From the Acting Head of Campus

As we conclude Week 4 it has been wonderful to hear all the stories of our community, the connections being made and the learning that is occurring on the Senior campus. Over the past few weeks Mr O’Loughlin, Ms Martin, Heads of House and I have had the opportunity to meet with the Year 12 students to discuss their journey at CCG and in particular their thoughts and advice on how to further develop our Senior Campus.

This experience has highlighted just how mature and community-focused our Year 12 students are and also how grateful they are for their journey at CCG. They have provided outstanding feedback on how we can strengthen our senior campus for many years to come. We wish them well as they step closer to becoming an Alumni of CCG.

Along with listening to our students we have also been discussing with all year levels the direction of Senior School. This direction includes embedding an ethos of learning, maintaining our high standards and understanding the expectations. Embedding an ethos of learning means students are embraced for their diversity and are celebrated for their strengths, while being invested in their educational and faith journeys and striving for personal excellence in both academic and cocurricular pursuits.

At Christian College, we uphold high standards that fosters a positive and respectful learning environment. We are requesting all students to carry forward our commitment to upholding our values, standards and expectations to make the senior campus a place of growth, discovery and inspiration.

I wish all students and families a safe weekend and hope next week brings you much joy and happiness. Thank you for your support, care and passion for our amazing students and staff at Senior School.

Pastoral Care Program – Consent

At Senior School, our Pastoral Care Program is underpinned by a regular House Group session every Wednesday morning. On these mornings students, guided by their House Mentor, engage with a planned curriculum. This program is evidence-based, year-level specific and covers a range of topics designed to support good physical health, good mental health, and healthy relationships with one another.

During Weeks 4 to 6 this term we are focussed on Healthy Relationships and Consent.

Research suggests it is most valuable for schools and families to teach consent as part of a wider set of constructive skills for adulthood, rather than just examples of what not to do in social situations. Quality consent education is substantially more than discussions around the old “no means no”. As such we are covering topics such as, ‘What is consent?’, ‘Consent and the Law’, and ‘Seeking Help’. Conversations may also touch on how to preserve and respect boundaries, dealing with rejection, and balancing giving consent with positive aspects of age-appropriate relationships.

We acknowledge that some topics may be challenging, so have put several measures in place to support students. Similarly, our staff have been trained in the provision of safe spaces for the discussions themselves.

Additional Term 3 initiatives at Senior School to promote a respectful and caring school community include the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence on August 18 and R U OK Day on September 14. Engaging with these important wellbeing events provides us with a platform to raise awareness, to build empathy and understanding and to provide students with the knowledge and skills to not only help their peers but encourage them to reach out for support. Participation in these events cultivates a sense of belonging and connection, which is a protective factor.

We encourage our parents and guardians to continue these conversations at home. If you have any concerns for your child engaging with the abovementioned topics, or you would like some additional information, please reach out to your child’s Head of House.  We always welcome feedback and open dialogue about ways we can best support the development of your child.

Product Design and Technology at the Villa

We have a very enthusiastic group of Year 10 students this semester who are powering through the skill-building activities that will set them up for a major project in Term 4. Laser cut projects, boot-pullers, steel coat-hooks and tool tote-boxes are all in the mix.

Meanwhile, our Year 11s are churning out the folio work that will prepare them for a group project producing a line of products in a style of their choosing. Some have started materials testing with concrete moulds. All our students are keen to get into production as soon as possible. However, the more thought that goes into the planning stage, the more successful the outcome will be!  

The Year 12s are happy to be in the production phase of the course, converting the concepts they have been honing for two terms into physical objects. The race is on to complete projects including steam punk storage solutions, an automatic dog wash station, a multifunction suitcase that transforms into a desk as well as 4WD accessories and a product to help aging dogs avoid back injury. Who will get into Top Designs next year?

Drama Workshop

On Tuesday August 8, the Year 11 Drama students participated in a workshop facilitated by Gerard Pol a First Nations artist, educator, and storyteller.

Connecting in with the Drama theme of Australian Identity, Gerard explored the convention of symbol, as a playmaking too, in exploring personal stories.

The students then drew from their own stories to find relevant symbols which were then used as the stimulus to create a dramatic moment.

The workshop has offered the students a unique opportunity to hear a First Nations perspective.

English Performance

‘The 7 Stages of Grieving’ and ‘The Longest Memory’

As part of the comparative outcome for Unit 4 English, students are called on to compare the ‘big ideas’ found in these two texts: one an Australian play examining the impacts of colonisation and dispossession on First Nations people; the other a novel exploring life on a Virginian plantation in the early 19th Century. Last Tuesday, August 8, the Year 12 English cohort gathered in the R.W. Gibson Auditorium to watch a performance by the ‘Complete Works’ Theatre Company.

The performers – Shontane, Ibrahim, Josh, and Tier – brought a range of scenes to life for the audience and offered our students a chance to interact with the cast in a post-performance question and answer session.

Feedback on the production was overwhelmingly positive and will undoubtedly further support the Year 12s as they approach their final English SAC in Week 8.

The Year 12 English team

A Visit to Biolab

Year 12 Biology students attended Biolab on Monday to conclude their studies on the immune system. Students explored how the immune systems of an athlete functions during a heavy training workload compared to an athlete who is resting. Students used ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) to determine if both athletes would have the same response when exposed to the same vaccine over a period of time.  Students used the ELISA to determine if both athletes produced the same number of antibodies after exposure to the vaccine. Students were encouraged to use this as a revision as not only did it explore the immune response of the individuals, it also explored the key scientific skills they have been taught throughout the Biology course.

Career News

Topics this week

YEAR 12 STUDENTS

• Tertiary applications – resources, events, and assistance
• Early entry programs – resource
• Open day dates
• Important information for students applying to Victorian, NSW and ACT institutions
• The University of Melbourne – 2024 Guaranteed ATARs for the Access Melbourne applicants
• University of Wollongong – Management Cadetship
• Employment opportunities
• ADF Gap Year Program
• Information for students who recently sat the UCAT
• Engineering scholarship for female students
• Applications now open for Performing Arts courses

Term 3 Choral Concerts – Joyous Voices, Smiling Faces!

We know that singing in a choir is good for the mind and soul, for both singers and audience…… this was so evident on Tuesday evening! Term 3 sees all the CCG Choirs featuring in concerts across the College campuses. 

The College Choral Program features seven choirs providing opportunity for 300 students from years Prep to 12 to rehearse, perform and belong! On Tuesday evening this week the Surf Coast, Highton Middle School, Junior School Belmont and Senior Campus Choirs sang with gusto! 

The choirs, and featured VCE Vocal Ensemble, presented a range of beautiful repertoire for family and friends in two concert programs hosted at the Senior Campuses RW Gibson Centre for Music Performance. 

Congratulations to the College Choir directors of these campuses; Kate Notini, Laura Hollingsworth and Carla Dunlop, along with accompanists and vocal tutors for their fine work in preparing the vocal items. Thank you to the family and friends who attended and supported the choir students in getting to their rehearsals and performances throughout the year.

We look forward to the Bellarine Campus Choirs and Small Ensembles Performance Evening, to be held at the Bellarine Campus on Monday August 21.

Prepaid Tuition Fee Discount

The College is offering a 4 per cent discount to families who elect to prepay their 2024 tuition fees in full by September 8, 2023. Taking up this offer means you will receive a 4 percent discount on the 2024 tuition fees less sibling discount.

For further details please refer to the email sent to you earlier this week.

Please contact the fees team via [email protected] or (03) 5241 1899 if you have any queries - our team will happily explain the details and arrange a quotation for 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.

East Timor Trivia Night

Preparations are underway for our annual Trivia Night which raises much needed funds for the work we do in Viqueque, East Timor.

Money raised this year will help pay for a new roof for Uma Maun Alin – Friendship House – where some amazing staff and volunteers run kindergarten classes for local little ones and English classes for older children and teens.

Part of the night is a Silent Auction and we are asking CCG families for any donations.

Some donations made already, thanks to the hard work of some of our prefects, include: a signed Cats guernsey, personal training sessions, café vouchers, Geelong Lawn tennis memberships, tennis racquet and re-stringing voucher, a vet clinic voucher... and so much more!

If you are in a position to be able to donate something to this incredibly worthwhile cause please contact:

Surfcoast Campus: Claire Deretic

Junior School: Carla Dunlop

Highton Campus: Graham Barton

Bellarine Campus: Samantha Bett

Senior School: Lee Stringer

2023 CCG Science Photography Competition

As part of National Science Week, the CCG Science Faculty is delighted to invite our Year 5-12 students to enter the 2023 CCG Science Photography competition.

Students are asked to submit photographs which record some scientific event or illustrate some scientific phenomenon. They may submit between three and six photographs, which must be linked by a common theme. Prints must be submitted.

The topic may be based on any scientific theme or you may use the theme for this year’s science week which is Innovation: Powering Future Industries.

Competition entries must be submitted before Friday August 11.

Winners will be announced and entries displayed as part of our National Science Week celebrations.

We are offering three age categories for the competition.

Junior – Years 5 and 6

Intermediate  – Years 7 – 9

Open – Years 10 – 12

Detailed guidelines and entry forms are included here and can also be obtained from your science teacher.

Good luck to all entrants, we look forward to viewing your submissions!

2023 Photography entry form

2023 Photography entry guidlines

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]