Secondary School

From the Head of Secondary 

As we draw closer to the end of the term, we have been encouraging the students to think about gratitude.  At Assembly on Monday, Stella Boyce, School Captain said the following:

Gratitude isn’t just about being grateful of people or things or how lucky you are; it’s about being thankful for the things people do for you, the opportunities that you are given and the time you have to reach your goals.  

For example: not only am I grateful for my parents and friends, I’m grateful for the things they do for me, for the time my parents spent teaching me to drive or driving me around before I could do it on my own, for my friends and the time they spend with me, the advice they give and the conversations we have, however strange they may be. 

Sometimes we can find it hard to be grateful for things, especially when we have a bad day or we’re in an unfortunate situation, like playing a game of sport in the rain or something not so fun like that. Although these situations make it hard to be grateful, we can still find something to enjoy.  

We could be grateful that we can play sports in and outdoors now, because just a few years ago that was a very unlikely possibility. 

Like sport, camps weren’t much of a possibility either, this year there has been a great number of camps and I have heard many good stories about them. 

This year, a group of the Year Twelve leaders got the opportunity to go out to the Year Eight camp and spend some time with them after their few days of adventures. We got to speak to them about walking Bald Head, visiting an aged care home and a handful of other activities. It was great to listen to all their stories and hear about the things they found hard and what really enjoyed.  

As we move through the next week, I challenge you all to think of at least three things you are grateful for, whether that be sport, camps or anything in between. Thank you. 

The school certainly feels like a vibrant place at the moment and when I reflect on the term, I am thrilled with the number of events and opportunities we have been able to offer the community.  Perhaps more exciting for me are the levels of participation I have seen in these opportunities, the sharing afterward and the appreciation of having these options available again.  In true Grammar style, I have also been impressed with the way our students are keen to give back.  The following reports show big hearts and a sense of fun which I am sure you agree is a wonderful combination.

Ivy Moir – Year Twelve Camfield House Captain

A massive thank you to everyone who participated in Camfield's Socks 'n' Kicks fundraising day. Overall, we raised an incredible $1,500 from donations and the cake stall. This is an amazing result and we are so pleased to be able to donate this money to our Cambodian sponsor child, Kosal. Thank you to everyone who donated cakes; they all looked amazing! We would like to (unfortunately) congratulate the teachers on their one goal win in the Teachers v Year Twelve students soccer match and a shout out to Mr McLean for scoring the teachers' winning goal. Thank you to those who came down to support the event, from both the secondary and primary schools. And thanks to Alby and Levi for referring the match. Year Elevens, start practicing now to guarantee the win for next year. 

Rachel Turner – Year Nine Baudin House Leader

A little reminder that the Year Nine leaders are running a food bank drive this term. Giving is such an amazing thing and it will really help those who are not as fortunate as us. Foodbank is a non-profit, charitable organisation that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger. 

Foodbank is currently looking for tins, long-life milk, pasta sauce and other non-perishable food or items with long shelf life. On Tuesday of Week Ten during Homeroom, there will be a sculpture challenge, so the more food the better and we encourage you to go wild with your team building and creativity. Each Homeroom will use the donations they have collected to build a sculpture of whatever they can think of. The delivery to Foodbank will occur on Wednesday, the last day of term. 

Mrs Victoria Turnor | Head of Secondary