Collaborative Research Project with Harvard University

In the recent Independent Schools Guide in The Age newspaper on Sunday 26 May, an extensive article was written about Ormiston’s current research project with Harvard University Graduate School of Education, called Idea Into Action. This year our Ormiston team of educators are trialling some of the latest learning tools, which have been designed by Harvard University Project Zero Team and developed with the support of Independent Schools Victoria (ISV). With this project, Harvard are working with schools around the world to develop some resources that help teachers implement ideas in a sustainable way.

Ormiston teachers will provide feedback to Harvard University about the usefulness of the tools and make constructive suggestions in terms of how to improve them. For example, if a teacher wants to change their curriculum so it helps their students have a better understanding of world issues, they can use the ‘global thinking toolkit’. These toolkits can have the potential to help make changes at school level a lot easier for teachers.

Additionally, the Harvard Project Zero Team are renowned for its Visible Thinking routines in classrooms. As a Junior School we have learnt to use many new resources associated with this global project and when it is completed in the near future, the resource materials developed will be available and published for use around the world.

 

Digital Wellbeing

Have you googled anything today? Perhaps you preferred to use voice assistant technology such as Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa to ask a question. The constant evolution of technology is changing what we’re able to do and how we do this, i.e. our behaviour. For example, it is not uncommon to see toddlers playing games or watching Pepper the Pig’s YouTube channel on an iPad or a mobile phone and all whilst in a stroller! This is something that many of us reading this article couldn’t have imagined when we were children. Similarly, monitoring our fitness with smart watches or streaming Netflix on a mobile phone was unheard of just a few years ago.

What do all of these technological and behavioural changes mean for us at CGGS and how might they be impacting on our digital wellbeing?  A team of staff from the Junior and Senior school has begun investigating these questions during Term 2 as part of our Digital Wellbeing initiative. Our aim is to collect data of current technology usage and behavioural trends, including any concerns, from our parent, staff and student groups early in Term 3. This data, as well as parent, staff and student focus groups will help inform our Digital Wellbeing initiative.

We encourage you to read the Digital Wellbeing articles that will appear in each edition of Camnews this year. We intend to examine the potential impact of technology for pre-schoolers, early childhood and teenagers. Survey results from our community will be shared along with strategies that promote digital wellbeing. Your invitation to participate in Focus Groups will also be included in Camnews.

Felicity Carroll & Cathy Poyser

 

EL3 – Year 6 Winter Warmth Appeal 

On Wednesday 12 June the Winter Warmth Appeal was launched at our weekly Assembly. Students were encouraged to bring in items for donation, such as non-perishable snack items that are suitable for school lunches. Other popular items in past Winter Warmth Appeals have been noodles, rice and nappies for children up to 11kg.

As a community, from Early Learning 3 to Year 6, we wish to continue supporting Anglicare in their mission to assist those in need this winter. As stated in our Mission statement, Camberwell Girls Grammar School is “a Christian School in the Anglican tradition, inspiring girls in their love of learning and nurturing compassionate leaders with global mindsets”. Our annual support of Anglicare is one such avenue of developing and raising compassionate leaders in our community.

At Ormiston, we encourage families to donate at least one item per week. Have a chat with your child when you do your weekly shopping. What could she donate to help other people in our community? They may even like to select the item with you. To mark the conclusion of our appeal we will have a Pyjama Day on Tuesday 25 June.

We thank you for your generosity and kindness as we support Anglicare and those people needing food, clothes and hope this winter.

 

Year 3 Excursion – Royal Botanic Gardens

As part of our Inquiry investigation focusing on Australia’s first people and how an accurate knowledge of our past helps to understand our present, Year 3 visited the Royal Botanic Gardens and took part in the hands on “Connecting to Country” education program. The students were shown plants that are included in a traditional smoking ceremony and learnt about their significance, in conjunction to the uses of other indigenous florae. They were also told about different tools traditionally used by Indigenous people and had the opportunity to make and use ochre paint and create string from raffia. This interactive experience gave the students a greater understanding and respect for Aboriginal culture and the people of the Kulin Nation. Even though the day was overcast, they embraced the outdoor activities, demonstrated wonderful enthusiasm and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Below are some thoughts from some Year 3 students:

Erena – “When you’re hunting you have to be quiet, so you don’t scare the animals”

Nicole – “We learnt how to make string”

Zara – “We learnt that eucalyptus leaves have a special oil that can help people and use other plants as their medicine. We also learnt some Aboriginal words – booboom means child, kooyong – eel, wolart – possum”

Madeline – “I enjoyed the experience because we could make string and paint with ochre.”

Christine – “When someone has a baby, they paint on the possum coat to tell the story.”

Angela Columbine & Rebecca Leondidis
Year 3 Class Teachers

Year 5 and 6 Camp – PGL Campaspe Downs (Kyneton)

The Year 5 students braved the cold and all the challenges on camp with resilience and good humour. We were so impressed with their team work and positive attitude towards all aspects of their Campaspe Downs adventure.

Below are a few excerpts from reflections that students wrote about their camp experiences.

One of my favourite activities was rock climbing. There were three coloured markers to touch before you came down (red, yellow and green). I got hooked up to a rope but I could barely reach the first marker! So I lined up for a different one. Unfortunately one line was empty so the teacher crept up on me and clipped me on! I had to climb it. I slowly ascended above the red marker that had been humiliating me (take that red marker!). Then slowly over the yellow marker, finally close to green. The hard part was actually taking off my hand to touch the marker! I glided down as my friends erupted into applause (if you are ever in need of a cheerleading team, hire them!). That was my very proud moment.

Rithanyaa 5R

I lined up for our second challenge course. Our instructor told us what to do. After every word she said, I got more and more nervous with more butterflies fluttering in my tummy. “Three, two, one, go!” yelled the instructor. In my mind I was screaming why did I choose to go first?! Going over the ropes was harder than it looked. I started to pull myself forward, trying desperately to avoid the mud and water. Unfortunately, I was sliding into the mud and I had to put my foot in it to push myself up. In the process I got lots of grass in my eyes and in the background I could hear people cheering for me. When I got out of the ropes I ran back to the instructor as if my life depended on it.

Sophie T 5DK

This highlight was the challenge of raft building. Yes, we did raft building in the bitterly cold weather of 2 degrees and, yes, in the freezing, icy water! We built the rafts in teams. When my team’s raft was halfway through the rowing process, Anika fell into the water. As soon as my feet touched the water when were wading into the lake, I was frozen. Imagine getting in the water up to neck height!

Bella 5R

“Wait!” yelled the instructor before I shot. “Aim down,” she said. I aimed my bow and arrow down and let go. The arrow flew through the air and landed in the middle of the target. “Bulls-eye!” she yelled. I was stunned. I had never got a bulls-eye before. Even the kangaroos looked thunderstruck.

Penelope 5DK

As I walked up the wooden steps to the flying fox I was horrified. As soon as I pushed myself off the edge I thought I was going to fall and kangaroos were going to beat me up. But they didn’t – although I did get a wet bottom. It was amazing! I soon ran up the hill and went again as many times as I could.

Zoe 5R 

As I squelched my way to the Challenge Course I felt a rush of adrenaline and excitement. It was our second day at Campaspe Downs and I was raring to go. My shoes were filled with mud and water from raft building, and my socks were equally as soggy but I felt great. Our instructor explained that the Challenge Course was made up of a bunch of different activities like the mud pit and Tarzan swing. Our first obstacle was to try and walk over a series of thin, connected logs. It was a lot harder than it looked. While we were making our way across the logs our instructor made it even harder by distracting us with things like crossing in front of us while we were walking. Luckily, I managed to make my way across.

Anneke S 5DK

Anjali de Quadros, Liz Ruffles & Michelle Kalus
Year 5 Class Teachers

Year 6 Reflections

The Year 6s thoroughly enjoyed their camp experience and were extremely grateful for the dry weather, given last year’s conditions! Below are some student reflections from our week at camp.

 

The Terrors of the Tower
Written by Antonia Kokkinos, Mia Van Damme and Suwedha Ranjith

On the second day of camp, the students of Group 2 were challenged with abseiling.

They had to climb to the top of the dark, spooky tower, link their harnesses and climb down the wall. There was fear and excitement in the air.

As the first person climbed down, the students beneath watched eagerly. With a jump and a step, she climbed down with ease and confidence. But not everyone felt confident.

For some, it was challenging, but with all the encouragement and support, they powered through. Smiles were on everybody’s faces.

Everyone in Year 6 and teachers have said that every group was supportive, caring, encouraging, brave and had a ‘give it a go’ attitude, being confident.

We believe that on this camp, Year 6 showed zest towards new things, hope in themselves, social intelligence for supporting others, kindness for showing love and being caring. But of course we couldn’t have done it without our instructor, Stevie. She supported and encouraged us and helped to push through.

Overall, we would rate abseiling an 8 out of 10 and would encourage you to give it a go!

 

The Centipede
Written by Lucy Ciro and Deana Tang

The centipede is one of the most iconic activities at PGL Campaspe Downs. Loved by many, it is a thrilling activity you must try.

Phien – “I really like the centipede because I’m normally scared of heights but I had a go at it and I tried to conquer my fears. Some character strengths I exhibited were bravery and persistence when I was climbing. Tip: Keep on going. You’ll be surprised with what you are capable of.”

Sarah Z – “7/10 It was a challenge but still was quite fun. I was definitely challenged by the heights and the wobbling of the wooden pole.”

 

The Camp Out
Written by Isabel Sootoh and Lucy Lu

The camp-out. It was definitely a main and exciting part of everybody’s camp experience. However, not everyone was ready for it…

Being called a “camp-out”, everybody expected tents we had to put up with a hammer and pegs! However, reality was a comfortable, luxurious glamping tent that included wooden floorboards and six bunkbeds in each – leaving everyone plenty of space and comfort.

The camp-out included lots of responsibilities such as washing, cooking, and even doing your laundry! Making our own dinner was extremely rewarding, filling our bellies after a long day of activities.

The camp-out could be challenging at times though, requiring us to show bravery and persistence – especially while having to do the washing of thirteen people! We also needed teamwork, having to cooperate with all the people in our group the whole camp.

Katrina Cheong & Nancy Robottom
Year 6 Class Teachers

Foundation – Year 6 Art Competition

The Semester One Art Leaders, Emily Wang and Lucy Lu organised an Art competition for all students to participate in. Students were required to complete an A4 sized artwork covering different categories. The categories were:

Foundation to Year 2 – Colour in a tessellation pattern

Year 3 and 4 – Create their own tessellation

Years 5 and 6 – Create an ‘Op Art’ piece

There were many entries and the judging was a difficult process.

The winners at each year level were:

Foundation – Aurelia Poon and Neesha Navaneetharaja

Year 1 – Lucinda Reedman and Estella Ouyang

Year 2 – Joyce Zhang and Ellie Zhang

Year 3 – Madeline Mason, Rita Wong and Minaaz Kaur

Year 4 – Natalie Knowles , Chanel Ghostine and Preesha Navaneetharaja

Year 5 – Rithanyaa Prakash and Madeleine Huynh

Year 6 – Amy Cao and Yu Jiang

Congratulations to all who entered!

The winning artworks will be on display in the Junior School Hall. The other entries are on display in the Great Space.

Year 4 – 6 Netball

In support of Reconciliation Week, all CGGS Netball Teams wore special indigenous designed bibs during their matches representing the school. The Year 4 teams both had convincing wins in Round 6. Year 4 Garnets played a fantastic last quarter, scoring 4 consecutive goals and the Year 4 Rubies outplayed KD Stargazers, playing a more consistent game. The Year 5 Opals had a close game against KD Starlight, but the CGGS team played well together and defeated KD Starlight 6-5. Year 6 Topaz had a tough game against CSNC Riptides and unfortunately had a loss, the CGGS team are working hard at training.

Good luck to all teams competing this weekend.

Lexie Joyce
CGGS Netball Coach

 

I would like to wish all our Ormiston families a restful weekend.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Paul Donohue
Head of Junior School

Foundation – Year 6 Assembly – Setting Goals
Last year, a change to our Student Reports lead to the introduction of Learning Goals for both Literacy and Numeracy. Many parents approached me to communicate that they liked these goals and that they gave them some important information in regards to their child’s future learning.

During our last Junior School Assembly, the focus was on setting goals and students had the opportunity to discuss possible learning areas they could set goals in. For example, some areas included stretching your brain, thinking outside the box, resilience, teamwork, maths, painting in art, handwriting, manners and time management. A small group of students set one learning goal each at assembly and we will be revisiting these goals again towards the end of this term.

 

Year 6 Learning Exhibition – “How can we use energy in a sustainable way?”

On Friday 3 May, the Year 6 students shared their ideas about how to tackle this question and issue. Students presented their own models that either showed something using energy more sustainably or something that used a more sustainable source of energy. The school community as well as the Year 6 families saw how the initial plan of their designs were often different to their final working model. A key part in each Year 6 student’s process was talking to a range of peers and getting constructive feedback on their designs. Classmates often found something they hadn’t considered or questioned something they hadn’t given much thought. Students then explored different ways they could solve some of these potential challenges and factored this into their design.

What was clearly evident in this learning exhibition was the jumbled nature and process of learning. Learning is not linear. Learning is made up of making attempts and also and also failing.  It’s about having the courage to try again. It’s about reflecting on why something’s not working or why something did work and it’s about persevering. At each learning station, our school community got to witness things that worked well and things that didn’t work as well as the Year 6s had hoped.

However, ultimately, we hope that the showcase made you think about how we are currently using energy in today’s world and whether this is, indeed, sustainable. We know that sustainability will only be an increasing topic of discussion over the next few years and decades. As a Year 6 cohort, this is something we feel really strongly about and we hope that you were prompted to reconsider our role in it. We hope you act to make better choices – whether it’s involving energy, waste or water – to make our world a more sustainable place. Let’s be the change and encourage others to live more sustainable lifestyles.

Below are some student reflections from our unit:

“The Learning Exhibition was really fun because people who visited listened to what you said and gave feedback on it. I learnt to persevere because there were lots of mistakes that were made in our design process but we still persisted and made it kind of work.”– Mut

“From the Inquiry Unit, I learnt that it is not just about being green. It is about being sustainable. For example, this means not wasting energy and materials.”– Lucy

“I enjoyed learning about the environment and the different ways to be sustainable in terms of energy use because it is definitely a recent issue. Learning about the different ways we can make energy and use it sustainably is really helpful and interesting.”– Anneke

“Something I found challenging was trying to get everything to work and making the circuits and finding how much energy was required. I sort of realised that solar panels do not give enough energy for what we are consuming and that during a lot of the days, there was no sun which made it hard for my model to work.”– Monique

“I think that during the experience of our Inquiry project, Jenny and my friendship grew closer because whatever Jenny felt, we kind of had to do it together. It was a team effort. When something didn’t go well, we had to change it together and I also think that Jenny and I – our ideas matched. For example, our game where you had to throw a ball to ask questions was a big hit for the younger children. I also think some of our Tic Tac Toes we chose to present were great for people who came. We found that people liked the interactive items.”– Deana

“What I found challenging was doing the Diamond 9 justification before we knew all of this information about the different energy sources because we didn’t know much information about it. So it’s hard to understand what every single one of the energy sources did. After I learnt more about it, it might still be a little hard because all have good advantages and disadvantages, but now that I know more, it would be slightly easier to do than before.”– Yu

Katrina Cheong
Year 6 Classroom Teacher

Year 5 – Mars Colony Gallery

Last week, Year 5 inundated The Great Space with their Mars Colony creations. During Term 1, the students’ inquiry topic was ‘What is Our Place in Space?’ where they investigated and obtained a plethora of information about the planet Mars. This included key physical features of the planet, atmosphere, temperature, weather, communication between Mars Space Station and Earth’s Mission Control and many other things. The students used their knowledge of Mars to create a human settlement that would meet the following conditions:

> Keep humans alive with access to food, water and air

> Provide shelter from extreme temperatures

> Support human health with access to medical services and exercise

> Support human happiness with solutions for loneliness, homesickness and boredom

We were fortunate to be able to work in the Maker Space at Senior School and access a range of materials to create the models. The students worked collaboratively to create their prototypes and used a range of materials including cardboard, plasticine, foam, wooden corks, wooden blocks, plastic sheets, duct tape, metal buttons and icypole sticks. We were incredibly impressed by the students deep-thinking, creativity, teamwork skills and time -management.

Foundation Excursion to Healesville Sanctuary

This term the Foundation students have been focusing on ‘Living Things’ within our Inquiry unit. The students went to Healesville Sanctuary to explore different living things and their habitats. We were accompanied by Murrundindi, who was able to take us through many fun and exciting exhibits. The Foundation students especially loved looking at the Bilbies in their dark environment and Koalas in their gum trees. A big thank you to Murrundindi and our two wonderful parent helpers on the day!

“I liked seeing the Platypus at the show”– Emma Zhang

“Murrundindi showed us special lemon myrtle leaves”– Gina Yu

“I liked seeing the Kangaroos”– Lucy Wang

“Murrundindi got us to sit inside the mega monster egg”– Faye Liu

“We learnt that extinct means that they all died”– Cathy Gu

“It was interesting that Koala’s sleep for a long time”– Aarna Sharma

“I liked seeing the Koalas and learning what they eat”– Audrey Cheung

Mikaela Stanaway & Selena Reedman
Foundation Class Teachers

Year 2 Excursion – Hedley Sutton Residential Aged Care Centre

Last Monday, the Year 2 students embarked on their first visit to Hedley Sutton, a residential aged care community in Camberwell. This visits form part of our program to teach students about service to others. The students planned and prepared their conversation starters as a way to introduce themselves to their new buddies. A favourite story book was also chosen to read to and with them.

Many conversations were evident between the students and their new friends during our visit. The students were extremely excited about this event.

We are very proud of the respectful and engaged manner in which they presented themselves and we are looking forward to our next visit.

Fiorella Soci
Year 2 Class Teacher

Junior School Library – Books borrowed on the increase!

We are delighted to report that our loan statistics in the JS Library have jumped to over 6,300 books per term, an increase of 18%.

This is a timely reminder of the importance of reading and the benefits for children and adults alike.

Research tells us that reading is so important for the brain and also for wellbeing.

The process of reading activates the brain’s major domains – language, selective attention, sustained attention, cognition and imagination.

Reading helps us take the perspective of different characters we normally wouldn’t interact with and gives us a sense of their psychological experiences and how they interact with other people and situations.

Reading improves our vocabulary, spelling and grammar, its helps us describe our experiences and emotions to others in a clear way.

And then of course there is the joy of reading and sharing the experience with each other – a beautiful family time and a break from technology!

CGGS Library Staff

 

Year 3 Chapel Prayer

Dear Loving God,

Thank you for the opportunity to have scrumptious food on our table and the chance to share it with special friends and family. These gatherings and times together are precious, and they make us feel loved, joyful and grateful.

We realise that many people around the globe do not have the chance to share a hot, healthy meal with loved ones. We pray that their lives may soon change for the better and that they know that someone loves them, and they feel loved.

We hope that in the future we can continue to share meals and special occasions with our loved ones and be thankful for the time we have with them.

We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord,

Amen

By Eleanor Robertson and Jasmine Xie of Year 3C

 

Year 4 – 6 Netball

The Year 4 netball teams have played against some tough teams but are working hard to improve their skills each week. CGGS Garnets played well last Friday afterschool, but Ruyton Rams hardly missed a goal. CGGS Rubies had a very close game against MLC Black, the team took many opportunities but drew to MLC.

Last Saturday, Year 5 Opals went down to Genazzano Price 5-8, the CGGS team played well together but Genazzano were too good in the last quarter. Year 5 Jets were up against tough opposition, Jets got some goals on the scoreboard and turned the ball over but Ruyton Reindeers were too strong.

The Year 6 Topaz team got off to a fantastic start last Saturday, the CGGS team were strong in defence, keeping Strathcona Skyhawks scoreless. Topaz defeated Strathcona 12-0.

Good luck to all teams competing this weekend.

Lexie Joyce
CGGS Netball Coach

 

I would like to wish all our Ormiston families a restful weekend.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Paul Donohue
Head of Junior School

Staff Farewells

Jo Whiffin – Junior School Librarian

Jo Whiffin has been a staff member at Camberwell Girls Grammar School since 2008 and has been a Class Teacher, Physical Education Teacher, Art Teacher and our Junior School Librarian during these twelve years. The highlight of her time at Ormiston has been her time in the Junior School Library. Throughout her time as Librarian, Jo has always demonstrated a passion for literature and through this passion, our Ormiston students have quickly generated a love of literature.

A major part of Mrs Whiffin’s role as Librarian was to organise our annual Book Week activities for all the classes in Junior School from Early Learning to Year 6. Each year, Mrs Whiffin promoted this event and students were actively involved in recognising shortlisted books and award winners. Mrs Whiffin would put on special activities in the Junior School Library at lunchtime and students would have the opportunity to explore Book Week and its new theme each year. We say ‘Thank You’ to Mrs Whiffin for opening up the Library during lunchtimes and for promoting a love of books and literature at Ormiston over many years.

Kathryn Brandt – Year 4 Class Teacher

I would like to thank Ms Kathryn Brandt for her contributions to Ormiston over the last four years. During this time, Kathryn was a Year 4 Class Teacher for two years and a Year 2 Class Teacher for two years and one term. Some of our school community may know that Ms Brandt was a student of CGGS and spent six years from 2001 to 2006 at Senior School. In 2017, Ms Brandt became our Digital Learning Leader and her expertise was invaluable in establishing our 1:1 iPad Program and recommending numerous apps for students to experience. Her expertise extended to establish a CyberSafety program and specific units for teachers to utilise. Additionally, an important part of her role as Digital Learning Leader was to coordinate co-curricular activities and school relationships such as the Australian App Challenge, Code for the Future and Code Club with Bob Norton-Baker from Telstra. As a school community, we all wish Kathryn all the best as she moves to live full-time in the Mornington Peninsula region.

 

Foundation – Year 6 Ormiston Spirit Awards

It was wonderful to see so many parents attend our Ormiston Spirit Award assembly last Wednesday 27 March. At this assembly, we were able to recognise the efforts of our students from the start of the year. The Ormiston Spirit Award reflects students that have shown a Growth Mindset in all of their class learning and co-curricular activities, and who are willing to take risks, learn from their mistakes and demonstrate the school values of Respect, Commitment, Integrity, Hope and Courage in all that they do.

Each Foundation- Year 6 student that receives this award was given a certificate as well as a distinctive Ormiston Spirit Award badge. This badge is proudly worn by the student throughout the year. Only one student from each class and one student from a specialist subject are selected by staff for this prestigious school award.

Congratulations to the following students:                                              

Foundation S
> Chelsea Wang

Foundation R
> Lucy Wang

Year 1G
> Ivy Xie

Year 1J
> Elfie Fan

Year 2S
> Aaratrika Kadam

Year 2B
> Georgia Papadopoulos

Year 3C
> Eden Chia

Year 3L
> Minaaz Kaur

Year 4H
> Emily Wong

Year 4G
> Elsa Cao

Year 5D/K
> Christina Weickhardt

Year 6R
> Sarah May

Year 6C
> Cate Mead

Art
> Aurelia Poon (Foundation)

Physical Education
> Rachel Duong (Foundation)

Music
> Mia Chapman (Year 6)

Library
> Maya Waide-Hee (Year 4)

Chinese (Mainstream)
> Ashanti Rajakulendran (Year 4)

Chinese (Enhanced)
> Jade Wang (Year 2)

French
> Madeleine Huynh (Year 5)

 

Foundation – Year 6 Mountfield Maestros

Last week, many students from Foundation – Year 6 participated in our Term 1 Mountfield Maestros event. This event encourages students to play a musical instrument in front of a small and supportive audience of family and friends. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Nichole Adams and Penny Byrne, our Junior School Music Teachers for all their planning and hard work in organising such a successful event. I would also like to say Thank You to our two Student Music Leaders Jessica Wu and Suwedha Ranjith for their introduction and conclusion at both events. Congratulations to the following students who did their personal best during this important school event:

Foundation

Gina Yu – Piano

Year 1

Lucinda Reedman – Piano

Estella Ouyang – Piano

Angela Lin – Piano

Claudia Huang – Piano

Elfie Fan – Piano

Annabelle Teh – Piano

Madeleine Law – Cello

Elaine Li – Piano

Zoe Raspin – Piano

Cynthia Li  – Piano

Irene Li  – Piano

Year 2

Ellie Zhang  – Violin

Joyce Zhang – Violin

Aaratrika Kadam – Piano

Amelia Adel – Piano

Iris Lu – Piano

Year 3

Asha Bhattacharjee – Piano

Rudra Santhosh – Violin

Maddison O’Meara – Violin

Sophie Wong – Violin

Zara Teh – Piano

Audrey Zhu – Piano

Jasmine Xie – Piano

Year 4

Preesha Navaneetharaja – Piano

Maya Waide-Hee – Cello

Chloe Lau – Cello

Cosette Tsjin – Violin

Sophie Peake – Violin

Year 5

Selina Guan – Piano

Anneka Sinnappu – Piano

Madeleine Huynh – Violin

Zara Cheung – Piano

Raina Gopal – Voice

Emily Lioe  – Piano

Year 6

Suwedha Ranjith – Voice

Jessica Wu – Piano

 

Foundation – Year 2 Swim Carnival

On Monday 1 April, the Foundation – Year 2 Swimming Carnival was held at the CGGS Swimming Pool. Instead of competing against each other for a place, the students competed against themselves to achieve their personal best. This encouraged them to perform strokes with correct technique and allowed them to have that warm inner glow of knowing they worked to the best of their ability, when presented with their certificate of congratulations. Events included Freestyle, Backstroke, Novelty and a relay to conclude the carnival. Well done to all of those who participated and congratulations on achieving your personal best.

Liana Kitsou
Junior School Physical Education Teacher

Year 6 Virtual Debating Team

This week four Year 6 students commenced their journey representing CGGS in the NGS Super National Virtual Debating Competition. The competition consists of 32 teams and provides the students with a unique opportunity to utilise the green room studio at Senior School using video conferencing to connect with schools from around the country.

Sarah Zhou, Cate Mead, Suwedha Ranjith and Aliyana Rajakulendran debated the affirmative arguments for the topic ‘That violent video games should be banned’. The students diligently prepared for their debate for a week, collaborating effectively to research the topic and seek evidence to support their viewpoints.

The Ormiston team faced Macarthur Anglican School in NSW in the first round. Both sides of the argument were hotly contested with the adjudicator awarding the win to the negative side.  The students were complimented on the strength of their public speaking and received useful feedback from the adjudicator on how to further develop their debating skills. The students are keen to put this advice into action in their next debate. We wish them all the best in round two.

Nancy Robottom
Year 6 Class Teacher & Numeracy Leader

The Virtual Debate is an experience of a lifetime and we are excited to be representing our school. The preparation was just as intense as the actual debate. Even though we were very nervous, there was also a spark of excitement. We learnt lots of valuable information and felt more confident afterwards. Although we had lost, we received some very helpful advice that we will use into future debates.

Sarah Zhou and Aliyana Rajakulendran
Year 6

 

Special Activity – Wednesday Wacky Walkers

This term a number of Ormiston students took part in an informal walking club called the Wednesday Wacky Walkers. Students from Foundation – Year 6 walked, ran, skipped and danced to complete laps of the netball court, energising themselves for the start of the day. The students tallied up their laps and a cumulative total was kept. Over the course of Term 1,1106 laps of the netball court were completed, and many future long-distance runners were identified! It was wonderful to see so many students getting fit and active and we hope this fun activity will continue to grow in Term 2.

Angela Columbine
Year 3 Class Teacher

 

Year 5 and 6 Netball

The CGGS Netball season has begun for the Year 5 and 6 teams. All teams have already embraced rain during their matches. The Year 5 Opals had a wonderful start to the season, the team jelled nicely together and drew to MA Bolt 4-4. The Year 5 Jets played a fantastic first game, the scores were even throughout the whole game, but CB Llamas scored a goal on the siren, defeating the CGGS team by 1 goal. The Year 6 Topaz welcomed new players to the team, the students have played well but were defeated by MLC Kestrals.

Congratulations to all CGGS Netball teams.

Lexie Joyce
CGGS Netball Coach

 

It is hard to believe that Term 1 is over for another year. What a wonderful term of learning it has been at Ormiston. I would like to wish all our students, staff and families a restful Easter holiday break. Thank you to everyone for all their support over the term and we look forward to starting Term 2 on Friday 26 April 2019.

 

Yours sincerely,

Paul Donohue
Head of Junior School

Foundation – Year 6 Junior School Assembly

Over the last two weeks, the theme for our weekly Junior School Assembly has been ‘gratitude’ and the key question was ‘What do you feel grateful for?’ Numerous students have been involved in our assembly conversations and all students had the opportunity to reflect on their own life and their experiences at Ormiston. Here are some of answers to the question:

‘A safe land to live in.’ – Chloe Hall in Year 5R

‘A roof over my head.’ – Aayzah Khan Year 5R

‘My family.’ – Audrey Rees Year 4G

‘Hot and cold water.’ – Chanel Ghostine Year 4G

‘My school.’ – Ria Wong Year 2B

‘My teachers.’ – Lily Thomas Year 6R

At the end of the assembly, many students understood that our School Motto, ‘Utlis In Ministerium’ is all about helping others in need and being thankful for what they have today. Some students also said that if people appreciate things around them, then they will live a happier life. This was a wonderful way to finish off the assembly.

 

Year 4 – 6 District and Division Swimming Competitions

On Monday 25 February, seventeen CGGS students spent the day at the Boroondara Sports Complex to compete at the District Swimming Carnival. Overall, our school came third out of the 16 local schools. Of the 17 students who competed, 11 qualified for the Division Swimming Carnival, where they competed on Tuesday 5 March at Monash Aquatic Recreation Centre. All students gave their all and were also very encouraging of others’ achievements. Congratulations to all of the participating students on being such fine ambassadors of the school. A special congratulations to Jasmine Li, Year 4 who will be representing CGGS at the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Competition on Friday 15 March.

Liana Kitsou
Junior School Physical Education Teacher & Sport Coordinator

Year 5 – Victorian Space Science Education Centre (VSSEC)

This term Year 5 have been exploring the question “What is our place in space?” as part of our Inquiry unit. On Monday 4 March we visited the Victorian Space Science Education Centre (VSSEC) to further explore our understandings of the Solar System and the possibility of humans living on Mars in the future.

Students participated in two sessions during the excursion. The first gave them an opportunity to demonstrate their understandings regarding the size of our solar system. Students participated in hands on activities that required them to use mathematical skills, such as estimating, measuring, reading data, and calculating ratios and averages.

For the second session students (and teachers and parent helpers!) became astronauts working in the Mars Australian Research Station (M.A.R.S). This scenario-based activity engaged the students in a wide range of science activities. They used computer and communications technology and needed to work collaboratively within their teams. All students had an opportunity to work in both Mission Control and at the M.A.R.S. Base.

This excursion gave student an opportunity to use their prior knowledge gained during our Mars Mission project and to explore how to transfer these understandings to problem solve in new and challenging scenarios. They were given an opportunity to reflect on their experience when they returned to school:

‘We used a Growth Mindset, trial and error and persistence to problem-solve during activities.’ – Penelope 5DK & Amber 5R

‘We learnt that to get the same amount of air you get by taking one breath on Earth, you would need to take 1000 breaths on Mars.’ –  Alyce & Sophie 5DK

‘The excursion was very informative, engaging and fun – we learnt a lot.’ –  Azyzah & Sharvi 5R

‘The mission control activity was good because it felt like we were really communicating with people on Mars.’ –  Sophia Z & Anika 5R

‘We enjoyed comparing the Earth and Mars dirt samples in the laboratory.’ –  Millie & Maddie H 5DK

‘We learnt how to operate a robotic arm and how to identify Mars rocks.’ –  Anneke & Trinity 5DK

‘Even after we filtered and purified the Mars water it remained acidic.’ –  Victoria & Vivien 5R

‘We used pH sticks during the science experiments to help us problem-solve.’ –  Madison & Lynn 5DK

Anjali de Quadros & Liz Ruffles
Year 5 Class Teachers

 

Year 1 Excursion – Werribee Mansion

On Tuesday 5 March, the Year 1 students visited Werribee Mansion. With the support of two generous parents, the students were able to explore the gorgeous gardens and exquisite rooms that accommodated the Chirnside family approximately 140 years ago.

The excursion was an opportunity for the students to step back in time and compare their own lives with the lives of the Chirnside family and the servants of the mansion. The students were particularly impressed by the bells in each room that would require a servant to care for the occupants of the mansion!

Another feature of the excursion was the Nursery room, where students explored the lives of the children. From the bedding to the chamber pot, the school table for learning ‘God Save the Queen’ to the tiles used for writing in class, this room had it all. Artefacts, such as the cane, within the building were to be used to illustrate the changes society had experienced over time. Later this term, students will make comparisons between the technology of the past and today’s modern appliances.

Students also visited the original bluestone laundry building, where they hand washed clothing and used equipment pertinent to the period. It was a thoroughly educational day which has enabled the students to better understand the past and the changes from then until now.

Miranda Jackson & Craig Goodwin
Year 1 Class Teachers

 

Year 6 School Event – Fizzics Education

On Thursday 28 February, the Year 6 students went to the Maker Space in Senior School to participate in a video conference with Fizzics Education. The group saw many different ways to create energy. The Year 6 students were really engaged during this experience. Responses from two students are below:

‘Seeing how an expert can relate to energy sources really expanded my knowledge. The experiments Stephanie, the expert, showed us were really cool. One of them in particular was the solar panel experiment. It was when a solar panel powered a working fan.” – Amy Cao 6C

‘Stephanie, our educator explained to us all the different parts and showed us how the energy is turned into electricity to power up something. After seeing it, I had a better understanding of how a magnetic field works because she showed us clearly all the parts of it. For example; copper wire and magnets. We also compared and got to see the way different light bulbs can give you different types of light. The ones we compared were a swirly kind of light bulb and an old fashioned light bulb.’ – Aliyana Rajukalendran 6R

After the incursion, the Year 6 students had a much better understanding about energy sources.

Elysia Wang & Raynee Wong
Ormiston School Captains

Year 2 visit Pinwheel & Co at Senior School

In Year 2, the students have been learning about ‘What Contributes to a Healthy Life’. One aspect we have been investigating is how eating a balanced diet helps our bodies to learn and grow. We decided to visit Nathan at Pinwheel & Co in the Fig Tree Café at Senior School to find out some information about the different foods they use in our lunches.

We asked him questions such as:

What types of vegetables do you use in sandwiches?

Where do you get your ingredients from?

What types of bread do you use?

What foods are the healthier ones for us to eat?

What is the process for thinking about what to buy?

How do you stay safe in the kitchen when you are cooking?

Do you ever run out of ingredients for foods?

The students thoroughly enjoyed visiting the café and learning about the different ways our fantastic chefs order, prepare and store our food.

Kathryn Brandt & Fiorella Soci
Year 2 Class Teachers

 

Foundation – Year 6 Nude Food Day

This week Ormiston participated in Nude Food Day. Nude Food Day allows students to make conscious choices about what they eat and encourages them to think about their impact on the environment. Students were asked to bring their morning tea and lunch in reusable containers and not in their original plastic packaging. It was fantastic to see all the reusable packaging that the students packed their food in and so many colourful vegetables and fruit in their lunchboxes.

Most classes had over half of their class bring Nude Food which was fantastic and a really positive start to our Nude Food campaign. Year 6R were the winners and will receive some plants to go in their classroom which they will care for throughout the year.

Rebecca Leondidis
Year 3 Class Teacher & Sustainability Squad Coordinator

 

I would like to thank our Ormiston families who attended our two important events over the last two weeks. Our Meet the Teacher Evening and our Parent/Teacher Learning Conversations. I hope all parents received plenty of information about their child’s class program and how they have settled into a new academic year.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Donohue

Head of Junior School

Welcome back

Welcome to the 2019 school year! I would like to extend a warm welcome to our families with whom we have had a long term association with and to those families who have joined our Ormiston school community for the very first time. A special welcome to all of our new students from Early Learning to Year 6 who have attended school this week and I would like to congratulate our Foundation students who started their official first year of Primary School. Many students have shared with me their exciting stories over the Christmas and New Year period and I was delighted to see so many families and students with smiles on their faces on their first day of school.

New Foundation to Year 6 Ormiston Students

I would like to congratulate and recognise our new students who have settled in so quickly this week, as well as our Foundation students. At our Junior School Assembly this week, these students received their Ormiston badge in front of our school community. Our new students from Foundation to Year 6 are:

Foundation
Aanya Chopra
Emma Zhang
Kayla Yao
Allison Edge
Cathy Gu
Faye Liu
Aarna Sharma
Lucy Wang
Gina Yu

Year 1
Khusshnaaz Kaur

Year 2
Sophie-May Ronzani

Year 3
Minaaz Kaur
Cathy Wang
Sophie Wong

Year 4
Sarah Lu
Ashley Wang
Emily Foo
Charlotte Russo

Year 5
Sharvi Bansal
Vrinda Dhir
Raina Gopal
Chloe Hall
Grace Wan
Madison Hall
Charlotte Hayes
Abbey Marcou
Tiarni Siaw
Madeleine Wood

Year 6
Coco Tao
Candy Zhu

Ormiston Staffing for 2018

Please refer below for the Ormiston Staff Team:

Early Learning 3  
Angela Follacchio & Joanna Lee

Early Learning 4 (Full Time)  
Anne-Maree Willcox-Morna & Effie Kitsiris/Neroli Bowyer-Smyth

Early Learning 4 (Part Time)   
Lilian Bishop

Early Learning Assistant   
Neroli Bowyer-Smyth                              

Foundation
Selena Reedman & Mikaela Stanaway

Year 1   
Craig Goodwin & Miranda Jackson

Year 2  
Kathryn Brandt & Fiorella Soci

Year 3
Angela Columbine & Rebecca Leondidis

Year 4
Emma Hinchliffe & Jasvindar Gill

Year 5  
Anjali De Quadros/Michelle Kalus & Liz Ruffles

Year 6 
Nancy Robottom & Katrina Cheong

Art  
Fiona Gibson

Chinese   
Scarlett Zhang, Sabrina Zhu & Lin Zhang

French 
Melissa Drentin

Library
Jo Whiffin

Music  
Nichole Adams & Penny Byrne

Choir  
Marianne Rigby-Black

Physical Education
Liana Kitsou & Dot Georgiou

STEAM
Annabelle Vivarini

Chapel    
Rev Helen Creed

Learning Enrichment    
Lisa White (Coordinator of Learning Enrichment), Dr Charlotte Forwood, Meagan Wilson, Michelle Kalus & Paul Donohue

New Staff at Ormiston

This year we have recruited a number of new staff members for Ormiston. They are:
> Anne-Maree Willcox-Morna in Early Learning 4 (Full-Time)
> Joanna Lee in Early Learning 3
> Mikaela Stanaway in Foundation
> Fiorella Soci in Year 2
> Jasvindar Gill in Year 4
> Liana Kitsou in Physical Education
> Melissa Drentin in French
> Marianne Rigby-Black in Choir

More information on each of these staff members will be presented in future newsletters.

 

Year 6C School Leaders Assembly and Ormiston Student Council

Every year our Year 6 students get the opportunity to experience a leadership position either in Semester One or Semester Two. For Semester One, Miss Cheong’s class will be taking on the Year 6 leadership positions and the Assembly is organised for Wednesday 20 February at 9.00am – 9.30am in Barbara Sutton Hall. All Year 6C parents are welcome to attend this special assembly.

Additionally, if your child is selected for our Ormiston Student Council, they will also be presented with their badge. Parents of these students will be contacted shortly and will be cordially invited to this Assembly.

CGGS School Uniform

I would like to remind parents that all students are required to wear their full summer school uniform to Ormiston each day. If students are undertaking Physical Education as a specialist subject on the day, these students are permitted to wear the official CGGS Sport uniform for the duration of the day. They do not need to get changed into their summer uniform at the end of their physical education session. If any parents are unsure of their child’s uniform, please read Page 10 and 11 of the Junior School Diary for further information in regards to uniform expectations and requirements. 

Foundation – Year 6 Meet The Teacher Evening

I would like to remind parents that our start of the year Meet The Teacher Evening is coming up in Week 3 on Tuesday 19 February. Both events are outlined as follows:

Foundation – Year 3 
Starts at 5.00pm and finishes at 6.30pm

Year 4 – Year 6
Starts at 7.00pm and finishes at 8.30pm.

I look forward to seeing as many parents as possible at these two important events.

It has been a wonderful start to the 2019 school year and I look forward to seeing everyone at our Twilight Picnic this evening in the Junior School Grounds and Gardens.

 

Yours sincerely,

Paul Donohue
Head of Junior School