We are looking forward to a weekend of celebration with our Year 11 Presentation Balls Friday and Saturday, followed by a Year 12 Ball on Sunday evening. These events conclude an action-packed term, one where we have been so thankful to be able to recommence many of our treasured activities including Year 10 Our World Central Australia, House Music and other lunchtime House events as well as numerous excursions and incursions that had been in hiatus due to COVID-19 restrictions. 

May you and your family have a restful and rejuvenating holiday break. We look forward to welcoming back students at our Commencement Assembly at the start of Term 3. More information will be emailed to families about start of term arrangements in the final week of the holidays. 

This task is modelled on a similar assignment in the VCE Unit 3 & 4 subject, Extended Investigation, which will be offered in 2023 for the first time at CCG. However, unlike its VCE cousin, students this semester have embarked on their research, planning and a final written and oral submission with the knowledge that there will be no grade attributed to their work.  

Research from the Harvard School of Education suggests that grading using the “traditional points system is riddled with problems, from unfairly factoring in non-academic considerations like turning in an assignment late, to lacking consistency based on the whims of some teachers, to actually diminishing student motivation” (Bauld, 2021).  

So, grab a cuppa, sit back, and have a read of some of the student’s work. They have done a great job! 

Differentiation in schools Anastasia Keller

Food Deserts Jaimie Donnan

Thursday morning, we explored the National Museum of Australia, and were among the first to witness the new Talking Blak to History exhibition, which explores First Nation’s history through the lens of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives. Students then had the opportunity to experience a day in the life at Australian National University through ex CCG student Grace Valentine. Students then explored the National Archives of Australia, which included a history of the Australian constitution, the controversial dictation test which was a central feature of the Immigration Restriction Act 1901, and the legislative documents that have helped to shape our nation. As the sun was beginning to set, we made our way to the Australian War Memorial, in which students could reflect and commemorate the sacrifice made by Australians that have died at war and those who have served our nation in times of conflict. To finish off the day, students enjoyed a night of bowling, karaoke, and escape room fun at Kingpin Canberra.   

Friday morning began with a guided bus tour of the Diplomatic Embassies and High Commissions in Canberra, which brought to light the importance of our continued relationships between foreign governments and the Australian Government. Students were then taken through a guided tour of the High Court of Australia. Students explored the Court of Appeal and learn about some of the most famous court cases that have taken place in the High Court. Students were then self-guided on the Reconciliation Place Walking Tour, which physically and symbolically represents the shared history of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Students continued to the Australian National Gallery and were guided through several artworks created by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. Before departing Canberra, students were taken back to the early 1910s to the founding of the Capital. Through the lens of architect Marion Mahony Griffin and her husband Walter Burley Griffin; students were able to see how Canberra came to be right in front of their eyes.  

On behalf of the Humanities team at Christian College Senior School, we hope all students found their time in Canberra an enriching, educational and enjoyable experience.  

This short and entertaining musical gave the year 10 students a chance to put into practice the skills they have been developing this semester. Each student took on an acting and singing role as well as some area of stagecraft. Students directed scenes, created and made props and led the group in choreography and singing workshops. The positive collaboration and great synchronicity on stage was a testament to the students, who soldiered on with rehearsals, despite illness wreaking havoc on our class numbers throughout the term. Even to performance day, when some students had to quickly learn the lines of absent cast members. 

The Junior School students seemed to enjoy the show and had lots of thoughtful questions to ask the cast at the end of the performance. Many students in the cast were also in Shrek the Musical and the younger students had a great time identifying them in the Year 10 show. 

It was a fun and rewarding term’s work and all the students should be very proud of their endeavours. 

This year, for the first time, we are also inviting parents, families and others from outside of the CCG community who may be interested in choosing Senior School – Waurn Ponds in 2023 and beyond for their students to complete their secondary schooling.

This is a wonderful opportunity to:

• Learn more about the transition program designed to help students settle into life and learning on the Senior Campus
• Meet and hear from key support staff including Heads of House, Chaplains and Careers Counsellors
• Learn about the Year 10 academic program and progression towards VCE and Vocational Pathways
• Discover the many benefits of the Senior School House system including House carnivals, House Music, Wearable Art and lunchtime House competitions

We would strongly encourage all members of the Christian College Community to spread the word about this event, and those planned for our other campuses, among friends, neighbours, colleagues – anyone who may be considering schooling options for their children. 

Please see next week’s Vine and watch our social media platforms for more details about the Senior School  information evening and the events scheduled at other campuses during Term 3.

• Madison Cooper (Yr12), Nicole Briscoe (Yr11), Hayley Mackinder (Yr9) and Matilda Byrnes (Yr9) qualified and swam at the Australian Swimming Championships in May, which were the selection trials for our Commonwealth Games team. This opportunity and their subsequent performances will stand them in good stead for future National team selection opportunities. As a result of their performances at the ‘Age Championships’ in April, Madison, Nicole, Hayley and Brooke Briscoe (Yr9) have been selected in School Sport Victoria’s ‘Team Vic’ swimming team to compete later this year at the Australian School Sport Championships. Matilda and her family are moving to the Gold Coast where she will swim the competitive Bond University swim club. We wish Matilda all the very best for her future career in the sport of swimming.   

• Harrison (Yr12) and Kade Leigh (Yr11), along with Ashton Schram (Yr8) competed for the State at the National Hockey championships. Harrison and Kade played in the U18 team, which finished 4th after a penalty shoot-out for the bronze medal. Ashton played in the U15 team, which provided him with some great playing and learning experiences over the week.  
• After winning the gold medal at the State Championships, Ali Cronk (Yr11) competed at the Australian Gymnastics Championships (Aerobic gymnastics) in May where she claimed the silver medal and a personal best at these championships. Ali has worked hard over the past few years, with COVID not stopping her training regime in the garage at home!  
• Charli Cox (Yr7) took all before her, winning gold at the Victorian Gymnastics Championships (level 8), which were held earlier this term at the Arena. Charli earned 1st place overall, and placed 2ndon bars and 3rd with her floor routine.  
• Jacob McKie (Yr11) was again selected in School Sport Victoria’s ‘Team Vic’ triathlon team to compete in September at the Australian School Sport Championships. His selection followed some outstanding performances at the National level, which included a top 10 finish at the Australian Super Sprint Championships. Jacob followed this result with strong performances at the Oceania Sprint Cup (State U20 team member), which included a bronze medal as part of the Victorian A team in the mixed relay format (a new Olympic event in Paris 2024).  
• Guy Williams (Yr8) was selected in the National U16 track & field team that competed at the recent Oceania Athletics Championships in Mackay. Guy jumped to the bronze medal spot in the high jump, 6th in the long jump and 10th place in the triple jump at these championships. This followed a fantastic athletic season for Guy, where he medaled at the State and National Championships, earning him selection in the Oceania team.   

• Aidan (Yr8) and Callum Simmons (Yr6) are heading to Turkey and Europe to represent Australia at various sailing events. Aidan will be competing at the World Junior Championships in Turkey as a member of the Australian team. He will join his younger brother and travel to Italy and other destinations to compete at numerous European sailing championships where they will be representing the country and gaining some valuable racing experiences.  
• Charlotte Brereton (Yr9) and Xavier Kay (Yr9) earned selection in the State water polo team that competed last weekend at the National Tournament in Melbourne. Charlotte and the Vic girls competed very well over the 3-day event, securing several wins that earned them a spot in the bronze medal match. After a tremendous tussle, the Vics went down by 1 point! We congratulate Charlotte and Xavier on making this State team, where unfortunately injury kept Xavier out of the water.   
• Finally, Brodie Gawith (Yr11) is currently competing in the Australian Superbike Championships (‘Supersport 300’ and ‘Yamaha R3 Cup’ classes), which is a series of races across the year, that takes Brodie and his father to various racing locations across the country. This is the breeding ground for future Superbike and Grand Prix Superbike riders, with Brodie earning a top 8 finish at the last race in the series.  

We congratulate these students on their recent fantastic performances and wish them well in their future pursuits in their chosen sport.   

So, it was very encouraging to see that the two-year interruption has done nothing to curb the enthusiasm for competitive football among the Year 7 to Year 10 students from our Bellarine, Middle School Highton and Senior School campuses. 

There were huge numbers to choose from for both our Inter Female Team (made up of Year 9 and 10 students) and our Junior Female Team (made up of students Year 7 and 8 students). 

Our CCG Eagles Inter Team journeyed to Queens Park last week for the single-day GISSA Championships against five other Schools. 

The day started out well with a strong win against Geelong Lutheran College and our girls then ran eventual Champions Clonard College to maybe their most competitive match-up in the second of our qualifying games. 

Our Eagles team eventually finished fourth overall, which probably exceeded the Sport Faculty’s pre-Championships expectations considering the relative infancy of our Female AFL Program. 

 Year 10 Flynn Falcon Gabi Hayward was named our Team MVP on the back of her high-level play through the midfield and off half back, as well as her leadership off field as captain. 

But there were plenty of names of the coaching staff’s short list for that award, which is a great sign for our Senior team in 2023.  

Speaking of the future, ours was on display a couple of days later when the Junior team ventured to South Barwon Recreation Reserve for their GISSA Championships. 

The competition was very tough, but our College did well to finish middle of the pack and, more importantly, it was encouraging to see what might be possible next year when the current Year 8 cohort steps up into the Inter Female Division next year to join our current Year 9 group. 

One of our Year 8 stars is Flynn Falcon midfielder Greea McKeegan, who underlined her status as one of the best young female players in Geelong by winning our Team MVP. 

On behalf of our Sport Faculty, we would like to thank every student who competed in these GISSA Championships for the heart and talent they showed in sometimes cold and wet conditions. 

We sincerely hope they enjoyed this experience, and we look forward to seeing the same names (and more) on the sign-up sheet for next year as we build on the momentum created in 2022. 

We would also like to thank our coaching staff for these matches, led by former Geelong Falcons player Lucy Were, as well Lauren Davis, Sapphire Main and Kelly O’Neil. 

We now look forward to our Senior Female AFL Team taking centre stage next for their GISSA Championships in Term 3.