Senior School – Term 2 Week 2

Greater Love has no Person Than This…

“Greater love has no person than this, that a person lay down their life for their friends”. This verse from John 15:13 has characterised the ANZAC spirit for generations. It occurs to me that love and inversely a lack of love continues to be the greatest driving force in human beings. This makes sense considering we are all created from, by and for the love of God.

When I think about some of the most challenging tasks I could be asked to do as a member of a family, organisation, community or country I know that ultimately it’s not my respect for the person asking, ordering or mandating my action but my love for whomever my action will benefit that is the key motivating factor. It’s difficult to follow orders that we disagree with, cause discomfort or come from someone we disrespect – and yet when we love the person beside us, when we value them and seek to serve their best interests a courage arises within us that motivates and drives us towards the hardest of tasks. This is how Jesus went to and endured his death on the cross, his love for us drove and enabled him to face incredible challenges that ultimately resulted in our lives being saved and radically restored, improved and safeguarded.

Cinderella – Be Quick - Tickets are Disappearing Fast!

There are still tickets available for our major College production this year, but they are going fast, so to ensure you don't miss out - book now! Join us as we present three very special performances of this delightful story featuring students from Years 6 – 12 with exceptional talent throughout the cast, and an orchestra brimming with outstanding student musicians, all backed up by a wonderful community of staff, students and families backstage.

Performances are at Geelong Arts Centre Play House Theatre on May 3 and 4.

To purchase tickets, visit our website and click on the hotlink on our homepage, or go straight to ticket sales by clicking here. 

Unearth Your Treasure Within!

Open Day and Prep Discovery Days

For those considering a Christian College education for their children, regardless of year level, we believe the best way to get a true 'look and feel' of our College is to come and see us in action. That’s why we offer open days where interested parents and guardians have the opportunity to tour our campuses, see real classes in real time, meet students, teachers and campus leaders and have their specific questions answered.

Our second Open Day for 2024 at all five campuses, plus Butterfield House Kindergarten, is on May 7. Opening times have been planned so there is an opportunity to visit more than one campus on the same day. Bellarine Campus will open its doors from 9:30 to 11:00am; Middle School-Highton from 10:30am to 12 noon; Senior School-Waurn Ponds from 11:30am to 1pm; Junior School-Belmont from 9:15 to 10:45am and Surf Coast Campus and Butterfield House from 11:30am to 1pm. Evening sessions are offered at two campuses on the day – Junior School (at 5:00, 5:15 and 5:30pm) and Surf Coast Campus (at 4:30, 4:45 and 5:00pm).

Then on May 8 and 9, we are again offering a Prep Discovery experience at our Bellarine, Belmont and Surf Coast Campuses. These days are for those parents and guardians interested in enrolling in Prep. There is an opportunity for them, and their children, to actually join a Prep class for an immersive experience – and find out more about our amazing Prep program at three campuses. For those interested in attending one of these free sessions, we ask for a booking so we can properly accommodate everyone who wants to attend. More details on both Open Day and Prep Discovery sessions, including a link to book a Prep Discovery place, can be found on our website.

We would ask all current Christian College families who have friends, other family members or colleagues who are making choices about the right school for their child(ren), to spread the word and encourage them to visit one or more of our campuses on May 7, and/or be part of our Prep Discovery program on May 8/9.  

From the Head of Campus

As we reach the end of the week, I am delighted to reflect on the reverence in which our students held the ANZAC Service on Wednesday. The theme for this year is Prisoners of War. I would like to thank Morgan Laird, Y10 Flynn, a War History expert and Naval Cadet who narrated a video which set the scene in House Group on Wednesday morning. Students learned, at least a little bit, about some of the of the atrocious conditions that were endured by prisoners in war time, but also about some of the amazing examples of human spirit, like that of POW surgeon Sir Edward Weary Dunlop. Students then took part in what was a very moving service at our own Senior School war memorial and were invited to leave a sprig of rosemary in remembrance of the fallen.

Semester Two Subject Changes

You will have received a letter from our Deputy Head – Teaching and Learning, Elissa Huddart, regarding the process for students wishing to change their Semester 2 subjects. Whilst we cannot guarantee every requested change is possible, we will work to accommodate all that is possible with our current staffing.

The timeline for change is:

Sunday May 5 by 5.00pm                Deadline for subject change requests.

Friday May 24 by 5.00pm                Unapproved requests identified students invited                                                                            to discuss.

Commencement of Semester 2    Timetables released to students.

What’s Happening at Senior School

Monday April 29 to Saturday May 4 – College Production of Cinderella at Play House Theatre

Tuesday April 30 – GISSA Senior Boys AFL

Tuesday April 30 – Year 11 Geography Field Trip

Wednesday May 1 – Year 11 Environmental Science Excursion

Thursday May 2 – Year 10 students departing for Our World – Finke Trip

Friday May 3 – Year 10 VCE VM Excursion

Friday May 3 – State Surfing Titles

Sunday May 5 – Deadline for Subject Changes by 5.00pm

Tuesday May 7 – College wide Open Day

Wednesday May 8 – Year 12 English SAC 3.45-4.55pm

Tuesday May 14 – GISSSA Senior Boys AFL

Friday May 17 – Staff Development Day – No Students on campus

Indonesian Study Tour 2024

A select group of 22 students across Years 10-12 participated in the 2024 Lombok-Java Study Tour during the last week of Term 1 and first week of Easter holidays. This was the first College trip to Indonesia post-Covid and the celebrations that followed were incredibly special as we reconnected again.

The first week of the trip was spent in Lombok at our sister school, SMA Negeri 2 Mataram. Students immersed themselves in daily school and family life, living with a host family. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our students as our visit coincided with the holy month of Ramadan. How lucky our Christian College students were to witness firsthand the rituals and celebrations that come during Ramadan. From hearing the early morning wake up of ‘sahur’ to have breakfast, to breaking the fast together as a whole school community.

The connections formed and friendships made are like no other and we eagerly await SMA Negeri 2 Mataram’s visit to Christian College in 2025 to celebrate our outstanding 30-year relationship and partnership between the two schools.

Junior School Visit

Core science headed to Junior school on Monday with dioramas of different ecosystems that make up our world. Students spent around five minutes interacting with small groups of Year 1 students sharing with them information about animals and plants that make up the ecosystem and interesting facts. They each had an activity to do, which included puzzles, charades, find the animals, match games, wordsearches and dot to dots. Each ecosystem had a fact sheet that included some animals and interesting facts.

Reflections from students:

The best part about the day was spending time with the kids and engaging with them, we worked hard and created a very good understanding of our ecosystem.
Isla Duffy

We did a rainforest and our activity was playing charades with the year ones, the best part was watching the kids act out the different animals from our ecosystem.
Molly and Lucy

Today was an amazing experience chatting with year ones, they were great fun and sometimes quiet and shy but they all participated in our game and it looked like they were happy.
Saw Eh Has

Welcome to Term 2 and to the Wellbeing Space!

We are really excited to officially launch our Wellbeing space in Term 2. This space is beautifully calm and relaxing, it allows students to take a breather and gather themselves when life is just a bit overwhelming.

The space itself is located in Penman Quad, just left of the canteen. Being on the other side of the hustle an bustle ensures it is a quiet tranquil place.

The dream for the Wellbeing space came out of an understanding that at times, students need a moment to pause, gather themselves or deescalate during a hectic day and might not be able to attend class for that moment. We found that our Senior School students would often head to the toilets to have these moments, we knew we could offer a much better more comfortable space than… a toilet… and that desire to  meet the wellbeing needs of our young people was what inspired our Wellbeing space.

Students can come to the space whenever it is needed, but they must alert their current teacher where they are heading and if a staff member isn’t present at the Wellbeing space when they arrive, they must go to the student office.

Students are able to come to the Wellbeing space for 15 minutes, before returning to class. If within that 15 minutes a student isn’t able to go back to class, Chaplains will assist with what might need to happen next, for example, speaking with a Chaplain or Head of House, going to Sick Bay, studying in the library, or a call home to parents.

We are really looking forward to our Senior School students benefitting from our Wellbeing space.

CCG Students Star in Piano Bar Schools Night

This week the Christian College Music Department collaborated in a sold-out event with other schools at the Piano Bar in Geelong. The CCG Rock Band ‘Sonic Drive’ performed a wonderful set – Freya Arnott, Ava McInnes, Jordan Sollars and Jack Anderson presented a relaxed acoustic style set with great vocal harmonies and sense of style. A significant feature of the night was the sound/audio production which was provided by our VCE VET Unit 3 & 4 Music Sound Production students under the guidance of their teachers Isaac Barter and Scott Jolley, for all of the performing schools. The students each took turns to mix the sound for various bands and provide on stage support during band change overs – the night featured rock bands performing representing 7 schools from across Geelong.

Congratulations to our Music students for a wonderful night celebrating contemporary music performance!

Commemorating ANZAC Day in Jordan

One of Christian College's instrumental music teachers and our Head of Brass, Sean Rankin, represented the RAAF yesterday at their dawn ANZAC ceremony in Jordan, sounding The Last Post and the Reveille as he stood on the ancient steps of the Citadel – part of the historic Roman ruins that overlook the city of Amman. Prior to joining CCG, Sean spent a number of years as a full-time musician in the RAAF, attaining the rank of Leading Aircraftsman (LAC), and he still serves as a reservist trumpet player for the ADF. We are immensely proud of you Sean!

Lest we forget.

Foundation Gathering Hope Appeal Luncheon

The Foundation Gathering Hope Appeal Luncheon is back on and has been scheduled for Friday, 24 May 2024.

You are invited to join us for lunch at the stunning Provenance Wines in Fyansford.

This is a fundraising event for the Foundation and an opportunity to hear about the success and progress of the College.

Our guest speaker is Jossy Chacko, Founder and President of Empart, a global ministry that exists to ignite holistic community transformation among needy communities.

Giving leadership to a team of over 13,000 people and offices in nine countries, Jossy travels around the world inspiring and challenging leaders to capture a larger God-size vision and not to waste gifts and opportunities. He is also the author of Madness! and Dare to Partner.

Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to come together. 

Secure your seat and book online today! 

https://ccgfoundation.org.au/gh

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!