The Christian College Sport Hall of Honour
We are proud to announce a new initiative, which will become an important tradition in the life of our College – the Sport Hall of Honour – to recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of our past students who have reached national or international status in their chosen sports.
On October 5, we welcome our inaugural inductees to the Sport Hall of Honour – ex-students, Gary Ablett Jr and Tegan Philip. Both are universally recognised as champions at the highest level in their respective sports – AFL football and netball.
You are invited to join us for this gala dinner event at Mt Duneed Estate. On the night, we will also honour a cohort of current students as ‘Rising Eagles’ for their outstanding achievements in their chosen sports, putting them on a pathway to perhaps achieve the type of success required to enter our Sport Hall of Honour in future years.
The night also presents the perfect opportunity to award, for the first time ever, the ‘Gary Ablett Jr’ and ‘Tegan Philip’ medals to the students named as MVP of our Senior Male Football team and Senior Female Netball team from this year’s GISSA Championships.
For more information and to purchase tickets to the October 5 event, please visit our website.
The Hall of Honour will be a permanent display within our school, displaying the names, images and achievements of our extraordinary sports stars. This will not only inspire our current students but also serve as a testament to the values and dedication instilled within them during their time at Christian College.
We encourage our College community to join us in celebrating those who have pursued their gifts and passions to an extraordinary level of success. While one of the criteria for induction to the Sport Hall of Honour is that individuals have retired from their sport professionally or at the very highest level, if you are aware of any past students who have achieved, or are achieving, national or international recognition in sport, please reach out to our Sports Administrator Matthew Murnane [email protected] with any relevant information.
Daryl Riddle OAM, CEO of Christian College
Whats Happening at Middle School
Week 7
- Tues 29 Aug – Learning Conferences
- Wed 30 Aug – Year 7 & 8 GISSA Sport
- Thurs 31 Aug – Deakin District Basketball – Year 5 & 6
- Thurs 31 Aug – Choir Performance Carmina Burana – Senior & Middle Choirs & Percussionists
- Fri 1 Sept – GISSA Golf Championships
- Fri 1 Sept – Senior Ensembles Performance Festival Day – Bands
- Sun 3 Sept – Tues 5 Sept – Year 9 GEOS Hike Program 1
Week 8
- Sun 3 Sept – Tues 5 Sept – Year 9 GEOS Hike Program 1
- Mon 4 Sept – Karen Students Learning Conferences
- Tues 5 Sept – Junior Boys (Years 7 & 8) Netball Championships
- Tues 5 Sept – North Geelong Division Athletics Championships
- Wed 6 Sept – Fri 8 Sept – Year 9 GEOS Hike Program 2
- Wed 6 Sept – Year 7 & 8 GISSA Sport
- Thurs 7 Sept – Athletics Victoria ‘Nitro’ event
- Thurs 7 Sept – Senior and Intermediate Boys Netball State Final
Year 5/6 Book Week
Read, grow, inspire. This was the tagline for the 2023 Book Week celebrations. Each year since 1945 this wonderful week has brought children and books together across Australia and during this time schools and public libraries spend one glorious week celebrating books and Australian children’s authors and illustrators. On Monday this week, Year 5/6s dressed up to celebrate this occasion. The uptake and energy brought to this event by all the students was most impressive and was one of the best turnouts we have had. There were characters from the Harry Potter universe, Dr Seuss, sports stars, a couple of dinosaurs and many, many more wonderful costumes. The teachers even came each dressed as a character from Alice in Wonderland which showed that even adults love a good dress up. The day culminated in a parade in the SAC where each class were able to show off their costumes and be celebrated, concluding with a great message from Mrs Hambrook and Mr Kennedy.
In the Year 5/6 classes throughout this week the students have been experiencing multiple different texts and stories to foster their creativity and aim to continue their love for reading. The library staff have done a wonderful job in making this experience as engaging and fun as possible.
For students who are interested in all that Book Week has to offer we suggest they seek out either their homeroom teacher, library staff or jump on the Children Book Council website which has plenty of fun resources and things to explore.
Thank you to all students, staff and families who have supported this event. It is much appreciated.
Callen Wade
Fostering Collaboration and Wellbeing
The 2023 Victorian Young Leaders (VYL) to Indonesia (pilot) program has concluded with resounding success, marking a significant milestone in cross-cultural education. Funded and supported by the Victorian Department of Education and delivered by the Asia Education Foundation (AEF) at Asialink, University of Melbourne, this initiative aimed to promote student health and wellbeing while aligning with various Victorian Curriculum learning areas and priorities.
This immersive project also tied into the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SD), specifically Goals 2 and 3, fostering Indonesian curriculum alignment and engagement. Over the course of three intensive weeks, the participating students embarked on an online learning that not only expanded their cultural horizons but also facilitated meaningful cross-border connections through collaborative engagement with other selected Year 9 students studying Indonesian across Victoria as well as Indonesia.
Four Year 9 students from Christian College Geelong were fortunate to have been selected for this program, highlighting the program’s diverse representation across Victorian schools.
The heart of the program lay in project-based activities that supported language learning, culminating in a remarkable bilingual health and wellbeing campaign. Students employed modern pedagogies like Design Thinking and High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS) to collaboratively produce this campaign. The program encouraged participants to interact with peers from across Australia and Indonesia, fostering an exchange of diverse lived experiences and perspectives. Most importantly, it prompted students to apply their knowledge and skills to tackle real-world challenges in line with UN-SD goals.
Among the standout students who participated in this transformative experience were Keely Denyer, Abigail Merlo, Minnah Evans, and Isabel Whitaker. Throughout the program, they displayed an impressive high engagement in their learning and emerged as significant contributors to virtual discussions. We thank and congratulate these students for their effort in putting such a great campaign together. These students reported significant improvements in their language and social skills as they connected with peers from Victoria and Indonesia.
To see the tangible outcomes of their hard work and dedication, you can visit the campaign websites:
- Udara Segar Pikiran Segar: https://rb.gy/tzruu
- Kalau Ragu Bicaralah: https://rb.gy/wgpby
The 2023 VYL to Indonesia program exemplifies the power of educational initiatives in fostering collaboration, cultural understanding, and personal growth. It serves as a testament to the value of international exchanges and forward-thinking pedagogical approaches in preparing young leaders for an interconnected world.
This immersive learning opportunity for our four participating students would not have been possible if they were not supported by their dedicated teachers; Ibu Bishi Leathem, Pak Zacky and Ibu Nani who were all rostered each afternoon for three weeks to supervise and assist the students in navigating the online learning. Well done team!
Ibu Nani Thomas, Pak Zacky and Ibu Bishi
Year 9 Boys Read the City…
The boys first week in the onsite component of the Transformation Program culminated in a trip to Melbourne where they were immersed in ‘reading the city’ by using all senses.
Barack Obama famously said:
“If we hope to meet the moral test of our times… then I think we’re going to have to talk more about the empathy deficit. The ability to put ourselves in somebody else’s shoes, to see the world through somebody else’s eyes.”
Empathy has the power to understand others and allows us to enter imaginatively into their thoughts and feelings and therefore respond in an appropriate way.
Students were challenged to do this as they walked the streets and alleyways on a guided walk provided by ‘The Intersection’. They observed extreme wealth, poverty, disability and architecture through differing perspectives allowing them to metaphorically put on the shoes of others.
In a hands-on, interactive workshop students were also encouraged to ask: What is empathy? What happens when we empathise with people different from us? How does it change us and our society? Experientially students learnt to transform their perspective with a view to transforming, our school, our community and our world.
This experience will set the foundation of the remaining weeks of the boys’ Transformation Program and stand them in good stead for actively seeking positive change in an issue of their choice.
Earl Moore
Student Learning Conferences
It is a priority of ours to communicate regularly and comprehensively with you, about your young person’s learning journey. In addition to regular updates on student progress via our ‘in-time reporting’ program and our end of Semester summative reports, both accessed through your Parent Portal (SEQTA Engage), our twice-yearly Student Learning Conferences provide the opportunity to briefly meet your young person’s Homeroom and Subject teachers, including to discuss their academic progress.
We are holding our Semester 2 Student Learning Conferences on Tuesday, August 29 from
4:00pm – 9:00pm. As with last semester, these will be held on-line via Microsoft Teams.
Learning Conferences run for 10 minutes in duration, however if any parent/guardian requires a longer conference time, please discuss this with the relevant teacher prior to selecting your timeslot online.
Please note: We are asking all students to accompany their parents/guardians to the Learning Conferences this year. Research suggests that student learning can be impacted positively through the teacher providing direct feedback to individual students. It also provides opportunity for reflection, questions, and discussion pertinent to goal setting. We feel that parents/guardians will also benefit from these opportunities for discussion and feedback.
Online Learning Conference Bookings will be available by clicking on the ‘School Interviews’ tile on the Parent Portal or by going to www.schoolinterviews.com.au Simply enter the school event code (wcud2) and book the teachers and times requested. A more detailed explanation of how to make conference bookings is attached for your convenience.
Bookings:
Opened: Monday, August 14 at 5:00pm
Close: Friday, August 25 at 5:00pm.
Information pertaining to accessing Microsoft TEAMS on your home device is also attached for your convenience.
We look forward to continuing our partnership with you and your child/ren through these conferences.
Learning Conferences Flyer Sem 2 2023
Student Learning Conferences Microsft Teams Instructions for Families
Natasha Troop
Back Creek Café Closes
After nine years, we have made the difficult decision to close Back Creek Café, which has been an important part of the Back Creek Farm residential experience for our Year 9 students. As well as providing an outlet for farm produce and opportunities for student workgroups to gain hospitality skills, the café became a popular place within the Meredith community for locals and passers-by alike.
Since the COVID lockdown years, staffing at the café has proved to be a challenge and we have reached a point where we are not able to employ staff who can both support the students and operate the café effectively, which makes its continued operation unviable.
Christian College Year 9 students will continue to enjoy their rural residential experience at Back Creek Farm in Scotsburn, but working at the café will no longer be part of that experience. Another work group rotation will now be included as part of the farm experience.
We are so grateful for the friendships we made with both regular and occasional customers over nine years, and for the support and patronage of many Christian College families who visited the café in that time.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this café a great place to work and visit – we will miss you.
LEAD Parent Survey - Now Closing September 1
Each year, Christian College participates in the LEAD School Effectiveness Surveys conducted by Independent Schools Victoria (ISV). These surveys provide valuable insights into a school’s performance from the perspectives of students, staff and parents and are therefore an essential school improvement tool.
LEAD – Listen, Evaluate, Act, Deliver – succinctly describes the way in which this process enables our College community to grow and flourish through consultation with our valued stakeholders.
You will have received an email from ‘ISV Research Programs [email protected]’ inviting you to participate in the ISV LEAD Parent Survey. It includes a unique survey link that can only be used once and therefore cannot be shared or forwarded to others. Thank you to all parents who have completed the Parent Satisfaction Survey - we have received more than 300 responses to date. ISV has extended the deadline for survey responses - closing date is September 1. We invite any parents who have not yet participated to contribute your feedback via this year's survey. You are an integral part of our school community and your voice matters.
Rick Geall, Acting Principal
Scholarship Applications are Now Open!
Each year Christian College offers Academic Excellence Scholarships for entry at Year 5, 7 and 10 levels. Applications are now open for this year’s scholarships, which apply to entry in 2025, at three campuses – Middle School-Highton, Bellarine Campus and Surf Coast Campus.
Year 10 entry applies to Senior School-Waurn Ponds only.
To find out more, and to apply, visit our website and look for the homepage hotlink, or click here.
Scholarship applications are open to students who do not currently attend Christian College, as well as those who are currently enrolled here. Scholarship examinations will be held at Christian College on Saturday October 7. Closing date for applications is Thursday, September 28.
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]
Uniform Shop Clearance Sale!
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
