperation on Tuesday, as they combined to form a mega band as part of a cross-campus music morning. It was fabulous to hear the breadth of sound, with added flutes, clarinets, and trombones. Surf Coast students particularly enjoyed seeing and hearing the diversity of instruments found in the percussion section…. definitely an “ooh, aah” moment. What a memorable way to start the day!

Library News                

On Tuesday, the Year 5s from Bellarine and Surf Coast excitedly entered the library with the wonderful opportunity to have a visit from Kristine Fitzgerald – a local author.  Kristine spoke to the Year 5’s about her writing, the writing process and showcased her books.  She also spoke about how to plan a story, with the students all having a go at planning their convict story.

Year 9 Musicians Visit the Gibson Centre!

On Monday the Year 9 musicians from both Highton and Bellarine Campuses joined together at Senior School to share in some amazing music from our senior musicians. A very broad and exciting collection of performances was shared with the group – also tapping into the experiences of the different performers at the college and how they have developed through their involvement in activities such as House Music, tours and regular rehearsals. Please enjoy a video showcasing a snippet of each performer from Monday.

Big Science Competition

At this week’s Middle School assembly, a number of our Bellarine students received certificates for their participation and effort in the Big Science Competition during Term 2. The competition consisted of a 30-question multiple choice quiz assessing STEM skills of analysis, evaluation, critical thinking, and problem solving. It was wonderful to see so many students take advantage of this opportunity, and we congratulate all the students who took part.

Special mentions go to Sean Koopman and Guy Williams on achieving a High Distinction and Distinction respectively which places them in the top 5% and 15% of entrants respectively, from across Australia.

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 are now available.

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

We are EXCITED to see your talent…

LEAD Parent Survey - Now Closing September 1

Each year, Christian College participates in the LEAD School Effectiveness Surveys conducted by Independent Schools Victoria (ISV). These surveys provide valuable insights into a school’s performance from the perspectives of students, staff and parents and are therefore an essential school improvement tool.

LEAD – Listen, Evaluate, Act, Deliver – succinctly describes the way in which this process enables our College community to grow and flourish through consultation with our valued stakeholders.

You will have received an email from ‘ISV Research Programs noreply@limesurvey.org’ inviting you to participate in the ISV LEAD Parent Survey. It includes a unique survey link that can only be used once and therefore cannot be shared or forwarded to others. Thank you to all parents who have completed the Parent Satisfaction Survey - we have received more than 300 responses to date. ISV has extended the deadline for survey responses - closing date is September 1. We invite any parents who have not yet participated to contribute your feedback via this year's survey. You are an integral part of our school community and your voice matters.

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

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 f.provan@ccg.vic.edu.au