From the Head of Junior School

Our Foundation Welcome BBQ was a wonderful way to start the school year and welcome our new students and their families. It was a great opportunity for parents, teachers and students to meet each other, socialise and start building a sense of community. I would like to thank all our staff and families who attended. Extra thanks go to our wonderful PFC for hosting this event.

Our Junior School Commissioning Service for our Year 6 school leaders was an opportunity to formally welcome and entrust our student leaders with their new responsibilities. The service was a ceremonial occasion that was ably organised and led by our Chaplain, Mrs Rivière-Pendle. Our 2025 leaders and our whole Year 6 cohort did themselves proud. I am sure you will lead our Junior School with integrity, respect, inclusion, compassion and excellence.

Our highly anticipated Years 3–6 Athletics Carnival took place on Friday, 21 February at Casey Fields. It was a fun-filled day of sportsmanship, competition and House spirit. Our students participated enthusiastically in all events, showcasing their athletic abilities and support for their classmates.

It was wonderful to see everyone, from beginners to experienced athletes, demonstrating resilience, teamwork and determination. Sincere thanks to all our staff for their efforts on a hot day and I would like to particularly thank Mrs Roffey and Mr Batey, for not only the smooth running of the day, but also for all the organisation that went into ensuring the day was a huge success. Bravo to Booth House for taking home the trophy.

This year our Junior School has introduced Continuous Reporting. This is a way of tracking and sharing a student’s progress throughout the year, instead of only reporting results at the end of each Semester. Teachers will now regularly report on how students are progressing in different subject areas.

Continuous Reports gives parents and students a clearer picture of how the student is progressing at that moment in time and helps identify areas where they may need more support and how they can improve. A comprehensive Continuous Reporting guide has been emailed to all Junior School families recently.

4H and Mrs Harvie were the first class to host our Junior School Presentation assemblies for 2025. They performed beautifully in their ‘How to Thrive in 2025’ showcase. They looked at different personal qualities that enable students to make a positive start to their new school year.

Many Junior School staff and Year 6 students also recorded heartfelt messages that shared their strategies for ensuring a positive start to a year. Congratulations to Mrs Harvie and her talented students.

6BNI focused on the importance of our CGS values through the wonderful world of Mario Brothers during their recent Junior School Presentation assembly. Students were engaged in the different Mario worlds while characters worked to understand our values of integrity, respect, inclusion, excellence and compassion.

Their final Junior School assembly was a tribute to themselves, and it was very impressive that they even wrote the whole script themselves. Bravo Mr Byrne-Nelson, Mrs Iriyadi and our 6BNI students.

Shrove Tuesday is a special day that marks the beginning of Lent. Traditionally, Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Day, is the day before Ash Wednesday and is a time for feasting before the period of fasting that Lent represents in the Christian calendar. Our Junior School students thoroughly enjoyed making pancakes to celebrate. Thank you to Mrs Riviere-Pendle for all the organisation that went into our delicious day.

Hoping everyone enjoyed the long weekend and has returned ready for much learning during our last four weeks of Term 1. How time flies when you are having fun.

Melissa Roberton

Head of Junior School

Years 3–6 Athletics Day

On an exciting day full of athleticism and House spirit, the students of Years 3 to 6 gathered at Casey Fields for their much-anticipated Athletics Day. The air was filled with energy and everyone showed exceptional effort and enthusiasm. There was something for every student to enjoy, whether they were running, jumping, or cheering on their friends.

Each House rallied together, supporting one another with cheers and chants that echoed across the field. It was clear that no matter the outcome, the focus was on having fun and showing encouragement.

As the day came to a close and the results were tallied, the winning House was BOOTH. Congratulations to Booth for their well-deserved victory and well done to each and every participant. Thank you to all the staff and volunteers who helped make the day such a success.

Years 1 and 2 House Meetings

The Years 1 and 2 students have recently attended House meetings, where they met with their House Captains and participated in a series of fun and interactive activities. The focus was on making new connections with their peers, learning the importance of working together, and understanding what it means to be part of a House at CGS. We are looking forward to meeting with the Foundation students later in the term.

Junior School Heads of House

Mrs Harvie, Mrs Iriyadi, Mrs Kyne and Miss Reale

Foundation News

In Foundation last week the students enjoyed learning how to relax and calm their bodies during our Wellbeing sessions. They have loved their Developmental Play session down at the tram, working with their peers, drawing, reading stories, setting up farm scenes, making up puppet shows, chalk drawing and socialising with each other.

Fiona Laidlaw

Foundation Teacher

Leaver House – Winter Warmer Campaign

This term Leaver House will be supporting the Big Group Hug Children’s Charity by participating in their Winter Warmer Campaign. We are asking students and their families to donate their preloved winter clothes: jackets, hoodies, tracksuit pants, scarves, beanies, jumpers or coats. This charity supplies to 150 organisations including St Vincents and the Salvos, as well as 1,000 case workers. Tubs will be placed in each classroom from Foundation to Year 6 and will be collected by 3 April.

These items will be given to disadvantaged children in and around our community, so PLEASE only donate items that are in good condition. Thank you.

For more information, please click on this link

Bronwyne Kyne

Head of Leaver House Junior School