Student Digital Safety Forum for Parents/Guardians and Staff

Do you ever worry about your young person’s online behaviour and safety? 

Do you have a clear understanding of the legalities surrounding digital image production, sharing and requesting, for young people?

Would you like to know if other families have the same questions, experiences, challenges and concerns as you? 

As our young people continue to grow up and learn within a ‘technological age’, their digital safety remains a critical focus for staff at Christian College Geelong, as I am sure it does for you at home. As per my recent email, and as part of our strategy to partner genuinely and comprehensively with you in their nurturing, I warmly invite you to our upcoming Student Digital Safety Forum for Parents/Guardians, Staff and Victoria Police.

This important event will be held in the Christian College Middle School – Highton Library on Wednesday, June 14, from 5:45pm-7:15pm. All parents and guardians from Year 4 to Year 12 are invited to attend

What’s Happening at Middle School

Week 8

• Mon 12 Jun – King’s Birthday Public Holiday
• Tues 13 Jun – Highton Instrumental Music Performance Night
• Wed 14 Jun –  Year 7 & GISSA Sport
• Wed 14 Jun –  Student Digital Safety Forum

Week 9

• Tues 20 Jun – Project Care Day – Casual Dress
• Fri 23 Jun – Rural 4 (9H & 9M Girls) Concludes
• Fri 23 Jun – Last Day of Term 2

Systems Engineering – Pushing the Boundaries

Systems Engineering students across Years 7, 8, and 9 have been exploring some highly technical engineering challenges and pushing their personal boundaries of understanding. Year 7 students are rounding out their semester, perfecting their automated line following robots engineering and programming. With direct links to the real world, students have learned how to use a vast array of sensors to automate their designs and allow them to make decisions based on their surroundings. These students have worked extremely hard all semester, and many will compete at the national competition later in the year.

Year 8 students are also ending their semester and have become the first Middle School group to successfully integrate compass heading data into their programs. Engineering custom, fully automated and capable soccer robots, these students have worked tirelessly to integrate a range of sensor-gathered data into their complex programs, all to score goals! Year 8 students have also been exploring Arduino, upskilling their understanding of circuit board design and integration.

Year 9 students are packing everything into their single term, engineering battle-bots, rescue robots, automated soccer robots, and Arduino robotic designs as well as experimenting with some 3D print fabrication. These Systems Engineering students are commended for their commitment to high level problem solving and engagement. With many concepts extending well beyond their current year level, they have continued to impress with their positive attitude and acceptance of complex, ongoing challenges.

Tasty Adventures in Indonesian

Year 8 Indonesian students have been on an exciting journey, diving into the fascinating realm of Indonesian cuisine under the topic of “Makanan dan Minuman” (Food and Drinks). Throughout the term, they had the pleasure of sampling various Indonesian dishes, each offering a unique experience.

The students delighted their taste buds with a range of treats, including prawn crackers, Indonesian coffee candy, jasmine tea, condensed milk, palm sugar, fried noodles, and fried rice. Among these delightful encounters, one experience stood out as particularly memorable – the daring tasting of the “king of fruit” known as Durian. While its strong aroma and robust flavour divided opinions, some students found themselves pleasantly surprised by its distinct taste.

In addition to savouring new flavours, the students also delved into the language aspect of their culinary exploration. They learned how to express their preferences, describe food flavours, and engage in conversations about dining out. These lessons provided a deeper understanding of Indonesian eating customs and enriched their cultural knowledge. In addition, this also developed a greater appreciation for cross-cultural experiences. By venturing into the world of Indonesian cuisine, they discovered the connections that food can create across different cultures.

Great Experiences in the Great Otway National Park

As you walk along the path with your heavy pack containing all your belongings, what do you notice? Can you spot the different flora and fauna as you glance around you?  Have you found a rare Black Otway Snail? How is the environment changing? How do you think this place would be affected if infrastructure was built in this natural space? Can you hear the waves crashing out at sea as you spend some time in silence, appreciating where you are. Feel the cool breeze on your face, or the wet mud in between your toes as you embrace all that this track has to offer. Feel the connection to the environment when you notice its beauty, prompting you to protect it. Is your environmental world view changing as you walk? These are the questions and the feelings that the year 9 GEOS students had the wonderful opportunity to ponder and witness in the beautiful Great Otway National Park.

The students were able to take what they have been learning in the classroom and make connections to their experience in the Great Outdoors. Their understanding of biodiversity, management practices, historical and contemporary uses, environmental world views, and future management issues, became more relevant and meaningful as they got to engage with the area.

Students planned their own delicious and nutritious Trangia menus that posed as a motivator to get through to the end, where they could rest their sore bodies and indulge in a team effort well deserved meal. They crossed beach rivers, streams, climbed steep hills, braved the cold air in tents, and learnt the art of packing a hiking bag. Facing not only physical, but mental challenges along the way. These tough challenges were paired with beautiful scenic cliff faces, time spent with friends without technology, and feelings of success and achievement throughout the trip.

Forensics Day

On Wednesday, the Science department took a total of eight Year 9 students from Highton and Bellarine campuses to an educational Forensics Day. The event, held at Deakin University, offered participants the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of forensic science. From examining crime scenes to conducting laboratory experiments, the students had a hands-on experience that fostered critical thinking, problem-solving skills, a passion for scientific exploration and a deeper appreciation of the scientific method.

During the day, the students participated in a range of activities aimed at solving a simulated crime. Guided by the expertise of PhD candidates from Deakin University, they examined a crime scene, gathering evidence and analysing samples in the laboratory.

Deakin University provided an ideal environment for the Year 9 students to immerse themselves in the world of higher education and gain insights into science degrees. The PhD candidates are passionate science and they engaged the students in rich conversations about pursuing academic courses at the degree level.

The Forensics Day at Deakin University provided Year 9 students with an extraordinary opportunity to explore the world of forensic science in a practical and immersive manner. The event not only broadened their horizons but also fostered connections between students from different campuses. Overall, the Forensics Day was a resounding success.

"The opportunity to do the workshops at Deakin University gave me an understanding of what a career in this field would be like. I am grateful to the school for this opportunity, and enjoyed being able to match DNA samples to who touched what."

Keely Denyer Year 9, Highton Campus

Canteen

Please note: Canteen at Middle and Senior School Campuses will not be open on the last day of Term 2, Friday June 23. Normal opening days resume in Week 1 of Term 3.

GISSA Cross Country Championships

For the first time since 2019 the GISSA Cross Country Championships were held recently, with our College XC team finishing a very creditable second overall on the day. The 80+ strong College team was made up of Year 7 to year 12 students from the Bellarine, Highton, and Senior Campuses. All team members ran beautifully on the day, covering the 3.5km or 4.5km distance, posting some great times and earning valuable points for the college.

We acknowledge the following students on their top 10 finish in their age group on the day – Olivia Clark 5th, Summer Morgan 7th, Nate Bradley 2nd, Thomas Stefanovski 4th, Lewis Reed 6th, Max Gear 6th, Suzanna Mavromihalis 1st, Ellie Morgan 5th, Maddy Grunberg 9th, Oscar Kattwinkle 1st, John McClure 2nd, Jai Bouvier 4th, Taj Beckworth 6th, Harper Costa 10th, Shelley Forkgen 3rd, Alexis Jane 6th, Jacob McKie 3rd, Daniel Scott 6th and Aaron Hanson 9th.

After some very close scoring across the various age sections and genders, the College won both the Senior Girls (16yo and Open age groups) and Senior Boys Shields, which was a fantastic outcome for these senior team members. Our College XC team was well led by Laura Hall and Jacob McKie, along with their Year 12 colleagues who ran for the school for the last time: Nicole Briscoe, Kirrily McConachy, Kade Leigh, Aaron Hanson, Ben Morse, Jonty Grills, and Isaac Boseley. We thank these students for the valuable contribution over the years for our XC team.

Some of our XC team members will be running at the State All Schools XC Championships on the 22nd July, and we wish these students all the best as they represent our college at this event.

Senior School Subject Selection – Learning Pathways Night and More

To empower our students and their families to make well-informed decisions regarding their learning pathways, subject choices, and accredited courses of study, we have organised a series of valuable opportunities. These initiatives aim to familiarise students and families with the available options, processes, and potential outcomes available to them. We are excited to commence these events with a Learning Pathways Information Session, taking place online on Tuesday, June 20th at 6:30 PM.

During the Learning Pathways Information Session, we will provide essential information to students and families, shedding light on the revised VCE (ATAR), VCE VM (Vocational Major), Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC), VET courses, and School-Based Apprenticeship & Traineeships (SBATs). Our aim is to offer clear and concise explanations of how each of these pathways presents unique opportunities for students in their pursuit of future ambitions.

This session will prove immensely beneficial for families joining our Senior School community in 2024, serving as a comprehensive guide for our current Year 10 and 11 students and families as they consider their options while progressing into the next year level.

Would you Like to go to Space…Camp?

The Astronaut Al Worden Endeavour Scholarship is an international education program which aims to reward aspiring STEM enthusiasts and future leaders with a hands-on astronaut training experience at the U.S. Space and Rocket Centre’s renowned Space Camp, located in Huntsville, Alabama, USA.

Four students from Australia will be awarded a scholarship to the International Space Camp program taking place in Huntsville, Alabama in July 2024. The winning group of students (and one teacher) will make up ‘Mission Crew #13 - Team Australia’, and will join fellow groups from the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Chile, Singapore, United States and Poland to become ‘Team Endeavour’.

Successful applicants will receive an all-expenses paid enrolment and airfare to Space Camp, where for one-week students are immersed in the ultimate educational experience to illuminate real-world applications of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

All covered expenses include tuition, dormitory accommodation, meals throughout the week, and economy class round trip from Australia to Huntsville, Alabama. Travel will also include all transportation on the ground, as well as a day trip to Washington DC ahead of Space Camp commencement.

Calling all CC Eagles Members and Families

We are pleased to present an opportunity for you to be a part of CC Eagles/ Geelong United Basketball Club Fundraiser, with NBL1 tickets available for the following game through the club:

Round 10 – Hoop City Geelong United Supercats v Dandenong Rangers – Saturday June 17, 2023. Tip off: Women – 5:00pm, Men – 7:00pm (Ticket gets you in to both games at The Geelong Arena)

All PRE-ORDERED tickets will cost $10.00 with $5.00 being retained by our club.

On the night we want to see our members show up at the game in our CLUB COLOURS.

We hope that everyone embraces this opportunity to get our CC Eagles family together and support Hoop City Geelong United Supercats on the night.

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 [email protected]

A MYTERN Thought for This Week

It’s easy to rush through a cup of tea or coffee and forget to stop and appreciate the moment. 

Take time out now to simply appreciate being able to breathe in fresh air. Take a long slow breath and feel it rejuvenate every cell. 

Make that your intention and watch your body smile from the inside 👍❤️

Discover more about MYTERN here