Junior School News

 Junior School Movie Night 

On the evening of Friday 2 May, Girton Grammar School hosted its much-anticipated Twilight Movie Night featuring Paddington in Peru, and what a fantastic night it was!

With a wonderful turnout of 416 people, the event brought together both new and familiar faces from our school community. It was especially lovely to see not only our Junior School families but also Senior School students joining in the fun. There was plenty to enjoy – from mountains of candy and popcorn to fairy floss and drinks – and judging by the smiles and laughter, everyone had a great time.

Both Holly, the President of the Girton Parents and Friends Association, and I were thrilled to see such strong support and community spirit. It was great to see everyone – students, parents and committee members – working together to bring this event to life and help it run so smoothly. A huge thank you to all our volunteers for your time, energy and enthusiasm.

We’d also like to extend a special thank you to the school staff and volunteers who stayed behind to help with the pack-up – your support made a big difference and was very much appreciated. Thank you to everyone who came along, helped out or contributed in any way to making the night a success. 

Holly Andrews 

President – Girton Parents and Friends 

Alicia Stroud

President – Friends of Junior School

Junior School Athletics Carnival

Junior School RULER News

Parent Information Evening

This week, Girton proudly hosted a RULER Parent Information Session, focusing on two powerful tools from the RULER approach: the Meta-Moment and the Blueprint. Families explored how these strategies help children pause, respond thoughtfully in challenging moments, and resolve conflict with empathy and accountability. It was a valuable opportunity to strengthen partnerships between school and home in supporting students’ emotional development.

Bendigo Kinder visit

We also had the pleasure of welcoming students from Bendigo Kinder for a special visit. As part of their time with us, the children listened to The Colour Monster, a story that introduces emotions in a fun, accessible way. They then created monster puppets and colourful headbands to represent different feelings.

It was a week filled with colour, creativity and connection, laying strong foundations for emotional intelligence.

Mother’s Day stall 

This year, the Friends of Junior School once again ran our annual Mother’s Day stall, gathering parents to assist with purchasing, wrapping and working on the stall. 

Students enjoyed their shopping experience, choosing the perfect gift for their special someone and decorating their gift bags. Thank you to the Friends of Junior School and the dads who volunteered to work at the stall. Your support of our Junior School students on this special occasion is very much appreciated. We do hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day. 

Junior School Art 

Prep

This Aboriginal art-inspired turtle project allowed students to create vibrant, meaningful artwork while exploring traditional Aboriginal design elements such as pattern, line and dot painting. Prep students used oil pastels to draw the shape of a turtle, focusing on a large oval shell divided into sections. They then filled the sections with bright, earthy colours before adding decorative dot patterns with metallic paint pens. This lesson encouraged creativity, fine motor skills and an appreciation for Aboriginal art and storytelling through design.

Year 1

This artwork was inspired by Aboriginal aerial view paintings like Yarrkalpa – Hunting Ground. Students explored how symbols and lines can represent the land from above. Using Google Maps to choose a meaningful location, they simplified the shapes and traced their map using glue to create raised lines. Once dry, they used dry pastels to colour the land with blended tones and added Aboriginal-inspired symbols to tell their own story of place and connection to Country.

Year 2: Magali Dincher’s Vibrant Architecture 

In this Year 2 art unit, students explore the bold, geometric artwork of Brazilian artist Magali Dincher, whose vibrant designs are inspired by South American architecture. Students learn the collage technique, using layers of colourful paper to create textured backgrounds that reflect the bright colours found in traditional South American homes. They begin by collaging geometric patterns such as squares and rectangles. After creating their colourful background using layered paper, students use Posca pens and additional paper pieces to outline the houses and add geometric patterns and decorative details, capturing Dincher's expressive, abstract style.

Mrs Sharon Hocking

Junior Art School Teacher 

Shoes for Sharing 

Recently, the Junior School SRC coordinated the collection of pre-loved shoes. The campaign, titled 'Shoes for Sharing', was extremely well supported by the Girton school community. We donated many boxes of shoes to the Salvation Army for distribution to the various outlets. The generosity of our school is always much appreciated.

SSV State Swimming Championships 

On Thursday 1 May, a team of 24 talented swimmers from Girton Grammar School proudly represented both the school and the Loddon Mallee region at the 2025 School Sport Victoria State Swimming Championships at MSAC. With a lively crowd cheering them on, our swimmers competed across a full program of individual and relay events. 

Morning Session

The morning was filled with outstanding individual performances. Many of our swimmers recorded personal bests, showcasing the results of months of dedication and training during the summer season. 

Results: 

• Alex Lee – 6th in 9/10 Boys Freestyle, 4th in 9/10 Boys Butterfly 

• Rae Anwyl – 8th in 12/13 Girls Freestyle, 8th in 12/13 Girls Backstroke 

• James Davenport – 8th in 11 Boys Breaststroke 

• Oskar Hall – 4th in 9/10 Boys Breaststroke, 5th in 9/10 Boys Backstroke 

• Billy Knight – 8th in 11 Boys Butterfly 

• Sophie Lee – 3rd in 12/13 Girls Breaststroke, 5th in 12/13 Girls Butterfly 

Afternoon Session 

The excitement continued in the afternoon with eight relay teams hitting the pool. The highlight: a bronze medal finish for the 9–13 Girls Freestyle and Medley Relay team! 

Relay Results: 

• 9/10 Girls Freestyle Relay: Margaret Yau, Emily Stanton, Ashleigh Guo, Aria Veera – 8th Place 
• 9/10 Boys Freestyle Relay: Alex Lee, Josh Purton, Jonty Hooke, Oskar Hall – 4th Place 
• 11 Girls Freestyle Relay: Isabella Juric, Camilla Christian, Piper Hooke, Charlotte Tarrant – 8th Place 
• 11 Boys Freestyle Relay: James Davenport, Raffaello Griffiths, Zac Brown, Billy Knight – 5th Place 
• 12/13 Girls Freestyle Relay: Sophie Lee, Layla Krueger, Aria Hendrix, Rae Anwyl – 3rd Place 
• 12/13 Boys Freestyle Relay: Connor Elliott, Ryan Guo, Abe Chapman, James Dalton – 8th Place 
• 9–13 Girls Medley Relay: Sophie Lee, Layla Krueger, Aria Hendrix, Rae Anwyl – 3rd Place 
• 9–13 Boys Medley Relay: Ryan Guo, Alex Lee, James Davenport, Conor Elliott – 8th Place 

We extend our sincere thanks to the parents and grandparents who supported the team with transport and enthusiastic encouragement from the stands. Their presence fostered a strong sense of pride and camaraderie that made the event truly memorable. 

Congratulations to all competitors for their fantastic performances and exceptional attitudes. You have done Girton proud and closed the 2025 school swimming season on a high. 

Camp Australia Newsletter

This week at OSHC, we had the chance to participate in daily LEGO challenges set by Brickman, judge from LEGO Masters. So far this week, I have seen so much creativity, innovation and teamwork! At the end of this week, our OSHC LEGO Master will be announced. I wonder who that will be? For the full newsletter, please view the below attachment.