Seeking the Kingdom of God
As Mia Kafieris, our Dean of Christian Culture shared last week, a theme as we return to the school year for 2023 is ‘Seeking first the Kingdom of God’ as seen in our College Hymn and Matthew 6:33. The Kingdom of God does not speak of a town in the clouds or something external to us, instead, the Kingdom of God illustrates the environment people build and find themselves in when God’s character is represented through a person’s behaviour.
At Junior School, we have been exploring this idea of growing and being part of God’s Kingdom, right here in Belmont. Throughout this week, we have been looking at how we can create an environment here in our school community that reflects God’s character. The Year 4 students had the opportunity to explore ways they can add to and be involved in growing the Kingdom of God, acknowledging opportunities they have to treat the people around them with love and care, a reminder that they are celebrated for being who they are created to be and no one else.
I am really looking forward to watching how this grows and develops within our community as we explore more ways to see, value, appreciate and celebrate the people around us.
Darcee Braun, Chaplain
Whats On at Junior School
Week 3
Tuesday 14th February – Prep Parent Literacy and Numeracy Information Evening, 6.00pm-6.30pm (Please refer to EdSmart Notification)
Tuesday 14th February – Classroom Helper Information Evening, 6.45pm (Please refer to EdSmart Notification)
Wednesday 15th February – Year 4 Device Information Session, 5.30pm-6.30pm (Please refer to EdSmart Notification)
Friday 17th February – Assembly, 4G Class Item (*Please note change of class)
Friday 17th February – Prep Discover Learning Excursion, Prep B,G and R
Week 4
Tuesday 21st February – Shrove Tuesday Pancake Day
Tuesday 21st February – Junior School Family Picnic, Front Roundabout, 6pm (Edsmart notification to come!)
Friday 24th February – Year 4 Student Leaders’ Investiture and Service of Dedication, Middle School – Highton SAC (Please refer to EdSmart Notification)
Week 5
Monday 27th February – Emergency and Lockdown drills
Friday 3rd March – Assembly, 4R Class Item (*Please note change of class)
Friday 3rd March – Prep Discover Learning Excursion, Prep B, G and R
Week 6
Tuesday 7th March – Lunchtime Concert (details to follow)
Friday 10th March – Year 4 at Middle School Swimming Carnival held at Kardinia Aquatic Centre (EdSmart to follow).
*Please Note: Strings Ensemble rehearsals are held on Tuesday, 8am in the Chapel.
Choir is held on Wednesday, 8am in the Chapel. New members welcome!
Wellbeing at Christian College
Our philosophical statement reiterates that Christian College is always seeking to develop “an atmosphere of care and concern for each student’s character growth and wellbeing, within a value system and set of priorities derived from the Christian faith”. For many years our Chaplains have led the College in this important area of wellbeing. More recently we have taken additional proactive measures to build and cultivate student wellbeing in addition to enhancing our pastoral care and Chaplaincy support. We are taking meaningful and purposeful steps in this direction, and it is a real privilege to be working with and for you in the development of these areas as the Director of Wellbeing.
It goes without saying that concerns for the wellbeing of children and adolescents is not a new phenomenon given student wellbeing has featured prominently in educational policy development alongside national directives for schools to prioritise wellbeing primarily through well-developed programs. Wellbeing programs in schools not only enhance the overall academic performance of students, but also equip them with the skills and resilience needed to navigate life's challenges and lead fulfilling lives. Furthermore, they also help us to create a safer and more inclusive school culture, where students feel valued and respected. This week all students across the College spent time engaging with activities and lessons in designated wellbeing sessions. Our new Preps were connected with new Year 4 and 5 buddy as a means of providing peer social and emotional support and to promote a sense of community and our Junior School are taking steps to connect our students with MYTERN as a tool to teach our students the importance of self-regulation and how to take responsibility for all the complexities associated with our emotions. The Year 5 and 6 students at the Bellarine Campus came together during one of their Wellbeing sessions to discuss various ways to be kind and students listened to a book about the importance of filling one’s kindness bucket. Our Year 9s at Middle school are being encouraged to nurture their Christian faith through student-led devotions and our Year 10s had a chance to spend some time with our Senior school Chaplains. For our Year 11s and 12s the focus was on building connections and relationships with time also spent focusing on identifying character strengths that can be drawn on to help manage the challenges experienced in the VCE years. Finally, this week across the College we also acknowledged ‘Safer Internet Day’ and we were reminded to all connect safely with purpose, reflect before we act and protect ourselves and others by taking action. More information on this day is available here.
Whilst we are committed to the ongoing development of our student wellbeing program as highlighted by our College Wellbeing Framework, we also recognise the importance of fostering strong and positive relationships with our wider college community. The continuous involvement and engagement with our families allows for the strengthening of partnerships and working together helps to protect and promote wellbeing and likewise reduce those risk-taking or harmful behaviours that can potentially undermine wellbeing. This recent article Top of Form offers valuable advice to parents on talking to their teens. Whist in this instance the focus is on vaping the straightforward, yet highly effective strategies provided by professional experts can also be applied to address other harmful and risky teen behaviours. We are reminded of the need to enhance our awareness and education around such concerning behaviours, listen more than speak, and promote and encourage help-seeking behaviour. Continuing to foster a culture of care and support and prioritising strong and positive partnerships with our College families will place us in the best position to allow our students to thrive and flourish in a very complex and everchanging world.
Kim Doherty, Director of Wellbeing
Clubs Program
It is with great excitement that we resume our very special Clubs Program at Junior School next week.
This program is provided to develop social inclusion for students. The variety of clubs aims to provide different experiences for different children from run club with a focus on fitness, to gardening club being in the great outdoors and Lego and other clubs which encourage creativity, collaboration and are just plain fun!
We have provided you with this terms Clubs’ timetable for the students so that you might like to check in and see if they were involved. Let the Clubs begin!!!
Ann-Marree Weigl, Head of Campus
Year 1 MYTERN
During this term, the children have started learning about the MYTERN program which focuses upon teaching students to take control of their responses to everyday challenges.
During our Masterclass sessions, the children have been able to read about the key characters of Reapo and Buska who live in MYTERN city. Reapo is in charge of all the green roads that make people feel happy and healthy, whilst Buska manages the red roads, which help to build resilience.
The children have been encouraged to compare the two characters and to identify the importance of both, acknowledging the fact that there are days when we travel along the green road and other days when we find ourselves on the red road. During our activities, the students have shared strategies that we can use to help calm us when faced with challenges, such as patting a pet, reading a book or having a chat with a friend.
As part of this unit, the children were provided with the opportunity to create their own ‘Reapo’ puppets, through which they were able to share their creativity and problem-solving skills.
We are looking forward to continuing to revisit our MYTERN characters as we learn and grow throughout our school year.
Violet Novacevski
A Love Letter from God
This week in Year 3 as part of our settling into Junior School we have investigated our relationship with God as part of our Christian Education lessons. We have been discussing that Jesus’ faith and devotion to God helped Jesus to learn about the way God wanted us to live on Earth. Jesus spent time learning about faith and devotion of his family, as God helped Jesus to learn about the ways he wanted us to live. Jesus spent time learning about and getting to know God by reading his word.
Students discussed that God wants to have a relationship with us and that he wants to be close to us. We can be closer to God by talking to Him and sharing our joy and challenges with Him. We used the idea of a ‘heart room’ being a place we can go to allow us to talk with God every day in our mind or in our ‘heart room.’
The 3G students engaged beautifully with a picture story book called ‘A love letter from God’ and were encouraged to find themselves a place in their heart where they can go during prayer or reflection to spend time with God. We talked about this place being available for them to use for guided prayer and meditation throughout the year. As we talked about our ‘heart rooms’ we realised just how different and individual our relationship with God is, and this was reflected in the many and varied hearts that we produced.
Todd Brown
Sport News
Run Club
We kicked off Run Club on Thursday morning with about 40 students from all year levels joining in some running activities. It was a beautiful morning with lots of parents there to support and join in too. Run Club will be on each Thursday morning from 8.15am, meeting on the basketball court.
Community Sports Programs
The local Geelong area has an abundance of sports and physical activities programs on offer. Please find below information about the Auskick program at Geelong Amateurs Football and Netball Club and Table Tennis in North Geelong.
If you have any junior sporting programs commencing, please feel free to send the information to me – [email protected].
Nick Rice
Welcome Back to the Library
It has been a fabulous first few weeks in the Library catching up with the students and hearing what they have been reading in the holidays. I have also introduced some new releases and recent purchases to the students. The Library has been busy at lunchtimes as students have participated in crafts, jigsaws and reading books together. All the classes have had an opportunity to borrow, and I have included some photos of the joy this has created!
Deanne Elliss
Preps and Year 3 ask ‘What is a Computer and What Does it do?’
Students across Junior School have settled well into the computer room for Digital Technologies this term, engaging with our year level topics and provoking amazing learning discussions to fuel curious minds.
Each term, year levels focus on specific digital learning outcomes encompassing both computer-based learning as well as ‘unplugged’ activities to support digital literacy.
Preps this term are focused on Exploring Digital Devices, with emphasis on what digital devices are as well as investigating the purpose they serve in our everyday lives, both at school and at home.
Year 3s are delving quite literally into what a computer is, investigating the inner workings of internal and external computer components or parts to discover how they communicate with each other, allowing a computer to process information or data.
All classes have made a wonderful to start to the year, and I am excited to continue the digital learning journey with students throughout 2023.
Emma Anderson
Scholastic Book Club News
The first 2023 issue of Scholastic Book Club has been distributed to students and orders should be placed online or returned to school no later than Friday, 17th February.
Our preferred payment method is via LOOP either via the mobile app or the desktop site which can be found here.
You may also return your order form and payment by cheque to school. Cheques should be payable to Scholastic Australia.
Please do not send cash as we are unable to process cash payments.
Thank you for your assistance and ongoing support of Book Club.
Violet Novacevski
Chess Club
Out of School Hours Care
Please see the attached files from Camp Australia
Christian College 2023 Snowsports Team
Did you know that Jakara Anthony, the 2022 Winter Olympic Gold Medallist in the Women’s Moguls is an ex-CCG student?
Jakara continues to perform exceptionally well having been on the podium 16 out of the last 18 World Cups and is now the most decorated Australian Winter Olympian in history!
The Victorian Interschool Snowsports Championships are held this year in Mt Buller from the 21st – 27th August with the XC Championships being held on the 6th August.
If your child(ren) have not been involved previously and you would like to find out more about this opportunity, please email me at [email protected]
You can also find out more event details at https://www.interschools.com.au/home/
Paul Breguet, CCG Snowsport Team Manager
Notice to All Parents Regarding CSEF Funding
The Victorian State Government runs a program called the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF). As the name suggests, the fund is designed to assist families meet costs associated with school camps, sport and excursions and requires families to apply in each year they have a child who is eligible. Families who have an eligible child will receive $125 per year for a primary aged student and $225 per year for a secondary aged student.
If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. Please complete a 2023 Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) Application Form and return to your campus administration office by the end of Term 1 please.
Please read the attached document for further information.
Jonathan Ryan, Operations Manager
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
