Junior School Term 3 Week 9

From the Head of Campus

Farewell to Mrs Ann Begg 

It is with much mixed emotion that I write to share with our Junior School community that our wonderful Mrs Ann Begg is retiring at the end of next week, being the end of Term 3 2024. 

 Ann has spent more than half her life connected with our Christian College community having had her daughter Lauren commence in Prep in 1988, being Minute Secretary for the Christian College Board Meetings, being an Accounts Officer for the College and then in 1996 moving to the Junior School when it commenced onsite at Broughton Drive as Secretary to the founding Head of Campus Janne Wiseman and subsequent six other Heads of the Junior School campus. 

 We have been so blessed by Ann’s warm and welcoming personality, her heart to serve the Christian College community, her humility, her patience and her love for all that she encounters. We have journeyed with Ann over these past years and now celebrate with her as her journey into retirement begins. As a community we have been privileged to have worked with this wonderful lady and we wish her every happiness and God’s richest blessings for her time beyond Christian College. 

 We are excited to be able to introduce Mrs Denise Hanrahan to our Junior School family as she takes over this role from Mrs Begg. When you meet Denise at Reception, please feel free to introduce yourself and make her feel welcome. 

From the Chaplain – ‘Ask RUOK? any day’

This week across all Christian College campuses, we have celebrated, discussed and participated in a range of activities for RUOK? Day. This is always a special time on our College calendar as we remind each other that it’s ‘okay not to be okay’. This year’s theme is ‘Ask RUOK any day’ which encouraged us to discuss ways that we can check in with each other and ourselves frequently.

Students had the opportunity to participate in a ‘Gratitude Walk’ outside around our grounds and came across prompts and reflective questions, as well as discussions and conversations in classrooms about what to do when we don’t feel okay and who we can go to for support. Students also decorated a sticker with what RUOK? Day represents to them and created a hand artwork reflecting on things they can do to feel okay.

Our Year 3 and Year 4 students watched ‘Inside Out 1’, a movie about 11-year-old Riley who moves to a new city and her Emotions team up to help her through the transition. Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness work together, but when Joy and Sadness get lost, they must journey through unfamiliar places to get back home. This created wonderful discussion and insight within the Year 3 and 4 classes as they watched and reflected on this movie.

Students and Staff also participated in a big Staff vs Students game of ‘Rock Paper Scissors’. This was such a wonderful time spent together as a whole Junior School community filled with intense Rock Paper Scissor battles and lots of cheering. This year, the teachers won with Mrs Shutie battling hard with some solid determination!

We really hope that this week was meaningful for the students and staff of Junior School and we can use the things we learnt and discussed to keep checking in with each other throughout the year.

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 10

Tuesday 17 September – Movement and Music Festival, 9:30am-11:45am

Wednesday 18 September – Year 3 Camp

Wednesday 18 September – Prep Discovery Learning 12:30pm-3:00pm

Thursday 19 September – Year 3 Camp

Friday 20 September – Year 3 Camp

Friday 20 September – Assembly, 2R Item

Friday 20 September – Conclusion of Term 3; 2:30pm finish.

Junior Canteen will be closed on the last day of this term, Friday September 20, but will be open on Wednesday September 18.

Middle School Rock Star Writers!

This week the Year 1 children were thrilled to welcome the Year 5s from Middle School to our Campus. The Middle School students have been working hard on writing their very own Historical Narrative stories and asked if they could share their wonderful stories with us. The Year 1’ were super excited as it was also an opportunity for them to reconnect with their Prep buddies! 

The room was buzzing with excitement as the students sat together and listened attentively to the Year 5 masterpieces! It was a wonderful experience for the Year 1s as they could see how the Year 5s structured their stories, used the correct grammar, punctuation and expression while reading their work, something the Year 1s have been working on during their Writing sessions. The Year 1 students also had the opportunity to share some of the Writing pieces they have completed throughout the year! 

It was a lovely afternoon, and we thank the Year 5 students and their teachers for their hard work. We are so fortunate to be a part of a friendly and supportive community here at Christian College. Well done everyone! 

Year 1’s Araluen Camp Adventure!

On Thursday, our Year 1 children set off for their first school camp with great excitement. Although the weather was cold, the sun shone through as we travelled to the Araluen Lutheran Camp in Anglesea.

The students participated in a range of activities including a low ropes course, basketball games, trampolining, a scavenger hunt, bush craft, and we were even able to have a round of mini golf during the morning. The children approached the different activities with a great growth mindset, and they showed perseverance and resilience as they encouraged each other.

During the two days at Camp Araluen, the students were able to build connections and friendships as they chatted, laughed, shared meals together, and supported one another.

As the students reflected about their time at our Year 1 camp, they were able to share their special adventures, and also recognise and celebrate their achievements.

The children are to be congratulated for their positive attitudes, their wonderful efforts, and their willingness to ‘have a go’.

Tackling Measurement at Junior School!

This term, Year 4R have been hard at work exploring measurement in our Mathematics lessons. Our students have been learning how to measure temperature, mass, capacity, and area using formal units, and they have had many hands-on opportunities to apply their skills to measuring different items from each area. 
Earlier this week, the students ventured outside with metre-square paper templates to predict and measure the area of various surfaces around the Junior School. They worked together in small groups, starting with a few estimations, before putting their measurement tools to the test! The down ball courts, playground surface, and other areas became the focus of their investigations, sparking curiosity and teamwork. 
This engaging activity encouraged students to think critically about the size of familiar spaces and reinforced their understanding of area in a fun, practical way. Everyone was excited to see how their predictions compared to the actual measurements and to learn just how large (or small) certain areas really are. 

Where The Wild Things Are

What a wild rumpus it was! Here at Junior School Belmont, the students were given a wonderful opportunity to experience some live theatre. The Year 10 Drama class visited us and performed their musical theatre interpretation of the fantastic book, ‘Where the Wild Things Are’. 

Incorporating singing (adaptations of existing music), movement, masks, props and costumes the Year 10 students impressed us all with their terrific adaptation of the story. We were guided through the tale of Max wildly running around his house. So much so, he was sent to his bedroom without any dinner! Max’s imagination goes wild as a forest grows in his room and an ocean takes him away to where the wild things are. 

Max becomes king of the wild things, giving them rules and starting a wild rumpus. Our students have been diving into the book and created their own masks to wear while they stomped and roared! Max then heads home and is greeted by his mum with a hot meal. 

This opportunity provided our students with the chance to see where our focus on Music, Drama and Dance can take us in the senior years here at Christian College. What a thrill it was for Junior School to have our very own come and perform for us. The Year 3 and 4 students also had an opportunity to ask some questions to the Year 10 performers. 

We loved having the Year 10s visit and share their wonderful performance of ‘Where the Wild Things Are’! 

Enrichment and Enhancement in Year 3 

Year 3 E&E students have been stretching their thinking and learning how to estimate and calculate volume. They have been studying different shaped prisms and calculating volume using the L x W x H equation. Students have had lots of fun so far using MAB blocks to create different sized prisms. 

Students have recently begun the design and construction of a volume box animal having already planned and sketched their animals. This week they will begin the construction of their animal using cardboard boxes. As part of this experience, they will need to cut their boxes to size and assemble them into their animal’s shape focusing on proportion and animal features. Students will then calculate the volume of each section on their animal, and their animal’s overall volume.  

Next week they are looking forward to wrapping and decorating their box animal! 

Percussion Ensemble Workshop

This week the Junior School Percussion Ensemble welcomed the Senior Percussion Ensemble along to their Thursday morning rehearsal. The four members of the Senior group were very excited for the opportunity to head down to our Junior School campus to meet and share music with these young musicians. 

The session started with a performance of pieces from the Senior Ensemble. They performed ‘After Dark’ a table drumming/body percussion piece, ‘Buckets Ruckus’ a bucket drumming piece, and ‘In the Hall Of The Mountain King’ performed on boom whackers. The Junior students were in awe of these performances and were excited to ask questions at the end of each piece.  

It was then the Junior Percussion Ensemble’s turn to perform and to teach their song to the Senior students. The Senior members enjoyed the experience of being led by the younger students and were able to offer helpful feedback and share techniques for further skill development. 

It was a wonderful morning of music making that was enjoyed by all. A special thank you to the Senior Percussion Ensemble for visiting our campus and creating an enriching experience for these young musicians. 

Papier Mache – Contemporary, Abstract and Gorgeous

Wow! Prep’s have really embraced the grit of the art room. From the slimy papier mache glue, to the fun and anticipation of mixing paint, our gorgeous Prep students have had a blast. 

These students have been diving into the tactile world of papier-mâché, embracing this historic medium to craft stunning, one-of-a-kind vessels and vases. Through the art of layering, they explored how this technique has evolved from its historical roots to its place in modern creativity. And modern they were. Some even a little obscured and abstract…but with pure beauty! 

Once our gorgeous vases dried, the fun really started! PAINT, PAINT, PAINT. 

Students applied their knowledge of color tinting to create striking ombre effects, highlighting the beauty and versatility of paint on various art forms. These quirky vases, soon to be adorned with handcrafted paper flowers, are set to be true masterpieces! We can’t wait to showcase these unique sculptures, that blend tradition with a contemporary twist, at our Junior School Art Extravaganza on October 17. 

North Division Athletics Championships

On Tuesday September 10, Laylah Towart-McCalla represented Christian College at the Geelong North Division Athletics Championships at Goldsworthy Reserve. She participated in the discus event after finishing in the top two at the Deakin District Athletics meet on August 29.

Laylah enjoyed the opportunity to compete against various schools around Geelong, finishing third in the event. She was also joined by students from three other Christian College campuses. Well done Laylah!

Discount on 2025 Fees

The College is offering families who elect to pre-pay next year’s tuition fees in full by Friday 20 September 2024, a discount of approximately 4.0% on 2025 Year Level Tuition Fees.  

If you would like more details, please contact the Fee Department via email: fees@ccg.vic.edu.au Our team will happily explain the details and arrange a quotation for you.

(Please note, our prepaid fee discount option is not available on certain Scholarships)

Spring Into Strings!

Last night, the Junior String ensembles from Bellarine, Surf Coast and Junior School campuses gathered together at the RW Gibson Centre to celebrate the beginning of Spring with our annual performance event-'Spring into Strings'. 

The evening was an excellent showcase of the String playing taking place in our Junior Schools, and a wonderful opportunity for the ensembles to perform for each other and their families. Each of the campus ensembles performed individually before combining to form a massed String Ensemble which presented two pieces for their captive audience.

There were many excited and nervous young musicians at the start of the night, but it was amazing to see these young people focus and perform with such aplomb, especially as the combined items had not been rehearsed together since our Junior String Day which was held back  in June – well done to all! The sound that these students produced belied the fact that they have only been playing a few short years. 

Thanks to our accompanists Tammy Treloar and Stephanie Lawrence, as well as the string teaching staff- Cecilia Bell, Catie Martin and Miriam Bell

Geelong Summer Music Camp Jan 5 –10

A Day Camp for Music Students aged 10 – 21 years

Christian College Geelong is proud to once again be hosting the Geelong Summer Music Camp at the Senior Campus in January 2025. The GSMC committee are excited to have registrations now open for the January 2025 Camp, with early bird discounts available until October 11.

If you have a budding band, choir or strings musician in your house, or are involved in a school or community music program, please encourage students aged 10 – 21 years to consider attending.

Please help us to promote the camp,  which is run by a volunteer committee who are passionate about providing a wonderful experience for student musicians from the Geelong community and beyond – it’s a Geelong institution with this next camp being the 44th!

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.

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!