CHRIST CHURCH GRAMMAR SCHOOL

THE BLUEY

ABN 55 063 453 350

A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE Issue No. 14

13 May 2016

FORTHCOMING DATES:- Tuesday 17 May Biggest Morning Tea – 9.00am – 11.30am in the Hall Wednesday 18 May Music Photos Thursday 19 May Open Day – 10.00am – 2.00pm

Dear Parents and Friends, It was a crazy day today with children arriving in their weird, wacky and wonderful glasses for Crazy Glasses Day to raise funds for the Fred Hollows Foundation. I thought it would be hard to beat the bee at the crossing (me in case you were wondering!) but I have to say that many children (and parents) have gone to such a lot of effort and it has been a really fun day. Our SRC Captains did a great job in advertising the event and have collected a substantial sum for our school charity. Some of the craziness is on show below.

This week the children in Years 3 and 5 completed their NAPLAN tests. The children managed this beautifully and the testing occurred with minimal fuss. The teachers and students in these year levels are to be congratulated for their efforts. NAPLAN results will be made available to schools and parents later in Term 3. The cooler weather seems to have come upon us very suddenly this week with some cool and frosty mornings. We are reminding children that they are to travel to and from school in their blazer (for those in Years 3-6) or school jumper for the lower years. This is the expectation and is in keeping with the uniform policy as stated in the School Diary. The Year 6 children are permitted to wear their hoodie around the school however they are required to wear their blazer to and from school and at assembly, Chapel and other functions. We would ask for your assistance in reminding the children about this and we will also speak to them in assembly.

I have also reminded the children today about playing with balls and other equipment in the quad after school. As you would know, this is a busy area at the end of the day and we have this rule in place to minimise the incidence of accidents. I have also reminded the children that they may not play ball games on the ramps and stairs around the quad. We really appreciate your help in reinforcing these rules with your children. Biggest Morning Tea Next Tuesday is the Biggest Morning Tea event to be held in the hall from 9am-11am. This event is run by Friends and raises money for the Cancer Council. Thank you to those families who are baking treats for the day. We are still seeking keen bakers from Year 3 to assist with cakes for this event so please see Natalie Rix or any of the Friends committee if you are able to help. I have noted the year level timetable below if you would like to come and join us during the day. The children will be in the hall in blocks of 15-20 minutes and would be happy to see you. A range of sweet treats and beverages will be available for parents and friends.

9.00am Prep

9.15am Kinder 3

9.30am Years 5 and 6

9.45am Kinder 4

10.00am Year 1

10.15am Year 2

10.30am Year 4

10.45am Years 3

Open Day Next Thursday is the School’s annual Open Day and we expect to have visitors in and around the school between 10am and 2pm. Our Year 6 students will be assisting with tours and they are looking forward to being hosts for the day. Parents are more than welcome to pop in during the day to see the school in action. Thank you in advance to Friends for being on hand to chat with prospective families and assisting with morning tea. I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend. Sandra Holland

Chaplain News

Dear Parents and Friends, How quickly the weeks are flying past us. Our school is such a happy busy place! An enthusiastic group of youngsters is preparing for their First Communion at the next combined school and parish service on Sunday 29 May at 10.am. Some have been Baptised in order to undertake this special rite of passage. Baptism is available to all and it may be something you would like to consider as a future option for members of your family – children or adults! I am soon to gather the group for Confirmation which will be held on 21 August at the 10am service (please note: not 28 August as in the diary). I have mentioned this to my Year 6 RE classes and once again this is a possibility that you might like to discuss. Sometimes, the children ask questions about how the different ‘families’ (or denominations) within the church are connected, and which branch of the tree they belong to. Without going into a long explanation here, the compatibility of Roman Catholic heritage and the Anglo-Catholic tradition of Christ Church, for example, may be something you would like to talk through with either Richard or myself. Readiness for a rite of passage may also be an issue you would like to discuss. We don’t have to have a complete or fully formed theological understanding of doctrine in order to participate. Longing of the heart and curiosity are important indicators. Candidates are prepared in advance and also formed in an ongoing way after the event, and their questions can be addressed on either side of the experience itself. God meets us in symbolic ritual. We approach them with some intellectual awareness, and the action itself speaks more deeply into our knowing. Do call or email me or Fr Richard (ccvicar@ccsy.org.au) if you have any questions. I look forward to catching up with you. Blessings, Linda linda.fiske@ccgs.vic.edu.au

Library News Elaine Mason – Head of Library

Victorian Premiers' Reading Challenge The VPRC is in fully swing with a record number of students enrolled. Students are encouraged to borrow Reading Challenge books from the tubs in the library during their library lessons. The tubs are labelled with year levels. If you haven't returned your consent form there is still time. Registration will close on Friday 20th May. Any questions please contact Ms Mason in the library. Chess Club at CCGS Every Wednesday morning before school our students participate in 3 Chess Clubs run across the school. We have a beginners group at Parkside, an accomplished group in the main school library and an advanced group in the Before School Care Room. If your child is interested in joining, please contact Mr AJ. One of our students, Luke Ramadge from 4T recently won a medal in a competition run by Chess Ideas during the school holidays. Congratulations Luke!

Music News Danielle Arcaro – Music Director Chapel Choir- Australian Brandenburg Orchestra Last weekend senior members of the Chapel Choir performed with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra in two sell out concerts of ‘Mozart Requiem: 100 Voices’ at the Melbourne Recital Centre. Despite months of rehearsals, and a very intense day on stage with the ABO Director Paul Dyer, and the fabulous Philip Carmody, I think all of us listening were unprepared for such an absolutely breathtaking performance!! The children were amazing in so many ways, from the beauty of their voices, the maturity with which they managed musical challenges, their focus, manners, and unbelievable effort - we all should be very, very proud of them. Tackling music of far greater complexity than anything they had sung before, singing in a professional environment, singing in Latin and engaging in some very close scrutiny of musical nuances, the children represented our school magnificently. Finishing with a roof-raising ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ the children left the stage all glowing with smiles of joy and pride, whilst a number of us in the audience were wiping away tears for similar reasons. I am confident that the memory of such an experience will remain with these children always and know that they will all join me in thanking Mr Fulcher for the huge amount of hard work and expertise that he brings to our choirs at CCGS.

For more great photos, go to the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Australian.Brandenburg.Orchestra/

A Musical Note Children in the Grade 2 String Program all celebrated receiving their ‘Bow Licences’ at Assembly this week. After many weeks’ practice, the children can all now form a good bow hold and perform a range of set tasks, and are able to ‘drive their bows’ on their instruments. With a number of pieces already under their belts, a far greater range of music now opens up for them. I would encourage parents of Grade 2s to ask their children to demonstrate what a good bow hold looks like and to listen to them as they ‘drive their bows on the road’. Another successful Soiree was held this week, with children singing, playing piano, guitar and trumpet. I would encourage all music students to sign up to perform sometime this year - it creates a fantastic goal and is a really fun, positive experience. Congratulations to Tessa, Holly, Mrs AJ and Jason for playing us in and out of Assembly this week, and for Jack who played our National Anthem. Auditions and rehearsals are well and truly underway for the Lion King, and I have already been impressed with the enthusiastic approach of our Grade 5 and 6s. Danielle Arcaro

Sports News Trent Brownjohn - Head of Physical Education,

Sport & Health

District Cross Country Championships On Monday, the CCGS Cross Country Team competed in the District Cross Country Championships in Fawkner Park. Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend and I know that the children and the staff members appreciated your support. Apologies for the late notice with the changes to the race start times but it was necessary as we just avoided the storm. Christ Church Grammar School runners (both individually and overall) achieved some sensational results. All the children gave their all for the school and I’m very proud of their efforts on the day. Congratulations to all the students who represented the school on the day! Overall Results Co Ed trophy – Champions Boys total – 2nd Girls total – 6th A further congratulations to the following students who qualified to represent the South Yarra District in the Beachside Division Championships which are being held on Tuesday, June 7th:

Freddie Bede

Anouk Bennett

Alannah D'Andrea

Alexandra Jackson

Charlie Jamieson

Samantha Love

Oliver McDonald

Nathan Munro

George Raines

Murphy Reid

Elle Sankey

Inter-school Cross Country Sport

Recycling

Hello Everyone!

This week we have been exploring the different ways in which we can be environmentally aware here at OSHC.

We were able to source some large boxes which the children have repurposed into games and activities. Everyone had

fun making the boxes into a hotel and a huge marble-run which formed the basis for new activities. Lots of materials from

around the OSHC room were recycled.

Blocks

Below are some photos of the awesome blocks creations that the younger children have created.

Parents – please don’t forget that you need to inform me to whether your child will be attending aftercare, this is very

important for the safe running of the program. You can do this anytime by logging onto our website

(www.campaustralia.com.au) or you can catch us on the mobile (0423 795 219).

Have a great week!

Christ Church OSHC Team

Program Details

To find out more about our program, view fees and to register visit www.campaustralia.com.au