What a fantastic term it has been, with students embracing every opportunity and activity available to them. Students have hopped, skipped and jumped to new heights in GSV Athletics, participated in Year Level Camps, debated their way to the third round in Year 9 DAV Debating Finals, and even performed in front of a full house at the Annual Music Concert and House Drama. There are so many highlights to celebrate, and the students should all be very proud of their efforts.
The end of Term Three also marks a very important time in the school year, with the conclusion of the 2025 Leadership application process and the announcement of our 2025 School Leaders. Like previous years, students were asked to complete a formal written application and participate in both individual and group interviews. It has been wonderful to be involved in the process, and hear about their passion for leadership, vision for the School and initiatives for the future.
In particular, we congratulate Abigail L in her appointment as School Captain for 2025, and Nysa R and Angela L who were announced as School Vice Captains. In this edition of CamNews we celebrate all the students who have been appointed into various roles.
Term Three has also been a time of reflection and forward thinking, with students in Years 7-10 selecting their subjects for the 2025 academic year. We thank parents and guardians for their role in the subject selection process, from your attendance at Curriculum Information Evenings, to the conversations you have had at home, your help and guidance in the process has been greatly appreciated.
Finally, we wish all families a very happy and restful holiday period and safe travels to those families going further afield. We hope that your holidays are full of joy and laughter. To our footy fans, will the Hawks or Swans swoop to claim victory over their feline friends? Or will their power be cut-off and the premiership claimed by a giant? Only time will tell, may the best team win!
Kath Woolcock
Head of Senior School
Tom Clark
Head of Middle School
The Annual Concert at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Friday 6 September was a highly entertaining evening of inspirational music performances. Our CGGS musicians took the audience on a creative journey of high-quality items, whilst showcasing their extraordinary abilities. Murrundindi opened the program with a Welcome to Country and a shared Welcome Song in Woiwurrung language with the Years 4-6 choirs and Year 8 musicians. Over 300 students across the Junior and Secondary School were involved in the concert in a range of choirs, bands, percussion ensembles, string groups and orchestras.
All the Secondary School students were thrilled to be performing in a world-class venue and performed with engagement, enthusiasm and passion. The atmosphere in the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall was further enhanced by Charlotte Pang’s artwork, which was featured in the projection display and program cover. There was much to applaud and celebrate throughout the program, with all students and staff performing with a positive energy and collaborative approach. The rehearsals and preparations for the concert, led by our Music staff, assisted students to refine skills, express musical emotions and perform with confidence at this significant event.
We thank all the students and staff involved in the concert, alongside the wonderful CGGS parent/guardian community for the support they provide. Our learning programs assist all students to pursue their creative interests, and we are truly fortunate to be able to offer a diverse range of music experiences. The Annual Concert has generated many outstanding musical moments and long lasting memories for our student musicians. We look forward to sharing more music performances with the CGGS community in Term Four.
Kate Savige and Rohan Mack
Directors of Music
Hannah L (Year 11) has recently been awarded the Associate Music Australia (A. Mus A) Diploma in Piano from the Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB).
The Diploma is awarded to candidates who have reached a very high level of proficiency in their instrument and takes years of dedication and practice. It is a significant milestone to reach in a musician’s journey and is a testament to Hannah’s dedication and commitment.
This is Hannah’s second Diploma that the AMEB has conferred to her after being awarded A. Mus A in French Horn in 2023. Congratulation’s Hannah!
Kate Savige and Rohan Mack
Directors of Music
At Camberwell Girls, our student leaders are among our greatest assets. During Assembly on Tuesday 10 September, we acknowledged and expressed our appreciation to the 2024 School Leaders for their outstanding efforts in their various roles and responsibilities. Through their numerous inspiring initiatives, events, and individual contributions, they have left a legacy that reflects their hard work and dedication. We would like to thank each leader for their exceptional contributions this year, and we look forward to recognising these students more formally at the Years 10–12 Presentation Evening on Wednesday 16 October.
At the same assembly, we proudly introduced the 2025 School Leadership Team, which includes our School Captains, School Leaders, House Leaders, Special Interest Captains and Mentors. A team, which will work collaboratively next year in developing programs and initiatives that will continue to inspire and support the school community here at CGGS.
The process for selecting leaders is rigorous and grounded in clear eligibility and suitability criteria. The selection involves written applications, individual and group interviews, and voting by students and staff. It is a comprehensive process and one that would not be possible without the unwavering commitment of the dedicated teachers who oversee leadership roles, particularly the Heads of House and teachers in charge of co-curricular areas, and we extend our gratitude to these staff for their important work over the past few months.
We also want to acknowledge and applaud all the Years 10 and 11 students who stepped forward to be considered for leadership positions. Regardless of whether a formal leadership role was secured this time, it is important for all students to know how much they are valued. Additional leadership opportunities will be shared with students over the coming weeks, and we are excited to collaborate with all students on school projects and programs in 2025.
Finally, a very big congratulations to our 2025 Student Leadership Team, led by School Captain Abigail L, alongside the School Vice Captains Angela L and Nysa R. We are so excited to see what we can achieve together in 2025!
Kath Woolcock
Head of Senior School
Eleanor Wood
Director of Co-Curricular Programs
Last Monday 9 September, Angela L (Year 11) and Kaylee P (Year 6) competed in the Kew Young Leaders Speech Competition held in the Legislative Assembly Chamber in the Parliament of Victoria. Angela and Kaylee advanced to the finals after speaking in the first round of the competition at CGGS in June.
The prompt for the speech was “My First Speech to Parliament”, and Angela spoke about her experiences with volunteering and strategies to encourage young people to be actively involved and support their local communities.
We were delighted that former Principal, Mrs Anne Feehan was there as one of the adjudicators to hear our students and we congratulate both Angela and Kaylee on their achievements.
Thank you to Mrs Castauro for supporting Angela’s entry in the competition and offering her insights and expertise during the process.
Kath Woolcock
Head of Senior School
The Open Secondary Chess Tournament at Camberwell Grammar School this week brought together over 200 students, including our team, for an exciting day of chess.
Sophie started strong in Round 1, promoting a pawn to a queen, and finishing with a decisive checkmate. Despite some challenging matches in Round 2, Christine achieved a win, and Lucy executed a brilliant queen pawn checkmate for a victory. In Round 3, Celeste played boldly with an early queen move, while Jessica’s strategic play earned her a win with a ladder mate. Lucy secured a draw, and Christine picked up another win. Rounds 4 and 5 tested the team, but by Round 6, Lucy took a win, and Sienna celebrated her first victory of the day. Christine and Panya battled hard in closely contested matches, showing resilience in each of their games. The final round saw Jessica securing a draw, while Lucy closed out the tournament with another win.
Overall, the team delivered a commendable performance, gaining valuable experience. The challenging matches provided excellent preparation for their upcoming Girls State Finals in October.
Students: Lucy C (Chess Captain), Christine M, Jessica W, Sienna T, Panya S, Celeste M, Sophie L
Staff: Mr Sam Fitzgerald
Sam Fitzgerald
Head of Digital Technologies
This year it has been my great pleasure to take part in Year 9 DAV Debating. Throughout this season we have debated a variety of interesting topics including that schools should ban contact sports, that there should only be a four-day school week and that streaming services like Netflix made the wrong decision to ban password sharing.
With the help of some amazing teachers, we managed to win all our debates including five debates within our own region and a victory against Melbourne Grammar School in the playoffs, now making us one of the top 16 Year 9 debating teams in the state of Victoria, which is an honour.
We are especially grateful to Ms Gordon who has taken the time to strengthen our team’s debating skills this season and supported us immensely throughout the season. We could not have made it this far without her. In addition, a big thank you to our Debating and Public Speaking Captain, Grace B who has prepared many useful resources for us to help us experiment with our rebuttal styles and models.
Debating is one of my greatest passions which I have enjoyed with my teammates Valerie K, Natasha O and Ingrid T; all of whom have done a fabulous job this season in strengthening their speeches in all three judging categories including manner (presentation skills), matter (depth of arguments) and method (structure and delivery style). I look forward to seeing what we can do in the Octo Finals on Thursday 12 September and beyond.
Sass L, Year 9
On Friday 30 August, 9C and 9D completed Geography Fieldwork at the South Melbourne Market to investigate the social, economic and environmental impacts of the Market and the role that globalisation has played in shaping the market. We enjoyed taking public transport to the Market and spending the day exploring it.
At the Market, we spent our time interacting with and surveying locals, market visitors and store owners to gain their insights on how the market operates. We also collected data about what kind of products are sold at the market and the sustainability initiatives of the Market for our upcoming group presentations. In between, there was also time for us to enjoy the Market’s atmosphere and eat delicious food from many different cultures.
Some highlights from my peers were:
“My highlight of the trip was experiencing different practices of sustainable culture”
“Interviewing nice people”
“Wandering around the market and seeing all the services and goods”
“Eating my cannoli”
“The food”
“Eating all the yummy food and the lolly shop”
From our Year Level Coordinator Mr Burnell, “Seeing my students flourish in a new environment and seeing how they interact with strangers”.
As you can see, it was an amazing day of learning combined with a great experience, fun and indulging in some delicious food.
Ashanti R Year 9
On Friday 30 August, 7W and 7P students visited the Glen Iris Wetlands for their annual Geography fieldwork. Students and teachers were excited to explore the wetlands and apply what they had been learning in class to the ‘real world’. Fieldwork is an integral part of the Geography curriculum and in this case, it allowed the students to learn more about the Urban Water Cycle and the functions of wetlands. During the day, they also gained a sense of how our everyday actions can help to protect the environment.
Throughout the day, students completed a series of rotations, each designed to collect a different type of primary data. These included identifying water bugs, testing the pH and turbidity of the water to determine the health of the waterway, completing fieldwork sketches, and recording data on the biodiversity of the wetlands
All-in-all, it was a great success and an opportunity for students to test their knowledge out in the field. The Year 7s are now learning about another important part of the Urban Water Cycle, the treatment of our sewage through a virtual tour of the Western Treatment Plant. They will finish their unit of ‘Water in World’ by writing a story, creating animations, or even a board game, to demonstrate their learning about the Natural and Urban Water Cycles.
Kathryn Kollmorgen
Geography Teacher
A long-running CGGS tradition, the annual Winter Sleepout raises awareness of homelessness, and raises funds to support the Salvation Army. While this is an eye-opening experience for students and staff, it also brings the community together for a unique and important evening, led by our Service Learning Captains.
There has never been a more important time to be working with homelessness services like the Salvos. We know that women are disproportionately affected and utilising these services at a rate higher than ever before.
We held this event on Friday 30 August and experienced a night of discomfort in winter to better understand the experiences of Australians who are currently affected by homelessness. Students also raised much needed funds and supplies to support those on the front line navigating the ever-growing complexities associated with the issue.
“The Winter-sleepout was truly an eye-opening experience. Whilst only 6% of people who are defined as homeless sleep rough, the annual Winter Sleepout gives us students the chance to somewhat experience what it is like to be homeless. However, we still had our sleeping bags and mats underneath to give us some degree of comfort. Our special guests from the Salvation Army were more than amazing, providing us with insight as to what defines homelessness and how many Australians experience it concurrently.
The most enjoyable part of the evening however was walking down to Woolies and buying our selected items to donate to the Salvation Army. My group were in charge of baby wipes and nappies, spending exactly $80 and purchasing nappies of different sizes for both boys and girls, as well as buying at least one thousand baby wipes. With almost every cent being spent to go towards those who need it most, I felt like we were truly making a difference. I certainly appreciate my bed more now.” – Katharine P, Service Learning Captain
Georgia Biggs
Head of Service Learning
On Wednesday 11 September our Year 12 students gathered in the Library to enjoy a lunch while listening to some words of wisdom from current tertiary students. Under the banner of ‘T2T’ (Transition to Tertiary), students were presented with a summary of the factors necessary for a successful transition from secondary to tertiary education.
Past students, Haripriya Pathmaraj and Mia Graham (Class of 2023) spoke of their own post CGGS experiences and offered insights into how to make this transition successfully.
Haripriya is studying Laws/Biomedical Science at Monash University and is enjoying different facets of the double degree. She spoke about the difference she felt coming from a warm and welcoming school such as CGGS and the difficulty in making friends at a large tertiary institution. She encouraged students to join study groups and clubs and societies. Haripriya emphasised the need to be organised and consistent in each student’s approach to work, and the need to be an independent learner.
Mia is learning all about Occupational Therapy at La Trobe University. Mia spoke about the importance of time management skills to balance academic university life, social activities and part time work. She pointed out how essential it was to be really organised. Mia had the students laughing as she said there was no year level page to remind students of what they had to do each day. She knew students who missed vital assignments and deadlines because of their lack of organisation.
Both students spoke about how important it was to maintain friendship groups and the need to stay focused on studies, when the teaching and learning at a tertiary institution is so different from secondary school. Questions flowed thick and fast from our Year 12 students, and it is obvious they were really interested in life on campus.
Both students’ great advice and their ‘tips and tricks’ on how to make this transition a happy and successful one, will enable our Year 12 graduates in 2024 to feel well prepared for this next chapter.
Trish Dolan
Careers Counsellor
The Economics Students Society of Australia (ESSA) presented a session ‘Careers in Commerce‘ to our Year 10 students. This session was designed to expose secondary school students to the wide variety of pathways in Commerce. Many students are aware of a few fields, such as accounting, finance, consulting, banking or economics, but they may not have an accurate picture of what these jobs entail and/or how broad the opportunities in each field can be.
To help students search for their future, the presenters provided an exciting outlook of the countless Careers in Commerce. Led by the very capable Megan Kuo (Class of 2022), our youthful presenters, all undergraduate students at the University of Melbourne, spoke passionately about their career journeys to date, touching on subjects studied in their VCE, what made them choose Commerce as a course and their post degree job plans. Judging by the questions asked, and number of students who stayed back to ask more questions, the presenters certainly ignited some excitement about Careers in Commerce amongst our Year 10 students.
Trish Dolan
Careers Counsellor
It was fantastic to see our traditional CGS vs CGGS Captain’s Netball game continue this year. Due to some inclement weather, the match was moved into the gym though this did not dampen our spirits. The game was a tight one, with Camberwell Girls staying neck and neck with CGS throughout the whole first half. We had a wonderful audience cheering on our team at every moment and some talented commentators who recounted the game with witty commentary and fun energy.
Halftime was marked by our amazing Year 12 cohort who completely blew away the audience with their amazing dance skills. A huge thank you to Izzie W for all her choreography and organisation of the dance. The second half was just as close, and although Camberwell Girls didn’t come away with the win it was a tough contest. We would like to extend a massive thank you to the CGS students and staff who made the game possible and to all our fabulous CGGS staff for all their support. The event was valued by not only the audience, but also the Year 12s who appreciated the much-needed break from studying. Thank you everyone who came to watch.
Emily, Sara and Jess
2024 School Captains
At our recent Celebration of Sport Evening, we acknowledged a wide variety of individual and team success including selection into GSV representative and SSV State teams.
Our guest speaker was Kelly Hetherington, who shared her athletics journey with us and the highs and lows that come with elite sport. Kelly spoke of some special moments and memories in her career and had messages for our students about resilience, taking opportunities, alternative careers and pathways in sport and tips on how to control nerves and emotions when competing.
One of our two top tier awards is the Most Valuable Contribution Award for both the GSV and Saturday Netball programs. This recognises students who have displayed dedication to training, a passion for developing their skills, ability to implement coaching feedback and demonstrated excellent sportsmanship.
AFL: Ruby R
Athletics: Bella F and Emily L
Badminton: Hermosa H
Basketball (Term 4 2023): Lizzy C
Cricket (Term 4 2023): Lauren S
Cross Country: Bella F and Georgia P
Diving: Summer Z
Hockey: Anika S
Indoor Cricket: Emma D
Netball: Emily W
Softball: Jess T
Soccer: Emily L
Swimming: Emily P & Anneka S
Tennis: Chloe W
Volleyball: Kiki P
Waterpolo: Christina W
In our Saturday Netball program, the following students were awarded Most Valuable Player for their respective teams.
Yr 7 Garnets Kathleen L
Yr 7 Opals Sienna J
Yr 8 Sapphires Ann B
Yr 8/9 Diamonds Pardis S
Yr 9 Amber Alisha A
Yr 9 Gold Harper D
Yr 10 Jades Abbey M
Yr 10 Silver Lily M
Yr 11 Bronze Grace K
Yr 12 Aquamarines Heidi L
Yr 12 Gems Emily P
The year level championship award is presented to the top 3 students in each year level from Years 7-12 who have had the largest contribution to Sport at CGGS. This award takes into consideration the number of sports each student has participated in, as well as their attitude, commitment to training, skill performance, leadership and level of involvement throughout the year.
Congratulations to the following students who were named the overall year level champion for 2024.
Year 7 – Hanna L
Year 8 – Eden C
Year 9 – Harper D
Year 10 – Angel Q
Year 11 – Amber R
Year 12 – Emily P
We now look forward to a final term of GSV weekly sport with Basketball, Cricket and Junior Waterpolo on offer for students.
Nareen Robinson
Head of Sport
After 7 rounds of the fixture and recording wins each week, the Senior Badminton teams finished at the top of their ladders and were crowned Zone Premiers.
On Monday, the teams travelled to MSAC and played in the GSV Semifinals, with both teams winning and making it through to the grand final game.
Special congratulations to the Senior A team for winning their grand final and becoming the GSV Premiers – ranked 1 from all GSV schools.
In a hard fought and close B team grand final, CGGS unfortunately had a narrow loss and were awarded the GSV Runners up pennant, and finished the season ranked 2 in GSV.
On Thursday this week it was the Junior Volleyball teams night to shine, with both B and C teams playing off in the GSV finals. In an incredibly close 5 set match, the B team did not progress through to the Grand Final and played off for 3rdplace instead, finishing the season as the 3rd ranked team.
The C team were ecstatic semi-final winners in 4 sets and fought gallantly in the grand final to eventually be awarded with the runners up pennant. Both coaches report on the exemplary team cohesion and support and that the skill level and extended rallies were phenomenal to watch. What a wonderful season and congratulations to everyone involved.
Nareen Robinson
Head of Sport
