Junior School Report

Recently, CGS celebrated Reconciliation Week which is a significant week for our country. It promotes the coming together of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-indigenous Australians. It is a time to reflect on the nation’s shared histories, cultures and achievements and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

Throughout the week, Junior School students were involved in many activities including our Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country, our Year 5 and Foundation buddies beaded bracelets using Aboriginal flag colours, and Indigenous cooking sessions.

2S hosted their assembly during Reconciliation Week and performed an Indigenous story, A Home for Bilby which focused on Australian animal habitats and friendship. Our students performed proudly, and a highlight was CJ playing the digeridoo. Our new Kulin Nations map was unveiled during the assembly. Congratulations to Miss Shulz and her talented students.

Last Tuesday, despite the cool weather, our Years 3–6 students attended our annual Athletics Carnival. The event was full of enthusiastic participation, exceptional sportsmanship and impressive athletic performances. Students, teachers and parents came together to celebrate a day of fitness, fun and friendly competition. I would like to sincerely thank all our teachers for their hard work and getting into the spirit of their Houses, and particularly Mr Batey and Ms Roffey for their excellent organisation.

The House chants and sea of House colours were truly spectacular. Our student versus teacher relay was a welcome addition to the day. Well done to all our gold, silver and bronze medallists. Thank you to our principal, Mrs Williams, for presenting the medals and our all-important, much anticipated House Cup. Huge congratulations to the victors of the day, Leaver House and Mrs Kyne!

Miss Nolan could not have been prouder of her students as they shone on the big stage when they presented their recent assembly. Their theme was Aussie Icons and they certainly entertained us with their portrayals of sporting, animal, food, musical, Indigenous and many other well-known Australian icons.

The assembly provided a platform for students to learn about and appreciate the remarkable contributions of Australians across various fields. Bravo to 3N and Miss Nolan.

Hoping everyone enjoyed the King’s Birthday long weekend and were able to relax and recuperate ready for the last three action packed weeks of Semester 1.

SSV Divisional Cross Country

Eleven students from Years 3–6 recently competed at the SSV Divisional Cross Country event at Pakenham after their exceptional performance at the District competition in the previous weeks. They ran exceptionally well against some highly talented runners from a large number of surrounding schools. Special congratulations to the following students who placed in the top 10 and will now compete at the Regional Championships at Hastings, an amazing achievement.

Snaver M – 2^nd Place

Saahib M – 5^th Place

Zara M – 4^th Place

Junior School Athletics

Well done to the Years 3–6 students on competing in the Junior School Athletics Carnival this week. It was great to see such enthusiastic levels of participation, and the positive sportsmanship demonstrated throughout the day was commendable. Thank you to the large number of parents and friends who attended to show their support, and the staff for ensuring the day ran smoothly. Congratulations to all the medal recipients, and to Mrs Kyne and Leaver House for accumulating the highest number of points throughout the day and taking out the House Cup, as well as the teacher versus student race.

Jeff Batey

Junior School PE Teacher

Earth Day

On 22 April, we celebrated Earth Day for the first time at Casey Grammar School, an annual global event that highlights the current threats facing our planet. We excitedly dressed up in blue and green to represent the Earth and participated in many fun classroom activities. Some classes painted murals, made posters or wrote poems about caring for our planet. Students in 2S planted little butterfly flower seeds, while Sahib and Kiana also took it upon themselves to collect rubbish at play time. Mrs Harrison joined the students in 2H to paint Earth Day promises, while the students in 6K enjoyed a Kahoot before spending time outside in the sun on the grass.

Earth Day activities extended into STEM classes as well, where 4H undertook some citizen science by documenting the various types of birds they could observe on a nature walk around the school. They identified, then counted, the number of birds and mapped out the bird hotspots in the school, and discussed what could be done to protect these birds in our local area.

Together, we raised $506.50 which was donated to Planet Ark, one of Australia’s most respected environmental not-for-profit organisations which helps individuals, governments and businesses reduce their impact on the environment.

Adele A and Yuvraj P

Year 6 Environmental Captains

Victorian Opera Excursion

To compliment the learning experiences of our Year 2 students in Performing Arts, Mrs Kyne along with our fabulous staff and parents, Mrs Duell, Anna Giles, Dayle Barnes, Miss Schultz, Mr Silva and Mrs Harrison, travelled into the city to hear the Victorian Opera Chamber Orchestra perform Parrwang Lifts the Sky at the Malthouse Theatre. It was such an entertaining and clever way of teaching our students about Opera. Here are some accounts of what they experienced.

“I loved going to the opera. It was my first time going to a theatre. I loved seeing Mr and Mrs Waa in the performance because they had amazing costumes. I loved listening to the music and being able to see the orchestra pit from the very front row. My favourite instrument was the French horn.” Jodie S, 2H, Booth

“I enjoyed going to the children’s opera. Benjil the Eagle had a very nice voice. It was very loud when they were singing. Their voices were really powerful!” Arayna B, 2H, Trist

Lip Sync Battle

We had over 100 students from Years 3–6 perform at our Lip Sync for Leaver fundraiser for Variety: the Children’s Charity. Congratulations to all the students who got involved and to all the teachers who judged throughout the week.

You all did such a fabulous job for such a worthwhile cause. However, if you did not get a chance to donate at our Lip Sync Showcase held on 30 May, you can still bring a gold coin on our Free Dress Day. More details to come.

Bronwyn Kyne

Head of Leaver House – Junior School

Wildlife Sidekicks

Last Monday we had an incursion from Wildlife Sidekicks. All the students got up close and personal with a range of wild animals. It concluded our unit of inquiry into living and non-living things.

Fiona Laidlaw

Foundation Teacher