2024, Term 2, Edition 5 - Junior School

From the Head of Junior School

Welcome back to school for Term 2! Whether you are a student, teacher, or parent, I hope you are feeling refreshed and ready for another term of learning and growth. Term 2 will no doubt bring new challenges and opportunities while also being a chance to build on what has already been achieved in first term.

Our Junior School commenced the term with a Welcome Assembly. I was extremely proud of all our Year 6 students who stepped up to present at our assembly.

We heard about the highlights of Term 1 which included Year 6 Camp, Trist Fundraiser, Harmony Week, Divisional Swimming and our upcoming Anzac Day. Congratulations to all our students who received their class’s prestigious Values Award.

These awards recognized students who had demonstrated exceptional commitment to one of our school values of respect, inclusion, compassion, integrity, or excellence.

Whether it was helping a fellow student, showing leadership in the classroom, or consistently striving for excellence, these students exemplify the best of what our school stands for. A highlight of our assembly was Kaya W singing ‘This Wish’. Kaya sang beautifully and captivated the entire audience. Well done Kaya!

The Instrumental Soiree was a delightful evening, where many CGS students showcased their musical talents. The audience was engaged from start to finish. Congratulations to all our performers, Mrs Kyne and the entire Performing Arts Department.

Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. The day typically begins with a dawn service, often including the playing of the Last Post, a minute’s silence and the laying of wreaths.

Our Junior School Social Justice captains, Zara and Ryan and one of our Junior School captains, Vinuka, accompanied our Senior School captains and Mrs Riviere-Pendle to lay a wreath at the Cranbourne War Memorial on behalf of Casey Grammar on Anzac Day.

Junior School Parent-Teacher interviews took place last week. They are an essential aspect of a student’s educational journey, fostering collaboration and understanding between parents and teachers.

They provide a valuable opportunity for parents to gain insights into their child’s progress, strengths and areas for improvement directly from their classroom teachers.

Also, teachers can learn about the student’s home environment, individual needs, and any concerns or challenges the parents might have, ultimately benefitting the students. Sincere thanks to our parents for attending these important interviews and our teachers for preparing and facilitating the interviews.

Our Year 4 students have just returned from their very successful overnight City Camp. Like all the teachers who attended, I am sure our Year 4 students will sleep well tonight!

Sincere thanks to Mr Bell, Mrs Harvie, Miss Nolan, Mrs Kyne, Mrs Barnes and Miss Humphries for attending and making this camp possible for our most fortunate students. I thoroughly enjoyed my overnight visit! Watch this space for further details about this camp in our next newsletter.

Tomorrow our Year 5 students head off to their 2024 camp at The Ranch! I am sure they will have a most enriching experience and I am already looking forward to my two night visit!

Melissa Roberton
Head of Junior School

Cross Country Fun

Huge congratulations to all students from the Junior School who participated in the House Cross Country competition. The day began with our Foundation to Year 2 students completing their course, and they all did a fantastic job. The Years 3–6 students followed, running in their age groups in either a 2km or 3km run. It was fantastic to see so many parents and friends in attendance and showing their support. Thank you to all staff for ensuring the day ran smoothly and a huge congratulations to Leaver House for accumulating the highest number of points and winning the day. A special mention to those students who finished in the top six in their age groups from the Years 3–6 section, who will now compete at District Cross Country on 20 May at Casey Fields.

Gaga Arena

Thank you to Mr Young and the Year 12 Woodwork students, who have been working hard building a portable Gaga arena for our Junior School students. The Year 6 students had the pleasure of catching up with them in the final week of term to give it a test run, and it is safe to say lots of fun was had. We look forward to putting this to good use into the future.