From the Principal

Welcome to Term 2. I hope families enjoyed a restful break and that our students have returned to school settled, positive and ready for the term ahead. It has been wonderful to see the sense of energy and purpose across the School as learning resumes. 

I was immensely proud of the many students who represented the School at ANZAC Day services across the region this week, with some rising very early to do so. Their respectful conduct and pride in representing Girton reflected our values and the importance we place on remembrance, service and community. Thank you to the students, staff and families who supported these commemorations, and thank you also for sharing your photos of these special moments. 

The term has also begun strongly with the introduction of new classroom entry routines across the School. This is the first step in implementing our whole‑school Teaching and Learning Framework, which is focused on ensuring students from Prep to Year 12 experience consistent, effective teaching practices that we know make the greatest difference to educational excellence. 

A key priority of this work is creating calm, focused learning environments. Research consistently shows that when distractions are reduced and routines are predictable, students are more settled, more engaged and better able to focus on learning. Our classroom entry routine is designed to establish that sense of calm before learning begins. During my walks around the school, I have been delighted to see Senior School students entering classrooms calmly, settling quickly and ready to learn. Over the year, there will be a number of small adjustments to our routines, all designed to strengthen conditions for teaching and learning. We would greatly appreciate your support in reinforcing the importance of these routines with your children. 

We also continue to value feedback from our community. In 2025, parents, students and staff participated in the Thriving Schools Index (TSI) survey, providing thoughtful insights into what is working well at Girton and where we can continue to grow. This feedback has informed key priorities and actions that we are progressing as a School - further information on how we are responding to this feedback is shared below. 

I am delighted to share some wonderful news about Henry Allan (12 Jones), who has been selected for the Pan Pacific Championships in Vancouver following an outstanding performance at the Queensland Swimming Age Championships. We congratulate Henry on this exceptional achievement and wish him every success as he represents Australia on the international stage.  

Congratulations also to Azia Fong-Sutton (10 Aherne), who achieved a number of personal bests and placements in Backstroke, Freestyle and Butterfly at the Age Championships, and Lauren Davenport (8 Jenkin) for her impressive performance in the 50m Butterfly. Recovering from stress fractures, Abbey Reid (12 Jenkin) came 11th at the National Women’s 300m Steeple Chase and is now the 6th fastest U20 woman in Australia.

Finally, I look forward to seeing many of our families at Twilight Movie Night this evening, one of my favourite Girton community events of the year. 

Thank you, as always, for your partnership and support. It is a privilege to work alongside you in supporting the learning, wellbeing and growth of our students. 

Dr Emma O'Rielly

Principal

Community voice in action: Feedback and actions from 2025 Thriving Schools Index (TSI) Engagement Survey 

In August last year, we invited parents, students and staff to share their thoughts and experiences through the Thriving Schools Index (TSI), an independent survey conducted by McCrindle. We would like to thank everyone who took the time to participate. Your feedback plays an important role in shaping initiatives and improvements across the School.

Summary of key findings 

The TSI provided valuable insight across key areas of school life, including student development, teaching, wellbeing, belonging and leadership. Overall sentiment towards Girton Grammar was broadly positive, with several consistent themes emerging across parents, students and staff. 

• Student wellbeing and character development 
• Breadth and quality of co‑curricular offerings 
• Strong pride in the School and alignment with School values, particularly among staff 

At the same time, the survey highlighted areas where we can continue to grow:

• Perceptions that teaching practices do not consistently meet the diverse learning needs of all students 
• Feelings of belonging across all stakeholder groups were lower than national benchmarks 
• Perceptions that leadership does not always listen effectively to stakeholder voice. 

Importantly, this feedback has been actively used to guide our priorities and planning for 2026. The initiatives outlined below respond explicitly to stakeholder feedback and demonstrate the School’s commitment to listening, learning and leading with purpose. 

Teaching and learning, supporting diverse learning needs 

• Implementation of a new inclusive education model to more effectively support diverse learning needs and ensure equitable access to learning across the School. 

   

• Delivery of a 12-month Inclusive Schools Professional Learning Program to continue to advance staff capability in inclusive, differentiated and responsive teaching practice. 

   

• Implementation of a new whole school Teaching & Learning Framework to provide greater clarity, consistency and shared expectations around high quality pedagogy.

   

• Introduction of instructional coaching using StepLab for all teachers, strengthening classroom practice through evidence‑based feedback and continuous improvement cycles.

   

• Review of the use of technology in classrooms to ensure that our use of technology continues to support student wellbeing and create the best possible conditions for learning. 

   

• Review of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) across the School and development of a consolidated strategic position, including policies, frameworks, tools and processes to support an ethical, safe and considered approach to the use of generative AI. 

Connection and belonging, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) 

• Introduction of a newly structured House Mentor model in the Senior School to strengthen student connection, care and advocacy, supporting consistent pastoral relationships and student voice. 

   

• Redesign of Co‑curricular and Co‑Connect programs to improve participation, engagement and students’ sense of belonging across year levels. 

   

• Review of the School uniform informed by stakeholder feedback – thank you to those who responded to the uniform survey in Term 1. Feedback will be communicated in the coming weeks.

   

• Launch and embedding of the refreshed Mission and Values across all stakeholder groups, with a focus on shared language, lived practice and cultural alignment.

Leadership, listening and communication 

• Implementation of a yearlong, research informed leadership development program for the Senior Leadership Team and Heads of Department, facilitated by Gwen Pinnington & Associates, to build shared leadership capability, coherence and strategic alignment across the School. 

   

• Strengthening of communication with stakeholders through clearer and more transparent reporting on what has been heard through surveys and engagement processes, and how this feedback is directly informing decisions, priorities and actions, ensuring stakeholder voice remains central to continuous improvement. 

Collectively, your feedback provided valuable insight and a roadmap for continuous improvement. The findings will continue to inform strategic planning and decision-making, supporting the School’s ongoing commitment to creating a thriving, inclusive and high- performing educational environment in which our students can flourish.

Girton’s next Thriving School's Index Engagement Survey will be released next month.