From the Head of Junior School

Last Friday, we celebrated Grandparents and Special Friends Day and our whole-school ArtFest. The weather was excellent in the morning as our students showed their guests around the classrooms and performed for them. It continued into the afternoon as our students visited ArtFest at the Town Hall. It was wonderful to watch our students proudly show their artworks to the grandparents and special friends who had met them at the Town Hall. 

Thank you to the many, many parents who have worked tirelessly over the past few months to help plan and execute Mrs James and Mrs Hocking's creative vision. Without their help, the ArtFest would not have been possible. Of course, the largest round of applause must go to Mrs James and Mrs Hocking for having the motivation, creative vision and skills to bring out the best in our young artists. 

Our school has a reputation for excellence in the arts, spanning musical, performing and visual arts. Learning about art enriches our students' lives in many ways, fostering creativity, emotional expression and critical thinking. Through the arts, children learn to see the world differently, developing skills that go beyond the classroom. By engaging with music, drama and visual art, students cultivate their creativity and imagination, essential tools in problem-solving and innovation.

The arts also help children develop emotional intelligence. By expressing their feelings through singing, acting, drawing, painting or sculpture, they learn to understand and communicate emotions. Modernist painter Georgia O'Keeffe emphasised this when she said, "I found I could say things with colour and shapes that I couldn't say any other way". This emotional outlet is especially important in our Junior School as students are learning how to process their feelings using RULER.

At Girton, we aim to provide a structure that helps every child reach their academic potential, but our program is more than just academics. The rich experiences provided by teachers such as Mrs James, Mrs Hocking, Mrs Dusseljee and Mrs Butler-Rees encourage our students to develop their imaginations and open up their minds to new perspectives and possibilities. As Albert Einstein noted: “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."

I would like to commend our Junior School students for their hard work in what has been a very busy term. I hope they all enjoy a restful holiday break and return refreshed and ready to learn in Term 4.

Mr Don Thompson 

Head of Junior School