Our Lady of Good Counsel offers a range of opportunities for learning experiences outside the normal classroom activities. An extracurricular activity is an educationally enriching activity, which will enhance students’ experiences socially, academically, physically, creatively or intellectually. Such activities may be grouped into the following categories:
| Spiritual | Academic | Sporting |
| Social Justice Program
Confirmation retreat day Sacramental preparation Mass participation Altar service Christian Meditation | Excursions/Incursions
Camps (yrs. 3-6) Premiers reading challenge Gateways Maths Olympiad ICAS Testing Maths Camera Action Chess | Hooptime (Basketball) Swimming Cross Country Athletics Interschool sport (Summer / Winter) Representative sport Runners Club Yoga |
| Social/Emotional | The Arts | Leadership |
| Seasons
Better Buddies Program Transition Program Bully Prevention Bully Stoppers Chaplaincy Program Peaceful Kids CASEA Program | Drama
Bands Choir Instrumental Lesson Book week activities Italian Poetry Competition Art Show School Production | School Leaders Sports Leaders Social Justice Leaders Student Representative Council Sustainability Leaders Technology Team Caritas Leadership Day Kidsview Conference |
We encourage all students to fully utilise their time at school by engaging in all activities and opportunities on offer. We also inspire students to become actively involved in the school and the wider community. These activities are offered to further enhance our regular school program.
We believe that direct experiences bring the learning alive. At OLGC students regularly participate in excursions or incursions that support the learning in the classroom. These experiences vary from year to year and term to term depending on the educational focus.
Usually one or two major excursions are planned per year and one minor excursion or visiting speaker is planned for each term.
Our current camp program is as follows:
| Year 5/6: Canberra Tour Civics and Citizenship: There is no better way to learn something than to experience it! Students travel to Canberra to immerse themselves in our political democratic system by visiting Parliament House and the Electoral Commission of Australia. | Year 5/6: Adventure Camp Personal and Interpersonal development: Students work together to develop their skills and behaviours when connecting with others. Outdoor, adventure based activities are designed to challenge students to take risks, develop their resilience and independence. |
| Year 3/4: Adventure Camp Personal learning: In the context of a camp students build on their personal strengths by recognising strategies that help them achieve their best. | Year 3-6: St Vincent’s Winter Sleepout Raising Social Justice awareness, this school sleepout is held in the School Atrium. |
OLGC have a comprehensive sport program coordinated by the Physical Education teacher. Through our involvement in the School Sport Victoria (SSV) pathway, our 9-12 year olds participate in swimming, cross country and athletics. Teams are selected to compete in district, divisional and regional carnivals with the prospect to compete at state level.
Year 5 and 6 students participate in interschool sport against our District schools on a Friday afternoon in term 2, where they play football, netball and tee ball. We also participate in Hooptime which is a basketball competition run by Basketball Victoria with our Year 3 to Year 6.
Our students partake in a variety of sporting clinics, including an AFL football clinic run by the Richmond Football club, a Soccer Clinic run by Melbourne Victory, touch rugby, cricket, basketball, netball and many more.
The whole school enjoys the House Cross Country and Athletics carnivals.
In term 4, an Intensive Swimming program is run at the Genazzano pool. Every student swims for 45 mins for five consecutive days, with the emphasis on stroke techniques and survival skills.
In addition to providing a full classroom music program within the school curriculum, OLGC offers an Instrumental Music Program that gives all children the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument. A range of instrumental tuition is available at the school: Strings – violin, cello; Woodwind – flute, clarinet, saxophone; Piano; Guitar – modern and classical. Singing lessons are also available as a group or individually. As well as providing children with the chance to learn an instrument, the program encourages children to make music together.
