Looking Ahead to Term 2 and Beyond

It has been wonderful to welcome back our Senior School students following the Easter break. I extend this welcome to Mme Beatriz Christensen, who has returned from Maternity Leave, and Mrs Cheryl Pereira after one term’s Long Service Leave.

The last week of Term 1 saw our Year 10 students participate in Careers and Pathways Week, with visits to tertiary institutions, an Enterprise Day incursion, and the opportunity to participate in mock interviews.

This program has enabled students to consider a range of options as they approach their final years of secondary schooling and begin to map out their future.

I would like to give thanks to the teachers who helped to make this week a success, in particular Ms Sarah Blythman for her detailed planning and supervision over the course of the program.

Activities Make the Most of the Great Outdoors

As we look forward into Term 2, our School calendar promises an abundance of activities that complement all areas of the curriculum.

Making the most of the great outdoors before the winter weather sets in, a group of Year 9 students have completed their Duke of Edinburgh practice journey at Tidal River. Year 7 students are spending three days at the Portsea Camp, and are fortunate to be making up for the dates cancelled due to the ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown earlier in the year.

Uniform Enhances Pride – and Looks Great

In closing, I would like to thank families for their support in having students wear the winter uniform both correctly and with a sense of pride.

While on yard duty one morning, I asked a number of students who were entering the School what they thought of compulsory school uniform. Their answers were insightful, including ideas such as it provides a sense of belonging, takes away the pressure of choosing an outfit each morning, simply looks good and is comfortable!

I hope that the majority of our Senior School students and their families share these views.

Kate Morgan

Head of Senior School

Truth is Stranger than Fiction in this Adventurous Tale

It’s all aboard as our Year 10 Drama class prepares to present the fast-paced comedy-mystery Nothing But the Truth on Wednesday, 12 May.

Set on an ocean liner around the time of the Titanic, the production strikes the perfect balance between humour and suspense – but without that awful sinking feeling at the end! 

David, an adventurous young man traveling with his sister, finds himself in a boatload of trouble after he pretends to be a spy in order to impress Katrina, a girl he has just met. He enlists her help in solving a phony mystery he has created while Pete, who also has an eye on Katrina, rocks the boat after discovering competition from David. 

Truth is stranger than fiction as David realises that a real international mystery is unfolding on board the ship. He finds himself in the middle of an actual sabotage plot that forces him to delve into a dangerous mystery to save the ship from a hidden bomb!

Along the way, he discovers a passenger mysteriously travelling with a large sum of foreign money and is wary of Captain Kraus, whose name singles him out as a possible German agent. 

With a slew of hilarious misleading clues, love triangles and mistaken identities, this entertaining, light-hearted tale of spies and espionage will pique your curiosity and tickle your funny bone!

The show will be presented at 7.00 pm on Wednesday, 12 May, in the Performing Arts Centre.

We request that all patrons check in by scanning the QR code upon entering the theatre. Masks will need to be worn while in the theatre.

On this occasion, we will not be serving refreshments, so please ensure you bring a non-alcoholic beverage along.

Natalie Burns

Head of Drama / Secondary Drama & Media Teacher

Sensational Swimmers do their School Proud

Selected Casey Grammar Swim Team members last week headed off bright and early to MSAC in Albert Park for the SIS Swimming Carnival.

Students were a little nervous about the prospect of competing against other SIS affiliated schools, but they need not have been! They all participated to the absolute best of their ability and I could not have been prouder of their efforts.

We had lots of individual success and team success with our 4 x 50 m medley relay and 4 x 50 m freestyle relay teams. Casey Grammar also finished second overall out of the seven competing schools and won the SIS Merit award, which considers sportsmanship and participation.

We also won the Under-14 Girls and Under-17 Girls Championship pennants.

Individual recognition to Julia Stipkovic (8A) for finishing first in all four of her individual events and second in the 4 x 50 m freestyle relay, and Juna Gemmell (Year 11), who also finished first in all three of her individual events, second in the 4 x 50 m freestyle relay, and third in the 4 x 50 m medley relay.

It was a fantastic day for our CGS Swim Team, whose members represented Casey Grammar School in the most positive way.

Fern Schreuder

Head of Sport

Sampling Science at Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne

Our Year 9 students recently engaged in field work at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Cranbourne, as part of our learning program for Science. Throughout the day, we learned about the garden’s unique recirculating wetland and were given a presentation about Aboriginal bush tucker. 

We had access to an area closed to the public, where we investigated the biotic and abiotic components of the wetland, which is the learning focus for our study of ecosystems. We tested for abiotic factors such as nitrates in the water, pH levels, turbidity and dissolved oxygen. 

Biotic factors were also measured, with students sampling the water and identifying and counting the visible invertebrates in it. This gave us a general indication of the ability of the wetland to support aquatic life.  

The presentation on Aboriginal bush tucker was quite fascinating. We got to sample midyim berries as well as acacia seeds, which we had the opportunity to collect, sample and crush using grinding rocks. We learned of different seasonal bush foods available in different parts of Australia and the impact that British colonisation had on the availability of each of the native plants. 

We would like to thank Mr Isgro for organising the day and all our Science teachers who came along to supervise us. 

Naheed Jafary 9A

Media Students Enjoy Top Screen Films 

Years 11 and 12 Media students recently ventured to ACMI to view the VCE Season of Excellence program Top Screen, including a film by one of our own students. 

This event is a collection of short films from the top Media students from the class of 2020. It provided current students with the chance to view the work and creative processes of past students. 

One highlight was seeing our very own Joel Rasmussen’s film Wrangler, which was chosen as one of the top 16 films of 2020, play on the big screen in the cinema!   

The session was followed by an hour-long question and answer session with several of the film makers themselves. 

Our Year 12 students are in the planning stages for their short films and will take the advice and learnings of this excursion into the production of their mini blockbusters in Unit 4! 

Following Top Screen, we ventured downstairs to view The Story of the Moving Image, ACMI’s new exhibition journeying through the past, present and future of television and cinema. It featured interactive experiences, digital innovations and captivating stories which explored the Media art form and the way in which it has changed the world. 

It was a wonderful, informative, and motivating day out in the city for the students.  

Natalie Burns 

Head of Drama / Secondary Drama & Media Teacher