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 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 – Writing component 9.30am
Thursday 16th Mar House Cooking Competition Senior School – Year 4 and Year 5
Thursday 16th Mar Parent/Guardian Helper Training Session #2
Friday 17th Mar Assembly
Week 8 Monday 20th Mar Naplan – Year 3 and Year 5 Students – Reading component -9.30am Monday 20th Mar Naplan – Year 3 and Year 5 Students – Maths component -9.30am 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
We had a SUNsational Week in Prep!
Our word of the week this week was “sun“. We completed a number of activities associated with the letters and sounds “s” “u” “n” and the word “sun”, including reading stories, comprehension activities, writing and creating some gorgeous artwork. We were invited by the Year 4 students and Mr Trevaskis into the beautiful garden that they have been curating. We were able to discuss all the plants and flowers growing there, as well as the insects they attract. We even noticed some butterfly eggs on one of the plants and hope to witness the life cycle of a butterfly in the coming weeks.
What a terrific week to see us into the second half of Term 1.
Caitlin Maher
Rocket Readers
We are reading rockstars in Year 1! We have been spending our reading time practising and building our fluency skills. We make sure that we stop at punctuation and have a go at sounding out any unfamiliar or new words. From small reading groups with our teachers to using our iPads for Nessy, we have been having lots of fun!
Moving forward, we will be looking at making predictions on new texts. Looking at the pictures and title we are able to make an educated guess on what is to come! I wonder what may happen in our next book…
Nick Hogan
Lots Going on at the Library
To start off our year in the Library, students in years 2 to 5 were encouraged to try out a range of new books by visiting the ‘Starbooks’ Library café. Students participated in a book tasting in which they spent time at different café-themed tables exploring a range of new books curated for their age and interest areas. It was wonderful to see many students find a book they may not usually pick off the shelf to take home.
It has been exciting welcoming so many new faces to the Library this term, in particular during lunchtimes. The Library is now open three lunchtimes a week, when students are invited to enjoy the different play areas, drawing and Lego tables, borrow or simply share a book with a friend. It has been so lovely to have many visitors utilise the Library and Outdoor Library on the deck this term.
Katherine Tatnell - Moore
Plenty Happening in Year 4
Our recent lessons in Mathematics have been all about measuring length. While we arelearning how to convert from millimetres to centimetres to metres, we have been havingsome fun. We made catapults by following a procedural text of instructions and then fired ping pong balls and measured the distance that they travelled.
The garden continues to flourish thanks to the care of the Year 4T students. We havelearnt about pollination and germination. We looked closely at different types of flowers and why plants need them to survive. We explored how we depend on plants and enjoyed not only dissecting fruits but also eating them.
Last week we went to the beach with our Prep buddies for some sandcastle building. It was great to see the students building the bonds between the yearlevels.
Geoff Trevaskis
Japanese Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Festival) Activities
Hinamatsuri, also known as the Doll Festival or Girls’ Festival, is an annual traditional Japanese festival celebrated in March. Families in Japan with young daughters celebrate the Hinamatsuri Festival by displaying unique hina dolls, praying and wishing for the healthy growth of their young girls.
We invited Mrs Yukari Colella, mother of Claire (Year 3) and Mina (Year 1), to our class. She brought their beautiful authentic Nina dolls and showed them to the students. After having learnt about the festival by appreciating the dolls and watching video clips, the students participated in a variety of cultural activities such as making Japanese dolls, masks, and experiencing a traditional tea ceremony with green tea and rice crackers.
This provided a valuable opportunity for students to learn about the festival and develop an appreciation and respect for a different culture. Overall, the Hinamatsuri serves as a wonderful example of the unique and fascinating traditions found in Japanese culture.
Thank you, Mrs Colella and Yukari sensei , for their great support for these activities.
Yukiko Valent
Wow! What a Jam-Packed Fortnight in Year 3!
Thank you for all the parents who made the time to come and say hello at the meet and greet on Thursday. It is always encouraging to hear how the kids are finding the year so far and to just get some time to socialise.
Whilst we have been busily preparing for NAPLAN, the kids have also completed a mountain of work in all subjects.
In English we have been continuing our Roald Dahl study and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Don’t forget that we have our excursion coming up on March 22 and are encouraging the kids to dress up as their favourite character.
Something that has been a joy to watch is the enthusiasm for our Science classes! This week we made fluffy slime as part of their investigations into the state of matter and energy. Apologies if the slime didn’t stay where it was supposed to!
In Christian Ed we have been looking at the book of Judges and how God has chosen leaders.
We have a lot to look forward to in the next two weeks with a beach trip for Discovery Learning on Tuesday and then into NAPLAN. So as usual keep an eye on The Vine!
Leanne Crole
Adam Stewart
College Exchange Programs Resume as we Welcome Indonesian Students
Campuses across the College have been buzzing over the past 10 days with the arrival of 15 students and two staff members from our sister school, SMA Negeri 2 Mataram, in Lombok, Indonesia. This visit marked the 28th year of the College’s relationship with our sister school in Lombok and was the first visit between countries post COVID-19 pandemic. Not only is a visit like this important for Indonesian and Australian bilateral relations, but it also signifies the returning of some normality to our College programs and the ability to reconnect with our closest neighbours once more.
The Lombok students were received with excitement by all students within the College, in particular, the Senior campus Indonesian students who hosted the group for the duration of the program.
During their 10-day stay in Geelong, the Lombok students had the opportunity to visit a number of the College campuses, including the Surf Coast Campus, where the first group of Year 5 students have just begun their Indonesian studies. Christian College students were able to put their new language skills to the test in fun way; laughing and sharing stories with the Lombok students and connecting with their new friends.
The group also visited the Highton campus and spent the day engaging with the Indonesian language students from both the Highton and Bellarine campuses and enjoyed a traditional lunch together.
Besides visiting a number of our campuses, the group also had the opportunity to learn about life in Australia in a hands-on way, taking day trips to Melbourne to visit the Queen Victoria Market, and Melbourne library; a visit to Deakin University’s Waurn Ponds campus to discover what opportunities lie ahead for them post-school if they wish to return to Australia for study. The Lombok students also spent a day at Back Creek Farm where they loved hearing all the stories from the current farm group and getting up and close to some of the farm animals.
On the group’s last day they were able to spend their time with the Senior School Indonesian language students who enjoyed time together at Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre. Both Lombok and Christian College students spent the morning learning about Aboriginal Culture, had the chance to throw a boomerang, and were chased around the yard by a crazy kangaroo.
What fantastic and inspiring return to cultural exchanges at Christian College! We are proud that here at Christian College, through exchange programs like this, we are successfully able to create global citizens that show intercultural awareness and have a desire to connect with others.
Jess Bijaksono, Head of Indonesian Exchange
Surfing - Scott Elliss Shield
On Monday March 6, over 40 students from across the College campuses converged on Jan Juc beach to contest the 2023 Scott Elliss Shield. The event is steeped in a 20-year history and has been attended by some of the best surfers to ride the waves along the Surfcoast and Bellarine Peninsula. It is a unique opportunity for students of all ages from different campuses to compete together and have some fun and support each other on the day. The event also serves as our trial to select teams for upcoming surfing events against other Geelong independent schools and, ultimately, the State School Surfing titles.
Clean, offshore two to three-foot waves provided ideal conditions for the day and set a backdrop for some explosive performances in the water. Several heats, and one of the finals, were decided in the final moments as competitors sought to eek every ounce from their 20-minute allotment. This proved very exciting for the spectators, particularly our expert commentator Mr Jason O’Loughlin, who seemed to have conniptions at some points.
In the open girls category, the talent and depth continue to grow, with some fantastic surfing taking place and a bright future for our team. Heidi Abetz led most of the heat with a single high-scoring wave until her sister Ava secured the title with two consistent medium-range scores. In the Under 16 boys, the level of surfing improves each year. Jack Lindsay put on a dominant display across all heats and the final. Eddy Martin also scored well while Sam Abetz secured some excellent scoring waves. In his final year at CCG, Taz Higgins continued to show his power and critical manoeuvres with a fantastic display of mature and controlled surfing. Harvey Graham, another consistent performer, surfed exceptionally well throughout the day to be narrowly beaten by Taz. New to Senior School Jai Bouvier surfed very well but was unable to secure a second high-scoring wave in the final.
I want to thank all surfers for their involvement, and I was particularly impressed with their efforts to ensure not one piece of rubbish was left behind. I would also like to thank the parents and guardians for their help and support on the day—special mention to ex-student Ted Paige-Walker for his water safety and first aid expertise. I would also like to thank Matt Murnane, Annelise Hurrell, Trent Myers, and Jason O’Loughlin for their assistance in running the event to make it safe and enjoyable for all involved. The full results are below.
Girls
1st – Ava Abetz
2nd – Heidi Abetz
3rd – Pippa Johnstone
4th - Summer Morgan
5th- Olivia Clarke
Under 16 Boys
1st – Jack Lindsey
2nd - Eddy Martin
3rd- Sam Abetz
4th – Jack Patel
Open Boys
1st – Taz Higgins
2nd – Harvey Graham
3rd – Jai Bouvier
4th – Jonti Wylie
5th – Spencer Sullivan
Steve Sullivan
Visit Back Creek Café!
Christian College’s Back Creek Café in Meredith is a vital part of our Year 9 residential farm experience. Located 15 minutes south of Back Creek Farm, the café is open six days a week (not Sundays) from 8:30am to 3pm. On weekdays during term time, working at the café is part of the schedule for the Year 9s’ Farm Program work groups. Students learn a whole range of hospitality-related skills as they assist with the day-to-day café operations.
If you’re passing through Meredith this weekend, or just fancy a 35-minute drive up the Midland Hwy from Geelong, make sure you drop in and say hi. While you’re there, enjoy the best coffee in town – or choose from a range of other beverages – indulge in an all-day breakfast or one of the other scrumptious light meal/snack options on the menu. There is also a variety of sweet or savoury treats to enjoy while you’re there and delicious home-made produce to purchase and take home.
You can also check out the latest from the café via its Facebook and Instagram pages.
Back Creek Café is located at 1/27 Staughton Street Meredith. For enquiries and bookings, call 5286 1166.
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