YEAR 12 GRADUATION
This week we celebrated our Year 12 DE students as they graduated from our College. We were delighted to welcome nine students and their families to our campus, with the remaining joining us via livestream. After a heartwarming Graduation Ceremony, where we congratulated the Year 12 cohort, we enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea in our Tech Centre Lumination Lab. Wonderful conversations and connections were made, and beautiful family photos were taken to mark the occasion. Thank you to all our families for joining us onsite and virtually. We will be praying for each student as they embark on their HSC exams, and as they enter a new stage of life beyond school. Please CLICK HERE to enjoy photos from our DE Year 12 Graduation Event.
DE CLASS CONNECT
We always look forward to having our DE students join us online for Class Connect. This happens fortnightly over Google Meet (video conference) for groups in Primary and Secondary for half an hour each session, alternating each week between Class Connect and Chapel.
The aim for Class Connect is to laugh, share, and connect around a variety of social and faith topics to strengthen emotional and spiritual wellbeing. We want it to be a memorable experience, that students will really want to attend.
We encourage students to participate and engage at the level they feel comfortable with.
Full participation (with video, voice, text chat and activities)
Limited participation (text chat and activities, no video/voice)
Spectator participation (simply observe the interactions and activities)
Here is an insight into what has been happening in Class Connect recently:
Stage 1 (Kinder - Year 2) Emily Peisley
Each fortnight, Kinder - Year 2 students join each other via Google Meet for Class Connect. Students have the opportunity to participate or spectate as we chat and hear what is happening in each other's lives, play games, share 'news' and finish with a story that tells us more about who Jesus is. This week we chatted about what we all will be doing in the school holidays. Students raced around their house on a scavenger hunt to find different items, racing to be the first person back to the screen. Students love news time, where they can show everyone new toys, things they have made or things they did. Today's book was called ‘The friend who forgives’, showing what type of friend Jesus is and if we trust in Jesus, we are also forgiven.
Stage 2 (Years 3 & 4) Janet Dawson
At our Class Connect this week, students were racing around their rooms as if they had ants in their pants, then pretending that their pants were on fire and finally, they were making chicken noises as they hopped around in their living rooms. Why, you ask? We were playing musical statues. It was hilarious to watch from a computer screen. We always have fun when we meet. We do scavenger hunts, rock, paper scissors and many more games. Being in DE does not mean that you miss out on spending time connecting with your classmates or teacher. We meet fortnightly to connect, catch up on the latest happenings and finish off with a short Bible study. Today we looked at Isaiah 41:10 where we were reminded to ‘fear not’ as the Lord is always with us, followed by a time of prayer. Class Connect is a big highlight for each of us in Yrs 3 and 4.
Stage 3 (Years 5 & 6) Norm Fitzgerald
In Stage 3 Class Connect, we share our opinions about topical issues. Today we discussed our preference on whether we would rather write prose or poetry as we complete our poems for our next major English assignment. Students enjoyed reading and hearing two Factual Description showcases, one from Year 5 and the other from Year 6. We shared points on how they met the criteria well and talked about how we could improve our own writing. Students learned about plagiarism and tips on how to avoid falling into the trap of accidentally copying another’s work. Stage 3 students love playing games. We battle it out over a 15 question timed game tailored specifically for our cohort. Students are challenged to keep running towards the goal of crossing the finish line of each term. They all know how to run the ‘marathon’ of lessons and courses and the secret to getting to the end - one step at a time.
Year 7A & 7B Jacqueline Donaldson & Rachel Law
Throughout the term, Year 7 have been working through the topic of ‘Big Questions’ in their homeroom Class Connects. Students grappled with a variety of topics as we examined the questions of body image, Science versus God, religions and suffering, to name a few. Students have engaged in short interactive games, with some wonderful enthusiasm. The games were based on a quiz from the week before, allowing for a review but in a fun way. Students were quite competitive, but at the end would celebrate those coming in the top three. Some students are new this term - they have settled in quite well and they frequently attend the Class Connect. If a student misses the Live Tutorial they can watch it later as we record the class and then post it in the Canvas Bible course, for them to watch in their own time. We also have the privilege of praying with our students at the end of each Class Connect. This has resulted in prayers for all manner of things, from a sick dog to a sister’s wedding. The students join in with the prayers through the chat and we make it clear they can reach out to us as their mentors at any time to pray with them. We have created a safe place in the Class Connect space so that students feel safe to share.
Year 8A & 8B Lynette Garth & Ben Leffley
Class Connect is an opportunity each fortnight to prepare for the week in three key areas. As we explored the book of Ephesians we have been able to deepen our understanding of God and his plan to redeem us “because of his great mercy” that is demonstrated through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We prepare our minds for the upcoming formal assessment due dates and are reminded of some important aspects of DE. This enables students to feel confident for the week ahead. Class Connect allows students to create and strengthen the relationships amongst peers through ridiculous trivia games (one where the answer to every question is “sausages”!). Most coveted of all victories has been achieving a podium finish in the “Name the famous Disney Princess” and “Australian Trivia” Kahoots.
Year 9A, 9B & 9G Paul Norrie, Sarah Leffley & Deanna Cao
During our weekly Class Connect time, we gather to engage in fun, interactive activities and meaningful discussions. We have been blessed by one of our students, Courtney, leading us in prayer. We have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Year 9 better and have been encouraged by many of our students who have had the boldness to turn on their cameras or microphones to share replica swords, treasured Bibles and Bulldogs paraphernalia. Our students have been open and thoughtful in suggesting prayer points about their lives and issues impacting the world. These sessions offer a wonderful opportunity to build community, strengthen connections and reflect on the love of Christ in a relaxed and supportive setting.
Year 10A, 10B & 10G Joe McDonald, Kirsten Hitchins & Matt Pettett
In Term 3, Year 10 have had wholesome discussions about the Christian Worldview. We have particularly looked at the topic of relationships and the importance of understanding what the Bible teaches us about our relationships. Because we know that God has created us to enjoy connecting with each other we have also spent time together regularly interacting and forming friendships through the chat feature and interactive games. We also have some who prefer to watch the action unfold and enjoy the session without feeling the need to interact. We value all kinds of students who like to jump in. In Term 4, we would love to see some new names pop up on our meeting list. If you’ve been thinking about joining, why not come along one week and take a peek at what we are up to? Please know that we never ask students to turn on their cameras or microphones and encourage students to participate in a way that suits them. Come and give it a try!
Stage 6 (11A, 11B & 12A) Mireille Geha, Josh Avenell & Will Tay
Our Stage 6 Class Connect has been a true blessing, providing students and teachers the opportunity to bond, support one another, and share joyful moments. While the students often bested the teachers in games like Codenames and Gartic Phone, the experience was memorable and filled with laughter. Class Connect also created a safe space for meaningful discussions, whether centred around the Bible Studies course or other pressing concerns on the students' minds. The prayer time at the end was a blessing for everyone involved. The Stage 6 mentors look forward to welcoming even more students to join and connect with us.