Senior School – Term 4 Week 9

As the year comes to a close, I wish to thank you, the parents and students, for sticking with us throughout an incredibly challenging season including lockdowns, CL@H, on-site learning, starts, stops, and pauses on various events and activities.

However, I do hope you have been able to reflect on the incredible opportunities afforded to our students, in viewing the vast array of ‘virtual’ celebrations over the past two weeks. The incredible creative talents of our students presented in the Art, Technology & Design Festival, the beautiful music created and shared online from the amazing R.W. Gibson Centre, and the individual Campus Celebration Evenings, acknowledging the ‘Learning That Matters’ for our students, have all been wonderful moments. But most importantly, we have had the opportunity to honour and give God all the glory for what we have collectively been able to share and achieve in 2021.

I wish to commend our whole community for the incredible teaching and learning undertaken this year. Teaching and learning that has occurred at school, in your home, outdoors, in isolation, with family members, and with friends. It has taken grit, determination and resolve to work through each challenge we have confronted. Everyone has gone above and beyond, and we could not have cared for, encouraged, and supported our young people without the partnership of our families. I also wish to thank the dedicated team of incredible teaching and professional support staff, for their tireless work and service to support the learning and wellbeing of our students. My sincere thanks also go to the campus leadership teams who have had to re-think, re-design and re-plan multiple initiatives whilst working within the ever-changing COVID-19 guidelines. This has been an exceptional effort from our entire community at Christian College Geelong. Thank you.

As we look toward the end of another year, I think it is important for us to acknowledge, that in life, challenges will always present, in various fashions and forms. It is how we confront and deal with such challenges that can have lasting impacts on our personal health, our wellbeing, and our relationships. Where do we turn in our time of need? I am reminded of Psalm 121. When Jewish pilgrims made their way to the temple in Jerusalem, they had a group of poems they recited together as they travelled, and these poems or psalms were called the “songs of ascent.”

Psalm 121 describes the anxiety pilgrims would sometimes feel while making the trip. Many travellers would pass through Jericho and the road from Jericho to Jerusalem rises almost 1000 metres. The mountain roads were dangerous, robbers and bandits could lurk around any corner, and it was a physically demanding journey.

The Psalm begins by saying, “I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from?” Psalm 121:1. It is easy for us to imagine an anxious traveller eying the ominous mountains ahead and worrying about their safety. Who would protect them? “Where does my help come from?” The Psalm offers an answer to this question.

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

He will not let your foot slip – He who watches over you will not slumber.

Indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life.

The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121:2-8

As we continue to face the uncertainties of life, we may ask the same question: where will our help come from? Where will we put our trust? Where can we find hope?

The answer remains the same, our help comes from the Lord. He will never leave us or forsake us; He is never too distracted or too tired to come alongside us. We have eternal security knowing that God is our ever-present help, and we can fully trust in Him.

As you celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Saviour, with your families this year, may you find peace, hope and reassurance in the Lord and His salvation.

I pray that you can enjoy a great time of renewal over the holiday period, relaxing, and reconnecting with family and friends. For those who are travelling, may God grant you safe travelling mercies, just as He did for the pilgrims on their journey to Jerusalem.

We look forward with great anticipation to seeing you all in the new year when school recommences for our students on Monday 31^st January 2022.

Incredibly, the 2021 academic year has now drawn to a close. And it was a wonderful finish at the Senior Campus as students participated in our Transition Week program in preparation for 2022. It was a pleasure to welcome more than 200 Year 9 students from our Highton and Bellarine campuses along with some new enrolments joining Christian College for the first time. I wish to commend the Year 9s – the new Year 10s – for the way they positively embraced the week. Students in all year levels got to meet their new House mentors and subject teachers, experience their Semester 1 timetable and make a start on their 2022 curriculum. For the Year 9s, the week was also an opportunity to get acquainted with the campus layout, spend time in House Groups and, for Arts, Technology and Design students, find their way to the Villa on the shuttle bus.

Students can now take a well-earned break after enduring the continuing challenges of COVID-19. Year 12 students – the class of 2021 – won’t have to wait too much longer for their VCE results, released on Thursday, December 16^th. We wish those seeking a university place next year all the best with the tertiary offers that will come in January.

I want to take this opportunity to thank parents and guardians for their partnership with the Senior School staff throughout 2021. Despite the disruptive nature of COVID-19 restrictions, lockdowns and remote learning, together we were still able to help students grow their passions, know their purpose and explore their pathways. And I wish to acknowledge the dedication, enthusiasm and genuine care shown by the teaching and professional support staff at Senior School. They truly have been remarkable this year in supporting students pastorally and academically.

Term 1 2022 will commence on Monday, January 31^st with information regarding the start of the year sent the week prior.

Until then, may you all have a safe, joyful and blessed Christmas and New Year.

This week at Senior School we have welcomed our new 2022 Year 10 students who have been having fun finding their way around the campus, meeting new friends and new staff, and learning about their subjects for next year. This year’s Year 10s and 11s have also made the step into their 2022 studies, with classes that have given them a taste of the year ahead.

As part of orientation, all students have been enjoying activities within their new Housegroups, and across year levels. Year 10 students also participated in an ‘Amazing Race’ competition where they solved puzzles, located checkpoints all around the campus, and completed tasks of skill and luck. The energy around school has been electric – even in the heat of the week – as students buzzed with excitement at discovering which teachers they will have next year, and who they’ll be sharing the classroom with.

Our 2022 College leaders have been a visible presence in helping new students settle in – manning the ‘help checkpoints’ to assist with locating the classrooms, and also cooking and serving the BBQ lunch for students on Wednesday. At the end of a long year, both students and staff are tired, but the staff have gone the extra mile to ensure that the lessons have been engaging and interesting, with lots of opportunities for students to build new relationships with their peers.

Transition and change can be a time of both apprehension and excitement, but we hope that this week has given all the students who will be at Senior School next year, a real sense of belonging and a confidence that the year ahead will be a great one!

The transition into VCAL for 2022 involved students across Year 11 and 12 participating in a variety of activities. This enabled everyone to help build positive relationships with their peers and teaching staff for 2022. Important information about the year ahead was disseminated. We were fortunate to have Michelle Anderson and Duff Swanson, our two new VCAL staff members for 2022 join us for the week. Amongst other activities the Year 11 students completed an external, recognised Safe Food Handling Certificate that contributes to their VCAL and is a valuable addition to their resume. Students can be seen enjoying making Kokedamas in the photos below. Year 12 students assembled two kiddies play kitchens, a sturdy wooden deck chair and a shop front play set. They are now displayed in our Senior School staff room for a silent auction that finishes on Tuesday December 7th at 1.00 pm. The money raised will be going towards the Shaka Up Foundation who support mental health services in Geelong. All VCAL students should now be prepared for a smooth start to the new school year in 2022.

Today (December 3) was the last day that students could wear the old style House polo tops. After a three-year phasing-in period, the new style House polo tops will be required to be worn by all students. They are available through our uniform shop at Centreway Arcade in Belmont, or visit our online shop here.

Today (December 3) was the last day that students could wear the old style House polo tops. After a three-year phasing-in period, the new style House polo tops will be required to be worn by all students. They are available through our uniform shop at Centreway Arcade in Belmont, or visit our online shop here.