From the Head of Junior School

It has been a very busy fortnight as we are racing towards the end of the year. We celebrated NAIDOC week this week with several guest presenters visiting our school and sharing their stories with our students. Our celebration and recognition of indigenous history, culture and stories was launched on Monday with a smoking ceremony and welcome to country performed by Dja Dja Wurrung writer, artist and performer Rebecca Phillips. Ms Phillips was joined by the Student Representative Council members for the ceremony which was streamed into our classrooms. She shared some local history, artefacts and language and then explained the purpose of the ceremony and welcome to country. Marana Murray (4 Jenkin) was proud to join Ms Phillips in performing the ceremony.

Following the ceremony we were fortunate to have indigenous elder Aunty Lyn Warren come and share her stories with our Prep, Year 1 and 2 students. Listening to Aunty Lyn’s story was in equal parts sad and inspiring. The work she has done to support others to make connections with their culture and country is incredible. She also had an obvious passion for sharing stories with the younger generation which was evident in her enthusiasm and warmth when sharing storybooks in the library with our students.

On Tuesday it was our older students who were treated to a presentation by world renowned indigenous performer and storyteller Mr Ron Murray. Mr Murray had our students enthralled with his stories of growing up in Balranald and Melbourne, didgeridoo playing and sharing of traditional stories. He has a passion for educating the younger generations and maintaining the traditional heritage of the area where he grew up. It was interesting to watch as Mr Murray was able to tell stories that gave our students a real understanding of what society was like for indigenous children and adults, only one or two generations ago. Our students were engaged from the moment they walked in until it was time to finish.

I would like to thank Mrs Catherine Stagg and the members of the NAIDOC Week working group who developed the activities and programmes for our children to take part in. This was by far the most engaging NAIDOC Week celebrations that we have had in my time at the school. I certainly appreciated the perspectives and new understandings that I walked away with as a result of listening and learning from Ms Phillips, Aunty Lyn and Mr Murray. I am sure our children all appreciated how much they learned throughout the week as well.

Mr Donald Thompson

Head of Junior School

Preparatory

This week as part of the NAIDOC week activities the children decorated two footprints.

One was decorated with the colours of the Indigenous flag whilst the other was coloured using the traditional flag colours or with gold and green. The footprints were then placed together to represent how we can walk together in harmony.

Year One: Mini Beast and Physical Change Unit

In Year One, students have been studying Mini Beasts and their habitats. They have learnt about the different places in which living things exist and how their needs are met. The students have also been investigating how shapes of objects made from different materials can be physically changed through actions such as bending, stretching and twisting. The students have demonstrated their learning by making a habitat diorama for their chosen Mini Beast using everyday materials around the classroom. They have been very creative with their designs.

Year Two

Aunty Lyn Warren visited the Junior School on 9th November as part of NAIDOC Week. She attended the Smoking Ceremony led by the Student Representative Council and read a story to the Preparatory, Year One and Year Two students.

Stella McIntosh 2M

I loved Aunty Lyn’s visit because she was funny and she told us a lot about what happened in the olden days.

Charlotte Landells 2M

Aunty Lyn told us in the olden days if a baby died they would wrap it up in bark and place the baby in a carved out tree.

Zororo Tamangani 2D

Aunty Lyn told me about what happened when she was younger. I liked that she was happy to come into school and share her stories. She was very nice.

Lilly Hetherington 2D

I liked Aunty Lyn telling us her stories. I thought she was nice and kind. It was interesting to hear about the carved trees.

Year Three

This week Year Three from Girton Grammar School went to Synnystones Camp in Merrimu.

We went to learn lots of things about nature and the environment. We did lots of exciting activities such as archery, canoeing, low ropes course, geocaching, hut building, trivia and survival game. We had a blast!

We interviewed some children (and a teacher) about their experience on camp. "It was very fun and exciting," a boy named Felix said. "It was super fun," said another boy named Orsen. "It was the best camp ever," said Mrs Moss.

Rafay Jeddi (3 Millward)

Year Four

This term the children in Year Four have been learning about the geography and history of Africa. They were fortunate to listen to a wonderful presentation from Mrs Dusseljee and heard her memories of growing up in South Africa. They learnt about the remarkable life and work of Nelson Mandela who helped change the lives of millions of South African people. We listened to the song called Nelson Mandela by The Specials.

The song made me feel angry because it took so much just to free one person who didn’t do anything wrong. All he was doing was fighting against racism. It made me feel happy because so many people wanted to free him from jail. They were willing to try anything to free him. And sad because Mandela spent 27 years in jail and that is time he can never get back.

Octavia Yuen (4 Frew)

Year Five

Drones are an increasingly ubiquitous tool in a variety of real-world settings. As part of the Digital Technologies curriculum in Year Five, students are asked to design step-by-step instructions, or algorithms, to solve problems. The Year Five students are able to program the Parrot drones to follow a chain of commands to navigate a short obstacle course. Students were also taught how to free-fly the drones through the obstacle course! The comparison of programmed flight and free flight is interesting, and the students loved using the drones.

Year Six

The Year Six students looked at famous aboriginal women during NAIDOC week. Each student selected one of the women and created a fact file about them. Below are some examples.

Lunchtime Activities

Origami

Junior School students have been enjoying making Origami during Wednesday lunchtimes.

Origami requires calmness of mind, hand dexterity, and focus. The Junior school students have displayed a command of all the essential attributes and have created some fabulous paper cranes. Well done!

Please come and join in the Origami fun!

Mrs Maria Krelle and Mrs Merilyn Tatt

Gardening

“On Wednesday Mrs Morris and Mrs Brooks were met by lots of enthusiastic students who couldn’t wait to get stuck into our garden and get their hands dirty. They pulled weeds out, picked seeds and found lots of interesting bugs. There was lots of discussion

about what veggies should be planted and how long it would take before we could pick and eat them. Tomatoes were a clear favourite amongst all the students…. Hopefully they picked all the pesky caterpillars so they don’t eat our tomatoes!”

Mrs Tracy Morris

Dancing

What better way to spend your "Friyay" lunchtime than to dance it away…. Why dance??

Physical exercise

Exercise is essential in helping to create a healthy body and healthy mind.

Wellbeing

Dance can help bring joy and stability into troubled lives and ease tensions in schools disrupted by antisocial behaviours.

Coordination

Coordination and balance are very important skills which if developed can help to build new synapses in the brain.

Memory

Learning dance routines helps to improve memory function.

Self-esteem

Music and dance can help to release endorphins, helping us to feel good about ourselves and our bodies.

Safety

Gives participants an opportunity to use fundamental locomotor and non-locomotor movements, body parts, bases and zones to explore safe movement possibilities.

Resilience

Learning new skills develops confidence, motivation and persistence.

Engagement

Music and dance can help to build engagement in often otherwise reluctant learners.

Fun

Students are able to learn a range of new skills set and have fun while doing so.

Mrs Lucy Butler-Rees

S.T.E.M. Marshmallow Building Challenge

Standing, standing, and…… CRASH! Students in Prep-Year Six in attendance at the S.T.E.M Building Challenge Thursday lunchtime showed great perseverance when creating marshmallow towers. Using only toothpicks and marshmallows, students set out to create the tallest tower that they could. This task was a fun way to develop basic engineering and geometry strategies. Everyone involved designed original and unique buildings. Overall, the task appeared to be a fun and sticky way to enjoy lunchtime!

Mrs Catherine Stagg

Other lunchtime activities included Chess, Colouring in and Digitech. Please enjoy the gallery.

NAIDOC Week 2020

We respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Country across our region.

We also acknowledge and pay our respects to the Dja Dja Wurrung Traditional Custodians, and the elders past, present, and emerging.

Always Was, Always Will Be.

Always Was, Always Will Be. recognises that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years.

NAIDOC Week 2020 acknowledges and celebrates that our nation’s story didn’t begin with documented European contact. The very first footprints on this continent were those belonging to First Nations peoples.

NAIDOC Week saw many activities held within classrooms and specialist classes. On Monday, the Junior school held a smoking ceremony and Welcome to Country held by Dja Dja Wurrung representative, Rebecca Phillips. Rebecca discussed the importance of the smoking ceremony of ancient custom. The ceremony was represented by Mr Thompson, Dr Massey, and SRC members and a video was live-streamed to classrooms.

During lunchtime, Junior school students enthusiastically created Aboriginal Flags underneath the Peppercorn tree with the help of the Year Five SRC members.

Prep, Year One and Year Two students were also fortunate to have local Aboriginal Elder, Aunty Lyn Warren share First Nation stories in the Library. Aunty Lyn is a proud Yorta Yorta and Wemba Wemba woman, and she is Chairperson for the Bendigo NAIDOC Committee. Students were engaged throughout the sessions, with many students sharing their connections to the stories and asking thoughtful questions.

On Tuesday, Year Three, Four, Five and Six students listened to speaker Ron Murray. He is a Wamba Wamba man (Swan Hill). Ron is a cultural educator, storyteller, musician, didgeridoo maker and sculptor. Students enjoyed listening to Ron’s stories and listening to him play music.

Congratulations Radio Play Cast of 2020!!

Last week, some Year Six students performed the live-streamed radio play of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. After many months of rehearsals, both online and onsite, students delivered excellent performances over four days. Some cast members wore costumes and paraded before school and during lunchtime to build excitement amongst the younger students.

The dedication, enthusiasm, and positive attitude these students showed throughout the journey is something about which their parents and teachers should feel very proud. The way students worked on their voices and took on feedback is to be congratulated, and there is no doubt that the skills learned will be useful in the future.

Thank you to the cast members for their commitment and effort, and thank you for coming on this remarkable learning journey as we stepped into the unknown in the most unusual year. You are now part of the history of Girton, rising to a challenge and co-creating something incredible. YOU should indeed be so proud.

Mrs Catherine Stagg

Camp Australia Holiday Program

Community Notices