Mrs Dunwoody speaks about the upcoming social media ban and its effects on our community.
We hope that all members of our school community have enjoyed the past fortnight, including the midterm break, some dramatic and dynamic weather, and, most importantly, the significant milestones and events that mark this stage of Term Four.
For our Senior School students, this time of year represents both celebration and transition, with VCE exams nearing completion and end of year programs on the horizon. Students in Years 10 and 11 are about to commence their exam period and will soon participate in the Headstart Program, providing them with valuable preparation and insights for their VCE studies in 2026. Year Level Coordinators, together with their teachers, have worked diligently to support students in this process, offering sessions on revision strategies, exam techniques, self-care, and tips for success. We extend our best wishes to all students as they navigate this important stage of their academic journey.
In the Middle School, students are continuing to work through their elective and core curriculum programs, engaging in activities, excursions, and, in some cases, hosting market stalls to showcase their learning. They have also celebrated success in external competitions such as the First Lego League and the Year 8 Opportunity Challenge, which concluded today. Over the coming weeks, we look forward to recognising moments of personal growth, learning, and achievement with our students and school community through our end of year celebrations and events.
This week, our community gathered for a Remembrance Day Service, an opportunity for reflection and gratitude, reminding us of the importance of honouring those who have served. We were privileged to welcome Brigadier Michelle Campbell AM, whose inspiring and moving words added depth and significance to the occasion. We extend our gratitude to Ms Kylie Rose for her work in preparing such a moving and fitting tribute, and to the students from across the School who were involved in the service.
Kath Woolcock
Head of Senior School
Tom Clark
Head of Middle School
Yesterday, Thursday 13 November, during Secondary School assembly, our 2026 school leaders were officially inducted as leaders of Camberwell Girls in 2026, including those elected to formal leadership positions and our soon to be Year 12 students.
While most leadership positions were announced earlier in the term, several students have since joined the Student Leadership Team, and we were delighted to acknowledge and congratulate them during this occasion.
The Leaders’ Service marks the beginning of a personal and collective journey of growth, impact, and service. As students responded to the Leadership Oath presented by Mrs Dunwoody and Reverend Helen Creed, they committed to the responsibilities entrusted to them and were encouraged to embrace the opportunities ahead with curiosity and a willingness to learn from those around them.
Our 2026 School Captain, Anneka S, spoke passionately about the significance of this moment, reminding her peers that the Class of 2026 and our appointed leaders are about to embark on a journey of growth, service, and impact. She encouraged each leader to take their responsibility seriously seeking to learn from those around them. Her words captured the spirit of the occasion: this induction assembly is the spark that ignites their passion, and she expressed her excitement to share this journey with them.
Mrs Davina McClure, Deputy Principal, shared powerful insights on leadership, focusing on the importance of being fully present and recognising the impact of our words. She reflected on these messages, offering valuable advice as students prepare to leave their legacy on the School. Mrs McClure emphasised building trust, modelling respect, and fostering positive interactions, qualities we look forward to seeing our students exemplify throughout 2026.
Kath Woolcock
Head of Senior School
JSP Debating
Across Terms 3 and 4, sixteen Year 7 students took up the co-curricular opportunity to participate in a four-week introduction to debating program. Their enthusiasm was wonderful to behold!
The students experienced training with Debating Association Victoria mentors in two sessions and watched the mentors perform a debate exhibition. Amongst all their training, the students also prepared and delivered three debates on topics: ‘that it should be compulsory for fast food to have plain packaging’ and ‘that 50% of school assessments should be non-written and non-typed assessment’.
Our students debated against St Kevin’s College and Xavier College students and all teams experienced great success!
Keep an eye out for Year 7 and 8 debating opportunities in 2026.
DAV Debating Finals
Year 11 debating team made up of Abbey M, Sofia S, Emily H, Emily L, Emily W, Anneka S, Grace W, Ana-Sofia J-P became our second team to ever make the finals of the Debating Association of Victoria Competition. This makes them one of the top 8 teams in the state, out of the over 300 B division teams who competed over the season. They should be so proud of their achievement.
A particular well done to Abbey, Anneka, Grace and Ana-Sofia who competed in multiple rounds of the finals and to Sofia and Emily W who were part of the Octo-final round of the competition.
At Year 11 level, the debating finals are secret topics and students have one hour to prepare with no access to technology. I had the pleasure of watching them debate the topic.
Our debaters who take part in DAV take up a challenging task and put themselves in a position where they are developing wonderful skills of argumentation, critical thinking, collaboration and communication skills.
DAV is a co-curricular opportunity open to Years 9-12 students and involves five debates held across Terms 1-3.
Swannie Award
An amazing success from the 2025 Debating Season was our very own Year 10 student Sass L.
Her team won all five debates of their season in the Camberwell Region, and they progressed to and took part in the first round of the finals.
On top of this success, Sass earned the Swannie Award for C Grade Division of the Camberwell Region. This means she had the highest score, as a speaker in her division, of the competition.
Sass received her award at a ceremony on Friday 19 September and during that ceremony found out she was also awarded the Swannie for C Grade for, not only Camberwell Region, but for the entire competition across the state.
This is an outstanding achievement for her incredible skills and performance across the year.
Well done Sass!
OGA Public Speaking Competition
This term our students from Years 7-11 were given the opportunity to take part in the OGA Public Speaking Competition. This competition is an initiative of the Old Grammarian Association, who want to encourage our students in developing the crucial skill of communication and public speaking.
We were excited to have over 30 students take part in trials. They presented a short speech on ‘If I had a super power…’ and Rithanyaa, the School Public Speaking and Debating Captain, and I enjoyed them so much. The students spoke so well, and it was hard to choose only five finalists.
Last week in Assembly, Grace W from Year 7, Ishana S and Rachel F from Year 9, Jessica W from Year 9 and Valerie K from Year 10 competed in the finals of the competition, each crafting their own interpretation of the prompt: no signal. They did a fabulous job engaging the audience.
Salome O, our 2023 School Debating and Public Speaking Captain returned to adjudicate the competition as our Old Grammarian representative.
I am pleased to announce the winner: Valerie K of Year 10. And the runner up: Grace W of Year 7. Well done!
Jennifer Gordon
English and Literature Teacher
Head of English
The Science Talent Search is a science-based competition open to all Victorian school age students. This year’s theme was Decoding the Universe. Project categories included creative writing, games, scientific posters, photography and experimental research.
Congratulations to the 34 students who participated this year. We are delighted to announce that 7 students were awarded Major Bursaries and 13 received Minor Bursaries. There were a further 14 projects awarded a Distinction or a Merit.
Students should speak to their Science teacher in Term 1 if they’re interested in getting involved in 2026.
Science Talent Search was a rewarding experience that not only enriched our scientific skills but also our teamwork skills. This year, we created a video on the topic of genetic engineering and CRISPR Cas-9, extending on our entry last year about genes. We both thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to work together again, and a highlight of STS this year was when we incorporated creative scenes into our video to engage viewers such as our red blood cell frisbee transition.
Anni and Vincy Y9 (Major Bursary Winners)
Leanne O’Doherty
Mathematics and Science Teacher
Following the success of Term One’s School clean-up event, our Froggies co-curricular students once again joined forces with Camberwell Grammar (Boys) to make a positive impact on the local environment at Deepdene Park and Belmont Park. Students dedicated an afternoon to removing as much waste as possible, demonstrating their commitment to sustainability and community care.
The initiative was more than just a hands-on lesson in tackling pollution. It provided a unique opportunity for students to connect beyond the boundaries of their own school, fostering friendships and collaboration across campuses. These connections have the potential to spark fresh ideas, innovative communication campaigns, and meaningful actions as our motivated young leaders broaden their reach and influence. Together, we are building a culture of environmental responsibility and community partnership.
Anna Clarkson
Mathematics and Geography Teacher
Sustainability Coordinator
CGGS is a member of the Melbourne and Beyond Gifted Network MBGN – a collection of 30 schools across greater Melbourne who create opportunities for extension and enrichment. Recently a group of Year 9 students attended an MBGN enrichment day presented by BrainSTEM, hosted at Mentone Grammar School. The Global Challenge Day, inspired by the UN Goals for Sustainability, used the design thinking process to explore and create possible solutions to real world problems. One of the challenges of the day was that students worked collaboratively with students from other schools, rather than competitively in their own school group. They posed excellent questions, listened to a panel of experts on their journey from school, through tertiary years and the workforce. Our students thoroughly enjoyed the day.
Michele Linossier
Learning Extension and Enrichment Teacher
Mooting is an extension activity that simulates a court hearing, usually an appeal against a final decision, in which a student team analyses a problem, researches the relevant law, prepares written submissions, and presents oral argument. Recently Camberwell Girls entered two teams from Year 9 and Year 10 into the Melbourne Junior Moot. They worked hard to develop their responses and mooted 2-3 times with other schools on the competition day.
Through preparing for and participating in the mooting session, we not only learnt a lot about mooting, law and advocacy but also skills such as public speaking, reasoning and analysis. I was fascinated by how law and precedent is applied to fully represent your side of the case and convince the judge so the most correct decision can be made.
Beatrix (Year 9)
Mooting was such an interesting experience to learn about how Australian courts work and research interesting cases. I learnt so much about public speaking and how to structure arguments, which I will use in every aspect of life, not just law.
Carissa (Year 9)
Participating in the Melbourne Inter-School Moot was an incredible experience that strengthened my confidence, legal reasoning, and public speaking skills. I was honoured to receive an Advocacy Award, and I highly recommend this competition to anyone interested in pursuing a career in law — it’s a great opportunity to experience real courtroom advocacy and develop valuable skills for the future.
Valerie (Year 10)
Mooting was a fun and valuable experience which gave me great insight into what it’s like working as a barrister. Although there were some challenging aspects, as you really had to think on your feet, it was fun to research the case and work as a team to come up with a coherent response.
Harper (Year 10)
2025 has seen Camberwell Girls establish a strong mooting cohort with training, competitions and growing interest.
Michele Linossier
Learning Extension and Enrichment Teacher
On Friday 31 October, 25 students from Years 6–9 represented CGGS at the First LEGO League Regional Competition, held at Strathmore Secondary College. The day was filled with innovation, teamwork, and excitement as students designed, built, and programmed LEGO robots to complete a series of real-world missions in this year’s theme – Unearthed.
Our Year 6 team, The Tech Titans, proudly represented the Junior School in their very first year of competition. They impressed the judges with their creativity, collaboration, and confident presentation, receiving outstanding feedback and a nomination for the Breakthrough Award – an incredible achievement for first-time competitors.
In the Secondary School, our teams also achieved outstanding results. The Year 7 team, The Futuristic Explorers, won the Design Award for their exceptional robot design and detailed engineering log. The Year 8 team, Otterly Awesome, delivered an exciting performance in the robot game, finishing 3rd overall after an impressive final round. Our Year 9 team, Opportunity, competing in their fourth and final year, demonstrated excellent preparation and teamwork to win both the Core Values Award and the Robot Performance Award, earning a place in the National Championships South at MLC on Saturday 6 December.
Throughout the day, students displayed the true spirit of the First LEGO League – discovery, innovation, and gracious professionalism.
Congratulations to all participants for their enthusiasm and achievements and thank you to Mr Kingsley Ren and Mrs May Ou for supporting our students on the day.
Sam Fitzgerald
Head of Digital Technologies
GSV Captain Profile
In this edition, we celebrate the appointment of Ruby E (Year 11) to the position of GSV Captain for 2025/2026.
Ruby is excited to commence her leadership role, with an attitude of involving herself in CGGS Sport events throughout the course of the year and making a worthwhile contribution to the behind the scenes preparations that make major sporting events so memorable for the student population.
A skilled communicator, Ruby is determined that her fellow students always involve themselves in the school’s sporting opportunities and share the positive experiences that come from participation in sport. She is on-track to highlight to students the strong sense of connection and community that comes from being involved.
With a particular focus on Athletics, Ruby will be an incredible asset in the Term 3 GSV Track & Field season, motivating her peers to commit to training sessions and competitive meets as the school looks to benefit from a third consecutive campaign of high-quality coaching from the team at Elite Wellbeing.
Victorian All Schools Track & Field Championships
Congratulations to Year 8 student – Nawita D – who claimed second place in the U15 Hammer Throw at the Victorian All Schools Track & Field Championships.
This podium finish qualifies Nawita to compete at the 2025 Australian All Schools Championships at Lakeside Stadium. This national track & field championships for school sport will be staged from 4-7 December.
Well done to Hanna L (Year 8) who competed for a second weekend, this time in the U 15 800m.
GSV Intermediate Cricket – Grand Finalists
Congratulations to the Intermediate Cricket Team that finished Runners-Up in their GSV Grand Final, in a run chase that fell an agonising 15 runs shy of the total required for victory.
With most of the playing group new to the sport of Cricket, it was a coaching masterclass from Mr Andrew Burnell (Director of Development and Mathematics Teacher) to lead his charges all the way to the season deciding match.
Team Profile – Intermediate A Basketball
With a win-loss record of 4-0 after the first four rounds of the GSV Term 4 Basketball season, the CGGS Intermediate A Basketball team sits atop the competition ladder, building for the Semi-Final/Grand Final day on Wednesday 26 November.
When speaking with members of the playing roster, they instantly referenced the strategic acumen of coach Mr Shane Maycock (Education Outdoors Coordinator & Physical Education & Health Teacher), who has this team unified in purpose to create a season for the ages.
Small Forward – Amy Z (Year 10) – has relished the opportunities to play to her positional strengths, benefitting from the screens set by teammates to move into optimal shooting positions and drain the long ball from downtown.
Point Guard Emily L (Year 10) has utilised her speed to bring the ball up-court, often going coast-to-coast to score the deuce. Emily credits the communication skills of the team to execute plays as a major strength of this unit which has seen them go on their undefeated run.
Shooting Guard Sass L (Year 10) cites the connection that the A team has created amongst team members both on and off the court. Sass believes that the incredible encouragement that permeates the playing roster has everyone feeling supported with the freedom to play their role.
Alexia S-A (Year 10) utilises her height to lock down the five positions, leading the defence, posting up in the key, and creating inside shot opportunities. Alexia believes that the key reason for the team’s success lies in the teamwork and trust they have in one another to fulfil individual roles. Every player takes responsibility for their role, contributing to the team’s overall performance. Whether it is the taller players on the team defending and getting the ball into a position that provides an advantage, or the ball carriers advancing the ball up the court with pace and control, everyone plays their part. With each player committing to their role, the A’s have created a truly competitive team that challenges opponents every week.
GSV Term 4 Touch Football
The sport of Touch Football has made its debut this term, in this the 25th year of GSV Sport.
CGGS had sufficient interest from Year 7 and 8 students to enter a team into the Thursday Junior competition. With all twelve students brand new to the game, their development and match-play awareness have been impressive, and it promises to be a season of great accomplishment.
Dominating the Middle position, Year 7 student Iris Z registered to join Touch Football because of her curiosity at what the sport had to offer. Iris was interested to learn a new sport and saw the opportunity to incorporate her love of running into a dynamic, team-oriented ball sport. And run she has, with Iris scoring a try in all the GSV matches played so far this term!
Year 7 teammate Sarah A gravitated to Touch Football because it is a new GSV sport. Sarah had heard that it involved running and sprinting and was intrigued with a sport that sounded interesting to her, and she is extremely happy that she signed up.
Alyssa K (Year 7) is thrilled to be playing GSV Touch Football for the teamwork and opportunity to improve skills. She enjoys the aspect of working together with teammates to execute playing strategies both offensively and defensively. Alyssa decided to register for GSV Touch Football because she thought that it would be fun to play a new sport and make new friends.
Touch Football is a sport that was invented in Sydney in the 1960’s as a less contact intensive training program for rugby league players and teams.
Since those early days, the sport has grown significantly, overseen by a global governing body in which the game is played in over fifty countries, with a World Cup played every four years.
Go Girls Foundation 100-Kilometre Challenge
Wonderful to take the opportunity to re-visit the magnificent contribution that CGGS students from Years 9 and 10 made to the Go Girls Foundation in raising $10, 074 as part of their participation in the 100-Kilometre Challenge at Lakeside Stadium.
With a combined distance of 3,600 Kilometres run on the day from sixty-two teams from participating schools, students ran further than from Melbourne to Perth, to raise a total in excess of $195,000.
Camberwell Girls Grammar School raised the 6th highest amount of funds in Victoria.
Congratulations to Jessica M (Year 9) for receiving the Go Girls Spirit Award from the CGGS cohort.
Go Girls empowers migrant women and those facing challenges such as mental health issues, homelessness, and domestic violence.
Cameron Childs
Director of Sport
This week at the Secondary School, we inducted the 2026 Leaders at the annual Leaders' Service.
The Junior School Instrumental Ensemble Concert was a display of musical excellence from our young musicians.
We were thrilled to have two Old Grammarians visit the School this past fortnight.
