Class Photos and Individual Portraits
Our Middle School – Highton 2023 Class Photos and Individual Portraits are taking place on Monday, May 22. This is an important day in the school year for all of us, and we look forward to capturing for you a moment in time during your young person’s journey at Christian College.
All students are to wear full College uniform on the day, including blazer. If students are wearing the ‘original/old’ uniform, they are to wear full winter uniform. Students in the new mix-and-match wardrobe, can wear their preferred items, however – please note that jumpers and cardigans will be removed for the shots. We appreciate that for this year, and next, there will be a mix of uniforms in the class photos.
Students who have a Physical Education class on the day are asked to bring their PE gear in a separate bag.
Students are asked to present themselves in line with our College uniform policy. Some key reminders include shoulder length hair being tied back, hair cut neatly, boys to be clean shaven, blue or maroon ribbons only, no make-up, small gold or silver, sleeper/stud single or double piercings…and big smiles!
A note on glasses – All students who wear glasses will receive individual portraits with glasses on. Like you, we know that all of our students look perfect just the way they are. However, to enable the photographers to provide the best possible quality shot, your young person may be asked to briefly remove their glasses.
Due to their current participation in the Farm and Transformation programs, students in 9H and 9M will have their photos taken in Term 3 – Tuesday, July 18.
Thank you in anticipation for your support in helping your young person present themselves brilliantly on this, and every day.
What’s Happening at Middle School
Week 4
- Tues 16 May – Intermediate Boys AFL v St Joseph’s College
- Wed 17 May – Year 7 & 8 GISSA Sporting Fixture
- Fri 19 May – Victorian College Basketball Championships – Intermediate Boys and Girls
- Sun 21 May – Senior String Performance at Melbourne String Orchestra Festival
Week 5
- Mon 22 May – Class Photos and Individual Portraits
- Tues 23 May – GISSA Intermediate Boys (Year 9 & 10) AFL Championships
- Tues 23 May – North Geelong Division Cross Country Championships
- Wed 24 May – Rural 3 (9H & 9M Boys) Program Concludes
- Wed 24 May – Year 7 & 8 GISSA Sporting Fixtures
- Thurs 25 May – Rural 4 ( 9H & 9M Girls) Program commences
- Sun 28 May – Tues 30 May – Year 9 GEOS Camp (Group 1 & 2)
Medieval Day
On Friday May 5, the History staff at Christian College Geelong, Middle School were lucky enough to source a time-travelling machine and we decided to go on a trip to Medieval Europe. And what a glorious excursion it was with great excitement being shared amongst both the staff and students.
The day started with the very learned and experienced tour-guide Leon O’Neill taking us on an epic historical journey through time. He brilliantly and beautifully delivered a presentation on what life was like during the Middle-Ages, and succinctly outlined the different social roles and what to expect in everyday life.
From here our students got a real-life taster of Medieval life from the team at History-Up-Close, their historical know-how was truly remarkable and one day with them, being immersed in Medieval activities is certainly the equivalent of many theoretical sessions in the classroom.
The kids from 8MR&Y warmed up with some Medieval games in the morning followed by an all-in music and dancing session. The lead presenter Robert Brooks was extraordinary, his musical talents and historical knowledge was entertaining, engaging and very amusing indeed.
Following the all-in dance session, the kids moved to Session 3 where they were introduced to the many different fashion styles and garments worn during this period. Then the main activity that garnered great interest was in the final session being Medieval warfare and weapons, followed by a sword fight, where our CCG students showed great dash and daring.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience being fully immersed in historical attire and I thank all families for their support in helping your youngster go out of their comfort zone and dress in Medieval gear.
The best dress for the day goes to Thomas Moffatt from 8M who was dressed as a fearsome Knight. And the award for best effort certainly goes to Arthur Bowerman from 8Y who enthusiastically worked on his sword for many weeks prior to the big day.
A great day all round!
Discovering the Joys of Cooking
This term, the Year 6 students are participating in The Secret Ingredient weekly cooking classes that teaches them how to prepare delicious and nutritious family meals. They are learning about different cuisines and dishes and developing their skills and confidence in the kitchen. They are also gaining an understanding of the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE) and how to make smart food choices for their wellbeing. By the end of the unit, they will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of the health benefits of the five food groups and recognise that discretionary foods contain sugar, fat, and salt.
Students will keep exploring the delights of cooking for the rest of the term, making dishes such as risottos, yeast dough, pasta dishes, and tray bakes.
Robbie Noggler Presentation
This week at Middle School Highton on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning, Leading Senior Constable Robbie Noggler came and spoke to our Year 7, 8 and 9 students in the Chapel about cyber safety and what is safe and what is not. Robbie helped students gain a better understanding about how to be safe and respectful online. Robbie talked about how there will always be bad people out there, but if students continue to follow the rules, they should all be safe. He also spoke about the digital footprint and how things said online can impact others.
What a powerful and honest message he shared with our students and staff. Here are some powerful testimonies of the impact his message had and what students gained from this valuable experience.
Here are some student reflections:
“Robbie reminded us about cyber safety. He taught us where the law stands in bulling and cyber bulling. He also gave us strategies to stay safe from online predators. To stay safe online he taught us some ways we can stay safe; setting your social media accounts to private (and checking they are on private every month or so), don’t engage with people you don’t know online, don’t post or tell anyone private information online, and never meet up with someone you only know online.”
Alyssa – Year 9 Student
“I think that Robbie’s work as a policeman is important because It’s always a good reminder to hear the cyber safety rules. I certainly learned a lot throughout his presentation and think it’s important to share and talk about cyber safety.”
Taylor – Year 7 Student
“Robbie demonstrated the dangers of social media and how to stay safe online which is helpful, keeping thousands of kids safe online which is something I highly appreciate about him. I’m excited to see him back in June for the parents.”
Deizel – Year 9 Student
“Robbie Noggler came into our school and gave us a speech about how we can stay safe online via cyber safety. He explained lots of different laws and crimes related to people our age and how long those crimes would be sentenced for. He taught us how to avoid the red flags from different kinds of people online such as scammers and blackmailers and he told stories and cases of such matters including blackmailing, stalking and ways things online can spread so easily, and if ever in these situations he tried to give us some tips to avoid such things. I thank him for his time as it gave us useful knowledge for our futures.”
Ben – Year 8 Student
“I love what Robbie is doing, I feel like in today’s generation a lot of young kids don’t know how to protect themselves from the internet. Robbie is truly doing God’s work.”
Aidan – Year 9 Student
“Robbie’s work is super important so that kids my age, older or younger are safe from child predators online. Now I know that these events will never happen to me if I follow Robbie’s instructions .”
Law Mu Thaw Esther – Year 7 Student
“Robbie Noggler taught us some valuable information about cyber safety, real-life predators, etc. Some of the topics he covered were how to speak up, scams, and the laws regarding online security. He also said some important things about how to stay safe in the technological world and avoiding traps set up by scammers. Overall, he covered some very interesting and valid points and I feel that this presentation was really something else. I believe everyone took something home that day.”
Lily – Year 8 Student
“I learnt that you should always go to an adult when having a problem online and it’s never too late to ask for help.”
Angus – Year 9 Student
“On Wednesday in session 1a, we went to the Chapel to see a police officer called Robbie Noggler, he came to speak to us about the dangers of social media and the mental effects it can have on our lives. I learned that if you send someone a nude photo you can get charged with the production of pornographic photos and will not be able to go to public places where children are like pools and schools and you will not be able to apply for a working with children’s check.”
Tamas – Year 8 Student
Robbie Noggler will be joining us again at Middle School on Wednesday, June 14 for a Parent Information Evening so please save the date! More information will be shared with families in the coming weeks.
こんにちは Middle School Families
It is with great pleasure that I introduce you all to the newest addition to our LOTE faculty, Mr Itsuki Kozaki. Itsuki Sensei is a former graduate of our sister school in Wakayama Prefecture, Naga Senior High School, and is with us as part of our exchange program that promotes graduates from both schools gaining teaching (and living) experience in the other country.
Currently enrolled at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, Itsuki Sensei is taking a break from his course to spend time in Australia, living and working as a language assistant. Christian College and Naga Senior High School signed a sister school agreement over 30 years ago and since then, many hundreds of students have been involved in visiting the other school.
The Christian College Japanese and Indonesian departments have extensive exchange programs, and your teachers would love to answer any questions you might have about them. The global pandemic halted exchange for several years but we are so excited to be back in operation again in 2023.
Itsuki Sensei has very quickly become part of the Middle School Japanese team helping both staff and students with their Japanese lessons. Even getting in some push ups! Itsuki Sensei will be with us for the rest of the year, and we look forward to getting to know him. If you see him around, please say G’day!
Chapel: Exploring Grace
This week in Chapel, the year 8s and 9s explored the value of Grace.
As one of the 5 Christian College Values, Grace is identified as:
The secret to real joy and gladness of heart. In the face of greed and envy, Grace allows our students to treat others with compassion, as they aim for a higher purpose – God’s purpose.
We further explored what the biblical understanding of Grace actually is, and how we may understand It in the context of our school. We spoke about Grace as undeserved favor, and unmerited kindness. The reason our College values identify this as the opposite of envy and greed, is that Grace does not seek gain or reward from its presence. In fact, often there is sacrifice attached to acting with true Grace.
We learnt about the story of Dirk Willems, a Dutch Anabaptist who was imprisoned for his faith in the 1500s. Dirk managed to escape his imprisonment and fled into the wintery countryside. Whilst being chased, one of his pursuers fell through thin ice, falling into the freezing water beneath.
Dirk was faced with a choice, to keep running and retain his freedom, or turn back and help the man who was drowning. Dirk chose to halt his escape, and aid the man in the icy water, causing enough time to elapse that he was promptly re-caught, and taken back to prison.
Dirk chose to show grace towards an individual who was not just a neutral, person in his world, but towards a man who actively pursued him with the intention of persecuting him. The example of Dirk’s Grace was used to spur on conversations, about how we may also show Grace and undeserved kindness to each other in our Middle School.
Heading further into the term, our Chapel services will discuss the parables of Jesus, and how he shows us the mercy and Grace of God through these stories of the bible. Check back into the Vine to see what we discuss!
Goal-Orientated Lunch Club Kicks Off
Last Thursday saw the inaugural session of The Year 5 and 6 Indoor Soccer, aka Futsal, club.
A group of keen and enthusiastic students came together at the SAC to learn a bit more about the high-paced and highly skillful indoor game that is futsal. Futsal gives players twice as many touches of the ball compared to the equivalent outdoor, big pitch version. It is perhaps no surprise then, that star players around the world, like Sam Kerr, Messi and Mbappe, all credit playing futsal as being a key ingredient that allowed them to master learning the round-ball game.
With most of our CCG Middle School futsal stars of the future being new to the sport, it was a fantastic opportunity to try out a new team sport, whilst starting to learn the tactics and rules. We had a lot of fun, largely thanks to Mr Richardson helping us set up, and to Thomas O’Halloran (Y7 student and community volunteer) who kindly helped officiate and score for us.
Looking ahead, Years 7 and 8 futsal opportunities will be offered in Term 4.
For now, Year 5 and 6 students will keep shooting for the stars at Thursday Futsal Club. New members are always very welcome and might even get a chance to try and beat the teachers’ team before too long!?
ChatGPT, Generative AI and Young People
Information and guidance for parents
Parents may be aware of the news and hype around recent developments in generative AI (artificial intelligence), especially the digital tool ChatGPT that launched in November last year. ChatGPT reached a million users in five days, and by January of this year had 13 million daily users.
By typing in a specific prompt, a person can ask ChatGPT to produce a written response and it will create it in seconds. It can produce emails, poems, song lyrics, speeches, reviews, recipes, stories, social media posts, working program code, and academic essays and reports. It can analyse text and code, and offer advice on improvements, corrections, and alternative approaches for just about any written text.
ChatGPT facilitates a chat-based conversation between the person and the AI chatbot that produces the output, allowing for questions, refinements, and iterations on the original output until the resultant text suits the intentions of the user.
Since ChatGPT’s launch late last year, there has been an explosion in the proliferation and availability of similar digital tools to the average person – including our young people. Google and Microsoft are racing to build AI tools into their browsers, office suites and search engines, and you may have heard of Microsoft’s new Bing Chat or Google’s BardAI.
Popular social media platforms are including AI features with the same capabilities as ChatGPT into their features, such as SnapChat’s ‘MyAI’ feature and Discord’s ‘Clyde’ AI chatbot. Other AI tools available online allow the creation of images, artwork, and music from a straightforward text prompt.
ChatGPT and similar AI tools have their limitations, including the potential to produce inaccurate information or to return text that has inherent biases. Depending on the AI tool used, it can also be difficult to cite sources or track back and identify where the information originally came from. The free version of ChatGPT is not a real-time search engine and only has access to information up to 2021, so the text output it produces may be outdated.
Generative AI and Education
The proliferation and accessibility of these digital tools for our young people presents both opportunities and challenges for education. It prompts questions for teachers and schools such as:
- What does this mean for contemporary learning?
- How does this influence our approach and thinking around assessment?
- What are the issues of safe and ethical use?
At Christian College, we have begun to grapple with these questions and are taking a careful and measured approach towards the development of guidelines and policy around the use of AI tools in the context of learning.
On Wednesday, May 3, teaching staff from across all campuses were well-represented at an in-house professional learning event introducing ChatGPT, generative AI and education where the limitations, opportunities, and challenges of these tools in the education context were explored. There is potential for these tools to provide many benefits to teachers and students in the classroom setting in future, if used within an appropriate framework that promotes age-appropriateness, privacy and safety, ethical use, and an understanding of these tools’ limitations.
Interim guidelines for staff were released while we work towards developing more formal and robust policy. These interim guidelines acknowledge that most AI tools require a personal account for use and come with Terms of Use that require users to be 18+ or else 13+ with parental consent. As with any online technology-based tool, student safety and privacy are an important consideration.
Currently, student access to ChatGPT and AI tools is filtered, to the degree possible, on their school device during school hours. This is a short-term approach as we continue to review and develop more formalised policy and explore implications for teaching and learning, including assessment.
We’ll continue to consider what this means for our College and community going forward in the context of our philosophical statement, which acknowledges that we live in a “progressively technological age” and identifies a commitment to adopting the best educational technology practices to support student learning. Our response to the increasing availability of AI tools must ensure we enable students to be their best and to thrive and positively influence their world – now and into the future.
Guidance and Support for Parents
I encourage parents to engage with their young people at home, especially teenagers and those using social media, about experiences they may have had with AI tools such as ChatGPT and to experiment and explore together.
For parents new to this technology, you may find value in viewing the video below at home – together with your young person – and considering possibilities and questions that it prompts. This twelve-minute video ‘Why OpenAI’s ChatGPT is Such a Big Deal’, though produced by American news channel CNBC, provides an engaging and accessible overview of ChatGPT, generative AI, its limitations and possible future impacts.
- View the video: Why OpenAI’s ChatGPT is Such a Big Deal (CNBC, February 2023)
I also highly recommend the two parent support articles below. While they both focus primarily on ChatGPT, the guidance and parent advice can be equally applied to any generative AI tool.
- Guide to ChatGPT for Parents and Caregivers (Common Sense Media)
- ChatGPT and its Role in Education (parent advice on our CCG Online Safety Hub)
Parents and young people should be aware that:
- ChatGPT and AI tools like it can get things wrong, and their information shouldn’t be trusted.
- Confidential or personally identifiable information (such as names) should not be entered into AI tools as part of a prompt due to risks to privacy.
- These tools have clear Terms of Use, requiring that users are over 18, or at least 13 if they have parental consent to use them.
- AI-generated content should not be used in the context of school without discussion and explicit approval by their teacher, and only in specific cases. Parental consent will be sought for such activities.
- It is important to be mindful of privacy when using AI tools, and personal information shouldn’t be included in data provided to them (for example, as part of a prompt).
It is important for parents to know that the use of AI tools will not be introduced by teachers in the context of learning activities and assessments for now, and this will only occur in future with careful planning, communication, and explicit consent from relevant parents.
Vocation Education and Training (VET) Tasters
Year 9 and 10 Preparation for Vocational Education and Training (VET) in 2024
Senior School students can choose to study a VET course off-campus as a subject in Year 10, 11 and 12. These courses are usually undertaken over two years giving students a TAFE certificate qualification on leaving school in addition to their VCE. They providestudents with an opportunity to gain industry training assisting them with career pathways. The Gordon is offering some free VET tasters for interested students.
Registrations are now open for Taste of TAFE sessions.
This brilliant two-day program will give Year 9 and 10 students an insight into the incredible careers TAFE can deliver. They run from 9.30 am – 2.30 pm and students can choose to do one or both days. Taste of TAFE is a fun and engaging program that will see students get hands-on with all program areas at their East Geelong and Geelong City campuses.
Tuesday July 18 2023 Taste of TAFE at East Geelong Campus
Tuesday July 25 2023 Taste of TAFE at Geelong City Campus
Registration forms and information about the tasters on offer can be collected from the student office or Year 9 Coordinator. Forms must be completed and returned to the student office no later than May 24. Early application is advisable.
For more information about studying VET at Senior School please contact Kerryn Fearnsides via k.fearnsides@ccg.vic.edu.au

The Story of Buikarin
Buikarin is a small rural community half an hour away from our accommodation house in Viqueque. Within the community there is a kindergarten, that has 128 students enrolled, and consists of three teachers. One teacher is full time, one is on contract and the other is a volunteer. They only have one room to teach these 128 students. The area of that room is 6 metres by 8 metres. The teachers have 64 students at one time in this space. They have two sessions a day. Natercia is the head teacher and she's very passionate about her school. She founded this school with their own money and no support from the government.
On Friday May 19’s Project Care Day, we want to raise money to buy bricks for Buikarin so that we can give Natercia and her students and another teaching space. Natercia has already used her own money to put a roof over a “patch of dirt”and we would love to brick in this area for her so, as she says, “the kids don't run out onto the road when in class.”
One photo here shows 64 students in the classroom. Note the students are on either side of the room because Natercia puts a small wall down the middle to separate the two groups. Imagine the noise coming from this small space with 64 students. It would be very hard to listen, very hard to teach and very hard to learn. The next photo you can see is the roof that her and her husband had paid for themselves to create another teaching space. This is the space we would like to brick in and concrete the floor.

Qustodio Parent App New Feature
New Activity Timeline View
It is a pleasure to share with parents a newly added feature of the Qustodio Parent App, which all parents have access to as part of our Cyber Safe Schools Program and in partnership with Linewize by Family Zone.
Since our launch of this parent app in 2022, it has been wonderful to note the level of engagement by parents with this tool. I have enjoyed many interactions with a range of parents about how it is helping them support their young people in their digital journey at home.
One area where I have often received feedback from parents is that the information about their child’s digital activity on their school laptop is vague and not as detailed or useful as they would like, and not comparable to the activity reporting available for their child’s personal devices.
It is for this reason that I am delighted to share that parents can now access a new feature, Timeline, that provides more specific and detailed information about digital activity on the school device outside school times.
I encourage all parents to take a few moments and view this two minute video that provides an overview of the new feature and how it can be used to better support parents in guiding their young people at home.
Getting Started with the Qustodio Parent App
A reminder that parents can learn more about Qustodio, create and activate their parent account as part of our school program, and explore Frequently Asked Questions, via our school’s Online Safety Hub.
Science Talent Search at CCG 2023
Students at Christian College Geelong in Years 5-10 are invited to participate in the 2023 Science Talent Search (STS).
The Science Talent Search has three broad aims:
- To stimulate an ongoing interest in the study of sciences by:
- encouraging independent self-motivated project work amongst students of science.
- giving students the opportunity to communicate their achievements to a wider audience.
- providing recognition of effort and achievement in a scientific enterprise.
- To promote the direct involvement of the students in the processes of science and its communication.
- To give the public at large an opportunity to see the quality of work being achieved in science, by both primary and post primary students.
The Science Talent Search has a wide range of sections students can choose to enter:
- Experimental Research
- Creative Writing
- Inventions**
- Working Models
- Posters – Scientific Wallcharts
- Games
- Computer Programs**
- Science Photography
- Video Productions
**These sections may require student attendance at a judging day at a Melbourne School over a weekend. Parents are responsible for their child attending a judging day.
A detailed handbook including guidelines and requirements of each section is attached. More ideas and information is available for students and parents at https://stav.org.au/science-talent-search/
Entry fees will be covered by the school.
The number of entries across the school is capped, so students are encouraged to submit registrations to their science teacher as early as possible. Registrations are made by filling in the student registration form and handing in to your science teacher.
Registrations close: Friday 19th May
Closing date for entries: Friday 14th July
Participating students will complete their entries individually or in a group of two in their own time. Support will be available from their science teacher and at optional lunchtime sessions.
For more information, please see your science teacher, or email Mrs Huddart, Director of Teaching and Learning – Science e.huddart@ccg.vic.edu.au Highton students are invited to attend S203 at lunchtime on Fridays where Ms Blackburn will be happy to answer any questions.

Uniform Shop Clearance Sale!

A MYTERN Thought for This Week
When you are on a rough road, people often tell you to get a grip and drive on.
Try not to judge yourself harshly if that feels too hard.
Sometimes it's not as simple as just shaking it off and moving on.
Slow down, take a deep breath and know that no road lasts forever 🙏❤️
Discover more about MYTERN here