From the Head of Junior School

During Week 4, I had the opportunity to visit Canberra and connect with the students and teachers who were participating in the annual Year 6 Camp. Exploring the Australian Capital Territory and learning about our federal government provided both excitement and educational insights for the students. What really stood out to me was the incredible enthusiasm, positive behaviour and camaraderie of the students.

The respectful manner in which they conducted themselves reinforced the already distinguished reputation that our students have in our community. From the bus drivers to the camp staff, volunteers and venue employees, everyone consistently praised the politeness and exemplary behaviour of our students. I want to express my gratitude to Mrs Bath, Mr diFede, Ms Milner, Mrs Polidano, Mrs Barnes, Mr Turner and Mrs Vernon, who accompanied us to Canberra and played key roles in organising the camp. Managing a large group of students requires constant attention, and their professionalism, dedication and caring approach significantly contributed to the success of the camp.

I also want to extend a special thanks to the Australian Government for their support of this program through the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER), which provided a subsidy for each student and helped fund our trip to the national capital. Lastly, I want to express my appreciation to Mrs Peter and Mrs Burge for overseeing Junior School Assembly in my absence. It is reassuring to have capable and reliable staff who are always willing to step up when needed.

Mr Donald Thompson

Head of Junior School

Dogs in Junior School

Parents are reminded that dogs are not permitted into the Junior School without specific prior arrangement. This is to ensure the safety of all students and staff and to preserve the integrity of our school Wellbeing Dog program. We have developed our policies and processes under the advice of Dogs Connect, through a partnership that is integral to the success of our Wellbeing Dog program. Our school has nine staff who are trained in the full Mentorship program and 14 staff who are trained in the Sideline program. Dogs Connect now recommends that Wellbeing Dogs only work in schools for a maximum of three days. We are very fortunate in the Junior School to have the opportunity for another Wellbeing Dog to work in the school on the days Murphy is rostered off. Later in Term 1, we will begin introducing Nina to the school community. Nina is a very experienced Wellbeing Dog, having worked with children for the past three years. When she is not in schools, Nina lives with Mr and Mrs Robertson.

Equestrian

Congratulations to Mrs James and her team of helpers on the running of an excellent two-day equestrian event last Friday and Saturday. Primary and secondary riders came from all over Victoria to compete in the showjumping event on Friday and the dressage on Saturday. Mrs Bath and I enjoyed seeing the show jumping action on Friday. Congratulations to Caroline Batters of 6M and her horse Evez on their performance on Friday. Girton was awarded first place in showjumping from the 36 schools competing, and 12th place in dressage among a field of 53 schools.

Tennis

On Friday 1 March, Kenny Ryan (6M), Gracie Seipolt (6V), Grace Beattie (5D) and Aayush Nair (5V) were accompanied by Mrs Leader to the Ironbark Tennis Club, where they competed in the School Sports Victoria District Tennis Competition. All of our students played terrific tennis, with Gracie, Aayush and Kenny progressing through to the Divisional Finals, which took place on Wednesday 6 March. Congratulations to Gracie and Aayush, who were successful at Divisionals and will now move through to the Regional Finals in Swan Hill.

Book Covering

Approximately half of the new readers purchased at the beginning of the year have already been covered. This is an enormous effort. These readers are now in circulation in our early years reading program, which is a crucial to supporting the Junior School structured literacy program. Thank you to all the parents and grandparents who have been taking home sets of books to cover.

Year 6 Camp

The Year 6 students were treated to a fabulous excursion to Canberra! What could have been better than spending five days away with friends, all the while learning and having loads of fun. Probably, the highlight of the new year! It was nearly a nine-hour drive to Canberra, so obviously we had to leave super early and had a 7am start! There was a lot of excitement and noise, and some sad faces as all of us boarded the buses, which soon turned into smiley faces. We were told it would take three DVDs, and three stopovers to reach Canberra. Along the way, we saw the Dog on the Tuckerbox at Gundagai.

Eventually we reached Leumeah Lodge, where we got to know who we were sharing cabins with, unpacked and set up our beds. After lunch, we visited Mount Ainslie Lookout. The views were amazing! Canberra is a beautiful city.

Day two was to be the most formal day of the trip. We dressed neatly in our school uniforms and drove to the Australian War Memorial. The Eternal Flame was an inspirational sight. Next stop was the National Arboretum. The layered gardens were lovely. The Pod Playground and orienteering were also extremely fun. We then headed to Parliament House, which was very grand. We were involved in a role play in a pretend House of Representatives. We ended this very informative day with a session of bowling at Kingpin.

Day three was another busy day! We were driven to the Old Parliament House, to visit the Museum of Australian Democracy, and also the Governor-General's residence. It was extraordinary! We were super lucky to meet Mrs Hurley, which made the trip even more special. Next, we learnt about the creation of Canberra at the National Capital Exhibition. We ended the day by visiting the CSIRO and went to Questacon, where we were allowed to buy souvenirs with our pocket money.

Day four was the second-last day of our trip, and the last full day spent exploring Canberra. We visited the National Zoo and Aquarium, where we enjoyed close encounters with the animals and peering at the aquatic wonders in the aquarium. The most relaxing part of the day was cycling around the Lake Burley Griffin. Then we finished the day with a movie.

On day five, we had an early start as we were heading back to Bendigo. We all packed our belongings and had a splendid breakfast. There were a few stopovers, and of course a few more DVDs! We were happy to return safely to school and see our families.

Izzah Hadi (6 Frew) and Olive Lees (6 Aherne)

We also wish to thank the Australian Government for recognising the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion, the Australian Government contributes funding under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The $45 rebate per student is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion and applied towards the cost of the Year 6 Camp.

Year 3 Excursion

In Year 3, students have been investigating their local community, identifying important aspects of change and continuity over the years. Last week, students participated in a ‘Walking Tour of Bendigo’. We visited historically significant buildings and landmarks and enjoyed a lunch in the park. Year 3 especially enjoyed exploring the Tourist Information Centre (the old Post Office) and the Town Hall.

Ms Erin Coghill

Teacher of 3D

Year 1 Teddy Bear's Picnic

On Friday 1 March, we held the annual Year 1 Teddy Bear's Picnic. Bears of all shapes and sizes were treated to a day of fun, adventure and learning. Teddy bears enjoyed morning recess and a play on the Junior School playground. It was wonderful to see our Year 1 students look after their favourite teddy throughout the day.

My Teddy Bear has two brown eyes and it has fluffy ears.

My Teddy Bear has two floppy legs.

The colour of my Teddy Bear is light brown.

The favourite part of my Teddy Bear is that he is a chef.

I love my Teddy Bear because he is cozy.

Rohan Khan (1 Millward)

My Teddy Bear has two dark brown eyes.

My Teddy Bear has very floppy ears.

My Teddy Bear's arms are super small.

My Teddy Bear has four powerful legs.

The colour of my Teddy Bear is light brown.

I love my Teddy Bear because it is very soft.

Zaeem Hadi (1 Frew)

World's Greatest Shave 2024

This year the Junior School students will once again raise funds for the Leukaemia Foundation by taking part in Crazy Hair Day and the World’s Greatest Shave. We have 11 brave students who will have their hair shaved on Friday 22 March at the Junior School Assembly. Stephen Mow hair salon will be sending in some accomplished hairdressers on the day, and we thank them for their support.

This week the SRC has been selling Zooper Doopers to help support the World’s Greatest Shave team.

You can donate to members of the Girton Grammar School team on the World's Greatest Shave website.

Your support for this cause is much appreciated.

Mrs Viv Bath

Deputy Head of Junior School

Parking

In recent editions of the eLink, we have asked parents and carers to adhere to the parking restrictions on MacKenzie Street when they drop off and pick up students. The positive response to this request has created a much safer environment for our students.

We would also like to take this opportunity to remind parents and carers of the following rules for the pick-up and drop-off area to ensure a steady flow of traffic:

Please drive to the next available car park rather than parking closest to the MacKenzie Street gate.
If you arrive at the pick-up area and your child is not there, you will need to continue driving and return later. Parents and carers are not permitted to park and wait for their child to arrive at the gate.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, you will need to park further away and walk to the school. Parents and carers are not permitted to leave their vehicle parked in the pick-up area.

The City of Greater Bendigo will be sending parking inspectors to the school on a regular basis to enforce the parking restrictions.

Mrs Viv Bath

Deputy Head of Junior School

Divisional Swimming

Congratulations to the 25 Junior School students who represented Girton Grammar School at the recent Divisional Swimming Carnival. The carnival was held at the Bendigo East Swimming Pool, where our school carnival had been fought out the week before. The students all did the school proud, supporting each other and competing with great effort. It is always great to see the camaraderie of the Girton community, cheering each other on and enjoying each other's company. The relay teams worked well together, with four teams making it through to the Regional Championships next week – the 9/10-year-old boys, the 11-year-old girls (who also broke the current record), the 12/13-year-old boys and the 12/13-year-old girls medley team. Girton will also be well-represented in the individual events across freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. We wish all the students well in Swan Hill.

Freestyle: Stella McIntosh, Lauren Davenport, Owen Barnes, James Davenport

Backstroke: Sophie Lee, Billy Knight

Breaststroke: Sophie Lee, Maya Reid, Rrig Sharma

Butterfly: Lauren Davenport, Stella McIntosh, Billy Knight

9/10-year-old boys freestyle relay team: James Davenport, Billy Knight, Zac Brown, Will Jackson Sloane

11-year-old girls freestyle relay team: Stella McIntosh, Sophie Lee, Rae Anwyl, Aria Hendrix

12/13-year-old boys freestyle relay team: Owen Barnes, Joshua Ashby, Tyler Brown, Sean Morse

12/13-year-old girls medley relay team: Aria Hendrix, Sophie Lee, Stella McIntosh, Lauren Davenport

Outside School Hours Care

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