Junior School News
From the Head of Junior School
As we come to the end of the school year and reflect on the incredible year that it has been I would like to thank our Junior School team for the work that they have put into maintaining the utmost care for our students in the most trying of circumstances. Most of you will know Mrs Holland and Mrs Leader as our helpful Junior School Admin team who greet you either in person or on the phone and Mrs Henery as the organiser of all things Junior School. They have maintained these roles throughout 2020 but also took on additional roles during remote learning that allowed us to provide support onsite to as many students as we did.
Of course, this year, our teachers were asked to go well above what is typically expected to provide the best education and care. With little notice, they were able to provide programs that could be delivered at home. They learned to connect with their students and families via a computer screen, they found resources to compliment the daily lessons, and in some cases, they drove around dropping resources off to families who did not have computer or printer access. It wasn’t just the adjustment to the written programs that was impressive. Teachers spent their days teaching face to face, presenting material to students and then assisting students with hundreds of interactions, some lasting 10 seconds, others 10 minutes. In the space of days, this had to stop and be replaced with remote connections. For meeting challenges admirably, I sincerely thank my hard-working colleagues.
The support from the Junior School Leadership team this year allowed me the time to work with the Coronavirus Action Team to adjust the ever-changing operational requirements of the school. My deepest thanks to Mrs Bath, Mrs Peter, Mrs Burge, Mrs Vernon, Mrs Dusseljee and Mr Flanagan, who provided excellent leadership in their respective aspects of Junior School management.
It is really our students and families who have been the heroes of 2020, overcoming the challenges put to them, with many thriving on these challenges. I was constantly amazed by the work that students produced and posted on their class Astra pages. Technology was rarely a problem for our students, many relishing the opportunity to showcase their learning by using the technology they had at hand. We saw videos of children reading to the camera, where at school they may have been reluctant to speak in front of the class. We saw puppet shows, animations, mini-movies, dancing and singing. Rather than seeing COVID-19 and remote learning as something lost, they took the opportunity to show their learning in other ways. While I am sure our students will remember 2020 as an interesting time in their education, they have not let it hold them back and have “got on with it”.
And while it has been a very different year, we still have much to celebrate. We must celebrate the fine work and excellent efforts of our students. We must celebrate the accepting natures of young people and their compassion for others in a year when it would have been easy to focus on what was lost. But that is not the nature of our students. If anything, it has been evident in 2020 that our school meets adversity with optimism, with compassion and with a view to getting the job done. This year as in every year since 1884, Per Aspera Ad Astra, through hardship to the stars. Have a great break, a Merry Christmas and we look forward to seeing you all again in the New Year.
Mr Donald Thompson
Head of Junior School
Thank you
Traditionally the Friends of Junior School (FoJS) and parent community put on a luncheon to say thank you to the staff for the year. This year due to covid restrictions, they had to get creative about how they would pass on the same message. In the last week of school, the staff of both Junior and Senior School were fortunate to have morning tea provided by the Friends of Junior School and also Girton Parents and Friends.
Friends of Junior School play an integral part in the fabric of the Girton Grammar Junior School community. They can be found cooking sausages at the swimming carnival, wrapping and selling gifts at the Mothers and Fathers Day Stalls and friend-raising throughout the school to make everyone feel welcome. It has been a different type of year this year with Covid restrictions so our Friends of Junior School group has not been as visible as usual. We do know this is not to say they have not still been making connections with new families and each other over the year. We appreciate everything the Friends of Junior School group do for the Junior School and thank them for the lovely gesture of morning tea in the last week of school. We also wish to thank all the students who took the time and effort to write thank you messages on stars for the staff. The staff enjoyed reading these messages as they headed into the Christmas holiday break.
Booklists
A reminder that booklists for Year One to Year Six are online with Education Plus. To submit booklists online, please go to: www.edplus.com.au. Click on the “Booklist” tab in the top menu.
Enter in the login code for the relevant year level (These are case sensitive).
Year 1 – GIRT1121H
Year 2 – GIRT1221K
Year 3 - GIRT1321M
Year 4 – GIRT1421R
Year 5 – GIRT1521L
Year 6 – GIRT1621H
Select the items you require, fill in the STUDENT’S details then “Place Order”.
If you do not receive a confirmation email please contact Education Plus on 54478588 to make sure your booklist has been submitted.
Booklist collection day will be on Monday 25th January from Girton Grammar school.
