Junior School Term 1 Week 2

From the Junior School Chaplain  

Hello and a warm welcome back to the new school year! It’s been so wonderful to see the return of big smiles and excitement to our corridors and grounds. Whether you’re a familiar face or just joining this community, we’re so glad to have you as part of the Junior School community. For those I haven’t yet met, my name is Darcee Braun and I am the Chaplain here at the Junior School – Belmont Campus.

This term, within our staff group devotions and student classroom devotions, we are looking at leaders and people currently, in history and in the Bible who showed characteristics of faith, hope, perseverance, courage, humility and service as they led people through many different times.

As we explore the theme of Christian Leadership, the life of Jesus displays a way of leading that focused on serving others and having a heart for the hurting and the lost.

By exploring Jesus’ time on earth and His profound compassion for people, we encounter a leader who not only demonstrated faith but also radiated a deep love for others. Even with authority, His heart was filled with humility and respect as He served those around Him.

As a Campus, our hope is to continue drawing encouragement and guidance from Jesus’ leadership, fostering an environment here where we can lead with love and a genuine servant’s heart in our own unique ways.

What’s on at Junior School

Week 3
Tuesday February 13 – Prep Parent Literacy & Numeracy Session, 6:00pm – 6:30pm (Refer to EdSmart)
Tuesday February 13 – Classroom Helper Session, 6:45pm (Refer to EdSmart)
Tuesday February 13 – Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day (Refer to EdSmart)
Wednesday February 14 – Year 4 Device Session, 5:30pm. Parents Invited. (Refer to EdSmart)
Wednesday February 14 – Prep Rest Day
Thursday February 15 – Run Club commences, 8:15am
Friday February 16 – Assembly, 4G Class Item

Week 4
Monday February 19 – Year 3 & 4 Intensive Swimming
Tuesday February 20 – Family Welcome Picnic, 6:00pm at Front Roundabout
Tuesday February 20 – Year 3 & 4 Intensive Swimming
Wednesday February 21 – Year 3 & 4 Intensive Swimming
Thursday February 22 – Year 3 & 4 Intensive Swimming
Friday February 23 – Year 4 Leaders Induction Service. Year 4 Cohort at Middle School SAC, 10:00am (Refer to Edsmart).

Canteen Reminder

Canteen is now held every Wednesday, with the addition of over-the-counter sales at Recess on Friday. Please note that lunch orders cannot be placed after 5:00pm on Monday, and phone orders will not be accepted.

Please use the Parent Portal to access the Canteen.

Should you have any questions, please contact the Canteen Manager Lea Santospirito l.santospirito@ccg.vic.edu.au

How to use online canteen ordering system

Explore, Learn, Create and Make New Friends in Junior School Clubs!

Clubs at Junior School are a great way for students to make new friends across year levels and classes, to try different things during lunchtimes and learn a whole range of new skills, including knitting, gardening, performing arts and running just to name a few! In Week 3 the Junior School Clubs program will get underway. Staff are busily preparing a range of activities to kick off lunchtime activities. We look forward to an action-packed week of exciting clubs to visit and encourage all students to come along and get involved! Please contact your child’s Homeroom Teacher for any queries.

Family Love

The Year 1 teachers were thrilled to welcome their students back to school last Wednesday. The children were very excited to share stories about their holidays and the special memories they created with their families and friends over the summer break.

This is a lovely segway to our focus on Interdisciplinary Learning this term. The children are learning about ‘Families’. They are thinking about their own families and those of others in their class. We discussed that as individuals, we are all different, yet we are all the same and the same goes for our families! No two families are the same and that is what makes us special. The children were encouraged to talk about their families with their classmates and embrace their similarities and differences.

The children drew a picture of their families and included their pets! Well done Year 1!

I love my family because they take me to special places – Emily

My family cook me really good dinners – Will

I love my family because they take me to the skatepark – Brooklyn

I love my family because they take me to Melbourne – Maisie

Year 4’s New Devices!

Our Year 4 cohort have been very excited to begin using their new devices this week. The use of 1:1 devices for our Year 4 students at Junior School is an exciting process for both students and staff. The students have heard about the ways in which they can care for their laptop and have also been introduced to many resources included on their device such as TEAMS, Outlook, OneDrive and using the web browser Edge. The students have eagerly embraced the use of their devices during class activities and have been learning about the organisational aspect of using files and saving documents to folders.

After discussions around safety on the internet and using our devices for communication, the students were able to connect with each other and their teachers using Outlook which also streamlines their ability to share class learning and become collaborative in the way they can complete small group and whole class tasks. They have also begun to use web platforms such as Times Table Rock Stars and the Essential Assessment program for Mathematics tasks.

The Year 4’s have been wonderful in the way that they are already showing how they can carefully maintain their devices, including making sure that they shut down the laptops upon completion of their sessions so that updates and fast charging can occur.

We look forward to meeting with Year 4 parents on Wednesday afternoon at Junior School for a session all about how we can best support our young people to use their 1:1 devices safely and effectively. We appreciate the support of our parent community in this process and hope that it will continue to be a useful tool to support student learning and engagement.

Health, PE and Sport at Junior School

It is great to be back and ready for another year of sports and physical activity.

From a sports perspective, it is a busy Term 1, especially for our Year 4 students who have the opportunity to participate in the House Swimming, Thursday March 7, and Athletics Carnival on Tuesday March 26.

We are aiming to host our annual Cross Country event on Wednesday March 20, where all students from Prep to Year 4 are encouraged to participate.

For the first time, our Year 3 and 4 students are going to be a part of an intensive swimming program that will take place in Weeks 4 and 5.

We look forward to the Junior School Run Club commencing next Thursday February 15, from 8:15am on the basketball court. It will be great to see some parents joining in with their child, so please feel free to come along and support this program.

Students in Prep to Year 2 have a focus on developing their Locomotive and Fundamental Motor Skills. In Term 1 students observe, learn and attempt skills such as running, leaping and vertical jump. In Term 2 the focus is on throwing, catching and kicking. Preps will also participate in the Perceptual Motor Program (PMP), which is great for their development skills.

At the Year 3 and 4 levels, students use these skills to put into sport-specific programs and commence learning rules and start to learn ‘game sense’ approaches. Year 3 students are completing a cricket skills unit as well as athletics events and Year 4 T-Ball and athletics.

I hope your child has a positive and productive year in the HPE and Sport program at Junior School.

New Sports Equipment Delivered to Classrooms

Junior School was able to secure funding late last year which has helped to provide our students with wonderful new sports equipment to use at recess and lunchtime. It will encourage all students to be active and organise sporting games with their peers.

 At recess today, the Student House Leaders labelled and distributed the equipment to all the classrooms. There was plenty of excitement as classes took delivery of their brand-new items including footballs, soccer balls, basketballs, down balls and play balls – all bright yellow!!

We are looking forward to seeing a sea of yellow sports equipment being used at break times.

Out of School Hours Care Newsletter

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

Golf Tournament 

Join the Christian College Foundation for an exciting four-person Ambrose Golf Day, including a $30,000 hole in one prize on Thursday, 24th of October at 13th Beach Golf Links, Barwon Heads.

Set on the stunning Bellarine Peninsula, the day provides an opportunity to enjoy the award-winning creek course, known for its undulating couch fairways, deep bunkers and interesting swales and hollows.

You will be treated to a scrumptious breakfast on arrival and an opportunity to participate in several fun activities including the longest drive, nearest to the pin etc.

There is plenty of prizes up for grabs, including a cash prize of $30,000. Score a Hole in One on the 12th Hole and you can win. *

You will also be treated to a delicious buffet lunch and learn more about the incredible work of the foundation. Every dollar raised will be dollar matched!