From the Head of Junior School

Last week our Junior School came together at the Friday Assembly to help celebrate the 90th birthday of Ms Lois Angus, one of the teachers who helped Girton Grammar thrive as it began what I would describe as its most recent rebirth as a school.

Our students know that I love speaking about the history of the school and I’ve spoken in the past about some of the wonderful achievements of former students. Some were famous achievers, like Ola Cohn, one of Australia’s most successful sculptors. Then there are others who are less well known, like Marion Jones, a student who went on to become an artist who had paintings shown at the Royal Academy in London and in Paris and has a painting in the National Gallery of Victoria.

When talking about the history of the school I don’t think that I have ever spoken to students about the different histories of the school. Girton College was started by Mrs Aherne and Miss Hill in Bendigo in 1884. Before coming to Bendigo Mrs Aherne and Miss Hill ran a school in Stawell called Ellerslie Ladies School. They ran that for 1 year then moved to Bendigo and started a new school. Mrs Aherne had moved to Australia from England with her husband who was a lawyer. When he passed away she was left in Australia with no family or support network so she took over the running of a small school as a way of earning an income. I can only imagine what it took to start a school from scratch in the middle of the goldfields? Mrs Aherne and Mrs Hill had to be extremely dedicated. I am sure they worked long hours and sacrificed not only their time but probably also their own money. They would have had to be very charming as well because, having read the history of the school, they were very good at encouraging local families and businesses to help the school. They were absolutely committed. This was the first history of Girton, the Girton College days.

Then the school has a new beginning in 1993. Girton College had closed and everyone thought that was the end of the school. But it wasn’t. A group of committed parents and teachers got together and worked hard to create Girton Grammar, the school we know today. When I first came to Bendigo to visit the school I walked in the gate and onto the oval. It wasn’t the oval as it is today. It was old and worn out. d’Helin Building wasn’t the way it is now, it too was looking a bit run down and tired. I’ve got to say, I didn’t know if this was the school that I wanted to move my children across the country to come to. Then I met Mr Jones, Mrs MacCulloch and Mrs Bath. After speaking with them for an hour and hearing about the inspirational work of those parents and teachers, I walked back out into the yard and, it was like it had been transformed. I didn’t see a patchy oval or tired, cream brick buildings. I saw a thriving school run by passionate leaders and equally dedicated staff.

Ms Lois Angus is one of those original, hard working, committed and inspirational teachers. Ms Angus came to the school when they had nothing and started the Drama program. Mr Jones did his magic and convinced Ms Angus to come out of retirement and teach at Girton. She taught Drama to every year level from Prep to Year 12. From what I have heard, she was a bit like the fairy godmother in Cinderella. She took ordinary, everyday things and, through the magic of imagination and hard work, she put them together to create wonderful shows that inspired everyone. Ms Angus is one of the people we can thank for having such a strong performing arts program today. Ms Angus and the other founding staff sacrificed their time and, in some cases, their own money, to ensure that the students had a every opportunity that could be provided. Thanks to the hard work and creativity of these dedicated teachers Girton Grammar school not only survived, but thrived ensuring that the legacy of Girton College continued so that today we can continue to provide a first rate education to the families in Bendigo. As we move into the mid year holidays I would like to thank Ms Angus and the teachers who worked so hard to build the foundation for the school that we all enjoy today.

Mr Donald Thompson

Head of Junior School

Year Two Strings

Year Two Strings is an integral part of the Year Two Curriculum. Students are introduced to learning a string instrument such as violin, viola, cello or double bass. The Year Two Strings Program gives all students the opportunity to experience playing a string instrument, both individually and as a part of a group. Students will learn in a small group, and will experience larger group playing throughout the year when the Year Two string players will perform together.

Students had their introduction to recitals recently performing to parents in the John E Higgs Hall. The evening showcases what they have learned in their string lessons in the first half of the year. Below are the thoughts of some of the students:

Houston Dennis (2 Riley) I liked that my Nan and Pop came to watch.
Isabella Wallace (2 Aherne) We were playing the same song at the same time. It sounded excellent.
Liam O’Shea (2 Jenkin) I liked playing the jig because it wasn’t that slow and we got to play it twice in a row.
Nora (2 Millward) The Strings concert had a lot of instruments. I felt proud because I got up in front of the audience.

Divisional Soccer

Girton Grammar Junior School sent two teams along to the Sandhurst Soccer Championships on Wednesday 8th June. Students had a busy day competing in a round robin competition.

The boys team fought hard and were challenged in six games. They won two and drew one. Goal scorers for the day were: Archer Yuen, Hugh Casey, Marana Murray and Tate Cantwell.

The girls team had five hard matches across the day. They had two great wins and a draw. Goal scorers for the day were Maya Dhanapala with a smashing 5 goals and Octavia Yuen.

Well done to all the soccer players and thank you to Mr Di Fede and Mr Ruddick for coaching and supporting the teams.

Year Four Camp

On Wednesday 8th June a bunch of enthusiastic Year 4 campers left Girton Junior School to go on a three-day adventure. On the way we stopped in Castlemaine for a break, then we continued our bus journey watching Mr Bean. It was very funny!

When we arrived at Lake Daylesford we prepared for the Amazing Race! We were put into four groups. Mr Doherty was our group’s leader. Our job was to answer lots of questions as we made our way around the lake. It was cold but super fun! After lunch we went for a walk to the Mineral Springs where we tasted fresh bubbling water.

After we had arrived at our camp spot in Creswick, we had a safety discussion, and we were given our cabin group. We were then ready for our first activity. Our group did the zipline which we all loved! We were set the challenge of getting a ball between the target while we were moving along the zipline. It was really hard to do!!

After a massive day of camping activities, we all looked forward to dinner time. My favourite meal on camp was Honey-soy chicken with fried rice. The highlight of the yummy desserts was the apple pie with caramel sauce and ice-cream.

After a fun few days together, a quiz night and a movie night, we were all tired and couldn’t wait to get back to our families. I really enjoyed our camp and I’m thankful to Mrs Fisher, Mr Flanagan, Mr Doherty, Mrs Crameri, Mrs Morley and all the camp directors and cooks.

Noah Kroschel (4 Riley)

What did you like about camp?

I loved the giant swing. I got tired on the commando course. The movie we watched was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The flying fox pushed me to try new things. The food was fabulous.

Tyler Brown (4 Millward)

Year 4 Camp was fun. There was lots of delicious food. My favorite activity was the Zip Line.

Lilly Hetherington (4 Riley)

The camp was really fun. When we arrived we had morning tea and then went straight into our activities. I had the commando course first. We had to go through pipes and over tyre walls. There was a spotter to make sure we didn’t hurt ourselves. I was in a cabin with Digby, Conrad, Fletcher, James, Azlaan, Josh, and Dane. The camp food was really good. For dinner on the first night, we had honey soy chicken and rice and for dessert, we had ice cream and fudge. It was the best experience because I was able to get out of my comfort zone.

William Bickley (4 Aherne)

District Athletics

The District Athletics were held on Tuesday 14th June after two rescheduled dates. Girton Grammar School had 55 students representing at the event and had a wonderful day. It was a very cold and damp day but the students displayed great team camaraderie and encouraged their fellow students in all events. There were quite a few students absent due to illness however, the team stepped up and filled gaps to ensure all events were covered. Students ranged from Year Three to Year Six and competed well in all events on the field and around the track. Thank you to Mrs Hamilton, Mr Robertson and Mrs Moss who assisted to run events and to Mrs Matthew and Mrs Kroschel who assisted the student to ensure they got to their events.

Congratulations to everyone who represented Girton Grammar School and wish those who now move to the next stage of Divisional Athletics at the end of Term Three.

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