From the Principal

On a stormy Friday two weeks ago, our school gathered for a moving assembly to farewell our graduating class of 2024. When I think of this cohort, who have this week commenced their final VCE examinations, I am filled with admiration – for the wonderful people they have grown into, and the challenging path they navigated to reach this milestone. Faced with a global pandemic just as they began to find their footing in our Senior School, these students emerged with a remarkable level of resilience, resourcefulness and optimism. 

For that, I am thankful – because the disruptions will keep coming. Beyond our school gates, our graduates will encounter a volatile world shaped by intensifying global divisions, economic instability, environmental crises, and technological advancements that have outpaced regulation. However, equipped with their characteristic strength, adaptability and positivity, I feel confident that our Year 12 cohort is uniquely placed to transform these challenges into opportunities. 

They have already demonstrated their capabilities in this regard through the impactful initiatives they have implemented in our school this year. With their introduction of a new recycling program, they have shown they will not shy away from tackling our world’s complex challenges. And through their efforts to develop a peer mentorship program, organise engaging fundraising events and facilitate platforms for student voice, they have shown their deep care for our community. I wish our graduates the very best for their examinations, and I look forward to celebrating their achievements at the upcoming Valedictory Dinner. They have each made a lasting impact at Girton, and I hope our school has, in turn, played an integral role in equipping them to navigate every challenge and harness every opportunity in their lives beyond our school.

Indeed, throughout a student’s time at Girton, we aim to nurture their natural creativity and the critical thinking skills they will need to discern fact in a world increasingly filled with fiction. This is a topic I touched on during a recent Senior School Principal’s Assembly, where I attempted to demystify the complexities of artificial intelligence using an iceberg diagram created by AI expert Leon Furze (pictured below). This helpful graphic illustrated to our students how every interaction we have with an AI chatbot is supported by a much larger dataset hidden under the surface, away from our view. Floating in the vast and sometimes murky ocean that is the internet, these systems can be vulnerable to threats such as misinformation, bias, privacy breaches and synthetic content known as ‘deepfakes’.  

By equipping our students with a fundamental understanding of these technologies, my hope is that they will be empowered to use AI safely and responsibly, engage meaningfully in discussions about its regulation, and seize the career opportunities emerging in fields such as ‘AI prompt engineering’. While we are on this topic, I wanted to remind our parents and carers that we are currently running a survey to help us gauge our school community’s knowledge of and attitudes towards online safety. This survey will close at 6pm on Sunday 3 November and will inform our development of new digital safety programs – so if you haven’t yet participated, I encourage you to do so.

Despite the departure of our Year 12 cohort, the school remains bustling with activity. Following the farewell assembly, parents and friends came together for ‘Girton’s Got Heart’, a much-loved social evening held at the gorgeous Chateau Dore. I appreciated the opportunity to spend time with members of our parent community, and I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our Friends of Junior School and Girton Parents and Friends for hosting this event. We are deeply thankful to all those who attended and contributed to raising much-needed funds for crisis refuge Annie North.

Last week, our Junior School students staged their incredible production of Finding Nemo at the Capital Theatre, combining their talent and enthusiasm in a performance they will always treasure. As the final production of 2024, I would like to sincerely thank the students, staff, parents and friends who have played a role in bringing our trio of Disney-themed productions to life. I would also like to thank everyone who was involved in today’s International Day celebrations, which saw our Junior School students embrace our school’s rich diversity through a series of cultural incursions – from Chinese martial arts to Bollywood dancing and West African rhythms. Finally, as I sign off for the weekend, I would like to wish the members of our Senior STEM team the best of luck as they represent Girton and Victoria at the TOM International Finals in Sydney over the next two days.

Thank you for your continued support of our school, and I wish you a wonderful weekend with your family. 

Dr Emma O’Rielly 

Principal