What is Happening at Bellarine

Week 7

Junior Intensive Swimming program each day this week

• Year 9 GEOS Great Ocean Walk camp from Monday August 28 to Wednesday 31
• Tuesday 29            Year 3 and 4 Author Visit       
• Thursday 31        Year 5 and 6 Swimming continues
• Thursday 31        Deakin District Basketball
• Friday Sept 1      Junior School Fathers and Special Person – Breakfast from 8.00am
• Friday 1               Year 6 Melbourne Holocaust Museum excursion

Week 8

• Monday 4               Junior School Assembly
• Tuesday 5          Year 8 /9 Mixed Netball House Challenge
• Wednesday 6       Junior School Grandparents and Special people morning
• Thursday 7          Year 5 and 6 Swimming continues
• Thursday 7          All Things Footy Project Care Day
• Thursday 7          Year 8 /9 Mixed Netball House Challenge
• Thursday 7         6.00pm Spring Into Strings event – Senior School
• Friday 8               Prep Camp
• Friday 8               Year 8 /9 Mixed Netball House Challenge Final

Preps Produce Potato People!

Preps have been learning about living and non living things during Integrated Studies. This week they have been focusing on plants as food and participated in dissecting fruit and vegetables to identify the different parts of the plants we eat. The Preps were then set a task: to create a potato person using different parts of fruit and vegetables! It was fantastic to see every creation look so different. There were carrot arms, celery legs, corn noses, blueberry eyes and some crazy hairstyles too!

Presenting our Future Selves

Year 2/3S presented a Devotion at Assembly Monday about how we are made perfectly by God, with so many unique strengths and talents. We explored God having a plan for us as stated in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

We have been reading Andrea Beaty’s, ‘Iggy Peck, Architect’. Iggy dreams of being an architect. He loves to build things: a leaning tower of diapers, an arch built from pancakes, a castle made of chalk and helps co-ordinate his grade to build a suspension bridge when a bridge collapses and the teacher faints whilst out on a class excursion. 

We presented to assembly, our career dreams, and dressed as our future professional selves.  We also learned the importance of putting our trust in God and accepting what comes our way.

Year 4 Artists at Work…

Bellarine students have been busy creating art works using the Mexican art form ‘Huichol’; a form of yarn painting, as inspiration for their art. They have produced quality wall hangings that demonstrated how colour and pattern have played a large part in the overall design. The project required patience, skillful hand coordination and lots of artistic decision-making. The effects were stunning, and the Year 4 Art students are very proud of their results and cannot wait to take them home.

Year 7 Food Studies Healthy Breakfast

Students in the Year 7 Food Studies class embraced the opportunity to plan and create their own healthy breakfast menus. This task encouraged the class to combine their learning from the current unit on healthy breakfast options, with their new practical skills involving a variety of processes and cooking methods typically used in a Food Studies kitchen. Menu creations ranged from well executed staples like the humble breakfast burger, to more unique options such as homemade mango preserve on toast. The challenge is now for the students to transfer their skills from the school kitchen, and their new knowledge of healthy food home to spice up the family Sunday breakfast.

Operation Christmas Child

Year 9 and Year 4 students were excited to assist with making up the boxes for the 2023 Operation Christmas Child last week. At Christian College Bellarine we have been a fantastic supporter of the Good Samaritan’s ‘Operation Christmas Child’ campaign for several years. Over the years, our Christian College community has blessed over a thousand children around the world with a shoe box packed with love. Once again, we invite families to join us, to fill boxes in order to help us share the joy of Christmas with those children who may otherwise receive nothing.

Please see the email sent out to all families regarding the Operation Christmas Child campaign for more details. More information will be shared with students and families in Assemblies in the coming weeks.  

Fostering Collaboration and Wellbeing

The 2023 Victorian Young Leaders (VYL) to Indonesia (pilot) program has concluded with resounding success, marking a significant milestone in cross-cultural education. Funded and supported by the Victorian Department of Education and delivered by the Asia Education Foundation (AEF) at Asialink, University of Melbourne, this initiative aimed to promote student health and wellbeing while aligning with various Victorian Curriculum learning areas and priorities.

This immersive project also tied into the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SD), specifically Goals 2 and 3, fostering Indonesian curriculum alignment and engagement. Over the course of three intensive weeks, the participating students embarked on an online learning that not only expanded their cultural horizons but also facilitated meaningful cross-border connections through collaborative engagement with other selected Year 9 students studying Indonesian across Victoria as well as Indonesia.

Four Year 9 students from Christian College Geelong were fortunate to have been selected for this program, highlighting the program’s diverse representation across Victorian schools.

Pyjamas and Slippers to Support Diabetes Awareness

On August 18, the Christian College Bellarine students from Prep to Year 9 participated in Type One Diabetes Awareness Day. Students got to wear their pyjamas and bring in their fluffy slippers for the day. Students across the campus participated in a bunch of fun activities at lunchtime, run by a group of Year 8 girls who are passionate about the cause. Different teachers harnessed the pyjama enthusiasm to complement their students learning for the day. A snapshot of activities included the Year 9 group who bought in soft toys and a picture story book from their childhood as well as the Year 4 group snuggling in to watch some of their favourite stories from the Bible. It was a wonderful day with the student body raising $1000 for the Type One Diabetes cause.

Show Your True Colours

As the term rolls on and the AFL Footy finals become a reality for my mighty Blues…( I know!)…I invite all students and teachers, to wear their colours on Thursday September 7. Suitable footy/sport themed or coloured clothing would be appropriate for this final Project Care activity for the term. A gold coin donation will be collected on behalf of our campus-based Compassion Australia sponsor student Jo Jo.

Additional to this is the opportunity to pre-order a sausage in bread and/or a Prima drink.  Vegetarian and gluten-free options will be available. A hard copy of this order form will be distributed through each homeroom.

Recess and lunchtime activities are planned for Middle School students while Junior School students will come together for some fun football-based physical activities during their day. We are also awaiting confirmation of a player visit from the Geelong Football Club.

All in all a day to look forward to and if I can take the indulgence, “Go Blues”

Ensemble Night at the Bellarine Campus

This week we celebrated the work of our choirs and selected smaller ensembles and presented a wonderful mixed program to a packed audience!

We kicked off the night with some beautiful music from the Junior Choir as they brought songs from Matilda to life. Moving on to the Guitar and Percussion Ensembles, we got to enjoy some great pop tunes from James Brown and Coldplay. Up next was our Middle School Choir, performing a traditional piece in Latin, finishing strong with “Somewhere only we know”. Concluding the night was our Stage Band, fresh from their VSMF performance last week, presenting two upbeat tunes, making the audience groove along together.

Once again, we thank the whole community that make these ensembles work – from the conductors to the early starts for families, and of course our students who put their heart into rehearsals and performances. Please enjoy some pictures from the concert.

Year 8 Muffin Pop-Up

The Year 8 Food Studies held their Pop-Up Muffin Stall for Middle School in the Barn area. Students trialed and refined their designs to ensure the quality and taste was perfect. They calculated costs, made fabulous posters and sold their products. Profits made will be donated to the Project Care fundraiser, Operation Christmas Child. Congratulations to all involved!

Year 9 Musos Rock the House!

The Year 9 Music Elective students have been busy bees learning new instruments, notes, chords, beats and songs together this term! On Wednesday morning this week we got to enjoy some of the groups that have been formed in the class, with a half-hour rock concert on show!

We have a short video highlighting some top moments of the concert to share here.

Congratulations to the amazing Year 9s who have been an inspiring group of students committed to challenging themselves and putting themselves out there in the world of music!

Before School Supervision

The safety and wellbeing of our students is of the utmost importance to us. Students are supervised in the school grounds from 8.30am each morning. Students playing in the schoolyard prior to this time are unsupervised, which is a safety concern to us. I would ask for your support in ensuring that if your young person is attending school prior to 8.30am, they are able to be supervised by a parent or other adult. I thank you for your understanding.

Back Creek Café Closes

After nine years, we have made the difficult decision to close Back Creek Café, which has been an important part of the Back Creek Farm residential experience for our Year 9 students. As well as providing an outlet for farm produce and opportunities for student workgroups to gain hospitality skills, the café became a popular place within the Meredith community for locals and passers-by alike.

Since the COVID lockdown years, staffing at the café has proved to be a challenge and we have reached a point where we are not able to employ staff who can both support the students and operate the café effectively, which makes its continued operation unviable.

Christian College Year 9 students will continue to enjoy their rural residential experience at Back Creek Farm in Scotsburn, but working at the café will no longer be part of that experience. Another work group rotation will now be included as part of the farm experience.

We are so grateful for the friendships we made with both regular and occasional customers over nine years, and for the support and patronage of many Christian College families who visited the café in that time.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this café a great place to work and visit – we will miss you.

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 [email protected]’ 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.

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]

A MYTERN Thought for This Week

It’s easy to rush through a cup of tea or coffee and forget to stop and appreciate the moment. 

Take time out now to simply appreciate being able to breathe in fresh air. Take a long slow breath and feel it rejuvenate every cell. 

Make that your intention and watch your body smile from the inside 👍❤️

Discover more about MYTERN here