Junior School

Those who know me well know my love of cricket. So, you can imagine how delighted I have been to see the boys and girls getting into their cricket clinics over the last month. 

Clinics wound up at both campuses this week and have been enjoyed by all. Here are some great pics of kids in action at Wentworth Falls.

A word on haircuts, if I may. We are approaching Presentation Day and for this we want all of our children looking their best. For some, that will mean a visit to the hairdresser in coming days. Please help us help the children to understand that presenting yourself in a smart, well-groomed fashion is all part of being a proud BMGS student. Some shoes could do with a polish too!

As I continue my acknowledgement of departing staff, our attention turns this week to a farewell for Mrs Roberson (Stage 3 Raspberries).

Mrs Danielle Roberson has been with us at BMGS for almost as long as I can remember. I first met Mrs Roberson when she was training as a Secondary School English teacher and completing her final practicum in Senior School. In 2009 she joined the staff as an educator in After School Care and soon after transitioned into a Learning Support role where her passion and love for the language made her a valuable asset in supporting those children in need. In 2017 Mrs Roberson moved into a classroom teaching role leading Year 6 for a term and remained in the classroom to teach Year 3 the following year. 

In 2019 Mrs Roberson moved into the Library following the retirement of Mr Dormer and brought the Library back to life with Library lessons full of richness in literature appreciation, digital literacy and information skills. She introduced us to Kids Lit Quiz in which the school has experienced enormous success including travelling to Singapore as national champions in 2019. Write a Book In a Day has been another great innovation. Coupling with her Library teaching, Mrs Roberson assumed the role of the Learning Support teacher for Junior School and led a team of educators to ensure children were receiving as much Learning Support provision as we could muster. This year Mrs Roberson returned to the classroom and led her Stage 3 Raspberries Discovery Class through a learning environment rich in exploration, sophistication, deep thinking and making connections. 

Throughout these years Mrs Roberson has led our School’s debating team to great success in the Western Region seeing our teams through to regional champions on a number of occasions. Mrs Roberson is a passionate and energetic member of our team, and one who has made a great contribution to our school over many years. She has decided, though, to take the next step in her career and move to becoming a secondary school English teacher, the role that originally drew her to teaching. 

We wish Mrs Roberson all the best in her future career and thank her for her great service to the School.

Mrs Roberson will be replaced on the Stage 3 Discovery Class by Mrs Amy Spohr, an experienced primary teacher with a passion for creativity and a background as a secondary school Visual Arts teacher. She brings with her a high degree of expertise in assessment and has spent some time as a marker for NAPLAN. Mrs Spohr is sure to be a great asset to next year’s teaching team.

Sadly, at the end of this year we will be saying goodbye to another much-loved member of our education team. Due to certain regrettable circumstances, Mrs Georgina Khoo, one of our caring and compassionate Learning Enrichment educators, will be leaving the team. Mrs Khoo has been with us only a few short years, but has brought much to our staff team as a whole and the Learning Enrichment team in particular. She is a dedicated, passionate, committed educator and I have worked with her closely throughout this year to try to ensure our students in need at Wentworth Falls are getting the support they require, the role formerly held by Mrs Roberson. The families she supports will feel this loss acutely, as she has been a pillar of support throughout this difficult year marred by COVID and the impact of remote learning. I know Mrs Khoo will make an important contribution as an educator in another educational setting somewhere else in the future. I know you join me in thanking Mrs Khoo for her dedication to her role and the students she supports, and for her contribution to the broader school community. We wish her well for the future.

Finally, I am pleased to share with the community news that my next career step has taken form. I am proud to be joining the school leadership team at St Colomba Anglican School in Port Macquarie next year as the Primary Director of Wellbeing, balancing a teaching and leadership role in a school that feels so like Blue Mountains Grammar School it is uncanny (albeit, significantly warmer!). 

Though I am looking forward to the challenge ahead and a relocation to coastal climes, I will always hold a special place in my heart for this, my beloved school and all of the wonderful children, staff and family members I have had the pleasure to know. I am looking forward to a number of upcoming farewell events and experienced my first one this week with a moving Farewell Assembly at Springwood. The children, led by their very kind teachers, made me feel very special. I am not sure if it is a ringing endorsement when a Kindergarten child tells you that you are the best principal he’s ever had… but I’ll take it!

Mr Nigel Cockington

Head of Junior School