For those families lucky enough to have seen the show, or been involved through their child, I know you will join me in applauding the hard work, commitment and talent of these performers and backstage crew. Our senior students have renewed the wonderful legacy of college productions and we look forward to their ongoing participation in this truly special aspect of our commitment to the performing arts. 

The musical was not the only renewal we have celebrated this week, with House basketball, small business expos and off-site excursions all finding their way back into the life of a senior student. As evidenced by the student enthusiasm and engagement we see just how important these experiential activities and opportunities are for our young people.   

We look forward to sharing updates with you regarding the VCAL Urban Camp to inner city Melbourne and the Year 10 First Nations tour to Central Australia, both of which departed this week. 

Finally, and significantly, it was wonderful to welcome parents back on site for an evening get together. Hosted in our newly finished Taylor House building, we were thrilled to offer an opportunity for parents to see the new building and to establish connections or re-connect with staff. The informal evening became a little more informal when the power in Highton had a blackout! Illuminated by the emergency lighting, our resilient staff and parents continued with what was, we hope, just one of the many opportunities for us to celebrate the strength and unity of our Christian College family. 

With only four weeks of Term 2 remaining, and plenty more to celebrate in the coming weeks, we pray that our community continues to remain safe, well and strong. 

“God bless us, everyone” Gingy, Shrek the Musical  

It was good to hear what students had to say after the 2-hour sessions.  

“Going to BioLAB was a very interesting experience, it was engaging and helpful to connect classroom learning to real life examples. The hosts were funny and easy to understand and helped with any questions or misunderstandings. Getting a lab experience was very enriching and a great experience. I really enjoyed doing a hands-on practical with professionals.” Lucy Mitchell 

“It was informative, and the staff were helpful and made the experience enjoyable. It was great being able to use more scientific equipment and I learnt a lot” Sam Coleman 

“I enjoyed doing the experiment to see if Athlete A or B could control their body temperature.”  Elizabeth Brehaut 

Several students commented they found it particularly interesting that a naturally occurring fluorescent jelly fish gene has been used to make goldfish glow under fluorescent light (available for sale in Walmart in the US), as well as the more serious application of allowing identification of male chicken eggs soon after the egg is laid. Advantages of this include preventing the hatch of male chicks (which are of no use to the egg-laying industry), and then the use of those male eggs for other purposes such as production of flu vaccines.  

We very much appreciate the generosity of Professor Doran in sharing his time and enthusiasm for his research work with our students, providing a glimpse of real-world contexts and careers that are relevant to what they are learning in the classroom. 

Students were given a fantastic taste of what running a business can be like and found that the experience was “fun and exciting” and “a valuable learning experience”. 

Many thanks to the students and staff who supported the three market days.  

Students asked a family about a memorable moment, either personal or relating to events in the 1960s which we have looked at in class, and then wrote them up as a paragraph or short story. 

Common themes were conflict (either Vietnam or 9/11), pets, love, death and travel. Some amazing stories were shared. 
Did you know that if you wanted to avoid being sent to fight in Vietnam you could “swallow aluminium foil that would show up as a shadow on compulsory x-rays”?    
An interviewee “struggled to sleep that night, and the nights for the next week. In the morning she learnt about the aftermath of the plane strikes and the attack on the Pentagon, seeing footage of firefighters on the news.”  

A student’s Pa reminisced about his time in the police force, saying that “there were lots of ways to put your passions to good use and it was never boring.” 

 
On a lighter note, how about this for a day at the beach: “Dads’ friend’s parents were annoyed they had lost the surf mat… unbeknownst to them Dad and their son had nearly visited Tasmania for Christmas.” 

Students are enjoying this new unit and its relevance to the world, in the 1960s and even today.  

The photo shows Tony Briggs’ Mum Laurel Robinson with her sister Lois Peeler. Their story inspired “The Sapphires” (Courtesy Sydney Morning Herald) 

On Monday we visited Lake Connewarre to conduct primary surveys on the ecology of the shallow estuarine wetland system. It contains a cluster of both fresh water from the Barwon River and saline water from Barwon Heads/groundwater. It is internationally recognised as a significant wetland under the Ramsar convention, with many migratory bird species traveling far and wide to utilise this environment.  

Surveys conducted by students include water testing, water-bug identification, and field map sketching.   

Thursday’s field trip was a highlight for the class, as we ventured to the site of the newly planned Sparrovale Wetlands. The City of Greater Geelong is turning 500 hectares into a nature reserve – right beside Armstrong Creek and Lake Connewarre Wetland System. A key purpose of the Sparrovale wetland is to manage and filter stormwater generated from neighbouring housing estates before it flows into Lake Connewarre. This reserve is still in Phase 1 of a 20-year plan. 

Donna Smithyman, an Environmental Management Officer through Geelong City Council, gave us a detailed guided tour of the site. We were very fortunate to have her knowledge and expertise, especially seeing as Donna had a huge role in the Master Plan. 

It was great for the students to visit and reflect on what this site may look like in 20 years-time once the project is complete.  

While we regularly advertise positions on Seek, our social media platforms and in a range of other outlets, we also want to spread the word among the many connections within our College community.

If you are suitably qualified/experienced for one of our vacant roles and are interested in the possibility of working with us or feel that someone you know may fit that description, please visit the Employment page on our website – or encourage friends/neighbours/other acquaintances to do so (Homepage > Join > Employment). A link to it is here. 

Thank you