This week we celebrated National Reconciliation Week, a significant National event that fosters understanding, respect, and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Together, we celebrated and promoted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures through a series of activities and workshops. These events featured contributions from Murrundindi, guest chef Ben Shewry from the acclaimed restaurant Attica, students and staff, and were led by Liza Stevens, the Indigenous Programs Coordinator, with support from the Student Reconciliation Committee and Maria Litchfield, the Indigenous Student Coordinator. We look forward to sharing the highlights of this week with you in the next edition of CamNews.
In addition to this, over the past two weeks, in true Camberwell Girls fashion, students have embraced a range of school based and external events. In fact, at the time of publication, we have students participating in a Marngrook Game at Camberwell Grammar School (Boys), the GSV Cross Country Championships and Opportunity Challenge – it is fair to say that each day at Camberwell Girls brings exciting and worthwhile opportunities.
In this edition of CamNews, we explore opportunities such as the Worawa Reconciliation Sports Carnival and Da Vinci Decathalon, as well as celebrate the achievements of our students’ with the completion of Year 7 Camp and the Alliance Française Poetry Competition.
Kath Woolcock
Head of Senior School
Tom Clark
Head of Middle School
This month we welcomed Dr Judith Locke and Dr Danielle Einstein to Camberwell Girls as they implemented their new pilot program – Anxiety Program for Schools. The program is designed to help our Year 5-8 students, parents/guardians, and staff ensure that children better manage their everyday fears and worries.
Judith and Danielle taught students new ways of facing day to day challenges, or the ‘tricky things’, to minimise temporary fears that might prevent them from doing the things they need to do. They shared that a great life will always have hard times and it is important to ‘avoid avoidance’ as true confidence and strength come from facing all outcomes, whether they might be positive or negative.
We appreciated the knowledge and expertise Dr Judith Locke and her associate, Dr Danielle Einstein, shared with our school community and we are very much looking forward to Judith’s online webinar on 5 June – Helping Your Child Become Confident and Capable for parents/guardians of Years 5-10 students.
We highly recommend this webinar and encourage you to register.
You can register via: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Lu-XRe82RriYV6V4ucL6Kg
Davina McClure
Deputy Principal
On Tuesday 28 May, thirty-five students from Years 9-12 attended the annual Reconciliation Sports Carnival at Worawa Aboriginal College, Healesville as part of 2024 National Reconciliation Week.
This year, the school entered one AFL and two Netball teams into the round robin competitions. CGGS has a proud tradition of participating in the carnival which offers students and staff the opportunity to come together in the true spirit of Reconciliation by encouraging sport, cultural and social exchange between all participants. Proudly wearing the CGGS Indigenous jumpers and bibs, our students demonstrated great spirit and sportsmanship and celebrated success with both Netball teams winning through to play against each other in the Quarterfinals. The wining CGGS team faced off against Firbank in the semifinal where they narrowly lost 5-4. At the end of the carnival, Meg C (Year 12) was awarded the Netball Player of the Tournament – a fantastic achievement!
Our AFL team also tasted victory winning their first two games of the day. They were eventually beaten by Worawa Aboriginal College in their final match.
Other highlights of the carnival included a Welcome to Country and Traditional Smoking Ceremony, walking through the Dreaming Trail, longest kick competition, face/body painting, BBQ, and musical performances. Staff and students thoroughly enjoyed the day’s festivities, and we look forward to competing at the Worawa Reconciliation Sports Carnivalagain in 2025.
Liza Stevens
Indigenous Programs Coordinator
On Tuesday 21 May, eleven students from Camberwell Girls participated in an online networking and cultural exchange experience with seven students from Nanyang Girls’ High School (NGHS) in Singapore. Camberwell Girls and NGHS are members of SAGE (Strategic Alliance of Global Educators), a global network of 17 schools focused on sharing learning opportunities in bilingual and digital education, experiential learning, positive thinking, and empathy.
The online meeting provided an opportunity for students from both schools to connect and explore leadership, student voice, and advocacy within their schools and the wider community. CGGS students from the Student Representative Council and Wellbeing Committee engaged in student led ice-breaker activities before small group discussions focused on current and future projects and ways to enhance student voice within their own context, before exploring ideas for collaborative projects between the two schools.
At the conclusion of the meeting, each group presented a summary of their discussions, with students expressing a shared desire to learn more about each other’s culture, exchange knowledge, and to continue to connect and explore further opportunities for collaboration. We look forward to continuing our partnership with NGHS and I express my gratitude for the contributions of Ms. Wood, Ms. Friend, and the participating Year 9, 10, and 11 students—Sophie P, Erin L, Chloe W, Megan A, Selina G, Yu J, Sarah H, Naomi L, Lily M, Rhea J, and Lucy L.
Kath Woolcock
Head of Senior School
The Unit 3/4 Business Management class visited the Yakult Factory to witness firsthand Operations Management strategies including quality management, automated production lines, robotics and waste minimisation studied in Unit 3 Business Management.
This experience will provide students with a contemporary case study that can be referred to in their SAC and examination responses.
Nicole McKie
Business Management & Commerce Teacher
Year 10 Coordinator
Our excursion to the Yakult factory provided a practical insight into operations systems, enhancing our understanding of what we learnt in class. Observing the production process firsthand, we saw the application of concepts like lean management, just-in-time production, and quality control. During the tour, we learned about each step in the production process, from fermenting the bacteria strain to packaging the final product.
Surprisingly, the factory was small, with minimal machinery and few staff, showcasing efficient automation. It was also interesting to listen to their waste minimisation and how they tackle problems that we don’t normally think about such as recycling water to use to cool down the machinery.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Yakult factory as it was a valuable experience that brought our studies and theory to life, showing us the real-world importance of effective operations management in maintaining product quality and business success.
Reflection by Michelle K and Megan K
As part of their History studies, our Year 10 students have been studying the causes of the Holocaust: in particular, the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately six million Jewish people by the Nazi regime. This shocking event is testament to the dangers of intolerance and apathy and reminds us of the importance of empathy and informed citizenship.
To enhance their learning, our students visited the Melbourne Holocaust Museum to understand the causes, scope, and significance of the Holocaust.
At the museum, they were presented with a range of artefacts. Through a discussion of these sources, their meaning, and the historical context surrounding them, they were able to see the Holocaust through new perspectives, extending their current knowledge.
Our students were able to explore hundreds of original historical objects, including material evidence of survivors’ lives and experiences, as well as those of murdered family and friends.
We were fortunate to meet a Holocaust survivor, Sarah Saaroni OAM. She grew up in Poland, and as a teenager, her family was forced to move into a Jewish ghetto, where there was no running water and not enough food or medicine. She witnessed people being captured and taken away to concentration camps, and there was death all around her.
When Sarah was 16, her parents sent her to Germany with false papers that said she was a Polish Christian. It was the last time she saw them.
In Germany, the Nazis arrested Sarah after it was discovered she was Jewish. She was interrogated, tortured and condemned to the Majdanek concentration camp. She narrowly escaped this fate by fleeing a train full of prisoners during a transfer in Leipzig.
At 98 years of age, Sarah shared the message of hope with our students: “There are no different races, we all belong to one big human race… We must try to live in peace, it’s that easy”. Sarah proudly wore a cap with the message “I’m a tough cookie”. We couldn’t agree more.
Karin Lemanis
Head of History
The Introduction of ‘Choice’ Rotations
In 2024, we are excited to enable a student choice component in the Upskill program with our first addition for Year 11 and 12 included in our most recent program. Powered by the learning pillars of 360° of Being and Digital Technology, students were able to nominate their preferences from a range of offerings. Choosing from Self-defence, Pilates, Cake Art and the impact of AI on industry and society, there was something for everyone.
Over the course of the year, we are looking forward to student choice in both the Middle School and Senior School. Three of the four learning pillars will drive these programs at different times of the year, upskilling students in skills related to 360° of Being, Future Ready and Digital Technology. From strategies to support holistic wellbeing, to digital skills and tech security as well as work and life skills for now and in the future, we are looking forward to enabling a range of offerings for students.
Our next Choice component is on 26 June for our Years 7-9 students and will be powered by 360° of Being and Future Ready learning pillars. These offerings will be shared with students closer to the date but will include opportunities such as a hospitality training program and a range of health and wellbeing options.
ULearning Pillars Spotlight: Future Ready at Year 8
With the Year 8s having spent the day rotating through a range of activities from making jam, to learning all things leadership from our Year 10 LeadUp Crew, it was great to finish the day with them in our second Future Ready session for the year. In this session we continued to think like futurists. After spinning the wheel of futures, students considered what skill sets, tool sets and mind sets we would need to thrive in different industries.
The Year 8s created their own life-sized avatars and curated all the different tool/skill/mindsets that someone contributing to different work sectors would need to succeed. From education to arts and entertainment and everything in between, it was great to see the importance that students placed upon the need to be adaptable, think critically and act ethically in the future.
We then transitioned into considering the crucial skillset of communication and explored how to communicate appropriately with various groups of people. Our Year 8s applied their critical eye to the common errors that are made when communicating digitally, through text and email, and crafted their own succinct email messages for different purposes. Navigating the benefits of both in real life communication and in the digital world was the focus of this session, with recognition given to why it is important to learn to do both well.
It is exciting to be developing these sequences for our students so they can engage with this thinking and skill building across Years 7-12 and prepare for their futures.
Enlighten Education: Year 9
On Friday 17 May the Year 9s participated in an incredible Upskill program.
We were extremely grateful to have Danielle from Enlighten Education, who shared her inspiring story with us, where she provided us with invaluable resources and new insights on relationships. We participated in several activities, namely writing cards of gratitude to those we were thankful for and participating in an engaging mindfulness session.
Danielle single-handedly changed the way we viewed life and what we saw as our priorities. After each activity, we were presented with affirmation cards as a reminder of the important messages that she left us with.
As well as leaving with new found knowledge, each of us was also gifted with a butterfly badge to pin on our blazer, so every time we saw each other we would be reminded of the values she instilled in us. Danielle’s infectious positivity made the program so captivating, and we know we speak for everyone when we say that the year level thoroughly enjoyed the session.
By Natasha C, Alexis DC and Grace G
Kate Manners
Director of Strategic Initiatives
On Tuesday 21 May, as part of their studies in Religious Education, our Year 8s visited Mount Scopus College, in order to learn about Judaism.
We were warmly welcomed into the Synagogue by Rabbi Shamir, who pointed out the significance of the furniture and symbols within the space. Students also had the opportunity to see one of the sacred scrolls close up.
After this introduction, Mount Scopus Year 11 students took it in turns to explain different aspects of their tradition. This included explaining some key festivals and how different stages of life are marked by the community. Their presentations were greatly appreciated by our students.
Helen Creed
School Chaplain
Week 5 saw the Year 7 cohort venture to Kinglake for their week long year level camp held at Kinglake Forest Adventure Camp. The students honed their leadership skills and focused on how to work as a team. The week also included a range of activities that extended individual students’ comfort zones and skills, for example, challenges and freefalls, a forest walk visiting exciting sites such as wombat holes and the final activity of a wildergaining; a collaborative mission which combined all the lessons of the week.
Murrundindi joined us for a day at camp where he enjoyed the forest walk with some of the groups and spoke about on the indigenous flora. That night, the students were treated to Murrundindi playing his digeridoo and a dreamtime campfire story.
The Year 7s emerged from this week with a greater sense of themselves and of their cohort; it was a truly enriching week for all.
Maria Litchfield
Year 7 Coordinator
Shane Maycock
Education Outdoors Coordinator
Year 7 Student Camp Reflections
At camp, we were taught to work as a team by participating in games where we had to co-operate in groups of people we didn’t usually work with. Our whole year level learned much about ourselves, the environment, and our connection to it, through mindfulness activities. In our group, Bray (our facilitator) led us through meditation processes as we sat in the forest, and we learned how to conquer our fear of heights. Overall, camp was filled with laughter and new friends.
Madeline L and Charlotte C
This camp will be the talk of the town for weeks! The activities were so fun and adventurous, and pushed me to be the bravest I could be. Something I learned from camp was the history behind Kinglake, how Black Saturday occurred there. Something I will take away from this experience is to dive into each activity before I have time to be scared. Overall, I will certainly cherish my memories of Year 7 camp.
Mia Y
This camp was one to remember. It was filled with exciting new activities, from the daunting heights of the Leap of Faith to the relaxing sights of our forest walk. We learnt how to collaborate with others from our year level and picked up important survival skills, such as how to light a campfire. The camp was a thrilling experience for everyone, and many wonderful memories were created, and new friendships formed.
Mia W
Over the past two weeks, 32 students have represented Camberwell Girls in the State Finals of the Da Vinci Decathlon for Years 7 – 10, with our Years 7 and 8 teams competing at MLC and Years 9 and 10 teams competing at Camberwell Grammar School.
The Da Vinci Decathlon is a team-based national competition which involves developing a range of skills through engagement in different challenges including Engineering, Art, Poetry, Codebreaking and Ideation. Teams are required to work collaboratively to complete 10 complex challenges over the course of a day. This activity requires not only academic excellence, but more importantly, well-developed critical and creative thinking skills, the ability to work as a team, consider different points of view and persevere with difficult tasks. It is a competition which is academically challenging and one in which students are encouraged to enjoy the opportunity to work with like-minded peers and tackle different challenges.
Each student was a great ambassador for Camberwell Girls, demonstrating excellent collaborative, planning and organisation skills, as well as high quality thinking and creativity.
More than 20 teams competed in each of the State Finals, so it is impressive that our Year 7 team came first in English, our Year 8s placed third in Engineering and Ideation, and our Year 10 team was awarded second place in Engineering for their skyscraper powered by its own wind turbine. Due to the upcoming exams, our Year 10 team was represented by Year 9 students, which makes their result even more impressive.
Congratulations to all the students involved and a special thank you to Mr Sam Fitzgerald for supporting the Years 9 and 10 students during their State Final.
Dr Charlotte Forwood
Director of Learning Design and Development
This year, as every year, Years 7 to 10 French students at CGGS participated in the Alliance Française Poetry Competition.
The preliminary round is held at Camberwell Girls, with French assessors coming to hear students recite their poems. This year the theme was the Olympic Games, so all the poems were about sport, perseverance, and the excitement of the Olympic Games. The students applied themselves over the five weeks leading up to 20 May, memorising the poem and practising reciting it with enthusiasm and expression.
We will find out who will proceed to the finals by 3 June. As the finals are held online on the weekend, those who are chosen will recite their poem from home.
Joanne Rittey
Head of Languages
