Mathew Adams
PE Assistant & Soccer Coordinator
After working hard throughout the season and developing their skills, 25 of our Strath Lions players and College students have been selected for Football West Country Week.
Players had to go through trials in their different age groups to secure a spot in the teams.
These trials are no easy feat, with one age group consisting of 40 children trying out for 24 places.
This is a proud moment for our club and school as we only had 10 Strath Lions/College students compete in the competition last year.
Be sure to congratulate our players on their achievements so far and keep an eye on their progress in September.
On another note, a special mention to College students Paige C. and Levi L., who have been invited by Football West to participate in the Singa Cup in Singapore in November this year.
The Singapore Cup is the first international competition being provided for the soccer youth of Australia since 2020.
This is a huge achievement for Paige and Levi. Congratulations!
Kindy to host two ‘Come and Play Days’
Fiona Davidson
Enrolments
fiona.davidson@gcc.wa.edu.au
We are excited to have two “Kindy Come and Play Days” this term – Friday 12 August and Monday 5 September, 9.00am-10.30am in the Kindy classroom.
This gives an opportunity for parents/guardians of children who will be in Kindy age in 2023 to visit for an orientation session. You will meet other parents and children, and have a chance to chat with Kindy Teacher – Miss Nateeka White and Education Assistant – Mrs Clarissa Hargreaves.
Families who are NEW to the College may come to both dates. Existing families who already have older children enrolled at the College should please choose ONE date. This will help the sessions not become too large and overwhelming for the children.
RSVPs are essential – please use this link: https://groups.operoo.com/public_forms/933431/new
Bring a snack and water bottle for your child, and a hat if the weather is warm as the children will enjoy some outdoor play time.
You are welcome to invite friends to come along with you on the day who might be interested in Kindy enrolment for 2023 – please have them complete their own RSVP form so I have their details.
Families who have provided their child’s name for Kindy enrolment in 2023 have been sent emails with details about Kindy Come and Play dates. If you didn’t receive an email – please get in touch with me as soon as possible to ensure your child’s name is on the list for Kindy next year!
Entries open for 2022 Yearbook art competition
Students from Kindergarten to Year 12 are invited to enter an art competition to design the cover of the 2022 Geraldton Christian College Yearbook. Our theme this year is “beach/lighthouse”.
Designs must be either:
• Two A4-sized pages of portrait orientation (one for the front cover and the other for the back cover).
• Or one A3-sized page, of landscape orientation, which would wrap around the front and back of the Yearbook. The left side of the design would appear on the back and the right side of the design would appear on the front.
Please be aware the College will superimpose the Yearbook title and the school logo on the front page design.
Designs can be made with pencils, coloured marker pens, paint or computer-generated. Creativity and colour are the keys (and minimal white space)!
The student with the winning entry will receive art materials to the value of $100 and have their name printed on the cover art work.
Entries must be received at Student Services by 3.00pm on Wednesday 12 October 2022 (first week of Term 4).
A form with entrant details will need to be attached to artwork on submission at Student Services (forms available on request).
If you have any questions, please email Gavin Box, Communications Officer, at gavin.box@gcc.wa.edu.au.
Terms and conditions: One entry per student. Entries will be judged by Geraldton Christian College Senior Executive staff, on the criteria of originality, creativity and overall design appeal. Entry implies consent to be published in the Yearbook and in online versions of the school newsletter.
Meet Cupcake, Alfrie and Luna
Carmen Blay
Year 3 Teacher
The Wholistic Land Management department has welcomed three new lambs – named Cupcake, Alfrie and Luna.
The new arrivals were named by the Year 3 class, in collaboration with Anthony W.
When the lambs arrived, they were a lot bigger than we anticipated, which is good in one way, as they don’t need to be fed as regularly (the evening shift would have been very tricky), but they are also already too big to measure (weight, etc).
It was a good experience for the students to measure the mixture to make up the milk.
Gardening, lemonade … and washing up!
Kelly Harrington
Wholistic Land Management Coordinator
A big thank you to some amazing Year 3 helpers Ethan, Indy, Peter, James, Bradley, Tyler, Harley and Chad. At lunchtime on Monday they helped build a garden bed. We then made lemonade as a reward.
They even did the dishes! Note to parents 😄.
Surf squad places second in regional titles
Keith Roffman
Sport & Recreation Teacher
Geraldton Christian College placed second overall in the Sunsmart WA School Regional Surfing Titles at Back Beach on Wednesday 27 July.
Surf was large and challenging, but there was a great atmosphere at the event and good participation from our attendees.
Standout performances:
Junior body board girls: Geraldton Christian College Champions – Charlotte R and Sabha H.
Junior body board boys: Geraldton Christian College Runners-up – Drew R and Macklin H.
Senior body board boys: Geraldton Christian College Champions – Ben H and Nathan K.
Author/illustrator has crowd in stitches
Denise du Boulay
Library Manager
We had the privilege to have author/illustrator Martin Chatterton and his wife Annie visit our College on Wednesday 27 July to speak to our Year 3 to 6 students.
Martin is a well known author and entertained the students with a lively interactive session, explaining how a story comes together, giving examples of books he has written.
There was much laughter as Martin did caricatures of two of our students. These illustrations will be on show in our library!
The session ended with a video reading of Martin’s book “Winter of The White Bear”, an anti-slavery picture book that won him nominations for more than one prize.
Wellbeing Corner: Supporting an anxious child
Theresa Pomery
Student Support Counsellor
It is Monday morning, your child feels ill, complaining they have a headache, tummy ache or they are having a tantrum.
Chaos reigns as they shout and cry “I’m not going to school, I hate school!”, and refuse to get dressed.
The pressure is on. You are helping your other children get ready, you have work or an important appointment to attend. Or you are just tired and need a break to consolidate, clean and chill.
Anxiety is often seen as defiance or a result of poor parenting when in fact it is the brain’s psychological response to a perceived danger. This flight and fight response is automatic. The body and brain go into high alert to deal with the imminent threat. Because this is the brain’s automatic response nothing you can say or do, the offer of treats and rewards and unpleasant consequences, can budge your child.
As parents we cannot stop these fears, but we can help our children manage them. Helping your child manage and learn to tolerate and function as well as they can in the situation will lead to a decrease in anxiety over time.
Tips for supporting your child:
- Don’t avoid the things that make your child anxious. Avoiding situations that make your child uncomfortable will reinforce their fears.
- Encourage your child. Let them know that they can manage it and that over time their anxiety levels will drop. Be positive and realistic in your expectations.
- Respect your child’s feelings, but don’t empower them. Listen and be empathetic, help them to understand and encourage them to face their fears. The message you want to send is, “I know you’re scared, and that’s okay – I’m here, and I’m going to help you get through this.”
- Ask open-ended questions. For e.g., “How are you feeling about the Maths test?” instead of “Are you anxious about the Maths test?”
- The hardest time is before an event. Don’t discuss the situation hours before. Shorten the time. For some children it helps to talk through the situation and discuss plans with the child if their fears come true. This can be an effective and healthy way to reduce the uncertainty.
- Role model. Let your children see you managing stress and anxiety calmly, tolerating it and getting through it.
- Talk to your child and remind them that they have a loving Heavenly Father who knows and cares for them. Check out what God’s word says about worry. Pray with them. Encourage them, show them who they are in Christ.
Matthew 6:25-27
“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?“
As always students, please do not hesitate to contact us if you think we can be of assistance.
2023 term dates
Term 1
Monday 30 January to Thursday 6 April (Easter Friday 7/4)
Term 2
Monday 24 April to Friday 30 June (Anzac Day Tues 25/4)
Pupil Free Week: Monday 17 July to Friday 22 July
(The College has a THREE week break for the Term 2 holidays)
Term 3
Monday 24 July to Friday 22 September
Term 4
Monday 9 October to Wednesday 6 December (students finish)
College Calendar
Aug 8
2:06pm – 3pm. Secondary Assembly in Hall
3:10pm – 4:15pm. Country Week girls volleyball training – grass area in front of Hall
3:15pm – 4:30pm. Country Week boys volleyball training
Aug 9
1:15pm – 2:10pm. Country Week girls netball practice match
3pm – 4pm. Country Week boys basketball training
3:30pm – 5pm. Homework Club in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 3 to 12 only)*
Aug 10
08:40am – 10:25am. Yr 11/12 PE ATAR Badminton
2:06pm – 3pm. Primary Assembly – Yr 2 Presentation
3:15pm – 4:15pm. Yr 12 Human Biology after school study class (optional)
Aug 11
09am – 11am. Netball Clinic for Years 1 to 6
2:06pm – 3pm. House battle cry and info meeting (Yr 7 to 12)
3pm – 4pm. Maths Support in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 10 to 12 only)*
3:30pm – 5pm. Homework Club in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 3 to 12 only)*
Aug 12
08:40am – 3pm. Secondary Athletics Carnival Yrs 7-12
3:30pm – 4:30pm. Country Week Girls Netball Training after-school
Aug 13
Carnarvon Year 10 Service Camp (meet at school 7.00am for 7.30am depature)
Aug 14
Carnarvon Year 10 Service Camp
Aug 15
Carnarvon Year 10 Service Camp
3:15pm – 4:30pm. Country Week Boys Volleyball Training
Aug 16
Carnarvon Year 10 Service Camp
3pm – 4pm. Country Week boys basketball training
3:30pm – 5pm. Homework Club in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 3 to 12 only)*
Aug 17
Carnarvon Year 10 Service Camp
3:15pm – 4:15pm. Yr 12 Human Biology after school study class (optional)
Aug 18
Carnarvon Year 10 Service Camp
3pm – 4pm. Maths Support in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 10 to 12 only)*
3:30pm – 5pm. Homework Club in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 3 to 12 only)*
Aug 19
Carnarvon Year 10 Service Camp (collect students 3.00pm from school)
3:10pm – 4:15pm. Country Week girls volleyball training – grass area in front of Hall
3:30pm – 4:30pm. Country Week Girls Netball Training after-school
Aug 22
12:30pm – 1:13pm. Secondary Athletics Presentation in Hall
3:10pm – 4:15pm. Country Week girls volleyball training – grass area in front of Hall
3:15pm – 4:30pm. Country Week Boys Volleyball Training
Aug 23
3pm – 4pm. Country Week boys basketball training
3:30pm – 5pm. Homework Club in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 3 to 12 only)*
Aug 24
3:15pm – 4:15pm. Yr 12 Human Biology after school study class (optional)
Aug 25
Interschool surfing State finals – Perth
09am – 3pm. Primary Athletics Carnival (PP to Yr 6)
3pm – 4pm. Maths Support in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 10 to 12 only)*
3:30pm – 5pm. Homework Club in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 3 to 12 only)*
Aug 26
Interschool surfing State finals – Perth
09am – 10:30am. Year 7 S&R Bodyboarding
3:30pm – 4:30pm. Country Week Girls Netball Training after-school
Aug 28
Country Week sporting carnival (Yr 9 to 12)
Aug 29
Country Week sporting carnival (Yr 9 to 12)
Aug 30
Country Week sporting carnival (Yr 9 to 12)
3:30pm – 5pm. Homework Club in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 3 to 12 only)*
Aug 31
Country Week sporting carnival (Yr 9 to 12)
3:15pm – 4:15pm. Yr 12 Human Biology after school study class (optional)
Sep 1
Country Week sporting carnival (Yr 9 to 12)
ACC Athletics Carnival
3pm – 4pm. Maths Support in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 10 to 12 only)*
3:30pm – 5pm. Homework Club in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 3 to 12 only)*
Sep 2
Country Week sporting carnival (Yr 9 to 12)
ACC Athletics Carnival
Sep 3
2pm – 4pm. Bikeathon – Kindy to Y6
* Parents/guardians must complete an Operoo eForm giving permission for their child to attend Homework Club or Maths Support. Please email gavin.box@gcc.wa.edu.au
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