Today, Mrs Dunwoody shares two pieces of important news with the community.
In this editorial, I would like to share important news about Mr Paul Donohue (Head of Junior School) and information about the development of our Learning Enrichment and Extension opportunities at Camberwell Girls.
This week you would have received from me an email announcing the resignation of our Head of Junior School, Paul Donohue, at the end of this term for personal reasons.
After almost 14 years of service to the School and the last 12 years as Head of Junior School, Paul has made a significant impact on the development of programs and opportunities for Early Learning and Junior School students. He has also demonstrated unwavering care for students, staff and families. For this we extend our heartfelt thanks to him.
As Paul had already planned to take Long Service Leave in Term 4, this timing provides a natural transition point. Our Deputy Heads, Ms Emma Hinchliffe and Mrs Nancy Robottom, will jointly lead the Junior School for the remainder of 2025. The process to appoint a new Head of Junior School has commenced, with an appointment planned for the beginning of the 2026 school year.
We will be holding two special events for parents who would like to connect with Paul in the final days of term:
I know that you will join with me in extending our very best wishes to Paul as he concludes his time at Camberwell Girls.
This week I held an informal lunch for a group of our Years 7-11 students, to gain some feedback and perspective on their experiences as a student at Camberwell Girls.
One of the areas that they commented on very positively was the enrichment and extension opportunities available and communicated to them by Ms Linossier, our Learning Enrichment and Extension Coordinator in the Secondary School. I asked the group of 14 students if they all felt informed about the opportunities, and all said that they did.
I thought that it was timely to give you, as parents, an overview of our approach to learning enrichment and extension, so I have asked our Secondary School Enrichment and Extension Coordinator Ms Michele Linossier, and our Junior School Enrichment and Extension Coordinator Dr Charlotte Forwood, to provide this overview. I have included this below.
With best wishes
Debbie Dunwoody
Principal
Learning Enrichment and Extension at Camberwell Girls Grammar School
A holistic education that includes enrichment and extension experiences for students is ‘about tapping into their extraordinary potential to shape a better future for all’. Françoys Gagné
Extension and enrichment at Camberwell Girls creates pathways for students via their interests, invitational events and selected projects. As a Junior and Secondary School, we build connections across year levels via mentoring and cross-age opportunities.
At Camberwell Girls we use the terms ‘enrichment’ and ‘extension’. Enrichment activities are usually broad, include new experiences that act as tasters, and connect like-minded students. These may be directly related to curriculum, or external expertise. Enrichment activities are often single day learning experiences which may include guest speakers, workshops, podcasts and extended reading.
Examples of enrichment in the Secondary School include an introduction to mooting, the Da Vinci Decathlon, the UNAA (United Nations Association of Australia) single day Model UN, the Australian Brain Bee Challenge for Years 9 and 10, and the PitchDeck Entrepreneurship Day. Junior School examples include the Science Talent Search, the Big Science Competition and the Da Vinci Decathlon.
Extension always involves greater depth of content and/or skill. Curriculum or real world experiences serve as springboards to extension activities. Extension develops higher order thinking, critical analysis and includes working towards an outcome over time. Extension can be individual or group-focused. Students typically demonstrate an entry level of mastery relevant to the extension focus.
Extension is not just about content. It is about personal development, ways of thinking, resilience, communication, organisation and collaborative skills. Opportunities for team-based experiences are particularly important for building empathy, understanding different points of view and engaging beyond self. Examples of Junior School extension activities include Virtual Debating, First Lego League and Science Talent Search. In Secondary School, students engage in the Year 12 Bond Moot as part of Legal Studies, the Global Extension Program which incorporates the UN Youth Evatt Competition and the ASEAN-focused Model UN, the Australian Brain Bee Challenge State Finals and HYPE@SST, a program with one of our SAGE network schools, the School of Science and Technology, Singapore.
A feature of enrichment and extension programs are various online and in-person competitions. These may surface as enrichment activities and evolve into extension opportunities when students progress to the next level. These competitions may be department-focused, such as the Australian History Competition, Maths Olympiads and Big Science Competition, or offered through the Enrichment and Extension Coordinators.
Camberwell Girls leads the Melbourne and Beyond Gifted Network (formerly the Boroondara Gifted Network) with Michele Linossier and Charlotte Forwood co-coordinating a network of 26 schools across Greater Melbourne. This exemplary network has run for 20 years and provides interschool connections through school-organised activities for students and professional learning for teachers. In 2023, MGBN hosted the first GALESS Tiltshift Challenge International Student Conference in the southern hemisphere, with Camberwell Girls acting as one of four host schools. The next conference will run in 2026.
Our Enrichment and Extension activities are well-subscribed and we continue to respond to student need through building current programs and curating new opportunities:
Queries relating to Secondary School should be directed to Ms Michele Linossier and Junior School queries directed to Dr Charlotte Forwood.
“Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ms Michele Linossier – Learning Enrichment and Extension Coordinator – Secondary School
Dr Charlotte Forwood – Director of Research and Design, Learning Enrichment and Extension Coordinator – Junior School
Secondary School students fully embraced Book Week, proving that you're never too old to wear a costume.
The Junior School students lit up the dance floor at the Junior School Disco, and parents enjoyed a lovely Yum Cha Lunch with the PFA.
