From the Year 3 and 4 Coordinator

Earlier this year we were pleased to be able to introduce you to our Structured Literacy journey at Junior School. It is with great delight that I can share an update. As part of our passion for providing evidence-based, best practice teaching and learning in this Literacy journey, we have had opportunities to attend professional learning, including several Saturdays throughout Term 1.

These have included both the Sharing Best Practice conferences in Bendigo and Geelong, ResearchEd in Ballarat and a Think Forward Educators Writing Master Class in Melbourne. As a staff we enjoy attending these events because not only do we ensure that we are at the forefront of current educational practice, but we are able to network with a range of professionals and Australian and international leaders in education.

The calibre of presenters has been exceptional and whist we have been inspired to continually improve our knowledge, we have also found these conferences incredibly affirming in that we are offering our students opportunities for learning that are using current understandings of cognitive science. We are looking forward to more learning opportunities this year as we endeavour to ensure that our focus on the Science of Learning guides our teaching and learning at Junior School.

I am incredibly proud to be a part of such a dynamic staff and feel blessed each day to be part of the Junior School community.

What’s On at Junior School

Junior School ANZAC Service

On the first day of Term 2, Wednesday April 26, Junior School will hold its Annual ANZAC Day Service. Led by the Year 4 Student Leaders, the service will also include performances by the Junior School Choir, (Prep-4) and the Year 3 and 4 Choir. Students are encouraged to bring along a posy of flowers to place under the flagpoles and family war memorabilia to display at the service. Please note, sending along war memorabilia items is done so at your own risk. Please communicate with your child’s Homeroom Teacher if you have any queries regarding this.

The Annual Easter Bonnet Parade

On the final day of Term 1, Thursday April 6, Junior School will become a ‘colourful spectacular’ at the Annual Easter Bonnet Parade. Students are encouraged to begin making and designing Easter Bonnets to wear on the day. Families are welcome to come along and join in the fun which will begin at 9:00am at the Junior School front roundabout.

*Reminder that the school day concludes at 2:30pm on Thursday April 6.

Teaching and Learning – in Full Swing at Junior School! 

Our Teaching and Learning programs have been in full swing across our campuses. We are excited to offer a breadth of rich opportunities for our students, and this is just the beginning of what’s on offer this year. During Term 1 at Junior School-Belmont there have been many camps and excursions that provide wonderful opportunities for social and emotional development, teamwork, building self-identity, and applying classroom skills and knowledge in real-world contexts through critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, and ethical understandings through a Christian World View lens. We are also thrilled to offer plentiful opportunities for community involvement through our Classroom Helper Program, participation in College House events, such as Year 4 attending the Middle School Swimming and Athletics carnivals, family events such as the Annual Junior School Picnic, information sessions, student learning conferences and more, as well as continued development in intercultural understandings through our international guests from Indonesia. Each of these has seen positive engagement with our Teaching and Learning program. Students and staff have been excited to be part of a program that enables students to engage with critical competencies and real-life opportunities and develop skills and knowledge in a diverse range of classes.  We have seen great growth and development of our young people in our programs where students develop their understandings of the world around them.  

You can view your child’s progress in each of their learning areas through our In Time reporting program via SEQTA Engage. Log onto the parent portal via the college website and select the Assessments menu to view your child’s progress. As a reminder, there is also the SEQTA App that can be downloaded to your phone. I have attached a couple support documents that highlight how to get the most out of SEQTA Engage.  

Assessment and Reporting at Junior School

Throughout the term, parents have received both formative and summative In-Time reports delivered via the CCG Parent Portal in all subject areas.  

Formative assessment can include work samples, rubrics and teacher comments focusing on the early stages of a task rather than the end result of a task, while summative assessment focuses more on the end result, for example grades showing the outcome at the conclusion of a task or unit, rubric assessment and a teacher comment. Both formative and summative assessment is carefully linked to the Australian Curriculum strands, content descriptions and elaborations in each subject. 

Subject academic progress is represented using the following 5 point scale: 

 Not Yet Achieving the standard = E, E+

Approaching the Expected Standard = D, D+

Achieving the Expected Standard = C, C+

 Exceeding the Standard = B, B+

 Far Exceeding the Standard = A, A+

We encourage parents to visit the Parent Portal Assessments tab to view your child’s In-Time reports. Please feel free to contact your child’s Homeroom Teacher or Reception, (junior@ccg.vic.edu.au) should you have any queries regarding interpreting or accessing the In-Time reporting system. 

Maths in Review

Mathematics may not teach us to add love or subtract hate, but it gives us hope that every problem has a solution.

— Anonymous

Wherever there is number, there is beauty.

— Proclus, Greek philosopher

Each day in the Maths classroom you will see our Prep students grabbing a whiteboard, marker and rubber. The first thing they do is record numbers as high as they can go. Some are still consolidating their single digits while others are excited to be reaching the teens or even skip counting by 3s, 5s or 10s. This first step in our daily Maths Review immerses our students in number and prepares our brains for the learning to come.

After two minutes we compare the number we got up to today compared to our number yesterday and celebrate the growth in our understanding of the simple ‘count’. We then move on to ‘before and after’ – “How many days have we been at school this year?” This is a great source of excitement as the students know that we will be celebrating halfway to 100 with a fun day of halves on Day 50. But it all culminates in our 100 Days of School celebration later in the year – more on that in Term 3!

Mathematic Legends in Year 1!

In Year 1 this term, we have been learning about Measurement. The children have been experimenting with using a variety of informal units such as icy pole sticks, unifix blocks and pencils to measure the length of objects in the classroom. In this session, we discussed the objects we could measure and what informal units they could use. The children used icy pole sticks to measure an iPad, a table, a book and their friend! They used a checklist to record their estimations followed by their findings.

After the children completed the task, they were asked to write statements about their findings in their Mathematics Journals. It was so lovely to see the children so engaged in this activity. They worked so well together and had lots of fun! Well done Year 1!

‘The table was 4 ½ icy pole sticks long’ – Hamish

‘The iPad was 2 ½ sticks long’ – Isla

‘Sienna was 11 ½ icy pole sticks tall’ – Eleana

‘I enjoyed this activity because it was challenging’ – Hendrick

‘This activity was amazing because I had to think hard about how long things were’ – Zac

Year 4 – Measuring Time

Throughout different cultures and periods of history, timekeeping has constantly evolved. Our Year 4 students have been revising previously taught time skills and learning new concepts, such as calculating elapsed time. In addition to this, students have learnt about time through Indigenous perspectives and traditions, including the practice of timekeeping by the sun, planets, seasons or by plant growth cycles.

Knowing how to tell time is a very important skill for our students to learn. It will help them determine whether they’re running late or whether they have plenty of time to spare. It can help them catch a train, bus, or plane on time in the future. Even though we live in a digital world, filled with smart watches, Siri and Google voice commands, being able to tell time by looking at an analogue clock is an essential skill. Learning how to tell time will also help students with other cognitive and mathematical skills.

One of the activities the students in 4R completed this week was to calculate the elapsed times from the start to the finish of recent movie releases. For example, if a parent was taking you to the latest Marvel ‘Ant Man’ movie release and it is scheduled to start at 2.00pm with a running time of 122 minutes, what time will the movie end? Firstly, students needed to convert the running time of 122 minutes into hours and minutes, then use a strategy such as a T chart or a number line to calculate the elapsed time and find the end time for the movie.

Junior School Sport

Run Club

Run Club has continued to grow and gain momentum this year, with around 40 students participating on a regular basis on Thursday mornings.

Students from Prep to Year 4 meet on the back basketball court where Mr Brown and Mr Rice commence with some leg strengthening and warm up activities. We are encouraging students to develop the correct technique using control and strength whilst developing their running gait.

Following a warm up, students have been completing longer distance running either around the basketball court or on the cross country course around the school. We have also been completing some speed work on the oval which students have enjoyed.

It has been a great preparation for the students wanting to complete the school cross country that will take place on Friday 28 April.

If your child/ren is interested in participating, we meet every Thursday morning (weather permitting) at 8.15am on the basketball court in your PE/Sport uniform.

Art and Nature

Exploring Art in nature is such a wonderful way to excite imagination and grow wonderous about the world. Students have been busy observing and recording detailed drawings of insects and other natural treasures.

We have noticed the Jesebelle butterfly , a number of Phasmids. Praying Mantis, beetles and other insects. Feathers have been collected along with flowers, fruits and seeds.

So many beautifully details drawings were created some of which are being used on a mural at school. 

The students’ enjoyment of the theme of nature is very evident in their drawings and their willingness to participate in the activities.

I am looking forward to seeing more nature themed art of the term.

Camp Australia Newsletter

OSHC Newsletter

Picnic at Hanging Rock – Performances on Next Week!

Picnic at Hanging Rock is a captivating and mysterious story that explores the disappearance of four schoolgirls and their teacher during a picnic at a local geological formation in Victoria, Australia, on Valentine’s Day in 1900. The novel by Joan Lindsay, published in 1967, was adapted into a film by Peter Weir in 1975, which became a landmark of Australian cinema and culture. The story has inspired many interpretations and adaptations, including the performances brought to you by our Christian College Senior School students.

Excitement is now running high - next week's shows are on at Platform Arts in Geelong in Lt Malop St, with three evening shows from Thursday May 11 to Saturday May 13.  Tickets are only $30 and the cast and crew are looking forward to performing to full houses.  Please note that Picnic at Hanging Rock contains mature themes, parental discretion is advised re the age of audience members.

To purchase tickets please follow this link:

https://events.humanitix.com/ccg-picnic-at-hanging-rock

Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Days!

All Christian College campuses will open their doors on May 2 in the first of our Open Days for 2023.

This is an opportunity for parents/guardians and families who are considering Christian College as an option for their young people to visit one or more of our campuses, meet students, teachers and campus leaders, tour facilities, visit classes in progress and have their questions answered. It provides an authentic insight to how our College operates on a day-to-day basis. For those considering either Junior School-Belmont or Surf Coast Campus, please note our Early Learning Centres - Williams House in Belmont and Butterfield House in Torquay - will also be open for visitation at the same time as the campuses.

No booking is required, with campuses open at the following times:

Junior School-Belmont: 9:30 – 11:00am

Bellarine Campus: 9:30 – 11:00am

Surf Coast Campus: 9:30 – 11:30am

Middle School-Highton: – 11:15am – 12:45pm

Senior School-Waurn Ponds: – 11:30am – 1:00pm

A MYTERN Thought for This Week

When you are on a rough road, people often tell you to get a grip and drive on.

 Try not to judge yourself harshly if that feels too hard. 

 Sometimes it's not as simple as just shaking it off and moving on.

 Slow down, take a deep breath and know that no road lasts forever 🙏❤️

Discover more about MYTERN here