Junior School News
From the Head of Junior School
In the last Girton eLink, I wrote about the importance of students arriving at school on time, ready to learn. I thank those parents who have made the effort to ensure their children are punctual.
We still have significant room for improvement though as we often have between 10 and 20 students arriving after the bell. We understand that there will be occasional appointments, but this is not the main reason for the number of late arrivals we are seeing.
Arriving on time each day sets students up for success for the day. The first minutes of the school day are often when teachers welcome students, outline learning intentions and establish routines that help create a calm and focused learning environment. When students arrive late, they can miss important instructions, feel unsettled and find it harder to engage confidently in learning. It can also unsettle the class who have already started their lessons.
Being on time also helps students develop positive habits that will benefit them throughout their lives. Punctuality teaches responsibility, organisation and respect for others. Just as importantly, it helps children start the day feeling connected to their classmates and teachers. Those early moments spent greeting friends, unpacking bags and settling into the classroom contribute to a strong sense of belonging and wellbeing.
Regular attendance and punctuality also ensure that valuable learning time is not lost. Even a few minutes missed each day can add up to many hours of learning across a term or school year.
We appreciate the efforts families make each morning to ensure students arrive ready for the day ahead. By working together, we can help every child begin each day positively, confidently and prepared to make the most of the wonderful learning opportunities available at our school.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our students for their friendly and welcoming approach towards our new students and those who are visiting for a day. We had three students start with us this Term and we have already had many students visit in preparation for starting later in the year or next year. The feedback from those students and their parents is that they have often been nervous on arrival but then buzzing at pick up at the end of the day.
Some of the comments have been “I made heaps of friends already” or “Everyone welcomed me”. The one that really struck a chord for me was the student who said to his parents, “I feel like I can be myself now. Everyone accepts me.” This doesn’t happen by chance. We really have a special culture at our school and one that we are proud of. I want to thank our students who really are at the centre of that culture.
Mr Don Thompson
Head of Junior School
Super Strings players hold their own in Melbourne
On Monday 27 July, our Year 5 and 6 string ensemble, Super Strings, travelled to Melbourne to take part in the Victorian School Music Festival. The students watched other schools perform, as well as performing ourselves, and took part in a workshop on stage with Mr Ben Castle, the Chief Adjudicator.
The students performed two pieces, Fiddles on Fire and Ancient Lore on Rocky Shore. The adjudicators noted Super Strings' enthusiastic energy and listening skills which enabled the players to remain connected and clearly tell the story of the music. Super Strings was delighted to be awarded Gold Standard on the day, particularly notable as all other string orchestras in our section were from secondary schools.
Many thanks to Mrs Rachel Levett for joining me in leading the ensemble and to the students who approached this learning opportunity with a positive and enthusiastic attitude.
Mrs Cally Bartlett
Head of Arts
Primary Champion School and a trip to the National Aeroschool Championships ahead
Congratulations to the 38 Junior and 13 Senior School students who travelled to Darebin to compete at the Victorian Aeroschool Championships, run by Gymnastics Australia. The students had some strong results against difficult competition with the teams highlighted in bold below qualifying for the National Aeroschool Championships on the Gold Coast.
The Junior students walked away as the Primary Champion School and were excited to present their trophy and banner in Assembly.
| Place | Students | Level | Routine | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Lauren Leung and Eliza Carmody | A | Pairs | Upper Secondary |
| 1st | Rosie Kuhle and Maddy Canobie | A | Pairs | Upper Primary |
| 1st | Matilda Thomas, Lucille Pang | B | Pairs | Lower Primary |
| 1st | Matilda Thomas, Lucille Pang, Anaisha Nair and Zara Mow | B | Team | Lower Primary |
| 2nd | Rosie Kuhle, Lilly Smith, Camilla Christian and Maddy Canobie | A | Team | Upper Primary |
| 3rd | Rosie Kuhle, Maddy Canobie, Camilla Christian, Lilly Smith | Div 2 | AD | Primary |
| 3rd | Rhea Vijin and Sophia Halley | C | Pair | Upper Primary |
| 4th | Lilly Smith and Camilla Christian | A | Pair | Upper Primary |
| 4th | Beatrice Batters, Camilla Christian, Poppy Alexander , Rittal Al-Timini, Matilda Thomas, Lucille Pang, Sophia Halley, Zara Mow, Anaisha Nair | Div 1 | AD | Primary |
| 4th | Sophia Halley, Shayna Mirza, Rhea Vijin, Diba Hashemi, Zara Syed | C | Team | Upper Primary |
| 4th | Mathea Huangfu, Amy Li | C | Pair | Lower Primary |
| 5th | Annie Kuhle, Rafah Al-Timini | D | Pair | Lower Primary |
| 5th | Imelda Sandilands, Siobhan Ryan, Stella Norman, Miray Almak, Luisa Jackson Sonneman | D | Team | Lower Primary |
| 7th | Stephanie Carlson and Elizabeth McGrath | A | Pair | Upper Secondary |
| 7th | Shayna Mirza, Zara Syed, Diba Hashemi | C | Trio | Upper Primary |
| 7th | Emelia Carlson, Poppy Alexander | B | Pair | Upper Primary |
| 8th | Shayna Mirza, Zara Syed, Rhea Vijin, Diba Hashemi | Div 1 | AD | Primary |
| 9th | Saisha Kolli, Macey Coates | D | Pair | Lower Primary |
| 9th | Spencer Price, Abby Leversha, Mia Woodhouse | C | Trio | Lower Secondary |
| 9th | Amber Hocking, Akira Goyal, Sussan John, Isabella Metaxas, Mathea Huangfu, Amy Li, Saisha Kolli, Rafah Al-Timini | Div 1 | AD | Primary |
| 9th | Amber Hocking, Akira Goyal | C | Pair | Upper Primary |
| 10th | Imelda Sandilands, Stella Norman, Miray Almak, Siobhan Ryan, Luisa Jackson Sonneman | Div 1 | AD | Primary |
| 10th | Macey Coates, Saisha Kolli, Annie Kuhle, Rafah Al-Timini | D | Team | Lower Primary |
| 11th | Annie Kuhle, Macey Coates, Zaidee Dickens, Elke Hocking, Natalie Yang, Agnes Kearney, Rowan Pymer | Div 1 | AD | Primary |
| 11th | Beatrice Batters, Rittal Al-Timini | B | Pair | Upper Primary |
| 17th | Elizabeth McGrath, Stephanie Carlson, Ruby O’Rielly, Callan MacDonald, Spencer Price, Mia Woodhouse, Abby Leversha | Div 1 | AD | Secondary |
| 19th | Zoe Dullard, Sophie Reilly, Nihira Girish, Sussan John | Div 1 | AD | Secondary |
| 20th | Ruby O’Reilly, Zoe Dullard, Callan MacDonald, Sophie Reilly | C | Team | Lower Secondary |
| Bronze Band | Zaidee Dickens, Rowan Pymer, Elke Hocking, Natalie Yang | E | Team | Lower Primary |
| Bronze Band | Sussan John, Isabella Metaxas, Agnes Kearney | E | Trio | Lower Pri |
A huge thank you to our coaches from Palmers Gym, Sally Moore and Amelia Carmody. We also need to mention our student coaches Stephanie Carlson (Captain), Rosie Kuhle, Rittal Al-Timini, Callam Macdonald, Eliza Carmody who come along each Thursday to coach our younger students. Rosie Kuhle, Rittal Al-Timini and Emelia Carlson also trained the Junior School students throughout the term.
We wish the students luck as they prepare for the National Aeroschool Championships.
Mrs Belinda Vernon
Head of Junior School Inclusive Learning