Welcome to Term 2

Welcome back to Term 2! It was wonderful to see how happy our children were when they greeted each other on the first day back. We have had a wonderful first week. Our ANZAC Service was a blessing and the Prep- Year 4 students loved signing up for their new BLP Club. Our Year 5 students participated in their very first Winter Sport Carnival, which they loved.

It is always a blessing to welcome new students to our Surf Coast family and this term we have welcomed four new students in Year 3 and Year 4. Watching new friendships and relationships develop is very heartwarming.

This term is going to be full of wonderful learning opportunities, celebrations and loads of fun activities. We will celebrate our beautiful mums on Wednesday May 10 at our Mothers Pamper afternoon and we will be opening our doors for any new families that would like to see our Surf Coast Campus on Tuesday May 2 at our Open Day.

There are many other events throughout the term that have been listed on the College Calendar and here in The Vine. Please check these regularly for any changes.

Thank you for your ongoing support, and we look forward to a term full of wonderful times to make many memories.  

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 2 2023 

Week 2                                  

Monday May 1                    Mothers’ Day Gift Wrapping – 9am – Volunteers welcome to help wrap gifts.

Tuesday May 2                    Open Day – 09.30am – 11.30am

Tuesday May 2                    Discovery and Learning Session – Prep

Tuesday May 2                    School Back Then – Year 1

Thursday May 4                  District Cross Country – 11.30am – 3.15pm – Selected Yr 5 students

Friday May 5                        BLP Clubs – 2.45pm – 3.30pm

Friday May 5                         Art Face Painting – All Day – Yr 5 students

ANZAC Celebrations

Our first week was full of remembering and celebrating the brave and courageous. On Wednesday families, friends, staff, and students attended the Surf Coast ANZAC Service commemorating the 108 anniversary of Australian’s involvement during World War 1. Maurice Dale from the Torquay RSL and Ex Serviceman and Vietnam Vet Ted Sikowski joined us for the service and Year 11 student Isaac Jamal played the Last Post and Reveille on the trumpet. Our Surf Coast Campus Year 4 and 5 choir also entertained our guests singing the Australian and New Zealand National Anthems. During the week the children took part in different ANZAC activities such as baking ANZAC biscuits, making poppies and reading ANZAC stories.

ANZAC service at Torquay RSL

Hi all!

I hope you have had a wonderful first week back of Term 2! 

ANZAC Day is a really valued moment on the school and chaplaincy calendar each year. Over the last few years we’ve built a really wonderful relationship with the Torquay RSL and we have been really privileged to participate in their services as well as having members and veterans join us for our services.

Last year, two of our Year 4 school leaders participated in the ANZAC Service and this year that tradition continued with Mackenzie Fitzgerald and James McDonald representing our campus and school at the dawn service held at the Torquay RSL (bowls club). 

James and Mackenzie were invited to participate by sharing a reading on Gallipoli where they spoke with such confidence and poise. 

Later in the service James and Mackenzie laid a beautiful wreath on behalf of our campus. 

History Introduction and ANZAC Day

We are so excited to be back at school in Year 1. We have such an exciting subject this term for our Integrated Studies unit. We will be diving into the history of our town and comparing life now to when our grandparents were young. To kick off the term, we thought a little bit of cooking was the best way to go. ANZAC Biscuits was a great way to introduce History Cooking as well as honouring ANZAC Day. We will be doing lots of different cooking this term and look forward to trying new things.

We were also lucky enough to have Miss M’s uncle’s army gear to try on and learn new things. We had a look at different uniforms, hats, helmets, and accessories that were common for someone in the army to wear. The students had such a fun time learning new things about ‘life back then’.

No Greater Love

Year 2s have enjoyed a lovely restful holiday, celebrating Easter and being with family and friends. This week we’ve learnt about the soldiers who fought for our freedom at Gallipoli. The students had many questions and thoughts about the landing at Gallipoli and discussed the symbols of ANZAC Day, such as rosemary, poppies and ANZAC biscuits.

Year 2s are very proud of their Resurrection Eggs summaries and are so thankful for Jesus’ sacrifice to save the world.

Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

Year 3s Hit the Ground Running

The Year 3 students have returned to their learning in Term 2 with enthusiasm and joy. We began our term reflecting upon the sacrifice of the ANZACs by reading ‘Lest We Forget’ by Kerry Brown, a poignant tale of a soldier’s war experience told only through illustrations but paralleled with a 21st Century child’s account of days he would like to remember and days he would like to forget. The Year 3 students studied the soldier’s illustrations and considered his emotions, reactions and thoughts. They then authored their own text to accompany the illustrations, demonstrating their understanding and empathy.

This term begins with a unit on procedure writing in literacy, a skill which will be also used to record activities undertaken in our science unit. The Year 3 students had fun exploring a procedural text called ‘How to Sneak your Monster into School’ by Christopher Francis. They enjoyed the lighthearted guide to creating disguises and hoodwinking all of the grownups. It has been a wonderful start to the term, and we look forward to the weeks ahead together­­.

House Athletics Championships

Highton, Belmont, Torquay Campuses Combined

On the last Wednesday of Term 1, our Year 4 & 5 students enjoyed a fabulous day at the Highton Campus participating in the House Athletics Championships.

Our students combined with students from Highton and Belmont campuses, and participated in various athletics events and enjoyed a couple of fun novelty events as well.

Our Surf Coast students competed enthusiastically alongside the Junior and Middle School students displaying some great athletic ability and most importantly, wonderful attitudes towards fellow competitors.

Everyone enjoyed earning points for their House and we congratulate ‘TAYLOR’ House as the winners of the combined campuses on the day.

Gardens and Chickens

The vegetable and herb garden area at school has been growing rapidly over the holiday break. The students of Year 4T and the Gardening Club students have done an excellent job of tending to the garden. Over the coming weeks you will see some of the Year 4 students at the front of back gates at the end of the day giving away some of the fresh produce from the garden. Please feel free to take any of these fresh items that may be of use at home. We are asking for a gold coin donation – whatever you are comfortable to give – to go towards more seedlings and plants for the garden.

Under the tepee in the bottom playground area, we now have a small flock of eight bantams. When you visit the campus at any stage please feel free to go and have a look at them. Once they are a little more settled and spending more time in the chicken run behind the tepee we may also be fortunate enough to start collecting fresh eggs!

In the next couple of weeks we will also be welcoming some budgies to our campus that will be housed in a new bird aviary in the garden area. You are welcome to visit this area after school with your children, but please ensure that they remain supervised at all times.

Back to School for Term 2!

What a busy week we have had already! The year 5 students have hit the ground running in Term 2. We are straight back into our classes and learning, and on Thursday we spent the day out for our Winter Sport Carnival. We had students playing soccer, volleystars and netball. It was a fantastic way to start the term and to make connections with some of the students from the other campuses.

This term will be an exciting one for sport, with us taking part in the interschool sport program, which takes place on a number of Thursdays during Term 2.

Changes to Surf Coast Choir From Week 2

The Surf Coast Choir will change format from Term 2 onwards. We are splitting into two choirs – upper and lower primary – to accommodate growing numbers and extend skills via a wider range of repertoire.

Please note our new rehearsal times, commencing Week 2, Wed. May 3:

* 8.00 – 8.30am: Lower Primary Choir (Prep – Year 3 students) in the Multipurpose Room.

* 8.30am – 9.05am: Upper Primary Choir (Year 4 & 5 students) in the Music Classroom.

Year 4 & 5 choir members who have siblings in the Lower Primary Choir are most welcome to attend their younger siblings’ rehearsals – this may assist drop-off times. Students in the Lower Primary Choir will be dismissed to the playground from 8.30am until Homeroom, where they will be supervised by Yard Duty staff.

Both choirs will be led by me (conducting), and Mr Brad Treloar (accompanying). The Lower Primary Choir will also be assisted by Mr Geoff Trevaskis. We anticipate some occasions when our choirs will combine for performance!

Choir is a free, extra-curricular activity offered by the College. It’s a great way for students to connect in a cross-year level environment and develop their confidence through performance and music-related activities!

We extend an open invitation to all students throughout the year, with an expectation for regular weekly commitment. If your child is interested, or if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly: [email protected]

Equestrian Interschool Championships

Christian College Equestrian Team members competed in the 2023 PETstock Equestrian Victoria Interschool State Championships from April 15 – 19.
The CCG team consisted of eight riders, from three campuses, who competed against 438 other riders and 600 horses in their chosen disciplines throughout the event.
All riders pushed through the challenging conditions and supported one another to end up 13th overall out of 165 schools!

Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Days!

All Christian College campuses will open their doors on May 2 in the first of our Open Days for 2023.

This is an opportunity for parents/guardians and families who are considering Christian College as an option for their young people to visit one or more of our campuses, meet students, teachers and campus leaders, tour facilities, visit classes in progress and have their questions answered. It provides an authentic insight to how our College operates on a day-to-day basis. For those considering either Junior School-Belmont or Surf Coast Campus, please note our Early Learning Centres - Williams House in Belmont and Butterfield House in Torquay - will also be open for visitation at the same time as the campuses.

No booking is required, with campuses open at the following times:

Junior School-Belmont: 9:30 – 11:00am

Bellarine Campus: 9:30 – 11:00am

Surf Coast Campus: 9:30 – 11:30am

Middle School-Highton: – 11:15am – 12:45pm

Senior School-Waurn Ponds: – 11:30am – 1:00pm

Picnic at Hanging Rock – Performances on Next Week!

Picnic at Hanging Rock is a captivating and mysterious story that explores the disappearance of four schoolgirls and their teacher during a picnic at a local geological formation in Victoria, Australia, on Valentine’s Day in 1900. The novel by Joan Lindsay, published in 1967, was adapted into a film by Peter Weir in 1975, which became a landmark of Australian cinema and culture. The story has inspired many interpretations and adaptations, including the performances brought to you by our Christian College Senior School students.

Excitement is now running high - next week's shows are on at Platform Arts in Geelong in Lt Malop St, with three evening shows from Thursday May 11 to Saturday May 13.  Tickets are only $30 and the cast and crew are looking forward to performing to full houses.  Please note that Picnic at Hanging Rock contains mature themes, parental discretion is advised re the age of audience members.

To purchase tickets please follow this link:

https://events.humanitix.com/ccg-picnic-at-hanging-rock

Sports Centre Programs

Swim Squad

Christian College offers a morning fitness swim squad program. Fitness swim squad is for medium to advanced swimmers of all ages who are capable of swimming multiple laps over a 45-minute period and who are wanting to improve their technique and fitness level under the coaching of the very experienced team at Geelong Swimming Club (GSC). **Please be aware this is not a swimming lesson.

Swim Squad will run every Wednesday and Friday from 7:30am - 8:15am beginning Wednesday May 3rd and finishing for the term on Friday June 23rd. 

The cost is only $6.50 per session, payable by the term and is also open to non-CCG students to join is as well. You can choose between one or two sessions per week.

We will require each participating CCG family to email and provide their full name, year level, DOB, address and phone number to secure their spot to [email protected]

Students can bring their own breakfast which they can eat in the Sports Centre kitchen.