Mrs Dunwoody reflects on the 2025 Inspiring Women Ceremony and CGGS’s success in a recent national ranking.
Ormiston proudly hosted the annual All Girls’ Chess Tournament, organised by Chess Ideas. This highly competitive event is a highlight on the calendar for many schools across Victoria, offering female students a unique opportunity to test their critical thinking skills in a supportive, all-girls environment.
We welcomed participants from a range of schools, including:
Camberwell Girls performed exceptionally well throughout the day, with Ellie L (Year 6) and Estelle K (Year 5) finishing in the top 20—a fantastic achievement in such a competitive field.
In total, 14 students represented our school with enthusiasm and determination. Congratulations to each of our participants:
By the end of the competition, Camberwell Girls Grammar School placed within the top five schools and has now qualified for the State Victorian Chess Championships later this year.
We wish our chess team all the very best as they prepare for this exciting next stage.
We are delighted to recognise the achievement from one of our talented Year 1 students who recently participated in the Eisteddfod by the Bay. Scarlett Z competed in the “9 Years and Under – Song from a Musical Production (Solo)” category and performed Naughty from Matilda and was awarded third place.
This was Scarlett’s first time entering a performance competition. Her expressive rendition, confident delivery, and engaging stage presence earned high praise from the adjudicator, and her performance was a proud moment for her family.
As part of her performance, Scarlett wore her CGGS school uniform to portray Matilda. Her participation reflected our CGGS school values of courage and commitment, and we congratulate Scarlett on her efforts.
Scarlett’s family expressed deep gratitude to our teachers and staff for the guidance and encouragement that has helped her grow into such a confident performer. We are proud to see our school values shine so brightly through our students’ achievements.
We are excited to celebrate the swimming achievements of one of our Year 3 students, Emily Z.
Over the past few months, Emilia participated in two exciting events: the 2025 Metro West Annual Short Course Meet in late June and the 2025 Ringwood Short Course Meet in early August. These meets provided a wonderful opportunity for Emilia to build her confidence and improve her stroke technique and overall fitness levels.
Competing in the Under 8 (U8) age group, Emilia showed determination and skill, earning medals in both the 50m and 100m events. We are very proud of Emilia’s achievements and look forward to her participation in future swimming competitions this year.
Paul Donohue
Head of Junior School
In a recent event, ELC students enthusiastically stepped into the role of performers as they took part in a mini theatre production of Tiddalik the Frog, a well-known Aboriginal Dreamtime story. Using expressive movement, dance, and dramatic play, students brought the tale of Tiddalik, a frog whose great thirst led him to drink all the water in the land, to life. Through this experience, children developed their creative expression while deepening their understanding of the story’s meaning.
This event was intentionally connected to the Woiwurrung Language Program, where teachers have been building children’s knowledge of native Australian animals, particularly those found in Melbourne (Narrm). By linking the story of Tiddalik with the animals and language introduced in class, students were able to consolidate their learning in a meaningful and memorable way.
Through this multimodal approach of blending movement, oral storytelling, language, costumes and visuals children engaged in rich, embedded learning that supports cultural understanding, creative exploration, and a deeper sense of connection to place. The event not only reinforced classroom learning but also celebrated the power of stories to teach us about the land, the animals, and the importance of sharing and working together.
Esther Wong
ELC Coordinator
This term, Year 6 is learning about the impact of immigration on Australian society. The students have been analysing and applying visual literacy understandings of Shaun Tan’s book ‘The Arrival’. This text outlines the complexity of the immigration journey faced by many around the world. On Tuesday 29 July, Year 6 visited the Immigration Museum to learn about the many stories of Australian migrants.
My visit to the Immigration Museum was a powerful and eye-opening experience. I found it fascinating how the museum gave us a real sense of what migrants went through, especially through activities like the dictation test. I attempted it but couldn’t keep up, which made me realise how difficult and unfair it was. I was surprised by how realistic the displays felt, which helped me truly understand the emotions and struggles people faced. One thing I really enjoyed was the timeline activity. Our guide used a long string to show how long Australia has existed, then revealed that migration was only represented by a tiny piece of ribbon as thin as paper. It was shocking and really put things into perspective. The overall experience was really engaging and made learning about Australia’s immigration history meaningful and memorable. – Faye
We were fortunate enough to visit the Immigration Museum in the City. We first learnt about different migrants who came from different countries, such as Vietnam, South Sudan, Japan, England, and Indonesia. We studied their background, culture, where they grew up, their journey and their job. Next, we explored the different areas in the Museum. There were many interesting videos to watch, some were timeline history videos, and some were interviews of migrants who have immigrated to Australia. I also learnt that immigrants coming from Australia had to go through a “50-word Dictation Test,” in any European language. There were many pictures, objects, texts, newspapers, and artworks about Australia’s migration story.
– Claire
Visiting the Immigration Museum was a fun and memorable trip because I learned so much and got to see what life was like for people who migrated long ago. During the visit, I found it interesting to see how people from all over the world came here to start a new life. I was surprised by how hard it was for some families to travel and leave everything behind. I learned that people moved for many reasons, to escape war or find better jobs. I enjoyed looking at the old photos and listening to stories about their journeys. It helped me understand how important immigrants are to our country’s history. What I enjoyed most was the interactive exhibits – they made history feel personal and alive. I also enjoyed the workshop at the start of our tour because it was fun to do activities and learn about different immigrants’ stories using replicas of their belongings. – Caitlyn
Jasvindar Gill & Margaret Hall
Year 6 Classroom Teachers
This term in Year 5 French, students took on the role of game designers to consolidate everything they learned in Term 2. Using vocabulary for numbers, actions, and body parts, they created board games designed to help others practise their French in fun and imaginative ways. The results were inventive, colourful, and often hilarious. From obstacle courses that required players to mime actions, to guessing games and twists on classics such as Snakes and Ladders, each game reflected creative thinking and a growing confidence in using French. Best of all, students loved playing each other’s games – learning through laughter is always a win.
Looking ahead, we have now turned our attention to colours in French, with clothing vocabulary on the horizon. These units will come together later in the term for one of our favourite Year 5 traditions, the French fashion parade. In pairs, students will walk the catwalk while describing each other’s outfits entirely in French, of course. It is a fun and practical way to bring vocabulary to life, and we can’t wait to see what bold outfits and brilliant pronunciation are on show.
Joanne Rittey
Head of Languages – French Teacher
This term as part of our BRAVE program, students have been engaging in age-appropriate explorations of help-seeking strategies. Students have explored how they can seek help for themselves or others through problem solving role plays, hands-on group activities and storytelling. As part of this unit, students are also learning about strategies and processes for seeking help online and offline with digital problems, through their engagement in regular Cyber Safety Project lessons.
Additionally, this week as part of Bullying No Way Week, students across the Junior school engaged in meaningful discussions and activities aimed at promoting empathy, understanding and respect for diversity. Students explored how they can be bold, kind and speak up to support others. We encourage families to take this opportunity to have open and honest conversations with your child about how people can spread kindness, be upstanding and know what to do if they need support managing friendship issues or unkindness.
We are very much looking forward to our upcoming Book Week and CamberWELL Wellbeing week extravaganza “CamberWELL day” on Wednesday 20 August. Students will come together in cross age groups to connect, engage in cross-age House activities and explore the power of stories.
Emma Hinchliffe
Deputy Head of Junior School
CGGS welcomed author Ingrid Laguna to the Brooksbank Library to launch her beautiful new middle grade novel Edie Tells a Lie with our Year 3 – 6 students.
During the event Ingrid shared her inspiration behind Edie’s story, described the challenges she personally faced during the writing of the text, and discussed the themes of honesty, family, friendship and change. It was lovely to hear Ingrid read passages from the text aloud as they enabled our students to experience key events and hear Edie’s voice. Ingrid also spoke about how she drew upon her own Polish family history to help build the storylines and create her characters, and she encouraged our students to investigate their family histories.
Our wonderful Library Leaders – Elva W, Isabella X and Remilia L played a very important role in the book launch. They were very impressive as they introduced Ingrid and the story of Edie to the audience and compiled a series of thoughtful and interesting questions about how the book, and characters were created and written.
Some of their questions included:
This book was inspired by real-life characters; can you tell us about them?
You often do you write your books from a child’s perspective, and how do you put yourself into their shoes?
Tell us about the process of writing a book, what happens once you finish? How does it get published?
What is one thing you would like your readers to take away from this story?
Staff and students were thrilled by Ingrid’s honesty, warmth and humour, and the book launch concluded with everyone eager to grab a copy of Edie Tells a Lie.
Sally Spencer
Teacher Librarian
The Year 4 class visited the Melbourne Zoo to explore ecosystems, where biotic and abiotic factors live together, and to observe animals and their habitats. At the beginning of our excursion, James our friendly zoo educator, showed us the Great Flight Aviary where we observed the Black Necked Stork eating the fish James had thrown into the water. Later in the day, we ventured to the Forest of Wonder where we saw the Sumatran Tiger, my favourite animal of the day, and the adorable Squirrel Monkeys. After lunch, we visited the Wild Sea. Even though the session was concise, the seal, Iha, exhibited spectacular swimming. At the end of the day, we surveyed the frog and repitle enclosures. Inside the enclosures, the reptiles were concealed, but what we uncovered was, most of them were hiding. Ultimately, the Melbourne Zoo excursion was so much fun as I learnt more about wildlife and ecosystems, and I can’t wait to go back and discover more!
Written by Sarika M
Year 4 visited the Melbourne Zoo to learn more about ecosystems, biomes and how to help lessen the impact of climate change on animals and humans. On our way to the Great Flight Aviary, we saw quokkas, the smallest mammal native to Australia, and koalas, who can sleep up to 20 hours a day. In the Great Flight Aviary, we saw a Black Necked Stork, who are excellent fishers due to their long legs and sharp beaks, and the Southern Cassowary, known as the ‘mother of the rainforest’. I was amazed by the biodiversity of the Australian Bush, which had birds, mammals and marsupials. Later in the day, we saw huge giraffes, baboons with red bottoms (due to mating season), and Nyalas, which are antelope-like creatures that live in the savannahs of Africa. We also went to the Forest of Wonder, which had gorillas, a Sumatran Tiger, and The Butterfly House. It was hot and humid with lots of tropical plants. The butterflies loved Ms de Quadros. The gorilla was amazing with big, bright eyes, and was very intelligent. At around midday, we stopped to have lunch and see the Red Panda. I heard that there are only about 400 left in the wild. Similarly to pandas, they like to eat bamboo, but also eat nuts and fruit. Their habitat is getting destroyed. I learnt many things about wildlife, animal behaviours, had an amazing experience, and I hope I can revisit soon!
Written by Crystal W
Mrs Dunwoody reflects on the 2025 Inspiring Women Ceremony and CGGS’s success in a recent national ranking.
Chinese Model UN, sporting achievements, the Year 11 Soiree, NAIDOC Week, and much more.
Our Year 6 students hosted a Q&A with author Ingrid Laguna to help launch her book, Edie Tells a Lie.
A recent graduate has shared her expertise with the student set designers of Wolves Are Coming For You.
