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Building Excitement
It was with much delight we returned to school this term to find the old library building demolished.
The building site is now fenced off and cleared, ready for the new building to commence construction. We are all excited to see our new building emerge from the ground.
Casey Grammar has undergone a significant building program over the past few years. We now have a new Admin Building, new Junior School Building, new Foundation Building and new front car park. These buildings have been made possible through parent donations to the Building Fund over many years. We rely heavily on these contributions, and we are grateful for the Building Fund contributions of the parents who have gone before us. We are the beneficiaries of their donations. I encourage current parents to continue to give to the Building Fund so our current and future students will have safe and modern spaces for their learning.
Evacuation Drill
Last week the whole school undertook an evacuation drill. Making our way to the evacuation point was particularly tricky due to the new fenced off construction zone which means there are fewer pathways to the PAC carpark. There was certainly a lot of congestion! However, the evacuation was completed in a surprisingly quick time, and I extend my thanks to all involved for their quick action and cooperation throughout the drill.
Farewell Bob Montgomery
After many years of dedicated service to the Visual Arts Department, our friend and colleague Mr Bob Montgomery is retiring. Bob has supported the department in his role as Visual Arts Technician, spending many hours cutting wood for the PDT classes, framing student work, setting up art exhibitions, ordering supplies and keeping the storerooms in good order. We will miss Bob and wish him all the best in his travels through Europe over the coming months.
Helping Your Child Stay Safe Online
We know kids love to learn, connect and play online. It is a big part of their world. We also know how important it is for young people to have the skills to be able to keep themselves safe online and look after their wellbeing so that they can learn at their best. We have partnered with Cyber Safety Project to share with you the latest digital habits of young people. We will explore social media and gaming, and give you the resources, tools and skills to be able to help your young person manage their own digital safety and prepare for their future. We believe in a proactive approach to cyber safety and wellbeing, and we also know how difficult it can be as a parent helping young people to navigate the digital world safely. Join us, at 7:00 pm on Monday 3 June in the Lecture Theatre (VCE Building) for this important seminar. This evening has been tailored to the needs of parents with children in upper-primary school and lower-secondary school but is suitable for all parents.
Dr Robert Jacob
Deputy Principal
SIS Swimming
We are proud of the Casey Grammar Swim Team who won four out of five age group shields in the recent SIS championship. The team were the recipients of the overall Division B championship shield.
The students showed great spirit and comradery throughout the carnival as they cheered one another on. It was a great experience to be a part of the team’s enthusiasm and to see them win so much Gold.
Ryan Murdock
SIS Sports Coordinator
Respectful Relationships
At Casey Grammar we devote a significant amount of curriculum time to developing respectful relationships. Understanding bullying is an important part of our respectful relationships program across all year levels. It is important that students understand what behaviours constitute bullying as well as those which are not bullying. To learn more about bullying in schools and what parents and teachers can do to teach and support their students, I urge you to read the article below written by Dr Deborah Trengrove entitled ‘Understanding Bullying; How to Support your child’.
https://theparentswebsite.com.au/understanding-bullying-how-to-support-your-child/
Dr Trengove defines bullying in the following way: Bullying happens through repeated verbal, physical or social behaviour that intends to cause harm.
The Casey Grammar Bullying Policy defines bullying as the repeated and intentional behaviour of causing fear, distress or harm towards another person that involves an imbalance of power. It can involve humiliation, domination, intimidation, victimisation and harassment. In any bullying incident there are likely to be three parties involved: the bully, the person being bullied, and bystanders.
There are two important elements which must exist for behaviour to be considered bullying;
- It is repeated behaviour and
- It intends to cause harm.
At Casey Grammar we actively encourage all students to be upstanders and not bystanders if they witness or are victim to bullying behaviours. They are encouraged to tell a trusted adult. Being an upstander means taking action to support others and is a positive way of demonstrating the values of the school.
The CGS Bullying Policy outlines a clear process that will be followed when a report of bullying is made. I encourage you to read and understand the CGS Bullying Policy so you can support your child should they be a victim of bullying or accused of bullying.
Fiona Williams
Principal
