International Day at Junior School

On Friday 7 November, the Junior School celebrated International Day.

The school was transformed into a sea of colour, with flags adorning the grounds and students dressed in vibrant and often elaborate cultural attire. The morning assembly showcased the rich cultural diversity within our school community, as students proudly shared their heritage through speeches, songs, and dance performances.

Throughout the day, students participated in a variety of engaging workshops, including Korean Chinese dance, Chinese martial arts, and Greek music and mythology. The highlight of the celebration was the spectacular performance by the African Acrobats and Drummers, who captivated everyone with their energy, rhythm, and skill.

I really enjoyed the Korean Chinese Dancing because I was able to join in and learn different dance moves. - Samaira Sharma (5D)

I really liked the drumming because I got to play the drum which I don’t usually do

- Lucy Macphail (2V)

I loved the martial arts because I really liked learning the different self-defense moves

- Hannah Jalal Thumpalasseril (5D)

All the activities were fun. I especially enjoyed sharing my culture by singing in Hindi at the assembly - Anvay Rao (5D)

Remembrance Day

The 11th day of the 11th month is a time to reflect on the sacrifice and bravery of those who fought in wars. Even if we aren’t directly related to anyone who served, it is important to take the time to honour those who fought for our future. This Remembrance Day, I walked down to our Bendigo RSL with my fellow Junior School Captain, Ryan, and Mrs Bath, to the service taking place there.

It was touching to be a part of such an important event with Ryan and Mrs Bath. Ryan has been an excellent partner this whole year, and Mrs Bath has supported us both graciously. Ryan and I were honored to represent our school and to lay a wreath among others in our community and the Australian services. The past wars have affected all of us, and some people were wearing medals from their relatives. I was wearing a medal from WWI, or as it said on the medal, The Great War of 1914 - 1918. I felt extremely proud to honour those like my great-grandfather, whose medal I was wearing, and feel connected to the history they created.

To think about those who had given their lives for us, and those who sacrificed something every day just for our future, makes me feel humbled. We need to remember and honour those who came before us, those who lived through a lot of darkness for us to live in the light. When the service ended, Mrs Bath treated Ryan and I to a hot chocolate, a warm surprise amongst the cool weather. The sun came out, and the hot chocolate warmed our hearts as we made our way back to school.

Grace Beattie (6M)

On Tuesday the 11th of November SRC members hosted a Remembrance Day Ceremony in the Junior School, under the Angus McKay Pavillion . We wanted to honour all people who have served our country in times of war.

During the ceremony, we also spoke about a war time leader from another country, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. He was a Turkish leader in World War One who paid a kind tribute to the Anzacs who died at Gallipoli.

Ari Vale (3D) and Samuel Docherty (3D)

SRC Supporting Foodshare

Once again, our Junior School Student Representative Council are supporting Foodshare for Christmas. They are seeking donations of non-perishable Christmas Table food items to support families in our community who need food relief. The children will place their non-perishable items into their “Christmas Box” in their classroom. These will eventually be collected by Bendigo Foodshare during the last week of term. Donations can be brought to school anytime and stored in the classroom.

Non-perishable Christmas Table donations could include Christmas bowls, plates, serviettes, bonbons, chips, drinks, juice, ham in a tin, custard powder, fruit cake, lollies, shortbreads, tinned fruit, mixed nuts or pretzels.

Prep Extended Stay

On Tuesday 28 October, the Prep students enjoyed an exciting and adventure filled Extended Stay that perfectly combined learning, exploration and plenty of fun!

The day began with great excitement as everyone hopped on the bus and headed to the Bendigo Botanical Gardens in White Hills. Surrounded by the beauty of nature, students enjoyed a picnic lunch under the trees before exploring the playground and gardens. This adventure connected beautifully with our science themes this year, as students observed plants, habitats and the changing environment firsthand.

After a lovely morning outdoors, we jumped back on the bus and made our way to Little Ninja Warriors, where the Prep students tested their balance, coordination and determination on the obstacle courses. It was wonderful to see so many smiles and supportive cheers as everyone gave their best effort.

Back at school, the fun continued with afternoon tea followed by a range of games on the oval. Students enjoyed a variety of activities including mini golf, giant snakes and ladders, sack races, egg and spoon races, a giant Guess Who game and quoits. The laughter and teamwork were a highlight of the afternoon!

As the day wound down, everyone gathered for a pizza dinner and zooper doopers, before settling in to watch the classic film Wallace and Gromit. Parents arrived at 6:00pm to collect some very happy (and tired!) Preps after a truly memorable day.

The Prep Extended Stay was a wonderful opportunity for students to build confidence, independence, and connection with their peers—all while having a fantastic time.

Junior Band Melbourne Excursion

A massive congratulations to the 31 Junior Band students who travelled to the Hawthorn Arts Centre in Melbourne to perform in the Victorian Schools Music Festival (VSMF) this week. VSMF is statewide festival that is open to groups who have been learning their instrument for a short time like our year 5s and 6s, right up to community ensembles that have members who have been playing for decades.

While we were performing, adjudicators wrote comments and feedback based on how the ensemble played. Chief adjudicator Dale Pointon then had a chance to run a short workshop with the ensemble. He had a turn conducting and worked on some ideas to help the group better listen to each other playing. The adjudicators marked us ‘outstanding’ for our presentation and ‘excellent’ overall.

Some favourite parts from the students included:

Zac Brown 5V - When the Adjudicator talked to us about improvements in our piece.

Thomas Byron 5D - Getting organised and performing in front of a crowd.

Nora Morgan 5V - My favourite part was when we played Swarm.

Flick Ford 5V - When we played swarm faster with the adjudicator.

Beatrice Batters 5V - I liked watching the other bands perform.

Sahibnoor Brah 5D - When the adjudicator gave us feedback on our tempo changes.

Jaggar Naidoo 5D - I liked when the adjudicator gave us feedback for improvements.

A massive thanks to Miss Yeates, Mrs Hulse, and Mr Normington for coming on the day and to all the instrumental staff who work in the background helping these students each week.

Junior School Cricket Blast

In Term Four, our Junior School participated in the annual T20 Blast School Cup. This is a state-wide, modified rules, round robin competition for boys and girls. Each game consists of a 16 over game (8 over innings per team) that takes approximately 45 minutes to play. This year, the tournament was played on Friday, November 7, 2025 at Catholic McCauley College, Junortoun. Our school entered two boys teams and one girls team.

All the players had a wonderful day. The girls team went through the carnival undefeated. Both boys teams won two games, lost one and had a bye.

The students who represented our school were:

Boys Team
Conor Elliot (6D)	Sebastian Collie (6M)	Harvey McMillan (6H)
Samarth Kolli (6M)	Will Scott (6D)	Raff Griffiths (6D)
Zach Dyer (6V)	Mitchell Hawker (6D)	Aayush Nair (6M)
Reyansh Kulkarni (6M)	Xavier Tweed (6D)	Mitchell Picot (6H)
Archer Steel (6D)	Mitchell Peacock (6M)	Zane Woods (6H)
Hugh Lewis (6D)	Charlie Dando (6D)	Benjamin Carter (6M)

Girls Team
Polly Byrne (6H)	Georgie Doherty (6H)	Siofra O'Malley (6H)
Alexis Weekly (6H)	Piper Hooke (6H)	Alannah Doyle (6V)
Belle Armour (6V)	Layla Krueger (6V)	Manha Basher (6M)

Thank you to Mrs Leanne James, Mr John Dohery and Mr Jamie Turner for managing teams on the day. Thank you also to our Year 9 Student Helpers Harch, Eiliyah and Liam.

Well done to all students who represented our Junior School in cricket in this tournament.

School Sport Victoria State Athletics Championships

Alexis Weekley (6H) and Ronny Epps (4D) proudly represented our school and the Loddon Mallee Region at the School Sport Victoria State Athletics Championships.

Reaching this level is an outstanding achievement in itself, requiring progression through four stages — School, District, Division, and Regional athletics events.

Alexis competed in both the 100m and 200m sprints, finishing 4th in her 100m heat to qualify for the final, where she placed 9th overall in the state. In her 200m heat, Alexis finished 5th, capping off another strong performance. Impressively, this was Alexis’s third appearance at the State Championships, a remarkable achievement that highlights her consistency and dedication.

Ronny competed in the 800m, a straight final event, where he finished 10th out of 16 competitors and achieved a personal best time, improving by 9 seconds (2:37) — an incredible effort!

Congratulations to Alexis and Ronny on their outstanding performances and for representing our school with pride and determination.

Girton Parents & Friends

Friends of Junior School: Recipe Book