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• World’s Greatest Shave
• Public speaking
• Boarding at Christ Church

This week, a group of Year 12 students and staff took part in the World’s Greatest Shave, raising over $60,000 in support of vital leukaemia research. The way our community has rallied behind this cause, and those bravely stepping up for the shave, has been great to see. This annual event is a meaningful part of the School calendar, and the culture of philanthropy at Christ Church continues to inspire strong student and staff involvement. In fact, so many people signed up this year that the haircuts had to be spread across three days – a fantastic problem to have! Congratulations to all who participated, but more important is the lessons learned regarding giving back to others. If you would like to donate to the cause, please click here.

Yesterday, Years 4 to 6 Preparatory School students participated in their annual Speakers Challenge. Public speaking is a key element of a Christ Church education, helping students develop confidence, clarity and the ability to express themselves in front of an audience. Through classroom activities, House Arts, the PSA competition and events like this week’s challenge, every student is encouraged to embrace these opportunities, building this important life skill. PERFORM, our new build, will allow our students to further challenge and develop in the field of public speaking and debating, building their confidence to speak publicly.

During the week, students deepened their understanding of oratory and culture through two cultural dinners organised by our Languages Department. These excursions provide students with meaningful opportunities to apply their learning beyond the classroom and gain greater insight into the cultures they are studying.

In this milestone year, our boarding community came together for the fourth round of the Gryphon competition, an event that unites the boarders in friendly rivalry. Students competed in a series of ‘gym games’, including basketball, indoor soccer and dodgeball. Boarders are grouped into four Houses named after four former Captains of Boarding: Stove, Stretch, Meikle and Doust. The Houses bring together students from Years 7 to 12 to promote mentoring and camaraderie. The Gryphon is a celebration of the strong bonds within our boarding community, and it’s always a joy to see such spirit on display. All boarding families, please save the date for our community celebration on 9 August, when we will come together to celebrate the boys achievements and also acknowledge 115 years of boarding. Boarding remains an integral component of our school’s offering by enabling us to offer a CCGS education to students who live some distance from the school.

Alan Jones
Principal

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• Upcoming events
• Health and hygiene reminders
• School attendance expectations

There is plenty happening over the next few weeks to finish out the term. Year 9 camps at Kooringal, Moyes On Queenslea Drive, Camelot Jazz Night, Rock at the Rosemount, PSA sporting fixtures and a SIA trip to Looma to name just a few.

This weekend we play our local rivals Scotch. On Saturday, I will be coaching the old boys as we look to get a win over the old Scotch collegians in a game of AFL 9’s at Scotch. The new supporters’ gear has started to arrive at the Uniform Shop, with the hoodies and jackets due in the coming weeks. We would love to see the blue and gold around the grounds supporting the boys.

At present, we are experiencing the arrival of the cold and flu season with some COVID and whooping cough cases in our Senior School. As parents, can I please ask you to encourage your son/s to take responsibility for personal hygiene by washing hands regularly, using the sanitiser that is still being provided by the School and being thoughtful about physical contact during the school day. If flu-like symptoms occur in your son/s, please keep them home and test for COVID as a precaution.

As we edge closer to the end of term and the 3 week break, a reminder that while at times students do need to be away from school for significant reasons (eg bereavement in the family, illness, etc.), we encourage all parents not to take their sons out of school during term time as this will undoubtedly disrupt the continuity of teaching, learning and assessment. In the case of a planned extended absence, we appreciate advance notice through contact with your son’s Head of House. This will enable appropriate planning and clarity around missed assessments and classroom work.

Upcoming Senior School events

• PSA Sport vs Scotch – Friday 13 and Saturday 14 June
• SIA Looma – Monday 16 to Friday 20 June
• Year 9.2 Noake Camp – Wednesday 18 to Wednesday 25 June
• Camelot Jazz Night – Monday 16 June, 6.30pm
• PSA Sport vs Hale – Friday 20 and Saturday 21 June
• Rock at Rosemount – Sunday 22 June
• House Teams Carnival – Thursday 26 June
• Daniel Principe community presentation – Thursday 26 June, 6.00pm
• End of Term 2 – Friday 27 June, 12.45pm

Mark Morrissy
Deputy Principal/Head of Senior School

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• Number facts practice
• IPSHA Speakers’ Challenge
• Term 2 Sporting Program
• Parent Teacher Interviews

Quick, automatic recall of number facts is an important part of the ongoing mathematical development in primary education. Having excellent knowledge of simple number facts is crucial for undertaking computation proficiently and is required on a daily basis throughout life. Within the Preparatory School, all students experience learning number facts in a concrete, diagrammatic, and abstract way over time. To supplement these learning experiences, it is important to practice regularly, as it can assist your son in improving his number skills, and more importantly, help in the application and execution of more complex problems. One known meaning of the wise old saying, ‘practice makes perfect’ is: ‘regular exercise of an activity or skill is the way to become proficient in it.’

Each year, students from Years 3 to 6 are required to write, rehearse and deliver a speech to their peers on a topic of their choice for the IPSHA Speakers’ Challenge. The boys’ speeches should entertain, persuade or inform their audience and incorporate effective projection of voice, gestures, eye contact and pace. The benefits of public speaking are multi-faceted and include listening skills, development of vocabulary and pronunciation, as well as planning and organising thoughts. All students will present to their peers with the two best speeches from each class in Years 4 to 6, presenting their speeches to their cohorts in the chapel. The best speakers will then go on to represent Christ Church at the IPSHA Junior and Senior Speakers’ Challenge held later in the year.

All students from Years 3 to 6 are currently enjoying their Term 2 Sporting Program. The Year 3 boys will be participating in their Inter School Rugby Carnival today, and the boys from Years 5 and 6 are in the middle of their JPSSA Winter fixtures. It is terrific to see the sportsmanship and sporting skills that our boys are able to display each week. In terms of collecting your son from these events, it is imperative that the parents or guardians of the boy speaks directly to the classroom teacher or coach to inform them they are taking their son home from the venue. Our staff follow specific processes to ensure the safety of all boys and they must be made aware if any boy is departing the sporting event with their parents or guardians. Your support is greatly appreciated.

A reminder to all our families that parent teacher interviews commence next week. If you require further assistance, please make contact with the Prep Studies Office. 

Dr. Steven Males
Head of Preparatory School