2025,Term 1, Edition 1 - Senior School

An exciting Start to Term 1!

Welcome to the 2025 school year. We hope you had a fabulous summer break and are excited to be back at school. It has been wonderful to reconnect and welcome the students and their families who are new to the Senior School and to Casey Grammar.

We are thrilled to be joined by the following teachers in the Senior School:

Ms Rebecca Nettleton – History, Librarian
Mr David Dobric – Mathematics
Mrs Kimberley Kozak – Biology, Science, Mathematics
Ms Monica Ghoebriel – Industry & Enterprise, Geography
Ms Ella Clifton – Economics, Careers Discovery
Miss Amanda Koziaris – Religious Education, Law
Mrs Belinda Schreurs – Mathematics
Mme Beatriz Christensen (returning staff member) – French, Casey Challenge
Ms Tegan West (returning staff member) – Accounting, Head of Teaching & Learning

Joining our team of Learning Assistants are Mr Jack Lawler and Ms Archi Chandramohan. Assisting our programs in Sport, Physical Education and Outdoor Education is AFL trainee Isabel Williams. Mrs Joanne Devota-Rando and Mrs Sarah Quin have joined our team of counsellors — you can read their introductions in the Student Services section of this newsletter.

As we start the new school year, we encourage families to support their children in forming positive habits (and breaking habits that are unhelpful to their personal growth). Encouraging students to be punctual, regularly checking their school email, staying informed by reading the Casey Daily, and showing respect and compassion to others will help create a successful and harmonious school environment. Providing consistent guidance and reinforcement at home can make a significant impact on their daily routines and overall development.

At our first assembly, the 2025 School Captains and Portfolio Captains spoke to students in the Senior School, encouraging everyone to get involved in our school’s many activities. Joining in co-curricular activities is a great way to meet new friends, develop new skills and represent our school with pride. With opportunities in Debating, Sport, Performing Arts and Social Justice as well as regular House competitions, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Let’s make the most of this year’s opportunities and have a great time together.

Year 9 Casey Challenge

The Year 9 students have been off to a great start with their Casey Challenge activities already underway. The first adventure in this year-long experiential learning program was a visit to Casey Tech School to participate in the three-day Enterprise Program. Students were encouraged to collaborate in groups, investigate real world opportunities, develop STEAM and Enterprise skills, engage in design thinking, build prototypes and pitch solutions.

Their focus was on community engagement, indigenous plants, sustainable spaces and greening the community.

Having adopted a growth mindset during this program, we can’t wait to see how engaged and inspired these students will be through this exciting year.

Kate Morgan

Head of Senior School

Year 7 Transition Days

The first day of Year 7 for 2025 was met with smiling faces and excitement as the cohort entered their Senior School journey together. The students participated in two transition days to allow them to immerse themselves in all the new and exciting changes they were going to encounter such as organising lockers, setting up laptops, navigating their new timetables and meeting their teachers and new classmates.

Students also participated in: an incursion by Sam from Cyber Safety Project who spoke to the Year 7s about the challenges and responsibilities they must be aware of as upcoming digital citizens; a sausage sizzle run by our fantastic PFC; exploring the senior side of the school during recess and lunch; and making new friends. The students have already demonstrated their enthusiasm and willingness to learn, and we are all looking forward to an exciting year ahead. Many thanks to our Transition Coordinator, Monique Riviere-Pendle for all her hard work in organising our Year 7 Transition Days.