Mrs. Dunwoody reflects on two significant occasions in the School's history that occurred in the past week.
As I approached Doncaster athletics track, I could hear some barracking and chants coming from the area where our students were seated, waiting for their opportunity to participate in either a track or field event. Students from each of the four houses (Lawrence, Schofield, Singleton, and Taylor) were actively encouraging their fellow teammates to perform their personal best.
The Carnival began with field events such as shot put, discus, high jump, long jump, and triple jump. Students from all year levels had the chance to compete against their peers while scoring points for their house. The high jump and triple jump presented challenges for many students, but everyone participated and consequently learned a lot about athletics and specific field events.
The track events commenced with the 1,500-metre event, featuring a small group of students who wanted to test themselves in a long-distance race. These students demonstrated persistence and determination to finish the race and earn valuable points for their house. Following this, the hurdle races took place, then the sprints including the 100 and 200-metre events, and finally the 800-metre event at the end of the day.
It was notable that all our Years 3–6 students participated in our annual athletics carnival, taking part in numerous track and field events. Congratulations to our Physical Education teacher Kim James and her team of teachers and sports coaches who organised a very well-prepared carnival. Students will now be considered for the upcoming district athletics team, which will compete against other students from local schools in the area. This special event is anticipated eagerly.
Paul Donohue
Head of Junior School
Storytelling is a powerful tool for sharing knowledge, developing connections and learning about each other.
Yarning circles
The EL3 class has been meeting in yarning circles in our classroom to share our holiday stories. Some children have told their stories with their words, some with drawings and others with photos. The children have also listened to Murrundindi share his stories in the Junior School yarning circle. The Early Years Learning Framework 2.0 describes how children learn to communicate through the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander verbal ways of storytelling and yarning and non-verbal ways of deep listening supports student communication skills and their understanding of other ways of being and doing.
Book making
The EL3 students have been exploring story telling through book making. They have been learning the roles of authors and illustrators. Vocabulary such as title, front cover and page has been introduced to support the children’s understanding of concepts of print which helps young children’s literacy development. Some children have been creating books about topics they want to share, and others have told stories about their family and recent holidays.
Retelling familiar stories
The children in EL3 have been retelling familiar stories such as ‘We’re Going On A Bear Hunt’ and ‘There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly’, They used puppets and props to retell a story following the sequence, and at the same time, the children have developed their oral language skills and literacy and numeracy learning.
Eva Szymanski
EL3 Class Teacher
Early Learning 4 students are learning basic colour theory by constructing their own knowledge through shared experiences. Students are learning from each other, and from their direct interactions in the world. They started in Term 1 with an in-depth exploration into white, black and shades of grey.
This term, students had opportunities to discover what happens when they mix the primary colours – yellow, red and blue. Through play, students solved problems to investigate what happens when two primary colours are mixed; three primary colours are mixed; and the ratios of colours are changed.
We moved our learning outside and collected examples of colours found in nature. Back in the Art Room, we matched their items on the colour wheel. Students were challenged to recreate the colours by mixing paint until they matched. They used their prior knowledge about how to create shades by adding black and tints by adding white. Through play, the students tackled challenges and found solutions.
Lilian Bishop
Junior School Art Teacher
Four enthusiastic racers from Junior School represented CGGS in the Fuse Cup Mario Kart competition (Primary School Division), held at Genazzano FCJ College in Kew. With over fifty competitors and a demanding tournament format, our team prepared confidently for a tough contest.
The opening round featured groups of four racing in a Grand Prix format consisting of four races, with only the winner advancing to the next stage. Claire Z, Ellie L, and Rachel D kicked off with strong performances, but narrowly missed qualification — one race even came down to a thrilling tiebreaker between first and second place. Alessandra R, showing great focus, claimed an impressive first-round win and secured her spot in the quarterfinals.
A second-chance time trial followed, offering Claire Z, Ellie L, and Rachel D another opportunity to advance. Despite their determined efforts, they faced some of the division’s fastest racers and were unable to progress to the next stage.
In the quarterfinals, Alessandra R continued her strong form but finished in third place, just missing out on the semifinals.
While the tournament was fiercely competitive, it was inspiring to witness the team’s resilience and the way they supported each other throughout the day. Their dedication and teamwork – both on the day and in the lead-up to the event – were truly commendable.
Sam Fitzgerald
Head of Digital Technologies
Mark Major
System Engineer
Mrs. Dunwoody reflects on two significant occasions in the School's history that occurred in the past week.
Two House Events, Year 9 Camp, Diversity Week, incursions, and excursions—it's been a busy fortnight!
The ELC children are exploring storytelling and colour theory, while students in Years 3 to 6 competed for their Houses.
In the past two weeks, the School welcomed community members for several events, including the Generations Breakfast, Founders' Service, and Groundbreaking Ceremony.
