Junior School News

From the Head of Junior School

As we race toward the end of term we have noticed our children are becoming a bit tired and restless. This is understandable given the recent major events of the Swimming and Athletics Carnivals and the exciting Crazy Hair Day and World’s Greatest Shave. The high energy and high excitement events do have a cumulative effect for many of our students over a period of weeks.  This is the time of the term when we are reminding our students about the importance of maintaining our high standard of uniform and grooming, reinforcing the virtue of patience with each other and refocusing on our goals for the term and year ahead so that they can achieve the success that they deserve. 

The importance of rest cannot be understated at any time but it is particularly important at this time of the term. Our children lead very busy lives during the school term. We have high academic expectations and encourage our children to work hard in the classroom and when completing their homework. We expect the same high standards when it comes to behaviour. We strongly encourage our students to be involved in a variety of co-curricular pursuits which can include music and sport outside of school hours. We must also ensure that they have adequate rest times so that they can restore their energy and perform at their best. While holidays, and the occasional long weekend, are good times to rest and reinvigorate, it is also important for us to ensure that our children are getting enough sleep. According to the Raising Children Network, an Australian Government resource, Primary School age children need 9 – 11 hours of sleep a night. (raisingchildren.net.au). 

Parents can assist children to develop healthy sleep patterns by:

• Setting regular bed times.
• Don’t use bedtime as a punishment. 
• Ban all forms of technology at least 30 minutes before bedtime. This includes television and computer access. Hyper stimulation before bed impedes the sleep process. (I have found from experience that a game of chasey around the loungeroom is also not a good precursor to sleep). Children need a calm, relaxing routine before bed. A quiet story or some soothing music before bedtime may be helpful.
• Make the bedroom a dark sanctuary at bedtime. No homework in bed. This includes reading after bedtime.
• Try and spend 5 or 10 minutes reviewing the positive aspects of the day with your child before they go to bed. 

Mr Donald Thompson

Head of Junior School

World's Greatest Shave and Crazy Hair Day

This term, eleven of our Year 6 students have been working hard to raise funds for the Leukaemia Foundation.  This involved asking friends and family for support in the lead up to Wednesday 16th March, the World’s Greatest Shave and Crazy Hair day. The SRC students also supported this worthy cause by selling Zooper Doopers at recess.

On Wednesday 16th March hairdressers from Jools for Jim attended our assembly and shaved the eleven brave students.  Each student was presented with a beanie, donated by Mrs Sue Liddell.  The rest of the Junior School supported these students by wearing crazy hairstyles and giving a gold coin donation.  Overall the day was a huge success.

This is the 15th year we have supported the World’s Greatest Shave event and every year our students continue to amaze us.  The generosity of the Girton community is also very much appreciated. On Friday 25th March the Junior School Captains presented a representative from the Leukaemia Foundation with a cheque for $16,500. 

Mrs Viv Bath

Deputy Head

Junior School Athletics

Last Friday saw the running of the annual Junior School Athletics Carnival.  Once again it was wonderful to see all the students dressed up in their House Colours competing and cheering on their fellow House and year level peers.  It was also great to see so many parents able to attend, some for one or two events and others for the full day.  The carnival is a busy day commencing with Year Three to Six field events followed by track events.  

The Preparatory to Year Two students arrive a bit later in the day and compete in their carnival whilst the older students are finishing off their track events.  The focus of the day is on participation with students competing in all events across the day.  The day was well organised by Mrs Carmel Hamilton, Mr Michael Robertson and Mr John Doherty.  A huge thank you to all the Year Nine students who spent the day helping out with student groups, events and running results sheets to the tower.   

Students not only compete for their own podium placing but also their House.  The day culminates with the much anticipated Spirit Cup performances by all Houses. 

Congratulations to FREW House for being overall winners for the day and RILEY House for winning the Spirit Cup, which can be viewed here.

Congratulations to all the students who will now go on to compete at the District Athletics and to our Age Champions:

Regional Swimming

Sixteen Junior School students represented Girton Grammar School at the Regional Swimming Carnival at Swan Hill on Thursday 17th March.   Congratulations are extended to all students for winning their Relay events and will now progress onto the State Swimming Championships in Term Two.   A special mention to Octavia Yuen who also competed and won her individual butterfly event.   We wish them all the best at the States. 

• 9/10 girls freestyle relay team
  Lauren Davenport, Stella McIntosh, Allegra Krelle, Mikael Hall
• 9/10 boys freestyle relay team
  Owen Barnes, Digby Snell, Luca Krelle, Joshua Ashby
• 12 girls freestyle relay team
  Emerson Boswell, Octavia Yuen, Poppy McIntosh, Adelaide Bolam
• 12 girls medley relay team
  Emerson Boswell, Maya Dhanapala, Octavia Yuen, Poppy McIntosh
• 12 boys medley relay team
  Toby Salter, Thom Hosking, Spencer Snell, Owen Barnes

All Junior Championships

Congratulations to the Junior School students who swam in the All Junior Country State Swimming Championships last Saturday. From all reports, the swimmers acquitted themselves very well with many achieving personal best times. Congratulations to James Davenport on winning the 8 and Under Breaststroke. 

Junior School Swimmers who competed in the event were

Owen Barnes                                 Adelaide Bolam               Emerson Boswell

James Davenport                          Lauren Davenport          Mikaela Hall

Emma Pomeroy                             Toby Salter

Bully No Way - Kindness wall

The National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence Day is Friday 18th March.  In the last two weeks, teachers have been talking about the topic of bullying, what it looks like and what students should do if they are a victim or bystander. 

The theme for 2022 is Kindness Culture. 

Kindness Culture promotes inclusiveness, respect and community belonging. This theme offers an opportunity to learn about kindness and demonstrate kind behaviour. Kindness plays an important role in bullying prevention. By building a kindness culture together, we can promote inclusion, respect and community belonging for all students in schools across Australia.

Every student has had the opportunity to consider and write something about kindness.  These thoughts have all been included in a kindness wall that Mrs Polidano has collated and displayed in the Junior School library.