In Focus - 2013 Term 1

M a r c h 2 0 1 3

Links to articles

Cover story :. 9y

LITEhouse :. 15

enVision Maths :. 11

Page 2 : .

Throughout the term I have enjoyed the

opportunity to see and appreciate the many

benefi ts that our students receive from their

education at Christian College. I have visited

many classes where I have specifi cally asked

students to share with me details about

what they are learning. To my delight, on

the majority of occasions this term I was

informed that, ‘we are learning to write a

persuasive text’, or ‘we are discussing the

features of a quality resume’, even ‘exploring

the structure of organelles in cells’. This clearly

indicates most positively to me that we are

tracking extremely well in creating a rich

culture of learning.

In 2013 our staff and students are focusing

on the collaborative nature of learning. Some

examples where I have witnessed powerful

collaboration taking place have been in the

following areas:

Student Leadership

Student leadership plays a vital role in the

culture and tone of schools. At Christian

College students have an opportunity to

demonstrate and develop leadership qualities

in a variety of areas. These occur formally

through a leadership structure where leaders

are appointed or selected and the less formal

means when students, through natural

inclination, take the lead in a particular way

when interacting with others.

Our newly appointed student leaders at each

Campus have started the year across the

campuses supporting new initiatives and

activities with their peers. They have taken

a major role in the leadership of the House

Swimming Carnivals, encouraging other

House members and competitors to support

or compete for their respective Houses.

Other leaders are actively engaging their

peers in fundraising and service activities to

support Project Care, initiatives. This term a

number of these have supported the One

Hundred For 100 Campaign to support our

colleague Miss Kristi Van Es. Kristi has shared

her plans to support this project with the

students at each campus and it has been

wonderful to see our students embrace the

project with such a broad collaborative eff ort.

On a less formal basis I observed students

sharing leadership abilities at the recent

Year 7 camp during a raft construction

activity. As the group worked to plan,

construct and launch their raft into the lake I

was impressed by the way that the students

cooperated in this task. The success of the

task, due in some part to the initiative that

the students off ered to lead others either

through example or by encouragement.

Staff Leadership

Taking the responsibility for particular areas

or programs within the College structure

also off ers the teaching staff opportunities

to provide leadership of programs and

colleagues involved. I recently sat in on a

meeting held by the Directors of English,

Mathematics, Humanities and Science.

These four subject areas are the four Phase

One subjects of the Australian Curriculum

implementation and the Directors are

meeting regularly to support each other

through this process. I felt privileged to join

in on the discussions which were rewarding

and assuring for me. Whilst passionate

about the specifi c area or subjects in their

responsibility, collectively they demonstrated

a far broader desire to see teaching and

learning at Christian College fl ourish and

develop in the future.

christ iancol lege.vic.edu.au

Page 3 : .

I could give any number of other diff erent

examples where this occurs from all levels

within the College as we continue to strive to

provide the very best learning opportunities

for our students.

Heads Of Campus

This year the Heads of Campus have

commenced a revised meeting format to

provide greater leadership to the learning at

our respective campuses. The new format has

included separate meetings for each section

within the College program. We now conduct

regular meetings with the combined Heads

and Deputy Heads of Junior School to discuss

the teaching and learning needs and plans

for this level. Combined Heads and Deputy

Heads meetings of the Middle Schools discuss

the specifi c needs of the programs for Years

5 to 9, including assessing and evaluating

the 100 Plus initiative. Separate meetings

consider the requirements and needs at

Senior School including the VCE program as

well as proposals to include VET and VCAL

programs in the near future.

It is my privilege to work in collaboration with

the leaders from these areas of the College

who are so dedicated to ensure that our

College continues to provide for the broad

range of needs for our students.

Congratulations to our 2013

Student Leaders

Given the important role that leaders play in

society and in the shaping of any community.

I wish to acknowledge and congratulate

the students who has been selected and

accepted to fulfi l 2013 leadership positions

throughout our College.

Servant Leadership

Our student and staff leaders were all recently

inducted in services conducted to formalise

these appointments. A common thread in

these times was the important reminder

about what type of leadership our College

aspires to achieve, this being one based on

service to others and one which follows the

examples of the teaching of Jesus.

5 After that, he poured water into a basin

and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying

them with the towel that was wrapped

around him. 15 I have set you an example

that you should do as I have done for you.

16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater

than his master, nor is a messenger greater

than the one who sent him. ‘

Our purpose is to follow the example that

Jesus lived and to seek to serve others

with the opportunities provided to us as

students, teachers and parents whenever

they arise.

Glen McKeeman

Principal.

Phys Ed teacher and

‘One Hundred For

100’ creator- Kristi

Van Es speaks at

the Senior Prefect

Investiture.

Page 4 : . christ iancol lege.vic.edu.au

The year of 2013 has brought us blessings

with several new staff at each Campus. We are

confi dent that each of them will bring their

individual God given gifts to our College.

Six new staff are already quite familiar with

Christian College as they were once students.

It is wonderful to see the familiar faces around

and to fi nd out the reason for them wanting

to come back to Christian College.

Corey Bolton- Graduated 2000

• Bellarine Campus Chaplain

• Year 8 P.E Teacher

• Year 8 Maths Teacher

• Year 8 and 9 Christian Education Teacher

• Year 9 Homeroom Teacher

‘I loved my time as a student here at Christian

College. This place played a major role in my

own spiritual development and I hope to be

able to assist other students in their discovery

of who they are in Christ.

When I decided to become a teacher, I just

knew I wanted to teach at Christian College.’

Ali Kim- Graduated 1999

• Back Creek Homestead Operations Teacher

‘In the time between being a student and

returning as a staff member I have studied,

travelled, lived abroad, married and had two

beautiful children. I have always loved teaching

and working with students, especially in

experiential settings. I felt that if I were returning

to work, I wanted to feel passionate about the

school and position off ered. I wanted to belong

to a supportive community where ideas are

embraced and change is constant. Christian

College is such a place.’

Stephen Brewster- Graduated 1995

• Senior School Japanese Language Assistant

‘After graduating I began my fi rst stint back

at Christian College as a teacher in the music

department. I did that for a few years and

then found myself in Japan pursuing a fairly

diff erent passion from my school days, Japanese

language, and after 12 years I’m back at

Christian College. I can see how much things

have changed including the direction and vision

for the future. I am very excited to be part of the

wonderful LOTE department and the Christian

College staff once again.’

Tim Wright– Graduated 2006

• Year 9 Outdoor Education Teacher

• Year 7 and 8 Humanities Teacher

• Years 7 and 8 Environmental Studies

electives Teacher

‘I have worked at many schools since

graduating from Christian College and have

never found anywhere with the same sense of

family and community. I also respect the high

values and work ethic of the school and wanted

to put my teaching eff orts into the best place

possible. It is a fantastic feeling to walk into

work on a Monday morning. I haven’t said that

about a teaching job before!’

Renee McCance- Graduated 2005

• Year 10 PE and Australia’s Health Teacher

• VCE Physical Education and Health and

Human Development Teacher

‘My experience as a student at the College

provided me with the opportunity to achieve so

much after fi nishing school, and so I wanted to

have the opportunity to give something back

to Christian College that provided me with so

much. This year is my fi rst year of permanency

after working at ‘Back Creek’ farm campus as a

program supervisor as well as at Junior School

as Kinder to Year 1 Physical Education Teacher.

It is great to be able to work with and learn from

the people who inspired me to become a teacher.’

Kate Hill- Graduated 2003

• Year 2B Class Teacher at Junior School

‘I wanted to be a part of Christian College

again because of the supportive, Christian

environment it off ers. It’s wonderful to be

able to share my faith within day-to-day

teaching. I have really enjoyed my return to

Christian College and it’s been great to see so

many familiar faces around the place too!’

Page 5 : .

We congratulate the leaders of

the College for 2013:

SENIOR SCHOOL

Burrows House

Rachel Hodder

Nicholas Hogan

Joshua Horton

Allison Norris

Ivy O’Dwyer

Taylah Wright

Penman House

Matthew Gunn

Kristina Macula

Jayden McHenry

Madison Riddle

Jacob Sharp

Jasmine Yoong

Flynn House

Nathan Carnie

Ricci Curtis

Thomas Grayson

Sydney Jenkins

Oliver Overman

Emily Rastas

Taylor House

Andrew Fitzgerald

Jacob Hunniford

Olivia Kehoe

Yi Lynn Leong

Katrina Palmer

Marnie Platt

School Captains

Ivy O’Dwyer

Jacob Sharp

Vice Captains

Madison Riddle

Thomas Grayson

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Middle School Student

Representative Council

Year 5

Benjamin Madden

Joshua Spence

Ava Halloran

Year 6

Darcy Aylen

Erin Russell

Benjamin Conn

Year 7

Georgia Quick

Bailey Hunter

Noah Stott

Isaac Hanneysee

Chiara Centorbi

Zachary Schwarz

Year 8

Michael Little

Jack McPhail

Cathy De Rosso

Thomas Newman

Brydon Barnett

Olivia Aylen

Middle School House

Offi cials

Burrows House Captain

Harrison Hogan, Amy Troy

Flynn House Captain

Cain Mackay, Lydia Mackie

Penman House Captain

Jordan Rossi, India Moran

Taylor House Captain

Kelly O’Neil, Zoe Collins

Prefects

Devotion Prefects

Ellenie Case, Claudia Vasey,

Zachary Edwards, Joel Inei

Project Care Prefects

Xavier Andueza Mossop

Faith-Emily Bailey

Callum Hogg

Ruby Serong

Music Prefects

Jasmine Copeland

Daniel Bell

Joshua Farrell

General Prefects

TaleeaDrever

Jordan Gibson

Hayley Gough

Jack Heathcote

Brittany Siketa

Jessica Meddings

Matilda Thompson

Anneke Richards

School Captains

Zachary Edwards

Claudia Vasey

Vice Captains

Xavier Andueza Mossop

Amy Troy

Middle School Mentors

Grady Baxter

Sarah Burgess

Jack Hamer

Molly Lamond

Rosie Murphy

Coby Robson

Madeline Timberlake

Gemma Beard

Naomi Caulfi eld

Noah Hanneysee

TahleeMarchello

Caitlyn Oakley

Micky Robinson

Asha Bent

Thomas Clarke

Matilda Jones

Zoe McClure

Gemma Podbury

Serena Roach-Gepp

Keely Bent

Albany Flanagan

Jane Kosutic

Harry McEvoy

Tom Puckett

Hannah Sleeman


House Leaders at the Bellarine Campus

Page 6 : .

BELLARINE CAMPUS

Project Care

Representatives

Year 4D - Saxon Apps,

Abbey Ryan

Year 4S - Jordan Smith,

Holly Harris

Year 5D - Lauren Cairney

Year 5S - Michaela Holsted

Year 6D - Tess Elstone

Year 6S - Kira Miles

Year 7D - Jane Martin

Year 7E - Holly Peacock

Year 7S - Serena Cullum

Year 8D - DenaeVagg

Year 8E - Sarah Mansell

Year 8S - Peyton Greiner

Year 9D - Damon Baker

Year 9E - Brooke Woodhart

Year 9S - Nicholas Bazalicki

House Captains

Burrows

Darcy Pearson

Katie Rowe

Flynn

Brady Nankervis

Indiana Van Someren

Penman

Mitchell Ryan

Meg Richardson

Taylor

Angus Callahan

Jakara Anthony

House Secretaries

Burrows

Laetitia Chow

Sophie Symes

Flynn

Erica Bjornenak

Molly Gray

Penman

Liam Warren

Brooke Woodhart

Taylor

Lachlan Fog

Phoebe Talbot

Junior School House

Captains

Burrows

Neve O’Brien

Oscar Price

Flynn

Ella Jones

George Maroulis

Penman

Elizabeth Kefaloukos

Jackson Spanic

Taylor

Sienna Nelis

Alex Soufl as

Prefects

Erin Anderson

Jakara Anthony

Angus Callahan

Ebony Corless

Molly Gray

Natasha Henningsen

Josiah King

Brady Nankervis

Amelia Raleigh

Katie Rowe

Mitchell Ryan

Alice Stewart

Indiana Van Someren

School Captains

Katie Rowe

Mitchell Ryan

JUNIOR SCHOOL

School Captains:

Finlay Kerr

Madeleine Benson

Burrows House Captain

Cooper Geall

Annabelle Geall

Burrows Secretary

James Richardson

Michelle Zhao

Flynn House Captain

Dante De Beer

Madeleine Benson

Flynn Secretary

Charlie McFadyen

Ruby Oliver

Penman House Captain

Finlay Kerr

Matilda Puckett

Penman Secretary

Gordon Wang

Eliza Bell

Taylor House Captain

Liam Handley

Tyler Costin

Taylor Secretary

Tom Dell-Rennie

Harriette St. Ledger


The Principal congratulates the Senior School Captains for 2013.

Page 7 : .

themselves as ‘learners’. All children have the

opportunity to learn in the context of their

school, families and community. In their

early years of school, our students broaden

their learning about the world through

connecting with people, places, technologies,

natural materials and environments. In

line with the outcomes of the Victorian

Early Years Learning and Development

Framework, it is our endeavour to foster

curiosity, cooperation, confi dence, creativity,

commitment, enthusiasm, persistence,

imagination and fl exibility through a variety

of learning opportunities for our students.

Welcome to 2013

It is always exciting to begin a new year at the

Bellarine Campus. In particular, I would like

to extend a warm welcome to those families

beginning their educational journey with us

and trust you have enjoyed a smooth and

fruitful start to the year. I enjoyed catching

up with many of you at our Family Welcome

Picnic and Information Evenings and for

those families I missed, I am sure we will have

opportunities to meet as the year unfolds.

Growing Confi dent and Engaged Learners

One of our aims at Christian College is to

develop our students’ understanding of

Building Capacity to Learn

We believe that a successful educational

experience has to be built around individual

students learning about how they personally

learn best. One of the key areas of our

strategic plan for teaching and learning is

how we in fact ‘Build Capacity to Learn’. This

can take time to develop and requires the

support and encouragement of staff and

parents. It begins in our Junior School and

fl ows through to the Middle School where our

students are developing independence and

personal responsibility for their own learning.

This process of building capacity to learn can

be fostered through encouraging students to:

• Wonder, question and become

adventurous in their thinking

• Make links with previous and existing

learning experiences

• Develop a view that learning is

exploratory, fun and rewarding

• Refl ect on themselves as learners, in

particular their feelings about learning

• Respond to open-ended questions, rather

than repeat lists or rote learning

• Refl ect on their thinking, why they think

what they think

• Learn to manage time and resources to

complete tasks

• Use their imagination and curiosity to

generate ideas

• Begin to take initiative as learners and ask

questions for clarifi cation

• Recall information and share the ‘sense

and meaning’ of the knowledge or skill

• Transfer concepts and ideas from one area

of learning to another

Of course this is not an exhaustive list,

however, as parents, it may assist you in

framing questions when discussing your

child’s learning at home.


Page 8 : .

confi dence and involves them fully in the

dialogue of learning – an important skill

for success in the Middle and Senior Years.

• Explaining to your child that a deadline

for the submission of work needs to be

met. Do not make excuses for your child,

do not let it become a point of ‘argument’

at home, but allow the teaching staff to

deal with any late submissions from a

school perspective through personal

learning and follow up. Support the

teaching staff through these endeavours.

• Allowing your child to experience the

consequences for disorganisation. Driving

to the school to deliver a hat or required

Parents can also support our teaching staff in

building the capacity of our students to learn

by fostering such things as:

• Allowing students to complete their

own work and home learning. As parents

we sometimes think that we can ‘hasten’

the process and make it a little less

‘painful’ by doing the work for

our children. This is counterproductive

and reduces the learning experience

signifi cantly.

• Encouraging students to return to school

for teacher clarifi cation if they are unsure

of a concept or skill required to complete

a task at home. This builds student

school item, does not assist the student

in learning to be responsible for his/

her items and in preparing for the

school day. Take the time to

discuss the ‘consequences’ at home and

develop strategies and routines to

support a well organised start to each day.

Some of our older students have been

known to text/phone home to have

parents bring items to the school (which

is not permitted), so please do not

respond to such requests for the same

reasons outlined above.

• Maintaining regular contact with your

class/homeroom teacher through the

student organiser. This is also the place

for you as parents to monitor the ‘personal

learning’ and progress of your child.

The partnership between parents and staff is

integral to the process of building capacity

to learn for our students. We invite your

involvement and feedback and trust that as

the year unfolds we can take some signifi cant

steps in developing the personal learning

strategies employed by all students, to allow

them to achieve their best in 2013.

We pray that the year ahead will be fi lled with

many blessings and that God’s word will continue

to be a ‘lamp to our feet and a light for our path’.

Scott Elliss

Head of Bellarine Campus


Year 6 Bellarine students working in the Science vegetable garden.

Page 9 : .

integrity. These are all wonderful attributes

but character growth or development

is something that takes time, love and

patience both from the one developing as

well as the mentor. Character is something

that is forged and built, it does not come in

a ‘take away’ package.

C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity paints a picture

of the way in which God himself stretches

and develops us:

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes

in to rebuild that house. At fi rst, perhaps, you can

understand what He is doing. He is getting the

drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof

and so on; you knew that those jobs needed

doing and so you are not surprised. But presently

He starts knocking the house about in a way

that hurts abominably and does not seem to

make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The

When looking to defi ne ‘character’ one fi nds

defi nitions such as: ‘the aggregate of features

and traits that form the individual nature of

a person; moral or ethical quality; qualities of

honesty, courage, integrity and good repute.’

Christian College upholds the values:

Love, Hope, Faith, Trust and Grace and

promotes fi ne character traits such as care,

compassion, respect, tolerance, honesty and

explanation is that He is building quite a diff erent

house from the one you thought of - throwing

out a new wing here, putting on an extra fl oor

there, running up towers, making courtyards. You

thought you were being made into a decent little

cottage: but He is building a palace, He intends to

come and live in it Himself.”

‘Safe, Secure, Listened To’

Christian College understands that before you

are able to reach out to respect others you

must have a healthy respect for yourself. Our

Middle School slogan“Safe, Secure, Listened

To” seeks to assure all our students that they

are in an environment where they are safe

to be themselves and we seek to help them

recognise their innate value.

Once a child recognises they are a person of

value and a child of God, they are in a fi ne

position to begin to grow. Many of the values

and traits that we seek to develop come not

from comfort but rather from diffi culty. It

is the aim of Christian College to remind

students that they have a school and loving

family to support them when diffi cult or

challenging times arise. They will see Love,

Hope, Faith and Trust in action and, in turn,

come to understand how they can exercise

these traits in their own life.

Challenge and Character

In the classroom and school environs we

share and discuss what it is to be caring,

compassionate and honest but it is often the

opportunities that are off ered the students,

as part of their learning program, beyond

the school walls, that allows the theory to be

practised and grown.

School Camps, the Back Creek Farm, visits

to Aged Care Facilities, helping those less


Year 8 students visit the elderly.

Learning abseiling skills at Year 7 Camp.

Page 10 : .

fortunate than ourselves, sporting events,

home study, Christian Outreach and other

activities too numerous to mention all

place challenges before our students that

will stretch them. It is in the taking up of

these challenges that we see the character

development that we desire for our students.

This ‘stretching’ regularly occurs in ways

families and students could never have

predicted, a little like C.S. Lewis’ house.

Resilience

Resilience is a ‘buzz’ word at the moment but

the fact is that, in essence, it is intertwined with

good character development. Students will

learn that failure is but a step toward success,

that diffi culties are there to be overcome and

that through all circumstances when we stand

together we stand with the strength of the

group. Character development is never about

learning to be strong enough to stand without

others but rather to stand with others. If it is

not your turn to be helped it will be your turn

to be the helper.

Christian College presents ‘The Wizard Of

Oz’ at GPAC this April 26th and 27th.

The 120-member cast and orchestra have

spent months in rehearsal and have put

together a truly magnifi cent show.

Much preparation has gone into the

Production that occurs biennially at Christian

College. Students, staff and parents volunteer

their time to assist in creating what always

is a memorable event. From set building to

costume making, countless hours have been

put into this Production of the Wizard of Oz,

but everyone involved gives up their time with

joy and ease as the benefi ts the students get

from participating makes it all worthwhile.

The production features a range of characters

very familiar to many and is based on the

classic movie. The audience will witness

Dorothy trying to fi nd her way home, and

I love attending Year 7 Camp as, in a matter

of hours, you can see before your eyes new

students growing in understanding of what

it is to support one another. You can see

students who understand it is important

to do your best and just as importantly to

celebrate other people’s best. I was humbled

at a recent Year 7 camp when a Year 7 girl

seemed even keener for me to swim well

and win than she was for herself. I know my

character grew through this one experience.

During His time on earth Jesus demonstrated

Godly character and helped His disciples

to grow this way. Christian College seeks

to support such character development

recognising that both in school and beyond,

this will lead our students to experience

fulfi lment in their lives and equip them to

make a diff erence in their world.

Wayne Hines

Head of Middle School Highton

along the way

meeting Scarecrow,

Tinman and Lion.

With the three

companions, Dorothy embarks on a

journey to Emerald City whose wonderful

Wizard of Oz they believe will provide them

with what they lack: a brain for the Scarecrow,

a heart for the Tinman, courage for the Lion,

and a way home for Dorothy.

The Musical is also about the power of the

imagination and the importance of those ideas.

Perfect for all ages, it celebrates friendship,

perseverance, compassion and love.

Christian College invites the community to

come and enjoy the Wizard of Oz and what

will be a very entertaining night out in April.

Tickets will become available from March

16th 2013 via the Christian College website

or through GPAC online or at the ticket offi ce.


The Prep to Year 6 staff and students across

the Campuses of Christian College are

celebrating the introduction of the enVision-

MATHS Program. The commencement of the

new program in 2013 comes after much time

was spent by the Maths Review Commit-

tee, seeking the best direction for Christian

College to move in relation to the eff ective

teaching of Mathematics.

enVisionMATHS is a set of new resources that

refl ects the best practice in the teaching of

Primary Mathematics for students and teach-

ers. It combines visual learning strategies and

digital teaching and learning tools that assist

students to make meaningful connections

between known and new Maths concepts. The

diff erent components of the program enable

the use of diff erentiated teaching and learning

strategies that allow teachers to tailor content

and methods to improve students’ learning.

It’s been wonderful to hear many positive

comments from both teachers and students

working with envisionMATHS;

Teachers

“The Visual Learning component of the Envi-

sion Maths program really engages the chil-

dren, encourages them to think ‘outside the

box’ and uses language that is appropriate to

their level. I often use this part of the program

to introduce a topic as they are explained

clearly and use a range of visual examples to

help the children with their understanding.

I like the way that it allows for questions along

the way to encourage the children to think

about what they are working on and to make

observations about what will come next. “

“It has been very interesting to hear some of

the students’ responses during question time,

already they’re displaying a much deeper lev-

el of thinking. The discussions they have with

each other and their sharing of thoughts with

the whole class have been most valuable.”

“The diff erentiated components I’ve used

cater for a range of ability levels, this enables

you to extend the students who are ready

for it, assist the children who are fi nding the

topic diffi cult and allow the children who are

working at their optimal level to consolidate

their understanding.”

Students

“I think that the new maths program is fantas-

tic because it is fun and it requires teamwork.

I don’t really like maths but the new program

is really teaching me more about how it all

works.”

–Jackson 4D.

“I think the new Maths program is more fun

and entertaining. I enjoy the investigation

cards because they are a challenge.”

–Saxon 4D.

“I think it is fantastic because you get to

follow the instructions to work through the

problems. For example, we needed to fi nd out

the average attendance at an attraction and

then add the numbers, we couldn’t fi nd the

information on the web so we called Adven-

ture Park and the Zoo. How cool!”

–Sienna 4D.

Pam McKeeman

Deputy Head of Bellarine Campus

Page 12 : .

The Summer break saw a signifi cant amount

of work being done at Junior School Belmont

to enhance the way that we utilize technol-

ogy in our everyday teaching and learning

practice. This occurred on two fronts:

Firstly, the computers from the Computer Lab

were all relocated to the Library. This year, all

students have their Computer and Library

classes time tabled so that one immediately

follows the other. This enables the two pro-

grams to be integrated so that the computer

skills learned in one lesson can be immediately

applied to the library/literature context in the

other. Such an approach not only optimizes

the use of time available – for young students

logging on and off computers can be quite a

time consuming operation – but it promotes

the understanding among our young learners

about why and how skills and understand-

ings can be applied for diff erent purposes and

across subject areas.

Secondly, new Interactive White Boards were

installed in ten classrooms so that now every

general classroom space at Junior School has

the use of an Interactive White Board. As the

teachers are constantly working to develop

and share new resources and ideas for teach-

ing using the powerful range of tools of the

IWBs to complement other learning activities,

it is evident that the children are fi nding this

approach highly engaging and useful. These

tools are providing an excellent means for

teachers to readily accommodate the interests

and needs of children who have diff erent

learning styles, and their capacity to embed

information presented in a variety of formats

– animations, interactive tasks, documentary

clips etc – allows teachers to off er precise and

engaging material and activities to focus on

the learning goals set.

It has been wonderful to watch the variety

of ways in which teachers and students

have been able to make use of the new

technologies at their disposal at the Junior

School Campus this year. We have been truly

blessed to be able to off er these new facili-

ties to our students.

Marion Nott

Head of Campus, Junior School Belmont



At the Senior School, the students and staff

identify very strongly with their House. The

House to which one belongs is of great

importance and permeates campus life here.

The day commences with time together in a

House Group and devotional time is shared

with others in the same House. This is a good

place for relationships to begin and to be

built upon.

The physical areas of our site are identifi ed

through the House names, such as “Down in

the Penman Quad” or “At the Flynn tables”

and everyone immediately knows the place

to which that statement refers.

Each House is led by six Prefects who organise

the many activities throughout the year for

their particular House. The Prefects work

together as a team and they work hard at

building up the life of their House, together

with the Head of House and so many other

students who demonstrate strong leadership.

Their Houses all benefi t from this collabora-

tive approach. Hear what two of the House

Prefects have to say:

“Our House is about inclusiveness, of everyone

having a role to play and something to contrib-

ute. We believe in teamwork and that we can

achieve more when we work together.“

“Together we try hard, we aim high, with the

grace of God”

At Senior School we pride ourselves on

the number of lunchtime activities which

students may enjoy and, the opportunity

to represent one’s House in these sports is

hotly contested.

There is a large focus on the four major carni-

vals, and while participation in the Swimming

is strongly encouraged, all students take

part in the Cross Country, Music and Athlet-

ics carnivals. Individual high achievers in all

carnivals are acknowledged on the day and

the Senior School Community congratulates

them on their great achievements.

Every lunchtime activity and carnival pro-

vides a means for points for the House to be

earned. These points are gathered through-

out the year and totalled. The House with the

highest number of points is awarded the D

C Riddle trophy for that year. It is with great

excitement and anticipation that the students

await the announcement of this at our Pre-

sentation afternoon at the year’s end.

The spirit of the Houses is an inherent and

important part of our daily living at the

Senior Campus.

Susan Strong

Head of Campus, Senior School

Page 14 : .

Teachers at Christian College always aim to

create a high standard of learning for each of

their students. The College strives to create

an environment to cater for all the students

and help them by fi nding their individual

strengths. A specialist team of teachers from

our College in 2010 came up with a diff erent

way of teaching, and created a unique

learning structure for gifted and talented

students from Years 5 to 9 at the Bellarine

and Highton Campuses known as the Q’ed

Program.

Two successful years have passed since the

implementation of the Q’ed Program in 2011.

The Program continued with Q’ed 2 online

in 2012 and because of being involved,

participating students have excelled in their

ability to learn.

The Q’ed Program continually challenges the

students for the three years that it operates.

Many topics that students discuss during

the Q’ed class surround everyday life such

as technology and community issues. These

themes generate questions and thoughts

in the students so they do not just work

academically, but on a personal and emotional

level as well. Questions like ‘What does it

means to belong?’ and ‘How can we create

a healthy community?’ are asked to allow

the students endless possibilities to explore

deeper into the topic and fi nd a solution.

Teachers support the students and give them

guidance, but the students do the majority of

the enquiry in their own time, which allows

them to feel a real sense of achievement.

Peyton Greiner who was one of the students

involved in the Q’ed 1 Program in 2012

worked with other students in Years 5, 6

and 7 to solve the ‘How can we create a

healthy community?’ question. All students

thoroughly researched this question and

came up with stimulating and very diff erent

presentations. Peyton took his enquiry to an

incredible depth by looking at a community

issue of healthy food choices. Peyton, who is

now in Year 7, worked with the Geelong City

Council Town Planners to allow them to have

a student’s perspective on how they could

implement healthier initiatives within Geelong.

Like all the Q’ed students, Peyton loves his time

within the Q’ed program and enjoys ‘meeting

new people and being challenged’.

This year Q’ed 3 has been launched with many

exciting and challenging activities and topics

within the program. The Qe’d 3 students

have already been involved in a ‘mock board

meeting’ at the Senior Campus. Lead by the

Principal and Heads and Deputies of each

campus, the students were able to see fi rst

hand how a board meeting runs and were

able to comment and ask questions at the end

creating great discussion and topics that they

will further examine later in the program.

Roselyn Smith

Co-ordinator of the Q’ed Programs


Page 15 : .

The Digital Revolution has placed a huge

amount of information within everyone’s

reach. Because of this, the skills required

to work eff ectively and effi ciently with the

information have become critical for students

to develop from a very early age.

With this is mind, since 2011 Christian College

has been implementing initiatives from

the LITEhouse faculty (Library Information

Technology Education) to integrate

Information & Technology and Library

resources to expand the way the College

educates students in Years 5 to 9.

The LITEhouse staff work with all teachers

within the computer lab, library and the

classroom to help equip the students with

knowledge and skills, and guide them

to use these to enhance their depth and

enjoyment of learning. Through this, staff

are also learning new ways of teaching and

integrating library resources and information

and technology into all subjects.

The skills that the LITEhouse faculty want to

focus on within the classrooms for students

to benefi t from are: thinking, communication,

evaluating and creating. This incorporates

many diff erent areas like questioning,

searching and locating, synthesising,

organising and presenting, Web 2.0

applications, internet searching skills, creation

of videos and green screen presentations.

A current example of theLITEhouse

involvement in student learning is in Year

7 History where students are being taught

how to create their own questions. They

are discovering that the quality of the

information found is very dependent on

the way that the question is formed, and

that the answering of a question will very

often lead to more questions needing to be

asked. Questioning techniques are a skill

that students will then revisit and investigate

more deeply in future years.

Through the LITEhouse faculty, educating

the students has truly become a more

collaborative endeavour requiring real and

virtual, fl exible and creative learning spaces

that makes a new and exciting environment

for students to grow and learn within.


Page 16 : .

At Junior School Belmont and across all

campuses we see educating our students to be

a three-part relationship between the College,

our parents and our students. Parents are vital

in establishing an environment for our children

that promotes a love and respect for learning.

Some of the ways that we encourage this

intentional partnership at Junior School

are through off ering parent sessions that

demonstrate some of the teaching and

learning frameworks that exist within the

Junior School. Parents become familiar with

these frameworks and teaching practices and

participate in the classroom assisting students.

Parents have regular communication with

classroom teachers regarding programs such

as the ‘Doorway Into Practical Literacy’ initiative

to assist them when students are completing

activities at home. We also encourage

feedback from our parents as to how they feel

as a part of their child’s experience in coming

to Christian College Junior School.

Recently, we held a Prep Parent’s morning

tea where parents shared experiences, ideas

and expectations. The morning tea was

very well attended and allowed new and

existing families to connect. The feedback

was overwhelmingly positive with lots of

conversation bubbling throughout the

morning. Parents shared experiences and

stories with genuine enthusiasm.

Ann-Marree Weigl

Deputy Head, Junior School Belmont


Page 17 : .

Staying healthy is vital for every Australian.

Government initiatives encourage everyone

to implement sound health practices into our

own lives and set an example for children to

follow in our footsteps. As an educational

institution which nurtures students’ well-

being, Christian College has the responsibility

to guide the students into practicing healthy

lifestyle habits and also to make them aware

of the major health risks in Australia.

To continue to broaden the knowledge of

our students on diff erent health issues, a new

Year 10 subject ‘Australia’s Health’ has been

incorporated into the curriculum at the Senior

Campus this year.

Within this subject the students discuss and

learn about many facets of Australia’s health

issues. These include the overall health status,

major causes of morbidity and mortality and

health issues that directly aff ect a Year 10 age

group. This results in the students having

a greater understanding of the benefi ts of

leading a happy and healthy lifestyle.

An interactive and a hands-on Workshop has

also been included in collaboration with one

of the Senior School Chaplains. This creates

a safe and loving environment when dealing

with sensitive issues relating to mental health,

self image and other health issues.

The workshops are to give students a real life

look at how specifi c health issues aff ect them

and the wider community - putting the theory

into a real life perspective, and off ering a hands

on approach to dealing with these diffi culties.

Taking ‘Australia’s Health’ will encourage the

students to pursue VCE Health & Human

Development studies and continue to live a

healthy lifestyle.


Page 18 : .

Two Christian College 2004 Graduates who

were awarded Dux of the College are proving

that with some hard work and a supportive

and highly educational background, you can

achieve great things.

Attending Christian College provided Chris

and Sophie Atkinson with a strong academic

and social grounding that has assisted them

to pursue exciting and rewarding careers.

After both graduating from Christian

College in 2004 they went onto to pursue

their passions; Sophie studied Engineering

and Arts at the University of Melbourne

and gained employment as an Engineer at

Vic Roads in 2009. Chris studied Law and

Commerce at Deakin University, and began

work in taxation at Deloitte, becoming

qualifi ed as a solicitor in 2010.

In 2011, Chris and Sophie decided to live

overseas and further their education. Both

undertook Masters Degrees at the University

of Cambridge. Sophie undertook the MPhil

in Engineering for Sustainable Development.

She was one of four Australians to receive

the prestigious full-cost Gates Cambridge

Scholarship. Chris undertook a Masters of

Law, receiving a Cambridge Commonwealth

Scholarship.

Chris said ‘the year at Cambridge was one of the

most rewarding of our lives’. He also mentioned

that ‘we thoroughly enjoyed our studies and

one of the highlights was the opportunity to

learn from leading minds in our fi elds.’

Students at Cambridge come from all over

the world which has, in turn, provided

them with the benefi t of hearing diff erent

perspectives, as well as creating friendships

from across the globe.

Upon returning from Cambridge, the two

have resumed their careers at their previous

employers and have soared to new heights.

Sophie is passionate about sustainable

transport, and is working on integrated

transport solutions for Victoria through

strategy and policy development. Chris has

been involved in several high profi le taxation

and administrative law matters, many of

which have involved litigation in the Federal

Court of Australia.

Chris and Sophie both thank the Christian

College Community for the support that has

helped them to achieve their goals.



When students come to Senior School they

are in their last three years of secondary

education. These are vital years for teachers

to set them up to be ready to go out into

the world and lead fulfi lling lives that God

intended for them.

To help enable this, the Powers Program was

introduced several years ago. Starting in Year

10, this program instills qualities into the

students that will help them gain wisdom and

become empowered to make wise decisions,

not just for their academic future but for their

personal lives as well.

As part of the Powers Program at Senior

School, students from Years 10 to 12 partake

in a vast range of activities, seminars, guest

speakers and programs that are specifi cally

designed for their particular needs at each

year level.

Year 10 students will be involved this year in

a Careers Expo and Driver Education Seminar.

Year 11 will focus on mental health and study

skills, and Year 12 students learn about time

management and attitude with diff erent

guest speakers and activities.

A full day is allocated for the Year 10 students

as an introduction to the Powers Program.

This occurred in Term 1 and was fi lled

with activities, each focusing on diff erent

outcomes to help the students learn about

themselves and each other.

Kelly Cartwright, a local Paralympian talked

to the students about her journey on how

she overcame her obstacles of cancer and

having part of her right leg amputated as a

consequence. As Kelly is in her early 20’s, the

students easily related to her and learnt about

resilience by using her as an example, and

realising that they too can overcome their

own set backs through life.

The Year 10’s also participated in bonding

activities within their house groups to help

everyone get to know each other as the

students have come from the Highton and

Bellarine campuses as well as outside schools.

The Powers Program enables the students to

form strong friendships so that a caring and

supportive environment is made through

their Senior Years.

The last session that they took part in for

the day illustrated their character traits and

showed them how to deal with others that

are diff erent from their own.

PPOOWWEERSSS is an acronym, where each letter stands

for something we believe is crucial in ensuring your

success. Through guest speakers and activities,

we are trying to build up these 6 aspects of life at

Christian College:

PP = PEOPLE

You cannot achieve your goals without

incorporating other people. They can be your

teachers, family or friends.

We teach you the importance of these people in

your lives as a source of knowledge and support.

OOO = OWNERSHIP

Developing Ownership of your own Goals and

Learning.

This is about you controlling your future. We aim to

empower you to make your own decisions for your

future. It is about you taking ownership of both

good and bad decisions and learning from them. It

is about developing independence.

WWW = WORK

The Powers Program aims to develop within you A

Good Work Ethic.

We all know that nothing worthwhile is achieved

without hard work.

EE = ENRICHMENT

Enriching yourself with knowledge. This involves

you enriching your lives with all that is available to

you. Be it special programs to suit your needs or

expert advice from professionals.

RR = RESILIANCE

Developing a mental toughness to cope with stress,

to handle failure and to bounce back and begin

again.

SS = SPIRITUALITY

The role of God. The most signifi cant of all, that

underpins all of these concepts.

It’s about opening you up to the idea of God in your

life and asking him in to your life to help you and

support you in your life’s journey.

Page 20 : .

Nelson Mandela once said “Education is the

most powerful weapon which you can use to

change the world.”

Thinking of education, we think of children.

We think of teachers and schools. We think of

opportunity for a successful future. We think

of literacy. What is literacy? Literacy is the

ability to read and write.

Here are some average literacy rates

comparing Australia and East Timor:

• Australia - 99% (this is the assumption for

all developed countries)

• Indonesia - 92% (national self-reported data)

• East Timor - 10% (1975, following

approximately 500 years of Portuguese

occupation)

• East Timor - 33% (1999, compared to 79%

for Indonesia)

• East Timor - 50% (2007 UNDP)

• Viqueque - 43% (Geelong Friendship

Schools website, 2010)

So despite literacy increasing from 1975 to

1999 during Indonesian rule, it is apparent

that literacy rates are still about half that of

Australia, especially in rural districts such as

Viqueque. In speaking to Timorese teachers

during recent visits, they have always

expressed interest in education workshops.

And so a seminar is underway.

Teacher to Teacher Training

A dedicated group of ten Christian College

teachers has been preparing for a ‘teacher

to teacher’ seminar being held in Viqueque,

East Timor in April this year during the Term

1 vacation. All of our friends in Viqueque are

interested in learning English and seeking to

practise it whenever the ‘malae’ (foreigners) are

in town. Beyond a few lessons at high school

and snatched occasional conversations during

visits, there has been limited opportunity to

expand their English repertoire.

The goals for the week of intensive training

are simple: teachers from Christian College

will deliver talks on a few areas that we take

for granted. Topics such as basic planning

and preparation, strategies for classroom

management and ideas for varied lesson

delivery will be covered. This more formal

presentation will be followed by our teachers

taking the theory into certain classrooms.

It is hoped that some Timorese teachers

will feel encouraged and empowered to

‘try something new’. The second phase of

the training would then continue in actual

classrooms in a team teaching situation.

With interpreters and small groups of

Christian College teachers working in local

schools (from kindergarten to primary and

secondary schools) it will prove to be a

challenging week for all concerned. Resources

will be minimal and ingenuity will rate highly.

With the level of good will and expertise that

has been evident in the preparations so far,

the training is bound to help some willing

teachers take that next step.


Page 21 : .

Obvious physical needs such as building

repairs, school furniture and sanitary

conditions are constant reminders that

conditions are not ideal. However, there is

a real local curiosity in changing teacher

behaviour within those crumbling walls.

Discussions with a few leading teachers from

the community have been the inspiration for

this seminar. It is hoped that interest in varied

ways of teaching and strategies for learning,

will result from the seminars and workshops,

and subsequently change teaching habits.

Even if just one or two teachers pick up an

idea from the training, it will defi nitely be a

small step towards a positive change.

The confi dence to go ahead with the

teacher training has also been based on

the successful model of having fi ve of our

Timorese friends from the Friendship House

in Viqueque come to Christian College over

the last three years. They have ‘shadowed’

our teachers in the Kindergarten and staff

computer offi ces. As a result, teaching and

learning styles in the Friendship House

kindergarten are now following best practice.

It has been heart-warming to see such a swift

and successful change. The Timorese are keen

to learn and quick to adopt ideas where they

can see how it works. Immersion in Geelong is

one way of enabling change in East Timor. But

empowering teachers in their own classrooms

will be able to reach so many more people.

Having local staff in Viqueque with IT skills

and training gained in Geelong will mean that

the teachers from Christian College will feel

well supported. They will have good access to

computers and a projector, even though they

will be in a developing country.

Student Visit 2013

As in the last few years, students from

the Senior School will travel to East Timor

at the end of Term 2 and meet the local

students of Viqueque. They also spend time

in classrooms where Timorese students can

practise their English conversation skills with

native speakers. Correct pronunciation is

encouraged especially at these times of one-

on-one experiences. Through the consistent

interest and support of Christian College staff ,

students and their families, the projects in

East Timor continue to develop and grow.

For further background and project

information about the ten year relationship

that Christian College has forged with the

community of Viqueque, please visit this link:

http://www.christiancollege.vic.edu.au/

east-timor-friendship-projects

If you feel inclined to donate to the projects

in East Timor, rest assured that one hundred

percent of funds are spent directly on

projects. Teachers fund their own trips and

volunteer their own time.

Deb Singleton, Secretary

Christian College East Timor Committee


Venancia happily went shopping for

resources for the Kindergarten at the

Friendship House in Viqueque. She is

one of three kindergarten teachers,

who have each spent three months in

Geelong being mentored by staff from

Williams House kindergarten.

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In Focus - 2013 Term 1

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