Junior School Term 3 Week 3

Appointment of our new Executive Principal to Start in 2025

The Board is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Mathilda Joubert as the Executive Principal of Christian College Geelong from the beginning of 2025.

Mathilda is an outstanding educator, mentor and leader who is well placed to lead our College into the future. We are excited to appoint someone of her passion, expertise, energy and faith to lead our community and we look forward to Mathilda joining us in January 2025.

Mathilda grew up in South Africa and spent her formative working years there and in the United Kingdom as a teacher and later advisor and consultant on education policy and innovation. Since moving to Australia in 2010 Mathilda served for seven years as Principal of the Swan Christian Education Association Institute of Teaching and Learning where she was responsible for strategic leadership of school improvement, teacher professional development and leadership development for approximately 500 staff members across seven schools. She is currently Executive Principal at Sheridan Institute of Higher Education, and President of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders in Western Australia.

From the Head of Campus

One of the most exciting things about Junior School is being immersed in the abundance of possibilities. Young children have an enthusiasm and exuberance for learning, and it is a joy as teachers to help shape the attitude to that learning. One of the key messages we want to share with our students is that ‘good learning’ comes from a growth mindset. Good learning includes both making mistakes and experiencing achievement to grow.

A growth mindset comes from the belief that basic abilities can be developed through hard work, dedication, and persistence. Children with a growth mindset see challenges as opportunities to learn and grow, rather than obstacles. They believe that effort and determination can lead to growth and personal achievement. Encouraging this mindset in children helps to foster a passion for learning and resilience in the face of new challenges.

What’s on at Junior School

This an up to date list of planned activities at Junior Campus that you can use for planning purposes.  Please be aware that these dates are set early in the term and occasionally items may need to be cancelled or dates/times altered.  This itinerary is altered each week to reflect any changes – please check this list of events EVERY WEEK carefully when you read the weekly VINE newsletter.

Term 3, Week 4  

Wednesday August 7 – Prep 100 Days of School 

Wednesday August 7 – Year 3 Wildlife Incursion 

Science Expo Comes to Junior School in Science Week!

Science learning plays a crucial role in our lives, fostering curiosity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. We are very invested at Christian College in the science education of our students. Whether it be biological science at Prep where children explore plants and farm animals or the water cycle at Year 4 and the impact of erosion in the Otways.

Science education harnesses the ability for students to analyse and evaluate experiments and information, using the evidence presented to draw conclusions. As our students build their knowledge and understandings, we can branch out and show connections between information.

Science education fosters a passion for learning and cultivates communication skills. Discussions around how we can best tackle a scientific problem encourage students to make observations, explore solutions and shapes their capacity to make evidence-based decisions.

We are very excited to this term bring you the Junior School Science Expo. On Wednesday August 14, 3:30-4:30. Families will have the opportunity to come into school and not only see a showcase of student learning but get involved in hands-on activities to explore scientific concepts together.

The children will be sharing an element of their scientific learning on this afternoon, and we encourage you to head to your child’s year level to see their work. Then you will be able to visit other year levels and observe their learning showcase. We are also very keen for you to participate in some hands-on science learning opportunities with your child, these will be spread around the year levels and outside. There will be maps on hand to help you navigate our science extravaganza!

We look forward to welcoming our community into the school on Wednesday August 14.

An Excursion to the Farm: A Day of Discovery

Wednesday morning was very chilly, but the sun was out and we knew it was going to be a wonderful day of discovery! A group of excited children board a bus, their chatter filled with anticipation. Destination: Back Creek Farm. What awaits them is not just an excursion but an immersive experience—one that blends education, adventure, and fun.

As the bus pulls up to the farm gate, the children’s eyes widen. The air smells of earth, and the landscape stretches out before them. The adventure begins! Greeted by some of our Year 9 students there is a sense of joy amongst everyone. What a wonderful opportunity for the Year 9s to lead and what a connection for us to build.

A rotation of activities and experiences that stretch from the chicken coop to the quacking ducks and the baby goats. They learn about life cycles and the needs of the various animals they interact with. They discover how milk goes from udder to glass as they engage with the dairy station.

There is also lots to be learnt in the vege garden where rows of vegetables and herbs grow. They discover that veggies don’t magically appear in grocery stores—they grow with care and patience. Building upon our Interdisciplinary Learning unit the children get to interact with science in real life, consolidating understandings.

There is time to run around the vast hill and explore the lake that borders the farm. The children truly love being out in this open space, and we are blessed to be able to offer them this opportunity.

As we head back onto the bus with exhausted Preps, they continue to chat about all they have seen and done. They’ve learned about life, growth, and the interconnectedness of all living things. The farm excursion isn’t just about facts; it’s about wonder and discovery.

The Prep Team

Learning All About the Olympics: Ready, Set, Go!

During this week, the Year 1 children have started learning all about the Olympics. The students have been provided with the opportunity to complete a range of Olympic activities, such as designing a medal, creating a flag, reading and learning about different Olympic sports, and building a stadium. The children have been able to apply their problem-solving skills as they have worked through the different challenges.

As part of our Maths activities, we have been using tally marks to record the number of medals that Australia has won. The children have also been able to learn about the country of Spain, including some key facts about the land, its buildings and monuments. The students were set the task of drawing some of these special places, and their final pieces were very detailed and creative.

We are looking forward to continuing to cheer on Australia and all the competitors at the Olympics, and as some of the children shared in our grade, “It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it’s just important to try your best.” Thoughtful words and a great encouragement.

Mastering Multiplication

Our Year 4 students have started off the term by diving into the world of multiplication! This term, our young mathematicians are exploring various strategies and methods to enhance their multiplication skills. Let’s take a closer look at the approaches they’re using.

Area Model
The area model is a visual method that helps students understand multiplication by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable parts. By drawing rectangles and dividing them into sections, students can see how the numbers multiply to form the final product. This method not only makes multiplication more accessible but also reinforces the concept of area in geometry.

Lattice Method
The lattice method, also known as the grid method, is another exciting technique our Year 4 students are mastering. This method involves drawing a grid and writing the numbers to be multiplied along the top and side. Students then fill in the grid with partial products and add them up to get the final answer. The lattice method is particularly helpful for visual learners and makes the multiplication process more systematic and organised.

Expanded Form
In the expanded form method, students break down numbers into their place values and multiply each part separately before adding them together. For example, to multiply 23 by 15, students would calculate (20 x 10) + (20 x 5) + (3 x 10) + (3 x 5). This approach helps students understand the distributive property of multiplication and reinforces their place value knowledge.

Messy, Gooey, Hands-on Fun

Exploring the World of Sculpture and Clay

With their aprons on and hands ready to create, these young students are diving into the tactile and transformative mediums of earthenware clay, air-dry clay, and papier-mâché. The art room is buzzing with excitement and the satisfaction of hands-on creativity is nurturing a new generation of artists who appreciate the rich history and endless possibilities of sculpture and clay.

For Year 4s, the magic of earthenware clay and understanding the profound artistic history of this medium and appreciating it as one of the oldest materials used by humans, has been a great focal point. Earthenware clay dates back to ancient civilisations like Mesopotamia and Egypt, who used it to create pottery, sculptures, and everyday items. The Year 4s have developed essential skills such as hand-building techniques, pinching and coiling, texture and detail work and the big one….patience and precision.

Library News… Book Week is Coming!

We are excited to announce that Junior School will this year be taking part in The Great Book Swap during Book Week. 

This is a wonderful initiative that raises much needed funds for The Indigenous Literacy Foundation. This is how it works…. between Monday August 5 and Friday August 16, bring in a book you no longer want from home to donate. These books need to obviously be in good condition and something you think a student at Junior School would like.  

Then on August 20, after the book parade, each class will get a chance to visit the book stall and choose a book to take home. We also ask that on the day you send along your gold coin donation to this important cause. In this way we can support other children and their reading and take home a new book that we would like to read. 

As always, our Book Parade will take place on Tuesday August 20 and students are encouraged to come dressed as a favourite book character. Each year I am amazed at the costumes and creativity shown by our school community. The theme for this year is Reading is Magic. 

Promoting Wellbeing in Term 3

Term 3 offers many opportunities to support, enhance and promote wellbeing in our College community. This term is jam-packed with important events aimed at promoting a supportive, inclusive and positive environment, fostering mental health awareness, belonging and empowering students to take care of themselves and others.

In Week 5, we will be acknowledging the Bullying No Way: National Week of Action which is Australia’s key bullying prevention initiative. The theme this year is ‘Everyone Belongs’ because when we all feel like we belong, bullying struggles to find a place. Our Year 8 team of students and staff will be leading our engagement with this week, planning activities across the College to raise awareness about not only the impact of bullying and violence, but also,to equip students with the tools to be upstanders and foster a culture of kindness, empathy and respect. This will also coincide with the release of the Christian College approach to bullying prevention and intervention affirming our commitment to ensuring that every student belongs to an environment free from bullying, discrimination, and harassment. Recognising the serious short-term and long-term physical, psychological, and social consequences of bullying, we are dedicated to engaging in best practices and taking an evidence-based approach to bullying prevention.

CCG Wind Symphony Stars at Aust. International Music Festival

During the second term holidays the Senior Wind Symphony went on tour to Sydney to participate in the 2024 Australian International Music Festival. The festival featured 47 bands, orchestras, choirs and various ensembles from Australia, California, Shanghai - China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. As well as musical experiences, they had the opportunity to explore Sydney including many tourist attractions and sights.

The CCG Senior Wind Symphony tour involved 44 students from Years 9 – 12 (from Bellarine, Highton and Senior Campuses), one 2023 Year 12 graduate and 6 music staff. Rehearsals for the tour happened weekly from the start of Term 4 2023 and during this time the band prepared a program of works for several tour performances, including a 20 minute ‘competition’ program that was adjudicated and scored by a panel of 3 judges. The festival gave the students a range of musical experiences, sightseeing opportunities and fun times. For many of the students it was their first experience going on a music tour. Upon reflection, the students have said that there were many trip highlights that have impacted them, providing lifelong memories! Many students have said that their friendships with each other have grown and that “even though they had attended weekly rehearsals the tour gave them a chance to get to know each other and the teachers much better.”

Scholarship Applications Now Open!

Scholarship applications for Year 5, 7 and 10 entry to Christian College in 2026 are now open. You can access all the information you need, and apply, by visiting our website. There is a hotlink at the top of our homepage that takes you there, or just click here.

The scholarship testing date is Saturday October 12 and all applications must be received no later than close of business on Thursday October 3.

Save the Date – East Timor Trivia Night

The annual East Timor Trivia Night is always a great night of fun that supports Christian College’s work in Viqueque, and 2024’s event is on Friday August 9. This year the venue is the Sport and Aquatic Centre at the Middle School-Highton. It’s $10 per head, with each table seating 10 people. Get your friends and families involved, put together as many people as you can and don’t miss it! Call the Senior School Campus on 5241 1577 to book.

Seeking Support for Work Placements

Students studying the VCE Vocational Major (VM) are timetabled to work with an employer related to their VET course all day on Fridays. This is called Structured Workplace Learning (SWL). There are some prefilled forms to sign and there is a minimal cost of $5.00 a day to the employer. We are seeking workplace opportunities in the Plumbing, Building and Electrical trades. If you or someone you know are willing to help these students, to get a start in their chosen careers please contact myself k.fearnsides@ccg.vic.edu.au or Mary Higgins m.higgins@ccg.vic.edu.au  at Senior Campus. Thank you in anticipation of some support.

National Collection of Data on Students With a Disability

Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). With data collected on the first Friday in August (August 5 this year), the NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability.

These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD Guidelines.

Please see the attached NCCD Fact Sheet for more information.

NCCD Parent Fact Sheet

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!