We Sustain Each Other
As we reach the end of another enormous semester on campus, I write to offer my sincere thanks for your consistent support of our staff, and the wider College.
There has been much to celebrate this year, especially as we have returned to consistent on-site learning and the opportunities that brings, those which we’ve missed during much of these past pandemic years. From excursions, inter-school events, camps, our College Production, musical performances, Chapel services, extra-curricular activities, assemblies, Wellbeing sessions, lessons across the faculties and across the campus and those everyday magic moments, the vibrancy and positive energy that we have again enjoyed on campus has been a wonderful blessing. I am grateful that our young people, and you their families, have been able to participate and add to the life of our College. Thank you.
At the beginning of the year, I introduced our campus theme, ‘we sustain each other’. I suggested that more than a theme, it is a claim, a big claim about our identity as a campus community. It is a claim of hope. It requires truth. It calls for grace. It takes faith, and it is a symbol of our love. It is often said that there is something very unique and special about our College. We’ve welcomed a few new staff and students lately, and I have commonly heard of their experience here being one of immediate comfort, friendship and a sense of belonging. Together, collectively, we are all sustaining each other, for the ultimate wellbeing of the kids, and for the glory of God.
I pray that the holiday time ahead is one of great joy and rejuvenation for you and your family, and I look forward to welcoming everyone back for the second half of this wonderous, precious year.
A note that school photos have been distributed to the students today. Students in 9H and 9M will have their class photo and individual portraits taken on July 25.
What’s Happening at Middle School – Highton
Term 3 Week 1
- Tues, 12 July – Term 3 Commencement
- Thurs, 14 July – Year 10 2023 Information Evening
Week 2
- Thurs, 21 July – Netball Vic. ‘All Schools’ Qualifying Round
Prefects at Middle School
From the moment our Prefects were appointed this year, they have been enthusiastically looking for ways to lead and represent the College. Every Thursday, they give up their lunchtime and meet to talk about activities that they’re leading, new ideas for the future and just share in some fellowship, Tim Tams and prayer. Each student brings their own gifts and strengths to the role, (and I bring the Tim Tams) and this is what makes our time together so special. Ideas are shared, feedback is given, new ideas are shared, different perspectives are considered and together, a plan is made.
Last week when the students looked at their list of goals for 2022, it was so rewarding for them to see all that they had achieved, nearly everything on their list for the year! This has included supporting Harmony Day and Reconcilation Week, a devotion for our staff, student led Chapel services, placing sanitary products in the female toilets, PSA’s, Vine articles, environmental awareness and sustainability, and setting respectful expectations.
There is so much care, kindness and respect shown towards each other as new ideas are brought forward. Our Prefects may not always recognise their amazing leadership giftings, but every Thursday, I walk away, encouraged and amazed by the energy, enthusiasm and passion that a small group of 14 and 15 year olds share. It excites me to think about what their futures hold as they continue to lead with such confidence.
Here is a message from Supreet Kaur, one of the amazing Year 9 MS Prefects:
The Prefects have achieved many things throughout Semester 1 and will continue to strive for improvement throughout Semester 2. The Prefects have contributed a lot to events so far. Some have and will continue to have the wonderful experience of going to Back Creek Farm. I personally enjoyed the idea of organising events and helping within the College to make changes. Next term, Prefects will begin to organise assemblies and Chapel services led by us, dedicated to teaching younger grade levels and sharing experiences to assist them. I look forward to everything that the next semester will bring. We will continue to work together for our community within the school and will wish you a wonderful holiday.
Regional RoboCup Comp Comes to Middle School
Students across year levels 7, 8, and 9 represented Christian College in the first Geelong Regional RoboCup Junior event since 2019. One of the longest running RoboCup Junior regional events saw its return last week as students competed in both the soccer and rescue divisions. Teams must engineer and program a fully automated robotic design capable of functioning in a demanding environment.
Soccer requires robots to be strong but quick, reacting to an infrared emitting ball. These robots compete in a 2 vs 2 setup on a playing table. Christian College saw great success on the day with Team Scorpion comprised of James Hayden, Brandon Firth, Jake Cooper, and John McClure taking second in the standard division. The Simple Simon division was hotly contested with Team Young Money Club comprised of Obakeng Sephepe, Aidan Santalucia, Jack Rivas, Jayden Chan, and Sam Leszko taking a much deserved first place in the grand final.
Rescue robots are built to be as lightweight as possible, with a low centre of gravity, featuring advanced programming algorithms designed to allow the robot to react to an ever-changing course featuring terrain and obstacles. The secondary division was packed with great competition throughout the day. Team Fire Nation comprised of Samuel Duanmu, Kishore Samuel, Xavier Hanson, and Ethan Towle took the victory by being one of the only teams in Middle School history to complete a final rescue course from start to finish.
With a record number of participants across all divisions, RoboCup Junior was a showcase for the hard work and dedication of over 40 Christian College students. They should all be proud of their accomplishments as they are setting a new standard for Systems Engineering at the Middle School level.
How Does Your Garden Grow?
This semester in How Does Your Garden Grow students produced some amazing produce! Vegetables such as silverbeet, spinach, beetroot, rocket and lettuces were all successfully grown from seeds. Potatoes and tomatoes were also in abundance. Students learnt how different seeds take differing times to germinate and that eliminating competition by weeding, the importance of watering, fertiliser and healthy soil all contribute to successful crop production. The garlic bulbs were also carefully planted and being cared for to hopefully produce a bumper crop again this summer.
Students also enjoyed investigating and interpreting Indigenous seasonal calendars from various First Nations groups around Australia. It was discovered that watching the lifecycle of key plants and animals interprets the change of Indigenous seasons – not just the months of the year. Exploring this First Nations knowledge also sparked students’ interest in local Wadwurrung bush tucker. Research was conducted on how to grow our local bush tucker plants – and then we planted and are caring for and hoping to produce tubers from Murrnong Daisy and Bulbine Daisy, Herbs from native lemongrass and bush mint, bower spinach AND most excitedly berries from the Midyim, Morr (prickly currant bush), Coast Heath and Boobialla.
If anyone is interested in being part of our vegetable garden and bush tucker garden we will be running a weekly gardening club EVERY TUESDAY lunchtime from the start of Term 3.
Year 7 English and Humanities Term 2
Over the course of term two the Highton Year 7 students have been exploring graphic novels in English and ancient worlds in Humanities. The Australian novel Ubby’s Underdog by indigenous author Brenton McKenna has provided inspiration for students to create their own original character and illustrate their origin story. Students researched ancient mythology to help them craft interesting and engaging narratives. To compliment this task students studied the key aspects to a civilization to create a portfolio of knowledge, focusing on trade, infrastructure, belonging, environment, and laws. Ancient Egypt, Greece, China, and Rome provided insight into modern developments and inventions in our own world. Students then applied this understanding to a Minecraft Ultimate World in which their English character resided, building a society inspired by the best ideas from our ancient world.
RESPECT!
The famous “Queen of Soul”, Aretha Franklin, once proudly expressed those famous seven letters R-E-S-P-E-C-T in her version of Otis Redding’s original song of the same title. The significance and resultant success of Franklin’s version can be credited to the power and context in which those letters were passionately sung. The song brought true meaning to the notion that everyone, regardless of their background, has the right to be respected.
So why, you might ask, am I referencing this legendary singer and song that took place near on 60 years ago? Well, this term in Year 8 we have been placing a strong emphasis on Respect, and what it looks, feels and sounds like within a school community. My fellow colleague and Year 8 Coordinator Miss Georgie Brown presented a strong message to the Year 8 cohort around the meaning of respect, sharing her views on the subject, whilst also reaching out to the students to share their thoughts and ideas. One of the keys to Miss Brown’s message was the importance of, not just respecting others, but also yourself, making reference to key areas such as sticking up for yourself (being proud of who you are and what you believe in) and thinking about how you present yourself (e.g. uniform, manners, attitude, etc). Overall, our Year 8 cohort have done a fantastic job of displaying respect within our school community, however, like in all sectors of life, there is always room for improvement and continual growth. Hopefully what has been discussed throughout our assemblies and Wellbeing sessions will help go a long way to developing consistent respectful practices within both the school and wider community.
In Luke 6:31 the scripture reads: Do to others as you would have them do to you, referencing the key message of treating others the way in which you would like to, and expect to be treated. The fact that we, as humans, are all equally the same, yet uniquely different, is why it’s essential that we respect everyone for who they are. Hopefully highlighting this key theme throughout Term 2 will go some way to understanding why those seven letters that Aretha Franklin referenced all those years ago, were more than just a song.
The images below represent a recent Respect themed Year 8 Assembly and some outstanding sporting and academic achievements by our Year 8 students
- Year 8 Boys Athletics Champions (Left to Right): Rennick Carey (1st Burrows), Jack Patel (3rd Burrows) and Ehkalu Htoo (2nd Taylor)
- Year 8 Girls Athletics Champions (Left to Right): Evy Nobel (3rd Penman), Olivia Gordon (2nd Penman) and Eloise Lynch (1st Taylor)
- Global Academic Challenge Awards (Left to Right): Eseniia Parshukova, Madeleine Grills, Winnie Gill, Kaylee Gibson, Michael Gorup, Cara Fletcher, Ashton Nelson, Josiah Davies, Alina Cao, Brianna Anderson, Spencer Barnes, Alex Robinson and Molly Callahan. Absent: Adam Bolton, Jayden Chan and Jack Rivas
Year 9 Mentors
On Thursday morning the Year 9 Mentors spent time with the Year 5 Students playing collaborative games in their Homeroom Groups. The mentors did a wonderful job organising the ‘River Crossing Hula Hoop’ game. Students had to get their classmates to the opposite side of the basketball court using only hula hoops and teamwork. It was great to see the students supporting and encouraging each other as they cheered and strategised to be the first to cross. Mr Mackay and 5M were very competitive and took out the win, with 5R coming a very close second.
Then it was time to play the ‘Spaghetti and Marshmallow Tower’ game where students had to build the tallest tower using only spaghetti and marshmallows. There was a lot of discussions about the best way to build the tower and it was wonderful to see the students working together with the support of the mentors. Once again 5M came out with the win, with 5B taking 2nd and 3rd place.
We would like to congratulate the Year 9 Mentors on a successful term of supporting and encouraging the younger students.
Year 9 Editorial
Last week we shared a post about our excursion to Melbourne and the various experiences that shaped our final writing pieces this term.
As a conclusion to our studies, we are sharing a range of stories from this term (see attached PDF), some are from our excursion last week, and others were developed for writing competitions. We hope you enjoy our work.
Writing samples for Year 9 Editorial
CCG Senior School: Passion, Purpose and Pathways
At Christian College’s Senior Campus in Waurn Ponds, our commitment is to help students explore their passions, discover their purpose and find their pathways.
During the first week of Term 3, all parents of Year 9 students at Highton and Bellarine Campuses are invited to the Senior School Information Evening on Thursday July 14.
This year, for the first time, we are also inviting parents, families and others from outside of the CCG community who may be interested in choosing Senior School – Waurn Ponds in 2023 and beyond for their students to complete their secondary schooling.
This is a wonderful opportunity to:
- Learn more about the transition program designed to help students settle into life and learning on the Senior Campus
- Meet and hear from key support staff including Heads of House, Chaplains and Careers Counsellors
- Learn about the Year 10 academic program and progression towards VCE and Vocational Pathways
- Discover the many benefits of the Senior School House system including House carnivals, House Music, Wearable Art and lunchtime House competitions
We would strongly encourage all members of the Christian College Community to spread the word about this event, and those planned for our other campuses, among friends, neighbours, colleagues – anyone who may be considering schooling options for their children.
Please see next week’s Vine and watch our social media platforms for more details about the Senior School information evening and the events scheduled at other campuses during Term 3.
Have you Taken the 5min Cyber Safety Parenting Quiz?
With school holidays almost upon us, now is a great time for parents to review their approach and strategies around managing screen time and technology in the home. Not sure where to start? Family Zone has free parent webinars on ‘Managing Screen Time During School Holidays’, ‘Popular Games and Their Dangers’, ‘My Kid is Better at Tech Than Me’ and many other topics available via their events page.
Did you know that our own CCG Online Safety Hub also has a helpful quiz to support parents with this?
Complete the cyber safety parenting quiz to receive a safety rating for your family and useful hints and tips on areas that you can focus on to keep your family safe online. Why not complete an audit of your home’s cyber safety and get advice on how to improve it and keep your loved ones safe?
School holidays are a great time for having constructive conversations with young people about their technology use and referring to the tips and feedback from the parent quiz may be a useful way to begin such a conversation with your child.
From the Canteen
Thank you again to all who assisted with Canteen at Junior, Middle and Senior Schools this semester. We hope all students and families enjoy the break ahead.
With Term 2 finishing today, please note that if you inadvertently placed an online order for next week, this money will be refunded to you.
Sport News
This term has provided many sporting highlights for our students competing in our various college teams, through their Deakin District primary sport, and our secondary GISSA sport involvement.
Further to the success of our teams at these Interschool competitions, we have many students competing in their chosen sport at a State, National and International level. We wish to acknowledge some of the performances that have come across my desk, and apologies if I have missed any performances this term in the following summary.
- Madison Cooper (Yr12), Nicole Briscoe (Yr11), Hayley Mackinder (Yr9) and Matilda Byrnes (Yr9) qualified and swam at the Australian Swimming Championships in May, which were the selection trials for our Commonwealth Games team. This opportunity and their subsequent performances will stand them in good stead for future National team selection opportunities. As a result of their performances at the ‘Age Championships’ in April, Madison, Nicole, Hayley and Brooke Briscoe (Yr9) have been selected in School Sport Victoria’s ‘Team Vic’ swimming team to compete later this year at the Australian School Sport Championships. Matilda and her family are moving to the Gold Coast where she will swim the competitive Bond University swim club. We wish Matilda all the very best for her future career in the sport of swimming.
- Harrison (Yr12) and Kade Leigh (Yr11), along with Ashton Schram (Yr8) competed for the State at the National Hockey championships. Harrison and Kade played in the U18 team, which finished 4th after a penalty shoot-out for the bronze medal. Ashton played in the U15 team, which provided him with some great playing and learning experiences over the week.
- After winning the gold medal at the State Championships, Ali Cronk (Yr11) competed at the Australian Gymnastics Championships (Aerobic gymnastics) in May where she claimed the silver medal and a personal best at these championships. Ali has worked hard over the past few years, with COVID not stopping her training regime in the garage at home!
- Charli Cox (Yr7) took all before her, winning gold at the Victorian Gymnastics Championships (level 8), which were held earlier this term at the Arena. Charli earned 1st place overall, and placed 2ndon bars and 3rd with her floor routine.
- Jacob McKie (Yr11) was again selected in School Sport Victoria’s ‘Team Vic’ triathlon team to compete in September at the Australian School Sport Championships. His selection followed some outstanding performances at the National level, which included a top 10 finish at the Australian Super Sprint Championships. Jacob followed this result with strong performances at the Oceania Sprint Cup (State U20 team member), which included a bronze medal as part of the Victorian A team in the mixed relay format (a new Olympic event in Paris 2024).
- Guy Williams (Yr8) was selected in the National U16 track & field team that competed at the recent Oceania Athletics Championships in Mackay. Guy jumped to the bronze medal spot in the high jump, 6th in the long jump and 10th place in the triple jump at these championships. This followed a fantastic athletic season for Guy, where he medaled at the State and National Championships, earning him selection in the Oceania team.
- Aidan (Yr8) and Callum Simmons (Yr6) are heading to Turkey and Europe to represent Australia at various sailing events. Aidan will be competing at the World Junior Championships in Turkey as a member of the Australian team. He will join his younger brother and travel to Italy and other destinations to compete at numerous European sailing championships where they will be representing the country and gaining some valuable racing experiences.
- Charlotte Brereton (Yr9) and Xavier Kay (Yr9) earned selection in the State water polo team that competed last weekend at the National Tournament in Melbourne. Charlotte and the Vic girls competed very well over the 3-day event, securing several wins that earned them a spot in the bronze medal match. After a tremendous tussle, the Vics went down by 1 point! We congratulate Charlotte and Xavier on making this State team, where unfortunately injury kept Xavier out of the water.
- Finally, Brodie Gawith (Yr11) is currently competing in the Australian Superbike Championships (‘Supersport 300’ and ‘Yamaha R3 Cup’ classes), which is a series of races across the year, that takes Brodie and his father to various racing locations across the country. This is the breeding ground for future Superbike and Grand Prix Superbike riders, with Brodie earning a top 8 finish at the last race in the series.
We congratulate these students on their recent fantastic performances and wish them well in their future pursuits in their chosen sport.
2022 GISSA Female AFL Inter and Junior Championships
It has been two years in the making, but finally our Inter and Junior Female AFL Teams got their chance to play and challenge themselves against the best from other independent schools around Geelong.
Our College’s Female AFL Program is still very young, and the momentum it was building over the past few years was unfortunately stopped in its tracks by the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
So, it was very encouraging to see that the two-year interruption has done nothing to curb the enthusiasm for competitive football among the Year 7 to Year 10 students from our Bellarine, Middle School Highton and Senior School campuses.
There were huge numbers to choose from for both our Inter Female Team (made up of Year 9 and 10 students) and our Junior Female Team (made up of students Year 7 and 8 students).
Our CCG Eagles Inter Team journeyed to Queens Park last week for the single-day GISSA Championships against five other Schools.
The day started out well with a strong win against Geelong Lutheran College and our girls then ran eventual Champions Clonard College to maybe their most competitive match-up in the second of our qualifying games.
Our Eagles team eventually finished fourth overall, which probably exceeded the Sport Faculty’s pre-Championships expectations considering the relative infancy of our Female AFL Program.
Year 10 Flynn Falcon Gabi Hayward was named our Team MVP on the back of her high-level play through the midfield and off half back, as well as her leadership off field as captain.
But there were plenty of names of the coaching staff’s short list for that award, which is a great sign for our Senior team in 2023.
Speaking of the future, ours was on display a couple of days later when the Junior team ventured to South Barwon Recreation Reserve for their GISSA Championships.
The competition was very tough, but our College did well to finish middle of the pack and, more importantly, it was encouraging to see what might be possible next year when the current Year 8 cohort steps up into the Inter Female Division next year to join our current Year 9 group.
One of our Year 8 stars is Flynn Falcon midfielder Greea McKeegan, who underlined her status as one of the best young female players in Geelong by winning our Team MVP.
On behalf of our Sport Faculty, we would like to thank every student who competed in these GISSA Championships for the heart and talent they showed in sometimes cold and wet conditions.
We sincerely hope they enjoyed this experience, and we look forward to seeing the same names (and more) on the sign-up sheet for next year as we build on the momentum created in 2022.
We would also like to thank our coaching staff for these matches, led by former Geelong Falcons player Lucy Were, as well Lauren Davis, Sapphire Main and Kelly O’Neil.
We now look forward to our Senior Female AFL Team taking centre stage next for their GISSA Championships in Term 3.
National Collection of Data on Students With Disabilities
Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). With data collected on the first Friday in August (this year, on the 5th), the NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD Guidelines (2021).
Please see the attached NCCD Fact Sheet for more information.
Golf Tournament
The Foundation Golf Tournament is set for Thursday, 27 October 2022. Join us at 13th Beach Golf Links from 8:00am for a shotgun start. Tickets are $190 each ($150 for members) or $750 for a group of four. RSVPs close on Thursday, 6 October 2022 at 5:00pm.
Funds raised from this event will be allocated to our Foundation Scholarship Fund, supporting current students who are in need of financial assistance.
Book online at: The Foundation Golf Tournament
Uniform Shop Hours During Holidays
During the second term school holidays, please note the following hours apply for the Christian College Uniform Shop in Centreway Arcade, Belmont:
Monday to Friday, June 20 – 24: Closed for stocktake.
Monday June 27: Uniform Shop re-opens, normal trading hours.
A MYTERN Thought for This Week
Try not to fixate on your rear-view mirror and judge your past choices.
At the beginning of every day, we get to choose how we will respond to the roads that may come our way.
Use that responsibility wisely. Be aware of the PETs (Personal Emotional Tools) that you may use to help regain or maintain control.
Don't waste time blaming. Grab that wheel and take control. It's worth it 👍🙂
Discover more about MYTERN here.