Junior School News
Junior School Ensembles Evening
On Wednesday 20 August, the Ulumbarra Theatre came alive with the vibrant sounds of Girton Grammar School's Junior Ensembles Evening. The concert was a wonderful showcase of the talent, dedication and enthusiasm of our young musicians, whose performances captivated and inspired all in attendance.
The evening's program reflected the diversity and strength of the Junior School music program, featuring a wide range of ensembles. Audiences were treated to polished performances from both the beginning band and advanced bands, as well as Poco Strings and Super Strings, who each highlighted their growing technical skill and musical maturity. The much-loved Bells Angels Bell Choir delighted with their unique sound, while the many choirs presented works filled with energy, expression and joy.
A particular highlight of the evening was the massed Choir and Orchestra bringing together students and teachers in a moving finale that truly celebrated the power of music to unite. The sight and sound of so many young voices and instruments working in harmony was a fitting conclusion to an inspiring evening.
Events such as the Junior Ensembles Evening are only possible thanks to the tireless support of staff and the unwavering encouragement of parents. The countless hours of rehearsals, early mornings, practice at home and behind-the-scenes organisation are what allow our students to flourish. At Girton, we firmly believe that parental support is essential to a child's musical journey. Encouragement at home helps build confidence, resilience and joy in learning which shine through in performances such as these.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the dedicated music staff who guide and inspire our students and to the families who so generously give their time and support. Together, we create an environment in which our young musicians can thrive.
The Junior Ensembles Evening was more than a concert-it was a celebration of community, collaboration and the incredible potential of our students.It stands as a proud reminder of the richness music brings to our school and the lasting impact it has on the lives of our children.
Laura Dusseljee
Head of Junior School Music
Grandparents and Special Friends' Day
We are excited to celebrate Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day in conjunction with AQUA, our art exhibition on Friday 12 September.
Students are encouraged to invite a grandparent or special friend to join in this memorable occasion. Invitations have been sent home in school diaries.
The day will feature classroom activities, musical performances, a book fair, and morning tea at the school, followed by a visit to the ArtsFest exhibition at the Beehive Building on Pall Mall.
9am - Welcome Assembly
9.30am - Classroom visit & musical items
10.30am - Morning tea, musical items, and bookfair
11.20am - Beehive Building - Year 6 and Prep students
1.10pm - Beehive Building - Years 1-3 students
2.00pm - Beehive Building - Years 4-5 students
We are seeking volunteers to help host the morning tea. If you are available, please register HERE.
Book Week
Book Week 2025 was filled with excitement, imagination, and a love of reading as our school community came together to celebrate this year’s theme, “Book an Adventure.” Students, staff, and families enjoyed a week of special events that highlighted the joy and importance of books.
One of the highlights of the week was the visit from author and disability advocate Eliza Hull, who inspired students with her writing journey and shared stories about creativity, resilience, and following your passions. Her sessions gave students a valuable opportunity to learn from a published author.
The library was a hub of activity throughout the week. Students gathered on Tuesday morning for our popular “Books and Bickies” event, where they enjoyed sharing their favourite stories with a special guest while eating a tiny teddy or two.
Another lunchtime treat was the special guest storyteller, students enjoyed hearing Mr Thompson reading his favourite picture books while reminding everyone of the magic of oral storytelling.
On Thursday students embraced the excitement of The Great Book Swap. Students brought in much-loved books and exchanged them for fresh reads, giving stories a new life while sharing the joy of reading.
The celebrations concluded with the much-anticipated Book Week Parade and Activity Morning. Students proudly dressed as their favourite book characters, parading around the Angus MacKay Pavilion in a colourful display of creativity and imagination. Following the parade, classes joined together with a buddy class in a range of book-themed activities, which consisted of many craft activities and even a science experiment, making the morning both fun and educational.
Book Week 2025 was a wonderful celebration of literature and community, reminding us of all that stories can take us anywhere. We thank everyone who participated, contributed, and helped make the week such a success.
RULER Family Night
Girton Grammar School hosted its first RULER Family Night, with approximately 50 parents and children attending. The evening was an opportunity for families to engage with the RULER Approach, an evidence-based framework for social and emotional learning developed at Yale University.
During the session, families learned about the core RULER tools and participated in interactive activities designed to strengthen emotional intelligence at home. Highlights included the creation of family Charters, exploring the Mood Meter, and activities that encouraged empathy, perspective-taking, and identifying strategies for emotional regulation.
The evening demonstrated the strong partnership between home and school in building emotionally resilient children. We look forward to offering more opportunities for families to connect with RULER and to continue strengthening our culture of emotional intelligence at Girton.
Year 7 Imagine Day
On Thursday the 28th of August, the Year Six cohort experienced Imagine Day. We went on an amazing tour of Senior School with our new Year Six buddies who are transitioning into Year Seven. With us we had some wonderful Year Ten leaders who guided us throughout the day and eased our nerves about moving into year seven.
Tour Of Senior School
During the tour we saw many learning facilities that we could potentially be in next year. We saw the cozy and relaxing Library, the English and History classrooms, Mathematics floor, the Languages area, Performing arts area, as well as the major theatre ‘the Black Box’, the Lecture Theatre, the Gymnasium and the gym upstairs. We also went to the most enjoyed place, the Lumination Lab.
Back at Junior school
In our six allocated groups we learnt about all the Year Seven electives. We got told all about them by the Year Ten’s. We were also informed about what they were and we were told some tips about being in Senior School, like if you get the chance to do homework in class, do it so you can have more free time at home. We also played some games afterwards before lunch time.
Afternoon Activities
The activities we did were English, where we created a story using a website. Music, where we did a dance. Maths, where we built bridges with paper and sticky-tape. Science, where we did a science experiment where we put some milk in a tray, put food dye in it and added dish soap so it created a tie dye effect.
End of the day
At the end of the day we came together as a big group and talked about the day and asked any questions people wanted to ask. Afterwards we received the photos we got with our buddies then we left through the Greenland gate.
By Ben Carter, Zoe Ogunseyinde and Aayush Nair
Tournament of Minds
Welcome to TOM!
Girton Grammar gives students the opportunity to join Tournament of Minds! This section will include: Teams, Auditions, Challenges, Regionals and Facilitators, and Results.
TOM consists of eight teams: Primary Arts, Primary Social Science, Primary STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths), Primary Language Literature, Senior Arts, Senior Social Science, Senior Language Literature, and Senior STEM.
These teams let students achieve their potential when solving out-of-the-box questions in a team of seven, trying to find a unique answer to their question.
Students can participate in three auditions over three weeks, answering unique questions, making structures, and being part of a team. These auditions let students harness the ability to answer with creative answers, and it lets teachers see who would be best for TOM. Sadly, many students miss out on their opportunity for TOM after the auditions, but they can always try again next year.
Once teams are put in place, students receive a long-term challenge specific to their team. These challenges have roughly three pages of challenge info for what to solve, a page of what the team will be marked on, and a page of materials that are allowed for them to use for their presentation. They are required to spend weeks on a play performance, using different performance qualities to make their performance and answer unique, interesting, and engaging. It is a hard process, especially in a team of people you don’t generally know. But everyone pulls together to make a performance, costumes, and any other requirements ready for the Regional Competition.
Even though these students have the Long Term challenges, on the day, they are also required to answer a question creatively in four minutes with one minute to present. The questions are often things like “A new letter of the alphabet has been created. What sound does this make, what does it mean, and why should we have it in the alphabet?”
They are made to be tricky, and most students struggle with getting answers in the sweet spot of creative, unique, but also solves the problem and makes sense. It’s not as easy as it sounds, especially while having the judges watching the whole time.
On Saturday 16 August, The Regional Competitions took place at LaTrobe university, as it has every year. Students arrive an hour before their required performance time to sign in as a team with their facilitator. Our facilitators include: Mrs Milner, Mr Leske, Mr Turner, and Mr Ruddick as well as our Year 12 helpers: Matilda, Chelsea and Anna.
Before (or after) the team’s performance, they may have their spontaneous problem. It only takes a few minutes to complete the Spontaneous question, but it takes a lot of teamwork and problem solving, especially under a time limit. After (or before) their Spontaneous, the team is taken to a room to perform their long-term problem. It is performed off by heart, with all the props and costumes made beforehand.
Six out of eight teams managed to get through to States, an amazing result for Girton. Only Primary Arts and Primary Language Literature didn’t make it through, but it was a very close result. Everyone in the teams performed very well, showing how everyone can do something amazing when we work together.
The winning teams will go to state competitions on 14 September. We wish them luck!
Speaking from experience, TOM is amazing! It teaches you various skills, helps with problem solving, teamwork, costume making, it’s fun, and much more! We really recommend having a go! Even if you don’t know anyone, or even if you don’t get in, the audition phase is really fun! We made quite a few new friends (and inside jokes)!
Marceline Ritchie (6 Frew) and Grace Beattie (6 Jenkin)