From the Executive Principal

It is wonderful to see all our students back at school! Whilst I do enjoy the holiday periods as a time of planning, reflection and refreshment, I do love the first week of each term when students return to add energy, colour and vibrancy to our campuses.

It has been a real joy for me to participate in Commencement Services on four out of our five campuses this week for that opportunity to connect with students and wish them well for the term ahead. At our Staff Professional Learning Day on Monday, we reflected on the distance travelled so far this year in our focus on continuous improvement. We also discussed the importance of finishing strong, reflecting that Term 4 is not just an end, it is also preparation for a new beginning next year. It was wonderful to see that this theme of ‘Finishing Strong’ was also the theme chosen by our Highton Middle School Prefects for the Commencement Service they led on their campus. You can read reports of Commencement Services around various campuses in this week’s Vine.

Term 4 is also a time of transition. Most of our learners will change classes next year, some of our learners will change campuses, as they move up from Junior to Middle or from Middle to Senior School, and our Year 12 students will transition to life beyond school. It was wonderful to see a new transition tradition established at our Senior School Commencement Service this week, where the outgoing 2025 Prefects handed on the baton of leadership to our incoming 2026 Prefects. I am also looking forward to all the other transition activities that will take place across our campuses this term to mark these moments of transition: Orientation Days, Transition Days, and Celebration Days, including the special Year 12 Celebration Day at the start of Week 3. I can’t wait to join in these activities with our students this term.

What’s Happening at Surf Coast?

TERM 4, WEEK 2

Monday 13 October: Beach Prep, Fisherman’s Beach

Tuesday 14 October:  Year 7 Science Incursion, Wildlife Exposure

Tuesday 14 October:  Year 2 Star Lab Excursion, Junior School Belmont Campus

Wednesday 15 October: Annual College Music Evening, Costa Hall

Friday 19 October: Royal Geelong Show Public Holiday

Year 2 – Settling Into Term 4

It has been wonderful to see our Year 2 students settle so smoothly back into school routines this term. They have returned full of energy, enthusiasm, and with a readiness to learn, which has created a fantastic buzz in our classrooms.

We’ve already begun diving into our exciting new topics, and the children are showing great curiosity and engagement. In English, we are exploring Ancient China and learning about persuasive writing, developing our skills in writing with purpose and creativity. In Maths, we’re focusing on patterns, multiplication, and division, helping students build strong number sense and confidence with these important concepts.

Our IDL topic this term takes us on an adventure into the Solar System, where we’ll discover fascinating facts about the planets, the sun, and beyond. In Christian Education, we are beginning to reflect on the lead-up to the Christmas Story, thinking about its meaning and significance as we approach the festive season.

We are so proud of how well the children have adapted and how eagerly they are approaching their learning. It’s wonderful to see their growing independence and confidence as they begin their final term of Year 2. We look forward to celebrating all their achievements in the weeks ahead!

Year 4 Students Dive into Data!

This week, our Year 4 students have been exploring the fascinating world of data collection and graphing. Working in pairs, they interpreted a variety of graphs including picture graphs, column graphs, and even scatter plots. Through discussion and analysis, students wrote thoughtful statements about the data presented, demonstrating their growing ability to read and understand visual information.

The excitement continued as students used Microsoft Excel to create their own tables and graphs. They learned how to format their graphs to clearly communicate the data, experimenting with titles, axis labels, and colour choices to enhance clarity and impact.

This hands-on experience not only strengthened their digital literacy but also deepened their understanding of how data can be organised and presented in meaningful ways. It’s been wonderful to see their confidence grow as they ask questions, make observations, and share insights with their peers.

Harmony in the Chapel: A Combined Junior School Choirs Rehearsal

The Highton Middle School Chapel came alive on Thursday with music, energy, and shared purpose, as the Bellarine and Surf Coast Junior School Choirs gathered for a combined rehearsal ahead of the Annual Music Evening.

The rehearsal marked a special opportunity for students from both campuses to connect, rehearse their performance pieces, and build new friendships through a shared love of music. The atmosphere in the chapel was full of positive energy as voices blended and harmonies took shape.

Led by Jacinta Burns and Stephanie Lawrence, with Brad Treloar’s deft and responsive piano accompaniment, the students worked with enthusiasm and teamwork throughout the session. It was encouraging to hear their progress and see the way they supported one another.

With such promising preparations, the Annual Music Evening is set to be a truly memorable event next Wednesday. We look forward to seeing the wonderful results of their collaboration on stage.

Art Show

We are looking forward to our Surf Coast Campus Art Show on November 6 and invite all parents and families along to view an exceptional collection of work by students at all levels of our campus. We hope you can join us!

Community Prayer Group

Our community prayer group runs on a Wednesday, from 3pm until pickup at 3:25pm, and all community members are welcome. If you join us, please ensure you sign in at reception (on the left-hand side of the main office).

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about prayer or our prayer groups.

Reminder: ‘Navigating the Social Media Ban’ Online Parent Forum

A reminder for all parents of our online parent forum, occurring this coming Monday evening (October 13) from 6pm. Focused on ‘Navigating the Social Media Ban’, the forum is intended to inform, empower and support parents.

While the forum will have a special focus for parents of students in Years 4-9, parents of young people of all ages will benefit from attending.

Parents who wish to attend are encouraged to RSVP for this online parent event. We hope to see you on Monday evening!

Spotlight on Wellbeing

Support During Exams

With exam season on the horizon, it is natural for students to experience a mixture of nerves and pressure as they prepare for a final hurdle of the school year. Whilst some stress, known as eustress can be helpful in boosting motivation, focus and alertness, too much stress, known as distress, can become overwhelming and negatively impact their health and wellbeing.

As a parent/ carer, you can play a key role in helping your child manage stress.  We hope you find some of these practical ways to support them helpful over the coming weeks:

The 2025 Sport Hall of Honour Event

We are delighted to announce that our second Sport Hall of Honour event is on next month, where we will induct Olympic Gold Medallist and CCG alumnus, Jakara Anthony OAM. Jakara is the third inductee into the Hall of Honour, joining 2023 inductees Gary Ablett Junior and Teagan Phillip.

Since graduating from Christian College in 2016. Jakara has gone on to become an Australian freestyle skier and Olympic gold medallist. Jakara was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours for service to sport as a gold medallist in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

Jakara is taking time out of her Olympic preparation training to come back to the College to receive this honour. In addition to celebrating Jakara’s journey, there will also be a number of current students who will receive awards including the following:

• Rising Eagle Award (students competing at a national level of their chosen sport).
• CCG Eagles Team of the Year
• Jakara Anthony Medal

Come along and hear about Jakara’s inspirational journey and what she plans to achieve next.

The date is October 20 and the evening runs from 6pm to 8pm at Rydges Geelong on the corner of Myers and Gheringhap Streets (enter via Myers St). If you’d like to join us, visit our webpage here, or access it via the hotlink on our homepage, for more information and to purchase tickets, which are priced at $35 per head. Light finger food will be provided and drinks can be purchased at the bar.

Come and join us for a very special event where we recognise the remarkable feats of one of our graduates, as well as current students who are also achieving great things in sport!

Geelong Summer Music Camp Jan 11 -16, 2026

A Day Camp for Music Students aged 10 – 21 years

Christian College Geelong is proud to once again be hosting the Geelong Summer Music Camp at the Senior Campus in January 2026. The GSMC committee are excited to have registrations now open for the January 2026 Camp.

If you have a budding band, choir or string musician in your house, or you are involved in a school or community music program, please encourage students aged 10 – 21 years to consider attending.

The camp highlights:
The GSMC is a friendly, welcoming, and inclusive day camp. Students will play in a concert band, string orchestra, or sing in a choir throughout the week and then feature in a finale concert at Costa Hall.

Campers will also have the opportunity to choose an elective activity. The camp builds social time into its program where students are encouraged to connect with others, developing positive friendships and relationships with other campers and staff. Auditions at the start of the camp are designed as a time for the students to connect with the music tutors, but also allow the tutors to place students into the ensemble that best suits them, to set them up to have a rewarding week of growth and fun making music.

Academic Excellence Scholarships – Applications are Open!

Each year, Christian College offers a number of Academic Excellence Scholarships. These are open to both current Christian College students, and to students currently attending other schools. Please note, this year some key aspects of these scholarships have changed from previous years.

Scholarship applications are now invited from any student for entry at Years 5 to 11 – in 2026 or 2027. When applying, you will be asked to nominate which calendar year of entry to Christian College you are interested in.

If you are interested in applying for a scholarship entry in 2026, applications are open to students currently in Years 4 through to 10.

If you are interested in applying for a scholarship entry in 2027, applications are open to students currently in Years 3 through to 9.

Further details are available, and applications can be submitted, on our website. Click on the Scholarships hotlink on our homepage, or go directly to the page by clicking here.

Applications close at 5pm on Thursday 16 October.

Scholarship testing will be conducted at Christian College Geelong on Saturday 25 October.

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.