Junior School Term 2 Week 7

Student Digital Safety Forum for Parents/Guardians and Staff

Do you ever worry about your young person’s online behaviour and safety? 

Do you have a clear understanding of the legalities surrounding digital image production, sharing and requesting, for young people?

Would you like to know if other families have the same questions, experiences, challenges and concerns as you? 

As our young people continue to grow up and learn within a ‘technological age’, their digital safety remains a critical focus for staff at Christian College Geelong, as I am sure it does for you at home. As per my recent email, and as part of our strategy to partner genuinely and comprehensively with you in their nurturing, I warmly invite you to our upcoming Student Digital Safety Forum for Parents/Guardians, Staff and Victoria Police.

This important event will be held in the Christian College Middle School – Highton Library on Wednesday, June 14, from 5:45pm-7:15pm. All parents and guardians from Year 4 to Year 12 are invited to attend

From the Head of Campus

I hope this week’s edition of the Vine finds you all well and you are managing the chilly onset of Winter. One of the things that warms the heart at any time of the year is the call to be kind. At a staff Devotion this week the call to kindness was a focus and I also wanted to take the opportunity to share a thought on kindness with you. 

Have you ever noticed that being kind has a remarkable ability to warm the heart? When we witness or experience acts of kindness, we may experience the following: 

• Connection: Kindness fosters a sense of connection and belonging. When we witness acts of kindness, it resonates with our own desires to be compassionate, and it reinforces our belief in the inherent goodness of people.
• Empathy and Understanding: Kindness often stems from empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. When someone shows kindness, it demonstrates their willingness to step into someone else’s shoes, to recognize their struggles or joys, and to offer support or celebration.
• Gratitude: Acts of kindness can make us feel seen, valued, and appreciated. When someone extends kindness to us, it affirms our worth and reminds us that we matter. It acknowledges our existence, our experiences, and our feelings, leading to a sense of being grateful.
• Inspiration and Hope: Kindness inspires us and fills our hearts with hope. When we witness acts of kindness, we see the potential for goodness and positive change. It reminds us that even small gestures can make a significant impact and encourages us to embody kindness in our own lives. This inspiration and hope warm our hearts and fuel our desire to make a difference.

What’s on at Junior School

Week 8   

Monday June 12 – Kings Birthday Public Holiday 
Thursday June 15 – Lunchtime Concert  
Thursday June 15 – Junior School Instrumental Performance Evening, R.W. Gibson Centre, 6pm  
Friday June 16 – Year 1 Excursion, Geelong Botanical Gardens (Refer to EdSmart) 

Week 9   

Tuesday June 20 – Lunchtime Concert  
Tuesday June 20 – Student Learning Conferences, 3B only. 1:30-4:00pm (Refer to EdSmart)
Wednesday June 21 – Prep Discovery Learning  
Wednesday June 21 – Year 1 Barwon Water Incursion (Refer to EdSmart) 
Friday June 23 – Assembly, 2G Class Item 
Friday June 23 – Final day Term 2, 2:30pm Dismissal  

Student Learning Conferences 

We look forward to sharing your child’s learning at the upcoming Student Learning Conferences. 

Please note the following arrangements:

For Year 3B 

A reminder that the Year 3B Student Learning Conferences will be conducted on Tuesday June 20 from 1:30pm – 4:00pm. 

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 open on Monday June 12 at 4:00pm and will close on Monday June 19 at 4:00pm. 

Please also find a link to a document which outlines the steps for you to participate in the online Teams conferences. We encourage you to forward any queries regarding accessing the online conferences to our IT Specialists by contacting helpdesk@ccg.vic.edu.au.  

Click here to open the Parents’ Guide to joining a Teams meeting: Parent Guide, Joining a Teams Meeting 

Environmental Science in Action

On Friday morning the Year 1 students had some special environmental scientists visit! A group of Year 10 students who have been learning about the impact of plastics on the environment came to run some activities for our students to assist in their understanding. The Year 1 children have been learning about animal habitats and different environments and this additional experience will assist in the consolidation of their learning.

The Chapel was buzzing with excitement as the Year 1s eagerly listened to the explanations and watched the demonstrations in front of them. There were opportunities to engage and have fun with various hands-on activities. The Year 10 students were clearly passionate about their projects as they explained them to the younger children. They took the time to ensure that they had the key learning and ideas.

This was a lovely opportunity for not only the Year 1 children but the Year 10s also. Seeing older children with skills, knowledge and understanding helps to inspire our younger students and encourage them to continue to learn and grow. For the older students it is an opportunity to show leadership and mentoring by engaging and teaching the younger children. How blessed we are to be at a school where children can start in 3-Year-Old Kindergarten and continue through the entirety of their school life.

The Royals Have Come to Town! 

Once upon a time there was a magical kingdom called Prep. All the people who were in this kingdom loved learning. They were creative and collaborative thinkers who enjoyed exploring the world around them. 

The Prep children have been learning about everything to do with Kings and Queens. Through our English time we have been reading lots of facts and information about the history of various royal families, where they lived, the roles that they played and the special things they had in their homes. We are also looking at current royal families and fictional stories that build upon these understandings.  

As part of this the children listen to stories, identify key vocabulary, develop their ability to answer questions in full sentences, write and respond to prompts and create artwork and reflections. We are building our key literacy skills of speaking and listening, reading and writing through this unit of work.  

Investigating Penguins  

During our Integrated Studies Unit this term the Year 1 students have been learning about different animals and their habitats. Last week the students learnt about penguins, we read the book Penguins Up Close and watched videos about them. The students got to learn some amazing facts about penguins, the students loved learning about how many different species of penguins there are. 

We continued our learning about penguins this week during masterclass. All the Year 1 students created a paper plate habitat for the penguins. First, we drew a plan of what our paper plate habitat was going to look like. Then in our classes we created a habitat that penguins live in, the students used cellophane and paper to make their icebergs. One of the students’ favourite parts of this activity was creating their penguins out of plasticine.   

It was great to see the students’ creative side come out in their paper plate habitats. Awesome work Year 1s!

Sustainable Toys

Over the past few weeks, the Year 4 students have been using their STEAM time to collaborate in pairs, or small groups, to create unique and marvellous toys. The students were challenged to design and create toys using recycled and natural materials. This hands-on project not only fostered creativity but also encouraged students to think critically about the forces involved in the operation of their toys.  

This aspect allowed them to grasp fundamental concepts of physics and engineering. By considering forces such as gravity, friction, and air resistance, students were able to design toys that were both functional and entertaining. With great enthusiasm, the students shared their innovative creations with their prep buddies, showcasing their thoughtful approach and commitment to sustainability.  

The Benefits of Origami

Children in the younger years have often been introduced to Japanese through song, drawing and craft as a way of including all students regardless of literacy or linguistic skills. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly young children embrace unfamiliar concepts and just absorb new information like little sponges. The main form of craft we do is origami. We make functional items like little pockets to take information home and will be making decorative items such as the Hina dolls to celebrate the Japanese festival Hinamatsuri. 

Origami has so many cognitive and physical benefits for children and adults. It improves fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. It provides the cognitive challenge of listening and following sequential instructions and stimulates the motor and visual areas of the brain and 3D comprehension and imaging. 

But the most important benefit that origami can provide a child is the pride and satisfaction they get from transforming a piece of paper into a new and interesting creation. Origami encourages children to collaborate, communicate and be creative. These are key 21^st century skills for our children to develop as these are the skills they will need to flourish in the future. Watching the children observe, apply and share skills with their peers is just one of the magical things that happen on a daily basis in a Prep classroom. You can never tell which student will become the expert origami sensei and start taking over the class!  

I encourage you to try making some origami with your children but prepare yourself to be the student not the sensei! We have lots of paper and instructions available so please come and see me in the beautiful Japanese room at Junior School. 

A Super-Sized String Ensemble

This week saw the Junior String Ensembles from Surf Coast, Junior School and Bellarine gather together for a fun day of combined music making. The enthusiastic students were brought together in the Bellarine Auditorium to form a super-sized String Ensemble of over 50 students, which rehearsed two pieces before a short break, during which the students from different campuses got to mingle with their fellow string buddies.

We then resumed playing with some individual group performances, before our excited audience of Year 1 and 2 Bellarine students arrived to hear the combined string group perform the catchy Jamaican tune “Tingo Layo” and the stately ‘March of the Astronauts’, followed by a rousing rendition of an Irish folk tune ‘Forty Pound Float’ used in the Bluey episode, ‘Fairies’ – a definite crowd favourite!

It was wonderful to see these young musicians perform together so seamlessly and participate so fully. We look forward to presenting these two pieces for families and friends at the Spring into Strings evening scheduled for later in term three.

Thanks to: Jeannette Carnie, cello teacher and director of the Bellarine Junior String ensemble; the piano accompaniment staff of Stephanie Lawrence and Tammy Treloar who assisted with rehearsals; String teachers Rebecca Bertoncello (violin) and Caitie Martin (cello) and to Lesley Walters, who stepped out of retirement to help us on the day. Thanks also to Junior School Music teacher Laura Hollingsworth for assisting with supervision and to Master chef Mr Gary Crole who cooked all the sausages for our lunch time sausage sizzle.

Strings Rock!

Martin DeMarte on behalf of the Strings Team

Camp Australia

Calling all CC Eagles Members and Families

We are pleased to present an opportunity for you to be a part of CC Eagles/ Geelong United Basketball Club Fundraiser, with NBL1 tickets available for the following game through the club:

Round 10 – Hoop City Geelong United Supercats v Dandenong Rangers – Saturday June 17, 2023. Tip off: Women – 5:00pm, Men – 7:00pm (Ticket gets you in to both games at The Geelong Arena)

All PRE-ORDERED tickets will cost $10.00 with $5.00 being retained by our club.

On the night we want to see our members show up at the game in our CLUB COLOURS.

We hope that everyone embraces this opportunity to get our CC Eagles family together and support Hoop City Geelong United Supercats on the night.

Foundation Golf Day 2023

Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, we are delighted to announce the Christian College Foundation Golf Day tournament for 2023.

Save the date: Thursday November 9.

We are seeking prizes for this event – if you own a local business and are interested in creating partnership opportunities with Christian College, please contact Fiona Provan on 0400 477 467, or email f.provan@ccg.vic.edu.au