From the Acting Head of Campus
As we head into the final week of Term 3, students have been working diligently to complete their final assessments. The Year 12s and other students studying a Unit 3/4 have also turned their focus to preparing for the September practice exams and implementing their study routines. The up-and-coming term break does provide a great occasion for students to recharge and refresh while also providing an excellent opportunity to reflect on their Term 3 educational journey and set clear goals and objectives for Term 4.
I encourage students who are preparing for exams to investigate the most effective study techniques that work best for them. Remember that effective study is not just about the quantity of study time but also about the quality of your studying. Tailor your study techniques to your learning style, and continually adapt your approach based on what works best for you.
Some effective study techniques include:
Active Learning: Engage with the material actively by summarising information in your own words, creating flashcards, or teaching the material to someone else.
Practice Problems: If your exams involve problem-solving, practise solving similar problems to build your skills and confidence.
Use Visual Aids: Create diagrams, flowcharts, or mind maps to visualize complex concepts and relationships.
Chunk Information: Break down large amounts of information into smaller, manageable chunks to make studying more manageable.
Take Breaks: Avoid long, exhaustive study sessions. Take short breaks every hour to recharge your focus.
Practise with past exams: If available, practise with past exam papers or sample questions to get a sense of the exam format and types of questions.
Your study environment also plays a large part in how successful your study will be. I encourage you to:
Minimise Distractions: Find a quiet, well-lit place to study, and turn off or silence your phone and other distractions.
Organise Your Workspace: Keep your study area organised and clutter-free, making it easier to concentrate.
Finally, your health and wellbeing are paramount to a successful outcome in everything we do. I encourage you to:
Get Enough Sleep: Ensure you get adequate sleep, especially the night before the exam.
Eat Healthily: Maintain a balanced diet to provide your brain with the necessary nutrients.
Exercise: Incorporate regular physical activity into your routine to reduce stress and boost energy.
Use Breathing Exercises: Practise deep breathing exercises or meditation to manage stress and anxiety.
End of Term 3
The final day for students is Friday September 15 with a 2:30pm finish time. Students will experience the Wearable Art Extravaganza on this day.
Upcoming Events:
Week 9
Tuesday Sept 12 Wearable Art Lunchtime Preparation
Thursday Sept 14 RU OK Day
Wearable Art Lunchtime Preparation
Friday Sept 15 Wearable Art Parade
Last day of Term. 2:30pm Dismissal.
Monday Sept 18-20 Unit 3/4 Practice Examinations.
Art Making and Exhibiting Classes
I am so grateful to have been so warmly welcomed into the Christian College community at the beginning of this term.
The Year 10 students are at the early stages of the creative process and have been developing their concepts by experimenting with a range of materials and engaging in creative workshops. Incredibly talented Year 10 student Zoe Ward experimented for the first time with prismacolor pencils to create a powerful portrait exploring the portrayal of emotions through faces.
Meanwhile, the Year 11 students have been busy curating and designing a thematic exhibition space that engages Australian Impressionist landscape paintings and selected contemporary works.
The Year 12 students have shown incredible resilience as they commenced Unit 4. Early in the term the Villa space was bustling with students in the final stages of resolving their finished artworks. The students engaged in critiques where they received feedback from their peers and designed an exhibition space to present their work. It will be fantastic to see these works exhibited at the upcoming Art Festival.
Wearable Arts is underway as students gather at lunchtimes to produce a textile garment that imaginatively responds to the theme of Mental Health. It has been so exciting to see the House Groups come together to finalise their ideas and begin the making process in preparation for the Wearable Arts Parade.
Systems Engineering
In Systems Engineering, Unit 2 and Unit 4 students have progressed through most of the folio work and are currently building their projects. At this stage of the year Unit 4 students are gearing up for their final hand-in of their folio and project. Senior School has just purchased a new 3D printer that will be available for the students to use for the remainder of this year and for future students.
Year 10 Engineering students have continued to build on their skill set completing varied mechanical projects. Students firstly built a desk tray out of sheet metal using different bending and cutting techniques. The students were then able to move on to more advanced skills building a dustpan that was joined by pop rivets. The students are working on their final project now, a wooden can crusher focusing on how levers work and mechanical advantage.
Lights Out Library
This week, in the lead up to R U OK? day, the Senior School Library, hosted a ‘Lights Out Library’ event. The event consisted of chilling out, relaxing and getting together with friends to watch “Monsters University”. The library switched off during lunchtimes and both staff and students came together to ‘stop’, and ‘connect’ while having a good laugh watching Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan overcome their differences and become the best of friends. Lights Out Library is one of the many events that Senior School offers to students in order for them to mix and mingle and find their place where they feel they belong. Whether it is to participate in the Lights Out Library events, do a mindful activity, homework or just to read, the library is the perfect place to spend a lunchtime! Everybody is welcome.
Konnichiwa From Japan
Three Year 10 Japanese students, Djinda Moore, Supreet Kaur, and Niko Nakayama, arrived in Japan safely on Wednesday night and began attending Naga Senior High School the following day. This marks the beginning of a new chapter for our long-term exchange program—a four-month stay in Japan, from September 2023 to January 2024. Djinda, Supreet, and Niko are staying with a Japanese host family for an authentic daily experience.
The sports day and cultural festival are coming up on their calendar at Naga Senior High School. When Naga students visited Christian College Geelong earlier this term, the girls had the opportunity to meet and make a good connection with their host students and the Naga High principal. Resuming this wonderful long-term exchange program is great news, and our language assistant program, as well as our preparation for the Japan Study Tour in December 2023, are also back in action.
This year, we celebrated the 31-year friendship between Naga Senior High School in Japan and Christian College Geelong, as well as the 101-year anniversary of Naga Senior High School since its establishment.
The Japan Study Tour, Year 11 students, and staff are looking forward to catching up with Djinda,
Supreet, and Niko in December.
College Production 2024 – Update
As published in The Vine at the end of Term 3, the College will be staging Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Broadway Version) at the Geelong Arts Centre from May 2 – 4, 2004.
Audition Registration
All students from Years 5 – 11 (in 2023) across the College will receive an email early next week, with information and a link to an online registration form. Auditions will commence across the College on designated days from Sunday October 22. To register for an audition, students must complete the online form on/by Friday October 13.
There will be an information session held at each campus for students to have an opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the show. These will be held at:
Highton MS Campus Chapel Monday October 9 12.40
Senior Campus Music Department Tuesday October 10 1.20pm
Bellarine Campus Auditorium Tuesday October 10 at Lunchtime
Surf Coast Campus – Ms Notini will visit the Year 5 classroom next week.
Rehearsal Schedule
All rehearsals will take place at the RW Gibson Centre – Senior Campus with regular weekly rehearsals during Term 1 on Thursdays, 4.00 – 6.30pm and Sundays, 2.30 – 5.00pm. There will also be nominated full days and extended rehearsals, with more detailed information included in the email to be sent to students next week.
To be allocated a part, successful auditionees must be available for the full rehearsal period. We aim to cast approx. 70 students, with over 200 expected to audition. We request families to please consider the implications of their child’s involvement and that a total commitment to the show is required prior to auditioning/accepting a place in the cast. Please do not audition if you are unable to commit to the full rehearsal period.
There will also be opportunities for students to be involved in the production orchestra and a range of backstage tasks. More information about these opportunities will be shared with students as the project progresses.
There will be a large group of staff and visiting tutors working with the students throughout the staging of the production. The initial production staff includes Kelly Clifford – Director, Taylah Broad - Assistant Director, Fiona Gardner - Musical Director, Kate Notini - Vocal Director, Andrew Dunlop, Victoria Kent, Sharon Huber, and Brian Alexander. Students with specific questions are invited to approach the teachers at their campus.
We are looking forward to meeting students from across the campuses at auditions, casting and staging this production for our community.

Christian College Snowsport
In Week 6 of this term Christian College Geelong competed in the Victorian Interschool Snowsport Competition. Twenty-six students, ranging from Year 1 through to Year 12, competed in both snowboarding and skiing competitions. Whilst the snow conditions this year weren’t as good as past competitions, both competitors and families had a fantastic time enjoying the opportunity to spend time together whilst refining their skiing and snowboarding prowess.
If you have not been a part of this competition before and would like to register your interest for the 2024 Victorian Interschool Snowsport Competition, please contact the Senior Campus.

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.
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!
