Surf Coast Term 2 Week 9

Recharging and Reconnecting

One of the most enriching experiences at Christian College is the opportunity to hear colleagues share their personal devotions each morning. Each person's unique journey with faith brings fresh perspectives and insights, shedding new light on familiar scriptures. This term we have been focusing on the theme of God's promises, which, as outlined in the Bible, provide a foundation for hope, strength, love, protection, safety, presence, forgiveness, guidance and comfort, which are essential components of wellbeing. Throughout the term, students and staff have drawn upon these assurances to navigate challenges and celebrate achievements and we do have much to celebrate across our College. From the academic successes to personal growth, the incursions and excursions, Project Care days, National Reconciliation Week, House Music, camps, student learning conferences, winter sports carnivals, lunchtime music concerts and lunchtime clubs just to name a few. We do have much to celebrate.

As we near the end of Term 2, I do hope our upcoming holiday break provides you and your family the opportunity to recharge and reconnect. School holidays provide students, staff, and parents/carers alike the chance to take a step back from the pace of a school environment. These breaks are not just a pause from routine activities, they also present us with the time needed to replenish our self-care buckets, whether that be through spending quality time with loved ones, pursuing hobbies and interests, bike rides, hikes, cooking or simply taking the time to rest and reflect. “Please put on your own oxygen mask first before helping others!” Many of us have heard this important rule on flight safety briefings but it is also a very useful phrase to remind us about the importance of self-care, particularly amidst our increasingly busy lives.

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 2024

WEEK 10

Monday 17 June                       Year 3 Excursion to the Chocolate Factory – Year 3

Thursday 20 June                      Year 4 Pyjama Day Incursion – EdSmart sent 13 June

Friday 21 June                          Assembly – All Welcome

Friday 21 June                          Last day of Term 2 – Dismissal is at 3.25pm

From The Chaplain

Introducing…Torquay Uniting Church

This week on Introducing…I’ll be sharing about Torquay Uniting Church.

I will have the privilege of visiting Torquay Uniting this Sunday morning, with the Middle School Choir! The choir will be singing a couple of songs for the congregation, and I’ll be sharing a message afterwards, so if you’d like to join us at 9:30am for the service, we’d love to have you and your families there.

As always, if you have any questions about Introducing…, or any of the churches, please don’t hesitate to contact me by email, by phone, or contact the churches directly.

So, for this week’s Vine, Introducing…Torquay Uniting Church!

Torquay Uniting Church is a very welcoming church made up of mainly retirees with a few workers in the mix. We meet each Sunday at 9.30 am at the Uniting Church building, which is situated at 27 Anderson St, Torquay.

Torquay is part of the Surf Coast Linked Congregations – which is made up of Torquay, Aireys Inlet, and Bellbrae Uniting Churches, and has been in the area for over 90 years.

A Regal Celebration

On Wednesday, the Prep area of our school was transformed into a royal court as the Preps held their very own Royal Party Day. The air was filled with excitement as students arrived, each adorned in their finest attire, embodying the essence of royalty. From queens and kings to princesses, princes, and valiant knights, the variety of characters was a splendid sight to behold.

The festivities commenced with a grand Royal Parade, where each young royal had the chance to showcase their unique costumes. The parade was a cascade of vibrant colours and sparkling jewels, as students strutted with pride and joy.

In the spirit of creativity, the Preps engaged in crafting their own regal crowns, embellished with dazzling jewels and special glitter paint that caught the light with every turn. They also fashioned elegant bracelets, adding to their royal ensemble, as well as creating miniature stand up castles from paper, together with their very own royal portraits.

The excitement was evident as many of the children declared it the “best day ever!” The classrooms echoed with courteous bows and curtsies, as the Preps embraced the royal etiquette with enthusiasm. It was a day where imagination reigned supreme, and every student had the opportunity to feel like royalty.

Importance of Trying new Things

In the recent activities undertaken by Year 1 students, the emphasis has been on cultivating resilience and embracing new experiences. A discussion ensued regarding the significance of venturing beyond one’s comfort zone and maintaining perseverance in the face of initial setbacks.

Explorations delved into the realm of unconventional foods, prompting students to adopt an open-minded approach despite initial aversions based on appearance.

Students were tasked with a practical exercise that required ingenuity and persistence. The challenge involved constructing a bridge capable of supporting a 2-litre drink bottle between two chairs, with the caveat that conventional materials spanning the gap were prohibited. This prompted a flurry of imaginative solutions, with students devising some very inventive structures.

 While many students encountered initial difficulties, their determination drove them to keep refining their approaches until achieving success.

Year 2s Craft it up in Christian Education

This term, our students have embarked on a journey of discovery about God’s promises. Our learning process has been filled with joy as we’ve explored through stories and interactive activities like word searches, mazes, and creative art projects, all while discussing these promises.

We’ve strived to help students comprehend God’s significant promises to Abraham, and to understand that just as Abraham trusted in these promises, so can people today. Our goal has been to help students perceive how the Bible depicts God’s character as reliable and good. We’ve sought to help them grasp that the Bible demonstrates that God is always trustworthy, and that He selects individuals to play a unique role in His plan.

This week, we crafted a vibrant summary rainbow. This involved writing intricate sentences, painting, and incorporating each student’s unique creativity. This served as a way to encapsulate God’s promises to His people and how the Bible illustrates that God’s character is reliable and good. Well done Year 2s for your amazing creations!

Eco-printing!

What is Eco-printing?!

Well.. it’s a whole lot of fun, that’s what it is! Year 3 have been Eco-printing which is an eco friendly (Non man-made and non synthetic) way to print.

Eco-printing is a process of pressing the entire dye plant against a fabric and transferring the colour while the plant stays flat.

But Mr T. had other ideas… let’s have fun, make a whole lot of noise and break up the cells of the petals, releasing the colours of the flowers and the beautiful green chlorophyll of the leaves with hammers!!! Year 3 made instant beautiful fabrics which will be used next term when we explore textiles further.

Year 4s Design a Community Group

Our Year 4 students have been stretching their creative muscles over the past few weeks designing a community group of their choice. Considering important factors such as target demographic, group traditions and beliefs and how the local government might support their group, they have written a group plan and then created a promotional poster using their newly developed Canva design skills.

Groups have included pet owner meetings, running clubs, disability support teams and mindfulness programs. The range of ideas was incredible!

Students were then given the chance to present their proposal to their peers where they also answered more clarifying questions about their group’s features and running logistics.

We are so proud of the work they have done delving deep into this important aspect of community life and the groups that shape us.

Talent Quest 2024

Today we were treated to a fantastic celebration of our combined Middle Schools through our annual Talent Quest.  Students from our Bellarine, Surf Coast and Junior campuses travelled to Middle School – Highton to share in a wonderful range of student performances.  Individuals and groups entertained us by singing, acting, dancing, as well as performing in bands and ensembles.  We even had a robotics demonstration!  It was a rare but valuable opportunity for our students from across the College to come together and it was lovely to see.  The vibrant energy in the room provided an encouraging environment for the performances and, as always, was a highlight of the year so far.

Making a Great Impression in Art

The students of Years 2-6 have spent time this term learning about painting and print making and have been making a great impression, literally! From mixing primary colours to create secondary and tertiary colours to making their own unique colour schemes, they have been very busy.

The students of Year 2 took on the challenge of symmetrical prints to create their own butterfly automata. These will be added to their colour wheel flowers that they have built over recent weeks.

The Year 3 students were inspired by artist Alma Thomas and her unique and colourful designs using short brush strokes. We also took inspiration from Indigenous art from Australian Aboriginal artists.

The Year 4 students have enjoyed experimenting with printmaking techniques and making their own unique stamps to print on to their Roman inspired pots. They even learned to mix their own terracotta clay colours to apply to their pots.

Year 5 have explored colour theory and the endless number of colours that can be created from just a few. Their creative minds have gone into overdrive building their own collagraphs and practising different printmaking techniques.

The Year 6 students were very fortunate to follow up their colour theory studies by using gelli plates borrowed from some of our art friends at another school, to create one-of-a-kind prints using flowers and leaves.

Celebrating Debating and Winter Sports!

We are thrilled to announce and celebrate the newest members of our school’s debating team: Berry B, James O, Tom B, Ivy G, Maddie H, Stella N-K, and Georgia G. These outstanding students have shown a fantastic ability to plan strong arguments, collaborate effectively as a team, and expertly rebut the opposition’s points. Their dedication and skill have earned them a place on our two debating teams, which will proudly represent our school in the Regional Barwon Junior Debating Competition. The first debate will take place early in Term 3 with the topic ‘Plastic Bottles Should Be Banned’. We can’t wait to see our student’s shine!

Over the past six weeks, our Year 6 students have been actively participating in our Winter Sports Carnival, which has now concluded. They chose from a variety of sports, including tee-ball, soccer, football, volley stars, and netball. Throughout the carnival, our students have developed exceptional skills in communication, teamwork, and sportsmanship. It’s been wonderful to see their growth and enthusiasm in their chosen sports.

Generative AI Parent Webinar

A reminder to parents of this webinar which we held recently, with good attendance from parents.

We wish to make available a video recording of the webinar, as well as the parent and family guide handout that was promoted near the end of the webinar. The guide handout includes a summary of our current College guidelines for student uses of generative AI.

• Generative AI and School Parent Webinar Recording (includes chapter links)
• Exploring AI for Families Guide Handout (includes summary of College guidance)

During the webinar we addressed key parent questions. There was also an opportunity to share a follow up question after the webinar which we planned to respond to in this week’s Vine, however we did not receive any new questions.

Thank you for partnering with us in supporting our young people in navigating this new and emerging technology, particularly in the context of school and learning.

Gathering Hope

The Foundation was pleased to host their bi-annual Gathering Hope Appeal Luncheon on Friday, 24 May 2024 at Provenance Wines in Fyansford. With close to 80 guests in attendance, the event successfully raised $19K, which has been doubled, thanks to our current dollar-matching campaign, raising a total of $38K for the Foundation.

The guest speaker was Jossy Chacko, who generously gave up an entire day to support the work of the College and our local community. In addition to speaking at the luncheon, Jossy gave a devotion to our Senior School staff, spent time being scrutinised by the Year 10 Global Ethics class, and supported our local Christian radio station, 96three FM.

Seeking Christian College Company Members

Christian College Geelong is seeking expressions of interest from any parent or guardian interested in becoming a new Company Member.

Company Members play an important part in the governance structure and protection of the College. A number of positions on the Christian College Board are filled by company members, depending on the skillset required when vacancies arise, and it is the company members who have the responsibility of voting to pass any amendments to the Christian College constitution. Company members may also be eligible to sit on various committees involved in the governance of the College.

Whilst participating as a company member is not overly onerous, it needs to be pointed out that the position is voluntary and not remunerated in any way. Also, please understand an expression of interest does not guarantee automatic membership of the company.

If you have a heart for the College, and feel you would have the time to dedicate and an interest in this role, please contact the Company Secretary, Bernard Nicholls at b.nicholls@ccg.vic.edu.au. All expressions of interest must be submitted by COB Friday, August 2.

Camps, Sports and Excursion Funding

Every Victorian child should have access to the world of learning opportunities that exist beyond the classroom. The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) helps ensure that no student will miss out on the opportunity to join their classmates for important, educational and fun activities. It is part of making Victoria the Education State and Government’s commitment to breaking the link between a student’s background and their outcomes.

CSEF will be provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.

If you hold a valid means-tested concession card (HCC) or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. The allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting activities for the benefit of your child.

The annual CSEF amount per student is:

• $150 for primary school students
• $250 for secondary school students

How to Apply

Application forms are available online through the Parent Portal (Student Information, then Important Forms for Parents) these forms can be downloaded, completed then uploaded according to the instructions. Hard Copy forms are also available from reception at each campus or by emailing enquire@ccg.vic.edu.au

The closing date for applications is June 28.

 For more information about the fund visit www.education.vic.gov.au/csef

National Collection of Data on Students With a Disability

Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). With data collected on the first Friday in August (August 5 this year), the NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability.

These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD Guidelines.

Please see the attached NCCD Fact Sheet for more information.

NCCD Parent Fact Sheet

Golf Tournament 

Join the Christian College Foundation for an exciting four-person Ambrose Golf Day, including a $30,000 hole in one prize on Thursday, 24th of October at 13th Beach Golf Links, Barwon Heads.

Set on the stunning Bellarine Peninsula, the day provides an opportunity to enjoy the award-winning creek course, known for its undulating couch fairways, deep bunkers and interesting swales and hollows.

You will be treated to a scrumptious breakfast on arrival and an opportunity to participate in several fun activities including the longest drive, nearest to the pin etc.

There is plenty of prizes up for grabs, including a cash prize of $30,000. Score a Hole in One on the 12th Hole and you can win. *

You will also be treated to a delicious buffet lunch and learn more about the incredible work of the foundation. Every dollar raised will be dollar matched!