From the Principal and Deputy Principals
Welcome to 2025
The first day of school has brought the campus to life. GSG is back! From the orientation afternoons, P&F afternoon tea, morning coffee van, the boarding lunch, and welcome assembly; the school is abuzz.
For me, the definition of a school is a community of people that share the common goal of educating young people. A school is not a campus of empty buildings.
Therefore, the true spirit of school can only exist when students, families and staff are present and focus on igniting new passions, shaping purpose and cultivating joy. I have witnessed this in spades over the last few days.
A special thank you to the staff who have worked tirelessly to prepare for the arrival of the community.
You will have noticed some aesthetic changes to the campus - new external painting of the ECC and main Reception, new carpets in Primary School classrooms, new internal painting across buildings, new lockers in the Secondary School, new flags, new entry for the ECC, refresh of furniture and paint in Endeavour and Eclipse Boarding Houses, planting of new trees, landscaping, new shade sails and so much more! This video gives you a sneak peek of works of the summer.
Lastly, please make sure you join us for the P&F Sundowner on Friday 14 February at 6.00pm to meet other families who are part of our vibrant school community. More detail may be found on the Whole School News page.
Communication
A comprehensive and cohesive approach to communication is essential to maintain a positive partnership between the school and families. This year, we will continue to strengthen our communication channels to best meet the needs of students and parents.
This year, the school has implemented the following:
The School Bulletin - The Bulletin, published on a Tuesday afternoon and emailed to families outlines events, excursions, camps, sporting and music opportunities, academic activities and community news. This approach will reduce the number of emails sent to families from different parts of the school.
An archive of Bulletins will be maintained in MyGSG to allow students and families to. This will go live next week.
The Anchor - The Anchor, published on a Thursday afternoon and emailed to community members will continue. It will outline whole school news from the Principal and Deputy Principals, Primary and Secondary School news, community engagement events including the P&F, School Nuts and Bolts, Wellbeing articles and information from the Griffins. A permanent link to the school calendarcan be found in the Anchor.
Daily Notices - The Daily Notices, published each day and emailed to students at 6.00pm will continue. This will provide timely information to reinforce communication already sent.
Emails - Emails from staff to individual students, classes or small groups will continue.
Open, transparent and respectful communication is a very important part of school life. If parents have questions or concerns, they are encouraged to directly contact the appropriate staff member via email or phone.
The school welcomes all communication from parents, especially feedback.The parent code of conduct and communication guidelines outlines how our community maintains positive and constructive practices for effective communication.
I very much look forward to reconnecting with all members of our learning community in the coming days and weeks. The P&F Sundowner on Friday 14 February 6.00pm is a great way to kick off the new school year and welcome new families.
Go well
Mr Mathew Irving | Principal
From the Deputy Principal
Joy!
It's my favourite time of the year when our students return after the summer break. Over the past couple of weeks as I've been back on campus without students here, I've had a number of people say to me, 'It must be fabulous when there are no students at school!' I couldn't disagree more. Being on campus is deeply weird without our students. The bell goes and nothing happens. I visit classrooms and there's no one there.
The only beings in the playground are seagulls. So, yesterday was the best!
It is also a great joy to welcome our new Deputy Principal, Head of Secondary School, Mr Jordan Owenell to GSG, along with his family. There's more from Jordan on the Secondary School page and I know he is already making great connections with students and families.
As we launch into the new year please take the time to get to know your child's class teacher (Primary School) or homeroom teacher (Secondary School). In the front of your child's school diary is a range of resources and advice about who to contact, what to do in particular circumstances (bus cards, lunch orders, support available, health advice and the list goes on) and guidelines about uniform, laptops and the student code of conduct. You may like to take the time to walk through the diary with your child as we have done, here at school, with all Year Seven students as they enter the Secondary School this week.
Lastly, we welcome and encourage your feedback. Thank you to families who have reached out to share their thoughts, I am very grateful. Open communication is the key to a successful relationship. Enjoy these precious minutes as your children start another year of learning and growing here at GSG.
Mrs Emma Franklin | Deputy Principal - Head of Teaching and Learning
For more information, please head to Scholarships - Great Southern Grammar (gsg.wa.edu.au)