IMPORTANT DATES

TERM 4

Fri 25th November Orientation Day

Tue 29th November Secondary Awards Assembly

Thurs 1st December Presentation Night

Wed 7th December Last Day of Term 4– 2:30pm finish

2016 TERM DATES

Term 4 4 October - 7 December

2017 TERM DATES

Term 1 30 January - 31 March (Year 7 & 12 begin 27 January)

Term 2 19 April - 30 June

Term 3 18 July - 22 September

Term 4 10 October - 12 December _____________________________________________________

Geelong Baptist College

590 Anakie Road,

Lovely Banks, Victoria, 3213

Phone: (03) 5276 1674

Email: enquiries@gbc.vic.edu.au

Web: www.gbc.vic.edu.au

Principals: Mrs Trudy Knol and Mr Neil Wetmore No. 37 November 24th 2016

DEVOTION – SKYWATCHER

He . . . brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Isaiah 40:26

Unsettled by issues at work and at home, Matt decided to take a walk. The evening spring air beckoned. As the infinite sky deepened from blue to black, a thickening fog spilled slowly over the marsh. Stars began to glimmer, heralding the full moon rising in the east. The moment, for Matt, was deeply spiritual. He’s there, he thought. God is there, and He’s got this.

Some people look at the night sky and see nothing but nature. Others see a god as distant and cold as Jupiter. But the same God who “sits enthroned above the circle of the earth” also “brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name” (Isa. 40:22, 26). He knows His creation intimately.

It is this personal God who asked His people, “Why do you say, Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God’?” Aching for them, God reminded them of the wisdom in seeking Him. “Do you not know? Have you not heard? . . . He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (vv. 27–29).

We are easily tempted to forget God. Our problems won’t disappear with an evening stroll, but we can find rest and certainty that God is always working toward His good purposes. “I’m here,” He says. “I’ve got you.”

Thank You, Lord, for a night sky that helps us glimpse eternity. We can’t begin to understand it fully, but we know it is there, and we know You are there. Help us trust

You for what we don’t know.

http://odb.org/2016/11/19/skywatcher/

PRIMARY PATCH

BRIEF REMINDER FOR TOMORROW - PRIMARY ORIENTATION DAY: Friday November 25th • On this day, all Primary students from Foundation to Year 6 will have the opportunity to experience their 2017 class and teacher/s. This

includes our current Year 6 students who will experience a half day Year 7 Orientation and receive a taste of ‘moving into Secondary’. • Students will be in their 2017 classes from 8.45am to 1.05pm. After lunch, students will return to their current 2016 classes. • All new students are invited to attend and are asked to bring along a snack, drink and hat. CLASSES FOR 2017 Foundation/Year 1: Mrs Claire Naraghi (and Mr Jeremy Whelan for one day a week) Year 2: Mr Johnnie Knight (and Mrs Trudy Knol for a few periods each week) Year 3: Miss Nicole Grant Year 4: Mr Andre Venter Year 5/6: Mrs Emerald Martin for 3 days a week and Mrs Elizabeth Gordon for 2 days. UPCOMING EXCURSIONS AND EVENTS All Primary Friday 25th November Orientation Day (morning) All Primary Monday 28th November Primary Assembly - special Foundation graduation for 2016 All Primary Tuesday 29th November Excursion to Centenary Hall for Christmas Presentation All Primary Thursday 1st December Presentation Night - also a rehearsal during the day All Primary Wednesday 7th December Students’ Last Day and Reports go out – 2.30pm dismissal Foundation – Yr 2 Tuesday 6th December Excursion to Raven’s Creek Farm Year 3 Friday 2nd December Sleepover at school and excursion to YouYangs. Yr 4/5 Tuesday 6th December Excursion to Supatramp Yr 6 Monday 28th November Graduation Dinner Yr 6 Monday 5th December Excursion to Adventure Park

WHOLE SCHOOL NEWS

COLLEGE MAGAZINE Every year, the College creates an annual magazine which is a wonderful and colourful display of many highlights of the year. This year all families will receive one magazine free of charge with the end of year report. If families would like a second one, they will need to purchase them for $12.00 each. To assist us in printing sufficient amounts of magazines, we do ask families to contact the College office to place an order for the additional magazine and to pay at the office. We ask that these orders are in by 3.30pm on Monday 28th November as orders will be confirmed that afternoon.

UNIFORM UPDATE FOR 2017 – SPORT SOCKS Regular feedback from parents is that the current College sport socks are not ideal. Issues raised include: lack of support for sporting activities, wrong material for sweat absorption, too thin and difficult to keep white due to the fabric used. In light of responding to these concerns, the College will make a trial change for 2017.

In 2017, students will not be required to wear a College sport sock and are allowed to select a sock most suitable for their own comfort. The stipulation is that these socks must be plain, short and completely white without any logos or colour. Consideration of a coloured sock was also discussed, but for a range of reasons, white won out. It was felt that if families are purchasing socks of their own choice and price, more regular replacement may be a viable option.

Please also note that this change of sport sock only applies to sport socks, not the socks students wear with their regular uniforms.

Please remember that this change will be for a trial period. Student and parent support of abiding by these expectations will impact the review process.

PRIMARY INDONESIAN EXCURSION

On Tuesday the 15th of November, the entire Primary School went on an excursion to CERES Community Environment Park, in Brunswick, Melbourne. The park has an Indonesian village which offers a range of authentic activities taught by trained Indonesian tutors. The students were placed into multi-aged groups and took part in various activities. One of the activities involved ‘Batik’ making’, where the students learnt about the

important role of batik in Indonesian life and had the opportunity to design and create a small piece of Indonesian batik to take home using hot

wax and dyes. The students also learned a traditional Indonesian dance. They played various Indonesian games including gassing (spinning top), bola bekel (bekel ball), sepak takraw (takraw ball), karambol (billiard board game) and congklak. The students rode the village becak (bike used as public transport) and discussed its importance in day to day life. Finally the students learned about the importance of rice in everyday life in Indonesia and dressed up to be a part of a Harvest Festival celebration. Before leaving to head back to Geelong, the students had their lunch and played at the park. It was a fantastic day and the students had many positive experiences!

SECONDARY NEWS

The extra rest during Report Writing Day, for those students who gave it their all during the exams, will certainly have been welcome. While report comments are all but done, grading and results will not be completed and inserted until all coursework and assessments are completed just prior to the conclusion of the term.

With the exams out of the way, our junior secondary students will be concluding coursework during this week. This is a very important time to insert the final marks into the Semester Two reports which reflect on achievements and the whole year’s work. Equally important is the effort that our Year 9, 10 and 11 students make as they start the task of ensuring that they attend Orientation classes for 2017. Our Year 11 students in particular have taken the time to attend the Year 11 Camp to both bond as a group, and ensure that they are putting their best foot forward in 2017.

All of our upper secondary students have an Orientation Timetable and should be making the most of the time to set themselves up for success before they break for the year.

Students are reminded that they are to attend Presentation Night on Thursday 1 December. All students are to wear their summer uniform WITH their blazer and tie. Male students who are getting an award at the Awards assembly on the Tuesday before, may want to wear long pants to the Presentation Night Celebration.

BOOK BARGAIN – THANK YOU I would like to thank Mrs Claire Naraghi for organising a follow up book opportunity for our parents. Claire set up a mini book fair for parents who wanted to come in take up the opportunity to purchase one book and get the second one for free. This was organised through Scholastic as a thank you to our parents for their participation in last term’s Book Fair. I would also like to thank Mrs Elizabeth Haines who gave up her time before and after school to help us run this event.

It was lovely to see a number of parents come in with their children and enjoy a browse. I would also like to thank those families who very generously used this sale to purchase a book and donate it to the College. This is a lovely sentiment and is hugely appreciated.

PRIMARY PRESENTATION EVENING – ADDITIONAL DETAILS Here are some details regarding our Presentation Evening • The date is Thursday December 1st • Venue: Geelong Baptist College Auditorium

• As per last year, we will hold the Primary and Secondary events separately on this night. • This means that the Primary evening will commence at 5.30pm and finish at 6.30pm. • There will be a half hour break before the Secondary evening commences at 7.00pm. • We do understand that some families would be attending both events and have therefore aimed for the evening to be finished by 8.00pm.

The break will allow families to have a drink and snack or to make plans for siblings if necessary.

The Primary Presentation Evening is a very important event for the College. It is an evening of reflection, celebration and entertainment. It includes award presentations, performances and the all-important graduation of our Year Six students. We hope to make it a fun and eventful evening.

Please note that all students and families are expected to attend. We ask that all students be seated at 5.15pm, to ensure a prompt start to the evening at 5.30pm. Please note, as all students are expected to be seated at 5.15, families should plan to arrive a few minutes prior to this time, allowing our memoirs video clip to commence and be enjoyed by all. This year the Year 1/2 class will also have a special Career’s Day PowerPoint which will be shown during this time, prior to the 5.30pm start.

Students will be sitting with their classes and teachers for the duration of the evening. To minimise movement and disruption, mobile phones and listening devices will not be permitted. Likewise, food or drink are not permitted in the Auditorium.

Uniform This year, all Primary students will be in costume for their class item and will arrive in costume. Please note that students are not required to get changed into uniform.

However, as the Year 6 class have their formal graduation, these students will need to arrive at Presentation Night in full summer uniform ready for their special moment. Year 6’s are reminded to abide by the College’s uniform expectations including jewellery, hair standards, dress length and polished school shoes.

Please also remember that all Primary students are to wear their sports uniform to school on this day as this will greatly assist with rehearsals.

ART NEWS Two of our Year 12 students Peyton Feuz and Caitlin Braddy have their work featuring in the below exhibition. Well done girls!

YEAR 11 CAMP Last week, the Year 11 students travelled down to Camp Wilkin in Anglesea for their annual camp. We stopped in Torquay for a game of cricket on the beach on the way down and then sampled the chocolate at the Great Ocean Road chocolaterie.

An Amazing Race was held around Anglesea in the afternoon during which the students showed their competitive natures. That evening was a night where the Year 11’s started planning the Year 7 Orientation Day in helping to settle the new Year 7’s into the College.

We also went canoeing, where I think we spent more time in the water than in the canoes. The students also completed the high ropes course which was challenging and then we played Lantern Snatch that evening. Mr Wetmore came down and challenged us about wearing masks and that it is important that we don’t hide behind these and that we are honest with ourselves about things that we do that are damaging to us.

The camp was a lot of fun and it was good to get to know the students more. It has been great to watch them over the last few months and notice how they are stepping up into leadership positions and how they are taking these roles seriously. I look forward to next year and the exciting things that it has in store for these wonderful students. Mr Kevin McWha

What’s Happening in Year 9/10 Des Tech This semester in this elective, the year 10’s had the choice of designing and building a piece of furniture out of recycled pallets. They were allowed to use 3-4 pallets. They were required to pull them apart without splitting the timber, which was very difficult. They then had to de-nail and then the timber was machined. The students were very creative and came up with a wide range of designs. From This To these..... James Park made a trailer for his tricycle, which he entered into a competition

on the weekend and won.

Teah Raeburn made a small box

Jack Fielden made a planter box Cooper Woolley made a small shelf

Naz Turner made a wooden horse for his

circus tricks

Emmanuel Cooshna made a

small shelf

Montana Stojanovski made a

mirror and bedside table

Matthew Macadam

made some chopping

boards

Estelle Zaval made an

old style school desk

Alix Naraghi made

a coffee table

THEY’RE OFF TO DARWIN FOR THE 75TH COMMEMORATIVE SERVICES! Congratulations to Zoe Brien and Sidney Glenister on receiving the opportunity to attend the 75th Commemorative Service of the bombing of Darwin, in Darwin in 2017.

Zoe and Sidney researched the Japanese strategies for the war in the Pacific and the bombing of Darwin in WWII and presented this research to Mr Liberts, Mr Bromley and Mrs Findlay. Both students impressed staff with their research and understanding of the Japanese military strategies in the Pacific and its impact on Darwin and Australia.

They will fly to Darwin on the 16th February 2017, be hosted by the staff and students of Darwin Secondary College, and attend services and functions as ambassadors of GBC. They will fly back to Geelong on the 21st February.

We are very grateful to the ‘Darwin Defenders’ Committee for making this opportunity available to our students.

KWONG LEE DOW SCHOLARSHIP Melbourne University offers this scholarship to Victorian Year 10 students to support their studies and University aspirations in VCE. This year there were over 1800 applicants and the University commented on the extremely high quality of the applicants this year. Only 700 scholarships were awarded.

Successful applicants receive- a guaranteed place at Melbourne if they are an eligible domestic Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholar, a guaranteed undergraduate place in Arts, Biomedicine Q, Commerce, Design or Science at the University of Melbourne in the year following Year 12 if they: — achieve an ATAR or notional ATAR of 95.00 (90.00 if your school is considered an under-represented school in the year of application) — meet all course prerequisites.

They also receive: — a taste of university life — the chance to meet and connect with other students — the opportunity to develop their leadership and community involvement skills — access to University of Melbourne resources, academics and events at our Parkville campus.

Congratulations to Tayla Brkic, our 2016 Kwong Lee Dow scholarship winner.

ROBOTICS AND CODING AT GBC This semester, for the first-time, Year 9 students took on the challenge of building and programming their own robots from scratch. Students have found the project to be challenging and rewarding. Next year the robotics/coding at the College is being expanded to include students from Years 3-10 with students completing a different project each year.

Below are comments from some of the students who are participating:

We have been coding and designing robotic cars that will eventually be run through a maze. Some of the codes given were for an Arduino application to be used for our cars, however, we had to take on any knowledge of codes that we had learnt previously during Arduino tutorials and practices and put them to the test by coding our own robotic cars. So far, the experience has been exhilarating and informative. Amy Paul.

Using engineering, coding skills and practical applications, the students could design these robots to a high quality. Nick J & Keegan H

For Science, this term we were given the task of creating our own Arduino robot car that could navigate its way through a maze. So far the experience has been fantastic. It is very challenging but it allows us to think differently and apply our knowledge of Arduino. One of my favourite Science assignments yet. Zoe Brien.

VTAC CHANGE OF PREFERENCE INFORMATION DAYS: All information about release of results, offers, change of preference and contact details of VTAC and support services are listed on the VTAC website— http://www.vtac.edu.au . Year 12 students have used this site and are very familiar with it. ATAR SCORES AND YEAR 12 RESULTS ARE RELEASED 12TH DECEMBER (7.00AM) VIA SMS, EMAIL AND BY POST 14TH DECEMBER. CHANGE OF PREFERENCE UNIVERSITY SUPPORT DAYS: When the ATAR results are released to students, most universities hold a Change of Preference Day for students. They provide wonderful services to the students and give advice and direction about the courses now available to them. Students can go to the University or College websites and check all details themselves but below are listed some University Days for students- Deakin University- Change of Preference December 12th ON-LINE. Register now. Melbourne University (Parkville)- December 16th (10,30am-2.30pm)

ACU (Ballarat)- Wednesday 14th December Federation Uni- Wednesday 14th December (11.00am- 2.oopm). Victoria University (Footscray Park Campus) – Wednesday 14th December (3.30pm- 6.30pm) Swinburne (Hawthorn Campus)- Wednesday 14th December (11.00am- 4.00pm) Bookings advised. Year 12 students have all my contact details and are invited to contact me after their results are released for extra help or advice. YEAR 10 EXCURSION TO FED UNI.

Last week the Yr 10 students attended a private tour and information morning at Federation University, Ballarat. Nick Corbett was our host and he showed the students the now state-of-the-art nursing and paramedic facilities, engineering and some science

areas, food technology and brewery, and the student accommodation. The students gained a lot from the tour and this information helps inform and shape their career pathways for VCE.

KWONG LEE DOW SCHOLARSHIP. Last week the College was informed that one of our students was successful in her application for this scholarship run by Melbourne University for Year 10 students. The successful applicant is Tayla Brkic. INTERESTING TIDBIT: Results of a 10 year study in the UK, involving over 10,000 participants, were released. The study was of young men and women who had been actively involved in the Scouts and Guides. Members had very few mental health issues, and were very resilient. This was attributed to the social and outdoor activities and the learning of new skills.

Careers

Update

Joy Findlay

#4

YEAR 10’S ATTEND A WELCOME AND INTRODUCTORY TALK AT FEDERATION UNIVERSITY