What’s Happening at Middle School
Term 4, Week 1
- Tues, 4 Sept – Students Commence Term 4
Week 2
- Mon, 10 Oct – Wed, 12 Oct – Year 6 Camp (Mill Valley Ranch)
- Thurs, 13 Oct – Christian College Geelong Annual Music Evening
- Fri, 14 Oct – Geelong Show Day Holiday
The Village That Raises the Child
As we reach the end of another full and rich term in the life of our campus, I would like to again thank all across our community for the significant contribution you make. Regardless of the individual role that each of us play, I firmly believe that it does take ‘a village to raise a child’. Here at Middle School – Highton, that ‘raising’ occurs through our powerful learning programs in our classrooms, bushwalking and music camps, Indonesian and Japanese excursions and other cross-cultural opportunities, inter-school sporting, debating and robotics competitions, assemblies, cross-campus visits, assessment tasks and more.
However, arguably even more so, our village is raising our young people through relationships fostered between teachers and students, through the dedicated care of our chaplaincy team, through Chapel services, restorative conversations, deep reflection and prayer. It is done through the support of parents and guardians for the school by your volunteering, your attendance at our events, your wisdom and open-hearts during those sometimes difficult meetings and phone calls and your insight during our Learning Conferences. It’s also done through your trust that over the long, sometimes tumultuous middle years journey, Christian College remains the school in which your young person can thrive and grow from child, through adolescence and into young adulthood, and will be loved and cared for every day.
This raising is also done through the incredible, passionate, professional and Christ-like service of the teaching and professional support staff across the campus, and the wider-College. It is my absolute privilege to work alongside these outstanding professionals, and truly beautiful humans. I invite each of you in your own way, to please join me in thanking them for their energy, discernment, creativity and joy, which they bring to school each day, for the love and holistic education of the children.
It has been yet another busy and blessed week on campus, including the opportunity we had to recognise the life and service of Queen Elizabeth II and commemorate her passing. During a short service on Thursday morning, staff and students gathered to reflect and pray for Queen Elizabeth, and all those she has influenced during her 70 years as our Head of State. As they always are, our students were magnificent in the way they recognised ‘the occasion’ and responded accordingly, showing respect and care for this important moment in the history of our country, and the world.
Adam Kennedy, Head of Campus
Springtime Settlement Stories at Junior School
On Tuesday the Year 5 students took a short stroll to Junior School in the beautiful Spring sunshine. The students have been working hard during the term to create their own picture story book about ‘Stories of Settlement’. These books were done with so much care and enthusiasm that we thought it would be wonderful to share them with the Preps at Junior School. On our arrival we were met with lots of little inquisitive faces wondering who the ‘big kids’ were. After some initial shyness, the Prep students were immersed in the stories presented to them by the year 5s. Some even offered to read their books to the older students which left many surprised at how well the young children could read!
“I enjoyed reading to the Preps. I got the chance to read to my brother in his class and that was special.”
Joshua
“I enjoyed their little faces and smiles when I was reading my story book to them.”
Livia
“It was a really good day, I really enjoyed walking down to Junior School.”
Dash
Natasha Troop
Shodo – Japanese Calligraphy
This week the Year 8 and 9 students enjoyed a cultural experience of Japanese calligraphy, shodo. They learnt that shodo means ‘the way of writing’ and that it has many purposes. Shodo is not only used as a writing system but also as an art form which teaches us how to be mindful and build creativity in a calm manner.
After having learnt about the right posture, the way to hold a brush and basic brush strokes, the students wrote kanji 神社 jinja (shirnes) and 着物kimono. To produce a good copy of work, they needed to practise repeatedly and to concentrate to pay attention to details. It was great to see how focused and mindful the students were to create their own masterpieces!
Stephen Brewster
Yukiko Valent
Year 9 Dissections
As a Science department we wanted the Year 9 students to finish the term with an experiential learning opportunity. Over the term we have been looking at the nervous and hormonal systems and how they work together to coordinate our bodies. In the last week of term, we reviewed two important organs in these systems, the kidney, and the eye. Students enjoyed dissecting these organs and learning more about their major parts.
Included below are some reflections shared by Year 9 students about the experience.
“The eye and kidney dissection we did was to show us how homeostasis works in our body. In the eye, we found out that the iris has the ability to open and shut dependent on the amount of light visible. The kidney can filter blood and dispose of waste subconsciously. A dissection helps us to get a visual understanding of how parts of the body work, this allows us to gather a deeper understanding of our topics. An interesting thing we found out was that the inside of the eye was a bright blue/green.”
Meg 9M
“The eye and kidney dissections we completed were valuable learning opportunities for our biology unit. It was helpful to see an organ in physical form and understand how these organs are vital for the body’s role in maintaining homeostasis. We were able to identify the main features of the organs and it was really interesting (and a little bit squeamish!) to cut open the eye and see what was inside. I really enjoyed these dissections, and it was a great way to finish off our unit for the term!”
Grace 9M
Term 4 sees students studying energy, learning about light, sound, and electricity.
Victoria Corkin
Year 9 Geography
On Monday and Tuesday September 5 and 6, the year 9 Geography class went on an exciting adventure.
This term we have been learning about coastal development and the interaction between humans and their environments. The conclusion of the term was a Great Ocean Road Trip overnight trip to Port Campbell, with stops along the way at Lorne, Apollo Bay and Aireys Inlet. The teachers with us were Miss Anneliese Hurrell and Mr Pete Davis and both of them made the long bus rides very entertaining with lots of music and jokes. Our first stop was at the Aireys Inlet lighthouse where we hopped off the bus and stretched our legs while admiring Eagle Rock. After a long time in the bus we arrived at Lorne where we had free time, to get food and explore. We all enjoyed a delicious lunch and the majority of us ended up having fun in the playground.
Before leaving Lorne, we had a historic tour at the old pier, by Pete Spring, a member of the Lorne Historic Society. We learnt about Lorne as both a timber, fishing and tourist town and we also found that 70 per cent of the houses in Lorne are not lived in during the winter months. After the tour we hopped back on the bus and headed towards Port Campbell where we stayed the night.
We arrived at the Port Campbell Caravan Park where we were lucky to have luxury cabins, with heaters, hot showers and TVs. For dinner, Mrs Sally Bishop came to visit us and brought Fish and chips and ice cream. She grew up in port Campbell and shared her local knowledge with us over dinner. After we set a game plan for the next day, we all went to sleep. Some of us were up early while others delayed waking up as much as possible, but once we had checked out, we headed to the Twelve Apostles.
At the Twelve Apostles, we surveyed some of the tourists to see why they came there. We found out that many people were traveling the Great Ocean Road which has more visitors than the Great Barrier Reef. After the Twelve Apostles we went to Gibson’s steps beach for some free time. The boys and Mr. Davis played some spike ball while the rest of us played in the sand, watched the water and relaxed. After this we headed home, after a quick stop a the Timboon ice creamery.
The trip was so much fun and everyone had an amazing time. It was very educational, and we all got a lot out of it. It was a wonderful way to finish our unit.
Thank you for a great term, see you in Term 4
Meg Conheady 9M
Project Care
To finish the term, Year 5 and Year 6 students were offered an opportunity to participate in a movie at lunch time. Students came into the Year 5 Homeroom over Wellbeing and lunchtime to watch the film, Toy Story.
Together the students raised $51 which has been donated to the Salvation Army. Thank you to Mr Pete Davis and Mrs Natasha Troop for their support of the event.
Next term there will be more Project Care activities to look forward to. Please watch this space for more information
Victoria Corkin
Videos for Change
The culmination of student learning as a part of the Humanities component of their ‘Words Shape Worlds’ unit this term has seen Year 7s empowered by being given the opportunity to inspire empathy, awareness and action on important social issues through creating entries for global platform Videos for Change. Taking part in this competition gives students a voice, not just in our community but potentially across the world, as well as allowing them to contribute to a safer, more sustainable and inclusive world.
Students were able to work either individually, or in small groups, and needed to follow specific criteria, knowing their video would be judged on the following:
- Issue communicated effectively
- Emotional impact
- Uniqueness/creativity
- Effective video-making techniques
- Clear, achievable call to action
All approved videos gain automatic entry into the 2022 Videos for Change competition, whilst 12 submissions from across the Bellarine and Highton campuses have been chosen by their teachers as finalists in our very own CCG competition.
Now you have the chance to have your voice heard through voting for a CCG People’s Choice award winner! Please follow this link to view our finalists and, of course, to place your vote.
College leadership will also vote over the break for a Bellarine, Highton and Overall winner.
The Year 7 Humanities team want to thank all students for the enthusiasm, creativity and thinking that has gone into each and every submission – you should all be so very proud!
We look forward to sharing the voting results early in Term 4, when we will also be able to publish all our approved videos on the site for you to view!
The Year 7 Humanities Team
Clay Sculptures Update: Year 5 and 6 Art
This term in year 5 and 6 Art we have been exploring creating sculptures with clay using different processes and techniques.
Our year 5 students have created tiles with a fairy tale theme and decorated with acrylic paint.
Our year 6 students have created pinch-pot monsters and used glaze to decorate.
It’s always very exciting to see them after being fired in the kiln – A fantastic way to end the term!
To see more about our creation process please see the previous update in the Vine: Term 3 week 4 “ Getting Creatively Messy With Clay!”.
Felicity Van Kan
Athletics Victoria All Schools ‘NITRO’ Athletics Championships
There were medals everywhere for our CCG Eagles Team at the Athletics Victoria All Schools ‘Nitro’ Championships on Thursday.
Our College had two teams of six athletes (one male, one female) compete at this marquee event, which brought together about 30 schools from across the state to the picturesque Lakeside Stadium in Albert Park.
Our male team won the gold medal for the Under-16 ‘Field’ Relay, with points from the High Jump, Long Jump, Discus and Shot Put Events adding up to an overall winner.
Some members of that male team also came away with a bronze medal as well, after an outstanding run against high-quality competition in the Under-16 4 x 400 metre relay.
This event turned out to be something of a specialty for our College, as our female team also clinched a Silver Medal in their Under-16 4 x 400 metre relay.
Although the six-member teams performed in different combinations across the all-relay event, the heart and talent each one showed to compete in the 4 x 400 metres, the 4 x 100 metres, the 4 x 800 metres and 1600 metres medley running relays, and the Field Relay, was incredible.
Our students pushed themselves to the limit and found out what they are truly capable of, which was inspiring for our coaching staff to witness.
On behalf of our Sport Faculty, we would like to congratulate the following students for their remarkable efforts, and we look forward to seeing what other athletic challenges they will conquer in 2023!
MALE TEAM: Guy Williams (Taylor), Keegan Johnson (Burrows), Taj Beckworth (Burrows), Oscar Kattwinkel (Penman), Josh Goudge (Taylor), Rennick Carey (Burrows)
FEMALE TEAM: Jasmine King (Penman House), Suzannah Mavromihalis (Flynn), Molly Hoe (Burrows), Eloise Lynch (Taylor), Greea McKeegan (Flynn), Anya Brown (Taylor).
Matthew Murnane
Combined Middle Schools Music Camp was a Blast!
The celebration that was the combined Middle Schools Music camp has definitely returned in 2022 as a highlight of the year for many of our Middle School musicians. Choir, Band and String Ensemble members from Highton and Bellarine Campuses journeyed to Camp Wilkin in Anglesea on Monday this week for a 3 day jam-packed getaway full of music making, fun activities and great friendship!
Musically the groups from each campus collaborated, seeing the students learning new music and skills together. The camp program also offered a broad range of activities such as group singing, mindfulness and the practice of Alexander Technique which provided the students with opportunities to consider their wellness both as young people but as well, as young developing musicians.
Connecting with others is a necessary ingredient for success in making great music together! While at camp Wilkin there were many opportunities for the students to make new friends, try new things, express their own creativity and encourage each other. The beautiful coastal setting of the camp provided us with opportunity to connect with our beach and bush environs, including connecting with the locals (kangaroos) who were often hanging around appreciating the sweet sounds. The beach walk and sand castle competition proved a wonderful time away from ‘the stand’ (muso speak!) along with the night activities which included a trivia competition and disco featuring some timeless 80s classics with some momentous air guitar feats!
Congratulations to the participating students for the amazing spirit and energy that they bought to camp throughout the three days away!
Sharon Huber, Brighid Mantelli and Andrew Dunlop
On behalf of the Middle School Music Staff 2022
For Families Relocating or Withdrawing Students
A reminder that if your family is relocating and/or you are planning to withdraw your child from Christian College, a full term’s notice, in writing, is required. Please contact your student’s Campus.
Jonathan Ryan, Operations Manager
Important VET Information for Subject Selection 2023
Vocational Education Training (VET) is offered as a subject in Year 10, 11 and 12 at CCG Senior Campus. Students travel off campus to either The Gordon or a government or catholic school (non-Gordon) who offer the courses one afternoon a week. Year 10 students study VET as well as VCE Unit 1 Industry and Enterprise over the whole year which includes a week of work experience. VET is mandatory for students studying the new VCE Vocational Major (VM) and optional for VCE students. More information can be found in the subject selection booklets and on the Senior School Hub – VET for 2023 on SEQTA.
VET Course Information, Application Processes and Dates for 2023
- SELECT VET AS A CCG SUBJECT.
- Create a Unique Student Identifier at https://www.usi.gov.au/
- Choose your VET course from either The Gordon or Non Gordon
- APPLY FOR YOUR VET COURSE.
Non-Gordon Courses (Government and Catholic School Offerings)
Course information and application form can be found on the Senior School Hub. It will also be emailed to all Year 9 students and parents.
A hard copy application form is to be completed and returned to the CCG Senior Campus student office.
APPLICATIONS OPEN AUGUST 2nd FOR ALL STUDENTS
Second year students need to complete the application form to reapply for 2023.
Gordon Courses
COURSE INFORMATION AND ONLINE APPLICATION LINKS CAN BE FOUND ON Senior School Hub – VET for 2023 on SEQTA or by visiting https://www.thegordon.edu.au/sitedocs/publications/vet-delivered-to-secondary-students-guide.aspx
APPLICATIONS OPEN AUGUST 16 – VCE, VCE VM & VPC STUDENTS only
APPLICATIONS OPEN AUGUST 30 – YEAR 10 STUDENTS
Second year students do not need to reapply.
General Information
Early applications are highly recommended to secure a place. Most VET course run over 2 years. VET typically runs on Wednesday afternoons for 1st Year students and Monday afternoons for 2nd year students.
Year 10 VET students’ study VCE Unit 1 Industry & Enterprise for 3 periods a week and attend VET for 2 periods a week. They do a work placement in the first week of the holidays at the end of term 2.
CCG provides transport to VET – students make their own way home. VET courses incur an additional fee that is course dependent. CCG offers a subsidy.
For any queries about VET please contact me at Senior Campus or at k.fearnsides@ccg.vic.edu.au
THE GORDON VET STUDENTS
2nd Year Gordon students do not need to reapply. Please notify the student office if you plan to withdraw for 2023.
NON GORDON RTO’s, Belmont High, BSC, MFSC & Covenant College
2nd Year students must reapply, application forms available from the Student Office or on the Senior Hub.
Kerryn Fearnsides
Uniform Shop Hours Over the Holidays
The Uniform Shop in Centreway Arcade, Belmont will be closed from Monday 19th September and reopening 26th September 2022.
Opening hours in the second week of holidays are from 9:00am to 5:00pm Monday 26/09/2022 through to Friday 30/09/2022
The Uniform Shop resumes normal trading hours from Monday 3rd October 2022.
Canteen not Open on Last day of Term
Please note that on the last day of Term 4, Friday December 9, the canteen will not be open.
Thank you to all volunteers for your fantastic help during the course of this term, and throughout 2022.
Recycling Uniform Items
As part of the transition to our new College wardrobe it was important that we consider the environmental impact of clothing items no longer required. Whilst it is still possible for students to wear items from the traditional uniform, when items are no longer able to be worn, they can be recycled.
Any such items can be dropped off and placed in recycling bins at each campus. We are working with our wardrobe manufacturer to ensure that these can be recycled as part of the introduction of our new wardrobe over the next 18 months.
Scholarship Applications for 2024 Entry now Open!
Each year we offer Academic Excellence Scholarships for entry at Year 5 (Middle School-Highton, Bellarine and Surf Coast campuses); Year 7 (Middle School-Highton and Bellarine); and Year 10 (Senior School-Waurn Ponds).
These scholarships have been designed primarily to encourage and support new and current students who wish to attend Christian College and who demonstrate high levels of academic excellence.
We are now seeking scholarship applications for entry at any of those year levels in 2024.
For more information, and to apply, please see our website. Use the hotlink from our homepage or click here
Applications close on Thursday September 29. The examination date is Saturday October 8.
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
A MYTERN Thought for This Week
When you find yourself worrying about something that hasn't even happened yet and may never happen, reach for a PET (Personal Emotional Tool e.g. breathing, exercise, immersion in nature, music). The best way you can influence your future is by taking control of this moment. That's why they call the present a gift 🎁👍😊
Discover more about Mytern here
