My Last Vine
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” – Maya Angelou
I remember the first time I heard this statement, it stuck with me, so much so that it has influenced how I interact with young people in my work and personal life ever since.
When I was in my teen years, my family lived as staff on a property that had a troubled youth program, and the youth would be mentored by young adults. I remember it so vividly; I was that awkward pre-teen trying to find my place in the world and to fit in. One of the mentors that lived on site was from the US and he was this awesome fun and outgoing guy that everyone loved. I remember one day I was probably behaving like a classic pre-teen and he invited me to the lounge, and we hung out and he played a guitar he had restored. Another time he showed me a computer game (it might have been the classic Age of Empires) and some funny videos. I don’t really member a whole lot of what we did when I hung with him, but boy do I remember how it made me feel! It left a huge impact on my life in that awkward but formative and influential time in my life. I felt seen, I felt accepted, I felt like I belonged, and I didn’t need to do or prove anything to try and fit in. I think as a result, I probably became a less annoying pre-teen, which I’m sure my parents were stoked about.
I share that because it impacted my life as an awkward pre-teen and when I was first employed by Tim Edwards in 2021 to be the chaplain at Surf Coast, he said to me “Pratty, I want you to love these children.” I am grateful for him saying that, because that’s something I felt I could confidently do as I learned all the other parts of the role of chaplain. And as this chapter for me comes to an end, I can say I have done my best to make sure these beautiful children feel loved, seen and known. And being kids, I know they won’t remember what I said or did, but I hope that they remember how they felt and that they felt loved, seen and know.
The flipside of all this as well is that you and your children have made me feel so welcome, accepted and loved in my time here! You are a beautiful community and it has been a real privilege to serve you all, to get to know you and to do life with you all! So, thank you. It has meant the world to me to be a small part of your lives. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You all hold a special place in my heart! And I hope to see you all around, whether it’s bumping into each other in the supermarket, Cozy Corner on a Friday afternoon or when I pop back in for a visit.
Take care, and again, thank you!
Blessings
Pratty
Nathan Pratt
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 3
Tuesday May 9 Discovery and Learning – Yr 1
Wednesday May 10 Mother’s Day Pamper Afternoon – 3.30pm – 5pm
Thursday May 11 Lunchtime Concert – 1.40pm
Thursday May 11 Winter Sports – 12.30pm – 3.30pm – Yr 5
Friday May 12 Mothers Day Stall – please refer to email sent
Friday May 12 Assembly – 2.45pm – 3.30pm
Week 4
Tuesday May 16 Discovery and Learning – Prep
Tuesday May 16 Walking tour of Old Torquay – Yr 1
Thursday May 18 Winter Sport – 12.30pm – 3.30pm – Yr 5
Friday May 19 BLP Clubs – 2.45pm – 3.30pm
Friday May 19 East Timor Independence Day – Casual Dress Day – Sausage Sizzle – All Students
Week 5
Wednesday May 24 Arthur Reed School Photos – All students
Wednesday May 24 National Simultaneous Storytime – 11am in library – All Students
Thursday May 25 Pupil Free Day – No students at school
Friday May 26 Assembly – 2.45pm – 3.30pm
Friday May 26 National Sorry Day
Week 6
*National Reconciliation Week
Tuesday May 30 Geelong Excursion – Yr 2 – More information to follow
Tuesday May 30 Discovery and Learning – Prep
Thursday June 1 Discovery and Learning – Yr 1
Thursday June 1 Winter Sports – 12.30pm – 3.30pm – Yr 5
Friday June 2 BLP Clubs – 2.45pm – 3.30pm
Week 7
Tuesday June 6 Annual Surf Coast Cross Country – 12.30pm – 3.30pm
Wednesday June 7 Annual Surf Coast Cross Country – 12.30pm – 3.30pm – *BACK UP DAY
Thursday June 8 Winter Sport – 12.30pm – 3.30pm – Yr 5
Thursday June 8 Lunchtime Concert – 1.40pm
Friday June 9 Assembly – 2.45pm – 3.30pm
Friday June 9 Project Care Food Bank Appeal – More information to come
Week 8
Monday June 12 Kings Birthday Holiday – No students at school – Campus closed
Tuesday June 13 Discovery and Learning – Yr Prep
Thursday June 15 Regional Cross Country – Selected Yr 4 and 5 students
Thursday June 15 Year 5 Winter Sport TBC – 12.30pm – 3.30pm – Yr 5
Thursday June 15 History Presentation – Yr 1
Friday June 16 BLP Clubs – 2.45pm – 3.30pm
Week 09
Monday June 19 Dress Up Day – When I grow up – Yr Prep
Tuesday June 20 Discovery and Learning – Yr 1
Wednesday June 21 Celebration of Learning Conferences Session 1 – 2.30pm – onwards – more information to come
Thursday June 22 Celebration of Learning Conferences Session 2 – 2.30pm – onwards – more information to come
Thursday June 22 Lunchtime Concert – 1.40pm
Friday June 23 Last Day of Term – 2.30pm
Discovery and Learning
On Tuesday afternoon, the Surf Coast Preppies were very excited to take part in their first every Discovery Learning Bush session for the year!
The Preps chatted to their friends all the way down to Spring Creek Valley, looking out for crickets and animal tracks. On our way down, we were so lucky to see a huge mob of kangaroos and their joeys, who seemed very interested in us!
Once we arrived, the Preps sat down on the grass and used their senses to comment on the fresh aromas they could smell, and the softest sounds they could hear.
The children loved working as a team to build tepees and animal shelters, as well as going on a discovery search for little bugs and grubs and digging for dinosaur bones!
Down on the Surf Coast, the students are so grateful for all the beautiful things God created.
Caitlin Maher
School of Back Then
It is such a fun time Year 1 during Term 2! We get to look at how our grandparents used to live during school. To start the term, we held our School of Back Then! We explored what life was like in the early 1900s. We got rid of all technology, used chalk boards, explored historical artifacts, played old style games and to finish the day, made damper from scratch and cooked it over an open campfire. In Year 1, we will be exploring how cooking was done without electricity and gas. So, during our Day of Back Then, we made damper and also made fresh butter by only using heavy cream and a small marble! Fair to say the kids’ arms got very sore after a while. We are super excited for what our History unit has in store for us this term.
Nick Hogan
Volume and Capacity
In Maths, the Year 2s have been learning about measuring capacity. Capacity is how much a shape can hold. Volume is how much space a 3D shape takes up. Year 2 students compared containers and estimated which might hold more, thinking about how they could test this accurately. In the sand pit they then compared the capacity of different containers. They came up with the method of filling one container to the top, then pouring the sand into the empty container. If the second container filled to the top with sand left over, then it was a smaller container.
Sharon Sutton
The Latest From Year 4T
The students of Year 4T started the term off with some baking. ANZAC biscuits were the recipe of the day in commemoration of ANZAC Day. I hope that some family members got to sample some of the tasty biscuits butif not, your child was sent home with a recipe so they can bake them for you again. Send them into the kitchen anddon’t forget to send one to school!
In Maths lessons we have started our term with the topics of perimeter and area. We have been doing a lot of measuring and trying to remember the formulas needed to calculate them.
Year 4T have been given added responsibility this term in the form of feathered friends. We now have eightbantams at school with possibly a few more to come. It has been very encouraging to see the way that the students have very enthusiastically caring for them. We also have some budgies in an aviary in the garden. Rest assured, we won’t be sending any birds home with your children.
Our class continues to grow and at the start of this term we welcomed Mia who has joined us from the Junior School campus. As we progress through the term I am looking forward to seeing how the students of Year 4face the challenges ahead of them.
Geoff Trevaskis
Deakin District Cross Country Championships
Congratulations to Year 4 and 5 students Avery Bowyer, Jude Griffin, Mackenzie Fitzgerald, Camilla Rau, Tom Burnell, Kai Degenis, Lachlan Walters, Jax Newling, Leia Coleman and Berry Burton on their Cross-Country running efforts yesterday at Eastern Park.
Special mention to Mackenzie Fitzgerald in Year 4 who placed 8th and has qualified for the next round of XCR competition. Mackenzie will compete against students from our wider Division on May 23.
Our students competed alongside students from Montpellier PS, Grovedale West PS, Kardinia International College, Christian College Highton Campus & Bellarine Campus, and The Geelong College.
The event was conducted at Eastern Gardens, Geelong and involved completing a challenging 2 km or 3 km course.
We are proud of these students for being our Surf Coast Campus representatives at this interschool sporting event.
Our students gained valuable experience and enjoyed the atmosphere while competing with enthusiasm and pride, representing our school.
A big ‘WELL DONE’ to all members of the CCG Cross Country team!
Joanne Richardson
Deakin District Winter Sport Carnival
On Thursday April 27, the Year 5 and 6 students from Bellarine Campus, and the Year 5 students from Surf Coast Campus, came together again to participate in the Deakin District Winter Carnival competing in either football, netball, soccer or volleystars.
We were lucky that the weather cleared, and we were able to enjoy another great day out. It was wonderful to see the students not only develop their skills throughout the day but also continue to build relationships with one another. All teams enjoyed the competitive environment, displaying good effort, enthusiasm, teamwork, and sportsmanship on the day.
Students will now participate in a round robin tournament in their selected sports. This will take place each Thursday afternoon in our sport time. The round robin will start in week 3 and run for the 4 weeks playing each of the different schools in our division. Students are reminded to bring any necessary equipment on these dates.
Year 5 Sport Schedule – Term 2
Week 3- May 11 – Away vs Grovedale West
Week 4- May 18 – Away vs Montpellier
Week 5- No sport
Week 6- June 1 – Away vs Kardinia
Week 7- June 8 – Away vs Geelong College
Joanne Richardson
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:
East Timor April Trip
After a 4-year absence due to COVID, on Saturday 8th April CCG staff members Graham Barton (Barto), Andy Phillips, Lee Stringer, Craig White, Michael Lewis and Michelle Anderson, along with Jill and Rod Mayes, Patrice Hall and Jocelyn McMillan, who all have a passion for East Timor (Timor-Leste), landed in Dili. Our destination - the municipality of Viqueque which is about 180km from Dili and is a 6 hour drive on rough roads, going for kilometres at a time in second gear.
Prior to the pandemic, CCG students from years 11 – 12 were given the opportunity to visit Viqueque and some of the schools in the area and to participate in the kindergarten, IT and English language programs being run at Uma Maun Alin (Friendship House).
The 2023 teacher trip was about re-establishing relationships with a view to having CCG students return in 2023 or 2024. We also took over a large number of resources, including books, laptops, sports equipment, stationery and musical instruments. The highlight was seeing the huge number of Viqueque locals who were absolutely thrilled to see us back and who welcomed the three first-timers – Lee, Craig and Michelle – like they were family. Happy tears, hugs and cuddles with babies were the first order of business before the ‘work’ began. Over the next seven days we were welcomed into two kindergartens, five schools and several English classes (where it was great to see children and young people as young as 8 wanting to learn English in their free time). We spent time beautifying CCG’s accommodation building, Uma Ki’ik (little house) with some fresh paint, assisted by some amazing local boys who wanted to be involved and give back. Every day the local kids would pop in for a game of soccer, some jump rope or some colouring in. A highlight was seeing them take to cricket with enthusiasm. Craig is contemplating a future career as the Timor-Leste Women’s Cricket Coach... we saw some pure, natural talent in our front (gravelly) yard. We ate incredibly well, enjoying fresh eggs and paun (bread rolls) filled with locally grown tomato and cucumber every day. The two local restaurants spoiled us every night with fried chicken, fresh fish, noodles, rice, fruit and vegetables including the favourite kankun (spinach). The week went all too quickly. A farewell dinner with Uma Maun Alin staff and volunteers had us singing and dancing into the night. When we returned to Uma Ki-ik we were surprised to see a crowd in our front yard. Some of the local teens and young adults had concocted a plan to perform for us as a surprise. More singing and dancing followed, and we were overcome and humbled by this simple yet heartfelt gesture.
Back in Dili, Barto met with 19 young people from Viqueque who are supported by CCG and some private sponsors, enabling them to attend university in the capital. These future doctors, pharmacists, nurses, teachers and engineers are so grateful for this support, with many intending to return to Viqueque, once qualified, in order to help improve the lives of their friends and family back home. All participants found the trip to be rewarding, exhilarating and exhausting. For some it was their first trip but certainly not their last...others have been more than 20 times. This little place has captured our hearts. Atè logu (see you soon) Viqueque.
Graham Barton
The Story of Buikarin
Buikarin is a small rural community half an hour away from our accommodation house in Viqueque. Within the community there is a kindergarten, that has 128 students enrolled, and consists of three teachers. One teacher is full time, one is on contract and the other is a volunteer. They only have one room to teach these 128 students. The area of that room is 6 metres by 8 metres. The teachers have 64 students at one time in this space. They have two sessions a day. Natercia is the head teacher and she's very passionate about her school. She founded this school with their own money and no support from the government.
On Friday May 19’s Project Care Day, we want to raise money to buy bricks for Buikarin so that we can give Natercia and her students and another teaching space. Natercia has already used her own money to put a roof over a “patch of dirt”and we would love to brick in this area for her so, as she says, “the kids don't run out onto the road when in class.”
One photo here shows 64 students in the classroom. Note the students are on either side of the room because Natercia puts a small wall down the middle to separate the two groups. Imagine the noise coming from this small space with 64 students. It would be very hard to listen, very hard to teach and very hard to learn. The next photo you can see is the roof that her and her husband had paid for themselves to create another teaching space. This is the space we would like to brick in and concrete the floor.
Graham Barton
Drilling Down on Deep Thinking – REACH: Idea into Action
This week, Junior School-Belmont, Middle School-Highton, and Senior School-Waurn Ponds were honoured to receive a visit from Flossie Chua and David Perkins from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, along with Kieren Noonan and Nikki Maguire from Independent Schools Victoria. The purpose of their visit was to observe the implementation of the REACH: Idea into Action educational research program, which incorporates deep thinking routines to promote a more comprehensive understanding of subject matter both in and beyond the classroom.
Over the past few years, some Christian College teaching staff have collaborated with Harvard and ISV to develop these routines, and during their visit, the four guests were able to witness the tool in action among our Prep, Year 6, Year 9 Transformation, and Year 12 students. Teachers Beck Barry, Lori Ruplal, Julie Shutie, and Louis Gross are making a difference in their classrooms by piloting innovative teaching strategies that have the potential to improve the quality of learning for many others.
Although only a few teachers had the privilege of welcoming our special guests into their classrooms, we would also like to recognise the support provided by Angela Tutty, Georgie Brown, Anneliese Hurrell, Georgina Hodge, Sam Nichols, and Daniel Fanning in the research and development of this innovative teaching strategy.
So, what is Reach: Idea into Action?
As educators in the present day, we are faced with a crucial question: how can we support our students thriving in a world that is constantly changing and becoming more complex? Reach is a learning approach that addresses this challenge by fostering critical mindsets and thinking skills in students for both school-based learning and everyday situations, and significantly expanding their ability to understand and apply content in a flexible and curious manner.
But what do we mean by a "mindset"? A mindset refers to our perception and interpretation of the world around us different mindsets, or ways of thinking, are useful in different scenarios. When we possess a flexible understanding of a topic, we can utilise our knowledge to solve problems, apply it to new situations, and even create new things. Such flexible understanding enables us to take action in the wider world, ensuring that what we learn in school has a real impact on our lives.
So, how exactly does Reach work? Grounded in research on learning and cognition, Reach's fundamental practice involves small-group discussions guided by conversation cards that focus on one of three inquiry mindsets: Explorer, Investigator or Innovator. Within a conversation group, learners adopt the same mindset to collaboratively analyse a topic.
Why is conversation such a crucial aspect of Reach? Simply put, conversing back and forth is a potent tool for generating ideas, sharing knowledge and insights, clarifying and refining thinking, and making meaning of concepts.
Why are the Reach inquiry mindsets so essential? While our students may already have a significant amount of knowledge, they must go beyond mere content to engage with the complexities of our contemporary world. The Explorer, Investigator and Innovator mindsets empower learners to look beyond "just knowing" and expand their learning in meaningful directions.
Explorer - Often, we approach topics in a simplistic, fact-based manner, overlooking additional dimensions and how they interrelate (the inside story), how a subject is crucially connected to other things (the big picture), and its history and trajectory (the path through time). Explorers reach beyond "just knowing" to uncover these additional layers of meaning.
Investigator - People frequently form strong opinions on complex issues without considering all perspectives. Investigators reach beyond "just knowing" to gather the full range of information, assess its reliability and strength, and determine where the information leads.
Innovator - Often, we struggle to apply what we learn in one context to others, whether personal or academic. Innovators reach beyond "just knowing" to forge meaningful connections between disciplines and personal contexts, identify opportunities to apply their understanding, and envision action.
Over time, Reach helps learners cultivate a more comprehensive understanding of their learning areas and a willingness to adopt each mindset as necessary in their daily lives.
Antony Benson, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning
Qustodio Parent App New Feature
New Activity Timeline View
It is a pleasure to share with parents a newly added feature of the Qustodio Parent App, which all parents have access to as part of our Cyber Safe Schools Program and in partnership with Linewize by Family Zone.
Since our launch of this parent app in 2022, it has been wonderful to note the level of engagement by parents with this tool. I have enjoyed many interactions with a range of parents about how it is helping them support their young people in their digital journey at home.
One area where I have often received feedback from parents is that the information about their child’s digital activity on their school laptop is vague and not as detailed or useful as they would like, and not comparable to the activity reporting available for their child’s personal devices.
It is for this reason that I am delighted to share that parents can now access a new feature, Timeline, that provides more specific and detailed information about digital activity on the school device outside school times.
I encourage all parents to take a few moments and view this two minute video that provides an overview of the new feature and how it can be used to better support parents in guiding their young people at home.
Getting Started with the Qustodio Parent App
A reminder that parents can learn more about Qustodio, create and activate their parent account as part of our school program, and explore Frequently Asked Questions, via our school’s Online Safety Hub.
Brendan Vanderkley, Director of Digital Learning
Uniform Shop Clearance Sale!
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