Preps lead the way at new Surf Coast campus

THE foundation prep class at Christian College Geelong’s Surf Coast campus are probably the luckiest pupils in Torquay, with exclusive use of the entire school for the whole year.

The school in Jan Juc held its official opening ceremony on Friday, attended by Christian College Geelong board chair James Shirley and Corangamite federal member Sarah Henderson.

The Surf Coast campus opened at the beginning of the 2018 school term with 11 foundation prep pupils and eight staff.

The campus will expand to prep, grade 1 and grade 2 in 2019 and continue to grow in coming years, eventually offering a prep to year 9 education.

With new and contemporary buildings, the campus is set on 12 acres overlooking the Spring Creek valley.

Landscaped creative play spaces and a sporting oval provide outdoor areas that complement the environmental design of the building and maximise the educational benefits.

The campus was 27 years in the making and was built from scratch in only five months.

“This is the first campus we have built from the ground up,” campus co-ordinator and prep teacher Debbie Riddle said, adding that the focus was on actively engaging all children in a program that stimulated and nurtured their interests, curiosity and skills across a diverse range of learning contexts.

“Our goal is to equip our students with self-worth, confidence and competence, as well as to foster within each child, an understanding of the dispositions essential to their learning and a genuine joy in the learning experience.”