Featured News Post Archive

Abbey Wilson-Gardiner, Jia Ning Choo, Jakob Jones, Dylan Nossek pictured here with Principal Mrs Sally Broadley, received distinctions or high distinctions for all three categories in the University of NSW Competition.

As students come to a time of final assessments, it is good to remember that examinations and tests are only one part of the year’s evaluation of their school performance. Throughout the year levels there are many different course units in each of the key learning areas of English, Mathematics, Humanities, Sciences, Health, The Arts, Technologies, and Languages Other Than English.

Students demonstrate their progress throughout four school terms and achievements are observed in many different ways; in class work, assignments, presentations, experiments, practical work, folios, performances, examinations and tests. The learning process and development of work is often more important than presentation of the final ‘product’. The ability to work effectively in a group is as important as the ability to work independently.

Creativity and problem solving are valued as much as rational and methodical thinking. There are many ways in which students are able to demonstrate their understanding, including the ability to apply their knowledge and skills, in new circumstances and complex scenarios.

It is no surprise that each week we have groups of students to recognise for their outstanding performances. In the University of NSW Competitions, four Oxley students achieved High Distinctions / Distinctions, not just in one field, but in each of the three possible categories; English, Mathematics and Science. This is indeed an outstanding achievement! Congratulations to Abby, Jakob, Dylan and Ning.

At the Lilydale Show last weekend, 75 Oxley students won Art Awards including 18 First, 20 Second, 20 Third Place Awards as well as 17 High Commendations! All Oxley entries are on exhibition in the foyer of the Administration Centre, with winning entries displaying their winner’s ribbons.

Student achievement comes in many forms. At the end of this week there will be further celebrations as Oxley teams play in the EISM Grand Finals; another example of outstanding performance.

The development of fine personal qualities is valued just as highly at Oxley; qualities such as integrity, empathy, diligence, thankfulness and resilience, to name just a few. When strong character traits are developed in keeping with the spirit and selflessness demonstrated in the life of Jesus, they provide a framework of lifelong values which adds heavenly wisdom to the skills and knowledge of our students. Godly wisdom is the ultimate goal of learning at Oxley.

Oxley Christian College has a close partnership with Samaritan’s Purse International Relief Organisation.  For many years we have collected shoe boxes and packed them full of gifts as part of the ‘Operation Christmas Child’ project.  Once again we  would like to thank the school community for its generous support of this project. As last count, this year  we have collected 450 boxes.

By now, most school families will have received and read the letter on our latest fund raising campaign entitled, ‘JFC – Jobs for Cambodia’.  Through this and a number of smaller fund raising projects, the College hopes to raise between five and ten thousand dollars to support another major project in Cambodia.  In previous years Oxley has raised enough funds to build a pre-school, provide bio-sand filters and last year our funds went towards funding a medical centre for a displaced people group.

This year the students who attend the lunch time social action group, ‘Speak Up’ voted to fund raise for a program that deals with educating Cambodian parents about nutrition. Research into Cambodia’s poorest people discovered that the root cause of malnutrition is not lack of food, but lack of understanding about food and nutrition.

Australians would assume that parents know about the need to present their children with healthy food, but many Cambodian parents don’t. This traces back to the parents of these parents, who were children during the time of the Khmer Rouge.  These parents were rarely fed whilst growing up and therefore figure that their children should not complain. Samaritan’s Purse has compiled a training curriculum to deal with these issues. Parents are taught about the importance of being a parent, the mother-child bond, how to make good soup with clean water, how to protect food from flies, how to store food and a whole lot more about general hygiene.

Twelve percent of Cambodians are children under the age of five.  These children represent the future of Cambodia.  Australian children often take education for granted.  What a great educational process it is for the students of Oxley Christian College to do some chores at home to raise money so that other children can experience regular healthy meals.  We hope that all families will support the JFC – Jobs for Cambodia Campaign.  It will run until Friday 16^th November.

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:8-9

On Wednesday 19th September, the Year 12 Drama students of Oxley Christian College took to the stage in the Broadley Performing Arts Centre to perform their Solos.  It was a wonderful showcase of talent!

The night was full of variety and the audience was thoroughly entertained by a multitude of characters, including an eccentric Tourist; a sly Imposter; some intelligent Techno Teens; a couple of successful English Detectives and a Red Cross Volunteer, reflecting on his time in Rwanda.  It was a fantastic opportunity for the students to reveal the product of their hard work over the past few months.

Thank you to all who came on the night and showed their support.  The students greatly appreciated the positive responses of audience members.  Please continue to encourage the students as they prepare for their performance examination early in Term 4.

We congratulate each of the students on their achievements in the Performing Arts and wish them every success as they finish their schooling and enter a new chapter in their lives.

Watch the video…  In January 2012, 13 Year 12 students from Oxley Christian College travelled to Cambodia with Samaritan’s Purse.

The video below documents their experience.

Earlier this year Mrs Backholer, Mr Zhang, Miss Latham and 13 students visited our sister school in China. This week it is Oxley’s turn to host teachers and students from the Beijing No. 57 School.

Students from both schools gave inspirational performances at the Oxley Senior School Assembly which welcomed our Chinese guests. In the next issue of The Vine there will be many more images of a week filled with wonderful opportunities to form international bonds of friendship and understanding.

The benefits of international understanding are infinite. Internationalism is variously defined, but it is often expressed as an appreciation of diverse cultures and a desire for world peace.

Living in a multicultural city like Melbourne is wonderful, but does not necessarily give us an understanding of international issues. Multiculturalism refers to the cultural diversity within a particular nation or group.

We have responsibilities to look beyond our own context. That is something that we constantly impress upon our students throughout their years of study in all subject areas. One of the greatest transformational effects on our students’ international understanding is the opportunity to be part of an Oxley cultural exchange or mission trip.