From the Principal
Engaged and Reconnected
This term has seen a great deal of positive energy and enthusiasm across our campuses. I am extremely grateful to the staff and students for the manner in which they have jointly created a happy, engaging, and exciting learning environment and culture.
The return to the fullness of learning experiences, extra curricula opportunities, House events and community events has contributed greatly to the overall positive re-engagement for our community. I am delighted that this has been the case.
Offering a Wonderful Menu
Over the past few weeks, we have provided our families with Subject Expos to assist students to make decisions and selections for their subject choices. We also took the opportunity to invite prospective families to attend the ‘Sample Our Menu’ sessions, seeing first-hand the extensive range on offer in our Junior, Middle and Senior School contexts. Attending these events provided me with a wonderful sense of gratitude and appreciation for all that our staff and subject leaders have created for our students. The rich learning opportunities are remarkable. My thanks to the campus leadership, the Executive Director of Teaching and Learning, Mr Antony Benson, the Faculty Directors, the staff, and the students involved for their collective efforts to curate and present our college program in such an extensive fashion.
Piloting and Sharing Great Learning Opportunities
We have been blessed having Harvard University Project Zero Principal Investigator Flossie Chua return to our college to work with staff on two important programs we have been piloting in partnership with other independent schools and our peak body, Independent Schools Victoria (ISV). Flossie visited our campuses two weeks ago to observe our staff and students interacting in lessons that have been trialling a framework taking ‘Ideas into Action’ using a range of strategies in a quest to translate ideas, (principles, plans, good intentions, etc.) into action on the ground. The work undertaken by the Christian College team was later shared with other partner schools where it received high praise. The ideas that our students were exploring takes their learning beyond the classroom to make an impact in our world and community, addressing environmental and social justice issues, as well as access and equity, as part of their collective focus.
Flossie returned this week to launch a new pilot program focusing on ‘Transformative Repair’, a concept both Flossie and I have shared with staff and our community on previous occasions. This project looks at how strategic and sustained engagement with transformative repair as an artistic practice, can create supportive conditions for individuals and communities to find personal and broader purpose. This is particularly relevant and applicable in times of unprecedented uncertainty and challenge and encourages us to design effective ways to “repair” communities both literally and figuratively. The team working with Flossie will be preparing a strategic launch of this project for our college in 2023. Together with the work that our Wellbeing Team are producing, this is a very timely and supportive element of our demonstrated care for our community.
Our staff are loving the unique opportunity to work with Flossie and to collaborate with staff from other schools, alongside the ISV, in this important work. It is nourishment for their practice, and a powerful encouragement toward enhancing professional growth.
Partnering With Wellbeing
I wish to highlight the incredible work currently being done by our Wellbeing Team. The framework we have shared with you previously, designed to guide our care and support programs, is now beginning to take shape. Wellbeing involves many aspects of College life, and we are addressing each aspect strategically - from developing our Pastoral Care and Chaplaincy support, to creating a ‘Community of Respect,’ and working within our curriculum to further enhance the designated Wellbeing sessions. A particular focus we want to highlight is the cyber world that our young people navigate. To that end I commend the Parent Information Evenings which will be held on both September 1st and September 8th. I strongly encourage all families to attend and to invest this hour in support of our young people and our community. The evenings are planned to create a partnership, allowing us to work together in this complex environment, for the benefit of our students. Please register and come along. I look forward to seeing you there.
Reconciliation Action
Yesterday, I had the privilege to meet with the committee working to establish our college Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Since 2006, RAPs have enabled organisations to sustainably and strategically take meaningful action to advance reconciliation around core principles of relationships, respect, and opportunities together to support our journey with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The committee will be co-chaired by students and consists of representatives from our parent community, staff, our College Board, and myself. We have incredible support from Taryn Marks, our advisor, who is mentoring and guiding us to develop a meaningful RAP which will support us as a community, fostering shared conversation and future direction, as we seek to grow in our awareness and knowledge.
Providing Important Feedback
Families will have received an email invitation from ISV Data to complete LEAD Surveys - part of our way of reflecting upon our practice, processes, and culture. This feedback is benchmarked and used to monitor longitudinal data and trends which can assist us with our strategic and operational planning. I would appreciate as many families as possible responding to the survey to ensure that we capture a valid sample of responses. Staff as well as students at some year levels will also participate in this survey. It is important to hear both positive and constructive feedback. I hear parents say that they chose not to complete the survey because they are happy with the College, but we would appreciate hearing that information through the collected data. To gain a represented perspective from all college stakeholders, we would appreciate a larger sample of contributions to this survey.
A Seat in the Room where it Happens
I was invited to participate in a roundtable conversation at Parliament House in Canberra last Friday, called by the Federal Minister for Education Jason Clare MP. The meeting was attended by all the State and Territory Education Ministers and representatives from all education sectors, teacher unions and tertiary institutions. The focus of the meeting was to address the issue of teacher workforce shortages, and matters relating to initial teacher education, and the demands and conditions that impact teachers. As a community we need to seek solutions to these concerning issues.
It was a privilege for me to be afforded a voice to speak on behalf of my independent school colleagues and the communities we lead and care for. It was refreshing to witness time being invested by our ministers from across the nation to listen to our voice. There is much work to be done, but I left with a deep sense of hope, seeing our leaders presenting a genuine appetite to address the fact that the teaching profession needs to receive greater respect and support to best meet the complex needs of the young people in our schools today and in the future.
As always, I continue to hold my colleagues in education in high esteem, and I remain grateful for the significant and vital work they do each day in their classrooms, and throughout the broader community. They invest generously in the lives of students and indeed families. I look forward to further conversations and action plans addressing the delivery of collective support for the important work done by Teachers.
As Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Education is the key to eliminating gender inequality, to reducing poverty, to creating a sustainable planet, to preventing needless deaths and illness, and to fostering peace.
Why wouldn’t we support and respect our teachers?
It begins with each of us. I believe in the power of education and in the shared partnership that we enjoy with students, families, and the College - working together with purpose to make the world a better place and to see humankind flourishing. We each have a responsibility to value and support one another in this process.
To conclude, I offer one more quote from Nelson Mandela; “We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hands to make a difference.”
What’s Happening at Middle School
Week 7
- Sun, 21 Aug – Sun, 28 Aug – Vic. Interschools Snowsports Championships
- Tues, 23 Aug – GISSA ‘Nitro’ Athletics Competition
- Wed, 24 Aug – Year 9 Food Studies Pop-Up Snack Bar
- Thurs, 25 Aug – Deakin District Athletics Champs
- Fri, 26 Aug – GISSA Golf Championships
- Fri, 26 Aug – Book Week – Yr 5/6 Dress Up Parade
- Sun, 28 Aug – Tues, 30 Aug – Yr 9 GEOS – The Prom Camp 1 (Wilsons Prom National Park)
Week 8
- Sun, 28 Aug – Tues, 30 Aug – Yr 9 GEOS – The Prom Camp 1 (Wilsons Prom National Park)
- Tues, 30 Aug – 2023 Gordon VET course enrolment open for 2023 Year 10 students
- Wed, 31 Aug – Sun, 4 Sept – Senior Music Tour
- Wed, 31 Aug – Fri, 2 Sept – Yr 9 GEOS – The Prom Camp 2 (Wilsons Prom National Park)
- Thurs, 1 Sept – Deakin District Basketball (Yr5&6)
- Thurs, 1 Sept – Highton and Bellarine Concert bands Performance
- Thurs, 1 Sept – Wellbeing Parent Evening and Cyber Safe Schools Program Launch
- Sat, 3 Sept – Senior Wind Symphony Performance -Melbourne University Wind Band Day
Reserve Your Place!
Wellbeing Evening and Cyber Safe Schools Program Launch
We enjoyed a fantastic night with the parents, families, students and staff attending the first Digital Wellbeing Evening held at our Senior School Campus last night, Thursday 1st September. If you have not yet taken the opportunity to reserve your place at the second and final of our two nights, please save the date and reserve your place now! We would love to see you there. We encourage you to take a few minutes to view the video below to find out more about this important event. The evening will be presented at our Bellarine Campus next Thursday 8th September starting at 7pm. We expect to run for about 45 minutes, finishing with time for questions and a cuppa together.
We ask all Parents and Families to share their attending intentions with us via our online RSVP Response Form. Please access the form by clicking the image or link below.
https://forms.office.com/r/QwN6TXBE41
Year 5 Update
The Year 5 students have had a very busy Term 3 so far. They have been focusing on reading strategies using mentor texts based around our study of ‘Stories of Settlement’. It has been wonderful to see the students immerse themselves in this topic and consider the perspective of all people during this time. The students have been busy making newspaper articles written about an event or people during this time in history, convicts being top choice for most.
In Mathematics, all students have been learning about Chance and Data. They gathered data and produced corresponding graphs, showcasing their impressive technology skills. They have also been working through strategies when playing games with a partner, Hex being the clear favourite.
It has been wonderful to see the growth and maturity in our Year 5 students across all areas of school life. We are all very much looking forward to our camp at Sovereign Hill in October where we will be able to continue to build on the close relationships that have been made this year.
“I have enjoyed the maths games and warm ups this term, because I am still learning maths, whilst being able to play interactive games with my class”.
Lucas M.
“I have really enjoyed making a newspaper article about settlement in Australia and learning about the stolen generation. I didn’t know that people took the indigenous children from their homes. It is really sad that this happened.”
Jet P.
Building Connections Through Performance
The College’s Ensemble Program is thriving once more with many performance opportunities available to students in the Strings, Choir, Stage Bands and Concert Bands.
On Tuesday 9th August, the Highton MS Choir connected with the Kardinia International College Choir for a combined choral workshop and performance day. Students came together at the RW Gibson Music Performance Centre to participate in a variety of enjoyable warm-ups and rehearsed new music together. Each choir performed for the other before uniting for a massed finale. The workshop also featured special guest performers, our very own CCG Senior Choir! The advanced Senior singers showcased several songs which they will present during their upcoming Senior Music tour in the Melbourne CBD.
It was such a joy to hear students from Years 3 – 12 raise their voices in beautiful harmony and share their love for community singing with plenty of smiles all around! For any students interested in joining the Middle School Choir, please contact Ms Kate Notini: k.notini@ccg.vic.edu.au
Please note – All College ensembles are currently preparing repertoire for the Annual CCG Music Evening in Costa Hall, Thu. 13th October (Week 2 of Term 4). Part of this preparation will include a Middle School Music Camp held in the final week of Term 3 in Anglesea. This will be the first opportunity for many of our students to attend in recent years with great excitement building towards both events!
Term 3 Learning Conferences
Our Term 3 Learning Conferences will be held on Thursday 8th of September from 4:00pm – 9:00pm. These Conferences will again be conducted as video calls via Teams.
Bookings for these conferences will:
Open: Tuesday August 30 at 9.00am
Close: Tuesday September 6 at 5:00pm
Instructions as to how to make bookings will be emailed to families prior to the opening date.
Our teaching staff really look forward to this occasion as a valuable opportunity to develop relationships with our school families while discussing their students learning and progress. We encourage students to join their parents in the calls so that they can share reflections of their own learning, while also benefiting from the collaborative and supportive focus provided through this time and space.
We request that parents and guardians who schedule conference bookings, ensure that they have a quiet and respectful area available in which they can connect to the video call. Please note that teachers will not be able to participate in calls with family members who are driving a vehicle or in an inappropriate setting.
If you have any questions about these conferences, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Homeroom Teacher or Heidi Wilkinson by phone or email. We look forward to speaking with you online soon.
LEAD Surveys
A reminder to all College families – you will have received an email invitation from Independent Schools Victoria Data to complete LEAD Surveys - part of our way of reflecting upon our practice, processes, and culture. Staff and students at some year levels are also invited to participate.
We highly value both positive and constructive feedback and rely on the data collected from these surveys to assist with operational and strategic planning. To this end, we would encourage and ask as many families as possible to respond to the survey to ensure we are working with an accurate representation of perspectives. The closing date for surveys is a week from today – please consider participating if you have not done so already. Thank you.
Camp Australia Staff Recruitment
Camp Australia, the nationally recognised leader in Outside School Hours Care, is seeking new team members - please click on the link to the poster below:
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.
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.
East Timor Trivia Night
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
Language influences thinking. So, if you want to change your thinking patterns, then you need to change your language. MYTERN provides that language. Start simply. Changing "bad and good" to "rough and smooth" reduces the judgement you have towards yourself and others. Even such a small change has proven to be life changing 😊👍
Discover more about MYTERN here.