Last week, we came together to celebrate Mother’s Day with a beautiful breakfast event, offering guests an opportunity to honour and appreciate the significant women in their lives. As we shared delicious food and listened to the Jazz Ensemble, we heard from students across Junior, Middle and Senior School as they reflected on cherished memories and moments shared together with their mothers or other maternal figures. To all our families, we hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend, enjoying the sunshine and quality time spent with loved ones.
The sunshine of the weekend continued on Monday and was welcomed by our Year 7 students and staff as they departed for camp at Kinglake. With activities such as the Leap of Faith, Giant Seesaw, Survivor Games, Freefall and Climbing Challenge, the students have extended themselves this week and forged lifelong memories and friendships. Thank you to our dedicated staff for their support and guidance throughout the week, ensuring a fulfilling and unforgettable experience. We wish both students and staff a well-deserved rest over the weekend and look forward to sharing camp highlights in the next edition of CamNews.
Today marks the conclusion of our annual Celebrating Diversity Week, an important tradition at Camberwell Girls, nurtured and led by our students since 2017. Throughout the week, students and staff have immersed themselves in programs designed to foster belonging and understanding, celebrating the vibrant and diverse community that exists not only within Camberwell Girls, but beyond. Ms Friend, Year 8 Coordinator, alongside the Wellbeing Committee, facilitated a series of education initiatives, conversations, and activities aimed at broadening perspectives and deepening our commitment to diversity and inclusion. We are immensely proud of our students’ advocacy and leadership in this area and thank all who contributed to the success of this program.
Kath Woolcock
Head of Senior School
Tom Clark
Head of Middle School
It is important for students to gain skills to adapt to the changing future. It is even more important for them to gain skills, confidence and opportunity to create the future they want to live in.
Having worked with over 8,500 young people around the world over the past seven years, I see some clear trends which I find inspiring. The next generation is impact-focused, bold with opinions, approaches tasks with a sense of humour, enjoys having multiple projects, and has an excellent work ethic – especially when their values connect to strategy.
So, when designing new programs like HEX@CGGS, I always have four key ingredients in mind – Industry relevance; Academic rigour; Student co-design; Personal mentorship. I believe that this combination drives the most transformative outcomes for students and builds their Exponential Intelligence (eXQ).
As part of the HEX@CGGS program, we were thrilled to appoint Kiki P and Sara R as Australia’s first HEX Secondary Student Ambassadors. In this key leadership role, our Ambassadors will codesign learning, provide insights, and connect the CGGS student population to the career and industry opportunities offered by HEX.
In exchange, they will gain access to:
We are excited to grow this program in the coming years and create even more Ambassador opportunities for CGGS students.
In the meantime, we are also thrilled to share that over 70 students across Year 10 and Year 11 have chosen to enrol in a TECH or MONEY program with HEX, unlocking exclusive access to personal, weekly mentoring and insightful online content. They will also have the opportunity to attend HEXCURSION – a one-day interactive event at the University of Melbourne, featuring a panel of university representatives, and experts from companies like Modibodi, SEEK, Deloitte, and the Alfred Hospital. This empowering model, that combines self-directed online learning with a transformative event, is entirely unique to HEX@CGGS.
In a world where change is constant and technology moves quickly, thinking about the future of work can be exciting and overwhelming. The HEX@CGGS program recognises that no matter what career path students choose, they must be equipped with adaptable skills and capabilities to help them thrive in a changing world.
Jeanette Cheah
CEO & Co-founder @ HEX
Ambassador and School Vice Captain Sara R shares her HEX@CGGS experience
I loved the HEX program because it provided me with tailored and tangible skills that I could see myself applying in the future. HEX made their course engaging for a secondary school student like me in a way many other programs cannot do. When HEX reached out to me to offer an ambassador role, because of the benefits I saw in the HEX program, I decided to take up the role!
As I move forward, I am excited to see the positive impact that I experienced from HEX applied to students more broadly. After learning from HEX, I feel really excited to find opportunities to apply my new skillset to create a meaningful and lasting impact in the world.
HEX also helped me recognise the importance of identifying the skills of others, and I think that this knowledge excites me to collaborate with others in a lasting and meaningful way.
CGGS held its annual Celebrating Diversity Week from 13-17 May. Diversity Week seeks to amplify the voices of those diverse in their gender, sexuality, religion, culture, neurodiversity, and life experiences to foster increased awareness and support for these communities. As part of the celebration, a range of activities were held throughout the week to unify the diverse CGGS community.
To commence the week, our Senior Public Speaking House Finals were held during assembly and finalists spoke with passion and consideration in questioning how ‘diversity is about being invited to the party, but inclusion is being asked to dance’. Congratulations to all our speakers and a special mention to School Debating and Public Speaking Captain Grace Barnes – what a though provoking topic.
On Wednesday the Quadrangle was transformed into a vibrant tapestry of colour, shapes, and symbols; much like the identities of the people in our community. Lead by Naomi L and Lily M in Year 10 and Sophie P in Year 9 – they paved the way with their beautiful designs that reflected the diverse communities of the people here at CGGS.
Thursday brought about a special moment to consider the diverse needs of those in our community who have lived experience with neurodiversity. We welcomed panellists Dr. Morgan Smyth who specialises in developmental and behavioural paediatrics, Head of Learning Diversity at CGGS, Dr Charlotte Forwood and welcomed local resident and social advocate for neurodiverse people, Ms. Manusha Cooper. Students were welcome to be part of the panel discussion with both Year 12 and Year 8 students taking part. It brought about valuable discussion on raising awareness, destigmatising stereotypes, and promoting representation of neurodiverse peoples in our society.
To close off the week, we celebrated and raised awareness for IDAHOBIT Day. We celebrated with a free dress day and bracelet making workshops as part of our celebration of gender and sexual diversity; with all proceeds from the day donated to Berry Street, which provides invaluable support to youth and families in need.
Overall, it was a fulfilling week, and lovely to witness the CGGS community engage in the “diverse” range of activities on offer.
Jessica Friend
Year 8 Coordinator
Teacher in Charge – Wellbeing Committee
Last Wednesday 8 May we travelled to Duncan Mackinnon Athletics Track for the annual House Athletics Carnival. Under a clear blue sky and perfect running conditions, students from Years 7-12 competed in a variety of individual and relay events.
A full range of field and jumping events, alongside sprint and middle-distance track events, gave students the opportunity to utilise and display their varied skills and expertise. It was particularly pleasing to see so many try something new and to compete in a mix of both track and field disciplines.
The novelty events again drew the loudest cheers from supporters as students completed the Overhead, Cone Stacking and Shuttle relays. House spirit is one of the very special components of CGGS events and it was on full display all day with the spirit stick going home with Lawrence on this occasion.
The Year 12 costumes were a highlight of the day and they are to be congratulated for their role modelling and energy throughout. The Years 7-12 100m Champions race saw the best of each year level and the next 2 fastest students across the school, compete in a 100m final. Congratulations to Emily L (Year 9), who was crowned the overall winner and extended her lead over the final 15m to win comfortably.
On what was a fabulous day of House spirit and competition, the worthy winner of House Athletics for 2024 was Taylor. Thank you to all the students and staff that supported this event. We are looking forward to continuing athletics in our GSV season in Term Three.
Nareen Robinson
Head of Sport
This month, CGGS students supported St Hilary’s Anglican Church by donating non-perishable items to the Hope for Boroondara Food Drive. The Food Drive was a great opportunity for students to make a difference in the lives of people in need. A huge shout out to our wonderful Year 9 cohort and their Year Level Coordinator, Mr Burnell for gifting more donations as a year level, than the other year level combined.
At the conclusion of the School’s food drive, fourteen Year 10 students attended St Hilary’s Anglican Church, to assist in packing and sorting donations. It was an incredible volunteer opportunity for students, and they worked hard to ensure that all items were sorted and ready to go. These items have been distributed to organisations such as CamCare and Boroondara Community Outreach Centre.
Hannah Brooksbank
Art Teacher
Mustard is an organisation that supports and resources lunchtime Christian groups across Melbourne.
On 3 May students from CGGS and I attended the annual Mustard Breakfast held at Camberwell Grammar School. Along with students, chaplains and teachers from 14 other schools, we heard encouraging stories from student presenters, and shared in prayers of thanksgiving.
It was a hope-filled occasion, and the breakfast was delicious too.
Reverend Helen Creed
School Chaplain
Students in Years 7, 11 and 12 attended the annual Founders’ Service at St Mark’s Anglican Church on 7 May, celebrating the 104-year history of our School.
They were joined by a number of students from Years 8, 9 and 10 who lent their support to the Choral pieces in the Service, under the direction of Mrs Cathy Georgiev.
The theme of the service was a line from the School Hymn, “Under the Friendly Walls”. Together we gave heart-felt thanks for CGGS as a place of friendship and heard about God’s desire to befriend us. We are grateful to the Choristers, 52 in all, and the musicians: Sienna V, Angela L, Hannah L, Ray Z, Emily L, Mr Duniam and Mrs McClure. We also express our thanks to Dorsa HR, Dina S and Meg C, who offered their thoughts on the nature of friendship.
The Reverend Tim Collison, minister at St Mark’s spoke about the Old Testament story of Ruth, and how it speaks to us about living in sometimes difficult times. At the end of the service, Cate L – Faith and Service Captain and Erica W – Faith and Worship Captain, gave out friendship bracelets as a symbol of the celebration.
Reverend Helen Creed
School Chaplain
On 3 May, Jasmine M, Year 10 and Silvia Z, Year 11 were invited to perform at the Chinese Cultural Festival held at the University of Melbourne.
The festival is organised by the CSSA (Chinese Student’s Scholar’s Association) of the University of Melbourne. The main purpose is to promote Chinese culture in Australia and to teach more people about Chinese culture. Folk music and Chinese dance are two very important aspects of Chinese culture.
Jasmine performed a Chinese folk dance to the music that Silvia played on the Pipa, a traditional guitar. The performance was well received, and the audience enjoyed the beauty of traditional Chinese music and dance.
Barbara Peng
International Student Coordinator
Year 12 Visual Communication Design students recently embarked on an enriching excursion to Melbourne Museum and ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image) to attend Top Designs, an event showcasing exemplary works from VCE Art and Design students across Victoria. The day proved to be a fantastic opportunity for students to immerse themselves in the world of design, gaining inspiration and insights that will undoubtedly shape their own creative thinking.
Throughout the excursion, students were able to observe a diverse array of designs, ranging from traditional mediums to innovative digital creations. By closely examining the works of their peers, students gained valuable insights into various design techniques, styles, and concepts.
Moreover, the excursion provided a platform for students to reflect on their own design thinking processes. Engaging with the exhibits sparked discussions and encouraged students to critically analyse their own work, identifying strengths and areas for growth.
Overall, the excursion to Top Designs was a resounding success, offering students a firsthand glimpse into the breadth and depth of the design world. Armed with newfound inspiration and knowledge, our Year 12 Visual Communication Design students are poised to continue their creative journeys with renewed passion and vigour.
Kalvin Perry
Art Teacher
On 7 May, Year 8A and 8B went on a Geography fieldwork excursion to Elwood. We have been learning about urbanisation in our classes and the purpose of this excursion was to conduct a case study in urban planning and the management of threat such as flooding and coastal erosion around Elwood.
Our central focus for the day was walking along the Elwood Canal collecting primary data using new technology for us, the ArcGIS Survey 123 program. We learnt that Elwood was traditionally swamp land, increasingly urbanised and now has issues with flash flooding particularly along the canal. Here we saw Geography at work.
We enjoyed sketching our view of Port Melbourne and the CBD from Point Ormond lookout. Walking along Elwood foreshore, we saw evidence of the Boonwurrung connections to Elwood and made our way back to Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve before heading back to CGGS.
Lily W and Shreya H
As part of the Escape elective, seventeen Year 8 and 9 students and two staff took the train into Melbourne’s CBD to experience Escape Hunt, an escape room game hub.
There were three different rooms with groups of 6 or 7 in each. I was in the Aladdin & the Magic Vault Room where we had to save Aladdin’s lamp from the magic vault before a thief could break in and steal it.
Every group escaped/succeeded with at least ten minutes left of the 60 minutes given to complete the room. We all came out with funny stories to share, one group even shared the story of pulling out the cord that connected to the lights in the room, making everything go dark!
Throughout this experience we learned more about escape rooms and were able to see several types of locks in play, including pressure, sound, numerical, letter locks and even puzzles where objects had to be orientated correctly and put in specific places (pattern matching).
Overall, we all had a wonderful time at Escape Hunt and cannot wait to get started making our own escape rooms.
Jessica M, Year 8D
