Appointment of our new Executive Principal to Start in 2025
The Board is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Mathilda Joubert as the Executive Principal of Christian College Geelong from the beginning of 2025.
Mathilda is an outstanding educator, mentor and leader who is well placed to lead our College into the future. We are excited to appoint someone of her passion, expertise, energy and faith to lead our community and we look forward to Mathilda joining us in January 2025.
Mathilda grew up in South Africa and spent her formative working years there and in the United Kingdom as a teacher and later advisor and consultant on education policy and innovation. Since moving to Australia in 2010 Mathilda served for seven years as Principal of the Swan Christian Education Association Institute of Teaching and Learning where she was responsible for strategic leadership of school improvement, teacher professional development and leadership development for approximately 500 staff members across seven schools. She is currently Executive Principal at Sheridan Institute of Higher Education, and President of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders in Western Australia.
Mathilda has been an expert advisor to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), an evaluator of several educational programs in Western Australia and has authored over 90 publications on creativity, innovation, teaching, learning and leadership. She is a lifelong learner with two bachelor and three master degrees (in music, languages, education, cognitive neuropsychology, and business) and a PhD in Education from The University of Western Australia , focused on the assessment of student creative thinking skills.
Mathilda is relocating to Geelong with her husband François while their two university-aged children remain in Perth to complete their studies. She is actively involved in her local church, enjoys making music with her family, sings in the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra Chorus and volunteers weekly at her local residential age care facility as accompanist to their choir of octogenarians.
Through the appointment process, the Board of Christian College has not only been impressed by Mathilda’s passion, energy, integrity, and communication, but also by the sense of calling that she has for this position and for leading our College. We are confident she will be an outstanding leader for our community, and we believe that under her leadership, Christian College Geelong will thrive.
Mathilda says: “I am thrilled to be taking up the role of Executive Principal at Christian College Geelong and look forward to getting to know the students, staff and parents across the various campuses. I am passionate about quality education that develops the character attributes and creativity within every young person to enable them to flourish in a fast-changing world. I am so impressed by the rich educational experiences offered by Christian College, and I look forward to being part of such a vibrant community.”
A/Prof. David Fuller, Chair Christian College Geelong Board
What’s Happening at Middle School
Week 4
- Tues 6 Aug – Subject Information Evening
- Thurs 8 Aug – AMEB Exams – Strings
- Fri 9 Aug – AMEB Exams – Voice
Week 5
- Mon 12 Aug – Fri 16 Aug Science Week
- Mon 12 Aug – Project Care Day
- Mon 12 Aug – Scott Darlow – First Nations Presentation
- Tues 13 Aug – Netball Vic Schools Championships – Boys
- Wed 14 Aug – Vic School Music Festival – Highton Intermediate Concert Band
- Thurs 15 Aug – Year 9 Transformation – Open House
- Thurs 15 Aug – Vic School Music Festival – Highton Novice Concert Band
Sporting Fun in the Sun
The frosty mornings of this week have led to beautifully sunny afternoons, providing great conditions for our Sport and Physical Education classes. On Wednesday, the Year 7 and 8 Interschool Sport Elective students were putting in their final preparations before next week’s commencement of the Geelong Independent Schools Sports Association (GISSA) round robin competition. Students will be competing in basketball, Gaelic football, table tennis and badminton at a number of venues across the city. Good luck to those students involved.
Andrew Ellery, Deputy Head of Campus
Year 6 Term 3 Update
Our Year 6 students have embraced Term 3 with enthusiasm, settling into school expectations and routines. In Humanities, they are planning an exciting geography adventure, while in English, they are reading about the plight of refugees, fostering empathy and understanding. Maths lessons have begun with a focus on angles, encouraging critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Students have also been creative in their electives, exploring new subjects like The Secret Ingredient, Developing New Futures, Music, and Visual Art. As we progress through the term, we look forward to watching our Year 6 cohort continue to develop their leadership skills, with exciting opportunities ahead!
Steph Hambrook
Year 7 Author Visit – It’s the Sound of the Thing
It was with great excitement that we welcomed Maxine Beneba Clarke, author of our set text It’s the Sound of the Thing, on Wednesday, 31 of July. Having been joined by the Year 7 English teachers and students from Bellarine Campus, the Highton Chapel was abuzz with anticipation.
Maxine shared her journey to becoming an author, beginning as a young person of Afro-Caribbean descent growing up in Western Sydney in the 1970s and 1980s. Inspired by the music she was listening to at the time, Maxine began experimenting with the poetic techniques found in song. Today, Maxine is the author of many acclaimed books across multiple genres and formats and is widely studied from junior through to senior years. Her poetry is accessible, emotive and engaging.
Throughout the session, Maxine invited students to put pen to paper and apply their learning about how employing specific language devices adds detail and captures the interest of one’s audience.
We are looking forward to further discussing Maxine’s message throughout the term ahead and feel confident that she has sowed a seed on inspiration for students keen to express their ideas and experiences through poetry.
Jessica Jones
みなさんこんにちは。
On Monday morning, we had some very special visitors from Senior School. 2023 long-term exchange students Niko Nakayama and Supreet Kaur, accompanied by Nakayama Sensei, came to speak to the current Year 9 Japanese students about their experiences after spending four months at our Japanese sister school, Naga High School.
Niko and Supreet spoke about their time as long-term exchange students and then we had a lengthy question and answer session with the girls and Nakayama Sensei. Both Niko and Supreet spoke very highly of the experience and were very keen to share how much this experience had improved their Japanese language abilities. The girls shared happy memories from time spent with their host families, the lifelong friends they have made, and they may have even mentioned a karaoke session or two! Niko, Supreet and Nakayama Sensei recommended that all students consider this amazing opportunity as they move to Year 10 in 2025.
Christian College is extremely fortunate to have such an extensive exchange program that offers students at our Senior School various ways to travel to Japan and we really appreciated hearing from the girls about their once-in-a-lifetime experiences. For more information on exchange or Japanese study at Christian College in general, please feel free to contact Middle School Japanese teachers Mr Toshio Asai or Mr Stephen Brewster or contact Christian College’s Head of Japanese Studies and Exchange Mr Yuji Nakayama.
ありがとうございます。
Stephen Brewster
Book Week Celebrations
The Book Week celebrations at Middle School will include a Book Week parade for students in Years 5 and 6 on Tuesday 20 August. We look forward to celebrating the theme Reading is Magic with students on that day and we encourage students to come dressed as a favourite book character or reflecting the theme.
Joy Whiteside
The Great Book Swap – Tuesday 20 August
Christian College Geelong is supporting the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
During Book Week, Monday August 19 – 23, the library will be holding a Great Book Swap event to support the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
This event involves students donating books that are appropriate to their reading level, and that are in excellent condition, to our Great Book Swap stall, and then purchasing a book with a gold coin donation on the event day.
The library will be encouraging book donations from Monday 5 August through to Friday 16 August. Please encourage your young person to donate a favourite book or a couple of books. Please also encourage them to purchase a book on Tuesday 20 August at the Great Book Swap event so that we raise a generous amount for this worthy cause.
The money that is raised from this event will help provide books in First Languages and learning resources to children and families living in over 440 remote Communities across Australia.
For more information, please watch this video about The Great Book Swap produced by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
https://youtu.be/-Jtym39PlSQ?si=7fDKVBK7fzmEufX9
Joy Whiteside
Promoting Wellbeing in Term 3
Term 3 offers many opportunities to support, enhance and promote wellbeing in our College community. This term is jam-packed with important events aimed at promoting a supportive, inclusive and positive environment, fostering mental health awareness, belonging and empowering students to take care of themselves and others.
In Week 5, we will be acknowledging the Bullying No Way: National Week of Action which is Australia’s key bullying prevention initiative. The theme this year is ‘Everyone Belongs’ because when we all feel like we belong, bullying struggles to find a place. Our Year 8 team of students and staff will be leading our engagement with this week, planning activities across the College to raise awareness about not only the impact of bullying and violence, but also,to equip students with the tools to be upstanders and foster a culture of kindness, empathy and respect. This will also coincide with the release of the Christian College approach to bullying prevention and intervention affirming our commitment to ensuring that every student belongs to an environment free from bullying, discrimination, and harassment. Recognising the serious short-term and long-term physical, psychological, and social consequences of bullying, we are dedicated to engaging in best practices and taking an evidence-based approach to bullying prevention.
In Week 9, R U OK? day provides an opportunity for the College to promote the importance of a help-seeking community. The theme this year is ‘Ask R U OK? any day’ because life happens every day. We will be spending time connecting our students with resources designed to help them best support their peers but also how to talk about how they feel as an important life lesson. We are also aiming to offer a parent webinar during this week to support overall adolescent health and wellbeing…more information on the webinar to come.
We highly value the opportunity to meaningfully engage with days that raise awareness about the importance of wellbeing in our College community. Wellbeing is a collective effort, and it is through a strong and connected community that we can achieve positive and lasting change.
Kim Doherty, Director of Wellbeing
CCG Wind Symphony Stars at Aust. International Music Festival
During the second term holidays the Senior Wind Symphony went on tour to Sydney to participate in the 2024 Australian International Music Festival. The festival featured 47 bands, orchestras, choirs and various ensembles from Australia, California, Shanghai - China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. As well as musical experiences, they had the opportunity to explore Sydney including many tourist attractions and sights.
The CCG Senior Wind Symphony tour involved 44 students from Years 9 – 12 (from Bellarine, Highton and Senior Campuses), one 2023 Year 12 graduate and 6 music staff. Rehearsals for the tour happened weekly from the start of Term 4 2023 and during this time the band prepared a program of works for several tour performances, including a 20 minute ‘competition’ program that was adjudicated and scored by a panel of 3 judges. The festival gave the students a range of musical experiences, sightseeing opportunities and fun times. For many of the students it was their first experience going on a music tour. Upon reflection, the students have said that there were many trip highlights that have impacted them, providing lifelong memories! Many students have said that their friendships with each other have grown and that “even though they had attended weekly rehearsals the tour gave them a chance to get to know each other and the teachers much better.”
Music Festival Experiences - At the festival the Wind Symphony participated in musical exchange rehearsals with other schools, they had a great time playing each other’s music and learning about each other. The students attended numerous festival concerts and heard amazing music groups perform, including the Ragazzi Boys Choir from California who are a Grammy award winning boys’ choir. They also heard a traditional Chinese Orchestra from St Stephen’s College in Hong Kong, who performed on traditional Chinese instruments. The Wind Symphony also had a workshop with one of the festival adjudicators who took them through sections of their pieces providing ideas about how they might consider different interpretations and techniques.
Exploring Sydney - Sightseeing opportunities included a visit to Bondi Beach, Taronga Zoo, exploring The Rocks and Darling Harbour, photo opportunities with many famous people at Madame Tussauds, a ferry ride to Manly for lunch and a birds eye view of the harbour city from the Sydney Tour.
Music Festival Performances - The Wind Symphony performances included being selected to perform in the Festival Welcome Concert at the Sydney Conservatorium, an adjudicated performance for a panel of judges at the Chatswood Concourse Concert Hall, an outdoor concert at the Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour and a performance at the Sydney Opera House. The Opera House performance was a highlight that saw the group perform beautifully and one that both staff and students will always remember as a special moment.
A finale to Remember - The final night of the festival was the Awards Ceremony and Festival Dance Party held at the Sydney Town Hall. The adjudicators selected 3 of the 47 ensembles to perform at the Festival Finale Command Concert. We are so proud to have been one of the 3 ensembles selected to perform, along with a choir from Hong Kong and an orchestra from Taipei. The Senior Wind Symphony was also honoured to receive a Gold Award at this ceremony. The awards ceremony was followed by a dance party where the students were able to celebrate a great week of music, learning new things and making new friends.
Congratulations to the students in the band for their great performances and their outstanding representation of Christian College and their families. Many parents and families traveled to Sydney to the performances, including the performance at the Sydney Opera house – this was a very special opportunity – one that I am sure many of us will never forget. Thanks to the families for their tremendous ongoing support of the Music Program and their students to attend this tour.
I would like to thank Mr Rankin with whom I co- conduct the Wind Symph, for the work we have done together with the students, as well as the other staff who attended the tour, Mr Dunlop, Mr Gardner, Ms Mantelli and Mr Moffatt for coming and supporting us on the tour.
Fiona Gardner, Director of Music
Important VET and Subject Selection Information for 2025
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) that offer the courses one afternoon a week. Year 10 students who select VET also study VCE VM Unit 1 Work Related Skills over the whole year and complete one week of work experience. VET is mandatory for students studying VCE Vocational Major (VM) and optional for VCE (ATAR) students. More information can be found in the subject selection booklets and VET tab located in the Senior School Hub on SEQTA.
VET Course Information, Application Process and Dates
- 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 supplier.
- APPLY FOR YOUR VET COURSE. Choose PM classes only.
Non-Gordon Courses (Govt and Catholic School Offerings
COURSE INFORMATION AND HARD COPY APPLICATION FORMS can be found on the Senior School Hub under the VET tab and at CCG campus student offices. All Year 9,10 and 11 students and parents will be informed via email.
A HARD COPY APPLICATION FORM FOR NON-GORDON COURSES IS TO BE COMPLETED AND RETURNED TO CCG Senior Campus student office via email to c.brew@ccg.vic.edu.au
HARD COPY APPLICATIONS are now open for all 2025 Year 10 – 12 students for NON- GORDON COURSES closing September 1 for CCG students.
Gordon Courses
Course information and online application links can be found on the Senior School Hub under the VET tab on SEQTA.
ONLINE APPLICATIONS OPEN AUGUST 6 for VCE and VCE VM STUDENTS ONLY and AUGUST 20 for YEAR 10 STUDENTS. ONLINE APPLICATIONS CLOSE for all CCG students on SEPTEMBER 1.
General Information
VET placements are highly sought after so early applications are highly recommended. Most VET courses run over 2 years. VET typically runs on Wednesday afternoons for first year students and Monday afternoons for second year students.
Year 10 VET students study VCE Unit 1 Work Related Skills 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 from their courses. VET courses incur an additional fee that is course dependent. CCG offers a subsidy on VET courses.
Note that applications for SBAT courses – typically of one-year duration unless a trade – can be made using the hard copy SBAT application form.
For any queries about VET or SBAT please contact Kerryn Fearnsides at Senior Campus on 5241 1577 or at k.fearnsides@ccg.vic.edu.au
Kerryn Fearnsides, Vocational Pathways Coordinator
Scholarship Applications Now Open!
Scholarship applications for Year 5, 7 and 10 entry to Christian College in 2026 are now open. You can access all the information you need, and apply, by visiting our website. There is a hotlink at the top of our homepage that takes you there, or just click here.
The scholarship testing date is Saturday October 12 and all applications must be received no later than close of business on Thursday October 3.
Save the Date – East Timor Trivia Night
The annual East Timor Trivia Night is always a great night of fun that supports Christian College’s work in Viqueque, and 2024’s event is on Friday August 9. This year the venue is the Sport and Aquatic Centre at the Middle School-Highton. It’s $10 per head, with each table seating 10 people. Get your friends and families involved, put together as many people as you can and don’t miss it! Call the Senior School Campus on 5241 1577 to book.
Seeking Support for Work Placements
Students studying the VCE Vocational Major (VM) are timetabled to work with an employer related to their VET course all day on Fridays. This is called Structured Workplace Learning (SWL). There are some prefilled forms to sign and there is a minimal cost of $5.00 a day to the employer. We are seeking workplace opportunities in the Plumbing, Building and Electrical trades. If you or someone you know are willing to help these students, to get a start in their chosen careers please contact myself k.fearnsides@ccg.vic.edu.au or Mary Higgins m.higgins@ccg.vic.edu.au at Senior Campus. Thank you in anticipation of some support.
Kerryn Fearnsides, Vocational Pathways Coordinator
National Collection of Data on Students With a Disability
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 (August 5 this year), 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.
Please see the attached NCCD Fact Sheet for more information.
Golf Tournament
Join the Christian College Foundation for an exciting four-person Ambrose Golf Day, including a $30,000 hole in one prize on Thursday, 24th of October at 13th Beach Golf Links, Barwon Heads.
Set on the stunning Bellarine Peninsula, the day provides an opportunity to enjoy the award-winning creek course, known for its undulating couch fairways, deep bunkers and interesting swales and hollows.
You will be treated to a scrumptious breakfast on arrival and an opportunity to participate in several fun activities including the longest drive, nearest to the pin etc.
There is plenty of prizes up for grabs, including a cash prize of $30,000. Score a Hole in One on the 12th Hole and you can win. *
You will also be treated to a delicious buffet lunch and learn more about the incredible work of the foundation. Every dollar raised will be dollar matched!
Event: Christian College Foundation Golf Day
Date: Thursday, 24th of October 2024
Dress: Casual
Cost: $195
Format: Ambrose – team of 4 players
Location: 13th Beach Golf Links, 1732 Barwon Heads Road, Barwon Heads
You can individually register or register up to a team of 4 players
This event is proudly sponsored by AECS.
Event Information:
For Players, registration commences at 7:00 am.
Breakfast provided; coffee & tea available.
Ambrose Golf (shotgun start): 8:00am – 12.30pm.
Lunch and formalities: 1:00pm – 3:00pm – auction items available to bid!
*Terms and conditions apply
CLICK HERE to register
