From the Head of Junior School

What an incredible week last week was. A spot lockdown for 3 days, 2 days back at school and then the Swimming Carnival. It is still hard to believe that we were able to adapt so quickly and then come back out to a normal program and then carnival. It is a testament to the hard work of the staff with very little notice and the “can do” attitude of our students and parents that saw the week run so smoothly. While teaching and learning remotely is certainly not our preferred option we have demonstrated that we can do it effectively. It was pleasing to see our students able to engage in productive learning while also maintaining connection with their teachers and each other. Let us hope that interruptions this year are minimal.

Congratulations to all of our students for their enthusiastic participation in the Junior School Swimming Carnival last Friday. The weather was terrific, and it was a great way to finish a very busy week. Jenkin House were dominant in the pool and added their House to the Perpetual Swimming Trophy adding to their very impressive record. Well done to Riley House for winning the House Spirit Cup.

CHILD SAFETY AND PROTECTION

Girton Grammar School has always been committed to ensuring that the highest possible standards of child safety and protection from harm are maintained. In response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2017 the Victorian State Parliament enacted world-leading child protection standards with Ministerial Order 870. The Order mandates child safety and reporting measures for all organisations that have dealings with children. Girton Grammar School fully supports this legislation and has enacted the Order to its fullest. To this end the school has ensured the following:

strategies to embed an organisational culture of child safety, including through effective leadership arrangements.
a child safe policy or statement of commitment to child safety.
a code of conduct that establishes clear expectations for appropriate behaviour with children.
screening, supervision, training and other human resources practices that reduce the risk of child abuse by new and existing personnel.
processes for responding to and reporting suspected child abuse.
strategies to identify and reduce or remove risks of child abuse.
strategies to promote the participation and empowerment of children.

Girton staff have completed Child Safety and Protection training to learn what constitutes abuse, how to identify potential signs of abuse and what action must be taken.

Parents or community members who have concerns that a child may be unsafe and in danger of emotional, physical or sexual harm are urged to contact the school and ask to be referred to one of the school appointed Child Safety Officers, contact the Department of Human Services directly (1300664977 or A/H 131278 ) or the Police (000).

Details of Girton’s Child Safety Policy can be found on the school website at:

https://www.girton.vic.edu.au/images/Child-Protection-Safety-Policy190719.pdf

The school has also published policies relating to student safety and well-being in the Publications section of the website.

http://www.girton.vic.edu.au/our-story/publications/

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like further information about the school’s approach to Child Safety.

DOGS IN SCHOOL GROUNDS

For many families, dogs are an important part of daily life. Indeed, for some, they hold a special place as members of the family. While we appreciate the importance of pet ownership as an educational experience we also recognise that some children are not familiar with pets and can become quite anxious. It has been brought to my attention that there are several students who have become very anxious about dogs in the school grounds before and after school. We would ask that parents do not bring dogs into the school grounds before or after school, typically the busiest times of the day in terms of student movement around the grounds. We also ask that parents do not leave dogs unsupervised outside of the school grounds. Should you wish to bring your dog (or other pet) to school for a special occasion, such as your child’s “show and tell” day, please advise the teacher in advance so that they can prepare the children. For those parents with children who are nervous about dogs, it would be helpful to talk to them about Assistance Dogs as we do have several Assistance Dogs who will be in and around the school.

http://www.assistancedogs.org.au/

Thank you for your co-operation and consideration of the needs of all students.

NUT ALLERGIES

We ask that parents be mindful that we have children in Junior School who will suffer from a life threatening allergic reaction if they come into contact with peanuts or other nut based products. They are also allergic to other nuts and a variety of other foods and need to have all contact with food closely monitored as some are even susceptible to reactions from skin contact with the foods. Consequently, we ask parents to assist us by being aware of this when sending food to school.

Please note that we cannot possibly check food items which are brought into the School or on buses or to other events. Parents of susceptible children need to understand this and to educate their child on the risks.

Specifically, we ask that children do not bring to school the following:

Peanuts or any sort of other mixed nuts
Peanut butter/ Nutella
Yoghurt with nuts
Peanut butter Muesli / Fruit bars
Cakes, muffins or cookies containing nuts
Tahini

We ask the children to wash their hands carefully after eating at recess, lunch or cooking sessions. You would assist us greatly by discussing this with your child about this and support us to keep all our students safe at school.

All of the teachers in the School are aware of these students condition, and, along with their parents, we have established appropriatprocedures. Naturally, we are keen for their life to be as normal as possible, just as it should be for your child.

Mr Donald Thompson

Head of Junior School

Meet the Junior School House Captains and Vice Captains

I receive and commission you as a House Captain and House Vice-Captain of this School in 2021. May God guide and bless you in the work of this Office. I counsel you to act with firmness, lead by example, to seek humility and above all to serve your fellow students and your School in every way you can.

Preparatory: Remote Learning

Our Prep students had their first introduction to remote learning with the snap lockdown last week. They rose to the challenge and enjoyed learning from home.

Year Two: Cooking

Learning to Cook or Cooking to Learn?

Students in Year Two immersed themselves in their learning when making pancakes and jelly last week.

English/Mathematics

Students read the story Mr Wolf’s Pancakes where they focused on asking questions to improve their comprehension skills. They wrote out a pancake recipe and then cooked pancakes together. In Maths, students have been learning about fractions. To get their ‘pancake eating licence,’ they were asked to cut the pancakes into halves and quarters before eating. Maths concepts explored through the experience were – weighing, measuring, mixing, timing, and estimating. Students used their mathematical skills in their cooking (and without even realising it!).

Science

Students have been learning about the three states of water- solid, liquid and gas. They experimented with their knowledge by making jelly. Students discussed their hypotheses and observations throughout the experiment and witnessed all three states. They pretended to be water molecules and acted the states out with their peers. This led to many giggles! It is safe to say that their favourite part of the experiment was when the jelly turned solid and could be eaten!

Teaching children to cook helps them gain knowledge and skills across a range of subjects simultaneously. Learning to follow a recipe and prepare food spans several core subjects. Through reading and comprehension, English skills are consolidated, weighing and measuring ingredients draws on Maths concepts of volume, capacity and measurement, and the skills of inquiry and problem-solving are central to Science.

Cooking is a great way to spend time together as a family and learn while having fun! You can find a simple and delicious blueberry pancake recipe HERE.

Swimming Carnival

The annual Junior School Swimming Carnival was held on Friday 19th February. We were fortunate to be able to run our event after the sudden 5 day lockdown lifting just in time. There was a great atmosphere across the day with students competing and cheering for their fellow House competitors but also for the whole student body. Congratulations to all the students for their behaviour and attitude for the day and for the staff who work tirelessly to bring this event together. Congratulations to Jenkin House for taking out the House Cup and to Riley for lifting their chant to win the Spirit Cup.

Congratulations to our Age Champions:

09 Year Champions Lauren Davenport (Jenkin) and Digby Snell (Riley)

10 Year Champions Emma Pomeroy (Jones) and Archer Yuen (Frew)

11 Year Champions Octavia Yuen (Frew) and Spencer Snell (Riley)

12 Year Champions Grace Dobie (Jenkin) and Thomas (Seipolt (Riley)

A special congratulations to Grace Dobie (6 Jenkin) who broke not one but three school records on the day in Freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke!!

Please enjoy the gallery of the Carnival below:

Please enjoy footage of the Spirit Cup below:

Friends of Junior School

Friends of Junior School had their first meeting for the year recently. It was great to see many parents come along to find out more. Paris Batter, President of FoJS, welcomed everyone and gave an overview of the group. FOJS are about Friendraising – making connections within year levels and across Junior School. They provide opportunities for families to come together in informal settings like coffee at a local coffee shop, catch up in the park with the children or having a parents night out. The FoJS play an integral part in the Girton Community to help reconnect and build relationships with our families.

The next FOJS meeting will be on Thursday 25th March, everyone is welcome to attend.

District Tennis

On Wednesday 24th February, six of our Year Six students represented Girton Grammar School at the District Tennis Championships. They all competed well, with Lachlan Edwards (6 Jenkin), Harshil Balraj (6 Riley), Shanali Wickramasinghe (6 Riley) and Khloe Barich (6 Riley) all making it through to the next round. We wish them well at the Divisional Championships next week.

World's Greatest Shave

Now you see it, soon you won’t!

This year, 15 Junior School students will be participating in the World’s Greatest Shave to raise money for leukaemia. They will shave our hair off for a great cause. The reason we shave our heads is because the medicine for cancer makes you go bald. By shaving we will have a chance to imagine how some of those patients feel.

This event will be held on the 10th of March in the John E Higgs Hall. Hairdressers from Jools for Jim will attend to shave the hair and we will have a guest speaker.

All students have a World’s Greatest Shave account. The students have been raising money for the past month. They will be selling Zooper Doopers at recess on Wednesdays and Fridays and there is a lolly guessing jar in the office created by Ethan Hendrix, so don't forget to bring along a gold coin on those days.

If you would like to help support the Girton Team, please click HERE.

Dr Massey’s Shrove Tuesday pancake challenge