North Balwyn District Cross Country

Last Friday, 30 of our Year 4 – 6 students represented Camberwell Girls Grammar School at the annual local District Cross Country event organised by School Sport Victoria. Our students represented CGGS with pride and enthusiasm and many students completed a personal best effort on the day. The following five students qualified for the Division Cross Country Championships on Monday 30 May. The students included Cecelia Yang, Aneira Paul, Georgia Papadopoulos, Kathleen Lin and Olivia Yang.

Finally, I would like to thank two Ormiston parents who helped on the day. They were Fiona Stocker and Christina Jack. Both mothers helped with the recording of names at the cross country table and being a marshal out on the track.

Congratulations to the following students:

Under 10 Team

Cecelia Yang

Ava Pao

Ivy Xie

Annicle Li

Elfie Fan

Zoe McManemin

Victoria Zhou

Zoe Raspin

Sooki Tian

Under 11 Team

Aneira Paul

Georgia Papadopoulos

Kathleen Lin

Eden Chia

Sophie-May Ronzani

Alysa Zhang

Rachel Franco

Sienna Jack

Allison Stocker

Joyce Zhang

Under 12 Team

Olivia Yang

Amy Qi

Ann Brookes

Jasmine Xie

Minaaz Kaur

Asha Bhattacharjee

Cathy Wang

Nellie Ruddle

Stephanie Chiodo

Mo Lin Yu

 

Wishing all our Ormiston families a restful weekend.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Donohue
Head of Junior School

Early Learning Centre – Quality Assessment and Rating

On Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 May, CGGS’s Early Learning Centre underwent the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority’s (ACECQA) Assessment and Rating Process. The National Quality Standard rating system relates to all early learning, kindergarten, and childcare centres in Australia. 

The ELC continues to strive towards exceeding the national benchmark for early childhood education and care services set by ACECQA and the Department of Education and Training in the seven quality areas of:

> Quality Area 1 – Educational Program and Practice

> Quality Area 2 – Children’s Health and Safety

> Quality Area 3 – Physical Environment

> Quality Areas 4 – Staffing Arrangements

> Quality Area 5 – Relationships with Children

> Quality Area 6 – Collaborative Partnerships with Families and Communities

> Quality Area 7 – Governance and Leadership.

We’re all familiar with the famous proverb ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, though an old saying, it is a notion that is relevant in embracing and quantifying the concept of community and understanding the role of supporting children to learn and development in a safe, secure, supportive, and stimulating environment.

Congratulations to the Early Learning Teachers, Assistants and Community in undergoing this process and their continued dedication to exemplary teaching, learning and practice.

Esther Wong
Early Learning Coordinator

Foundation Rabbits

For the past two weeks the Foundation students have been very excited to have four rabbits stay with us in our classroom. The students loved the rabbits immediately and wished they could be our permanent pets!

They named the rabbits: Ginger, Jack, Coco and Rocky. The class was responsible for filing the rabbits’ water bowls, ensuring they had fresh hay and pellets to eat, and even helping to clean their hutch from time to time. They learnt that baby rabbits are called kittens. Male rabbits, like ours, are called bucks and female rabbits are called does. This wonderful experience helped the students to learn first-hand what living things need to survive and all about the responsibilities people take on as pet owners.

“We have four rabbits. They are mammals like us, they feed their babies milk”. (Olivia)

“Our rabbits had stopped drinking milk from their mum, so they were big enough to come to us”. (Charlene)

“We needed to be very quiet in the classroom, so we didn’t scare the rabbits”. (Evelyn P)

“I love the rabbits because they can jump so high and they are so cute”. (Evelyn K)

“Their fur is so soft. Coco’s was the softest”. (Diyana)

“People have to look after pet rabbits by giving them food and water”. (Eugenie)

Selena Reedman
Foundation Class Teacher

Year 5 Sovereign Hill Excursion

On Friday 6 May the Year 5 students travelled back in time to the colonial and gold rush days of Australia’s past. We explored many aspects of daily life on the gold fields. We focused on the First Nation’s perspectives during an education session. We had to call the teacher “mam”. We rode down into the Red Hill Mine and we watched a gold pour demonstration.

The students also had the opportunity to visit the Chinese camp, pan for gold, learn about candle making, go to the Post Office, walk through the Carver and Dalton Auction Rooms, go to the theatre, view the jewels at the jewellery shop and purchase lollies from the sweet shop.

The students should be extremely proud of themselves; they represented Camberwell Girls Grammar displaying our School values. Their inquisitive and thoughtful questions, their interest and enthusiasm is a credit to their willingness to experience and learn new things.

We had a wonderful day sharing many happy moments with our friends and teachers.

“Going to Sovereign Hill was a BLAST! Everyone was crazy over the shopping, especially buying candy. During the Red Hill mine tour everyone was grabbing one another in terror!” – Joyce, Iris & Claire

“We enjoyed the gold melting works because we learnt several facts, such as: the melting temperature for gold is 1064 degrees C! The sweets at the Sweet shop were mesmerising and scrumptious. The Red Hill mines were quite suspenseful and interesting, especially with the audio voices, the hologram and the dimly lit oil lamps.” – Sharika Piratheepan & Aanya Richharia

“Sovereign Hill is an amazing place to visit. The view is gorgeous.” – Alina Hou, Isla Kang & Alysa Zhang

“Sovereign Hill was a spectacular experience as we got to live in the ancient 1800s. The Red Hill mine was intriguing, especially with the holographic animation effects. To finish off the day we had an informative education session.” – Amiya, Sophie & Aaratrika

“We enjoyed the Red Hill mine and the gold pour demonstration. We also learnt a lot and went shopping for souvenirs.” – Kathleen & Shreya

“Sovereign Hill was great……the Red Hill mine was creepy and exciting and the sweets were extremely delicious.” – Lauren Tang, Amelia Adel & Rebecca Luo

“We liked how it was a museum that made it feel like we were in the 1800s. We thoroughly enjoyed the Red Hill mine tour, even though it was pitch dark, it was still pretty enjoyable! We also went to the Chinese Temple and saw the wonderful history of the Chinese miners. The village was old but historically interesting.” – Jennifer, Alina X & Kasey

“Sovereign Hill was an amazing experience and we are fortunate for this exciting opportunity.” – Georgia Papadopoulos, Hanna Lindsay & Charvi Dhingra

“The gold pour demonstration was very informative. We were surprised when the burning hot gold transferred heat so quickly in the water. It was an exhilarating experience.” – Aneira, Rachel & Ava

“The Red Hill mine was slightly disturbing but enjoyable at the same time.” – Ruth Whelan, Ailey Poon & Selinna Wang

“The massive sound effects at the Red Hill mine blew our brains! The tremendous experience put us in the shoes of the miners and diggers. The scrumptious lollies were delicious.” – Olivia, Sienna & Charlotte

Fiorella Soci
Year 5S Classroom Teacher

Esports at Ormiston

Esports, competitions using video game platforms, have become popular worldwide, so we were excited when the opportunity arose to give our students the opportunity to show off their esports talents this year. We will be entering a team for each year level in three separate Primary School FUSE Cup Esports Competitions, where students can compete as a team to show their Nintendo Switch skills, against students from other schools.

The competitions students will have the opportunity to try out for are:

Term 2- Year 4 Online Competition – Just Dance

Term 3 – Year 5/6 Competition – Mario Kart

Term 4 – Year 5/6 Competition – TBA

To support our students to test out their skills in esports, we set up a lunchtime E-sports cocurricular club where students have been practising their Just Dance moves and trying out for our first ever Junior School E-sports teams.

The Year 4 students have whole heartedly embraced the opportunity to develop their dance skills, have fun and support their peers. After a series of Just Dance Offs, six students have been selected in a squad and after next week’s final training session, four Year 4 students will be chosen to represent our school during the Online competition on Monday 30 May.

It has been fabulous to see the way our Year 4, 5 and 6 students have embraced our new Esports co-curricular program this year and Mr Wilkins, Mr Major and I can’t wait to share their experiences with the community throughout the year.

Emma Hinchliffe
Deputy Head of Junior School

Twilight Picnic

Last Friday evening, many of our Ormiston families participated in our annual Twilight Picnic. The picnic was divided into two session, Early Learning 3 – Year 3 attended from 4.30-6.00pm, while the older classes, Year 4 – 6 joined in from 6.15-7.45pm. Pinwheel Café provided families with a delicious picnic meal and our wonderful talented fairy face painters and Balloonologist did not disappoint.

The Twilight Picnic is a highlight for parents and families, as it provides an important opportunity at the commencement of the school year to catch up with existing families and connect with new ones. I would like to thank the CGGS Foundation Office for helping to plan and organise this successful event.

Easter Service

Rev Helen Creed put together an inclusive and thought-provoking Easter Service for our Foundation – Year 6 students. Selected students from each year level were asked to hold up signs and read our different passages to encourage our students to think about what Easter means to them. A highlight of the service was the music by the Year 4 students, who played the recorder with Mrs Byrne, and the Year 6 Quintet with Mrs Adams, played two outstanding music pieces to support the service. I would like to thank Rev Creed for her tireless work, in organising our first Easter Service outside in the Junior School playground.

Year 3 – 6 Swim Squad

In the early hours of Wednesday and Friday mornings each week, a team of committed Junior School students participate in our Junior School Swim Squad Development Program. Delivered by qualified coaches, the program follows a structured pathway from a learn to swim level to a competitive level with a focus on tailored drills, skills and fitness. Many of our students have progressed in the school program to compete for CGGS at the School Sport Victoria and Girls Sport Victoria Competitions. Some students have then progressed to the CGGS Aquatic Club Program and gone on to compete at District, State, and even National levels of competition.                                                                                                                                    

At School District level of competition, our results speak wonders for our swimmer’s skill level. Over the past 6 years of competition CGGS has consistently placed 2nd or 3rd of the 15 competing schools, with 13 of the 15 schools having both male and female competitors. CGGS and our swimmers can be extremely proud of these results!                          
The Junior School currently has a list 33 students (Years 3-6) registered in this year’s program, which is an excellent result, however there is always room for more!                                                                                                                                                     
If you have a passion for swimming and can swim 25 metres with good technique, we would like to hear from you!

For further details please email Lisa Williams. williamsl@cggs.vic.edu.au

Wishing all our Ormiston families a wonderful school holiday period and I look forward to seeing all students back at Junior School on Wednesday 27 April.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Donohue
Head of Junior School

Early Learning 3 Earth Science Inquiry: Patterns and Shapes in the Natural Environment

As explorers and inquirers, the Early Learning 3 children have been observing the patterns in nature, including the moving and rippling effects of water, the spiralling of a centipede and snail’s shell, and the concentric rings within trees.

What shapes can you see?

The children were invited to share their thoughts and ideas of what they saw. 

Anna: lines.

Abigail: It’s making shapes…ripples.

Eric: Circle, curling.

Victoria: There are lots of circles, baby circles and big circles together.

Jessica: Circle growing, it get bigger and bigger. 

In the classroom, the EL 3 children have been replicating their observations to create patterns seen in the outdoor environment, drawing inspiration from Bronwyn Bancroft’s book ‘The Shapes of Australia’.

As artists and creators, the children have been experimenting with clay, implementing their fine motor skills to pinch, roll and form the clay to create a spiral. The use of watercolour paints, oil pastels and manipulative pebbles and stones has inspired children to work individually and collaboratively to create concentric circles and repetitive patterns. The use of arts-based materials continues to support children in developing sensory awareness, coordination and, finger, wrist and palm strength associated with fine motor development.

Esther Wong & Ms Jacqui Laird  
Early Learning 3 Teachers 

Early Learning 4 Full Time Personalised inquiry in Early Learning 4 Full Time

“Passion, strong interest, curiosity, a desire to find out… these are the driving dispositions of personalised inquiry.” 

Kath Murdoch

The children are developing a sense of wonder and awe about rainbows. During the past few weeks, as creative designers, the children used paint, pastels, fine line pens and a variety of buttons to express their ideas and thinking about rainbows.

As mathematicians, the children focused on mathematical concepts related to shape, colour, number, and identified how buttons were similar and different. Some children sorted the buttons based on the attribute of colour. This provoked discussions about the various shades of individual colours, for example, red, light red, dark red, burgundy. Children also noticed that some buttons had two holes and others had four, and whilst most buttons were round, some were square or oval.

As reflective thinkers, the children were provided time and opportunity to meet in a small group, and as collaborators they reflected on their creative pieces of artworks. As curious learners, they shared their ideas about what they would like to personally investigate about rainbows.

These are their wonderings.

Let’s be curious learners. What does curious mean? Ms Angela 

What you think. Nora

You want to find out about something you don’t know. Jane

Yes, I’m wondering about your thinking, and what you want to find out about rainbows. Ms Angela 

I wonder why rainbows have so many colours in the lines. Jane

I wonder why rainbows have two clouds. One on the other side and one on the other side. Lyra

I wonder why rainbows have got so many, so many colours. Cecilia

I wonder how the sun and rain work together to make a rainbow. Laura

I wonder how a rainbow comes out after it rains. Victoria

I wonder if clouds also come out when a rainbow appears. Nora

I wonder why a rainbow has so many colours. Sarika

Mrs Dumsday, the Junior School Science Teacher, has provided some provocations that will support our inquiry about rainbows. 

As curious learners, the children will be investigating their wonderings through inquiry, research, scientific investigations, and other learning opportunities in the classroom.

Angela Follacchio
Early Learning 4 Full Time Teacher

Early Learning 4 Part Time A Study of Trees

Throughout the term, the EL4 Part Time children have engaged in the study of trees in the Junior School yard. They have accessed the natural outdoors to develop their motor skills and promote their imaginative and social play.

As research states “engagement with nature has been shown to improve psychological wellbeing and improve concentration and learning (Maller et al. 2006)”. The EL4 children certainly have enjoyed their outdoor pursuits and have grown in confidence as they use multiple ways of engagement to set their own goals, challenges and create their own fun and personalised learning inquiries.

Here are some examples of the unique learning opportunities that the children have embraced as they feel, touch, climb, count, collect, draw, observe, and paint their experiences with nature. The study of trees is provocative and will continue to delight the children into the second term.

Ramila Sadikeen
Early Learning 4 Part Time Teacher

Developing our Learning Muscles – A focus on transferrable skills

A focus for our teachers this term has been to ensure our students feel well connected and develop their learning assets (muscles) as well as their understandings while they are learning face-to-face at school again. To flourish in the face-to-face classroom and playground environment, students require strong learning muscles and personal and social skills. The long periods of remote learning over the past two years, reduced opportunities for our younger learners to practice the key skills such as collaboration, communication and problem solving.

To support our students to develop their learning muscles, teachers have been working hard to ensure that curriculum programs purposefully include opportunities for students to develop some of our By Design framework’s key transferrable skills of communication, initiative, problem solving, collaboration and teamwork.

Some examples of the rich hands-on collaborative learning experiences that have taken place this term are:

> Year 6 students have been working together to research and develop their own sustainable energy solutions. This has included many decisions and negotiations about what to create, and how to go about improving their designs and construction. We look forward to students sharing their design process with us next term at their expo.

> As a whole class the Year 2 students collaboratively constructed a town and then a city to culminate their inquiry into how communities have changed over time. They needed to negotiate and explain how their buildings and designs suited the part of the city they were located in.

> Our Fivedation buddy program has allowed our Year 5 students to form strong bonds with their Foundation buddies. Fivedation sessions occur regularly and support students to learn to communicate and problem solve effectively across year levels.

We have immense pride in how far the students have come with building their learning muscles this term and look forward to the rich learning experiences planned at Ormiston for the year ahead.

Emma Hinchliffe
Deputy Head of Junior School

Foundation – Year 2 Swim Carnival

On Wednesday our Foundation – Year 2 students put on a wonderful swimming exhibition at the CGGS Aquatic Centre at Senior School. Each student actively participated in four events on the day, including the strokes of freestyle, backstroke and two novelty races, and each student must be congratulated for doing their own personal best!

Our students were representing their CGGS Houses – Lawrence, Singleton, Taylor and Schofield, where house points were allocated throughout the carnival for their outstanding cheering and positive sportsmanship. 

Thank you to Lisa Williams our Swim School Coordinator who helped with the organisation of this carnival, and the CGGS aquatic coaching team who also helped in the pool during each swimming event, which enabled the event to run smoothly. Additionally, the Year 6 house leaders assisted on the day with organising the girls for their races and thank you to Olivia Yang, Nicole Zhang, Allison Stocker and Grace Chan for their excellent work.

Liana Kitsou
PE Teacher & Sport Coordinator

Ormiston Year 2 – 6 Netball Program

The commencement of the 2022 Winter Netball season has started strong at CGGS Netball, with 12 teams registered for 2022.

Our aim for this season, is to ensure that we are focusing on participation, fun and the acquisition of netball skills due to two years of disruption.

The coaches are working hard to provide a fun and interactive environment for training, where students can learn new netball skills, teamwork and decision making. This can then be implemented into our games on Saturday.

The Year 2 and 3 students, have had the opportunity to participate in Netball Skills sessions every Thursday from 3.15-4.15pm. These sessions Introduce students to the basics of netball and team sport. These sessions will continue for the remainder of the year and I encourage students to join.

For any further information on CGGS Netball please contact

Alexia McConnell
Netball Program Coordinator
mcconnella@cggs.vic.edu.au

Foundation – Year 6 Student Council 

This term, Student Council have set their mission to create a connected, supportive and vibrant Ormiston community. This was particularly important to our Social Services leaders, Amy and Zara, after two interrupted years, due to COVID.

The meetings, lead by Amy and Zara, provided opportunities for all of the Student Council representatives to explore ideas to connect our community. Once an idea was established, the students discussed who, what, when, where and how an activity could be implemented to achieve a positive outcome.

Amy and Zara have been working diligently behind the scenes to create activities, design posters and inform the different classrooms at Ormiston. They have regularly attended meetings and developed their leadership skills. 

In Term 2, we look forward to opportunities to show our commitment to the wider community through our World Vision sponsorship and the annual Winter Warmth Appeal.

Craig Goodwin
Year 5 Class Teacher & Student Council Coordinator

Endangered Animals Chalk Drawing – Art and Sustainability Leaders

On Thursday 31 March, the Art and Sustainability Leaders, Nina, Cathy and Jenny, ran a chalk drawing activity in the playground. Students were asked to draw an endangered animal. Students from many year levels took part and many chose to draw the Australian Bilby. They had a lot of fun drawing the small bilby and coloured the bilbies in bright colours. The concrete in the playground was transformed into a colourful artwork. Congratulations to the leaders for organising this activity. It was a great success.

Foundation – Year 6 Learning Conversations

Last week, parents/guardians had the opportunity to make an appointment with their child’s classroom teacher, to discuss how their child has settled into a new year and what progress they have made so far in Term 1. As Head of Junior School, I would like to encourage parents/guardians to regularly contact their child’s class teacher if they have any questions about what is happening inside the classroom. At Ormiston, we strive to ensure communication between School and Home is open and clear at all times to improve the learning outcomes of our Junior School students.

Year 4 – 6 Online Health and Development Parent Information Session

This week parents in Years 4 – 6 had the opportunity to learn about our Health and Development program that will take place in Weeks 7, 8 and 9. The program is organised by Interrelate in conjunction with our classroom teachers and consists of three age-appropriate workshops for each year level. This parent information session was very successful in outlining the content of these sessions and I would like to thank the parents who attended and asked questions to gain a better understanding of what we deliver as part of our Health curriculum program.

Wishing all our Ormiston families a relaxing and enjoyable long weekend.

 

Yours sincerely,

Paul Donohue
Head of Junior School

Learning in, about and with nature

“The environment is where we all meet; where we all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share.” – Lady Bird Johnson

For children, play is about process learning and there is no richer resource than the natural environment of the outdoors. It is within these spaces that children innately develop physical, cognitive, social, and emotional skills through their connection and appreciation of nature’s beauty and all living things. Over the last few weeks, the Early Learning children have been integrating the garden space into the classroom through the exploration of earth science and growth. As researchers, the children have been invited to explore the different types and structure of plants using their sense of sight, scent, sound, and texture to question, discover, problem solve, experiment, and explore – from the budding seeds planted in the kitchen garden to the adult trees located in Junior School.

Learning in, about and with nature places a pedagogical emphasis on shared inquiry learning through play and hands-on discovery. It facilitates children to build an awareness of the seasonal happenings, an understanding of human impact, sustainable practices, and stewardship towards our natural environment.

Esther Wong
Early Learning Coordinator

Early Learning 3

The Early Learning 3 children have extended their sunflower inquiry to the life cycle of plants. Using their fine motor skills and a pincer grasp, the children extracted seeds from the sunflower head. Together the children discussed and hypothesised what would happen next, taking into consideration the impact of water, sun, soil, earth, and weather on the seed’s growth. The children have been documenting their observations using a growth diary. Each day they are invited to express their wonderings and curiosities using writing and drawing.

Emmaya: Once the sunflowers die, we can plant them and make new ones.

Abigail: You can’t get the seeds until the sunflower is all dried.

Eric: Hundreds of seeds.  

Victoria: Lots of seeds from one sunflower. 

As an introduction to the kitchen garden, the children have been investigating different types of seeds, such as broad beans, carrots, radishes, pumpkins, and spinach, and hypothesising whether the size of a seed will impact the growth and size of the harvest. The children had opportunities to work together and get their hands dirty by planting a variety of seasonal vegetables and fruit. They look forward to caring for their plants as they watch the kitchen garden evolve.

Jacqui Laird & Esther Wong
Early Learning 3 Teachers

Early Learning 4 Part Time

The Early Learning 4 Part Time children have interacted with nature by closely examining the trees in the big yard. As a community of learners, children show an ongoing curiosity about their environment in which they strengthen their ways of understanding the world.

Enclosed are photos of children looking at the roots of the tree and using pencil sketches to document their observations. The children had fun climbing in and out of the tree roots. We hope to join the rest of our Early learning community to do some planting in our vegetable patch.

Ramila Sadikeen
Early Learning 4 Part Time Teacher

Early Learning 4 Full Time

Our community garden is a wonderful space that nourishes the wellbeing of the children and provides opportunities for the children to learn about how they can respect, care for and explore nature with wonderment and awe. 

As stated by David Sobel, ‘If we want children to flourish, we need to give them time to connect with nature and love the earth before we ask them to save it.’

As curious learners, the children were excited and eager to begin planting in our community garden. As self-managers and collaborators, the children stayed focused and on task as they worked towards their shared goal of planting flowers, silverbeet and lettuce seedlings, and strawberries in the raised garden beds and clay pots

During this process the children were engaged in problem solving, critical thinking and dialogue, as they thought about and discussed how they could remove the seedlings from their containers without damaging the roots, how much space the roots required for growth, how far apart the seedlings needed to be planted to ensure they had enough space, and the amount of soil that needed to be put into the clay pots before and during the planting of the strawberries. This learning also provoked dialogue related to mathematical concepts of measurement, position, and number.

The children made discoveries as they carefully observed the intricate root system of the seedlings, noticed the strawberries already growing on the strawberry plant, and compared the size and shape of the silverbeet and lettuce leaves.

As communicators, the children are confidently sharing their learning and reflections in the classroom, through drawing, dialogue, and photographs. 

Aran: I made a hole with my fingers, and I put the roots in the dirt and then I patted the dirt down. The silverbeet needs soil to grow and it needs water and the sun.

Darcy: I made a hole in the soil and then I put the roots in and then I flattened the dirt and watered the seedling.

Cecilia: I just needed to put some dirt in the pot and put strawberries in there and watered it. I saw a big strawberry.

Laura: First I dug a hole and then squeezed the plastic pot so the plant would come out, but it was too hard. I persisted, that means I tried my best and then it tipped out. I put the flower in the hole – just the roots in the soil and put soil around it.

As researchers, we look forward to spending time in our community garden each day, to make further observations and discoveries.

Angela Follacchio
Early Learning 4 Full Time Teacher

Year 2 – Unit of Inquiry

This term in Year 2 our Inquiry unit is ‘How can we look after ourselves?’. The students have been looking into the benefits of physical activity and hygiene, but they have had the most fun looking at the bones in our bodies! As a class we investigated the different names of our bones and why they each had a very important role to play in our bodies. They have really enjoyed learning new facts about our bones and our bodies, as well as becoming doctors by looking at X-rays. In our experiments with Mrs Dumsday the students were able to watch a dissection of a chicken wing. The students looked at the different bones inside the wing and were able to make their own cardboard arm. 

“I have enjoyed learning about the biggest bone, our femur. I have also enjoyed learning about different bones in my body” – Olivia D 

“I liked learning about the bones and looking at the chicken bones when we did our experiment with Mrs Dumsday. I liked making the cardboard arm to show how it moves” – Lily 

“I was finding it quite fun to learn about the bones. I think my favourite bone is my rib cage” – Evie 

“I have enjoyed learning the different names for all of them, then I get to teach them to my family, like the phalanges” – Akira 

Mikaela Stanaway
Year 2 Class Teacher

Year 4 – Unit of Inquiry

The students in Year 4 have launched into the new school year with enthusiasm and inquiring minds! With their thinking caps poised, Year 4 have begun exploring in Inquiry, ‘What makes a responsible digital citizen?’ During this time, students have begun to investigate online safety, features of a website, the history of the internet, data security and how to be respectful online. Next week, they will be taking part in a webinar run by the eSafety Commissioner called ‘Be an eSafe Kid: a better internet starts with you.’

Over the past month, the Year 4s have also refined their poetry skills. In particular, they have been focusing on figurative language including metaphors, similes, onomatopoeia, alliteration, repetition to make their writing more interesting. They were challenged to write a poem about the Ormiston Garden.

 

The Rebirth of a Flower by Elfie Fan

In the garden, the thin breeze blows on the tall trees

I can hear the cheerful birds chirping in delight

I put the tiny seeds in the soil and wait for it to grow

I can smell the fresh air blowing in the empty sky

When the rough night wind howls, the seeds stay safe underground

Helpful earthworms dig to make the soil breathe, and

Bees pollinate from flower to flower

Elegant trees are like tall statues standing quiet and still

When the soft soil is clear and healthy

And the peaceful raindrops fall to the endless ground

The seeds crawl pit pf the soil, first seeing the bright shining sun,

Silently, it grows

 

The Ormiston Garden by Annabelle Teh

As I stood out in the open garden

The wind whispered in my ear

The sound of excited, energetic children chattering sang in my ear

The smell of drab wooden pillars started rising through the air

A magnificent smell of flowers wafted through the air

The rose bush was a dagger because the thorns were sharp

Crystal clear water drizzled on the hazelnut coloured bench

The soft sand slid through my fingers like a slippery slide

The pavement was a hard as a rock

It was the most pleasurable time

The students have also enjoyed practicing their spelling words with chalk outside in the Ormiston playground.

Anjali de Quadros and Amelia Hart

Year 2 Super Strings

String playing at CGGS continues to grow from strength to strength and much of it starts right here in the Super Strings program.

Here at Ormiston, our Music programs use the Kodaly and Orff approach to music education, to develop an understanding of the basic concepts used to create music. This concept is continued into all our instrumental programs and at CGGS we are very fortunate to offer our students the opportunity to take part in our Year 2 Super String program.

The Super Strings program aims to develop technical, aural, music reading and ensemble skills through a practical experience by learning to play the Violin, Viola or Cello.

Each Thursday, the students are split into two groups and rehearse for one hour. Classes consist of a combination of tutorials and ensembles, as students begin to rehearse a range of exercises and repertoire within their instrument section and later as a large ensemble. Students with prior string experience are extended in their Super String experience and are offered more challenging music to play, developing further, their ensemble skills which is essential to chamber music.

So why learn stringed instruments?

In recent years, researchers in a variety of medical fields have examined the influence that music training has on cognitive functions and overall health.

Schools all over the country are placing new emphasis on teaching children the basic elements of music as part of the core subjects because of the measurable gains it generates and overall grade improvements. Learning a stringed instrument in particular increases and enhances cognitive activity by:

> establishing a positive learning state

> creating a desired atmosphere

> building a sense of anticipation

> changing brain wave states

> focussing concentration

> increasing attention

> improving memory

> facilitating a multisensory learning experience

> releasing tension

> enhancing imagination

To further enhance the students’ learning; online activities, music and videos are shared on Seesaw where students and their families have regular access at home. Students are also encouraged to keep a performance diary of their work which string staff regularly check and comment on.

It is only the start of the school year and our Super Strings are already making beautiful music.

Stay tuned for more great tunes from our Super Strings!

Nichole Adams
Music Teacher and Violin and Viola Tutor

Year 4 – 6 Boroondara Division Swimming

On Tuesday 1 March, the following team of 12 students went to Monash Aquatic and Recreation Centre to represent CGGS at the Boroondara Division Swimming Carnival. These students competed in a mixture of relays and individual events. All our relay teams qualified from District level which was a wonderful effort. The competition was challenging on the day and all students represented the School with confidence and determination. Here is the swimming squad:

Amy Qi

Olivia Yang

Jasmine Xie

Nellie Ruddle

Kealey Liew

Ruth Whelan

Sophie-May Ronzani

Ailey Poon

Estella Ouyang

Zoe McManemin

Cecelia Yang

Ivy Xie

Congratulations to Olivia Yang, Cecelia Yang, Ruth Whelan and Jasmine Xie who have qualified for the Medley Relay at the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Competition on Friday 25 March. Olivia Yang will also be representing CGGS for Freestyle & Butterfly, whilst Cecelia Yang will be representing CGGS in Freestyle & Breaststroke.We wish our students the best of luck as they progress on to the next stage.

Liana Kitsou
Junior School PE Teacher & Sport Coordinator

Year 5 Art

The Year 5 students first listened to and discussed a story about Bunjil the eagle, a significant animal in Indigenous culture. Then they sketched a large eagle, focusing on the body shapes, positioning and sizing. A palette knife was used to mix paint and then apply it to their eagle design. While painting they explored layering colours and then scratching into the paint, to scrape away colour. The students were encouraged to differentiate the body parts and the feathers with their choices of colours. When dry, the students used a variety of lines and patterns in the style of the Wurundjeri, using earthy colours, filling in space around Bunjil.

Fiona Gibson
Art Teacher

New Students to Ormiston

As a school community, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to our new students and families that have started at Ormiston this year. At the start of Term 1, in Early Learning 3 we have 18 students starting across all three programs and in Early Learning 4, we have eight new students that are beginning their educational journey with us in both the Full-Time and Part-Time classes.

Our new students have settled in very well and I encourage them to continue to contribute as much as possible in their classroom each day. Here are the names of our Foundation – Year 6 students:

Foundation

Madison Abou-Assi            

Diyana Amarasingha

Chloe Cao                            

Summer Chew

Chelsea Gu                          

Annie Hu

Eva Kalyanimath                 

Evelyn Kao

Isabella Lee                         

Olivia Li

Ruby Lim                              

Eugenie Lin

Evelyn Patel                         

Iris Qiao

Charlene Wang                   

Hailey Yong

Emilia Zhang

Year 1

Ginnie Hao Pandey            

Sia Kim

Yolanda Ma

Year 2

Mia Gao                                

Lily Kwong

Year 3

Aarza Bhatia                        

Kenolee Hatangala

Jaslene Ng                           

Cecilia Yang

Year 4

Ada Li                                    

Likka Jiang

Yiyi Loo                                 

Zoe McManemin

Sooki Tian                            

Angel Nguyen

Year 5

Rachel Franco                     

Emilia Cai     

Kasey Hao                           

Alina Hou

Aneira Paul                          

Rebecca Luo

Charlotte Thomson             

Sharika Piratheepan

Jennifer Wu                          

Aanya Richharia

Olivia Wu                              

Elsa Wei

Year 6

Jenny Jin                              

Stephanie Chiodo

Bella Beltrano

 

2022 Ormiston Staffing

I am excited to let the Ormiston school community know our Junior School staff for this year from Early Learning 3 to Year 6. Junior School staffing is as follows:

Head of Junior School – Paul Donohue

Deputy Head of Junior School – Emma Hinchliffe

Junior School Coordinator  – Justine Clancy / Vicki Ibbott

Junior School Reception – Vicki Ibbott / Catherine Daniels

Early Learning 3    
Class Teacher – Esther Wong (Early Learning Coordinator)
Class Teacher – Jacqui Laird
Class Assistant – Joanna Lee

Early Learning 4 Full-Time
Class Teacher – Angela Follacchio
Class Assistant – Effie Kitsiris

Early Learning 4 Part-Time
Class Teacher – Ramila Sadikeen
Class Assistant – Melinda Murphy

Foundation
Class Teacher – Selena Reedman
Literacy/Numeracy – Annabelle Vivarini

Year 1
Class Teacher – Angela Columbine
Literacy/Numeracy – Annabelle Vivarini

Year 2
Class Teacher – Mikaela Stanaway
Literacy/Numeracy – Emma Hinchliffe & Nancy Robottom

Year 3
Class Teacher – Liz Warren
Literacy/Numeracy – Nancy Robottom

Year 4D
Class Teacher – Anjali de Quadros

Year 4H
Class Teacher – Amelia Hart

Year 5S
Class Teacher – Fiorella Soci

Year 5G
Class Teacher – Craig Goodwin

Year 6G
Class Teacher – Jasvindar Gill

Year 6C        
Class Teacher – Katrina Cheong

 

Specialists

Learning Diversity – Lisa White

EAL – Michelle May & Melissa Donelly

Music – Nichole Adams & Penny Byrne

Library – Sally Spencer

Art – Fiona Gibson

Physical Education – Liana Kitsou

Choir – Jessica Huggett

Y5 & Y6 French – Rouba Iskandar

F – Y4 Chinese – Peipei Liu, Scarlett Zhang & Crystal Zhang

STEAM Teacher – Penny Dumsday

Chapel – Rev Helen Creed

 

Wishing all our Ormiston families an enjoyable weekend.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Donohue
Head of Junior School

Settling Back into School

It has been wonderful to see the children enjoying spending time back together with their friends and teachers at School. We are thrilled to have the students back on site and eager to learn.

While the beginning of the year, brings excitement and possibility for new learning and connections, it is important to acknowledge that the beginning of the year is a time of transition for all members of our school community.

Getting back into the routines of school, requires a lot of mental and physical energy, often resulting in children requiring more rest than usual. You can support your children at transition times by being mindful of not overcommitting to after school and weekend activities and ensuring children get enough rest and sleep. Rest and sleep are vital to enable students to process and consolidate all that they are learning during the school day. Due to the sudden changes in daily routines and interactions, transition times can bring a wave of emotions for children and adults alike. It is important that as adults we help to normalise how our feelings can change during transition times by naming emotions and feelings as they arise.

We recognise the importance of the transition time at the beginning of the year to support students to settle in and to set strong foundations for the year ahead.  All year levels participate in the Quality Beginnings programs during the first two weeks of school, where they spend time getting to know their peers, teachers and reacquaint themselves with the school environment. Classes collaboratively develop routines and expectations for the year to help cultivate supportive learning communities, where students feel respected and safe to take risks in their learning. The Quality Beginnings program encourages students to explore their personal strengths and values, develop strategies to support their own digital wellbeing and help them to make connections with their peers.

Emma Hinchliffe
Deputy Head of Junior School

First Weeks of Foundation

We are so proud of the way our Foundation students have approached their first two weeks of school with courage and big smiles. They have been really encouraging and supportive of each other both in the classroom and the playground. They are learning to ask questions when they are unsure of things and have been engaging in creative play in the big Ormiston playground.

The Foundation students have already mastered the morning routines, unpacking their bags and organising their belongings independently, ensuring a smooth start to the day. Through careful practice and modelling students are learning to respect each other by showing the 5L’s (looking, listening, lips closed, hands in laps, legs crossed) when other children are speaking.

It has been wonderful to see the children have already begun identifying, reading and writing words beginning with ‘m’ and ‘s’ sounds and using different strategies to count collections of objects.

When I asked the Foundation students to reflect on their first weeks of school, they indicated that they all enjoyed playing with her friends, learning new things about numbers and the alphabet, and they are having fun working together and learning to share with others.

We can’t wait to see the contribution our capable Foundation children make to our School community this year.

Emma Hinchliffe
Deputy Head of Junior School

Early Learning 3 & 4 – Building A Sense of Place

Over the summer break, the ELC has undergone major refurbishment work to the outdoor and indoor learning environment. Teachers and CGGS staff have worked tirelessly to ensure the spaces are welcoming and brimming with opportunities for children to explore, create, experiment, imagine and construct independent and collaborative learning. The changes you might have noticed include new landscaping of the outdoor vegetation; installation of a vegetable garden, dry river creek bed, a bush walkway; a performing arts stage; green lawn construction space; installation of terrazzo linoleum flooring and repainting of the classrooms.

Loris Malaguzzi, an educational pedagogist known for the Reggio Emilia approach draws voice to the importance of the physical spaces and its prospective influence on how and what children learn. The teachers have created environments that are engaging, fosters a sense of belonging, builds child agency, supports children to feel ownership, respect, and inclusion towards their learning space and as an extension, towards each other.

Even though Term 1 has barely begun, EL3 and EL4 children have embraced their new learning spaces with a respectful and productive calm. Each classroom community is excited to design yet also implement individual and collective inquires to lay a foundation to developing shared ‘sense of place’.

A big thank you to Michael Lawrence, Martin Conlon and their team for their enormous effort over the school break. Although it may be a time for us to reflect and look back on what the year was for teachers and staff of 2021, the Grounds and Maintenance team worked tirelessly during this period to ensure exemplary educational spaces were instated, ready for this year’s cohort of children to thrive. We look forward to sharing our learning with you from our reinvigorated learning spaces.

Esther Wong
Early Learning Coordinator On behalf of the Early Learning Teachers

Early Learning 4 – Year 6 Art

After the first two weeks of a new year, Ormiston is full of colour and imagination. Positioned in different locations within the Junior School building, close observational drawings of fruit by Year 4 artists are on display. Love heart fingerprints by all artists from Early Learning 4 to Year 6 represent their love of Art and the opportunity to create beautiful pieces. In Year 5, Mystery Portraits of the word ‘Wominjeka’ are on display in the Junior School Hall which are very creative and full of colour. I look forward to sharing more creative student work with you throughout the year.

Fiona Gibson
Art Teacher

Foundation – Year 6 Orientation Morning

Last Friday 22 November, our current Early Learning 4 – Year 5 students had the opportunity to spend time in next year’s class in preparation for the start of the 2022 academic year. This session lasted for 1.5 hours and each student had the chance to meet their new classroom teacher and class mates.

Usually during this event, our current Junior School students would meet the new external students that were joining Ormiston next year. However, due to COVID-19, the new students joining us at Junior School in 2022 will be visiting us  on-campus on Monday 6 December at 4.00-4.30pm. Currently, there are 28 new students joining us at Ormiston next year.

Foundation – Year 5 Swimming Program

For the last two weeks of Term 4, we have organised the Foundation – Year 5 students to be part of our school swimming program. Starting this week, the Foundation – Year 4 students have participated in three intensive stroke correction and water safety sessions at the Senior School Pool. The Year 5 students will participate in a similar Water Safety session on Monday 6 December which will be important in preparing them for their Summer holiday of water activities. I would like to thank Lisa Williams our Swim School Coordinator who has organised these important sessions.

Year 2 Extended Day

Our Year 2 students had a wonderful time participating in a range of teambuilding and educational outdoor activities on Friday 15 November. The Extended Day included poison ball, hoola-hoop competition and hip-hop dancing via Zoom. The students enjoyed a lovely dinner from Pinwheel followed by a movie together in the Junior School Hall. Each of the students enjoyed the opportunity to stay behind after school and were picked-up by their parents at 7.30pm. This annual event is an excellent opportunity to prepare the students for next year’s Year 3 and 4 camp. I would like to thank our Year 2 Class Teacher Mikaela Stanaway, for organising the fun activities this year.

Science Talent Search Achievement – Christine Moi Year 5

Congratulations to Christine Moi of Year 5 who was nominated for Primary Investigations section in the December 2021 BHP Foundation Science and Engineering Awards.

Christine’s project “What is the most efficient form of transport – to walk, cycle, scooter or e-scooter?” was awarded as a Semi Finalist.

The comment from the judges stated, ‘Your project was an outstanding contribution for which you should feel extremely proud.’

Christine will receive a certificate in the mail early next year.

 

Wishing all our Ormiston families an enjoyable weekend.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Donohue
Head of Junior School

Year 5 and 6 Camp – Grantville Lodge Westernport Bay

On 15 November Years 5 and 6 went to a beautiful camp called Grantville Lodge. There were lots of activities planned to keep us occupied during our two night visit from Monday to Wednesday. Ms Cheong, Mrs Robottom, Ms de Quadros, Ms Hinchliffe, Mr Donohue, Ms Soci, Mr Goodwin and Mrs White were all there to support us through times when we might have been upset about something or if we needed to talk to someone. 

Camp was a memorable experience for me. I conquered things I never imagined I would be able to do. I have a morbid fear of heights and managing the scary giant swing was a victory for me (even though I didn’t go to the top). The food was exquisite. I thank the people that cooked the wonderful food. I couldn’t help getting seconds because the food was so mouth – watering! Going to this camp inspired me to take risks and challenge myself in the future. 

Aathana Sivapalan, Year 6

The highlight of my camp was having free time in our cabins because honestly it was such great bonding for all of us and we all became so much closer after it by playing games and just being able to chat and connect with each other. Something else I enjoyed immensely was having Mrs White as our activity teacher because she was so much fun to work with. Overall, camp was a 10/10 experience.

Nirvani Subedi, Year 6

My camp highlight was doing all the rope activities ranging from high ropes to giant swing and flying fox. We learnt how to put on the harnesses and connecting our harnesses to the courses. We were challenged to try the rope activities so I did and I went on the trickiest high ropes course, and I went as high as the flying fox and giant swing could go. But really the whole camp was a highlight. 

Alexia Stuart-Adams, Year 6

STEM Games Challenge Semi-Finalists

Over the past two years I have had the pleasure to work with three teams of Year 5 and 6 students to support them to develop the skills necessary to enter the Australia wide STEM Video Games Challenge competition. Students were required to work together to plan and create a Video Game using Scratch, that explored the theme of Scale.

When designing their games, students also had to think carefully about all elements of game design including: graphics, coding, storyline, testing, the level of challenge in the game and of course its fun factor. To emphasise the design process, all teams had to complete and were also judged on their game design document detailing the process they went through to design their games. Designing a functioning game with no bugs is no easy feat and required teams to communicate and problem solve effectively and apply their character strengths of perseverance, bravery, creativity and hope.

Congratulations to Charlotte, Aathana, Preesha, Audrey and Zara for their exceptional work and being recognised as semi-finalists this year. Students were presented with their certificates in assembly this week.

We are so proud of the way these teams worked together over the past two years to create games of such quality through working together both face to face and online during remote learning.

We can’t wait to see them apply their skills to other coding and design challenges in the future.

Emma Hinchliffe
Deputy Head of Junior School