From the Head Of Campus
Ruby Resilience
As we enter our season of transition events and Orientation Day planning, I am reminded of a character you will have met through your child’s year level newsletter, often at the start of a term. Her name is Ruby Resilience. Ruby’s role is to share with students’ examples of how to be resilient and why resilience is such an important concept for their health and wellbeing. She teaches students to see challenges as opportunities to grow, to demonstrate an attitude of gratitude, to have a can-do growth mindset and to understand that they have a responsibility to be active learners. At this time of the year students are thinking about a new teacher, a new classroom or meeting new friends. It is so important that we reassure them and encourage them to be resilient in the face of what seems like a great challenge. Sometimes this reassurance may require sensitivity and care, at other times ‘tough love’ may be required. Some of the ways we can support students in building their resilience are to:
- Encourage them to make connections with others
- Maintain a daily routine to reduce anxiety
- Have a sense of self-care e.g., being active, having fun, eating and sleeping well
- Help them set reasonable goals and help them to move toward them one step at a time
- Encourage them to have a positive self-view and focus on their strengths
- See change as an opportunity rather than a challenge
As educators and parents, it can often seem easier and quicker to step into situations, tasks or challenges that our children face but ultimately the question for us is when we do this are we helping them build resilience or are we taking this opportunity away from them? My encouragement is to reinforce Ruby’s good work at this time of transition to help our students thrive and maintain well-being, even when faced with challenging circumstances.
Ann-Marree Weigl, Head of Campus
What’s on at Junior School
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
Week 5
Tuesday October 31 – Year 4 Readiness for Middle School Parent session, 4:15pm, Middle School – Highton Chapel
Thursday November 2 – Emergency Lockdown and Evacuation Drills
Week 6
Tuesday November 7 – College Orientation Day, Prep through to Year 4
Wednesday November 8 – Discovery Learning
Friday November 9 – Remembrance Day Service
Friday November 9 – Assembly, Prep B Item
Week 7
Tuesday November 14 – Kinder Information Evening 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Tuesday November 14 -Geelong Library Network Meeting. 4:30pm – 5:30pm
Friday November 17 – Prep Camp Experience (Refer to EdSmart)
From the Prep – Year 2 Coordinator
Term 4 is a term where we seem to move between what has been and what is to come. We are in anticipation of new classes, new teachers and new friends. There is also the reflection of the growth and development that has been throughout the year.
When we begin the year as teachers, we have goals for ourselves and goals for our students. These might be academic but often there are social and emotional goals. There are the goals for the children to make friends, gain confidence when talking in front of the class, learn how to share resources and take turns. There are goals for children to stand up for themselves and grow in independence, looking after their own belongings.
Growth often can’t be measured in tests and instead we need to look to our children to see their growth. Hear the increased vocabulary, witness the confidence as they take on new challenges and see their joy at learning something new.
In the Bible, Peter talks about growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. Our spiritual growth is a core part of what we do at Christian College and can be witnessed in the interactions of the students, the care in their morning devotions and the love they show to each other.
So, as we head towards the end of this year take a moment to acknowledge the growth in your own child, whatever form it may take. Let’s celebrate the growth of all children in 2023.
Julie Shutie
Year 1: Writing All About the Weather
As part of our Integrated Studies unit, the children have been learning all about the weather and the world around them. We have been able to link this topic with our literacy activities and the children have read a number of picture books about different weather patterns, including ‘Thunderstorm Dancing’, ‘The Flood’ and also ‘Seasons in the City’.
The students have also been provided with the opportunity to foster their narrative writing skills. During this term, they have written a number of interesting and well-crafted stories about different weather types. Some of the titles have included: ‘The Kite Rescue’, ‘Too Much Snow!’, ‘The Rainy Day at the Farm’, ‘The Snowy Problem’, and ‘The Fight Against the Rain’.
The children have been working consistently to build their sentence structure in terms of adding lots of descriptive words and punctuation marks to their writing. They have also been set the task of creating interesting characters who embark on adventures and try to solve the problems they may be faced with.
This week the children have each started to research a type of weather pattern and their goal will be to present their findings as an information report. They have been reading a range of different books, including texts on the ‘Epic’ book site. The students have enjoyed sharing their knowledge and information with their friends and… also encouraging each other with their learning.
Violet Novacevski
Side Show Alley Extravaganza!
The spirit of entrepreneurship, creativity, and teamwork came alive at Junior School this week as Year 4 students took the initiative to run stalls and organise a fantastic Show Day ‘Side Show Alley’. This event not only showcased their impressive talents but also brought the school community together for a day of fun and camaraderie. The Show Day became a testament to what young minds can achieve when given the opportunity and guidance to express themselves.
The planning for the Show Day started months in advance as the Year 4 students eagerly brainstormed ideas and assigned roles for the event. Their enthusiasm and determination were infectious, and soon, the entire Junior School was buzzing with excitement.
Each student group had to develop a unique stall concept, a task that demanded their creativity and imagination. The stalls varied from classic games like ‘Ring Toss’ and ‘Lucky Dip’ to more unconventional ones such as ‘Race Car Tracks’ and ‘Finish the Lyrics’. The diverse range of stalls ensured there was something for everyone to enjoy.
Running a stall required more than just creativity, it called for strong entrepreneurial skills as well. The Year 4 students were tasked with setting up budgets, pricing their products, and managing finances. They also developed strategies to attract visitors, including colourful posters, announcements during the day, and friendly flyers distributed throughout the school.
The stalls were brimming with activity. The ‘Guess the Staff Baby Photo’ stall offered exciting prizes hidden within mysterious boxes, while the ‘Artistic Face Painting’ stall had a long line of children waiting to be transformed into their favourite characters. The Year 4 students learned invaluable lessons during the entire process. They not only honed their creative and entrepreneurial skills but also discovered the importance of teamwork, time management, and effective communication. This project empowered them to take ownership of their ideas, turning them into a tangible reality. What a fantastic day! Thank you to all our Year 4 families for your efforts to make this day a memorable one for all.
Jessie Stap
Geelong Schools’ Music and Movement Festival – Junior Choir and Strings
Tuesday was a big day out for 89 Junior School students, members of the Junior Choir and String Ensemble. Boarding the bus and heading to the newly renovated Geelong Arts Centre in Malop St was exciting, as we were all looking forward to another wonderful performance opportunity.
The students enjoyed being audience members in the Playhouse Theatre, listening and watching an interactive concert made up of a number of other schools from the Geelong region. The real excitement began when our young string players, joined by Bellarine and Surf Coast strings played beautifully on stage, before the Junior Choir members sang under the bright lights to a welcoming audience.
These experiences, being part of an audience, preparing backstage and performing on stage provides our young musicians with a taste of what lies ahead in their musical journey. Thank you to our parents for coming along to support the groups in this special performance opportunity.
Carla Dunlop, Junior Choir Director
Martin De Marte, Junior Strings Director
Western Metropolitan Region Athletics Championships
On Tuesday October 17, three students from Junior School Belmont joined students from Highton and Bellarine Campus to participate at the Western Metropolitan Region Athletics Championships at Keilor.
Michaela Desai participated in 9/10 girls high jump, Jake Owen in the 100m and Jude Ellis 9/10 boys’ high jump. All three competed well, Jake ran strongly in the heats, however, didn’t make the final. Michaela finished around tenth, clearing 1.19m and Jude made it through to a jump-off for second place. He jumped 1.30m in the main event and during the jump-off for second, he jumped 1.35m, which was higher than the first-place getter, however Jude had to settle for second, which is an amazing effort!
It was a successful day for all the students, as it was their fourth athletics meet from CCG, Deakin District, North Geelong and then Western Region. Many thanks to the parents who were able to transport and support their child. It is a great experience and hopefully many more opportunities ahead.
Nick Rice
How Instruments Work
Year 3 students have begun this term by learning about the four different instrument families: Brass, Woodwind, Strings and Percussion. The questions we have been investigating are: How to do these instruments work? Why are they all made from different materials? Why do some instruments sound high and others sound low? Students have been exploring a wide range of instruments and uncovering the answers to these questions.
Year 4 students have been furthering their knowledge of instruments in preparation for their transition to Middle School next year, where every student has the opportunity to learn a concert band instrument in the Year 5 Music Program. This term students are taking a deeper look at the instrument families to gain a better understanding of the different playing techniques, timbre produced and perhaps beginning to develop a preference for what sort of instrument they may like to learn next year. The Year 5 program also supports students who are currently learning an instrument by offering a performers workshop class where students are able to rehearse on their current instrument.
Weaving in Art!
This term has seen the students very busy in the art room and it has been wonderful to step into this space as a fill teacher for the beginning of term. The Preps and Year 1s have been working on collages, creating individual art works and 3D pop up cards. Collage describes both the technique and the resulting artwork where paper and fabrics are arranged and collated to create a new image. Preps have been designing their image based on toys and machines, and the Year 1s on weather, as these topics are currently being discussed in the classroom.
Years 2 – 4 students have been challenging themselves and their fine motor skills with some weaving. We have learnt that weaving is around 12,000 years old! And fabric weaving originated in Eastern China around 6000 years ago thanks to the natural work of silkworms.
Aboriginal weaving is also thousands of years old, where reeds and grasses were used to create many useful objects such as baskets and fishing nets, as well as decorative and ceremonial pieces.
The students have been working on creating baskets using weaving and paper plates, choosing colours and patterns that appeal to them. Some students have even challenged themselves and created a decorative flower. All students have worked really hard to improve their technique and have been very complimentary to each other on their creations.
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!
