Foundation Day

Last week we celebrated the foundation of our school with the Annual Foundation Service, held at the Sacred Heart Cathedral. I would like to thank those students in attendance for their excellent behaviour and their fine vocal performance. The cathedral is an awe inspiring venue that we are very fortunate to have access to. It was pleasing to see the respect and reverence of our students on such an important occasion in the school calendar.

Parking

Thank you to those parents who have embraced the new parking and drop off requirements at MacKenzie Street. We have noted a marked improvement in traffic flow in the mornings and afternoons as parents are moving up MacKenzie St and stopping in the highest available bays to drop their children. This allows for more cars to be able to drive in to the drop off bays

Student Use of Mobile Phones in Junior School

Over the past week I have been asked if mobile phones have been banned on our Junior School. It is correct that the school is in the process of reviewing policies in relation to student use of mobile phones which will include consideration of the use of mobile phones in Junior School. In the interim I include the below information regarding our current position and practice in relation to Junior School student use of mobile phones:

Mobile phones have become an important and invaluable part of our modern lifestyle. The School understands that there are times when possession of a mobile phone can provide a sense of safety and security while travelling to and from school. Mobile phones are unnecessary during school hours as a method of communicating with students given the primary school setting. There are also concerns about the misuse of mobile phones in a school environment e.g. interruptions in class, distraction, inappropriate photography, bullying etc. The school aims to provide a happy, safe and stimulating learning environment for all students which includes ensuring that mobile phone usage does not disrupt this learning environment.

In general, students should not bring valuable items such as phones to school as they can be easily lost or stolen, which is often distressing for a child. However, if a mobile phone is required for the reasons of safety for travelling to and from school the child will be required to leave their phone in their school bag or on their class teacher’s desk until the end of the school day. Parents and students are advised that in bringing mobile phones to school, they are doing so at their own risk. It has always been the school’s practice to pass on important messages to students throughout the day. This can be done by phoning the School Office (54413114) and requesting that a message be given to the child.

No mobile phones are to be used on excursions. All students found to be using a mobile during the school day will have the phone confiscated and returned to the parent. The student would also be subject to disciplinary action.

Parents are also asked to be mindful of their own use of mobile phones while at Junior School, particularly with regards to photography, videoing and the use of Social Media. It is not appropriate for photographs or videos of other students to be distributed, even if the images are captured incidentally while filming your own child.

Girton House Tour

Year 4M students were given a tour of Girton House by Mrs Rachelle Fisher. Girton House is the home of the Old Girtonians' Association and the Second-hand uniform shop.

The Girton House

In the Girton house I had a magnificent tour from Mrs Fisher. On the tour we saw many things. My favourite was the Headmasters office. It had heaps of chairs and a two-seater couch in the middle, on the left side facing Mr Jones’ desk was where Mrs Fisher got her first job.

In Greenland there is a door above a roof that goes into the Girton house. This is missing steps now because they were too wobbly. The were wobbly because kids used to sway side to side on them, so now it is bordered off with a big piece of wood.

Next, we went into a small room. This is where the dormitories were. These dormitories were very small, but had a lot of beds packed in. In this room now there are lots of books and a big painting that was full of lots of kids from 1900’s. Then we went to a room right up the top f the old stairs There used to be approximately 10-12 teachers desks and there was this desk that had the most beautiful view of the Cathedral.

Years ago, there was an old Blazer that was coloured Brown and Green and very odd looking. We saw one of these Blazers that was hanging on a coat hanger in the old dormitory room. Old sport uniforms, Basketball uniforms and old hats were all located outside the small room too.

As soon as you walk in the door of the Girton House now you find the Uniform shop but there used to be a big room with tables in the beautiful bay window. This is where the teachers ate their lunch.

We are so lucky to have a great old building to keep our school’s history safe.

Sebastian Loraine (4 Aherne)

Girton House Tour

The Girton House tour was so cool. It was surprisingly small. I saw that in Mr. Jones’ office behind the curtain there was a window because there was a low fence and people walking past could see right into his office. In the staff room the popular desk to have was next to the window and out there you could see the cathedral. There is a door and its stairs down to Greenland had to be closed off because the stairs were too wobbly. Now the building is a second hand uniform shop.

Isabel Weibgen (4 Riley)

Divisional Cross Country

The Divisional Cross Country was held on Wednesday 8th May at the Bendigo Jockey Club. There were 52 Junior School students who went along to represent Girton Grammar School. It was a great day with the student competing well for themselves and cheering on their classmates. The 9/10 year old age group ran 2km whilst the 11/12 year old age group ran 3km. This is a huge event with thousands of students competing from 70 other schools and many parents also watching on. Congratulations to all students, especially those who have been invited to now compete at the Regional Cross Country event in St Arnaud in June.

Helping Teenagers Manage Friendship Issues

The following article is provided by parenting educator Michael Grose. As we are members of Parenting Ideas parents may have free access to the webinar: Teach girls to build each other up. Access details are included at the end of the article.

Having a supportive group of friends plays an important role in the life of young people. They can help your young person negotiate the journey from childhood, where they are reliant on parents, to adulthood, where they need to stand on their own two feet.

The importance of peers

To a parent a teenager’s friendships may seem all-consuming, taking precedence over family, school and even healthy leisure time. While peers may now begin to take a more prominent place in your young person’s life, family is still an important source of belonging and safety for them. It helps if you get to know their friends and discuss any concerns you have about their choice of friends.

Managing peer pressure

We all experience some degree of pressure to conform to the behaviours and norms of our social groups, yet this pressure is heightened in adolescence, when the need to fit in with peers becomes paramount. Ostracism is unthinkable, which makes some teenagers susceptible negative influence of some peers. You can help by talking to your young person about peer pressure; helping them resist peer pressure while maintaining status and encouraging them to speak out rather than be reliant on the approval of others.

Encouraging more than one set of friends

It’s helpful to think of friendships as a series of concentric circles. Most young people will have a few close friends in their inner circle but are surrounded by many friends in the outer circles. Encourage your young person to maintain friendship groups outside of school to help insulate against any teasing or unfriendly behaviour that may occur at school.

When you disapprove

Sometimes parents disapprove of their young person’s choice of friends, because of behaviour, poor reputation or the adverse influence they may have on a young person. Young people take criticism of their friends personally so be careful how you handle these issues. If you have worries about your child’s choice of friends: Check that your concerns are real. Encourage diversity of friendships. Be available to take your young person and their friends to outings, sports practice, parties and school formals, to familiarise yourself with their social groups. Many parents have found that, when they get to know their children’s friends, many of their concerns were unfounded.

Differentiate between online and offline friends

In all likelihood, your young person will communicate with their friends in real time or through digital technology. Help your young person understand the difference between the two, discussing how behaviours and norms vary between the real world and online. Discuss the ethics and behaviours appropriate to each format so they can enjoy healthy friendships in both the online and offline worlds.

Friendships can be a source of angst and also a source of joy for your young person. Your role as a parent is to promote healthy friendships and encourage your young person to empathise with others, show they are worthy of trust and treat others with respect - all foundations of mature adult relationships.

Webinar: Teach girls to build each other up

As your school has a membership with Parenting Ideas, you can attend the upcoming webinar -Teach girls to build each other up - at no cost!

About the webinar

Join Parenting educator Collett Smart in this special webinar that will show you how to help girls create positive peer relationships and provide practical advice and ideas to help navigate tricky situations including toxic friendships, cliques and bullying.

When

Wednesday 29 May 2019 at 8:00 PM AEST.

Price

This webinar is $37 per person to attend, and is free of charge to families at schools that have a Parenting Ideas membership. Use the voucher code below to register.

How parents can redeem the voucher

1. Click this link: https://www.parentingideas.com.au/parent-resources/parent-webinars/webinar-teach-girls-to-build-each-other-up

2. Click ‘Add to cart’

3. Click ‘View cart’

4. Enter the voucher code FRIENDSHIPS and click ‘Apply Coupon’. Your discount of $37 will be applied to the order. This voucher is valid until 29 June 2019

5. Click ‘Proceed to checkout’

6. Fill in your account details. These are the details you will use to login to your account and access your parenting material

7. Click ‘Place Order’

Woolworths Earn and Learn

Woolworths are running their ‘Earn and Learn’ campaign again. If you shop at Woolworths, you can earn a sticker with every $10 spent. Stickers can be placed onto the Earn & Learn sticker sheets and dropped into the collection box at Junior School Reception or your local Woolworths. In previous years thanks to your support, Girton Grammar Junior School has earned points for new sports equipment. This equipment has been send to schools in need both overseas and in Australia.

RULER for Families