Junior School Term 4 Week 5

From the Head of Campus

Loving to Learn, Learning to Love

“Loving to learn, learning to love” is a beautiful phrase that describes our Junior School. In the Gospel of John in chapter 13:34 we read “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Our past week has been filled with opportunities and experiences that allow students to both love learning and learn to love.   

“Loving to learn” is seen in our students where they show a passion for acquiring knowledge and being curious about the world. They have a mindset of intellectual curiosity and a desire to explore and understand new things. Students have a desire to seek self-improvement and personal growth where they are always striving to be the best versions of themselves.  

“Learning to love” can be seen as a reminder to extend our intellectual curiosity and open-mindedness to people, cultures, and experiences. Learning to love is an encouragement to students to develop a deeper appreciation and love for God, for the diversity of life, for the world around them and for themselves. When students can understand the words from Psalm 139:13-14 “I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” they can be reassured that they are just as they are created to be. In accepting and loving themselves they can in turn show love to others.    

We look forward over the coming weeks to continue supporting and guiding our young people to love to learn and learn to love. 

What’s on at Junior School  

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) 

Week 8  
Tuesday November 21 – 2024 Prep Transition Session 3; Buddies to spend time with new Preps. 
Wednesday November 22 – Discovery Learning 
Thursday November 23 – Year 4 Project Care stall  
Friday November 24 – Student Leaders Assembly Item 

Week 9  
Tuesday November 28 – Year 1 String Trials 
Wednesday November 28 – Celebration Evening Rehearsals, Costa Hall. 
Wednesday November 29 – Celebration Evening, Costa Hall 7:00pm Start. 
Thursday November 30 – Bravehearts Year 1 and Year 2 
Friday December 1 – Year 4 Graduation Ceremony (EdSmart and Invitation to follow) 

Our 2023 ATD Festival – Better than Ever! 

We are excited once again to present our Annual Art, Technology and Design Festival. This year’s event runs from Tuesday, November 14 to Thursday, November 16 at Villa Paloma, our Senior School ATD centre, 25 Waurn Ponds Drive, Waurn Ponds. 

The Festival includes a magnificent exhibition of selected students' work from Art, Technology and Design classes – ranging from Kindergarten through to Year 12. 

The exhibition is open to all between 9am and 6pm on Tuesday 14 and Wednesday 15. 

On Thursday 16, the exhibition runs from 9am to 9pm, with the ‘Festival Finale’ getting underway from 4pm. Highlights include art, food, music, workshops and interactive events featuring some of our CCG ‘Creators in the Spotlight’ who take us through a range of creative, design, technical and artistic considerations behind some of their amazing creations. Guest speaker for this year’s Festival during the Finale is ex-CCG student, Bec Riddle, who has been a driven professional in the fashion industry for the past nine years, including operating her own business Saint Blaire. She is currently Studio Manager running the textiles and graphics department for Cotton On Womens and Foundation. 

For all details, including the program for the Festival Finale and a sneak peek at some of the art that will be part of the exhibition, please visit our website by clicking here, or on the homepage hotlink.

Our Healthy Community

COVID-19: We have a continued focus of keeping our community safe as we deal with COVID. We ask that families continue to support us in this effort particularly in relation to keeping students at home if they present with flu-like symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat or temperature. Please understand that if your child presents unwell to school our Reception Staff will likely call you to collect your child. 

Uniform Reminders 

As we approach our end of year events, including Celebration Evening and Year 4 Graduation, we ask that parents observe College uniform requirements, including school shoes, hair and jewellery.  Over the coming weeks, Staff will check uniform in classes and make contact with families regarding uniform matters if necessary.  

If your child is unable to wear an element of the uniform due to a particular reason, please communicate this to your child’s Homeroom Teacher.  

Parents can find uniform requirements on the Parent Portal, student information tile. Some key uniform requirements outlined on the Portal include:  

• Earrings – Students who have pierced ears may wear only small or plain studs or sleepers and only in the earlobe, with a maximum of two in each ear. 
• Hair is to be clean and tidy and must be tied back from the face. Shoulder length hair or longer must be tied back from the shoulders. Hair ribbons must be navy or maroon only. Extremes in hair cut/styles are not permitted; this includes dreadlocks, sculpting and patterns shaved into the hair. A number 2 haircut is the minimum. Hair must not be dyed using outlandish colours or extreme variations from natural colour. 

Readiness for Middle School

Thank you to the families who came along on Tuesday afternoon to our ‘Readiness for Middle School’ session. It was a great opportunity to meet with you and share our vision for your young people as they begin their Middle School journey.

For those who were unable to attend some of the key points covered were:

• Preparing your child for the transition to Middle School
• Introduction of key staff and the Year 5 Homeroom Teachers
• Encouraging some independence
• Communicating with staff
• Using SEQTA and receiving notifications

We look forward to welcoming your young person on Orientation Day next Tuesday, 7 November in the Chapel at 8:50am.

Hooptime Basketball Regional Finals 

On Monday October 30, 14 students travelled up the highway to play in Basketball Victoria’s Hooptime Regional Finals. Both the Junior School boys’ and girls’ teams qualified at last term’s Geelong tournament. Both teams played five challenging games on the day against schools from the western metropolitan region.  

Our girls’ team started off well with a convincing win, followed by a loss and two more wins to make the qualifying final. After hitting two late goals the team went down by one solitary goal. All girls contributed well throughout all five games. Well done to Pieper, Isabelle, Olivia, Zoe, Millie and Rahi for your efforts on the day.  

The boys’ team were full of confidence, and they didn’t disappoint, winning all five of their games to automatically qualify for the state final to be held on Monday December 4 in Dandenong. Once again it was a great team effort with all contributing on both ends of the court. Congratulations to Zander, Alex, Mitch, Ned, Jude, Jack, Morrissey and Jagger. We wish the boys well in the state finals. 

Many thanks go to Mark Ellis for coaching the boys’ team. Thank you to the many parents who came up to support their child and help with the scoring duties.  

Reflections on Hard Work 

As we get closer to the end of the year it’s an opportunity to look back and celebrate our successes. Our days are made up of goal setting and always looking for the next thing to be working on but it’s so important to recognise the incredible growth and achievement that our students have made.  

Our Preps are writing so wonderfully in full sentences often using conjunctions and applying the newly learned spelling rules. They use a sentence starter to jump off and write many ideas. Hearing classmates at their tables sharing ideas and spelling tips is a heart-warmer! 

We have been learning to read for enjoyment. Their ability to decode has flourished and their fluency and expression is becoming a real strength. After each book box session volunteers are called upon to share a page with the class. It’s incredible to see every hand go up and the pride on their face following their reading.  

Maths often brings opportunities to sharpen mental maths skills and the games we play give students a fun way to explore their strategies for problem solving. It’s a loud time in the day but it’s filled with laughter and cheers after a win!  

As our Preps gets closer to the end of the year let’s look back and celebrate the incredible progress we have made throughout the academic year!  

Sharing is Caring! 

In Mathematics this week the Year 1 students were introduced to the concept of ‘sharing’. We explored what the term ‘sharing’ means and how this concept can be related to everyday life. We used the example of sharing a packet of chocolates with a group of friends. We discussed questions such as, “if there are 15 chocolates in the packet and 5 friends, how many chocolates does each person receive?” The children used classroom resources such as counters, icy-pole sticks, pencils etc. in small groups to work out the mathematics problem. The children quickly realised that each person must receive the same number of chocolates, otherwise it wouldn’t be fair.  

The next step for this activity was to work out how we can record this mathematics problem as a sum. The children worked beautifully in their groups and were to use the symbol of ‘division’ to write a sum to match this worded problem.  

We also investigated the worded problem of ‘if we have 36 lollies and 6 friends, how many lollies will each person receive?’ We used Unifix blocks to investigate and solve this problem as a class. Well done Year 1!  

Protecting Natural Resources for the Future 

In our latest Integrated Studies Unit, titled ‘Our Restless Earth,’ the Year 4 students delved into the effects on our environment stemming from the responsible and irresponsible utilisation of our precious natural resources. The students conducted in-depth research on environmental concerns related to specific natural resources.  

They crafted persuasive pieces to shed light on these issues and proposed community actions to safeguard these resources for the benefit of future generations. Additionally, our creative students showcased their artistic talents by designing posters advocating for the preservation of these vital resources.  

 This task not only deepened our students’ understanding of global issues but also empowered them to tackle real-world challenges within their own sphere of comprehension.

All Things Digital at Junior School

Digital Technologies this term has focused on ‘creating content’ using apps and programs on our devices. Students across the campus have been exploring and discovering how to use apps and programs to help them share ideas, tell stories, and work collaboratively, while staying safe when interacting with online platforms. 

Preps have been discovering the app ‘Book Creator’, for creating digital story booklets. Students have been using a combination of digital drawing and writing, with online images and emoticon stickers, to enhance their narratives and collaborate safely with the class. 

Year1s have been interacting with PowerPoint to create presentations that use text, images and drawings to share an idea.  

Year2s have been learning what it means to be a ‘Digital Citizen’, and have discussed online safety, digital footprints, cyberbullying, just right websites and how to protect their personal data when online.  

Year3s have continued their coding journey with ‘Scratch’ animating their sprites to interact with other digital characters, and the Year4s are in the midst of filming and editing their own ‘How to tutorial videos’ incorporating procedural text into their planning. 

It’s non-stop go go go this term. Let the creativity continue to flow! 

Reminder – Year 4 Bike Ed Program

This term the Year 4 students will participate in the Bike Ed program which will be conducted during students’ timetabled Sport and PE time. This program will start on Thursday November 9 during our Sport session and PE lessons on Thursday (4R) and Friday (4B and 4G). Students will have practical sessions each week on Thursday and Friday. We will conclude Bike Ed with the annual Jason Mahoney Year 4 Bike ride on Wednesday December 6, which is an all-day bike ride.

Parents, Grandparents and Guardians are more than welcome to participate on the day by riding with their young person. If you do want to participate on the day, please email me – n.rice@ccg.vic.edu.au.

Bikes and helmets can be brought to school from Monday November 6 and be taken to the gym. Bikes will be stored safely in the gymnasium if you choose to leave a bike at school for the duration of the program.

Parent Survey Reminder: Generative AI, Education, Society and Future 

A reminder that all Christian College parents are invited to participate in a survey on generative artificial intelligence (AI), education, society and future to inform the College’s forward planning. 

• Take the CCG parent survey 

The parent survey is for all parents, regardless of their level of exposure to or confidence with generative AI. The survey closes this coming Monday, November 6 at 5.00pm. 

Thank you to parents who have already completed the survey. Your participation is appreciated. 

Parents who have not yet responded are encouraged to do so via the survey link above. The average response time for parents who have responded so far has been less than four minutes. We ask that you please contribute your perspective. 

MSO – Discounted Subscription for CCG Families

Music lovers take note, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra offers a discount subscription for staff, students and direct family of the Christian College Geelong community for a series of concerts held in Geelong. 

The 2024 MSO Geelong program returns with a wide-ranging repertoire of the finest classical music, taking in revered masterpieces: 

AMERICAN STORIES: BERNSTEIN, GERSHWIN AND MORE
Friday 12 April 2024 / 7.30pm 

MOZART AND TCHAIKOVSKY
Friday 24 May 2024 / 7.30pm


JAIME CONDUCTS RACHMANINOV AND DVORAK
Friday 28 June 2024 / 7.30pm


DVORAK AND BRUCKNER
Friday 6 September 2024 / 7.30pm 

HANDEL'S MESSIAH
Saturday 7 December 2024 / 7.30pm 

Get Some Unique Christmas Cards and Support Williams House

This year Williams House is selling packets of Christmas cards designed by our own little artists!

We are selling our Angel/Shepherd cards for $5 for a pkt of 6 and our Nativity cards are $7 for a pkt of 10. Each packet contains either 6 or 10 different designs.

If you would like to support the kinder and share our creations with the community this Christmas, the cards are available at all CCG campus receptions and of course at Williams House. Payment can be made with cash or card.

We also take over-the-phone orders with direct deposit. Phone 5241 3556

All money raised will go towards making some new additions to our outdoor yards!

We hope you love these gorgeous creations and enjoy sharing them with your family and the community this Christmas!

With thanks from all the children and the team at WH!

Qustodio Parent App Resources

Supervise and Support Your Children on School and Personal Digital Devices

A reminder to parents that the Qustodio Parent App is available to all parents to help them supervise and support their children with their online and digital interactions at home, on both school laptops and on personal devices.

In addition to information available on the College’s Online Safety Hub, parents also have access to some helpful ‘bite-size learning’ video tutorials to help them navigate and user the Qustodio Parent App as part of our school program. There are lots of short videos to help parents get the most out of the app and use it confidently.

• Browse all the Qustodio bite-sized learning video tutorials

Some recent additions to these tutorial videos for parents include:

• • How to view your child’s online activity through the parent app
  • How to configure and use the Qustodio daily time limit feature (for personal devices)
  • How to configure and use the Qustodio restricted times features (for personal devices)

I hope that these resources empower parents to continue to supervise and support their young people at home and engage in supportive and positive dialogue about digital wellbeing.

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 f.provan@ccg.vic.edu.au