Thursday September 8th - RUOK? Day
RUOK? Day reminds us all to check in on one another, listen and encourage.
RUOK? Day covers some big topics so we as a Junior School, have put together age-appropriate activities focusing on looking out for one another and ourselves which will take place over next week, September 5th– 9th. RUOK? provides a wonderful bank of child-focused activities and conversation starters. As a campus, we will be looking at ways to recognise our own emotions, the emotions of our friends, ways to keep our mind healthy and safe ways to ‘check in’ on someone including getting help from a trusted adult.
On Thursday, all students will wear normal College uniform however they are encouraged to add something ‘yellow’, e.g. a ribbon, wristband, bow tie or headband.
For more information around this national day, please feel free to visit their website.
A conversation could change a life | R U OK?
Darcee Braun
What’s on at Junior School
Week 9: Monday 5th September
Tuesday 6th September – Year 4 Bike Ride (Please refer to EdSmart notification)
Tuesday 6th September – Junior Choir Open Rehearsal, 8am, Gym
Wednesday 7th September – Junior School Cross Country (Please refer to EdSmart notification)
Thursday 8th September – RUOK? Day. Wear a yellow accessory!
Friday 9th September – Junior School Assembly
Week 10: Monday 12th September
Monday 12th September – Year 1 Camp (Please refer to EdSmart notification)
Monday 12th September – Health Heroes Prep Visit (Edsmart notification to follow)
Tuesday 13th September – Year 5 Students from Middle School–Highton visit, Reading with Preps
Wednesday 14th September – Year 3 Camp (Please refer to EdSmart notification)
Thursday 15th September – Bush Prep, Prep B, G, M & R
Friday 16th September – Conclusion of Term 3; 2:30pm Dismissal
TERM 4
Week 1: Monday 3rd October
Tuesday 4th October – Students return
From the Head of Campus
Dear Parents and Families, it is with much regret that I need to once again draw you attention to the continued parking by parents, just prior to dismissal of students, in the front round about at our Junior School. This practice poses significant risk to our young children as described below by the Transport Accident Commission:
- Young children act on impulse and if this happens while walking, riding bicycles or playing near traffic there is a risk of injury or even death. While kids are vulnerable on their own, with the help of parents they can learn about safety on the roads and how to avoid dangerous situations from an early age.
- Children have difficulty judging speed and distance, seeing objects in side vision and identifying direction of speed, as well as estimating speed timing.
- Kids can be less visible to drivers -smaller children may be harder to see for drivers, especially in blind spots and when they’re behind a vehicle.
https://www.tac.vic.gov.au/road-safety/road-users/parents/teaching-children-road-safety
As a result of this continued parking practice our front main gates will now be locked at 3.10pm each afternoon and will not be opened again until 3.45pm until further notice. I trust that you can understand the seriousness of needing to keep all of our students safe.
Thanking you in anticipation of your support of this process.
Ann-Marree Weigl, Head of Campus
Reserve Your Place!
Wellbeing Evening and Cyber Safe Schools Program Launch
We enjoyed a fantastic night with the parents, families, students and staff attending the first Digital Wellbeing Evening held at our Senior School Campus last night, Thursday 1st September. If you have not yet taken the opportunity to reserve your place at the second and final of our two nights, please save the date and reserve your place now! We would love to see you there. We encourage you to take a few minutes to view the video below to find out more about this important event. The evening will be presented at our Bellarine Campus next Thursday 8th September starting at 7pm. We expect to run for about 45 minutes, finishing with time for questions and a cuppa together.
We ask all Parents and Families to share their attending intentions with us via our online RSVP Response Form. Please access the form by clicking the image or link below.
https://forms.office.com/r/QwN6TXBE41
Brendan Vanderkley
Preps Visit Williams House
On Wednesday Prep R headed over to Williams House to read to the Kindergarten children. This was a wonderful opportunity for the Prep children to practise reading aloud, using expression, fluency and paying attention to the punctuation in the books they were reading. Reading to someone else is always different to reading to yourself.
It was lovely to see the Kindergarten children enjoying the stories and chatting with the Preps. We even managed a little play in the playground after our hard work reading.
These opportunities are not only wonderful for our Prep children to build their confidence but for the connection it gives our Kindergarten children. This helps them feel part of our Christian College Junior School community and supports the transition into school.
Thoughts from Prep R:
“I liked reading to Evie because there was a little kid called Evie and I loved when she was listening and looking and then had a little break and she even chose her favorite page.” Tayla
“It was fun and he learnt how to read because I taught him and I sounded out the words and I taught him what the letters and sounds mean and he figured out the words.” Rocky
“I used my big voice and used it like it was actually happening and she used her imagination to pretend the story was actually happening.” Eadie
“I liked all the books and I liked reading.” Joshua
“It was fun to read to the kinders because the whole room was quiet and they were all listening to us read.” Xander
“I liked when we went out for a play after reading.” Isla
“I was reading a footy book and there was a big brother and a little brother and at the end of the book the big brother says to the little brother ‘you will get it’. I like that bit.” Buster
“I was a bit nervous because I was reading to someone that I didn’t know but I felt happy at the end.” Lola
“I loved reading because the person I was reading to I’ve known her for a very long time.” Willow
“I thought it was great for our reading!” Zahil
“It was a little scary but then it was fun because I got to see my friends Maddie and Maisie.” Celeste
“I read all my books and I felt happy.” Ethan
“I liked reading to Maddie and she said the start of the book was fun.” Mikayla
Julie Shutie
Year 1 – Grandma’s Soup
In 1B we have been using our counting skills to solve authentic maths problems.
First the students heard the story about Grandma’s soup and discovered that the problem was the ambiguity of the recipe, which calls for ‘one hand full’ of macaroni. They then investigated the number of pieces of macaroni in their own handfuls by using their counting skills. We then placed this number on to hand cutouts then plotted this on a number line. During this stage of the problem, the children discussed the ways in which they counted their macaroni and decided as a class which strategy was the most efficient. We decided that grouping the macaroni into groups of five and ten made it easier to count and keep track of our total.
After this initial investigation, the students discovered that Grandma’s handful was exactly one hundred pieces of macaroni. Using a recording sheet, each student worked with a partner to trial ways in which they can grab exactly one hundred pieces. This exercise opened up great discussions about strategies including, ‘I took about fifty pieces, so I could grab two handfuls this time to get close to one hundred’, ‘I grabbed sixty and my partner grabbed forty so we could work together to get one hundred’, and ‘I grabbed way too many in my handful, so I need to halve the amount I get this time’.
Lisa Johnson
Year 3 – Night and Day
This week in Year 3 we have been looking at the different phases of the Moon and the Earth’s orbit as part of our Night & Day unit in Integrated Studies. We have talked extensively about the rotation of the Earth, and we have drawn the different phases of the Moon. This week we created models that showed us how the Earth orbits the Sun whilst rotating and the Moon orbits the Earth. The students had a great time helping each other build models. We are eagerly looking forward to camp at the end of term and maybe finding some time to observe the Moon as a group whilst we are away together.
We have also been learning all about amphibians and creating an in-class report all about Red-Eyed Green Tree Frogs as part of our unit on animal classification. This unit has led to some fascinating conversations about prehistoric animals such as dinosaurs and their fossils, which some of our students seem quite knowledgeable about.
Todd Brown
DigiTech – Coding in Year 3 with Scratch
This term Year 3 students have embarked on a coding journey, assisted via the MIT coding program, Scratch. Scratch uses Blockly coding within a fun, engaging and enticing learning platform, for beginner programmers to learn how to create and program algorithms to make characters interact on a stage. Characters are selected, backgrounds are chosen, user skills are developed and refined, and adventure awaits. The Scratch program caters to all levels of learner ability, from first time coding guided tutorials to intermediate and advanced challenges, and Year 3 students have thrived during our weekly sessions.
Students have developed their coding skills and abilities, working through the various Scratch modules, learning how to make their characters or ‘sprites’ move, talk, change colour, change costumes, interact with each other and so much more! Each lesson, we have furthered our learning capability, with students participating in peer learning groups to showcase their individual progress, share ideas and support each other while grappling with coding challenges and triumphs.
Class engagement and excitement throughout the term, has been amazing across the year level, and as we draw towards the conclusion of term, each student can boast about their newly acquired skillset!
Emma Anderson
Art at Junior School
In Art lessons we have continued to explore weaving, this time transferring the techniques learnt from paper to threads.
Students came up with a multitude of interesting animal designs which were then transferred to paper and cardboard. The first step was to create a loom in the shape of a saddle to which the threads could be woven. Lots of experimenting was encouraged, and the activity provided opportunities to develop resilience and perseverance as tying thread off using knots proved a little challenging for some.
With the looms complete the weaving took place, a time to further develop much needed fine motor skills. Weaving is a process that joins two sets of threads, one that go across and the other going down. It became very easy for students to understand how cloth is made.
Although at times the tangle of thread became complicated the benefits of this activity were numerous. Just a few include hand eye coordination, focus and concentration, practical understanding of words like over, under, in, out, warp, weft and tension, experience of patterns – great for a maths brain, mindfulness and holding a steady hand.
Jen Beck-Carlson
Fathers’ Day Stall
It was lovely to see so many excited faces today, at the annual Fathers’ Day stall at Junior School.
We and the staff at Junior School thank you for your amazing support in providing donations, helping to gift wrap, set up and serve your children on the day. We wish you a very wonderful day on Sunday, with your loved ones, and pray you the day will be filled with many blessings for all.
Mandy Chester and Kate O’Halloran
Chess Club
Camp Australia Newsletter
Camp Australia Staff Recruitment
Camp Australia, the nationally recognised leader in Outside School Hours Care, is seeking new team members - please click on the link to the poster below:
Scholarship Applications for 2024 Entry now Open!
Each year we offer Academic Excellence Scholarships for entry at Year 5 (Middle School-Highton, Bellarine and Surf Coast campuses); Year 7 (Middle School-Highton and Bellarine); and Year 10 (Senior School-Waurn Ponds).
These scholarships have been designed primarily to encourage and support new and current students who wish to attend Christian College and who demonstrate high levels of academic excellence.
We are now seeking scholarship applications for entry at any of those year levels in 2024.
For more information, and to apply, please see our website. Use the hotlink from our homepage or click here
Applications close on Thursday September 29. The examination date is Saturday October 8.
Golf Tournament
The Foundation Golf Tournament is set for Thursday, 27 October 2022. Join us at 13th Beach Golf Links from 8:00am for a shotgun start. Tickets are $190 each ($150 for members) or $750 for a group of four. RSVPs close on Thursday, 6 October 2022 at 5:00pm.
Funds raised from this event will be allocated to our Foundation Scholarship Fund, supporting current students who are in need of financial assistance.
Book online at: The Foundation Golf Tournament
A MYTERN Thought for This Week
When travelling down a rough road, you need to have both hands on the steering wheel in order to maintain your direction. Do you have control of your life now or are you just bouncing along with one hand on the wheel.... blaming others?
Worth thinking about 👍😊
Discover more about MYTERN here
