LIGHTHOUSE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE
NEWSLETTER
5 MARCH 2026
Value of the Term - Humility
'The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.'
Micah 6:8 NLT
IMPORTANT DATES
Date | Event |
|---|---|
9th March | Labour Day Long Weekend |
10th March | School Photo Day |
11th March | Naplan Commences - Years 3, 5, 7 |
12th - 13th March | Year 4 Mill Valley Ranch Camp |
PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.”- John 15: 1-2
In every stage of growth, there will be challenges and pain we need to go through in order for us to learn and adapt to the new situation. Education is never bounded by the formal years in education, but it should be a lifelong process in embracing changes to support growth in our spiritual, emotional, cognitive and social wellbeing.
This week, I would like to share the personal growth of our Vice-School Captain, Natalie Khoo. She chose to learn the guzheng, a traditional Chinese instrument, even though she lacked experience in traditional musical instrument.
The following is an account of her learning journey:
“I have been playing the guzheng for the past two years and have had the opportunity to perform at a range of school events, including Harmony Day and Presentation Night, as well as at Chinese cultural celebrations during the recent Chinatown Lunar New Year Festival. Across these performances, I have performed both as a soloist and as part of an ensemble, sharing the unique sound and heritage of the guzheng with my community. Through these experiences, the guzheng has not only helped me grow in confidence but has also deepened my connection to my cultural identity.” – Natalie Khoo
At Lighthouse Christian College, it is our desire for students to attain their individual excellence in whatever they do. Natalie has proven that with God, anything is possible. Her journey reflects tenacity, courage, and faith, inspiring others to step beyond their comfort zones and embrace growth with confidence and purpose.
Wing Leong
Principal
New Staff Introductions
Rayne Andersen - Sports Teacher
Rayne is a graduate teacher completing her Bachelor of Secondary Health and Physical Education (Nov 2025) Rayne is passionate about promoting wellbeing, teamwork, and confidence in young people through HPE and Media, and has experience across OSHC, dance instruction, and junior sport coaching. Rayne is an active youth leader and attends Gateway Church.
Luisa Cetrolam - Primary Teacher
Luisa Cetrola is a provisionally registered early childhood and primary teacher with a Master of Teaching from ACU, complemented by qualifications in Education Support and Tourism Management. She brings extensive experience across classroom teaching, literacy intervention, VET, and higher education. Luisa attends St Stephen's Presbyterian Church.
Nishani Algama - ELC Teacher - 4yr olds
Nishani Algama is an experienced Early Childhood Teacher with over 12 years in the sector, holding a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education. She is committed to creating safe, nurturing, and engaging environments where children can flourish, grounded in child‑centred, family‑focused, and faith‑aligned values. She attends St. Kevin’s Church in Hampton Park.
SPORT
Secondary House Athletics
Our annual Secondary House Athletics Day was a fantastic day filled with talent, determination, and house spirit. Students competed across track and field events, earning valuable points in what became one of the closest contests in recent years.
After an exciting day of competition, Ten Boom Titans were crowned House Athletics champions, winning by just 10 points - a margin that was determined by the infamous House War Cries.
Well-done to all students involved in the day whether competing or helping run the face painting stall!
Sports Club
Building on the success of last year’s program, Sports Club is back and thrilled to continue offering students new and engaging sporting experiences.
This term our Year 7-10 girls have taken to the field for AFL, developing their kicking, marking and handballing in a supportive and encouraging environment, under the guidance of seasoned professionals. At the same time, the boys have headed to the netball courts to enhance their passing and shooting skills run by experienced coaches.
We are already seeing students embracing new challenges, supporting one another and expanding their skills and we look forward to continue building on this in the year that is to come.
Caitlyn Stephens
Sports Administrator
PRIMARY - ELC - Year 2
Prep and Year 1 Family Picnic
Thank you to all our Prep and Year 1 families who joined us for our Family Picnic. We were blessed with beautiful weather and a wonderful evening of fun, games and fellowship.
Miss Danielle Ng
Head of Lower Primary
Year 1 and 2 Swimming
At swimming we can do torpedoes and we get to have icy poles. – Amberley
I love swimming because we get to jump in and play with sinkies – Dahlia
At swimming I can jump into the deep end – Sathika
We went swimming for 6 days and it was very fun! - Ameya
PRIMARY - Years 3 - 6
Prep and Year 6 Buddy Meet-Up
This week our Prep and Year 6 buddies had their first official meet-up, and it was wonderful to see the connections beginning to form. The students had a fantastic time getting to know one another through a range of simple but meaningful activities.
Some buddy pairs met in the library where they enjoyed reading books together, sharing stories and helping one another sound out tricky words. Others stayed in their classrooms and completed “get to know you” activities and crafts, learning about each other’s interests, favourite foods, hobbies and families. There was plenty of smiling, laughter and thoughtful conversation.
It was especially encouraging to see the Year 6 students step confidently into their roles as mentors. They displayed maturity, care and responsibility — a clear sign of leadership skills developing as they support and guide our youngest students. Our Preps also showed courage and enthusiasm as they engaged with their older buddies.
We look forward to watching these friendships continue to grow throughout the year.
Evelyn Siew
Primary Teacher
Year 6 Biology
Year 6 students have been buzzing with excitement as they grew wheat grass in saline solutions to investigate how salt affects plant growth. Their observations link directly to Australian Curriculum v9 Biological Sciences outcomes, exploring how environmental conditions influence growth, survival, and adaptation—clearly visible in their varied, sometimes thriving, plants!
Laura Robinson
Primary Teacher
SECONDARY
Career Spotlight - Sarai Moreno
Sarai Moreno is a name synonymous with leadership and dedication at our school. As our School Captain, Sarai consistently demonstrates outstanding values-based leadership and an unwavering commitment to our community.
Sarai continues to pursue excellence with a unique blend of determination, resilience and HEART.
Pursuing a Dream in Education
Sarai is currently undertaking her VCE with a Vocational Major in Early Childhood Education and Care. Her passion for shaping young lives shines through in both her academic studies and her practical work.
During her placement at an Early Childhood Centre last year, Sarai made such a positive impression that she has been offered paid employment. This year she will now be working as Education Support one day per week, a vital step toward her goal of becoming an Early Childhood and Primary Educator.
We are incredibly proud of Sarai as she builds her professional network and takes meaningful steps toward her dream career. We look forward to watching her journey continue to unfold.
Congratulations, Sarai! Your hard work, faith and spirit is an inspiration.
To further support your student in their career development journey, we encourage you to make use of our dedicated resource: https://www.lighthousecareertools.com
Mrs Agesa
Careers Development Practitioner
Head of Applied Learning
Year 7 Camp - 17th Feb – 20th Feb
Our stay at Camp Coolamatong Lake Camp was a fantastic experience, made even better by the friendly atmosphere and helpful staff. The staff was warm and encouraging, and they made everyone feel welcome and included from the beginning. Camp allowed us to socialise and connect with people we don't typically see at school, which I really loved. It was good to be able to meet new people, strengthen connections, and even create new friends through group activities. Throughout the camp, we learned a lot about community and our HEART values, including kindness, teamwork, and respect. The activities were an amazing way to bring everyone together, and I especially enjoyed tubing on the lake. I'm sure many others did as well, because it was extremely fun and brought many shared laughs and memories. Overall, Camp Coolamatong was a memorable and enjoyable experience, and I wish we had the opportunity to go again!
Eliza Dela Cruz 7C
The Brainstorm Production
The brainstorm production was very engaging because we- Year 7 and 8 were able to witness the greatness of the actors acting out a story. As the production went on it got better and better building up suspense making me want to know what's going to happen next. It was such an honour being able to watch the show and getting to learn more. The Brainstorm Production performers acted out how important it is to be mindful of other people’s private belongings and personal space. They also showed why we should not give in to peer pressure to do the wrong thing.
Kyla Lam - 7B
Brainstorm Productions uses live theatre to engage primary and secondary students in discussion and learning about bullying, cyber safety and wellbeing.
Escape Room Challenge- Year 7
During the first week of school, we had a pirate themed escape room incursion. It was super fun, but also quite challenging at the same time. There were so many things that you and your team had to open. It was a very good way to start off year 7, and also a way for us to bond while working out the various solutions that we had to find. This was a super exciting incursion, and I definitely hope that we get to do it again.
Eric Catana- 7B
VCE - VM Personal Development Skills – Mental Health First Aid and Mentoring
'Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.'
Colossians 3:12
We are excited to launch the Buddy Program – a purposeful partnership between our VCE Vocational Major students and our Primary School community. This initiative provides senior students with authentic opportunities to develop leadership, communication and responsibility skills while supporting younger students in their learning and wellbeing journey.
The program reflects the applied learning philosophy of VCE VM, strengthening confidence, collaboration and meaningful community connections across our school.
In preparation for this role, our VCE VM students have successfully completed a certified qualification in Mental Health First Aid, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to provide informed, compassionate support within the school environment.
Mrs Jennifer Agesa
Head of Applied Learning
Logo designed by Riley Williams (12A)
In the Mental Health First Aid course, I discovered a few mental health issues that people may suffer from. Some people may experience anxiety, depression, and other issues that may make everyday activities seem hard. I discovered that sometimes small things can have a bigger impact on someone’s mental health than we think. Something that may seem small to us may be big for them. This taught me that it is important to listen, be kind, and not judge others.
In my first mentoring session, I discovered that talking with kids can be a bit tough at the start since they are very shy. They do not say much at the start. I discovered that asking them about things they enjoy helps them feel comfortable. When you talk about things like sports, games, or activities, they become more comfortable.
Theon Theophilus (12B)
Year 10 Careers Day
Prior to camp, our Year 10 students participated in a valuable Careers Day focused on completing a Career Profiling assessment, gaining personalised insights into their abilities and potential career directions. We concluded the day with engaging activities centred around three key themes: Comparison, Purpose and Dreaming.
These insights will form the foundation of meaningful career discussions as we begin guiding students through their future planning. We concluded the day with engaging activities centred around three key themes and I invite parents to continue these conversations at home.
Jennifer Agesa
Careers Development
Luna Park Excursion
The Year 12 Physics students recently attended the Luna Park excursion where they rode the twin dragon, supernova, power surge and coney drop. They experienced firsthand the concepts taught in VCE Physics Unit 3 on the topic ‘Motion in two dimensions’. They measured the period of circular motion and used this to calculate velocity and acceleration. They considered and evaluated the forces experienced at various positions on these rides. They analysed their results with the aid of worksheets designed by VicPhysics.
Lucille Francis
Secondary Teacher
NOTICES
Dear Parents and Guardians,
If you’ve recently changed your phone number, email address, home address, or emergency contact details, please inform us. Keeping your information up to date helps us make sure you receive important school updates and that we can contact you quickly if needed. Please contact the General Office if anything has changed.
Expression of Interest – Operational Teaching Assistant
The College is seeking Expressions of Interest for the role of Operational Teaching Assistant. This important non-teaching position provides high-quality operational, administrative, and logistical support to ensure the smooth delivery of teaching, learning, and co-curricular programs across the College.
Working in alignment with the responsibilities and expectations outlined in the Operational Teaching Assistant Job Description (attached), the role supports teachers and leaders by coordinating resources, managing administrative processes, and assisting with the effective execution of College activities. While incidental student interaction may occur, the role does not include instruction, assessment, or ongoing student supervision.
Key responsibilities include
- General Administration & Operational Support
- Providing efficient and professional administrative support to College leadership, teaching staff, and Year Level Leaders.
- Managing permission notes and payments for camps, excursions, and student activities.
- Booking buses, venues, and resources, and preparing associated documentation such as risk assessments.
- Auditing, ordering, and organising classroom materials, resources, and event-specific supplies.
- Supporting teachers (Primary & Secondary) with parent/carer communication through relevant school platforms.
- Assisting in daily operational tasks to ensure smooth and efficient classroom operations.
- Completing a range of ad-hoc administrative duties across College departments as required.
These responsibilities should be considered alongside the full scope of duties detailed in the attached Job Description.
How to Apply
Staff interested in this opportunity are invited to submit a brief Expression of Interest outlining:
- Relevant experience
- Key strengths
- Motivation for applying for this role
Please send your EOI to hrcoordiator@lighthouse.vic.edu.au by cob Friday 13th of March, 2026.
Holiday Activities
Where: Various locations across Greater Dandenong and beyond
When: Every school holiday period
Ages: 12–25 years
Cost: Free or low-cost activities
