What’s Happening at Surf Coast?
Is an up to date list of planned activities at Surf Coast Campus that you can use for planning purposes. Please be aware that these dates are set early in the term and occasionally items may need to be cancelled or dates/times altered. This itinerary is altered each week to reflect any changes – please check this list of events EVERY WEEK carefully when you read the weekly VINE newsletter.
TERM 1 2023
Week 4
Tuesday 21st Feb Shrove Tuesday – Pancake Day
Wednesday 22nd Feb Year 5 Music Excursion – EdSmart has been sent
Thursday 23rd Feb Family Picnic – All staff and families – refer to invite sent
Friday 24th Feb BLP Clubs – Prep to Year 4
Friday 24th Feb Bunnings Excursion – Year 4 – refer to EdSmart sent
Week 5
Tuesday 28th Feb Discovery and Learning – Prep and Year 4 and 5 – refer to EdSmart
Wednesday 1st Mar Indonesian Students Visit our Surf Coast Campus – 9.30am– 12.30pm
Thursday 2nd Mar District Summer Sport Carnival Year 5 – more information to come
Friday 3rd Mar Assembly – Bible Presentation Year 2 & Year 5 – all welcome
Week 6
Thursday 9th Mar Meet and Greet Sessions (10mins) 2.30pm – 7pm– all staff and families – more information to follow
Friday 10th Mar BLP Clubs – All Students
Week 7
Monday 13th Mar Labour Day Public Holiday – College Closed
Tuesday 14th Mar Discovery and Learning -Prep and Year 3 Students – more information to come
Tuesday 14th Mar Division Swim Championship – selected students only – more information to come
Wednesday 15th Mar Preps at school
Wednesday 15th Mar Naplan – Year 3 and Year 5 Students
Thursday 16th Mar Parent/Guardian Helper Training Session #2
Friday 17th Mar Assembly
Week 8
Tuesday 21st Mar Beach Excursion – Year 1 and Year 2 – more information to come
Tuesday 21st Mar Prep Excursion to MOPA – more information to come
Wednesday 22nd Mar Willy Wonka Excursion – Year 3 students – more information to come
Friday 24th Mar BLP Clubs – all students
Friday 24th Mar End of Naplan
Week 9
Tuesday 28th Mar Regional Swimming Championship – selected students only – more information to come
Wednesday 29th Mar Sand and Surf Carnival – Year 1 to Year 5 – more information to come
Friday 31st Mar Assembly
Week 10
Wednesday 5th April Preps at school
Wednesday 5th April House Athletics – Year 4 and Year 5 – more information to come
Thursday 6th April Easter Service and Bonnet Parade – all students – more information to come
Thursday 6th April End of term 2 – 2.30pm dismissal – all students
Discovery Learning at the Beach!
On Tuesday, the Surf Coast Preps caught the college bus down to Cosy Corner to embark on their first ever beach discovery learning session!
With their buckets and spades in hand, hats on heads and smiles on faces, some of the Preppies eagerly started a sandcastle competition, whilst others loved collecting rocks and seaweed and made creations with them in the sand.
Some of the Preps enjoyed digging down as deep as they could until they reached water. They loved dipping their little toes into the small pools of water.
A highlight was had by two of our Preppies who were lucky enough to have found a little blue crab whilst they were digging!
Many curious conversations were had, and many happy memories were made.
The bus ride back to school was filled with excited reflections about all the wonderful fun they’d had. We all can’t wait to head back down to Cosy Corner for our next discovery learning session!
Caitlin Maher
Beach Time Observations
We love our Integrated Studies in Year 1. We are able to get out and about and explore our local environment! This week, we have gone down to Point Danger to observe and explore the ever-changing landscape. We took photos of what we saw so that in five weeks, when we come back, we will be able to compare the differences that weather and people make. We also went down with a focus on using our senses to explore the area. We cannot wait to get back down there in Week 8 and see all the things that have changed!
Nick Hogan
Japanese Week 3
こんにちは! All students have had a great start to the 2023 Japanese classes. It is great to see that they maintain their enthusiasm for learning Japanese language and culture and we are excited to welcome new friends to our Japanese classes.
Prep students have started by looking at where Japan is on a world map and a number of cultural icons to begin forming an understanding of Japan as a place, and its culture. We have practised our first greetings ‘konnichiwa’ (hello) and ‘sayonara’ (goodbye) and have started to learn the way to say that we like or dislike something.
Year 1 students have been learning how to describe the weather in Japanese. After practising the pronunciation for each word, we play a game in which students describe the word teacher says through action. They also create a weather chart by listening to the weather forecast that the teacher reads out.
Year 2 students have been learning colours in Japanese. Building on their prior knowledge of their self introduction, they are learning how to say what colours they like and dislike. Then students will learn adjectives to describe colours later this term.
Year 3 students started the new term with revision of greetings and self-introduction. Now they are confidently able to introduce themselves in Japanese, they are learning how to ask questions and perform a role play for meeting people.
Year 4 students have been consolidating their understanding of phrases and instructions which they hear and use in class. They are writing a short story in which they are required to use a set of Japanese phrases in their story. Then they will present their work either in a poster form or digitally.
Through various fun activities, the students are becoming familiar with the Japanese language system including the sounds and patterns of Japanese words and phrases.
Katherine Tatnell Moore
Yukiko Valent
It’s the Season for Love!
But the greatest of these is LOVE. Corinthians 13: 13
This week in Year 2, we have learnt that the greatest thing of all is LOVE. We wrote Valentine’s Day cards for our parents and told them why we love them. Our mums and dads are the best because they cuddle us, give us yummy food and take care of all our needs. We love you, mum and dad!
In Maths, we have been learning about place value, building numbers with 100s, 10s and ones. We are memorising the months of the year and learning which season belongs to each month. We have also explored the Kulin calendar and learnt the names of the indigenous seasons for Victoria. It’s pretty amazing to think that we are now in the Biderap Dry Season, and in March it will be the Luk Eel Season.
Sharon Sutton
Friends Return to Year 3
The guinea pigs are back!
Aussie and Choc Brownie made it safely and happily through the holidays and have returned to their adoring Year 3 carers. The guinea pigs have moved to some new real estate on the campus and they are residing near the Year 3 rooms in their hutch overnight and then during the day the Year 3 students move the guinea pigs to a caged area beneath the trees and on the grass, allowing them to soak up the Vitamin D from the sun and do a spot of ‘lawn mowing’ as well.
The students’ responsibilities include changing the water, topping up the feed bowl, cleaning out the hutch and sneaking in some snuggles with their class pets.
The children are yet to create a roster to share their time with the guinea pigs at recess and lunchtimes, although there are some very faithful Year 3 students who are keen to fill any gaps and have an extra few minutes with them. There is much excitement amongst the students and it is wonderful to see them continuing on with their responsibilities with such enthusiasm.
Leanne Crole
Adam Stewart
Student Leaders’ Investiture
It was a very proud moment this week for our staff, families, and students as we watched our Year 4s accept the responsibility, of becoming student leaders at our Surf Coast Campus. As well as our student leaders, Ava Rice, Koa Long and Camila Rau accepted the position of Project Care leaders. Our new bus leaders for this year are Guy Sossin, Georgia Griffin and Berry Burton. All of our student leaders received a special badge presented to them by Principal Mr Glen McKeeman. Our Dean of Christian Culture, Ms Mia Kafieris, spoke to our students about how life without Jesus is like a donut with a hole in the middle and when we have Jesus in our lives it is just like filling the donut hole. As their first act of leading their peers our Year 4 students served donuts with the hole filled in, to all of the staff and students.
Debbie Riddle, Campus Coordinator
Getting Settled in
The last three weeks have seen so many exciting things for our Year 5 students. It has been a steep learning curve to get our routines and our classroom norms set up. While the move to Middle School may not seem like a big move physically for those students coming from Junior School, it is quite a big transition with expectations and work. The Year 5 cohort have been outstanding in the way they have approached the new classes, the higher expectations and new programs and work we do in class.
We have been looking at our own stories and what makes up our identity as well as discussing our school logo and what it means to us.
It has been a fabulous few weeks of watching the students make new connections and friendships. It’s going to be a fantastic year together.
Claire Deretic
Leading the Learning
During this week our leaders of learning from each of our campuses and learning areas joined together in a Teaching and Learning retreat to collectively work together on what will the future of education look like.
The last few years of education have seen immense changes, both socially and academically, as new and emerging technologies continue to challenge what it means to be educated.
As leaders we deliberated on our purpose as educators, and set goals to enable an inclusive, adaptive and engaging landscape of learning for all of our students.
To Seek First the Kingdom of God in all that we do, guided by our College’s philosophical statement, so that our students will be prepared to make a positive difference in the lives of others through ‘Good Work’ that is excellent, ethical and engaged in local, national and global contexts.
With endless knowledge at their fingertips, student engagement in, and ownership of, their learning was high on the agenda. There were many great discussions, deliberations and immersive activities that fostered a rich design thinking approach to not only our five strategic goals for Teaching and Learning, but how that might look across all of our campuses, in all aspects of College life.
It was fabulous to have our campus leaders, directors and leaders of learning areas, including our Rural and Transformation programs, as well as our newly appointed Dean of Christian Culture and Director of Wellbeing present.
We are excited about the future of education and are inspired to ensure that our students are well supported, nurtured and challenged to make a positive influence in the world around them.
Antony Benson, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg Seminars
On March 9 and 16, renowned psychologist, Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, will conduct two seminars in Geelong at GMHBA Stadium for parents and carers of adolescents at either end of their secondary school journey.
On March 9, he looks at ‘Starting Secondary School’ and on March 16, ‘Surviving Year 12’.
The sessions are presented by Read the Play, a local not-for-profit organisation that delivers programs in partnership with sporting clubs to empower young people to take control of their mental health and wellbeing. Read the Play aims to: increase knowledge and awareness about mental health problems; increase knowledge about local support services; and increase confidence and skills in guiding our youth to relevant support services.
Tickets to each of Dr Carr-Gregg’s sessions are priced at $15 per person (plus booking fee) with 100 per cent of all ticket revenue going to Read the Play.
See the attached PDF for more details on each of the sessions. Tickets can be purchased from: www.readtheplay.org.au
MCG Seminar Series Geelong March 2023
Notice to All Parents Regarding CSEF Funding
The Victorian State Government runs a program called the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF). As the name suggests, the fund is designed to assist families meet costs associated with school camps, sport and excursions and requires families to apply in each year they have a child who is eligible. Families who have an eligible child will receive $125 per year for a primary aged student and $225 per year for a secondary aged student.
If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. Please complete a 2023 Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) Application Form and return to your campus administration office by the end of Term 1 please.
Please read the attached document for further information.
Jonathan Ryan, Operations Manager
A MYTERN Thought for This Week
It’s easy to rush through a cup of tea or coffee and forget to stop and appreciate the moment.
Take time out now to simply appreciate being able to breathe in fresh air. Take a long slow breath and feel it rejuvenate every cell.
Make that your intention and watch your body smile from the inside 👍❤️
Discover more about MYTERN here
