What’s on at Middle School
Week 6
- Mon 6 Mar – Rural 2 commences
- Mon 6 Mar – SMA2 Mataram visit
- Mon 6 Mar – Yr8 cricket v Geelong College
- Mon 6 Mar – Instrumental Music Performance Night – Voice
- Wed 8 Mar – Year 5 Highton Geelong Gaol and National Wool Museum Excursion
- Wed 8 Mar – Instrumental Music Performance Night – Woodwind
- Fri 10 Mar – Highton Campus House Swimming Carnival
- Fri 10 Mar – Golf Vic School qualifying event for State Final
- Fri 10 Mar – Schools Mountain Bike event – Mt Buller resort
Week 7
- Mon 13 Mar – Labour Day Public Holiday
- Tues 14 Mar – Geelong North Division Swimming Championships
- Tues 14 – Fri 17 Mar – Yr 8 GEOS Camp
- Wed 15 Mar – Fri 17 Mar – Year 6 Camp The Summit
- Wed 15 Mar – GISSA Swimming & Diving Championships
- Thurs 16 Mar – School LSV Surf League Championships
What’s Happening in Years 5 and 6?
Our Year 5 and 6 cohorts have started the year off with a bang! With students quickly settling into the year they have had a fun and action-packed first five weeks of term. Our students have been looking at Narrative Writing, as well as setting themselves up for success on our Maths Pathways program. The Year 5 cohort has enjoyed fun and games with their Mentors from Year 9 whilst we have welcomed the Year 5 parents on site for our Morning Cuppas. The Year 5 cohort will go on an excursion next Wednesday to visit the Wool Museum and Geelong Gaol before completing the Bollard walk where they will find inspiration for their Bollard Narrative stories. Our Year 6 cohort has been working hard and preparing for their upcoming camp to The Summit in Week 7. This outdoor adventure camp will allow for rich learning opportunities, team work and an opportunity for students to form new friendships amongst their peer group. Both Year 5 and 6 spent Thursday enjoying the District Summer Sports Carnival at The Geelong College, this saw students competing in a range of sports including Swimming, Volleystars, Cricket, Hot Shots Tennis and Tball. Students came back to school with big smiles after a wonderful day competing together. We look forward to seeing our cohorts in action over the next few weeks!
Stephanie Hambrook
Our Library
The Middle School Library has been welcoming students into the Reading Room and the Research area of the library this year. The Reading for Pleasure program has commenced, with all Middle School classes enjoying a dedicated half hour reading session each week. The research area of the library has been mostly used by Humanities and English classes, as well as students during break times.
Year 5
The new Year 5 students participated in their orientation session in the first week of term and they are loving spending time in the Middle School Library. They have been enjoying their Reading for Pleasure sessions each week. They have all been borrowing books for their classrooms and some have also borrowed for home reading. For Library Lovers’ Week, Harper from 5B wrote “I love this library because I get to read my favorite books and I have the best time”.
Genres in the Reading Room
This year the fiction collection in the Reading Room has been organised into genres to make the collection more accessible for students. This change has been enthusiastically embraced by the students and many have said that they like how easy it is to find a book that they like.
Book review project – published in The Advertiser
The library is continuing to participate in the Geelong Advertiser book review project. Students have the opportunity to read newly published books and review them for the newspaper. We have had several students read and review a book supplied by The Advertiser, and their reviews have been published in the children’s section if the newspaper. We are very grateful that the publishers and The Advertiser provide the books that we can add to our collection. The students are always very excited when their reviews are published.
The Age Newspaper
Did you know that The Age newspaper is accessible on the library homepage from home as well as from school? Click on the link on the library homepage to access the digital copy of The Age, with archives dating back to 2006. The A-Z database list of online encyclopedias is also accessible from home. Click on the link on the library homepage and explore the collection.
Joy Whiteside, Head of Library at Highton
Product Design and Technology – Textiles
The Year 7 and Year 9 Product Design and Technology, Textiles students are learning about the practical aspects of sewing, and the development of transferable skills of problem-solving and pattern making. They are currently designing and constructing clothing and textiles items, including bags, hoodies and upcycling pieces for themselves or their pets.
Felicity Rogerson
Getting to Know…Mrs Natasha Troop
In 2021 Mrs Natasha Troop arrived at Christian College Middle School having worked in a local primary school. On arrival to Middle School Natasha served initially as a Year 6 Homeroom and Year 8 English teacher before stepping into the Year 5 Coordinator role in 2022, in addition to a Year 5 Homeroom. At the beginning of 2023, Natasha expanded her leadership to the role of Deputy Head of Middle School – Highton alongside Mrs Kerrie Dapiran.
Throughout Natasha’s extensive experience as an educator she has worked with all year levels from Prep to Year 8. Each day Natasha brings a wealth of educational experience, a strong pastoral focus, and a shared passion to see the Middle School flourish and be all it can be. Natasha enjoys working and leading alongside Adam Kennedy (Head of Campus) and Kerrie Dapiran (Deputy Head of Campus), creating a wonderful leadership team with complimentary gifts and talents.
Outside of her role at Middle School, Natasha has two daughters who are 22 and 16. They enjoy holidaying to tropical destinations and adventuring together as a family. She has an Australian Shepherd called Stormy, who she loves walking along the beach each day. Natasha was ecstatic to watch the Cats take home the Premiership in 2022 and hopes they can back it up in 2023. Netball is also an exciting part of Natasha’s life where she closely follows the Magpies in the Suncorp Super Netball League.
Natasha is looking forward to getting to know the broader Christian College Community and assisting staff and students to focus on ‘The Learning that Matters.’
Middle School Swimming Carnival
This year’s House Swimming Carnival aims to involve all students from Year 4 – 9 in both a competitive and non-competitive capacity. The College believes participation in House Competition is an integral part of the school sport program and asks all parents to support us in our aim of having our students participate. The program (see PDF below) has been designed to cater for the swimming ability of every student with a Championship and Novelty section included in the program.
In the Championship Events students can compete in Freestyle, Breaststroke, Backstroke and Butterfly. Chosen students will compete in either Freestyle or Medley relays. The Novelty competitions involve activities held on the grass area and in the pools at Kardinia. These events are open to all students who wish to participate.
The procedure for the school day, Friday March 10th is as follows:
- Students are to wear full Sport uniform to and from school (house coloured polo shirts only please). Bathers: Girls One-piece swimsuit, Boys: Speedos or Navy-Blue Swim Shorts, towel packed. Christian College Bathers and Caps can be purchased from the Uniform Shop. Rash vests are optional for the event.
- Students will be transported to Kardinia Pool at approx. 9:00am and will return to school for dismissal at 3:40pm (as normal).
- A Christian College broad brim hat must be worn. Please ensure all garments including hats are clearly marked with your child’s name and Homeroom.
- Once at the venue students can dress up in House Colours! We certainly encourage this as it adds to the house spirit and atmosphere of the day! There will be a best dressed competition this year!
- Students are not to wear hairspray, zinc cream or nail polish while swimming and streamers are to be kept out of the pool area. (This is a requirement of Kardinia Pool).
- Students are encouraged to provide their own lunch, drinks, sunscreen and medical requirements (i.e. asthma inhalers).
- The kiosk will be available during the day if students wish to purchase food.
NB: If you wish to drop/collect your child from the pool, please write to your child’s Homeroom Teacher by Wednesday March 8th, explaining the time (no earlier than 8:15am and no later than 2.45pm). Students are collected from the entrance of Kardinia Pool only. A staff member will meet students and sign them out. No student is permitted to walk home from Kardinia Pool.
We are excited to be offering an invitation to all parents/guardians to join us at this year’s House Swimming Carnival to see your children perform and soak in the House Spirit.
Brittany Dietrich
CCG Tennis Championships
Christian College’s finest tennis players contested our annual Jon Ryan Shield recently. Congratulations to all participants and both junior and senior finalists and winners!