Senior School News

Senior School Ensembles Showcase

On Tuesday 19th August at Ulumbarra Theatre the Senior School Ensembles had the opportunity to show our appreciative audience what they had been working on.

The opening group was Symphony Orchestra performing a medley of music from Pirates of the Caribbean which created an exciting atmosphere for the concert ahead.

Our many and diverse groups performed classical, pop and jazz music and the amount of different styles performed throughout the program was commented on by audience members. It was wonderful to have Jazz Band perform in the foyer at interval and the night was brought to a stunning close by Wind Symphony.

A huge thank you to the Music Staff for their dedication to their ensembles and for creating so many opportunities for students to shine. Thank you to the parents who supported  in the audience on the night, and also support their children in many hours of practice over many years. Thank you as well to the Maintenance and Tech crews who ensure that we get on stage and are able to be heard. Finally a big thank you Ms Shari Williams and Ms Jess Potter for their outstanding organisation the the two nights.

The night signalled Mr Joshua McGuffie’s final performance at Girton Grammar School. We wish Josh all the best in his new role in Kyneton and thank him sincerely for nearly 17 years of service at the school.

Through both the Junior School and Senior School Ensembles Concerts it was wonderful to see the array of student development and musical interests. It is impressive to hear the improvement in all ensembles as we recover from the last five years and I look forward to many more exhilarating concerts in the years to come.

Mrs Cally Bartlett

Head of Faculty - Arts

Middle School Production: Spamalot Young@Part

August 28-29, September 1-2

Girton Grammar School’s Middle School Production of Monty Python’s Spamalot Young@Part has just opened in our Black Box Theatre. 

There is no greater feeling than seeing everyone in their costumes up on the stage with an audience that was laughing their heads off. After such a long time in rehearsals, I think we’d all forgotten the adrenaline rush of completing a show with an audience - but wow, was it an amazing experience! 

Spamalot is a comedic musical about a king who argues with peasants, gallops without a horse, and assembles a musical theatre troupe disguised as knights to find a cup that may or may not exist. This heavily confusing yet accurate plot is performed marvellously by our cast of 44 students in Years 7-9.

Playing King Arthur, I was rarely off the stage. There was that slight sense of pressure as the lead role to display the sense of confidence that you need for a show like this. When Patsy (played by Siara Madina) and I first galloped out onto stage we were both petrified! But as soon as we ended our first scene, we knew that we were going to crush it.

Each scene in Spamalot is so silly and fun and to perform it with such an amazing cast is a privilege like no other. Sure, we made mistakes (and certainly dropped a prop or 20 on stage), but we were all willing to help each other out when we faced a dead end and just improvised our hearts out.

Spamalot: Young@Part has been in the works for almost 6 months now, and we are all so excited to share the silliness and laughter with all of you! See you in Camelot!

Mannus Clarke (9 Aherne)

Year 7 Imagine Day 

Yesterday, our Year 6 students and Year 7 2026 new enrolments took part in Imagine Day, an orientation experience designed to help them begin thinking about life in Year 7. Students were encouraged to imagine what being in Senior School will be like as they explored the Senior campus, toured classrooms and facilities, and began to picture themselves as future Senior School students.

A highlight of the day was meeting their buddies, who welcomed and supported them throughout the day. The students were also guided by our dedicated Year 10 Peer Support Leaders, who modelled the independence and responsibility that comes with Senior School.

Days like Imagine Day are an important step in easing the transition from Junior to Senior school. By building early connections, reducing uncertainty, and fostering a sense of belonging, students can enter Year 7 with greater confidence and excitement for the opportunities ahead.

Year 8 Maths Games Day

Last Wednesday 20th August, Ms Megan Ketterer and Ms Kath O’Shea accompanied eight students from the Year 8 Maths Enrichment program to the Mathematics Association of Victoria’s Annual Year 8 Maths Games Day. The games were held at Penleigh-Essendon Grammar School in Keilor.

The day involved teams of four from schools right across Victoria competing against each other in rounds of strategy games and problem-solving. While our Girton teams unfortunately did not win on the day, they were competitive and successfully solved many of the problems. Most importantly, they had the opportunity to engage in some challenging maths problems and meet other like-minded passionate maths students from other schools.

Congratulations to Jonathan Maslunka, Michael Huangfu, Tate Cantwell, Henry Vickers, Mitul Liz Meena, Liam Witham, Minuka Silva, and Rafay Jeddi, for representing Girton Grammar School with skill and enthusiasm.

Visit from Margot Spalding OAM

On Friday 8 August, our Year 10 and Year 11 VPC students together with our Year 9 students had a very special visitor.

They have been completing a unit of work on community, and learning about people in Bendigo who have contributed significantly to the community. Margot Spalding OAM visited the students to talk about the work she has done that has earnt her the Medal of the Order of Australia.

Margot was responsible for founding Believe in Bendigo, a campaign that celebrates diversity, inclusion and multiculturalism within the City of Greater Bendigo. She originally established this to send a message of inclusion during anti-mosque protests in 2015. She has also created a group called Interested, Interesting Ladies, aimed at anyone interested in diversity, inclusion or welcome.

Our students were very interested in what Margot had to say, and asked many questions about her exceptional work in inclusivity. They also asked about the Order of Australia, which recognises Australians who have demonstrated outstanding service or exceptional achievement.

We thank Margot for her time and for sharing her stories.

LOTE News

Girton Grammar School was fortunate to be selected to host a Japanese language assistant, Ms Miku Tazawa, who has been volunteering in Japanese classrooms over the last 3 weeks. Tazawa-sensei is a third year university student from Kyoto who is studying Japanese language. She has provided assistance in Japanese classes with conversation practice and checking pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary. She has been interested to see the games and activities that Japanese teachers use in our classrooms at Girton. We are particularly grateful to Tazawa-sensei for working with our Year 12 students to help prepare them for their upcoming oral examinations.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Tazawa-sensei’s host family, the Hall family, for their generous support of Tazawa-sensei. She has had the opportunity to visit Melbourne, the beach and to observe kangaroos from the windows of her host family’s house!

It has been wonderful to see Girton students greet Tazawa-sensei in Japanese as she moves around the school. We hope that she has enjoyed her trip to Australia as part of the Teach Japanese as a Foreign Language Program and hope that she can visit us again soon. Thank you Tazawa-sensei!

French Immersion 

French Immersion is such a fun way to really get into learning French and enjoying the language. You get to learn so much more than just words—you practise speaking, listening, reading, and writing until you start feeling confident. 

The best part is the activities! We get to make yummy French food like buttery croissants, sweet madeleines, and the amazing croque-monsieur. Learning is way more fun when you can eat what you’ve made! Madame Daju is the best teacher—she knows so much and always makes lessons interesting. She’s great at helping everyone join in and making sure we all do our best. If you want to travel one day, use French in a job, or just try something new and exciting, French Immersion is the perfect choice.

Mythri Kolluru (7 Jones)

French Immersion is such a fun way to start or continue learning french and you really get to experience the language. You learn french vocabulary, practice speaking, listening, reading, and practicing your speaking skills. You even get to cook! So far we have made, croissants, madelines and croque-monsieur. It is so good to be able to practice learning and also doing something you enjoy, Madame Daju is amazing and engaging and helps you learn all the vocabulary. Madame Daju makes sure everyone gets involved and helps us improve step by step. Whether you want to improve your french, learn to cook, or just try something different french immersion is a fantastic opportunity.

Jemima Morley (7 Jenkin) 

Senior School Mobile Dental Van Checkups

Martin Vale Dentistry Mobile Dental Van will be onsite conducting dental checkups for Senior School students on 2, 3 and 4 September. If you would like your child to participate, please complete this linked form.

The Commonwealth Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) allows eligible children basic dental treatment over a two-year period. This can be accessed during school hours via the services of a school dental van.

School dental vans are fully equipped to perform examinations, x-rays, fillings, scaling, and cleaning, as well as apply preventive medicaments and extractions.

The process: 

First visit - students eligible for CDBS receive an examination, x-rays, fluoride and fissure sealant. Parents are then contacted by phone to discuss a treatment plan if required. Students not eligible for CDBS funding receive dental screening, and parents are contacted by phone to discuss if a private appointment is recommended.

Follow-up visit - students undergo the treatment plan discussed and consented to. Parents are welcome to attend the van while their child has treatment.