Junior School 

From the Head of Junior School 

Year Six Exhibition

Last Friday our Year Six cohort hosted their learning Exhibition for family and friends, celebrating their Graduation from the Junior School. We shared reflections from their eight year journey as a cohort in the Junior School, highlights of 2021 and wished them well for the Middle School with prayers from parents and teachers. Each Year Six student was presented with a graduation pack from Principal, Mr Mark Sawle. There were equal portions of tears and laughter as the baby photograph recreation video was played, this has been a traditional feature of the Year Six end-of-year experience where students enjoy recreating a favourite baby photograph in their 12 year old form. The occasion concluded with students leading their families through their final unit of inquiry, ‘Who We Are’, an exploration into our sense of self as young learners in transition from Junior School to Middle School. The Junior School building was filled with displays, students confidently sharing insights behind their character development and particular aspects of their lives that have helped shape who they are at this particular stage of their lives. It was a lovely evening to share with families, and for some it was their final Junior School event with their last child finishing in the Junior School.  

Junior School Awards and Christmas Concert

On Tuesday, the whole Junior School gathered with their families to celebrate 2021 together in the Multi-Purpose Sport Complex. Opened by the Pipe Band, the Awards Ceremony recognised the significant achievements of students with Class Awards, Learning Area Awards and Special Junior School Awards. The Year Six cohort sang their leavers song for the community, which was a fitting farewell, followed by a prayer shared by School Chaplain, Mrs Naomi Cooper. Some students from across the Junior School (Kindergarten to Year Six) shared a personal highlight from the year to introduce the 2021 highlights video, which captured a nice snapshot of events, occasions and general day-to-day experiences of the Junior School this year. At the conclusion of the event, the Parents and Friends' Association hosted a morning tea, which was a wonderful way for our families to share the occasion together before the Christmas Concert commenced.

The much-loved Junior School Christmas Concert is part of the fabric in our school culture now. Originally, the concert was just an Early Childhood event, however the Christmas Concert grew with popularity as students moved through the Junior School, encouraging their continued involvement, bringing it to where it is today. Every class prepares a Christmas song as an item. There is a delightful array of song, dance and style. Some performances were jovial and light-hearted as they sang about an ‘Aussie Christmas’, others are fun and a little bit fancy with their renditions of well-known Christmas classics like Last Christmas and Revvin' up the Reindeer. Our Year Three cohort, in the middle of the Junior School both figuratively and literally in the programme, maintained their traditional item of a Christmas hymn, this year singing Do You Hear What I Hear?, which was beautifully sung. But, the show stopping finale to the concert, as always, was the Staff Item – this year the Junior School team dancing their hearts out to Run, Run Rudolph. The event filled the air with Christmas cheer, laughter and smiles as we wished everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2022. 

I’d like to sign-off with a sincere thank you to our Junior School community for the immense support, kindness, encouragement and commitment you have shared towards the development of our young learners this year. The Junior School is such a happy place filled with students, families and colleagues who enjoy what they do each day. Have a safe and happy summer ahead.

With warmest regards, and a Merry Christmas, 

Mr Ken Raven | Head of Junior School

Photos from Recent Events

All images from the recent Junior School Awards Ceremony and the Junior School Christmas concert can be found on MyGSG under Junior School.