From the Principal

At Girton, we now find ourselves entering a period of transition – filled with both emotional endings and exciting new beginnings. With VCE examinations concluding this week, we release our Year 12 graduates into the bright futures awaiting them and look forward to celebrating their achievements at our Valedictory Dinner next Friday. Meanwhile, our Year 7 to 11 students have reached the end of their own examination period, and from next week will immerse themselves in next year’s classes as part of our Early Commencement Program (ECP). At present, our Senior School students are no doubt feeling a flood of relief alongside a touch of apprehension as they contemplate what the future will hold. 

Over in our Junior School, we have been delighted to welcome our incoming Prep students over the past two weeks for a series of afternoon play sessions and extended visits to help ease their transition. And next week, we look forward to hosting our Year 7 cohort of 2025, along with their parents and carers, for an information evening in our Senior School. This will be the last of three transition events focused on helping them build a sense of belonging and support networks that will guide them through Year 7 and beyond. While their excitement grows, our incoming students will understandably also be feeling a little nervous as they inch closer to their first official days in our Junior and Senior Schools.  

As for us parents, carers and educators, witnessing our children and students navigate these times of transition fills us with mixed emotions too, as we battle a bittersweet blend of pride and nostalgia. The science behind mixed emotions has been a source of fascination for neuroscientists, who have long questioned whether they are a distinct emotion in themselves, or simply represent a contest between different emotions fighting for control, as depicted in the Inside Out movies. Only in recent weeks has this question been answered, thanks to a breakthrough by a team of neuroscientists from the University of Southern California.  

Using MRI scans, they observed study participants as they watched a moving short film called One Small Step about the relationship between a father and his daughter as she works towards her dream of becoming an astronaut. The researchers found that our brains' cortical areas display unique patterns of activity when we are experiencing mixed emotions, affirming that they are indeed a real and unique phenomenon. This finding is significant as it highlights our capacity to process and accept conflicting feelings simultaneously, which can be particularly valuable in moments of transition and change. The discovery will no doubt pave the way for new approaches in mental health to help us manage these complex emotional states. 

Advancements in neuroscience are also shaping the field of education, with the ‘science of learning’ transforming teaching practices to better support student success. At Girton, we are committed to adopting educational methods underpinned by a scientific understanding of how students learn, which is why we are in the process of implementing an evidence-informed explicit instruction approach. I am pleased to announce that, as a school currently moving towards a model grounded in the science of learning, Girton has been invited to take part in a research study ourselves. 

As a participant in the ‘Momentum Schools’ project, some of our staff members will engage in professional development with Dr Nathaniel Swain from La Trobe University’s School of Education and observe best practices at host schools, with data being collected over a three-year period to determine the program’s effectiveness. Our involvement in this project will allow us to contribute to the growing body of research aimed at improving students’ educational outcomes, which will ultimately benefit our students, teachers and parents, as well as educational policymakers more broadly. I am proud of our participation in this study, and look forward to sharing updates as it progresses. 

As we navigate the final weeks of the school year, and all the mixed emotions this entails, I am grateful to have the support of our parent and carer community. I wish you all a wonderful weekend ahead. 

Dr Emma O’Rielly 

Principal