Junior School News
Twilight Movie Night: ‘Paddington in Peru’
Get ready for the Twilight Movie Night, this year's first whole-school social event run by the Girton Parents and Friends Association (GPF) and Friends of Junior School (FOJS)!
Join us on Friday 2 May for a fun-filled evening under the stars, featuring a coffee cart, fairy floss, popcorn, lucky dip and a screening of the movie 'Paddington in Peru'.
Set up your picnic on the Junior School oval and enjoy snacks and treats from the student-run snack bar. This event is open to all Girton families and is a great opportunity to make new connections. Children under 5 are free, and Year 12 students from Girton can attend for free. Please note that this is an alcohol-free event and children must be supervised by a responsible adult.
Tickets are $10 per person or $40 for families.
We can't wait to see you there!
International Piano Day at Girton Grammar
On Tuesday 1 April, our Junior School piano students came together to celebrate 'International Piano Day'. This occasion is marked by pianists around the world, and we were delighted to host over 60 students from Girton Junior School for the concert.
Our youngest performers from Year 1 showcased their talents, many of them playing for the first time, while students from all grade levels up to Year 5 participated in the event (our Year 6 students were attending camp). We take great pride in their enthusiasm to perform in front of their peers and were encouraged by their ability to learn the nuances of public performance, including introductions, performances and bowing at the conclusion. We were also lucky to have a very special guest, Mrs Betty Higgs, attend our concert.
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Mr Don Thompson, Mrs Viv Bath, Mrs Jess Potter, Mrs Laura Dusseljee, Mrs Cally Bartlett, Mrs Noelle Leader, Mrs Vickie Holland and all Junior School staff for their invaluable support of our students.
We also wish to express our special appreciation to Mr Dave Plathe for the considerable effort involved in recording performances from over 60 talented piano students and for organising a link to share with parents.
Finally, we are immensely thankful to the Girton piano team (Mrs Belinda Moon, Mrs Yuliya Lenard, Mrs Catherine Stephens, Mrs Meg Martin, Mrs Wendy Rowlands, Mrs Louise Matthews and Mrs Cheryl Long) for their expert teaching and guidance of our young pianists. Your commitment to fostering a love of music was beautifully demonstrated at our concert.
"Music can change the world because it can change people" – Bono.
Ms Cheryl Long
MiC Piano, Piano Tutor and Accompanist
Year 3 History Excursions
This term, Year 3 students participated in two major excursions related to their humanities topic, ‘Bendigo: Then and Now’. This history-based unit of work explored the reasons behind Bendigo’s gold rush of the 1850s and the flow on effects that gold brought to the developing city.
During the first excursion, the Year 3 students experienced a guided tour of the Old Bendigo Post Office. They learnt how important this facility was in terms of communicating with loved ones and transferring funds back to one’s home country. A guided tour of the Bendigo Town Hall illustrated how buildings change over time according to their function. The students were amazed to learn how the Town Hall was once the venue for grain trade in the region. Finally, a visit to Rosalind Park helped the students envisage how this recreation area has largely remained in a similar state over time, after it was converted from a government army camp for soldiers during Bendigo’s earliest days of European settlement.
On the second excursion, the Year 3 students explored the nearby Central Deborah Gold Mine. This experience highlighted how the gold industry continued underground after alluvial deposits were exhausted. The students learnt firsthand about the difficult conditions miners toiled under and how mining methods were influenced by new technologies.
Both excursions helped the children learn more about the history of Bendigo and were powerful learning opportunities that reinforced the concepts of change, continuity and adaptation.
Mrs Matthew and Mrs Gibson
Easter Art
In art this week, the students in 1D created vibrant tissue paper Easter eggs using a variety of coloured patterns to bring their designs to life. They focused on techniques such as ripping and scrunching the tissue paper to add texture and dimension to their eggs. Each piece of tissue paper was carefully arranged to create unique, colourful patterns, giving the Easter eggs a fun, artistic touch.
Mrs Sharon Hocking
Junior School Art Teacher
Last week at OSHC we had fun with Fantasy, Fairytales and Storytelling! The children had fun making monster windsocks, got messy making cloud dough, put their detective hats on for a fantasy scavenger hunt and then finally ended the week with some cosy storytelling! It was such a fun week, with many of the children asking for more of the same fun the following week!
This week at OSHC marks the final week of us being together before Easter. In anticipation, we are celebrating our OSHC Easter a little early with an Easter-centric week! The children have been enjoying Easter-themed activities such as Easter hat parades, Egg hunts and Easter-themed board games.
Thank you for an outstanding term, and we look forward to seeing you when we return!
