From the Head of Campus
As our term together draws to a close, I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of all of the staff at Junior School to thank you most sincerely for your partnership with us. It is so important that together we support your young person during their journey at Junior School and for their time at Christian College Geelong.
Life’s circumstances can be wonderful or disappointing, distressing, or delightful. We are not exempt from any of these circumstances therefore it is so important that together we can navigate an outcome that supports students’ resilience and growth. As staff we constantly draw on scripture to give us wisdom and guidance in all that we do. In Proverbs 22:6 we read “Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their life”. The wisdom in this proverb is our goal to teach our young people love, kindness, fairness, empathy and forgiveness as ways they can respond to both life’s joys and challenges.
As I reflect on this past term, I have been grateful for the many opportunities that our students have had as part of their rich and vibrant teaching and learning program at Junior School Belmont. These events include opportunities such as Hoop Time, Piano Performance Day at our Bellarine Campus, Jeans for Genes Day, Discover Prep Week sessions, Prep 100 Days of School, CCG Choirs evening RW Gibson Centre, Year 3 and 4 Chapel Services, Year 1 Excursion to the Melbourne Museum, Year 1 Simple Machines/Forces Incursion, National Day of Action against Bullying, Science Week activities, Annual Book Week Parade, Deakin district athletics, Lunchtime Concerts, Prep Excursion to our College farm at Scotsburn, Year 4 Healthy Relationships Session with Year 9 Middle School prefects and a guest speaker Josiah King accompanied by Mrs Mia Kafieris, Year 4 Excursion to IMAX and Melbourne Museum, Year 1 Excursion to Aldi Supermarket, Year 2 Professor Bunsen Incursion , Father’s Day Stall and Father’s Day Big Brekky, Footy Colours Day, Year 1 Camp – Araluen Anglesea, Year 4 selected instrumental students with Year 5 MS Music camp, Year 3 Camp, Lake Dewer Lodge, ‘R U Ok’ Day and the Year 4 students’ first transition to attend the Middle School Talent Quest. We look forward to continuing to provide opportunities such as these in Term 4.
Thank you once again for the support you show to one another in community and the support you have for the staff who work with your children. We wish you a wonderful end of term break and pray for health and fun-filled holiday adventures which we look forward to sharing on our return on Tuesday October 3.
Ann-Marree Weigl, Head of Campus
I’m Here to Hear – RUOK? Day at Junior School
R U OK? Day 2023 is a national day of action in Australia that aims to encourage people to check in and start a meaningful conversation with someone who may be going through tough times. It is held on the second Thursday of September every year, which was yesterday, Thursday 14 September, 2023. The theme for 2023 is ‘I’m Here To Hear’, encouraging us all to listen and look out for one another.
At Junior School RUOK? Day has been on the forefront for Week 9, with a range of activities running in Homerooms and lunchtimes throughout the week. Dance Club outside at lunch, Homeroom devotions and a College Art Competition were some of the weekly activities encouraging all to get involved. On Thursday staff took on the Year 4s in friendly game of t-ball and kick ball while a playlist of uplifting music added to a fun lunchtime already brimming with sunshine! A walk around the perimeter finding signs with words of encouragement added to a great day for all.
Thank you to Kim Doherty, Director of Wellbeing and Darcee Braun, Junior School Chaplain for their work, preparation and support throughout Week 9.
This link includes information about, and range of resources for RUOK? Day if you would like to find out more. https://www.ruok.org.au/
Carla Dunlop, Deputy head of Campus
What’s on at Junior School
Term 4 Week 1
Tuesday October 3 – Term 4 Commences, Commencement and Welcome to Country Ceremony; 10:30am
Wednesday October 4 – Year 4 Camp (Refer to EdSmart)
Thursday October 5 – Year 4 Camp (Refer to EdSmart)
Friday October 6 – Year 4 Camp (Refer to EdSmart)
Friday October 6 – Year 1 Commences Swimming
Week 2
Monday October 9 – Standardised Testing Year 1-4
Monday October 9 – Year 5 Teachers to meet Year 4 Parents (Refer to EdSmart)
Tuesday October 10 – Junior School Side Show Alley
Thursday October 12 – Annual Music Evening
Friday October 13 – Assembly; Prep G Class Item
Week 3
Monday October 16 – Year 4 Transition Session 2 (Refer to Year 4 Transition EdSmart)
Tuesday October 17 – Geelong Schools’ Music Festival, Junior Choir and Strings (EdSmart to follow)
Wednesday October 18 – Year 4 Sideshow Alley (EdSmart to follow)
Thursday October 19 – Year 3 Fizzics Incursion
Friday October 20 – Geelong Show Day, Student Free Day
Week 4
Tuesday October 24 – 2024 Prep Transition Session 1 – Sausage Sizzle 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Wednesday October 25 – Prep Discovery Learning Session
Thursday October 26 – Grandparents Day
Friday October 27 – Assembly; Prep R Class Item
Farms
“Old MacDonald had a farm, eei eei oh! And on that farm he had some …
Cows, chickens, pigs, Prep students and so much more!”
We have been learning all about farms recently. We have done a deep dive into the features of cows, chickens and pigs. We’ve discussed all the elements of a farm and why they are SO important to us – all our food originates on a farm!
Students were very blessed to have a visit from the grandparents of Lachie in Prep G, Jean and Geoff. It was such a terrific opportunity after visiting Christian College Back Creek Farm a couple of weeks ago to reinforce our knowledge about farms. What a fantastic presentation they did. They shared about their upbringing on the farm and what they do now to keep a farm running. They explained how they grow their crops to feed their cattle and that the use of machinery like tractors is very important. The students had wonderful questions such as:
- Why do you have dogs on the farm?
- What do the tags on the cows’ ears mean?
At the end of the presentation 90 per cent of the students were keen to live and work on a farm one day. Not a bad recruitment record!
To finalise our topic the students combined all their knowledge and ideas to create and draw their very own farms. It was terrific to hear them share about the different elements that they included:
A chicken coop to protect the chickens from weather and animals that might eat them – Elle
A silo to keep the cows’ food – Jack
Mud for the pigs – Leo
It’s been a fantastic term of learning and the Prep students have really jumped in and learned LOTS about farms.
Steve Horman
Lake Dewar – Year 3 Camp
The Year 3 students have thoroughly enjoyed another fantastic camp at Lake Dewar Discovery Camp near Bacchus Marsh.
We set off on Wednesday and once we arrived and settled in, we went straight into our activity rotations. The activities included the giant flying fox, adventure tunneling, geocaching, campfire cooking, kick biking and canoeing. The flying fox was a particular highlight for many students.
At the conclusion of the first day, the students (and staff) participated in the ‘Lake Dewar’s Got Talent’ talent quest. There was singing, dancing and laughter all round.
On Thursday, we continued our activity rotations and enjoyed some fabulous camp food. We were treated to RUOK Day cupcakes and listened to a lovely devotion organised by Mrs Hollingsworth. We ended our day with a quiet movie aligning with RUOK Day, ‘Inside Out’.
On our final day, we came together and completed the ‘Lake Dewar Amazing Race’ which challenged us and encouraged us to work as a team and complete tasks as quickly as possible.
We all agree that it was a perfect way to end a busy term at Junior School.
Lisa Johnson
Super Swimmers – Year 2
Last Friday, our Year 2 students had their final swimming session, completing a fun filled term of swimming and sports activities. It has been a pleasure teaching and observing students develop their swimming ability by increasing their confidence and skills around water.
Students participated in a fun last session where all students had the opportunity to use the skills they’ve developed over the term. Students completed activities such as their own choice of swimming stroke, using kick boards and noodles, floating/sculling, water volleyball as well as diving, pin drops and bombs.
Many thanks to our Year 2 teachers Mrs Adam and Mrs Spence and our helpers at Middle School, Brad Morris, Olivia Cameron, Maddi Connally and Luka Mathe for a great program.
Nick Rice
Clay Art
Our Art classes have been filled with eager students creating lots of great clay characters.
We have stretched, shaped, covered, squashed, and manipulated the clay to make some wonderful characters. Students had great fun and imagined all the possibilities. Students were able to use these skills and resources to create turtles, penguins, birds, and many beautiful and imaginative creatures.
It was a joy to watch invested students eager to add detail and colour to make their creations come to life.
Our annual Art show will be a great place to highlight some of their hard work.
Jennifer Beck-Carlson
Scratch ‘Games Expo’
Year 4 students have been building their programming and coding skills this term during Digital Technologies classes, using MIT’s Blockly coding program ‘Scratch’ to code and create a two-player computer game for their Prep buddies to play.
Students have worked diligently throughout the term, creating code to move each sprite, in every direction possible, to race around their tracks. They have embedded sound into their codes for character interactions and incorporated background and costume changes, to allow for the full gaming experience for their target audiences.
Prep students joined their Year 4 buddies in the DigiTech room, to share and engage in the learning experience, while the Year 4s showcased their games.
Some memorable comments from these sessions include:
Millie: It was really fun and a great experience for the preps. It was challenging but they did a great job!
Riley: I’m glad I got to play my game with lots of preppies and got to spend time with them, sharing our technology.
Jude: We all had a good time together, laughing and playing the games. Creating the code wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be and there was always support if you needed it.
Mylah: The games were lots of fun. They did a good job.
Blake: The games were really cool and exciting.
Lizzie: My buddy’s game was fun. I got to be the dinosaur.
Well done to all students involved, from both year levels. The Year 4s interacted beautifully with their younger peers and embraced sharing their creations, and the Preps enjoyed the entertaining session immensely.
Emma Anderson
Library
Last week we hosted an inaugural Primary Library Network Meeting in our Junior Library. We sent out invitations to Primary libraries across the Geelong region that may be interested in connecting and inspiring each other in this important role in a primary school. We were delighted to welcome various interested library staff from across Geelong. The collegial discussions were of value as we shared our common goals for our students and creative ways to engage them in our Library sessions. We are looking forward to hosting a follow up session during Term 4.
As we head into holidays, students have been offered the opportunity to borrow books they would like to read over the coming break. A change of routine and a little down time can be the perfect chance to dive into a fabulous book and experience all the benefits that come from reading.
The ‘Most Borrowed’ books of this term are….
- A Line in the Sand by Laura and Philip Bunting
- Star the Elephant by Remy Lai
- Crunch by Kayla Miller
- We are Matildas by Shelly Ware, illustrated by Serena Geddes
- Crash Landing by Natan Luff.
Happy Holiday Reading!
Deanne Ellis
Dance Club!
To launch our RUOK? Week at Junior School Dance Club held a very special Monday lunchtime session outside, alfresco style. The crew warmed up to On a Cloudy Day by Tones and I, danced their little hearts out to Katy Perry’s Roar and finished with some heel taps and air guitar courtesy of Footloose By Kenny Loggins.
As the sun beat down on Junior School our toe-tapping, and hip-swaying momentarily got the attention of our avid soccer players and the basketball crew stopped dribbling the ball just long enough to look in awe and wonder at our little tribe known as CCG Junior Dance Club. The motto for this year’s R U OK? day message is ‘I’m here to hear.’ This message highlights the importance of creating spaces to have meaningful conversations and listening to others.
If your child is involved in one of the many lunchtime clubs running here at Junior School, please know that these clubs are just another opportunity for sharing and socialisation.
Liza Lambert
Chess Club
Qustodio Parents App
Supervise and Support Your Children on Digital Devices this Holiday Break
As we enter the holiday break, your young people may have the opportunity to engage and interact online more than they would during the school term. It can be challenging at times for parents to feel confident and empowered to help their children to be safe and responsible in their online activities, and to have balance between on-screen and off-screen activities.
A reminder to parents that the Qustodio Parent App is available to all our parents to help them supervise and support their children with their online and digital interactions at home, on the school device and on personal devices.
Parents of new students to the College this term have recently received an email invitation to activate their Qustodio parent account, but any parents in our community who have not yet done so can activate their account at any time if they wish. This help document will guide you in getting started.
In addition, these short video guides will help you:
Creating a Qustodio parent account to connect to a child’s school account
How to invite an additional parent/carer to join your Qustodio family account
How parents can get help with Qustodio
Getting started with your Qustodio parent account
I wish all students and families an enjoyable experience over these next couple of weeks, and hope that the Qustodio Parent App can act as a helpful tool for our parents.
Brendan Vanderkley, Director of Digital Learning
The Christian College Sport Hall of Honour
We are proud to announce a new initiative, which will become an important tradition in the life of our College – the Sport Hall of Honour – to recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of our past students who have reached national or international status in their chosen sports.
On October 5, we welcome our inaugural inductees to the Sport Hall of Honour – ex-students, Gary Ablett Jr and Tegan Philip. Both are universally recognised as champions at the highest level in their respective sports – AFL football and netball.
You are invited to join us for this gala dinner event at Mt Duneed Estate. On the night, we will also honour a cohort of current students as ‘Rising Eagles’ for their outstanding achievements in their chosen sports, putting them on a pathway to perhaps achieve the type of success required to enter our Sport Hall of Honour in future years.
The night also presents the perfect opportunity to award, for the first time ever, the ‘Gary Ablett Jr’ and ‘Tegan Philip’ medals to the students named as MVP of our Senior Male Football team and Senior Female Netball team from this year’s GISSA Championships.
For more information and to purchase tickets to the October 5 event, please visit our website.
The Hall of Honour will be a permanent display within our school, displaying the names, images and achievements of our extraordinary sports stars. This will not only inspire our current students but also serve as a testament to the values and dedication instilled within them during their time at Christian College.
We encourage our College community to join us in celebrating those who have pursued their gifts and passions to an extraordinary level of success. While one of the criteria for induction to the Sport Hall of Honour is that individuals have retired from their sport professionally or at the very highest level, if you are aware of any past students who have achieved, or are achieving, national or international recognition in sport, please reach out to our Sports Administrator Matthew Murnane [email protected] with any relevant information.
Daryl Riddle OAM, CEO of Christian College
Scholarship Applications are Now Open!
Each year Christian College offers Academic Excellence Scholarships for entry at Year 5, 7 and 10 levels. Applications are now open for this year’s scholarships, which apply to entry in 2025, at three campuses – Middle School-Highton, Bellarine Campus and Surf Coast Campus.
Year 10 entry applies to Senior School-Waurn Ponds only.
To find out more, and to apply, visit our website and look for the homepage hotlink, or click here.
Scholarship applications are open to students who do not currently attend Christian College, as well as those who are currently enrolled here. Scholarship examinations will be held at Christian College on Saturday October 7. Closing date for applications is Thursday, September 28.
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 [email protected]
Uniform Shop Clearance Sale!
A MYTERN Thought for This Week
It’s easy to rush through a cup of tea or coffee and forget to stop and appreciate the moment.
Take time out now to simply appreciate being able to breathe in fresh air. Take a long slow breath and feel it rejuvenate every cell.
Make that your intention and watch your body smile from the inside 👍❤️
Discover more about MYTERN here
