Dear Parents and Guardians,
Welcome to the 2024 school year at Camberwell Girls Grammar School! I hope that you enjoyed some relaxing time with family and friends during the holiday break.
The return of our students is such an energising time as you feel the excitement of the promise of new beginnings and opportunities. This has certainly been the case for those who have returned this week, and we are looking forward to welcoming our remaining students back on Monday.
For those students who are commencing their formal education in Early Learning 3, Foundation and at the start of secondary school in Year 7, it is important to acknowledge the significance of these milestones. This year we are welcoming 149 new students and their families to Camberwell Girls – 64 students at Ormiston (our Junior School), 64 students in Year 7 and 21 students in Years 8 to 12. I look forward to meeting parents and guardians at our welcome events across the next two weeks.
At the conclusion of 2023 we celebrated many student talents, reflections and achievements at Presentation and Graduation events. This was followed by the news of another year of outstanding VCE results and subsequent university offers for the Class of 2023. Our outstanding VCE results include:
To date, 11% of the Class of 2023 have received Scholarships into tertiary courses – a wonderful reflection of their academic success and co-curricular contributions.
As we enjoy the start of the year and new beginnings, there is also a great sense of satisfaction in the personal stories behind the achievements of the Year 12 cohort at the end of the year. I would like to thank our VCE teachers for their commitment to and support of the girls during their final years of schooling. It is important to also recognise teachers from earlier years as they too engaged, inspired and supported the girls throughout their journey to young adulthood.
As we all know, the ATAR tells only one part of the story. The students’ contributions to the CGGS community and service to the wider community are also valued.
This year we have welcomed a number of new teachers with extensive experience and interests to Camberwell Girls for ongoing positions as well as long service leave replacement roles. They are:
Junior School
Peter is joining us from Templestowe Heights Primary School and has previously worked at Greythorn Primary School. Peter has a strong interest in camps, sport, coaching and literacy.
Lilian, a former Camberwell Girls employee, is returning as our Junior School Art Teacher. Lilian had previously worked with us in the Early Learning Centre and has most recently been an Art Teacher at Geelong Grammar School. Lilian is excited to be returning!
Cathy is joining the languages department as a Junior School Chinese Teacher. Cathy has been teaching at the Eastern Chinese Language School and Chinese Cultural School Australia. As a former student, Cathy graduated in 2017 and is honoured to return as a staff member as she loved her time here.
Renee is a highly experienced music educator who has come to us from Caulfield Grammar. She holds both a Masters of Teaching, along with several Kodály music education qualifications from Australia and overseas. Renee is most experienced in directing children’s choirs and she is the Founder & Artistic Director of The Yarra Voices.
Stephen is a highly experienced Speech, Drama, Music and Performing Arts teacher, having taught at a number of schools including Carey Baptist Grammar School, Mentone Grammar School and Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School. Stephen is also a professional opera singer and actor, having worked both on stage and screen.
Secondary School
Ivan is our new Director of Digital Learning who joins us from Brighton Grammar School, where he was the Head of Digital Technologies. He has an Engineering background and was previously the Director of STEM at Melbourne Girls Grammar. Ivan is also a Chief Assessor, State Auditor and on the exam writing and study design review panels with VCAA for Algorithmics.
David was previously a Mathematics Teacher at Korowa Anglican Girls’ School and has held a similar operational leadership role at St Michael’s Grammar School. His PhD research focusses on what enables effective teachers to perform, what impedes them in their work and where opportunities for improvement lie. His findings highlighted some unrealised potential to improve teacher wellbeing, connection and performance.
Sam is a Mathematics, Science and Computing teacher with experience including software development, gaming, VR, robotics, embedded systems, 3d printing, laser cutting, 3D modelling and electronics. Sam is joining us from Hillcrest Christian College where he was instrumental in the development of the years 7-12 digital technologies and STEM curriculum.
Maria is joining the English Department. She was previously at Scoresby Secondary College as an English, EAL and Psychology teacher, as well as a Year Level Coordinator. Maria was drawn to the vision of Camberwell Girls Grammar School, in particular our investment in inspiring and empowering young women.
Tania is an experienced English teacher who joins us from Marcellin College, where she has taught junior and senior English, English Literature and was the VCE Coordinator. During her career, Tania has also taught Humanities, RE, Italian and IT. Tania is currently a VCAA Assessor for English.
Cristina is joining us from Lyndale Secondary College, where she was teaching French, EAL and Literature. Cristina lived in Leon as a child and kept up her French studies after her family moved. She comes from a family of teachers and started her career in Corporate Communications before following “a calling” into teaching.
Kylie is an experienced VCE chemistry and science teacher who was previously at Casey Grammar. She is very excited to be coming to a girls school as she is passionate about girls education. During her career, Kylie has also taught at schools including Brighton Grammar and Melbourne Girls Grammar and has held a number of roles including Head of House, Head of Department and VCE Coordinator.
Anna is an experienced Psychology and Science Teacher, who is joining us from Firbank Grammar School. Anna has also previously worked as a VCAA Assessor for Psychology. She is passionate about making learning engaging and personable, and breaking down any misconceptions that science is “too hard”.
We are also delighted to welcome back from leave, Ms Emma Hinchcliffe (Deputy Head of Junior School), Ms Lauren Law, Ms Melinda De Haan and Rev Duncan Reid. I would also like to welcome Ms Philippa Rehe and Mr Declan McLaughlin, our Deakin Associate Teachers for 2024.
At Camberwell Girls we are committed to the importance of a quality holistic education. Academic success is not just about building the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that we need. It is also about how we create new value, reconcile tensions and dilemmas and take responsibility for our actions to build a meaningful future.
With very best wishes for the year ahead.
Debbie Dunwoody
Principal
