Middle School Term 2 week 6

  Should you be driving in the area, can I please sincerely ask that you re-commit to taking all possible safety steps, including when dropping off and collecting your young person, for the ultimate safety of all students in our care. While across our campus community we are making great gains in the areas of online safety, emotional and psychological safety, and physical health, road safety also remains a critical part of the school day, for which we adults can all take responsibility. 

 Our Project Care Day aimed to raise $50 each, for 50 students – in Viqueque, children don’t attend school because their parents can’t afford the fees. It costs as little as $50 to send a student to school for a whole year. I am proud to say Middle School raised a massive $2106.55. This will allow 42 children the opportunity to attend school. 

Students also participated in a flag raising ceremony, symbolising East Timor’s rise to be an independent country. Local hand-woven fabric called Tais were tied around the flagpole symbolising our continued friendship. Our Year 8 Project Care Representatives Molly Herbert, Summer Stretton, Pascal Nwanze, Isabella Shanahan, Adam Bolton and Evy Ruplal ran this ceremony for the whole school. They are to be commended on their efforts. 

On behalf of the Christian College East Timor Committee, I would like to thank the community for your support in giving to our friends in East Timor.  

The Transformation students were on ancient lands last Friday, and listened to the story of Bunjil the Creator, on their walk to Flinders Peak at the You Yangs. Ms Rachel Garrard spoke of the momentous shifts in the earth that formed the massive granite rocks and challenged everyone to imagine the view before European settlement.  

In Wellbeing sessions, students have learnt about the significant dates of this week:  beginning with Sorry Day on Thursday 26 May which is a day for the nation to reflect on the hurt caused by policies of child-removal; followed the next day by the anniversary of the 1967 referendum where over 90% of Australians voted YES to the national government making laws to aid First Nations people; and culminating on Friday 3 June on the Anniversary of Eddie Koiki Mabo’s birthday – a giant in the land rights movement.  

Prefects have run activities in the library at lunchtimes on the theme of Being Brave and Making Change. Films have been shown at lunchtimes, First Nations and Dreaming stories have been read in “Storytime” in the library.  A wonderful week of reminding, reflecting, and Making Change each day to help in the process of reconciliation.  

Alexis, Grace and Charlotte were on the tools to make roofing for the chicks’ nesting box. Richard helped them to source offcuts, measure using a square, calculate the right size chock to use as a stopper for the roofs, then use hammer, drill and screwdrivers – and paint to add some cheer – to keep the chickens snug and safe. 

Ella, Penny, Ava and Abby visited the sheep sale yard with Earl, to check out the stock prices and the quality of the woolly ones. When they are not with the sheep, they are milking the dairy herd under Amy’s careful guidance.  

Meanwhile, Anouk has honed the perfect soy latte; Mia the art of the flourless orange and almond cake; Rhian has organised the café kitchen for economy of movement and efficiency; and Lily is taking orders, making coffees and lunches, and working front-of-house. Charlene has been guiding them at the Back Creek Café.  

Jam has been made from the Farm garden produce, which can be purchased at the Café.  The apple and rhubarb jam is a winner!  The students are making the most of their time up at Back Creek.  

A prominent event in the Year 9 schedule is the weekly homeroom challenges. Every Friday, all Year 9 students congregate on the basketball courts to participate in games and challenges to win points for their homerooms. 

This time is designed to increase connections with our classmates and wider year level group, after spending so much crucial time away during the past two years. These activities are fundamental in developing teamwork, communication and leadership skills. 

Classes have had to work together, communicate and understand and adjust to different personalities and individuals’ ways of thinking.  

We have had to change tactics, develop new ideas and play to our strengths to find out what works for our homeroom.  

These challenges have been immensely competitive, rewarding, and have been fundamental in increasing relationships. I, like the Year 9 cohort, am looking forward to seeing which homeroom triumphs at the end of the term.  

Hi, I am Ella Fields, one of the Prefects this year at MS. Year 9 has been such a great experience so far especially with the opportunities we get in electives. This term I have chosen Wilson’s Prom (GEOS) as one of my electives. Last Wednesday my elective class got to go and explore Wilson’s Prom for a few days. I was so pumped to get out there and hike for three days.  

 Once we arrived, we all prepared our packs to carry and start walking. We started at Tidal River Car Park and then my group started our journey to Roaring Meg. One of my favourite moments was walking in on the first night watching the sunset and then getting to Roaring Meg campsite in the dark! Then the next day we were off too Little Waterloo Bay, this was definitely my favourite day because after we had been walking 17km we went for a swim, it was cold but worth it.  

 It was so pretty just looking around at the views and seeing the surroundings out on the beach. Especially at night seeing all the stars and Milky Way with a few shooting stars. On the third day I think we were all proud that we had 42km all up and had ripper weather for it.  

 There were a few cheeky crows and possums that would try and steal our food. I would recommend GEOS and this camp to Wilson’s Prom as an elective. It was such a great opportunity to go hiking and enjoy the views and being around with your friends! 

 On behalf of the Prefects, we hope all Middle School students and families have had a safe Term 2 and manage to keep warm with this cold weather! 

However, it can be difficult for parents to be across every platform or app and to know what’s age-appropriate and what’s not. Where a young person sets up an account on their own without parent involvement, it can make it difficult for parents to ensure safety and be confident that the content being sent and received is suitable and safe. 

For all the potential value and benefit these tools provide, they also often pose the risk of cyberbullying, exposure to inappropriate content or unwanted contact from strangers. It is an unfortunate but true reality that there are some people online who seek to connect with young people for the wrong reasons. 

Discord, Tik Tok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook… Are they right for my child? Should I allow this app’s use? What are the safety and privacy features? How can I support my child in using this app? 

Parents, be reassured that there is support and guidance for navigating the full range of apps and platforms that are popular with young people on both our own Online Safety Hub and from eSafety. 

• Messaging and online chat (from eSafety 
• Discord – parent advice (CCG Online Safety Hub) 
• Snapchat – parent advice (CCG Online Safety Hub) 

• Tik Tok – parent advice (CCG Online Sagety Hub)

Parents are encouraged to be aware of the minimum age for any platform and understand that many of these platforms are intended for adults and older teens. For many apps, the age recommended by cyber safety experts is older than the listed minimum age because of the potential risks. 

At school, we prevent access to messaging and chat apps on our network. Access to messaging and chat is also prevented on College devices during school days for all students to support them with their learning and wellbeing. 

Undertaking a career as a new teacher can be both exhilarating and overwhelming. The excitement of working in a dynamic and hugely rewarding profession is often complicated by administrative demands, professional development responsibilities, and the intricacies of a classroom. Further to this, a graduate teacher is developing their craft, building relationships with colleagues and families for the first time, learning new processes, the Australian curriculum, navigating the 37 professional teacher standards and undertaking a teacher inquiry for registration as a proficient teacher. Victorian Institute of Education’s Linda Blakis likens learning to teach with learning to drive, ‘When you get behind the wheel for the first time, it is daunting. Everything is new, you must consciously check everything before turning on the engine and there is so much multitasking required, but with practice, good coaching and time, these things become intuitive.’ 

At Christian College we are privileged to have a selection of graduate teachers on each campus, each are supported fortnightly by an experienced mentor teacher. Our mentors are intensively trained to assist these graduates through one of the most critical phases of their teaching career.  

 To complement this ongoing mentoring, we were fortunate to have the expertise of Jackie Macreadie – Principal Consultant from ISV and Linda Blakis – Professional Practice Manager from VIT run a full day seminar for all graduates and mentors this week. This is a new initiative, one that few other schools offer, and we were immensely grateful for the time and expertise of our guest speakers. There was much engagement in the sessions, with collaboration and a buzz of ideas for their inquiry projects. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive for the value of this day for all who attended. We hope that it can become an ongoing opportunity for our staff development. A huge thank you to our leadership for supporting such a pivotal opportunity for our staff.  

The triangular AFL series involved our CC Eagles Team playing two full-length, stand-along games on different dates against Kardinia International College and another against St Ignatius College. 

The first test came against Kardinia at Queens Park. 

Despite some wayward goal-kicking, our Eagles were generally dominant in general play and broke free in the second half to register a comfortable win. 

Year 12 student Ethan Grills was named our Team’s MVP for that game, using his running power and strength at ground level and in the air to amass a stack of possessions in the midfield. 

After St Ignatius defeated Kardinia in their first-round match, the stage was set for what was essentially a ‘grand final’ between our Eagles and the boys in red, white and blue. 

The showdown did not disappoint, with our College grinding out a two-point triumph in what was a classic game of schoolboy football. 

Year 11 student Harley Anderson was named our Team MVP for the second outing – an amazing effort for a ‘bottom-age’ student in a game where there was plenty of older talent on display. 

But truly this was the quintessential ‘team effort’ from our boys, with the even contribution across the whole magnet board proving to be the deciding factor in the game. 

Speaking of the magnet board, our Sport Faculty wishes to say a massive thank you and congratulations to Senior School Campus Staff Members Mr David Harmer and Mr Andrew Tucker, who have taken extra time during a busy start to 2022 to Coach our Senior AFL Male Team. 

Their leadership and commitment, coupled with that of a group of Year 12 students who have assisted the coaching staff during the preparation phase, was undoubtedly a driving force behind this milestone achievement. 

Speaking of milestone achievements, that is also a perfect way to describe what happened at the Geelong Sports Hub on Tuesday. 

Our Senior Female Netball Team clinched the GISSA crown for the first time in many years - also knocking of perennial contender St. Ignatius in the Grand Final - in what was another giant step forward for our Sport Faculty. 

After losing to St. Ignatius in the qualifying rounds, our CCG Eagles went into the decider as the underdogs, and the task appeared even more challenging when we fell behind half way through the second half. 

However our girls showed enormous heart, rallying in the final three minutes to pull out the victory, punctuated by gritty defensive efforts that turned potential opposition scores into two-goal turn-arounds. 

It was a thrilling contest for those lucky enough to watch it, with the difference between the two teams just a couple of nets. 

Our Sport Faculty would like to congratulate every member of this squad - especially a pair of Burrows Bears, Year 12 Ava Bourke and Year 10 Isabelle McKinnis, who were drafted into the Team at late notice after two of their team-mates became unavailable. 

The medal for Team MVP went to Year 12 Penman Panther Kiera Green for her consistently high level of play throughout the whole tournament. 

Although, given our girls had to play multiple games over the course of this one-day, round-robin competition, this stunning achievement could not have occurred without all girls stepping up at different times. 

That was the feedback provided by the Team’s Head Coach, Ms Olivia Cameron, who herself deserves a ton of credit for leading yet another CCG Eagles Sport Team on a successful mission. 

Ms Cameron works tirelessly to provide our students with the best coaching possible, and it is no coincidence how often the teams she leads end up coming home with silverware. 

A huge thank should also go to our Team Manager, Mrs Flora Murdoch, whose expertise and behind-the-scenes work in the build-up ensured this group was primed.  

As exciting as it was to see our current Senior teams overcoming the other independent schools in the region, there are also bright signs for the future in both the AFL and Netball Programs. 

Our Inter Male AFL Team fell just one game short of matching the accomplishment of their Senior counterparts, advancing to the Grand Final of the GISSA Championships held at St Joseph’s Football and Netball Club. 

Our Eagles won both their qualifying games comfortably, and then ran St Ignatius all the way in the final before ultimately coming up short to cap off an otherwise encouraging display in the single-day titles. 

Our Inter Female Netball Team also had a successful campaign at the GISSA Titles, winning three games and finishing fourth out of 13 teams at the single-day, round-robin Championships held at Geelong Sports Hub. 

The action is far from over for both our CCG Eagles AFL and Netball Programs. 

Next week it’s time for Female AFL, with our Junior and Inter girls gearing themselves for the GISSA Championships, while our netballers have the Netball Victoria Schools Championships to look forward to in Term 3. 

Our Senior Male AFL Team, meanwhile, doesn’t have much time to bask in the glow of their GISSA Titles victory, as their next challenge will come next term when they take on the winner of the Australian Catholic Colleges competition in late July.