Gavin Box
Communications Officer
The College was privileged to host one of the nation’s leading Christian thinkers, former Deputy Prime Minister and former federal National Party Leader John Anderson AC last week.
Mr Anderson spoke privately to staff and Geraldton Christian Community Schools Association members about the importance of private and public school systems in Australia today, in the interest of parental choice, and the key role Christian teachers play in the lives of their students.
He then addressed students at a special Secondary Assembly where he spoke briefly on the subject of leadership and human suffering.
Mr Anderson told the students nobody was exempt from suffering, but the message of Christianity was full of hope – that “there is a God who loves you and understands what it is to suffer”.
He then spent a generous amount of time taking questions from students, on topics such as his journey to faith, his most challenging and rewarding moments in public office, the US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade and whether he believed the Australian Constitution should be changed.
Mr Anderson commented later to Acting Principal Sophia de Lange that he was impressed with how engaged the students were in the discussion.
Mr Anderson’s website, which contains interviews and cultural conversations with leaders in varied fields of human endeavour, can be found here.
Reflections on Year 10 Carnarvon Mission Trip
Keith Roffman
Year 10 Biblical Life & Worldview Teacher
Dear Year 10 students, I am so proud of you. This Carnarvon mission trip took you to places that you may not have thought possible.
These places aren’t the typical things you get to see on camps. They are deeper. The places you saw were a crossroads of challenge, faith, friendship and fun. All things that can be achieved in the pursuit of serving the Lord.
Personal growth was amazing. For some of you, it is typical to work, but few of you are in a place of working as though you’re working for the Lord.
This camp gave you the opportunity. Be it the mentoring and activities that you ran for the Carnarvon students, or the love and care and patience that you showed in difficult situations, or when there was emotional drama, you humbled yourselves and reconciled friendships to bring you to a place that was stronger than before. Thank you, Jesus!
I have huge appreciation for how you conducted yourselves, how the Year 11 and 12 student leaders assisted you ahead of their needs, and for staff members who were incredible, keeping the camp directed towards God’s way in everything we did.
The scripture for this camp was “For the Word of God never fails” Luke 1:37 – and it doesn’t!
But now it’s something that is tried and tested by you, that you can add to your testimony of God’s provision, knowing God will never leave you nor forsake you, and the closer you draw to Him the more closely He draws to you.
Year 10 students, you got a snapshot of God’s light and how to spread His light to be an effective follower of Christ.
Don’t stop there, continue to shine that light, at school, at home and in your community for His glory.
“Year 10’s , what day is it?” was a common camp question. Today, it is the Lord’s day, go serve others in His love!
CAREER PATHWAYS NURSING
Three Year 12 students recently graduated from Central Regional TAFE Geraldton with a Certificate IV in Preparation for Health and Nursing Studies. Loren E, Asha S and Riley W tell their stories.
Loren senses call to frontline service
A passion to help others, a respect for the armed forces and a family line of nurses inspired Loren E to pursue a nursing career.
“I like the social interaction and I’d like to do my bit to serve,” said Loren, who hopes to undertake a Diploma of Nursing at Central Regional TAFE in Geraldton after completing her Year 12 studies this year.
“Mum and grandma were both nurses and Dad served as a sailor, so I have a passion to serve on the frontlines, whether that be with the ambulance service, the armed forces or police.
“I want to be right in the mess of things and helping.”
Loren said the College had helped to equip her for her chosen career path by identifying a number of pathways for her to achieve her goal and by encouraging her compassionate nature.
“I’ve learnt a lot more about compassion while here at the College, through my interactions with staff. I also became a Christian during my studies here, so that has further strengthened my compassion for others,” she said.
“The College never forces Christianity on people. Staff respect that people have a right to their own beliefs and I appreciate that. I think from Years 7 to 9 I didn’t want to believe. Then when I went on the Year 10 Mission Trip to Carnarvon I was impressed by stories of how our teachers had come to Christ.
“Our teachers are always compassionate but also pull us back on the right track when we need it.
“I’m thinking I would like to come back one day and tell my story to other students, to encourage them to keep going and to open their hearts to God. Just to say thank you.”
Playground accident set course for Asha’s career
Care received after a playground accident during childhood had a lasting impression on Asha S, fuelling a desire for a nursing career.
“When I was seven years old I suffered a compound fracture in my right arm while playing on monkey bars,” she said.
“I was in hospital for three days and the nurses really helped me.
“I would like to be that person for someone else.”
Asha says the next step for her is university, either in Geraldton or in Perth.
“I would like to work as a nurse and travel,” she said.
Asha said the College’s ethos had helped to inspire her career dreams.
“Just to care for people in a way I would want to be cared for,” she said.
Neonatal nursing beckons Riley
A caring nature, the prompting of parents and a love of babies has inspired Riley W to pursue a career as a neonatal nurse.
“I’ve always been caring towards others and my parents have always told me I would make a good nurse,” said Riley, who hopes to enrol in a Diploma of Nursing at Central Regional TAFE Geraldton next year.
“I’d like to be a neo-natal nurse, taking care of babies from birth to discharge.”
Riley said the College has been very supportive of her in pursuing her career.
“Mrs de Lange (Acting Principal) in particular – she helped me to choose the right course and pathway,” she said.
Riley said she would look back on her time at the College appreciating the beauty of the moral principles in Christianity.
“I’m still figuring out where I stand with Christianity, but I think learning about the Ten Commandments and loving people as you love yourself is something that I will take with me,” she said.
“I appreciate that the College teaches Christianity but doesn’t try to force students to believe it. Staff understand that people have different beliefs.”
Window reading nook provides welcome retreat for students
Melanee Wansbrough-Dodd
Library Officer
We are thrilled to see our see our Secondary students making great use of our newly-installed window reading nook.
Knitting, reading, and quiet chatter regularly fills the Library each recess and lunchtime, creating a warm and inviting Library ambience for all to enjoy.
There is often a flurry of activity with the Robotics Club busily creating and building masterpieces, Primary students reading together and Chess Club growing very popular now on Fridays.
Lysander makes it a family double at Randolph Stow Young Writers Awards
Gavin Box
Communications Officer
Year 8 student Lysander F made it a family double at the 2022 Randolph Stow Young Writers Awards, taking first prize in Lower Secondary Poetry for his work entitled Where The Wraiths Ramble.
This comes after his sister Nesaea last year won first prize in Middle Secondary Poetry.
Lysander said he was excited to win the award.
“It was cool. I love reading and writing. It allows you to escape and relax – to capture thoughts that you have and to express your ideas,” he said.
Lysander said he received a lot of support for his writing from his teachers and his father.
“He’s very imaginative. He was always telling us made up stories when we were kids and is creative. He enjoys playing Lego with us,” Lysander said.
“Mum (Maths teacher Kiera) is not really the imaginative type. She’s quite boring from that perspective (laughs),” he said with a smile.
In addition to Lysander’s achievement, Yr 10 student Lalani M won the Sandra Carr MLC Emerging Young Writer Scholarship (Upper Secondary) for her prose entitled Lost.
Her work was also highly commended in the Middle Secondary Prose section.
Lysander and Lalani were among six College students to feature in the awards.
The others were:
Lower Primary Prose Highly Commended: Walter A, Yr 3, Fire-beaks Crow.
Upper Primary Prose Highly Commended: Addison P, Yr 4, The Home Mission.
Middle Secondary Poetry Highly Commended:
Kelsey C, Yr 10, Daisies and Mud Pies; Allysa P, Yr 10 A Moment.
Congratulations and well done!
Jokes and the beanstalk: fun times exploring little miracles of garden life
Sindy Boonzaier
Year 2 Teacher
As part of Biological Science this term we are learning about life cycles. We’ve been learning specifically about the life cycle of a bean.
Wholistic Land Manager Kelly Harrington, who has been helping us make garden beds, is also a comedian, we’ve realised.
She would tell us jokes like: “What do you call a bean that fell on the ground? A has-bean”😆. Or, talking about fungus and mushrooms, she said: “The fungi, who will be a great friend to take to a party😆 (😉fun guy).”
We planted seeds on Monday and also planted some beans a while ago, so we are already measuring and seeing some growth.
The children enjoy being out in the gardens.
Little kids show big heart for God and East Timorese
Nateeka White
Kindergarten Teacher
As a Kindy class, we have been learning about the lives and needs of the children in Manançial Church Sunday School, East Timor.
We have so many resources and so we want to bless the children in Timor.
We have been busily potting up jars with small succulents to sell so that we can help buy art supplies for their Sunday School.
Please consider supporting us with your donations.
We are selling these pot plants outside of the Kindy room on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week and next, straight after school.
Wellbeing Corner: Friendships
Kate Gibson
Chaplain
Friendships are such an important part of many of our lives. Good friends stick with us in the good times and the bad, and sometimes they are the reason we can keep going. There is nothing quite like a friend to encourage, guide, sit with and cry … whatever form friendship takes, it is one of the biggest blessings in life.
God didn’t create us to be in isolation, He created us to be in relationship with others, to be part of a community. In fact, the Bible has a lot to say about friendships, especially when it comes to what kind of friend we should be and what attributes we should look for or avoid when we are making friends.
God tells us that a friend loves at all times (Proverbs 17:17), but bad friends corrupt good character (1 Corinthians 15:33). Good friends build each other’s character, sharpening each other and exhibiting self-control (Proverbs 27:17), but making friends with an angry person is dangerous, as their character can lead you astray (Proverbs 22:24-25 & Proverbs 12:26). We are to be kind, patient, honest, forgiving and faithful friends, not afraid to speak the truth in love and take steps to resolve conflicts.
Friendships are complicated and can be messy because we are certainly not perfect, and putting two people together in a friendship with all of their assumptions, baggage, hang-ups and selfishness is bound to lead to conflict in any good friendship.
But by using God’s principles and working hard at friendships, their benefits far outweigh their complications, so here are some practical guidelines and resources to help you and your child navigate some of the complexities of friendships during their school years.
Why are friendships at school so important?
Developing close friendships at school has a huge impact on the student’s mental and emotional wellbeing. Good friendships provide comfort and joy and prevent loneliness and isolation.
What skills do students learn from developing good friendships:
• They discuss issues that arise with their friends, instead of avoiding or ignoring them
• They deal with conflict effectively to minimise stressful situations and preserve connections
• They accept responsibility for problems, instead of blaming others
• They listen to others with the intention of understanding their perspective
• They help recognise the difference between healthy and unhealthy friendship
What if my child has no friends?
Some children are very comfortable playing on their own, while others would like friends to play with but don’t know how to make it happen. Making friends does not come easily or naturally to all children and a child’s personality and stage of development can affect how easily they make friends. What you can do:
• Don’t react strongly about your child’s situation. This could make the problem seem bigger and make them feel worse.
• Speak to your child’s teacher and see if they’ve observed anything at school that might help explain the reasons for your child’s difficulties making friends.
• Look for activities that interest your child and bring them joy and excitement (their ‘spark’) so they can focus on something they enjoy to help build their confidence.
• Encourage your child to connect with trusted adults in their life to give them a sense of belonging.
• Remind them that it can be easier to make friends with people who like the same things.
• Discuss conversation skills and explain that small talk is a learned skill that doesn’t come easily to everyone. Practise light conversations that cover topics like music, films and sport.
What if my child is worried because they have friends but no best friend?
Every child is different and has different friendship needs. As children grow, their friendships change. Some young people may seek lots of friendships while others will prefer to form a small number of deeper attachments. And not every child will have, or need, a best friend. It’s important to remind them of the close relationships they have with other people in their life and how such connections give them special people they can talk to when they feel like it.
Suggestions on how to best support your child…..
• Let your child know that friendships often change over time and sometimes in life they might have a best friend and at other times, they won’t. And that’s okay.
• Let them know that the quality of their friendships is more important than whether or not they have a best friend.
• It is good to encourage your child to develop a range of friends at school, and outside school, including sporting clubs, church groups and youth groups. That way, if something is going wrong with a friendship, your child will have other friends to turn to.
Interested in understanding what a healthy friendship group look like? Take the quiz:
https://au.reachout.com/healthy-friendship-group-quiz
References and links
https://www.psychologytoday.com/
https://schools.au.reachout.com/articles/friendship-issues
https://www.sparktheirfuture.qld.edu.au/five-ways-positive-friendships-can-help-your-child-at-school-and-in-life/
Our Wellbeing Team is here to assist students on their wellbeing journey. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you think we can be of assistance.
Give the gift of Jesus’ love to children this Christmas
Fiona Davidson
Executive Assistant to the Principal
Unfortunately the College has run out of capacity to be able to coordinate Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes this year.
We will definitely do them again in 2023.
If families would like to pack a shoebox themselves, we have brochures and boxes available to collect from Student Services.
Boxes can be returned to the College by the end of Term 3 and we will arrange to have them transported to Perth for processing.
Further information, including details for making donations if you don’t wish to fill a shoebox, can be found on the Samaritan’s Purse website.
Primary students will still have a dress up day at the end of term (dressing in shoebox colours of red, white or green) and donations from that will be given to Samaritan’s Purse to help with the costs of transporting boxes overseas.
Employment: Vacancies for 2023
Primary & Secondary Classroom Teachers
Positions available starting January 2023:
- Early Years Primary Teacher – Year 2/3 – FTE 1.0
- Early Years Primary Teacher – Various Year Groups – FTE 0.40 (Contract January – July 2023 – End of Term 2)
Secondary Classroom Teacher/s
- HASS & Drama FTE 1.0
- English FTE 0.40
Gardener (16 hours per week, immediate start)
For more information, please visit the jobs page of our website.
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
Sep 3
2pm – 4pm. Bikeathon – Kindy to Y6 (reminder that donations need to be received at the College by Friday 9 September to go in the draw to win a brand new bike – donated by our local member, Ms Lara Dalton)
Sep 5
OLNA Reading Tests
Yr 6 Curriculum Camp
09am – 10:30am. Kindy Come and Play Day
Sep 6
Yr 6 Curriculum Camp
10:27am – 10:47am. Perth Scorchers clinic (Yr 1 to 5)
3:30pm – 5pm. Homework Club in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 3 to 12 only)*
Sep 7
Yr 6 Curriculum Camp
3:15pm – 4:15pm. Yr 12 Human Biology after school study class (optional)
Sep 8
Yr 6 Curriculum Camp
OLNA Writing Tests
3pm – 4pm. Maths Support in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 7 to 12 only)*
1:13pm – 2:06pm Andre de Villiers – Primary Assembly
3pm – 4pm Parent Calendar: Maths Support in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 7 to 12 only)
3:30pm – 5pm. Homework Club in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 3-12 only)*
Sep 9
Yr 6 Curriculum Camp
OLNA Writing Catch-up (Yr 10-12 selected students)
09:30am – 12:10pm. Primary Interschool Cross Country at GBSC Sports Park, Spalding
09:35am – 10:27am. Secondary Assembly in Hall
12:15pm – 3pm. Year 9 Allied Health Career Taster at WACRH
Sep 11
Yr 11/12 General Outdoor Ed Kalbarri Expedition
Sep 12
Yr 11/12 General Outdoor Ed Kalbarri Expedition
PAT Testing
Sep 13
Yr 11/12 General Outdoor Ed Kalbarri Expedition
3:30pm – 5pm. Homework Club in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 3 to 12 only)*
Sep 14
Primary Interschool Athletics (Jumps and Throws)
2:06pm – 3pm. Primary Assembly – Yr 1/2 presentation
3:15pm – 4:15pm. Yr 12 Human Biology after school study class (optional)
Sep 15
WA School Mountain Bike championships (COVID-dependent)
3pm – 4pm. Maths Support in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 7 to 12 only)*
3:30pm – 5pm. Homework Club in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 3-12 only)*
Sep 16
Primary Interschool Athletics Carnival
WA School Mountain Bike championships (COVID-dependent)
Sep 17
WA School Mountain Bike championships (COVID-dependent)
Sep 18
WA School Mountain Bike championships (COVID-dependent)
Sep 19
OLNA Numeracy Tests
Book Week
2:06pm – 3pm. 2023 Head Boy and Girl candidate speeches
2:06pm – 3pm2023 Head Boy and Girl candidate speeches
Sep 20
Book Week
OLNA Numeracy Tests – Catch-up
3:30pm – 5pm. Homework Club in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 3 to 12 only)*
6pm – 8pm. Secondary Op Shop Social
Sep 21
Book Week
09am – 11am. Book Week Assembly and morning tea (K to Yr 6)
3:15pm – 4:15pm. Yr 12 Human Biology after school study class (optional)
Sep 22
SIDE Exams
Book Week
11:40am – 12:33pm. Secondary Worship Service
3pm – 4pm. Maths Support in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 7 to 12 only)*
3:30pm – 5pm. Homework Club in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 3-12 only)*
5:15pm – 7pm. Year 1 and 2 movie night
Sep 23
Last day of Term 3
SIDE Exams
Book Week
K to 6 Primary Dress-Up (dress in green red and white)
1:30pm – 3pm. Barn dancing incursion Yr 10
Oct 10
First day of Term 4
Year 12 Mock Exams
Oct 11
Year 12 Mock Exams
3:30pm – 5pm. Homework Club in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 3 to 12 only)*
Oct 12
Year 12 Mock Exams
2:06pm – 3pm. Primary Assembly – Yr 1 presentation
Oct 13
Year 12 Mock Exams
3pm – 4pm. Maths Support in College Library (in-Term and Yrs 7 to 12 only)*
3:30pm – 5pm. Homework Club in College Library (-in-Term and Yrs 3-12 only)*
Oct 14
Year 12 Mock Exams
* 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
Noticeboard
MARX FAMILY OPEN NEW BUSINESS
College parents, Letitia and Bertus Marx have recently taken over the UltraTune business in Geraldton. Located at 2/179 N W Coastal Hwy, Geraldton, Phone 9921 1899.
College families are welcome to advertise their businesses as a community notice – please email gavin.box@gcc.wa.edu.au with details.
FUNDRAISER FOR GERALDTON’S UKRAINE MISSIONARIES
Geraldton Church of Christ will hold a garage sale on Saturday 10 September, from 8am to noon, to raise funds for Geraldton’s Ukraine missionaries Shane and Jemimah Paxa. The couple are serving with Operation Mobilisation, providing relief to those directly impacted by the Russian invasion.
Geraldton Church of Christ is located at 105 Augustus Street (Cnr Holland St), Geraldton. Phone 0458 976 007.
