Discovery

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Final days for some of the Year 12 Casey Grammar students

This week marks the final formal day of schooling for our Year 12 students involved in Casey Pathways or taking an unscored VCE pathway. I would like to thank our students for their approach to their studies and I know that they are ready to continue further study or enter directly into their chosen field of work. Some of our students will begin careers during Term 4 in aged care, carpentry, plumbing, sports-related programs, drama and film along with many other fields.

The rest of the cohort will be studying hard over the holiday break as Casey Grammar hosts revision style lectures and prepares students for their end of year examinations.

Year 12 students are reminded that they are expected to attend the final Year 12 celebrations including the final Valedictory Assembly and Valedictory Dinner on Tuesday, 22 October 2019.

I was reminded earlier in the week when we hosted the Class of 2009 and the Class of 2014 Reunions just how important your schooling is. I know that many students are really excited about what the future holds, and cannot wait for their next chapter to begin. My experience also tells me that you will look back at your time at Casey Grammar with many fond memories and lifelong friends. As you have heard me say before, you never actually leave Casey Grammar, you just stop attending every day. 

Reid Chapel Service

Reflecting on the Reid Chapel service this week I thought I would share the message with the community heading into the holiday break.

‘Welcome to the Reid House Chapel. Today we will be looking at the theme of Community Care. We only need to remember back to last week, where we were united in adversity during the whole school evacuation. It is moments when we are asked to work together that we really understand the importance of community care. It is in this strength of the united community that we can all thrive. This is the true outworking of what a community is and is a reflection of the way the early church was encouraged to live.

The theme of community care came about as Reid House were initially going to deliver their Chapel service on the anniversary of 9/11. This was the time that the World Trade Towers in New York were attacked and collapsed taking the lives of almost 3000 business people. The motivation of the first responders was to ensure the safety of those who were trapped and endangered causing many to give their own lives to save the lives of others. However, Community Care is not about putting our life on the line or in danger for others. Community Care is when we go beyond the idea of inclusion and we seek to care for those around us, those who are in need, and those who may be struggling.

Last week was RUOK day, a day designed to help us to reach out and ensure that we are checking in on others in the community. When a community cares for each member within that community, then all people have the opportunity to thrive.

That community is our community. That is the Casey Grammar community'.

Student Achievements

The Berthe Mouchette Competition, run through the Alliance Française de Melbourne, has come to a close.  This year, 116 schools across the state participated in the competition.  There were a total of nearly two thousand participants at the Year 10 level, and Al-Karrar Al-Khalidi (10B) was awarded second place for his recitation of the poem ‘Il offrait du coeur’ by Maurice Carême.  We look forward to congratulating Karrar, as well as all finalists in an assembly early in Term 4. I would like to thank Madam Christensen and Madam Morgan for their work with the French students over many years.

The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation ANSTO Big Ideas Forum brings 22 students and 11 teachers from across Australia to Sydney to meet world-class researchers and go hands-on with amazing technology. They are looking for young people who are creative and passionate using STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) as these are the ones who will take our society into the future.

Congratulations to our Head of Science, Mr Isgro and Year 10 students Elorenzo San Pedro, Tanysha Hogan and Georgia Schelfhout who have been selected to attend the Big Ideas forum in Sydney. This opportunity is fully funded by ANSTTO including flights, travel, accommodation and meals.  Unfortunately Elorenzo can't attend the forum but has made a significant contribution to the Casey Grammar entry.

Mr Richard Baird MBA, B.Ed, ASAM, MACE, MACEL

Principal 

Last week all our Junior School students were involved in a "Maths on the Move" incursion. This involved students learning Maths through movement. All students embraced and enjoyed these activities and I would like to thank Miss Dascoli for organising this.

Thank you to the parents who attended our recent meeting to hear about our upcoming 2020 Year 6 Canberra camp. This camp will be a great educational experience for your child and is a compulsory part of their learning journey. Further details will follow early next term.

Last week we had the pleasure of enjoying Prep B as they hosted our Junior School assembly. The quality of the performance was so high it was hard to believe these students had only been at school for 8 months. I’m sure there were many tears in the eyes of proud parents as they watched the students describe their future career choices. The music item and slide show were inspiring. Well done to Ms Bourke and her Prep students.

It was my pleasure to attend the school concert last week which showcased many of the musical talents of CGS students. The students performed admirably and all items were of a high standard. I would like to sincerely thank Mr Collidge, Mrs Kyne, Mr Hall and our supportive instrumental teachers.

On Wednesday, a number of our Year 3 to 6 students represented CGS at Divisional Athletics.  Mr Baird and I proudly watched on and thought the sportsmanship and ability of our student representatives was most impressive. Congratulations to all these students and best of luck to those who made it through to Regionals. Thank you to Mr Batey for leading this team.

This Wednesday afternoon saw our Year 2 and 3 students present their WeDo 2 robots in groups at the STEM Expo in the library. They proudly explained the workings and programming of their robots as well as the environmental issues which led to their choice of design. Thank you to Mrs Torcasio for organising this wonderful event and the teachers who attended with their classes as well as the parents who took time out of their busy day to share this experience.

We were all in awe of the creativity shown at 5D’s incredible assembly this week. The audience enjoyed each students’ presentation of what creativity means to them. Every students’ description of creativity was unique and was presented in an eloquent, mature manner. The smiling faces in the movies and the final dance were a joy to watch. Thank you to Ms Dascoli and her creative class.

Yesterday the Year 5’s treated us to an incredible Space Expo. Every child had made a creative presentation and model which related to their individual areas of interest about Space. The classrooms were decorated in line with their Space Inquiry and all our visitors enjoyed asking questions about each child’s project. Did you know NASA’s new rocket may cost $500 million dollars to launch into space and there are more than 17000 employees at NASA?  Thank you to all the Year 5 students for teaching me these new facts and to their teachers, Ms Nolan and Ms Dascoli, thanks for all their efforts in putting on this fabulous event.

After another term full of fun, friendships and fabulous learning opportunities, I wish all our students a happy, safe holiday that involves much valuable family time. I look forward to welcoming our students back to Term 4 on Tuesday 8 October.

Mrs Melissa Roberton

Head of Junior School

As Term 3 draws to a close, we begin to sadly farewell our Year 12 students. Yesterday staff and Year 12 students shared a special lunch to farewell the Casey Pathways students along with VCE students who have completed an unscored VCE. Leaving school has suddenly become a reality which each student must embrace. Over the next few weeks, the students will participate in a number of farewells and special events to mark the conclusion of their secondary schooling.

Last Friday saw the VCE Business Studies students complete one of their final assessment tasks – preparing a business for the annual Business Management Market Day. Lunchtime saw the Casey Common area become a thriving market place with a variety of businesses. Each group of stallholders made a good profit on the day (which will be donated to their chosen charity) and, more importantly, put into practice the elements of running a small business that they have been learning about in class all year. It was a most successful day for both the Business Management students and the school community who thoroughly enjoyed the market.

On 5 September, Casey Grammar students performed songs from ‘Matilda’ in the Schools on Stage Competition held at Bunjil Place. This competition was a wonderful showcase of the talents of many students from a wide variety of local schools. If you were lucky enough to see ‘Matilda’ at Casey Grammar, you will know that it was a polished and spectacular production. Our staff and students were thrilled when it was announced that the Casey Grammar performance was the winning performance on the night.  Congratulations to our students on being the winners of the 2019 Schools on Stage Premier Division and a special thanks to the staff involved, particularly Ms Natalie Burns, Mr Ben Peake and Mr Stuart Collidge.

This Semester, Mitch Tumino, Tom Rowe and Sam Stevens from Year 7 were lucky enough to learn how to play Lawn Bowls through the SIS sports competition. After a very successful SIS competition, the boys qualified to play in the Victorian Schools Super Series hosted by Lawn Bowls Victoria. After competing against the best players from across Victoria, the boys came fifth. Given the boys did not even know how to play Lawn Bowls a few months ago, this is an amazing achievement. Congratulations to the Lawn Bowls team and to Mrs Emma Garby for giving the boys this wonderful opportunity and a new skill.

Congratulations are also extended to the Senior Debating Team who recently won their semi-final. Lilly Hopp, Maneesha Casey and Robert Kuzek deftly debated the topic ‘That we should deny smokers the right to Medicare’ while Spoorthy Bhat supported the speakers with research and written material. The team will now be facing off against Berwick Grammar School in the Grand Final, next term. All the best to the team and their coaches Mr Gary Willis and Mr Joshua Cozzio.

We have missed our Year 9 students this week as they have spent the week exploring Melbourne City or the Northern Territory. We look forward to their return and can’t wait to hear all of the stories about their experiences over this week.

For our Year 12 students, the upcoming term break is an important start to their revision and examination preparation period. In the first week of the term break, Year 12 students and staff will be completing practice examinations and undergoing a variety of revision lectures and classes. The students have received their individual revision programs for next week, along with instructions from their classroom teachers on what they need to revise over the term break and how to maintain the learning momentum in the lead up to their final exams. In essence, there is no break for Year 12 students until after their final VCE examination is complete. Then they can relax and enjoy their well-earned holiday.

Finally, thank you to all the staff and students of the Senior School. I have been impressed by your commitment to achieving your very best over the course of Term 3. Enjoy whatever you choose to do over the holidays. I look forward to seeing you next term feeling refreshed and ready for the challenges of Term 4.

Mrs Fiona Williams

Deputy Principal / Head of Senior School

Year 8 English does it through Poetry

In Week 5 of this term, the Year 8’s wrote a poem based on racism around the world, to link in with activities for book week. This poem was also inspired by the movie, 'Remember the Titans', which we all watched and studied as a visual text in English. Every student in the Senior School has been watching the documentary of Adam Goodes. This highlights the issue of discrimination and more importantly telling us all to be inclusive, no matter what race or colour. We do need to be aware of the horrible act of racism and ensure that no one is creating boundaries within our wonderful multicultural school, that we are all proud to be part of. We all need to stamp out racism and discrimination here and in the world.  These are some outstanding poems written by some of the Year 8’s doing just that.

Say NO to Racism.

Gurleen Kaur - Year 8

Congratulations to the Senior Debating Team who won their semi-final today against St Peter’s College.

Lilly Hopp, Maneesha Casey and Robert Kuzek deftly debated the topic ‘That we should deny smokers the right to Medicare.’ Spoorthy Bhat supported the speakers with research and written material.

They will be facing off against Berwick Grammar School in the final, next term.

Special thanks to Joshua Cozzio for his support in coaching the team.

Mr Gary Willis

Head of English

Using an assorted collection of prompt words and some essential characters, teams of students from 16 schools were grouped at four locations to participate in SIS Book in a Day.  Each school team, of up to 8 students from years 7-10,  had eight hours to plan, write, edit, rewrite and illustrate their story. Our CGS team Tanysha Hogan, Ellen Streat, Aaliyah Phommachack,  Jasmine Casey, Sarah Iurescu as writers, and Keely Mitchell and Riley Sumanada as illustrators, worked right up to the line at 5pm putting their novel together. It was a challenging day but a great experience and with the help of some great team work and a lot of chocolate they have produced a novel to be proud of.  Judging is currently underway and the winners from each zone will be awarded in October.  Here is an excerpt from the novel below.  Best of luck to our CGS writing team. 

On the 22 of August, the Year 9 & 10 Photography students had the opportunity to attend an excursion to the Botanical Gardens in Cranbourne, where we explored the art elements and unusual angles to complete our project. The Botanical Gardens seemed an easy distance though it was a challenge walking through the rough gravel and uneven roads for a long hour. We were also blessed with great sunshine that improved many of our shots. The first scene you approach is a wide, breathtaking field of red Australian soil with its native flora and that was the beginning. The Botanical Gardens contained varied species of flora as well as it is incorporated into interesting concepts, such as imitated models of homes, complex mazes and water structures. Each section of the garden had its own gorgeous individuality making the possibilities endless.

With plentiful scenes to photograph, it allowed us to explore our most creative potential and therefore we were grateful for the opportunity. It was a view changing experience, seeing truly how amazing the environment is and that it shouldn’t be taken for granted. 

Mr John Palomares

Teaching Staff