Orientation Day 2025 – Tuesday November 5
We are looking forward to an exciting day on Tuesday November 5 with the College-wide Orientation Day, where students will spend the day with their 2025 teachers and classmates. We will also welcome a number of new students to Junior School. Parents will be notified on Monday November 4 as to which class your child will be in for 2025. Year 4 students who are enrolled at Middle School – Highton in 2025 will begin and end the day at Middle School.
Carla Dunlop, Deputy Head of Campus
Reverse Advent Calendar
As Christmas approaches, Junior School’s Year 4 Project Care leaders have been busy organising the Reverse Advent Calendar that has become an important part of celebrating Advent here at Junior School. This year, donations will be delivered to two local community organisations – The Yellow Door Rescue and Rehoming and The Salvation Army Geelong.
During Week 6 this year, we have the opportunity to support the work of The Yellow Door – Rescue and Rehoming. The Yellow Door is a Geelong based organisation that provides a safe-haven for homeless dogs and offers these animals the care they require. With so many dogs in need, items including dog food, treats, collars and leads, toys and dog beds (clean used condition is great) are all incredibly helpful to allow The Yellow Door to continue this good work. To find out more about this organisation, visit their website.
In Week 7 & 8, non-perishable food donations will support the work of the Salvo’s Emergency Response within the Greater Geelong Community. The Geelong Salvos is a community service agency providing practical support and assistance to local people and families in times of financial and personal crisis, ensuring they have the necessary items to live. Use this link if you would like to know more about the work of the Geelong Salvo’s.
As a Junior Campus, we will be running a ‘Reverse Advent Calendar’ which invites students to bring in a different item each week, over a three-week period in the lead up to Christmas and placing it under our Christmas tree in the front foyer.
Week 6 (11 Nov – 15 Nov) – Dog food, treats, collars + leads, toys and beds.
Week 7 (18 Nov – 22 Nov) – A canned or non-perishable savoury food item
Week 8 (25 Nov – 29 Nov) – A non-perishable Christmas or dessert food item
This has been such a wonderful part of our Advent celebrations here at Junior School, offering the students ways of practical help and serve within their local community. We thank you in advance for your generosity and for partnering with us to support people in need.
Darcee Braun, Chaplain
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.
Week 5
Tuesday 5 November – College Wide Orientation Day
Wednesday 6 November – Year 4 Bike Education commences
Thursday 7 November – Emergency and Lockdown Drills
Friday 8 November – Assembly 9am, Student Leaders’ Item
Week 6
Monday 11 November – Remembrance Day
Monday 11 November – Middle School Wellbeing Team to visit the Year 4 Cohort
Monday 11 November – Lunchtime Concert – Vocal Students
Tuesday 12 November – Lunchtime Concert – Chapel
Wednesday 13 November – Prep Discovery Learning
Week 7
Monday 18 November – Lunchtime Concert – Vocal Students – Chapel
Tuesday 19 November – Lunchtime Concert – Chapel
Friday 22 November – Assembly 9am, Prep G Class Item
Week 8
Wednesday 27 November – Junior School Celebration Evening – day rehearsal, evening show, Costa Hall, 7pm
Friday 29 November – Year 4 Graduation, Middle School Sports and Aquatic Centre
Yeodene Tree Adventures and Colac Botanical Gardens
The Preps are thrilled to share the highlights of their recent excursion to Yeodene Tree Adventures and Colac Botanical Gardens. They displayed remarkable bravery, resilience and courage as they embarked on an unforgettable day of exploration and bonding.
One of the standout moments was when our young explorers harnessed up to tackle the low ropes course at Yeodene Tree Adventures. With determined spirits, the children navigated through the challenging course, overcoming obstacles and cheering each other on. It was heartwarming to witness their courage in action as they faced the physical and mental challenges of the course, proving that even our smallest learners are capable of great feats.
At Colac Botanical Gardens, the children had the opportunity to engage with nature in a different way. The playground became a hub of laughter and excitement as they climbed, swung, and slid. They investigated their surroundings, discovering the wonders of the natural world. They were curious and inquisitive, asking questions and sharing their knowledge.
It was a day of blossoming connections and relationships. As the children worked together to conquer challenges and explored the beauty of the botanical gardens, they strengthened bonds and friendships were deepened. The shared experiences will lay the foundation for a supportive and collaborative learning environment in the classroom.
As we reflect on this memorable day, we celebrate the courage and resilience displayed by our students. We’re looking forward to more exciting adventures and growth opportunities as we continue to nurture the curiosity and potential within each and every one of our Prep students.
Julie Shutie
Year 1: The Term so Far…
During this last month, the Year 1 children have been participating in various activities as they have continued to consolidate and build upon their learning.
The Junior School Show Day was a key event this term where the students were provided with the opportunity to visit the Side Show Alley, the petting zoo, and also the Art Show and Junior School Chapel displays. A great day was had by all of the children – a day for building friendships and community.
During the last fortnight, the children have been busy with their swimming lessons. These sessions have helped develop the students’ skills and confidence in the water, and the students have also been able to encourage each other with their progress.
As part of our Literacy sessions, the children have been reading books all about the weather, such as ‘Thunderstorm Dancing’, ‘The Flood’, and ‘Seasons in the City’. They have been set the task of writing their own narrative stories based on different weather conditions and this has allowed the children to not only build their writing skills but also extend their vocabulary. Their written pieces have been creative and imaginative, and the children have demonstrated their overall understanding of the topic of ‘Weather’.
Finally, during this term, the Year 1 students have focused upon further building their knowledge of place value and skip counting patterns. They have been able to work in small groups and independently, in order to foster their problem-solving skills and number fluency.
The children have had a busy and positive start to the term, and we are looking forward to continuing to progress and grow as a community of learners at our Junior School.
Violet Novaceski
Exploring Community, Culture, and Creativity
Our Year 4 students recently embarked on an inspiring journey to the Geelong Gallery and the National Wool Museum, where they delved into the worlds of art, local heritage, and community service. This excursion aligned beautifully with our Christian Education curriculum and our Art program, allowing students to blend historical learning with hands-on creative expression.
At the Geelong Gallery, students began by exploring the significance of the yam daisy, an important Indigenous Australian plant with a rich history in local Indigenous culture. Learning about the yam daisy introduced students to traditional knowledge and the deep connection Indigenous people have with the land. Through examining artwork and stories centred on this native plant, they gained an appreciation for how Indigenous communities have historically nurtured and respected the environment. This respect for the land resonated with our Christian values of stewardship and care for God’s creation.
The journey continued at the National Wool Museum, where students explored the history of the wool industry and its importance to the Geelong community. The museum provided insights into how wool production shaped the local economy and served as a vital resource for countless families. Students observed the wool industry as more than just an economic entity, it became a community, supporting livelihoods and fostering resilience. This focus on community service aligned with our Christian Education themes of compassion, responsibility, and serving others.
Through this immersive experience, our Year 4 students not only learned about local culture and industry but also explored the deeper values of care, community, and creativity. The excursion has encouraged them to view art as a tool for expression and connection, helping them reflect on how their creative skills can honour God, serve others, and celebrate the beauty around them.
Jessie Phillips
Celebration Evening Preparations
In Music and Performing Arts class Year 3 students have begun preparations for the end of year celebration evening. This performance provides an ideal opportunity for students to apply the skills they have learned throughout the year across our three main focus areas: music, dance and drama. Students are enjoying the challenge of managing all of these different performance elements at once as well as the new challenge of performing as part of a large group. Students are singing beautifully and have also begun to experiment and explore how dramatic elements and movement can be utilised to effectively tell a story and communicate to an audience. I am very excited for students to share this special performance with you at the end of year celebration evening.
Jaqueline Anderson
Creating Code From Scratch
Year 3 classes began their coding journey in Term 3 with the online coding program ‘Scratch’. We learnt how to build code to animate characters when specific actions were triggered by events. This term, we are building on our developing skills to include gaming elements of code using both Scratch and ‘Hour of Code’ activities.
These weekly activities introduce students to the programming side of computing, where they become programmers, creating the code to make the characters in a game interact. We are continuing to use blockly code for beginner programming, which will then set the foundation for future coding programs like Python, Java and C#.
Emma Anderson
Music and Performing Arts
We now look towards our next events and class time in Music and Performing Arts has been focused on our end of year Celebration Evening. Students are working hard learning lyrics and becoming familiar with the song structures to incorporate movement and performance.
It’s such a blessing to be able to work throughout the year on our musical skills; learning songs, finding the beat and singing with a group in tune. We’ve also built up our skills of expressing ourselves through drama and dance and this is all coming to a climax as we combine our lessons from throughout the year to perform on the big Costa Hall stage.
There’s lots of excitement and we can’t wait to share, with the school community, all our hard work.
Psalm 149:3-4: Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp. For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.
Steve Horman
Foundation Golf Day a Huge Success!
The Christian College Foundation Annual Golf Tournament supported by major sponsor AECS was a sell out this year with 80 golfers of all abilities embarking on the Creek Course at 13th Beach Golf Links.
We are truly grateful for the incredible turnout, a clear testament to the amazing Christian College community. A huge thank you to the staff, volunteers, local businesses and sponsors whose generosity made this day an astounding success.
We are thrilled to announce the event raised $30,927.88. The funds raised were doubled thanks to our current dollar matching campaign, making a total contribution of $61,855.76.
As our Foundation’s largest fundraising event, all the proceeds raised from the day will be invested into the Eternity Fund. This fund enables the Foundation to assist families experiencing financial disadvantage or hardship, and to provide funds for new initiatives and educational opportunities.
Congratulations to the winning team, Cooper consisting of Jamie Cooper, Aaron Croft, Simon Martin and Lachie Martin who only won by one point.
This event could not happen without the incredible support of our major sponsor, AECS (Australian Environmental Cleaning Services) and supporting sponsors Cotter Reid Architects, eManaged, Veneziano Coffee Roasters, Mortgage House, Arthur Reed Photos, LSRM Trading Pty Ltd and DRINK X.
Thank you to Peter Hobbs for his exceptional work capturing action from the day on video.
If you would like to be involved in the 2025 Foundation Golf Day, please contact Tennille McInnes, Foundation Manager, t.mcinnes@ccg.vic.edu.au
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