Principal

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I warmly welcome all students and families back to Term 2. I hope that you had some enjoyable times with those who are important to you during Easter and the holiday break.

Term 1 was full of many exciting events including House Dance, Music and Cross Country, as well as our Junior School Picnic, Welcome Drinks for Parents, the Year 12 Formal and Year 10 Camp – just to name a few!

This term I am excited to announce a new project in our ongoing work with Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (Harvard University). Dr Charlotte Forwood, our Director of Learning Design and Development is overseeing this exciting initiative. 

Project Zero recently invited Camberwell Girls to take part in the Reach Project, a joint research project between Harvard and Independent Schools Victoria (ISV). This project is being led by Professor David Perkins and Dr Flossie Chua, two highly regarded international educators. A team of teachers from across our Junior, Middle and Senior Schools is participating in this project during Terms 2 and 3.

The Reach Project, part of the larger Idea into Action Project, is exploring a teaching approach designed to develop mindsets for thinking and learning in school and beyond. The approach focuses on three mindsets:

• explorer mindset
• investigator mindset
• innovator mindset

The aim of the Reach teaching approach is to help students connect content to future academic learning as well as their world beyond school, while developing powerful thinking and learning mindsets.

It is a privilege to connect once more with Professor David Perkins and Dr Flossie Chua. Camberwell Girls worked with both previously on the Idea into Action Ecologies of Change Project, which focused on implementing and sustaining change. We were a case study school, trialling and co-designing the Eco Toolkit, which will be released as a free resource for educators nationally and internationally.

Our involvement in The Reach Project is an important one, as it involves the school in cutting edge research that seeks to influence and impact learning and education globally. Being ‘Useful in Service’ applies to many contexts. Through our participation in the Reach Project, we are in service to the broader professional education community as well as our students.

On a different note, I am also very conscious of a number of distressing events that our young people are currently being exposed to including the war in Ukraine and Gaza, escalating tensions in the Middle East and the recent Bondi tragedy. At these times it is important that we are conscious of young people and need to look for ways to help them deal with such distressing events.  I have asked one of our counsellors, Beth Sarlos to share some thoughts to help families at this time. Please see the article below.