From the Head of Campus
This term as a Junior School staff we have been focusing on the College value of ‘Love’ in our morning Devotions. This core value is central to who we are at Christian College Geelong. The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
The temptation to love oneself before loving others is all too present and often acceptable in our world. We live in a world that tries to convince us that by loving and serving ourselves we will find happiness. However, Jesus calls us to live differently, in that loving and serving ourselves, we should love and serve others.
Jesus is the perfect example of love and service towards others as He came to the world to love and serve others rather than to be served. He showed us how love is found in service, kindness, and humility through actions such as:
• Praying for one other (Ephesians 6:18)
• Sharing and giving to those in need (Hebrews 13:16)
• Encouragement to others (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
• Sharing joy, kindness, and gratitude (Psalm 106:1)
In Romans 12:9-13, we read “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people in need. Practice hospitality.”
My encouragement to all of us is that we seek to follow Jesus’ example of loving others who might seem unlovable, who might challenge us, disagree with us and who might seem to be the misfits in our community. Furthermore, that we seek to show love to one another through deliberately choosing kindness. In Proverbs 16:24 we read “Kind words are like honey- sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” what a great challenge to choose kindness!
What’s On at Junior School
Week 7 –
Monday 13 March – Labour Day Public Holiday
Tuesday 14 March – Student Learning Conferences – 4-7pm (Please refer to EdSmart notification and article in this edition of The Vine)
Tuesday 14 March – Year 2 String Program Parent Concert, 11.30am (Please refer to Edsmart notification)
Wednesday 15 March – Prep Students to attend school.
Wednesday 15 March – Prep Students excursion to MOPA. (Please refer to EdSmart notification)
Wednesday 15 March – NAPLAN Year 3 Writing
Thursday 16 March – NAPLAN Year 3 Reading
Thursday 16 March – Student Learning Conferences – 4-6pm
Friday 17 March – Assembly, 3B Class Item
Friday 17 March – Project Care Student led stall, supporting the Earthquake victims in Turkey (Please refer to EdSmart notification)
Friday 17 March – Prep Discovery Learning Excursion, Prep B, G, and R
Week 8 –
Monday 20 March – Harmony Week
Monday 20 March – NAPLAN Year 3 Conventions of Language
Tuesday 21 March – NAPLAN Year 3 Numeracy
Tuesday 21 March – Lunchtime Concert
Friday 24 March – Casual Dress Day, Colours of the Rainbow Day for Harmony Week (Gold Coin donation not required)
Week 9-
Monday 27 March – Prep AFL Coaching Incursion (Please refer to EdSmart notification)
Friday 31 March – Assembly, 3G Class Item
Friday 31 March – Prep Discovery Learning Excursion, Prep B, G, and R
Week 10-
Monday 3 April – Year 4 students to attend Concert Band performance, R.W. Gibson Centre for Music Performance, Senior School (EdSmart notification to follow)
Tuesday 4 April – Lunchtime Concert
Wednesday 5 April – Year 4 Students attend Middle School Athletics – Middle School Campus
Wednesday 5 April – Preps at school in lieu of Friday
Thursday 6 April – Easter Bonnet Parade – 9am, Junior School Roundabout
Thursday 6 April – Easter Service – 11:30am
Thursday 6 April – Conclusion of Term 1 – 2:30pm Dismissal
Student Learning Conferences are Happening Next Week!
We have great pleasure in inviting you to participate in next week’s online Student Learning Conferences. The aim is to provide parents with the opportunity to discuss your child’s current progress and application in each of their Homeroom subjects. The Student Learning Conferences will be available on either Tuesday March 14, 4:00pm – 7:00pm or Thursday March 16, 4:00pm – 6:00pm.
To book a Student Learning Conference appointment with your child’s teacher please access the online booking system at www.schoolinterviews.com.au using our school’s event code. The Online Conference Booking Information document attached includes the event code and full instructions to make your bookings. Please note bookings close on Monday 13 March at 4:00pm.
To open the Parents’ Guide to joining a Teams meeting which gives a step-by-step outline to enable you to access and participate in the online Teams conferences, click on this link: Parent Guide, Joining a Teams Meeting
We encourage you to forward any queries regarding accessing the online conferences to our IT Specialists by contacting [email protected].
We look forward to sharing your child’s learning with you next week.
Buddies at the Beach!
Last Friday the Prep children from Junior School jumped on the bus ready for their next Discovery Learning session. The excitement was extra high because this time they were going with their Year 4 Buddies!
Buddies at the beach was a wonderful session where the Year 4 students could spend some fun time getting to know their Prep buddies and they took a lead role in looking after and caring for their them.
There were sandcastles and sculptures created and many squeals of laughter as the children all jumped in the shallows of the water. Opportunities like this help to build the community feeling amongst the students and allow the Year 4 students to take on a leadership role in an informal setting.
Some thoughts from the Year 4s and Preps:
I liked getting to know my prep buddy and doing fun activities together at the beach. – Maya
I liked how my buddy Toby and I built a sandcastle together and how we could team up with other buddies to make a bigger construction. – Patrick
I loved beach prep. I made a big castle with my friends and our buddies. It was very fun! – Emmi
I liked playing with my buddy. It was so fun! – Ashton
I loved building my castle with my buddy. – Maeve
I jumped in the waves and made a sandcastle. It was fun. – Jacob
We look forward to many other events throughout the year where the Year 4s can take on a leadership role through the Buddy program.
Change Over Time
In our Integrated Studies Unit, the Year 1 students have been investigating how things have changed over time. We have been exploring the several types of transport, looking particularly at cars and how they have evolved over time. It has been so joyful to see the students immerse themselves in ‘olden day’ times and the reactions on their faces when viewing videos or pictures of how different times were.
This week we have shifted out focus to how ‘WE’ have changed over time with students creating their own Timeline Garden of themselves. Students have collected pictures of themselves as babies, toddlers, kinder and now. The students loved sharing these photographs with each other, seeing how we have all changed. They were able to write a description of each photograph, sharing their information with the class and identifying similarities and differences with each other.
Comments from the students
“I remember this photo, I was wearing my mum’s hat” – Juno
“When I was a toddler, I had short hair now I have long hair “– Valeria
“This is a photo from my holiday to Byron Bay” – Angus
Year 3
In the past couple of weeks, we welcomed back an old friend of some, as a new member of the 3G family. Earlier in the year as part of our ‘Civics and Citizenship’ unit we held a democratic vote on what type of class pet we should get? The students voted in an overwhelming majority for an axolotl.
Many of you would know or remember Squirtle the axolotl has been a friend for those in the learning support space for a very long time. Most recently, Squirtle has been remote learning with one of the learning support team and in the past few weeks has made a smooth transition to life in 3G.
The students have developed a strong liking for Squirtle, and we have clear guidelines on how and when we interact with him during class time. We will have a roster for feeding Squirtle and cleaning his tank – and some students will have the opportunity to take him home over the holidays.
One fascinating fact about Axolotls is their capacity to regenerate lost or damaged limbs, hearts, spinal cords, and even parts of their brains—all without permanent scarring. We are looking forward to learning more about them when we do our ‘Classification of Animals’ unit later in the year. We have also welcomed parent helpers back into the classroom; their presence in our classroom allows us to share our approach to teaching and learning with our Christian College families.
We are very much looking forward to having this happen on a more regular basis throughout 2023.
Scholastic Book Club – New Monitors
Introducing our wonderful Book Club monitors for 2023: Zander Cox and Elodie McCormack. They are both looking forward to delivering the order forms and books to each of our Junior School classes. A wonderful team!
Issue 2 of Scholastic Book Club has been distributed to students and orders should be placed online or returned to school no later than Wednesday, 15th March.
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.
College Exchange Programs Resume as we Welcome Indonesian Students
Campuses across the College have been buzzing over the past 10 days with the arrival of 15 students and two staff members from our sister school, SMA Negeri 2 Mataram, in Lombok, Indonesia. This visit marked the 28th year of the College’s relationship with our sister school in Lombok and was the first visit between countries post COVID-19 pandemic. Not only is a visit like this important for Indonesian and Australian bilateral relations, but it also signifies the returning of some normality to our College programs and the ability to reconnect with our closest neighbours once more.
The Lombok students were received with excitement by all students within the College, in particular, the Senior campus Indonesian students who hosted the group for the duration of the program.
During their 10-day stay in Geelong, the Lombok students had the opportunity to visit a number of the College campuses, including the Surf Coast Campus, where the first group of Year 5 students have just begun their Indonesian studies. Christian College students were able to put their new language skills to the test in fun way; laughing and sharing stories with the Lombok students and connecting with their new friends.
The group also visited the Highton campus and spent the day engaging with the Indonesian language students from both the Highton and Bellarine campuses and enjoyed a traditional lunch together.
Besides visiting a number of our campuses, the group also had the opportunity to learn about life in Australia in a hands-on way, taking day trips to Melbourne to visit the Queen Victoria Market, and Melbourne library; a visit to Deakin University’s Waurn Ponds campus to discover what opportunities lie ahead for them post-school if they wish to return to Australia for study. The Lombok students also spent a day at Back Creek Farm where they loved hearing all the stories from the current farm group and getting up and close to some of the farm animals.
On the group’s last day they were able to spend their time with the Senior School Indonesian language students who enjoyed time together at Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre. Both Lombok and Christian College students spent the morning learning about Aboriginal Culture, had the chance to throw a boomerang, and were chased around the yard by a crazy kangaroo.
What fantastic and inspiring return to cultural exchanges at Christian College! We are proud that here at Christian College, through exchange programs like this, we are successfully able to create global citizens that show intercultural awareness and have a desire to connect with others.
Visit Back Creek Café!
Christian College’s Back Creek Café in Meredith is a vital part of our Year 9 residential farm experience. Located 15 minutes south of Back Creek Farm, the café is open six days a week (not Sundays) from 8:30am to 3pm. On weekdays during term time, working at the café is part of the schedule for the Year 9s’ Farm Program work groups. Students learn a whole range of hospitality-related skills as they assist with the day-to-day café operations.
If you’re passing through Meredith this weekend, or just fancy a 35-minute drive up the Midland Hwy from Geelong, make sure you drop in and say hi. While you’re there, enjoy the best coffee in town – or choose from a range of other beverages – indulge in an all-day breakfast or one of the other scrumptious light meal/snack options on the menu. There is also a variety of sweet or savoury treats to enjoy while you’re there and delicious home-made produce to purchase and take home.
You can also check out the latest from the café via its Facebook and Instagram pages.
Back Creek Café is located at 1/27 Staughton Street Meredith. For enquiries and bookings, call 5286 1166.
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