CCC Connect Edition 2 2017

COOLOOLA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE EDITION 2 2017

CONNECT

Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

PROVERBS 16:24

FACES OF CCC CONTENT Faces of CCC, pg 1 From the Principal, pg 3 News & Events, pg 5 Feature Articles, pg 9 Staying In, pg 17 Going Out, pg 19 ELC News, pg 21 Community, pg 23 Serve to Learn, pg 27 The Arts, pg 29 Sport, pg 31 Our Alumni, pg 35 Family Holiday Fun, pg 37 Churches, pg 38

TEAM Natalie Cocks, Designer Melita Whittle, Co-ordinator Minette Engelbrecht, Editor Staff, Students & Alumni, Content & Photos

FACES OF CCC

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PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

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Welcome to another edition of Connect. I hope that you enjoy reading about all the exciting activities that are happening throughout the College. It is wonderful to be involved in such a busy school. It is also such an honour to be the Principal of Cooloola Christian College and a privilege to share with our community all the great things that are happening at CCC. I have had so many positive conversations with people at the Gympie Show, at our Open Day, at local sports fields and even shopping centres.

Cooloola Christian College is steadily building on its reputation as a caring, supportive and exciting learning environment.

As I reflect upon the growth of our school; the development of resources and buildings, the commitment by our teachers to student learning, the remarkable work of our grounds, business and administrative staff, it would be easy to feel that we are achieving success. However I am always quick to remember God’s warning in Deuteronomy chapters 6 and 8. God reminds the Israelites that their success is because He has blessed them.

God encourages them to

“do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord” (Deut 6:18) and

“remember the Lord your God” (Deut 8:18) God has indeed blessed us and we are so thankful everyday for what He has done, and for what He is doing, at Cooloola Christian College.

- Trevor Norman 4

NEWS & EVENTS OUR 2017

OPEN DAY Theme for 2017 “Discover our Open Day”

belayed climbers straining fingers, arms and legs ascending their “Everest”.

We invited 30 stall holders from the community to come and enjoy our interactive Open Day with us, including an open broadcast with Zinc Radio’s Nugget and Al.

The publicised Mascot Marathon sprint saw several mascots – including Cooloola Christian College’s own mascot, Ezekiel “Zeke” the Eagle.

There was unsuppressed laughter when Sonic the Hedgehog tackled Al in his Dinosaur outfit causing them both to come last!

The weather was perfect to showcase our Nature Space as students and visitors rode their mountain bikes, paddled kayaks and explored the area.

The interactive tours highlighted our musical and dramatic talents, and folks were treated to waited service as they enjoyed the meals and treats provided by the Home Economics students, supported by wonderful volunteers who manned the BBQ and toiled tirelessly in the kitchen of Stan Baker Hall.

The climbing wall in the hall was, as always, extremely popular with a constant stream of

The science experiments and microscope display were extremely well received, and the maths and robotics impressed passers-by.

Primary was a real focus again this year with many parents enjoying the opportunity of wandering through the engaging classrooms.

The Open Day was enjoyed immensely with many vendors, and attendees making positive comments about the activities and the facilities.

“Thank you!” - to all the teachers, staff, volunteers and especially the P&F for a wonderfully engaging event.

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EVENTS COMING UP...

Put them on your calendar today and plan to join us for some great events celebrating life at CCC! SUNDAY 16TH JULY

PRAYER MEETING

MONDAY 17TH JULY

TERM 3 COMMENCES

WEDNESDAY 19TH JULY

SECONDARY COMMENDATION SERVICE

MONDAY 24TH JULY

PRIMARY PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS

TUESDAY 25TH JULY

P&F MEETING

WEDNESDAY 26TH JULY

WINTER TREES

28TH JULY - 4TH AUG

GYMPIE EISTEDDFOD

FRIDAY 11TH AUGUST

MAKE A STAND

TUESDAY 15TH AUGUST

YEAR 10 2018 INFORMATION NIGHT

THURSDAY 17TH AUGUST

COLLIDE-O-SCOPE

TUESDAY 22ND AUGUST

SILVER ROSE SCHOOL PHOTOS

TUESDAY 29TH AUGUST

QCS EXAMS

29TH AUG TO 1ST SEPT

YEAR 11 CAMP EMU GULLY

TUESDAY 29TH AUGUST

P&F MEETING

THURSDAY 31ST AUGUST

YEAR 8 2018 Information Night

SATURDAY 2ND SEPT

CCC SPRING FAIR

11TH - 15TH SEPT

Year 10 Work Experience week

13TH - 15TH SEPT

Year 9 CAMP ALEXANDRA PARK

15TH SEPT

17TH - 22ND SEPT

Term 3 Concludes Yr 10, 11, 12 Ski Trip Falls Creek

Our Story STUDENT BLOG

‘through our eyes’

Students get engineering with Spaghetti Bridge Building Competition Question: How much steel did the Sydney Harbour Bridge use?

A. 37,000 tonnes B. 53,000 tonnes C. 86,000 tonnes D. 91,000 tonnes If this interests you, you’d fit right in! This term students from Years 9 to 11 tried their hand at engineering, albeit not as complex as the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The answer was B, by the way. Instead, they substituted steel with spaghet ti and rivets with wood glue.

The competition challenged students to build the strongest bridge with just 200 grams of spaghetti. At the end of the building period, the bridges are tested for weight and strength. The strongest bridge wins. Maths Teacher, Tony Finney, encourages creative thinking and problem solving. “The creativity of the students is astounding and I am very impressed with the excellent ideas that everyone had.”

Senior students, Grace and Jess, tested their bridges in Week 7.

Everyone enjoyed watching the spectacular collapses and are looking forward to the next competition.

Congratulations to Grace for achieving a massive 1.2 kilograms in strength! Junior students will be testing their bridges in Week 10. Stay tuned for the overall results.

‘Our Story’ blog group meets Wednesdays, 11:15am, in the Learning Hub - all welcome!

Contact Natalie Cocks (marketing@cccgympie.qld.edu.au) or Sue Waltisbuhl (sue.waltisbuhl@cccgympie.qld.edu.au)

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OUR NATURE PLAY Its Role in Developing Curriculum Goals

Article by kay nolan (yr 1 teacher)

The news that the back paddock was to be changed into a “Nature Play Area” was received with great excitement in early 2016.

The philosophy behind Nature Play Areas was introduced, and it was our task, as teachers, to envisage ways that we could use this special area to benefit our students learning environmental, spiritual, physical and curricula.

As part of the Lower Junior Year 1 and Year 2 teaching team, I took this challenge headon as I am always developing new and exciting teaching strategies to engage our younger students.

The Year 1 and 2 rooms overlook the ‘back paddock’ so we were in the best position to watch the changes that happened gradually throughout the year. This provided the perfect resource to fulfil the Geography Achievement Standard for Year One. During the building period, the Year 1’s regularly visited the site to draw and label what they could see. They described how the area had changed, discussed their ideas for the new area and thought about how to care for it.

With the help of our wonderful groundsmen, Year 1 and 2 contributed to the planting out

of the area with quick growing Lilly Pillies along the back fence and a variety of other trees and plants throughout the site. During the hot and dry summer heat of Term 4, the students watered the plants regularly. Science and Service in action along with a lot of enjoyment of the natural world.

By the beginning of 2017 the Nature Play Area was sporting a great bike track, a canoe launching area and a substantial number of healthy growing plants. The Year 1’s were keen to get inside those fences and as their teacher, I was excited to be able to facilitate my students’ wishes and to use this area once more for student learning.

In Term 1 the students were involved in the following learning experiences for HASSGeography 1. Drawing and labelling a map of the Nature Play Area 2. Observing and marking the types of features found in the Nature Play Area My teaching partner and I had decided to integrate Aboriginal culture and technology into as many curricular areas as possible throughout the year, so for Design Technology in Term 1, both Year 1 and 2 students explored

‘Designing Playground Ideas for the CCC Nature Play Area’ was a newly designed project for Year 1 Geography and it turned out to be a fantastic combination of learning experiences for the students.

Using a teachermade power point as the primary resource, the students worked towards designing new features for the Nature Play Area.

The students • mapped the features already existing in the Nature Play Area • investigated both natural and man-made materials that could be useful for their features • decided on the age groups for whom to provide features • researched possible beneficial features for each age group • designed and drew their own ideas for each age group and Indigenous and special need students • surveyed the Primary students, teachers and Secondary students on their ideas for the area a wide range of Indigenous technologies including the building of shelters.

Using the Nature Play space for learning was also high on our priority, so we decided that after the completion of Aboriginal shelters using natural materials, the students would choose a suitable location in the Nature Play area for the overnight placement and weather testing of the shelters.

This very interesting and engaging project satisfied a large section of the Achievement Standard for Design Technology for Year 1 and Year 2.

During Term 2, the Year 1 students once more returned to the Nature Play area, this time for Science and Humanities and Social Sciences – Geography.

After a discussion about the cost of materials and the appropriateness of the features, the students began their culminating project. Each student had to choose two ideas that they felt that were important to put into the Nature Play Area, to justify why they should be included, and to design them.

Their ideas, presented on a professionally designed plan were then presented to Mr. Waltisbuhl (Head of Primary) for his consideration.

The excitement built as the students waited to hear which ideas Mr Walt would approve for inclusion in the Nature Play Area.

Nature Play Area.......just a place to play? Certainly not! For our young students it is a place to explore, enjoy and learn in.

In Science the students used their observations collected from both the Nature Play Area and the Year 2 and 3 playground area, to make comparisons of the types of insects found in both areas. This led to discussions on similarities and differences of these areas and inferences about why particular insects were found in certain locations.

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NATURE PLAY

NATUREPLAYQLD.ORG.AU

At CCC we believe that unstructured, outdoor play is essential for the healthy development of children.

Nature Play QLD is a fantastic government initiative encouraging families and kids to get outdoors! We have included a fun list to provide some outdoor play ideas these holidays. Go outside and have fun!

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Looking out the Window

THINGDSO TO

While Travelling

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ISpy

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When the Ants

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Nature Spotto

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Who am I

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Rock, Paper, Scissors

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Supermarket Game

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Caravan Spotter

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Car Spotter

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10 Green Bottles

on a bus or train, there are loads of things An oldie but a goodie. Whether you are in the car, ng colours. inside and outside. Involve the younger ones by includi t endings - it’s hilarious!

Sing this song and encouraging the kids to add differen stopped…” Yup, lots of toilet humour. one Eg; “The Ants go marching two by two and the little cloud that looks like a face… etc) The first person to spot.... (a gum tree…a kangaroo…a on TV…” “I am red…” “I am a puppet…”

Be prepared for loads of laughs. “I am a character

ns.

Which one wins? Mix it up by adding some variatio today and bought some apples.”

Start with the letter ‘A’…”I went to the supermarket to the grocery store today and bought Second person has to repeat from letter “A,” “I went through the alphabet. some apples and bread.” Continue going all the way pop up, brand name.

What type of van was that one? Start a list… Full van,

list.

What type of car? 4wd? Toyota…start and make a mix it up in the car. Eg: 10 Gas Bottles, Another classic that you can change and adjust to hanging on the van…

10 Word Game

“apple.” The next player will then have to Start with a word that starts with the letter “A,” like which in this case would be “E,” so they say a word that starts with the last letter of that word, it up. could say “elevator.” You can pick a theme to mix

Check out www.natureplayqld.org.au for more Nature Playlists and outdoor activities.

Content supplied by Caravanning with Kids, in partnership with Brisbane Kids.

Supported by

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING We are very grateful to Independent Schools Queensland for the opportunity to host this significant professional event, and to our own Events and Marketing team for organising an event of such a beautiful standard.

Visitors were impressed by our school facilities, our grounds and the maturity of our Student Hosts. Thanks to Alinta, Jacob, Hannah, Jenna, Emily K, Xavier, Abe, Grace, Jaimie, Millie and Emily – you were student hosts who served with diligence, enthusiasm and how you presented yourselves is a credit to your families and our school.

On Monday April 24, 123 staff members from schools all over South East Qld met with our own teaching team at CCC for a day of engaging and inspiring learning led by international education expert Kathleen Kryza. We appreciate the support of our families and wider College community in making this day possible and recognising the value of professional learning for our teaching team.

We trust that in the days and months ahead your own child will bring home messages of how learning at CCC continues to be a priority and a passion as our teachers continue to DISCOVER their gifts and skills as leaders of learning.

Through the day teachers and teacher aides were encouraged to consider ways to make the learning in our classrooms ‘sticky’, acknowledging that every student can learn and achieve great outcomes. Together we explored the benefits of strategies which enhance neural pathways, deepen understandings and improve long-term memory. Teachers were challenged to continue growing as learners themselves, developing new skills to differentiate lessons to better meet the needs of students.

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION WITH KATHLEEN KYRZA

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WHY LEARN SPANISH? There are many well-documented advantages to learning a second or third language. Better understanding of our first language, better intercultural understanding, and improved cognitive development are only a few. With over 7000 languages spoken around the world, why has Cooloola Christian College chosen to teach our students Spanish?

Spanish is the second-most spoken language in the world, after Mandarin. Over 405 million people around the world speak Spanish. English used to be the second-most commonly spoken language in the world, however Spanish has greatly increased in popularity over the past fifteen years, and there are many people learning Spanish as their second language. Spanish is the official language spoken in twenty countries, as well as Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States. There are also an additional nine countries around the world where Spanish is not the official language, but is very widely spoken.

In the United States of America alone, there are 37 million native speakers of Spanish, as well as a further 10 million who speak it as a second language. That’s more than twice the total population of Australia!

Spanish is a ‘Romance’ language, which means it’s derived from Latin. Other Romance languages include Italian and French. Because English also contains many Latin-derived words, we can often interpret unknown Spanish words using prior knowledge. For example, ‘escribir’ means ‘to write’, and in English we would associate the word ‘scribe’ with writing. Unlike Asian languages, Spanish uses the same alphabet and the same characters as English. Spanish is also a phonetic language, so for the most part, words are pronounced exactly the way they look. This means that Englishspeaking students can usually progress further in their learning journey within the same timeframe, than if they were learning an Asian language.

Interestingly, the British Council’s ‘Languages of the Future’ report recently ranked non-English languages in order for British citizens to learn. Spanish topped the list, replacing French as the language of choice for decades. The change came about from careful analysis of cultural, economic and diplomatic factors. Whilst attending an ISQ All Languages professional development event this year, it was exciting to see that the number of Spanish teachers in the room had more than doubled since the previous year’s event.

Ultimately it doesn’t matter what language students are learning; the important thing is that they are exposed to another culture and have a chance to experience the cognitive benefits of learning a second language. I believe that Spanish is a great choice for our school, for the reasons I’ve outlined above. I’ve very much enjoyed learning Spanish, and I’ve recently been awarded a Diploma of Modern Languages (Spanish) from the University of New England. My learning journey is far from over, however, and I enjoy finding videos and songs that help me practice my language skills. ¡Hasta luego!

Señora Oliver

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NEW FACES @ CCC Stacey Williamson I am one of the most recent additions to the team at the Early Learning Centre. I was working with the Centre in 2016 and left due to the arrival of my first child. I am back now at the Centre and excited about my new role of working alongside Mrs Stonier in the Office. I also get to spend time helping the other staff in their rooms and I am getting to know all of the new children that have come on board recently.

I have 12 years of experience in Childcare and I am very excited to be back.

Melita Whittle I first began working at CCC in Administration back in 2007 before leaving to have our first daughter Indiana ‌ and then our second, Abigail. Early 2014 I returned briefly before leaving to have our son Liam. It has been a wonderful (and unexpected) blessing to once again return to work at CCC at the beginning of Term 2.

A little about me. I am married to Noel and together we have three beautiful blessings; Indiana (attending CCC Prep this year); Abigail (Kindy @ CCC ELC) and one very cool 17-month-old son, Liam. We have a few acres at East Deep Creek, so when we’re not at work or school we all love to be in the great outdoors playing, going on our buggies, gardening or working our veggie gardens. All these wonderful activities provide ample opportunity for me to indulge my passion for photography and documenting the extra-ordinary in our everyday ordinary.

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FOCUS ON THE FAMILY DOES A CHILD’S BAD BEHAVIOUR MEAN YOU’RE A BAD PARENT?

BY KAREN EHMAN Karen Ehman is a speaker and the author of books such as ‘Hoodwinked: 10 Myths Moms Believe and Why We All Need to Knock It Off, Let It Go’ and ‘Keep It Shut’.

Before I had children, I had a nifty little equation cemented in my mind. It went like this: crying baby = bad mum.

This wasn’t the only equation I had tucked inside my brain. There were other scenarios that I surmised also added up to bad parenting: a toddler pitching a royal fit in public. An elementary child on the playground who pushed another kid. A sassy preteen who rolled her eyes and dismissively declared, “Whatever.” A teen who broke the rules … or worse yet, broke the law. These things I felt could be tethered directly back to the fact that a child had an ill-equipped parent.

Well, to date, at least one of my children has done all of the above. I guess that puts me in bold contention for “Worst Mum of the Year.”

Or maybe even decade.

Or does it?

The assumption here is that one can draw a straight line from the behaviour of a child to the capability and competence of a mum. But we must ask: Do your children’s bad choices mean that you have failed as a parent?

Jill Savage and Dr. Kathy Koch address this in their book No More Perfect Kids: “Good parenting doesn’t provide any surety your kids will make good choices.

That’s true when your toddler throws a fit at the zoo, and it’s also true when your son becomes a father at age 16. You’re not a failure if either of those things happen, and neither is your child.”

Now that my kids are post-high school, I’ve been able to reflect on this concept — the myth that your children’s bad choices means you are a bad parent, and also, the corresponding notion that good parenting guarantees offspring who make wise decisions.

Teach them young One of my young teens thought it would be funny to accompany some friends as they chucked raw eggs at a house. He knew they were doing wrong, but he had no idea it was illegal. He realised this once the owner of the house wanted to press charges.

When your child does wrong because you failed to teach him an area of right from wrong, such as young children eating croutons from a grocery salad bar, then you shoulder the blame and walk them through how to make the situation right: paying for the food eaten. With that, you teach them what is lawful, and also what is morally and spiritually right.

But as your children age, they will begin to shoulder more of the responsibility for their choices, while also assuming the fault when they behave inappropriately. This shift can be hard on parents. While you would love it if your children followed every single directive you gave them without a misstep, they wouldn’t learn important lessons that come from having to make a wrong choice right again — confessing, apologizing, compensating whoever was wronged. You must teach, pray and then stand back as they learn to make the right decisions.

FIND MORE GREAT ARTICLES AT

FAMILIES.ORG.AU

Help them hit the reset button When your child’s conduct is less than stellar, such as egg-throwing, know your role as a parent. Your responsibility is not to overreact, worrying about those who might think ill of your parenting prowess. Your job is to help your child make amends, learn and move on.

While your human nature may want to holler, “What were you thinking?!” and you may wonder what others will think, you need to remember that they probably weren’t thinking, at least not in the same way as you. In fact, the decision-making part of the brain isn’t fully developed until the age of 25.

We expect kids to make decisions as we, adults, would. But sometimes they don’t. At those times, I’ve found it helpful to be firm, revisit rules and help them to remedy the situation. In this, I also help them take both the responsibility and actions required to make amends. In those moments, there is no need to shoulder unnecessary guilt. Your child chose wrongly.

You didn’t. There is a difference.

This doesn’t mean you wink at their wrongdoing. It does mean you fight the urge to blow up and shame, condemn or reject them. As an insightful friend once told me, “When you want them the least is when they need you the most.” Fight the urge to let any sense of embarrassment keep you from mentoring them through the rough patches as they deal with the fallout from their choices.

Grant grace When poor choices happen, give grace — first to your child and then to yourself. (Also remember to grant grace to fellow parents who are dealing with the repercussions of their own child’s choices.) This grace stems from God, of course, but it is supported by the truth that your child has a free will and is not an extension of you.

During the egg-throwing incident, I supported my son as he did what had to be done — speaking to the officer at the police station, making amends to the owner of the house and talking through how best to handle future “sounds-like-fun-but-might-be-illegal” ideas in the future. Though I wanted to give additional consequences, my husband and I decided the law’s punishment was enough. Our place was to grant grace.

You are not your child’s choices. You are their teacher, their counsellor and their grace-giver when they do wrong. Your job is to help them live and learn through their experiences, just as you do.

Then forget those “bad parent” equations. They simply don’t add up.

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STAYING IN This term during Science, Year 3 have been learning about heat sources and the behaviours of heat (heat conductivity). In Week 7 the students carried out a science investigation to answer the question: What happens to the temperature of objects made of different materials (spoons) when they are put in hot water? The students tested the temperature of a plastic, metal, wooden and rubber spoon after 20 seconds and then again after 3 minutes. The students discovered that the metal spoon continued to get hotter and was the hottest to touch but the plastic and rubber spoons stayed warm even after being in the water for 3 minutes.

Our 10 resident CCC chickens are ready to embark on a new journey and move to a new home.

This term Year 2 incubated eggs, watched them hatch and loved them while they grew. It has been a very special learning journey!

Students also showed responsibility caring for and looking after the chickens.

Year 12 student Emma Young, recently completed a Cert III School Based Traineeship in Laboratory Skills. This traineeship was completed at Cooloola Christian College and provides Emma with the required skills to work in almost all laboratories in Australia. Her course took approximately two years to complete with most of the work done during school hours. The course has contributed eight points to her Queensland Certificate of Education and has provided her with an income. Emma is the fourth student to complete this course at Cooloola Christian College. Well done and congratulations Emma!

Pictured: Emma, Mr Alan Pargeter from Alan Bartlett Consulting, and Mr Darryl Venz, CCC Laboratory Technician.

Year 1s and 2s hosted a special afternoon for their Mums and Grandmas. The students took their loved ones to the Nature Space to hunt for flowers. Year 2B enjoyed a ‘Cupcakes and Craft’ afternoon, icing cupcakes to enjoy with cups of tea and making special gifts together.

We are so blessed to have so many special Mums and Grandmas in our CCC community.

STAYING IN

Year 2 have enjoyed visits by various members of our CCC community sharing about the life cycle of plants and animals. The Swenson family came and shared about the life cycle of ginger.

The students even got to harvest some ginger and sample fresh homemade ginger jam - yum! Thank you to our experts for coming and visiting with us - we love learning new things!

Our senior division Spaghetti Bridge weigh-in is done again for another year. First place in the “Creative Engineering Design” division goes to Jess McGee. First place in the “Carrying Capacity” division goes to Grace Finney, who’s bridge had a carrying capacity of 7.75 times the weight of the bridge.

That’s equivalent to just 129 packets of spaghetti making a bridge that will carry a small car!

May was ‘Scholastic National Family Reading Month’. The Learning Hub set up a buddy reading area encouraging our younger students to sit down with an older student, classmate, or staff member to ‘Read Aloud More in May’. The buddy reading area was a great hit during break times!

Our Year 10s had the privilege of having Belynda Howard from Gympie Regional Council come and speak to them. Her presentation was centred on preparations for applying for jobs, resumes, cover letters and other helpful information when entering the work force. A lot of valuable information was shared and the Year 10’s appreciated the insight from her wealth of knowledge and experience.

Year 5 students have had the amazing opportunity to climb the rock wall in Stan Baker Hall each week. The Year 11/12 Rec Studies students have been teaching the Year 5s important skills of communication and safety in a team environment. The students climbed the straight wall as well as the overhang section. Some students were given the opportunity to climb the rock wall blindfolded which proved quite challenging under the excellent directions of senior students. Year 5 would like to thank Mrs Hodgson and the Year 11/12 Rec students for giving them this experience!

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GOING OUT CCC Primary Choir make residents smile! On Friday, 12th May, the CCC Primary Choir took part in Mother’s Day celebrations at Grevillea Gardens Retirement Home. The students performed a couple of songs, read Mother’s Day poems and bible verses and a couple of students entertained the residents with their musical skills on piano and violin. This put a smile on all the residents faces and even a few tears. After their performance, the students were able to sit and share morning tea (gorgeous Mother’s Day cupcakes) with the residents. It was a blessing to see each student listen and interact with the elderly residents and bridge the gap between young and old. Thank you choir members for making me so proud of your talents and impeccable behaviour.

Also, a big thank you to our parent helpers on the day: Mr Marrington, Mr and Mrs Barnett, Mrs Ellingsen and our Teacher Aide, Mrs Gaze and accompanist, Mrs Irene Halliday.

This excursion would not have been possible without your help.

Rich Blessings Mrs Debbie Trease

The Preppies were very excited to attend The Gympie Show. We weren’t quite sure whether the rain would hold off, but it did and we had a wonderful time! We got to pat the baby animals in the animal nursery and saw some scary snakes in a reptile show.

Some of us climbed into the fire truck and imagined we were brave firefighters, while others tasted the honey in the pavilion. The highlight of our day was finding out who collected the most giveaways!

Canoeing Camp is the somewhat soggy focus of the Year 9 and 10 Outdoor Education students who have been training in skills on, and in the water this Term. Despite the encroaching cold, in Weeks 9 and 10 they paddled down the beautiful Maroochy River on a two day journey.

This experience was invaluable preparation for the four day hiking expedition on Fraser Island at the end of the year.

GOING OUT

Twenty-six CCC Year 7 to 10 students attended the annual Secondary Maths Team Challenge at GSHS. All of our teams were great ambassadors for the College, and a special mention goes to our Year 10 team who won the Intermediate trophy, defeating the second place team by 40 points. A big thank you also goes to Tony Finney for training the teams during lunch breaks.

“Roadcraft was an amazing experience. It was very informative, engaging and plenty of fun. The lessons learned and experiences we had at Roadcraft are lessons that could potentially save lives if we were ever found in a dangerous situation on the road. Experiencing ABS breaking was one of the highlights teaching us how it is supposed to feel and approximately how long it takes for the car to come to a complete stop. Lessons such as these could one day save lives.

ABS breaking was only one of the many lessons learned that I would otherwise not have been aware of. So thank you to the school and teachers for providing us with a lesson of a lifetime.”

- Brookelynne Davies (Yr 12)

On Anzac Day CCC participated in the Gympie Anzac Day Parade.

Approximately 80 students and 20 members of staff attended to remember the sacrifice of many who have fallen to keep our country safe. The Drum Corp played exceptionally well. Thank you to everyone who came out on a public holiday to show their gratitude and respect.

Six students from Year 9 and 10 undertook their Duke of Edinburgh Adventurous Journey on 6th and 7th May. Each student shared in the preparation by organising a different aspect of the journey - food and finance, equipment, transport, communication and first aid all had to be considered for the journey to succeed. It was beautiful weather on the Conondale Great Walk and they even hazarded a swim in the icy waters at Booloumba Falls. A highlight was reaching the top of Mt Allan and enjoying some lunch on the fire tower. Participants were Michaela Lippiatt, Rhiannon Cox, Emily Williams, Mackenzie Granshaw, Kate Davis and Jack Hodgson. Mr Ross Waltisbuhl and Mrs Tiffany Hodgson kept them company. Well done on a great adventure!”

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CCC ELC

CCCEARLYLEARNING.COM.AU PRE-KINDY: 2 ½ YRS – 3 ½ YRS KINDERGARTEN: 3 ½ YRS – PREP SCHOOL AGE CARE: PREP – YR 6 OPEN: 6:30am – 6:30pm

Supporting families Nurturing community

UNDER 8’S WEEK - COUNTRY TO COAST - Nature activities - Nature art & craft - Celebrations galore

1 College Road, Southside Ph: 5483 9517 M: 0447 180 625 Email: admin@cccearlylearning.com.au

COMMUNITY SPIRIT…..GYMPIE SHOW - Our very first excursion for Kindergarten - Our very first Trophy – 2nd Place - Gympie Show stall

SCHOOL AGE CARE - Canoeing and so much adventure Contact us today for a June / July holiday program

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COMMUNITY HOPE REINS HOPEREINS.ORG.AU

Our Vision

Healing Horses Helping Hurting Humans Hope Reins is a faith based organisation. We believe that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ gives us hope. We love to share this hope with others of any age or background. Faith on the farm is lived, not preached. We love to make our horses accessible to people because they can bring healing to a hurting person. Our aim is to assist people of all ages in the Gympie Region who live disadvantaged lives, to develop life skills that will encourage them to reach their full potential. The Hope Reins programme is open to people aged 3 to 103.

Our Mission • Rescue the equine • Restore relationships, trust and hope • Re-create and transform the whole person What We Do Participants attend the programme for up to 8 weeks. One leader and one participant are paired for private sessions. These sessions are flexible depending on the needs of the participants and may include: • Meeting our extraordinary horses • Horse handling & riding • Building relationships • Farm maintenance

OUR STUDENT’S EXPERIENCES

COMMUNITY Each Term 2 people get picked to do Hope Reins and go every Thursday morning from when school starts to 11:30am. You get to work with volunteers, leaders and the horses. You get to connect with the horses and there are plenty of horses and some weeks there are new horses.

My favourites are probably Hope and Promise. Hope Reins is where you get to work with horses, tell your story and mainly co-operate with others and to enjoy yourself with the horses. Sometimes you may get to ride them, guide them and talk with them. The horses get rescued and Hope Reins takes care of them. There is plenty to do at Hope Reins such as riding, going through an obstacle course, planting, weeding, brick stacking, pooper scooping and more. Hope Reins is a place where you get to share your life story with others, especially the horses. The horses at Hope Reins have struggled and all have a story. Hope Reins helps you to forget the past and to only think of good memories and to help you open up, to talk more and learn to co-operate.

- Jazelle Woods

I go to Hope Reins on Thursday morning. I get to help train the horses when I am there. The people I get to meet at Hope Reins are patient with me and help me understand how to look after the horses in the right way. I like it when the horses trust me and that makes me feel trustworthy. My favourite horses are Desiree and Promise. I feel happy when I’m at Hope Reins. Hope Reins is helping me.

- Nathan Faucett

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COMMUNITY DISCOVER THE PARK At CCC we have a heart to serve our community and love to see our students, of all ages, involved in service activities.

During Under 8’s Week the Year 1s and 2s visited Memorial Park to not only serve a delicious complimentary breakfast and morning tea, but to also host free Under 8’s activities for the wider community.

Stallholders and market visitors enjoyed the wafting smells of bacon crisping on the BBQ and fresh pancakes cooking while the children ‘walked the plank’ on the obstacle course, searched for treasure in the sensory tables and made grass heads to take home.

It was an enjoyable experience for our students and families who attended, but also a wonderful time to meet and connect with new families in the community.

Thank you to the wonderful P&F members, staff members and Secondary students who volunteered their time to make this terrific morning happen.

Cooloola Christian College is well-known for their complimentary pancake stall at the Town Centre Grower’s Market - keep an eye out for our next visit!

Ephesians 2:10 - For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

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LEARN TO SE

SERV

YR 12 VISITS PREP

BE BEAUTIFUL

The Preppies have had the privilege this year of having the Year 12’s come for a visit twice a week. During this time we set up 6 gross motor stations and the Preppies work in groups with their Year 12 buddies to practice their skills doing things like skipping, jumping, throwing and catching. This is a very exciting time for the Preppies and one of the highlights of their week. It’s wonderful to see our older students interacting with the Preppies!

Alinta, Brookelynne and Sophie have created a group for girls in Years 7 to 12 who meet every Wednesday at 1st break. They read scripture and encourage one another with Biblical truths from God’s Word concerning what it means to live in the world as Godly women.

YEAR 7-12 GIRLS

The girls were asked in a word to describe how they see themselves considering scripture: Sophie Beautiful Alinta Precious child of God Ashlee Perfect, just the way we are Tara A women of God! (loved) Brookelynne Worthy A group of remarkable young ladies!

ERVE

VE TO LEARN

BUCKET FILLING PREP & YEAR 2B In Prep and Year 2B, we have read the story “How full is your bucket? For kids” by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer. We don’t have physical buckets in our classroom but we are very aware of the invisible bucket we have and we know that every moment matters. Every word we say, every action can fill or dip from someone else’s bucket. We use bucket filling as our behaviour management strategy and are adapting a culture of making sure every moment counts. If our bucket is full, we feel great but if our bucket is empty we feel terrible. We constantly remind each other to use our kind words and actions to encourage one another. These ‘good choices’ fill up our buckets and our aim is to have a full bucket all day, every day. On occasion though, we have to reflect with the children as the consequence of unwise choices means that we have dipped from someone else’s bucket and our own. We have made a promise that we are all going to be bucket fillers at school, at home and wherever we go! We discovered early on that filling someone else’s bucket also fills our own. It’s great to hear our students using this language in the classroom!

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THE ARTS

NATIONAL SIMULTANEOUS STORYTIME

Around the nation on Wednesday 24th May, 11am local time, ‘The Cow Tripped Over the Moon’ was read to celebrate literacy and promote a love of reading. National Simultaneous Storytime, now in its 17th year, is an annual event in which Cooloola Christian College participates. This year Primary students viewed the Story Box video of the story being read

by Eddie Perfect. “The video was very engaging, capturing the students attention by panning the illustrations and adding sound effects,” reflected Mr Waltisbuhl, Head of Primary.

THE ARTS ‘The Cow Tripped Over the Moon’, written by Tony Wilson and illustrated

by Laura Wood, is a beautiful tale about Cow’s perseverance to succeed and reach her goal of jumping the moon and the encouragement received from her friends. Visit http://tonywilson. com.au/books/the - cow-trippedover-the-moon for more information about this beautiful story, or drop in to The Learning Hub where it is available to borrow from our library collection.

Miss Webster, Library Coordinator, and Miss Mahaffey, Primary Creative Arts teacher, organised a fun-filled middle session to celebrate and explore the themes of the book. Upper primary students wrote letters of encouragement to their friends; played a memory game matching digital and analogue times from the story; wrote goals and ambitions on paper strips and created a paper chain; played ‘Moon Toss’ to collect and sequence words from the story; and played ‘Shoot for the Moon’ at the multi-score hoop and tallied their scores. Lower primary students participated in ‘Moon Jump Training’ led by Mrs Kraak, Primary HPE teacher; made a paper craft; decorated big box barns; and made a hot-air balloon and played dish and spoon with the parachute. Miss Mahaffey noted, “The students were highly engaged and enjoyed exploring the themes from the story – perseverance, encouraging others, setting goals and striving for excellence.”

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SPORT 2017 CROSS COUNTRY Abednego 161 Meshach 173 Shadrach 183

Age Champions Age Girls Boys 8yrs Gracie Verkerk Zebediah Herrington 9yrs Bella Gignac Joseph Hodgson 10yrs Bethany Herrington Dylan Manning 11yrs Isabella Ellingsen Brayden Bainbridge 12yrs Lilly Shearer Bodhi Webster 13yrs Molly Hodgson Hayden Kernick 14yrs Isabella Zischke Macca Bunter 15yrs Kate Davis Jack Hodgson 16yrs Gema Smoothey Josh James 17yrs Emma Young Lachlan Seed 19 Under Hannah Pamuk Joel Sheehan

SPORT KARATE WORLD CHAMPION Xavier Gomes has recently returned from a trip to Athens where he competed in the Karate Freestyle / Mixed Martial Arts Tournament.

He walked away with three World Championship titles and a 3rd placing in Showmanship.

An impressive achievement for a young competitor in only Year 6! Xavier has been doing karate for 7 1/2 years. Congratulations on your achievements!

World championships

1st 1st 1st 3rd

Traditional forms – Hard-style Traditional forms – Soft-style Traditional Weapons Showmanship

Xavier will defend his titles next year.

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SPORT Alex Wheatley has been playing for 15 months and plays a GA Handicap of 10.6. He is representing Wide Bay (13-19 yr old division) at a 4 day competition being held in Toowoomba in July. Caitlyn Wheatley has been playing for 10 months and plays a GA Handicap of 22. She is part of the Sunshine Coast development squad and the Sarah Jane Kenyon team. Both Alex and Caitlyn play at the Gympie Golf Club and are coached by PGA Pro coach Peter Heiniger at Noosa Springs.

NETBALL The secondary netball team has continued to go from strength to strength this year. They have moved up to B grade and are finding the competition more challenging yet rewarding. They are continuing to learn new skills and grow together as a team. They were one of our first teams to receive their new uniforms and have enjoyed being involved in different carnivals. Thank you to Matthew Harris for taking over the coaching role this year.

“GO CCC EAGLES!!�

WHEATLEY GOLFERS

SPORT FUTSAL KARATE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Cooloola Christian College formed three Futsal teams, one u16 boys, one open boys and one open girls team.

Training began Term 1He and was held everychampionship Thursday andtitles Friday Xavier Gnomes has just returned frominAthens. has won 2 world in afternoon a couple of Karate trial games College.

Karate.

Hewith has been doing for 7 against ½ years Victory (he’s in year 6!) All three teams travelled up to Hervey Bay to compete in the Fraser Coast School Futsal Titles. The boys teams had some veryAthens tough (24hrs competition and improved throughout the day.

Location: by plane) Martial Arts: Freestyle/ Mixed Martial Arts The open girls had a very successful day and made the final against Urangan State High School, a repeat of last year’s championship game. This year however the girls team World championships finished up as runners up. All three teams then travelled down to Caloundra to compete 1st Traditional – Hard-style in the Sunshine Coastforms School Titles where they played against some very strong teams 1st Traditional forms – Soft-style who have clearly played and trained together for a long period of time. They played extremely well with the open girls just missing out on playing in the grand final match.

1st Traditional Weapons

3rd Showmanship

TOUCH FOOTBALL The school once again entered a junior team into the Gympie Touch Football competition.

The mixed Primary team started games during Term 1 and have gone through the season without dropping a game. They are an exciting team to watch with a number of the team members picking up new skills quickly and being selected for Gympie District Representative Teams. Well done to our talented team and dedicated coach, Mrs Chloe Kraak, for winning their grand final and being season champions!

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OUR ALUMNI

KATE MCDONALD It’s 3:10am. I’m sitting in an airport. I hate airports and I especially hate planes. I’m claustrophobic, and have a fear of falling, so planes are pretty much a nightmare for me. So then, what am I doing in an airport at 3:00am?

Well, that’s easy: I’m on an adventure.

There’s this misconception that being a Christian means living a boring life, that you give up fun, craziness, adventure. And while I have had to sacrifice many things to follow Jesus, let me tell you, it has led me to many adventures.

This particular adventure started three months ago. I moved to Valparaiso, Chile, to learn and work with YWAM (Youth With a Mission). When I arrived, I could hardly speak Spanish, knew virtually nothing about Chile and knew no one in Valparaiso. Now, I’m on my way to Africa for two months of dedicated missions work with kids, youth and tribal communities in South Africa and Mozambique.

Over the last six years I have gallivanted in Outback Queensland, walked and met the people of the world’s largest rubbish dump slum in Manila, sped through the Andes in a derelict bus, raced up the nearest hill after a tsunami warning and a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, lived in a different language and culture, slept in airports, eaten questionable ‘mystery’ meat in a pigs blood curry and been the hands and feet of Jesus to children who have never known love.

If you would have told me even four months ago that I would be sitting here this morning, on my way to Africa, I would have laughed.

Africa was never part of the plan. And yet, here I am. Story of my life. Since I graduated from CCC in 2011, many of my plans and dreams died, and the adventure began.

Following God is never boring; in fact it takes us places we could never have fathomed on our own. Africa for example. You see, my dream was always South America. Since I was 13 years old I wanted to live and work here.

But I never really believed I would or could

I never would to share the love of Jesus and evangelise through art and music - all terrifying and equally satisfying adventures.

It took me to new places, like the Philippines, and old places like Charleville. Everyday was exciting and different as I learnt to follow God more and seek His truth.

ever go there. So, the day I stepped off the plane and my feet touched South American soil was unbelievably indescribable, but also terrifying. Being that far from my comfort zone, I’ve had no choice but to totally depend on God for everything; for language and understanding, companionship, joy, in short, my whole life.

I’ve learnt many things over the last six years about life, and I’m still learning. But one of the most important things I’ve learnt is that life doesn’t start when we graduate. For years I thought, ‘once I finished school, then my life will really start.’ Then, once I graduated I thought, ‘once I finish uni, then my life will really start.’ I thought that I was too young to have adventures, too timid, too uneducated.

That my life as a Christian doomed me to perpetual boredom. But this is not true. To live is a choice, a choice that we have every day.

Jesus told us that He came to earth that we might have life to the full (John 10:10). That doesn’t mean that everything we want, money, power, knowledge, whatever, will be ours. It means in Him we find true life, that can never be taken, peace despite pain, joy despite sadness, love that conquers fears.

Life begins now, today. Life cannot be found in travel, in a university, in relationships believe me, I’ve looked. And God is not limited by school - you can have adventures right where you are, if you follow Him.

At 19, I finally stopped waiting for my life to start, and started to live my life. I began to work with my church to disciple young people, to reach out to kids and youth in our community, return to a place I swore

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FAMILY HOLIDAY FUN SKATEZONE GYMPIE It is our pleasure to introduce SkateZone Gympie to all of the staff, students and famlies of Cooloola Christian College. SkateZone Gympie is owned and operated by Mr and Mrs Nyberg and is located at 15 Dennis Little Drive Glanmire, approximately a 2 minute drive south east of Bunnings Warehouse.

SkateZone was happy to help out with the recent Primary Leaders week by donating ten (10) free skate session passes.

History It was back in 2012 when our two boys Joshua and Shannon were enrolled at Cooloola Christian College (CCC.) My wife and I identified through our children that the youth of Gympie had very little to occupy themselves after school, weekends and school holidays.

As time went on, we also listened to various Gympie residents saying a similar thing that there were very few options for their children. It was around this time my wife Lena and I made the decision to open a Roller Skating rink for Gympie. After many years of planning and approvals, we are now operating.

Visit Us SkateZone is the ideal place for parents and children to come to and have fun and improve your fitness in a happy family environment – great healthy food and drinks available. Skate Zone Gympie is Gympie’s newest and best family friendly roller skating rink where you can enjoy a fun day with family and friends. Our friendly and experienced staff will be able to assist you with any queries you may have so why not come over and have some fun in an awesome family environment?

Why not check us out over the June/July school holidays?

School holiday session times

• Tuesday 27th of June – Friday 30th June 11:30am -2:00pm • Tuesday 4th of July – 7th of July 11:30am-2:00pm

Cost - $12 plus $5 skate hire

ASSOCIATED CHURCHES SERVICES & MINISTRIES Gympie Baptist (133 Corella Road, Gympie)

Gympie Wesleyan Methodist (70 Exhibition Road, Gympie)

Pastor: Tony Roberts Assoc. Pastor: Ben Cumerford Church Office: 5482 8525 Mobile: 0402 562 006 Web: www.gympie-baptist-church.com

Pastor: Gary McClintock Church office: 5482 3618 Mobile: 0412 688 353 Web: www.gympie.wesleyan.org.au

Sunday Worship: Sunday school: Playgroup: Youth Group:

9.30am 10am Friday 9.30am Friday 7pm

Sunday Worship: 9am Sunday School: 9am Mainly Music: Friday 10am Atomic (Kids Club): Friday 4pm JaM Youth: Friday 7pm

Presbyterian Church (11 Crown Road, Gympie)

Mary Valley Wesleyan Methodist (198 Amamoor-Dagun Road, Amamoor)

Pastor: Church office: Mobile:

Pastor: Church office: Mobile:

Daniel Saunders 5482 7629 0409 574 398

Sunday Worship service: 9.30am Sunday School: 9.45am Youth & Young Adults: Friday 6.30pm

Church of Christ (57 Horseshoe Bend, Gympie) Pastor: Church office: Mobile:

Sam Bartlett 5482 6331 0466 679 759

Sunday Worship: KIDZ CHURCH ‘J’ TEAM:

9.30am 10.10am

Brendan Edwards 5484 3687 0417 757 397

Sunday Prayer: 8.30am Sunday Worship: 9.30am Sunday School: 10.00am

CCC CHAPEL

Every Wednesday (SBH) Primary 8:50 - 9:45am Secondary 10:25 - 11:05am

All Welcome

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COOLOOLA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE 1 COLLEGE ROAD, SOUTHSIDE WWW.CCCGYMPIE.QLD.EDU.AU 07 5482 1222 ADMIN@CCCGYMPIE.QLD.EDU.AU