From the Principal
Across this beautiful region, on the traditional lands of the Wadawurrung people, our campuses awoke from their summer hiatus as the energy and excitement of more than 2000 students filled our classrooms and playgrounds. From Junior School Belmont to Middle School Highton, Surf Coast to Senior School and Bellarine to Back Creek, it has truly been a wonderful start to the 2024 school year.
Welcome to all families
I offer a tremendous welcome to all families, especially those new to our Christian College community. I look forward to partnering with you on the journey of educating your young person in 2024. We have approximately 100 Preps across our three Junior campuses and new enrolments in most year levels, especially at Year 5 and 7. At Year 12, a total of 194 Year 12 students, our largest cohort since 2019, will embark on their final year of studies at our Senior campus.
A great team of educators
I would like to use this opportunity to acknowledge all the preparations undertaken by our teaching staff in the days and weeks leading up to the return of students. We all came together at the start of this week on the Highton campus, and it was a truly wonderful occasion to be in a space with around 300 teachers and professional support staff, fixing our eyes on the tasks and responsibilities that will make 2024 a successful year for our community.
Senior School fire
As you may know, our Senior Campus suffered the loss of a number of classrooms and offices in the Burrows area due a suspicious fire on the morning of January 1. Whilst incredibly disappointing and disheartening, I have been greatly encouraged by the community’s response, especially the work of our Operations Manager, Maintenance team and Senior School leadership in preparing the campus for a smooth and uninterrupted return of students.
Let your light shine
It was an absolute pleasure this week to visit each of our campuses for their commencement assemblies. In my message to students, I shared this passage from Matthew Chapter 5 in the New Testament:
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your shine before others, so that they may glorify your Father in heaven”. (Matthew 5:14-16 NIV)
Just like lamps or lanterns, each young person possesses an incredible potential to shine, not for personal gain, but in making a positive impact on others and pointing them to God’s love. And, as educators, we are called to help students achieve their potential. So, my encouragement to students at the start of this school year, whether they are in Prep, Year 12 or somewhere in between, is to let their light shine and, in doing so, they will not only achieve their potential but will help others achieve theirs as well.
Expectations of a Principal
Most industries have standards required of their employees and education is no different. For Teachers and school leaders, our standards are nationally governed by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). According to the standards, school Principals are responsible for:
- raising student achievement at all levels and all stages
- promoting equity and excellence
- creating and sustaining the conditions under which quality teaching and learning thrive
- influencing, developing and delivering on community expectations and government policy
- contributing to the development of a 21st century education system at local, national and international levels.
It is my intention and commitment to strive toward meeting these standards, to ensure our students receive the education they deserve, that parents hope for, and the community expects.
Your invitation to connect
With the new school year now underway, there will be lots of opportunities for you to partner with Christian College throughout the year. In Term 1 alone, each campus will be holding parent welcome events, House sporting carnivals, student learning conferences and other activities for you to attend or participate in. If our paths cross at any of these events, please come and say hi. I’d love to meet you.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Rick Geall, Acting Principal
From the Head of Campus
Welcome to 2024
On behalf of all the Junior School staff it is with great delight that I welcome you to the first edition of our weekly Vine publication for 2024. In the Vine we aim to both capture student learning and communicate events relating to our Christian College Junior School community. I also encourage you to keep a regular check of the Parent Portal and College Calendar, as these are continually updated with new information. Please contact reception on 5241 1565 or Junior@ccg.vic.edu.au if you have any queries regarding how to navigate the information on the Portal please contact our IT Technician, Mrs Sascha Romeril at thelpdesk@ccg.vic.edu.au
This week the students and staff have been enjoying discovering more about their school environment. This may be a new teacher, new classmates, and a new classroom. There is a lot to discover, anticipate and be excited about but there is also the recognition that all these changes may cause nervousness or worries. Please reach out to your child’s homeroom teacher if your child does have worries as we want to ensure that their start at Junior School is a positive and enjoyable one. Staff, especially in these early days, are dedicated to laying the foundations for a safe, caring, connected and respectful environment and we sincerely appreciate your partnership in this.
As mentioned in my letter to you last week we have welcomed our new Year 2 teacher Mr Jonathan Maddock to Junior School, along with our 2024 Preps and 21 other students across Year levels 1-4. We pray that they and our returning students have had a wonderful start this week.
One of the changes for 2024 across the College has been the appointment of staff at campuses who in the past were known as Department Coordinators, having both a Teaching and Learning and Wellbeing role, to Leaders of Learning in a single domain. To this end this year Mrs Julie Shutie is our Leader of Teaching and Learning Prep to Year 4 and Mrs Lisa Johnson is our Leader of Wellbeing Prep to Year 4. Mrs Johnson will continue to work closely with Mrs Braun to support the Pastoral Care needs of our students at Junior School.
We strongly recommend that you continue to reach out to your child’s Homeroom or specialist teacher in the first instance for any queries or concerns you may have with regards to teaching and learning or student wellbeing. However, should you wish to contact either of these staff in relation to their roles in 2024, you are welcome to email Mrs Julie Shutie j.shutie@ccg.vic.edu.au for Teaching and Learning related matters or Mrs Lisa Johnson at l.johnson@ccg.vic.edu.au for Wellbeing matters.
At our Commencement Service for students on their first day I shared the idea that the start of the school year is a great opportunity to think about new beginnings. New beginnings for learning, for friendships, for leadership and maybe the beginning of a new passion or purpose that reminds us that we are a child of God. God was great at new beginnings in fact in the Bible in Genisis 1:1-3 we read ‘In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light’. As staff, we are excited in 2024 to support the new beginnings of our students and the new beginnings of our beautiful Junior School campus.
So, as we head into 2024 together, I encourage us to dwell on the words of Colossians 3:12 ‘Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience’.
Ann-Marree Weigl, Head of Campus
Safety at the Front Roundabout
We continue to ask for your support and assistance in helping us maintain the safety of students in our school grounds. To this end please note that the roundabout at the front of the school is NOT to be used for daily general student drop off and pick up in the mornings or at the end of the school day and you will notice the gates are closed to vehicles at these times. Additionally, if you have appointments onsite at school at the beginning or end of the day we would ask you to please park outside of the school grounds. There are times when you are welcome to park in the front roundabout, and these include:
- If students are arriving for Strings at 8:00am on a Tuesday morning and/or Choir at 8:00am on a Wednesday morning
- If your child has an appointment offsite between 9.30am-3:00pm, e.g. a dental appointment and you are collecting/returning them to school during these times.
- If students are being dropped off at before school care from 7.00am-8.00am or collected from after school care from 4.30pm-6pm.
Thank you in anticipation of your assistance in this matter.
Canteen Update
As mentioned in my Welcome Letter last week we will be utilising the services of our Christian College Canteen to operate canteen for students at Junior School in 2024. In order to facilitate this change please note that the canteen will be available for lunches and over the counter sales on Wednesdays each week in 2024.
Additionally, the Junior School Canteen will also be open on a Friday for over-the-counter sales only at recess. We apologise for any inconvenience with regards to the change of lunch ordering from a Friday to a Wednesday however this was necessary in order for us to make this change of provider. Canteen will begin on Wednesday, 7th February with orders to be placed on Monday, 5th February. Please note that no lunch orders can be taken over the phone if parents miss the cut-off time on Mondays, which is 5:00pm. Please see the attached PDF on how to order online through the Parent Portal. https://parent.ccg.vic.edu.au/
Should you have any questions, please contact the Canteen Manager Lea Santospirito l.santospirito@ccg.vic.edu.au
What’s on at Junior School
Week 2
Wednesday February 7 – Prep Rest Day
Week 3
Tuesday February 13 – Prep Parent Literacy & Numeracy Session, 6:00pm – 6:30pm (Edsmart notification to come)
Tuesday February 13 – Classroom Helper Session, 6:45pm (Edsmart notification to come)
Tuesday February 13 – Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day (Edsmart notification to come)
Wednesday February 14 – Year 4 Device Session, 5:30pm. Parents Invited. (Edsmart notification to come)
Wednesday February 14 – Prep Rest Day
Friday February 16 – Assembly, 4G Class Item
Preps’ First Day!
The excitement and the buzz is always around on the first day of school. The first day of Prep is extra special. The anticipation of what school will look like and what the hopes of the children are, are always big!
The Prep children had a fun-filled and busy day of games, getting to know each other and learning. We read about Sid who likes to eat six dinners then created our own cats and wrote the word cat to match. The children made first day crowns and decorated their name cards. There was play dough and LEGO to develop our fine motor skills and alphabet charts to practise our letter formation. It was a BIG day!
The Prep children shared their favourite parts of their first day and what they are looking forward to doing at school:
I loved the whole thing! – Seth
I liked playing with my friends. – Ava
I liked crafting. – Olivia
I liked playing with Seth. – Darcy
I loved everything! – Lana
I liked colouring in. – Delilah I loved playing in the sandpit. – Edison I loved making the hats. – Johnny Jones I loved doing the flying fox. – Caleb I am looking forward to music. – Oliver I am looking forward to doing my alphabet writing. – Charlotte I am looking forward to playing with my buddy and my sister. – Ciara I am looking forward to learning about sharks. – Jack I am looking forward to seeing my family. – Tom I am looking forward to playing on the monkey bars. – Eleanora I am looking forward to learning. – Kennedy I am looking forward to writing at school. – Minura I am looking forward to watching these beautiful children grow and learn as we journey together in 2024.
Julie Shutie
Belonging in Year 3
Having a sense of belonging is so important. We are members of families, sporting teams, church groups, charities, cities, countries and nationalities. Nearly every aspect of our lives is organised around belonging to something. In Year 3 we began our year looking at the groups that we belong to and how it feels to belong.
On Wednesday we read the story, ‘Welcome to Country’ by Aunty Joy Murphy. To conclude the story the author offers each of us a leaf from the gum tree to illustrate the idea that we all belong to something bigger than ourselves and that we are responsible for caring for the land and the people on it.
After reading the story the students discussed the ways we can care and look after one another to assist them in feeling like they belong.
Some of the ideas the students came up with were playing with students when they look sad, helping others if they need it, being kind and asking others to join in if they are all alone.
These ideas were then written on gum leaves and displayed in the classroom as a reminder to always care for one another.
We are looking forward to another year filled with laughter and learning in Year 3.
Lisa Johnson
Music Ensembles Begin in Week 2!
Junior School offers wonderful opportunities for students to participate in ‘music-making’ activities, whether in the Classroom Music program, one on one instrumental lessons, lunchtime concerts, or the specialised Music Ensemble program.
How to become members of the Junior School Ensembles:
Ensemble rehearsals begin at Junior School in Week 2.
- The Junior Choir is available to all students from Years Prep – 4. Wednesday morning rehearsals include warm up games, vocal technique activities, and learning a range of songs of different genres. The choir performs at both Junior School and community events, including the Geelong Schools Music and Movement Festival. Please contact Carla Dunlop at junior@ccg.vic.edu.au if you would like more information.
If your child would like to join the choir, please simply come along to the Chapel at 8am on Wednesdays! We look forward to welcoming our new members.
- The String Ensemble and Rock Group are entry by invitation. If you are keen to find out more about the strings and rock groups, please feel free to email the Ensemble Directors below.
- The Percussion Ensemble is available to students enrolled in Instrumental Music lessons. For information about the Percussion Ensemble please email Jacqui Anderson directly, anderson@ccg.vic.edu.au. The Percussion Ensemble focuses on the development of rhythm skills, and students rehearse using a range of percussion instruments, including unconventional instruments to create wonderful performance pieces.
Ensemble Staff Contact Details:
Junior String Ensemble – Tuesday morning, 8.00am-8.45am, Chapel – Mr Martin De Marte, m.demarte@ccg.vic.edu.au
Junior Choir – Wednesday morning, 8.00am-8.45am, Chapel – Mrs Carla Dunlop, junior@ccg.vic.edu.au
Junior Percussion Ensemble – Thursday morning, 8.15-8.45am, Music Classroom – Mrs Jacqui Anderson, j.anderson@ccg.vic.edu.au
Rock Ensemble – Friday morning, 8.15 – 8.45am Rock Room (old Music Classroom) – Mr Ivan Bilic,
Carla Dunlop, Deputy Head of Campus
Scholastic Book Club News
The first 2024 issue of Scholastic Book Club has been distributed to students and orders should be placed online by Friday February 16.
Our preferred payment method is via LOOP either using the mobile app or the desktop site which can be found here.
Please do not send cash as we are unable to process cash payments.
Thank you for your assistance and support of Book Club.
Looking Ahead to 2024
A warm welcome to the 2024 school year to all our Christian College families. The holiday season provided a well-deserved break for students, families and staff and I sincerely hope that these moments of respite allowed you to recharge, connect with loved ones and fill your self-care bucket to the brim. The return to school not only marks a shift back to old and familiar routines but also signifies a series of transitions for our students. The transition to a new learning environment is a major event in a child or young person’s life given they are periods in which both children and families need to adjust to new situations, environments, expectations, relationships, and potential changes to social and physical surroundings. This year as we do every year, we have children transitioning from early learning settings to primary school, primary to secondary school, movement of students from one campus to another, just to name a few. Our staff recognise the importance of supporting and guiding our students through transitions, especially those who may be encountering challenges or difficulties. As we embark on a new school year, it becomes a pivotal opportunity to not only navigate these transitions effectively but also to set our students up for success. Clinical psychologist and family therapist Andrew Fuller, offers insights on how our children and young people can achieve their goals while enjoying a fulfilling and successful year at school which I thought may be of interest to you and your family - Set yourself up for a great year, from Andrew Fuller (theparentswebsite.com.au). I look forward to working with you and for you this year in advancing our wellbeing practices and initiatives at Christian College.
Kim Doherty, Director of Wellbeing
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!
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
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