Junior School News

From the Deputy Head of Junior School

Last Friday we welcomed over 800 visitors into the Junior School for Grandparents' and Special Friends’ Day.  Staff, students and families eagerly anticipate this annual event. It was wonderful to see generations of families in our classrooms and on school grounds. Our students proudly escorted family and friends around their classes, the ArtsFest Exhibition, instrumental performances and the ever-popular book fair. 

It was particularly moving to welcome back parents who had attended Girton themselves, linking our school’s rich history with its bright future. The day was a fabulous showcase of our school at its absolute best, putting the talents of our students, the dedication of our staff and the breadth of opportunities provided at Girton on display. 

This celebration of community enabled me to reflect on what has been a full and rewarding ten weeks. Our Junior School Captains, Isabella Juric and William Jackson-Sloane, spoke at the final assembly about how they felt the Term had been one of the busiest ever. After reflecting on the activities of the Term, the captains celebrated the fact that they were at a school that provided so many opportunities to shine, be that in the classroom, on the stage or on the sporting field. 

It has been a period packed with action, yet when we look past the sheer busyness, what really shines through is how our students stepped up to every challenge. Over the course of Term 3, our youngest students grew more confident in foundational skills like swimming. At the same time, our older cohorts pushed their intellectual boundaries in complex academic and strategic problem-solving competitions, even securing well-deserved spots on national stages. 

This spirit of determination, creativity and teamwork extended across all areas of school life. Our athletes represented the Junior School with immense pride and outstanding sportsmanship in regional and state sporting competitions. In the creative arts, the school was alive with imagination, from vibrant Book Week celebrations to brilliant musical and choral performances. Beyond the classroom, students experienced personal growth that comes with school camps, returning to school exhausted after days of adventure, leadership and teamwork. 

To our teachers and support staff: thank you for your energy, your late nights, and your dedication. Whether you were supervising camps, coaching sporting teams, curating art displays or guiding students through rigorous daily learning, your amazing work has supported our students every step of the way. I also want to commend our students for the pride, enthusiasm and effort they bring to school every day. 

I wish our staff, students and families a safe, restful and thoroughly well-deserved break, and I look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed for the final term of the year. 

Mrs Viv Bath

Deputy Head of Junior School

Book Week Parade 2026

Year 5 Camp

Dear Future Year 5 Students,

I know SOME of you might be a bit worried about going on the Year 5 camp so I'm here to make you less scared! 

You should DEFINITELY try laser tag! It was AWESOME! It might be frustrating at first but I promise you it is SO MUCH FUN!! If you work as a team you will definitely get good results.

Something that definitely surprised me was how GOOD the FOOD was!! Especially the pancakes on Wednesday morning breakfast. Something I learnt during Year 5 camp was that even if you are with different people than your friendship group you can still get along with them really well. I learnt that I am brave because I went on the flying fox when I was really scared to do it.

Make sure to have your luggage organised and make sure you try the food - it was so GOOD!!! Every meal was one of the best meals I have ever tried in my LIFE!!! Make sure you try it, especially the PINEAPPLE!

Remember if you miss your parents it is only four days until you see them again. It’s okay if you miss them. If you're feeling scared of doing an activity or anything in general you're brave, you’re strong, and you can do it!!!

from James Turpie 5D

Dear future year five student...

Campaspe Downs bush camp is fun and action packed, so enjoy it while it lasts, as even though it is three nights, it goes quick.

You get lots of chances to step out of your comfort zone. When we first arrived, I got worried about sleep debt; last year I got 8 hours all added up at Camp Creswick, and I don’t know if I can go like that again. My cabin this year at Campaspe was the Lizards, and it had 10 people in it, so not an absurd number of people, but not a small group either.

The zipline may look intimidating and scary, almost like you can easily fall into the murky lake below you. But is perfectly safe (I think) and is not that high, and my only complaint after was that it was not scary enough! Your harness is buckled to a clip that is attached to the rope; you are not on a seat, and then you take a few steps and BOOM you are off! You go so fast, and it was one of my favourite activities. 

Something that shocked me was all the different activities you get to do every day! On Tuesday and Friday, though you only do two, because those are only half days. The funniest thing that happened was when we were all in the common room. We started singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Kiaan, and then he started dancing and making animal noises and everyone laughed. It was so funny.

I learnt that I love heights, and I don’t really get that grumpy when I don’t get much sleep, which was extremely helpful because on the first night I fell asleep at 1:30. I hate having a blindfold on, one of the activities was a sensory trail, where you do an obstacle course while holding onto a long rope, like in a conga line but the catch is you are blindfolded. I was driving myself nuts constantly falling on the dirt.

Don’t pile up heaps of corn on your plate like I did, because it tastes like it’s been in the freezer for seventeen years. I had to eat it all. But the rest of the food is AWESOME, and you should really try it. Give everything a go because if you don’t then you will definitely regret it after your time slot for that activity is finished. I had an amazing time.

Have fun!

from Fred Campbell, an old Year 5 camper.

What a wonderful world: Music making in Junior School

What a wonderful world of music we have enjoyed in the Junior School this term! Term Three has been filled with exciting performances, wonderful achievements and countless opportunities for our students to experience the joy of making music together.

Our students in Years Two, Four and Six have been working enthusiastically on the repertoire for our upcoming production of Dare to Dream. With rehearsals well underway, the students are developing their musical skills, confidence and teamwork as they prepare to bring this wonderful production to life.

Our Super Strings students have had a particularly exciting term, performing at the Victorian Schools Music Festival. Their dedication, preparation and enthusiasm were rewarded with an outstanding Gold Award. This is a wonderful achievement and a testament to the students’ hard work and commitment to their ensemble.

The Junior School Performance Choir has also enjoyed an impressive run of competition success. The choir was awarded Gold at the Bendigo competitions, Silver at the Royal South Street Competition in Ballarat and Gold at the Victorian Schools Music Festival. 

Our Junior School Ensembles Concert was undoubtedly a highlight of the term. It was a fabulous celebration of the breadth and diversity of music-making across the Junior School, with our Choirs, Guitar ensemble, Bells, Bands and String Orchestras all taking to the stage. The massed items were particularly special, showcasing the power of collaboration and the wonderful sound that can be created when our students come together as one ensemble. Seeing so many young musicians performing with such confidence and enthusiasm was a great source of pride.

Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day provided another beautiful opportunity for our students to share their music with those who mean so much to them. It was particularly lovely to see our solo musicians perform for their families and friends, proudly sharing the skills they have been developing throughout the year.

As we look towards Term Four, there is still much to look forward to. With performances, rehearsals and further musical opportunities ahead, we know that our students will continue to embrace every opportunity to sing, play, perform and create together.

It has been a busy and rewarding term, and we are incredibly proud of the enthusiasm, commitment and joy our students bring to their music-making. What a wonderful world of music it is!

Laura Dusseljee

Head of Junior School Music

Girls' Footy on Friday

On the 28th of August, 16 girls from Years 5 and 6 competed against Ballarat Grammar School (BGS) for footy. The girls were buzzing with excitement whilst getting ready for the match and ran out of the change rooms with their mouthguards in, ready to win. They were filled with positivity and hope for the match. 

When Mr Gibbs called the girls for the game, they were thrilled and ran onto the court to their positions. Emi was on ruck, Olympia, Lily and Abby were our midfielders; Hasini was our full forward. Livi, Mia and Piper were on our defence and Nesuli was our full back (for the last two quarters due to a mouthguard mishap). 

We did wonderful tackling and we kicked very long. We tried our best but unfortunately, we lost the game. The score was 0-51, but all the girls had a wonderful time playing a new sport and made many friends with BGS. After the match some of the footy girls went to play netball. 

After a full day of sports, we were happily treated with a sausage sizzle and juice boxes. After a VERY filling meal, we had presentations. Best on Ground for the Girls' footy for Girton was Olympia Lagana, for the Boys' footy it was Teddy Taylor. The B Netball team's best was Olivia Hayes and the A Netball team's best was Ava Clark. With the shields, BGS won the netball shield, and Girton won the footy shield. 

In conclusion, the girls were excited for the footy but sadly lost, but we still had a great time, and we were rewarded with a sausage sizzle, we won the footy shield and we came back to school, very proud of ourselves.

Nesuli Jayakody 6M

Good news from Junior School Ethics Olympiad 9!

On Wednesday 16 September, five Girton students competed in the Ethics Olympiad International Final. The team members were Astin Fleming, Yohan Shetty, Graham Ziffer, Hasinsi Balraj and Billy Knight. This is the first time we have entered the event, and we have been training all year. There were 23 teams in total, some from New Zealand and every state. Our team performed beautifully and achieved a bronze medal! 

MEDAL WINNERS

🥇 GOLD: Korowa Anglican Girls' School VIC 

🥈 SILVER: Loreto College SA 

🥉 BRONZE: Girton Grammar School VIC

From the organisers: "The students were wonderful today and a credit to you and your school community. You should all be immensely proud of their effort and engagement. While we recognise medal winners, the day is about the quality of discussion, thinking, and engagement throughout."

Mrs Viv Bath

Deputy Head of Junior School

A great day for Girton Netball!

Last week on the 28th of August, our representative Girton Netball team went against the Ballarat Grammar School rep teams. Before we started the game, the referees explained that whoever won the netball for the B Team would give their A Team an advantage. 

We started with our B Team. The first two quarters, the Girton team was up by two goals. But in the third, the Ballarat team had an amazing push and won the quarter by one. After a close game, and amazing play from both teams, the final whistle blew and the game ended in a tie, so that meant none of us got an advantage...

In the first quarter, we had a rough start and the score was 0-4. After a pep talk from Hasini, we got fired up for the next quarter. The next quarter we tied five all. The third quarter was long and gruelling, and at the end of that we were down by one. We had a talk about how we could improve our game, and we got on the court with new energy. At the start of the quarter, the Ballarat team scored a quick few goals. We tried to come back with some amazing intercepts from Ava Clark, but we ended the game with 10-12. 

Everyone was tired, but every single player played their best.

At the presentations, Olivia Hayes got Best On Court for the B Team (and it was her birthday!) Ava Clarke won Best On for the A Team. It was a great day for Girton and we look forward to enjoying more days like this!

Hasini Balraj (6 Riley) and Isabella Juric (6 Jenkin)

Flanagan-Warwick Shield, Boys Footy

We were up by 5 points at half-time, congratulating each other after fighting back from a two-goal deficit at the start, and we knew there was more in the tank. Ballarat had a hot start to the third quarter, scoring three quick goals to our one behind. With only 5 minutes left in the term, we knew we had to come back to have a chance, and with two quick kicks into open goals, we levelled it up 39-39 at three-quarter time. We knew we had to lock in and take the win.

We started the final quarter strong, kicking a goal to go up by 6, then added a behind soon after. Ballarat hit back with a goal to close the gap to 1 point, but with 5 minutes to go we pushed the margin back out to 7 points, with the score at 45-52. It stayed that way for a long stretch, tension building as time ran out for Ballarat.

With 9 seconds left, Charlie took a massive contested mark in the pocket, setting up a shot to win the game. Twenty seconds later, he slotted it through and was instantly swarmed by the whole team, everyone piling on top of him as we waited for the siren.

When the final siren blared, the whole team ran into the middle, rubbing each other's heads and celebrating like we'd won a Grand Final. It was a thrilling moment for everyone. 

Bringing the shield back to Girton for the first time in 9 years, with a 13-point win, 58-45.

Teddy Taylor (6 Jones) and Sam Miller (6 Frew)

Junior Football Programme draws to an end

Beautiful weather greeted us for our grand final on Tuesday evening and after some late withdrawals from the Senior Helpers, students went in as favourites. The students took an early lead and were hard to catch, winning the grand final by four points.

Congratulations to all the boys and girls who have enjoyed junior school football over the past two terms. We hope you have had lots of fun, enjoyment and learning, while developing your skills and experiencing all the enjoyment that comes from AFL football.

A huge thank you to AFL Central Vic for their fantastic support and for running the 5-week clinic. It has been two terms filled with plenty of fun, enjoyment, learning and, most importantly, a love for the game. 

Mr Paul Flanagan and Mr Jarrod Wiese

Year 5/6 Basketball Teams impress at Sandhurst

Congratulations to our Year 5/6 Girls and Boys teams that competed at the annual Sandhurst Basketball Carnival on Wednesday September 9.

Our Girls were competitive from the start and played a great team game with some very nice set plays and shooting. They finished the day on three wins and one draw and missed progressing to the finals by a percentage. A big thank you to Sophie Mahoney and Layla Kreuger for assisting and mentoring on the day.

Our Boys won all six pool games. They finished top in their pool and progressed through to the semi-final winning 12-3 against Marist. Some great teamwork and skills were on show by the boys all day. The Grand Final was against Specimen Hill with the boys winning 25-4. The team would like to thank Oliver Jensen and Aldrich Joe for their help with scoring and support on the day.

We would like to thank Mr Mark Alabakov for his assistance and coaching on the day. His basketball knowledge and feedback for our players was invaluable.

Our Boys will now progress to Swan Hill for the Regional Finals in Term Four.

Mr Mark Di Fede and Mr Paul Flanagan

Continuing the musical journey

For many of our Year 5 and 6 students, 2026 has been the beginning of their musical journey on a wind, brass or percussion instrument. Through the Beginner Band program, students have had the opportunity to choose an instrument, learn the basics of playing and discover the excitement of making music together as an ensemble.

The year has been filled with plenty of firsts – squeaks and squawks, successful notes, the first rehearsals where individual sounds began to come together, and, of course, the first performances. Along the way, students have developed their musical skills alongside patience, persistence, concentration and the ability to listen and work together.

The Beginner Band program has provided students with lessons, rehearsals and instrument hire at no cost to families throughout 2026. This has allowed students to experience learning a wind or brass instrument before deciding whether they would like to continue into the following years.

For those students who have discovered a love of their instrument, 2027 brings the opportunity to continue developing these skills through theGirton Instrumental Music Program. As the free Beginner Band program concludes at the end of the year, students wishing to continue lessons and instrument hire will need to formally enrol in the Instrumental Program, where the standard lesson and hire fees will apply.This enrolment step is only required for students currently participating in the Beginner Band program. Students who are already enrolled in and paying for instrumental lessons do not need to complete a new enrolment form.

We hope many of our Beginner Band students will choose to continue their musical journey in 2027 and discover where their instruments can take them next. 

Miss Ashleigh Yeates

Senior School Teacher of Music

Chess Competition paves way to States in Melbourne

Yesterday, many students ranging from Grade 3 to Grade 6 competed at the Castlemaine Northern Star Competition. There were 72 tables lined up for the 144 different primary school chess players who had come to compete. The room was filled with students, teachers and parents, and there was a mixture of excitement and nervousness as everyone prepared for the competition. 

After we all warmed up and got ready, we were seated at our assigned tables and given the set rules on how to play chess. We were reminded to follow the rules, play fairly and respect our opponents throughout the competition. Not long after, the pairings went up, showing who we were versing, our table number and whether we were playing Black or White. Everyone quickly checked the list to find out who their first opponent was. Once we knew where we were supposed to sit, we got ready for our first game and waited for the competition to begin. 

The room became much quieter as everyone focused on their boards, carefully thinking about their next moves and trying to gain an advantage over their opponent. In the end Girton Grammar School placed 2nd  successfully making our way to States in Melbourne in October. 

Remi Faganel (6 Jenkin)

2027 Student Orientation News

Year 7 Benchmarking Day, held on Wednesday 9th September gave us another opportunity to meet our incoming Year Seven students.

The current Year 6 students together with new enrolments for Year 7 2027, completed their ACER testing, giving us key information needed to plan for their individual educational needs. The students also met with House teachers and staff, beginning to build the important relationships that will support them throughout next year.

The day finished on a high note, with fun games run by our Peer Support Leaders; a great way to help new students feel welcomed and connected.

Our next Orientation Events will be Year 7 Parent and Student Information Night - on Monday 23 November, and Year 7 2027 Orientation Day - Monday 30th November. 

Mrs Kymberley Hogan

Head of Student Orientation

Year 2 Camp 2026 - Camp Kookaburra

Sandhurst Division Athletics Carnival Report 

Our school proudly sent a team of 26 students to compete at the Sandhurst Division Athletics Carnival. Students participated in a wide range of individual track and field events, as well as relay competitions. 

Blessed with sunshine and faced with a high level of competition, all students represented our school with excellent sportsmanship throughout the day. We are particularly proud to highlight the following outstanding individual and team results: 

🥇 First Place 

• Piper Theobold – 800m 
• Emma Witham – Triple Jump 
• Abbi King – 100m and 200m 

• Meloz Pambai – Shot Put 

   

🥈 Second Place 

• Isabella Juric – 800m & 1500m 
• Lilly Smith – Long Jump 
• Angus Attard – Shot Put and Discus 
• Ruby Dobell – 100m 
• Olympia Lagana – Long Jump 
• Ava Clark – Hurdles 

• Year 6 Girls Relay Team – 2nd 

   

🥉 Third Place 

• Dylan Dyer – Long Jump 
• Ronny Epps – 800m & 1500m 
• Edward Esposito – 1500m  
• Reigan Ryan – Shot Put 
• Olympia Lagana – Hurdles 
• Ava Clark – High Jump 
• Year 5 Girls Relay Team – 3rd 

Congratulations to all students who competed and contributed to a fantastic day of athletics. A specialcongratulations to those students who finished in the top two in their respective events and have qualified to progress to the Regional Athletics Carnival in Bendigo on Monday 12 October. We wish them every success as they continue to represent our school at the next level of competition. 

We extend our sincere thanks to Ms Rowe, Mr Hoyt and Mr Epps for their leadership, organisation and support of the team throughout the day. 

Most importantly, congratulations to all 26 competitors for their outstanding efforts, determination and sportsmanship, and for the way they proudly represented our school. 

Tumbling Schools Competition

Congratulations to our students from Junior and Senior School who represented Girton at the tumbling school championships at Palmers Gym on Sunday. They were awarded the Spirit Cup along with some impressive individual results in their different levels. 

1st- Rafah Al-Timimi  (Yr2)

2nd- Rittal Al-Timimi (Yr 6)

2nd- Lilly Smith (Yr 6)

2nd- Pelagia Faganel (Yr 3)

3rd- Zaidee Dickens (Yr 1)

3rd- Annie Kuhle (Yr 1)

3rd- Callan MacDonald (7 Millward)

4th- Akira Goyal (Yr 4)

5th- Siobhan Ryan (Yr 2)

6th- Sophie Reilly (7 Aherne)

6th- Matilda Robertson Turnock (Yr 5)

Mrs Belinda Vernon

Head of Junior School Inclusive Learning

Staff Member in Charge (SMC) - Gymnastics

On Sunday I had a Tumbling Competition at Palmers Gym, I was feeling nervous and excited. When we got there, we had to get a wristband and then sit and listen to the coaches. The coaches called our names, so we knew when it was our turn. When the coach called my name, I warmed up and practised some tumbling. Then it was time to do my competition. I had to do two tumbling passes and when we finished, we got to go on the ninja course and design our own leotards. Then the judges announced the scores. My favourite part was when they read the scores, I came third and I felt very happy and proud. 

Zaidee Dickens (1 Jones)

On Sunday 13th of September, 10 students represented Girton in a tumbling competition at Palmer’s gymnastics. All the students did really well, and all received either a medal or a ribbon. Although we didn’t win the tumbling schools cup, we won the spirit cup. We had many people competing in different levels and we competed level by level. Before the gymnasts competed a lot of them were really nervous but gave it their best shot and did really good. So many people were cheering each other on and had a blast. It was a very tiring day, but everyone kept going through.

Rittal Al-Timimi (6 Jenkin)

On Sunday, 13th of September,2026 some of the Girton students from both Junior and Senior school participated in the Tumbling Competition at Palmer’s Gym Bendigo where we competed against students from about ten other schools. There were 138 students all over the competition and about over 70 were Moana Grammar School. They won the whole school trophy. All Girton students won medals or ribbons in their groups they competed against. We performed very well and won the Spirit Cup for cheering everyone up. I really enjoyed the Tumbling Competition and I hope next year more of my friends compete with me. 

Akira Goyal (4 Aherne)

Girton Grammar is the National Primary Aeroschool Champion for 2026! 

Congratulations to our students who represented Girton at the National Primary Aeroschool Championships, taking out the national title for 2026.

Day 1 Team Results

• Gold – National Aeroschool Champions: Rosie Kuhle, Maddy Canobie, Camilla Christian, Lilly Smith
• Silver: Rosie and Maddy
• 4th: Lilly and Camilla
• 11th: Sophia and Rhea

Day 2 Team Results

• 1st – National Champions: Maddy, Lilly, Rosie, Emelia
• 1st – National Champions: Zara, Anaisha, Lucille and Matilda
• 1st – National Champions: Lucille and Matilda
• 2nd: Zara and Anaisha
• 3rd: Poppy, Emelia, Beatrice, Rittal
• 4th: Saisha, Siobhan, Stella, Imelda, Miray
• 5th: Mathea and Amy
• 7th: Poppy, Camilla, Beatrice, Rittal, Matilda, Sophia, Lucille, Zara, Anaisha
• 7th: Sophia, Diba, Shayna, Zara, Rhea
• 7th: Rafah and Annie

A special mention to Rafah and Annie, who took out the prize for youngest competitors in the competition. Going up against Year 3 students, the pair finished 7th out of 12 teams, a great effort.

Well done to all of our students and to everyone who helped prepare them for a fantastic result. 

Mrs Belinda Vernon

Head of Junior School Inclusive Learning