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From the Vice Principal

It’s been another busy week for students and staff across all campuses. It’s National Reconciliation Week and around our campuses there has been a range of activities. One of our Reconciliation Action Plan Working Party members, Kerrie Sirotich has provided an overview of the ways in which we have marked this important time in this week’s Vine, and various campuses have also included their own reports about different activities on campus and in classrooms.

Last Friday and Saturday, more than 750 people saw our Middle Years production of Treasure Island, and the positive feedback about all performances has come in droves from many people who were privileged to attend a show. Congratulations to all students involved for their hard work and dedication, and thank you to staff, including Mandy Calderwood, Kelly Clifford, Taylah Broad and Steve Horman who have put in countless hours, busily preparing for this event since late last year. Thank you too to all students from other campuses who assisted, ex-students who helped in various ways and to parents who have been so supportive of their young people being involved in this production.

Other highlights in various campus Vine editions this week include reports on Year 2 students (Junior School and Surf Coast Campus) who enjoyed a wonderful excursion to Geelong and beyond, which included stops at Avalon Airport, the Spirit of Tasmania dock at North Shore and other spots in the CBD.

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Rick Geall, Vice Principal

National Reconciliation Week at Christian College 

One of the key commitments in our College’s nationally endorsed Reconciliation Action Plan is to support important moments in Australia’s calendar through meaningful learning—and National Reconciliation Week is one such moment. 

National Reconciliation Week runs from Tuesday 27 May to Tuesday 3 June. It begins the day after National Sorry Day and marks the anniversary of the 1967 referendum, in which Australians voted overwhelmingly to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the census. It concludes on the anniversary of the 1992 Mabo decision, when the High Court of Australia overturned the doctrine of terra nullius, recognising the traditional ownership of land by First Nations peoples and affirming their connection to Country. 

At its heart, Reconciliation is a journey of truth-telling, acknowledgment, and understanding. It invites us to learn about the wrongs of the past—particularly the impact of colonisation on First Nations peoples—and to recognise how these histories continue to shape the present. 

Through education and reflection, we deepen our understanding and strengthen our commitment to ensuring that First Nations cultures, histories, and voices are recognised, respected, and celebrated. Together, we walk the path towards a more just and united Australia. 

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Kerrie Sirotich – on behalf of the CCG RAP Working Party

The Importance of Cultural Safety 

National Reconciliation Week provides a valuable opportunity for our College community to deepen our understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories and experiences. It also invites us to reflect on the importance of acknowledging and appreciating the strengths of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and to recognise the vital connection between culture and cultural identity to the wellbeing and safety of First Nation’s children. Promoting the cultural safety of First Nation’s children and young people has been a core component of the Child Safe Standards since they were introduced in 2022. The Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP) has defined cultural safety as: 

Cultural safety for Aboriginal children has been defined as ‘the child being provided with a safe, nurturing and positive environment where they are comfortable with being themselves, expressing their culture… their spiritual and belief systems, and they are supported by the carer… (who) respects their Aboriginality and therefore encourages their sense of self and identity”. www.ccyp.vic.gov.au  

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Kim Doherty, Director of Wellbeing

What’s Happening at Surf Coast?

This 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 2025

WEEK 7 

Wednesday 4 June

GISSA Year 7  

College Choirs – Performance Evening – Choir Students only 

Thursday 5 June

Round 5 of Year 5 and 6 Winter Carnival  

Friday 6 June A

Assembly Prep to Year 4 

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Reconciliation Week 2025 

This week, our Surf Coast Campus came together to mark Reconciliation Week—an important time for our community to reflect, learn and walk together towards a more just, equitable and reconciled Australia. 

Throughout the week, students across all year levels participated in a range of meaningful activities designed to deepen their understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions. 

One of the highlights was the opportunity to engage in Yarning Circles, where students sat together in a respectful space to share thoughts and stories. These circles encouraged active listening and helped build empathy, respect, and a deeper cultural awareness. It was powerful to see even our youngest students embracing the practice with open hearts. 

Students also got their hands dirty with Myrnong planting. The Myrnong (or Yam Daisy) is a native plant that was once a staple food for many Indigenous groups in Victoria. By planting and learning about this special plant, students made connections to traditional Aboriginal land practices and sustainability. Our younger students also crafted beautiful Myrnong daisy flowers, creatively exploring the plant’s significance through art. 

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Debbie Riddle, Head of Campus

A Journey of Discovery and Reflection 

During Reconciliation Week, our Prep students embarked on a meaningful journey of discovery and learning. We began by giving thanks to the Wudawarrung people, who have cared for this land for countless generations. This acknowledgment set the tone for a week filled with activities that fostered appreciation and understanding of our shared history and culture. 

Our first activity took us to Doorangwar (Spring Creek), where we reflected on how fortunate we are to spend time in such a beautiful natural setting and considered its significance to the Wudawarrung people. 

Throughout the week, we engaged in various activities that deepened our connection to the land and its stories, including planting special Murnong seeds and reading many texts. We held a yarning circle, where students discussed the themes in the book Listen. This circle provided a safe space for sharing thoughts and feelings, promoting empathy and understanding among the students. 

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Nereda Welsh

Melissa Smith

Year 1 – Learning Adventures! 

This week in Year 1, our learning adventures took us to the chilly lands of Antarctica! Our main focus was on penguins — we explored where they live, how they stay warm, and what makes them such amazing animals. We have been like sponges and soaked up all the fun facts about them. They were especially excited to create their own Antarctica dioramas, showcasing icy landscapes and playful penguins. This was Freida’s highlight of the week. 

We also recapped our learning about koalas. Students remembered many fascinating facts and built creative koala habitats using a variety of materials. Harrison loved designing his own habitat, making sure it had plenty of eucalyptus leaves! 

Art was another highlight of the week, with students designing colourful “beanie boo” animals, inspired by their favourite creatures. 

In library time, students had the opportunity to explore new books and dive into stories about animals and nature. Lulu was especially excited to borrow new books this week. 

It’s been wonderful to see the students so engaged, curious, and imaginative. They continue to develop their knowledge of animals and their environments while building creative and literacy skills along the way. 

Sarah Minge

Olivia Vandenberg

Year 2’s Excursion Around Geelong

On Wednesday, we took our Year 2 students on a tour around Geelong to show them how they are connected to different parts of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, and the world.

Our first stop was the Spirit of Tasmania docking port. We hopped off the bus and took a photo near the new terminal. There were lots of discussions about who had travelled on the ship before, whether they had slept over on it, and what amenities were on board.

Next, we travelled a short distance to Avalon Airport, where students were greeted by Avalon staff who had even made boarding passes on lanyards for them. The helpful staff took us through the international terminal with check-in and customs, and then through the domestic terminal. Students learned how to check their luggage and go through security. They also discovered which destinations they could reach from Avalon Airport, both internationally and domestically.

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Sarah Dean

Jess Spicer

Year 3 – Interesting Explorations! 

We continue to have a wonderful time in Year 3, and we’ve been exploring some interesting topics in all our subjects.  

This week we recognised National Reconciliation Week. The 2025 theme, Bridging Now to Next, reflects the ongoing connection between past, present, and future. Bridging Now to Next calls on all Australians to step forward together, to look ahead and continue the push forward as past lessons guide us.  

Each day, students have engaged with an activity that encourages learning about Indigenous culture and how we can practice empathy and compassion towards those around us.  

Students have planted seeds of the native Murnong flower, a yellow flower that was once an important food source for many Indigenous people. They will eventually be planted on campus so everyone can enjoy this wonderful plant and be reminded of its  significance.  

We have included photos from our Reconciliation activities as well as our recent kinder visit to Butterfield House. Enjoy! 

Amy Shirley

Sophie McDonagh

Who Sank the Boat? 

The Year 4 students have continued their exciting hands-on learning adventure into the world of forces this week, exploring the big question: “Why do some things float?” 

Through explicit teaching, watching selected short clips, and engaging in class discussions, they developed a better understanding of the opposing forces of gravity and upthrust. They then applied this knowledge to a boat building challenge. 

Tasked with designing and constructing a boat that could hold as many unifix cubes as possible, students were given just a small amount of foil to work with. The challenge was on! 

It was wonderful to see the varied designs, ranging from long canoe style boats to flat bottom rafts. The students were all surprised to realise that their boats could hold far more cubes than they had initially predicted. 

Eventually, though, gravity won out, overpowering the upthrust of the water, and all the boats sank! 

Kate Rice

Adrian Bate

Year 6 Camp – a Wild Adventure to Remember!

From Monday to Wednesday this week, our Year 6 students ventured to the stunning Angahook Camp, nestled in the heart of Aireys Inlet. Despite facing some wild and windy weather, our students tackled each challenge with enthusiasm and resilience.

Throughout the three days, students participated in a range of exciting activities including the giant swing, rock climbing, ziplining, low ropes, hut building, and damper making. It was inspiring to see such strong camaraderie as students encouraged one another, demonstrated respect, and lived out our school values in every moment.

A highlight among many was the food – with the general consensus being that this was some of the best camp food ever!

We are incredibly proud of how our Year 6 students represented themselves and our school.

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Alex Pink

The Wonderful World of Art at Surf Coast 

Students have been immersed in imaginative watercolour painting, bringing some of their favourite toys to life in whimsical and expressive ways. With brushes in hand and palettes of vibrant colours, they have transformed blank pages into playful dreamscapes where teddy bears burst into vibrant colours, furry coats were contrasted with mixes of new colours designed and customised by our young creatives. Students have explored mixing new colours, adding washes and layers to add colour intensity. The soft, flowing nature of watercolour allowed their creativity to flourish, blending fantasy with familiar shapes and characters. Each painting has become a story, a world where toys are more than objects—they’re companions in colourful adventures born from the boundless imagination of a child. 

Jennifer Beck-Carlson

Surf Coast Sports

We are incredibly proud of our students who recently represented our school at the GISSA Cross Country event, held on Wednesday this week along the Barwon River. Each participant demonstrated outstanding determination, resilience, and school spirit, giving their absolute best on the day. Whether it was powering through the final stretch or supporting teammates from the sidelines, our students truly embodied our school values displayed in their perseverance and teamwork. A very big thank you to Joanne Richardson for her excellent coaching and support provided to our incredible GISSA Cross Country team.

In addition, this week we also pay special congratulations goes to Alby Prendergast, who was selected to represent our CCG Eagles team in the Basketball Victoria- Victorian College Championships (VCC). His performance on the day was exceptional, showcasing not only skill and athleticism but also leadership and sportsmanship. We look forward to seeing his continued success on the court!

Exciting news—Eagles Yellow have secured their very first win of the season! In a thrilling match that had everyone on the edge of their seats, the girls showed incredible focus and determination, battling it out right to the final whistle. With teamwork, grit, and a whole lot of heart, they edged out their opponents with a nail-biting 6–5 finish. A huge congratulations to the team—what a fantastic achievement!

Well done to all involved – your efforts and achievements make our school community proud.

Emma Workman

The Innovation Centre Buzzes With Creativity!

This term has been a busy one with the opening of the Innovation Centre. The Textiles, Woodwork, Food Studies, Media Arts and Visual Arts rooms are being put to good use by our Year 4 to 7 students.

Our Year 4 Visual Arts students created their own paint brushes from natural found objects in the school grounds. They used their brushes to do some creative mark making and some very interesting looking collage papers. They have also had some rather messy fun with shaving cream and food dye to create some beautiful tie dye style watercolor prints. As we continue to create prints and paintings using new and unusual styles, the Year 4 students have used straws to blow ink to create some cherry blossom inspired images.

Our Year 6 students have been very busy both in the Textiles and Food Studies rooms. In Visual Arts classes they have been taking inspiration from Japanese artist Takashi Murakami to create some textile ‘Happy Flowers’. They also christened our Food Studies kitchen, baking some very tasty ANZAC biscuits. They did an exceptional job of cooking and cleaning up, so parents don’t stop your Year 6 child from getting in the kitchen and even doing the dishes.

The Year 7 Product Design, Woodwork students have been very busy in the workshop creating their Pucket board games. With their own personalised designs and special finishing touches they have enjoyed working in our new woodwork facilities.

Geoff Trevaskis

Treasure Island Production Pulls up Anchor

"Arrr!" Our adventures on the high seas have come to an end, after four fun filled, action packed performances of Treasure Island. Audiences young and old filled the Bellarine Auditorium to capacity, to join in our seafaring tale. A tremendous celebration of talent and skill was showcased in this, our inaugural Middle Years cross-campus Drama production.

Co-Directors Ms Broad and Ms Clifford were thrilled to work with a diverse range of talented young performers from Years 5 to 9 from the Surfcoast, Highton and Bellarine campuses, who thoroughly enjoyed finding their inner pirate. Each week rehearsals would rotate from campus to campus, giving students and parents greater access and opportunity to be involved and bring their creative skills and energy to life.

For many of our young cast members this was their first opportunity to be involved in a production and play a range of characters, and what an amazing job they all did. The students were allocated either a Lead role, Pirate or Ensemble and they brought a high level of commitment and focus to the task. A special shout out to our lead actors who had MANY lines to learn and carried the narrative of the story, with professionalism and skill. What a magnificent group of students, many of whom didn’t know each other. They refined their craft and supported each other throughout the entire process – making friends that will continue through their schooling.

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Calling All Coding Wizards

Are you ready to unlock your inner tech wizard? 🧙‍♂️✨ We are thrilled to announce the upcoming Coding Challenge, open to all students with a knowledge of coding.

What is it?
The Coding Challenge is an international competition where students will tackle fun programming puzzles using their coding and algorithmic thinking skills. The coding challenge requires students to have a working knowledge of Turtle Blocky, Python, C#, Java or VB. More information can be found at https://www.amt.edu.au/cc

When and Where?

Date: Tuesday the 17 of June 2025
Location: On Campus/online

Duration: 45 mins

How to Sign Up:
Email S.bergin@ccg.vic.edu.au before Friday the 6 of June.

 

Sophie Bergin

Your Cookbook of Family Favourites – Calling for Recipes  

Dear Christian College Families,

Our names are Elisha Williams and Willow McInnes, and we are the Middle School-Highton campus Community Building and Outreach Prefects.

We are thrilled to share that we are introducing the Christian College Geelong cookbook, which will be an important fundraiser for the Christian College Foundation. All the proceeds from the cookbook will be donated to the Eternity Fund. By supporting this initiative you will be enabling, empowering, and changing the lives of young people from families who are experiencing hardship.

This will be a hardcover book which will include recipes from families and members of the Christian College Geelong community and will be titled, ‘Our Family Favourites’. If you have a special family recipe that you would like to share, we would love for you to contribute to the book. We encourage our community to contribute one favourite recipe.

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Vale Fiona Skinner

Some sad news to share with our Christian College community on the passing of Fiona Skinner after a courageous 6-year battle with breast cancer. Fiona and her husband Graeme founded the ‘Fiona Skinner - Learn to Swim’ school at the Middle School Sports and Aquatic Centre when it opened in 2011 and ran it until their retirement in 2020. Over that time Fiona taught hundreds of Christian College students, as well as many students from the wider community, how to swim. Her legacy, an industry-leading Learn to Swim program still remains in place here our Aquatic Centre under the guidance of the Geelong Swim Club, of which Fiona is a life member. Our sincere condolences to Graeme, their four Children, Grandchildren and extended family. She will be truly missed.

Brad Morris, Manager Sports and Aquatic Centre

Staying Safe on E-Scooters

With the growing popularity of e-scooters, it’s important that students and families are aware of the current laws and safety requirements. To help everyone stay informed, we’re sharing a Victoria Police fact sheet outlining the legal use of e-scooters in our community. 

We encourage all families to read through the information together and discuss the importance of safe and responsible riding.  

Youth Road Safety Fact Sheet 2025

 

Rick Geall, Vice Principal