Discovery

Dear Parents/Guardians,

NAPLAN Results 

It is with great pride that I congratulate the students that participated in the 2019 NAPLAN, the strong results are a reflection of the hard work our students have applied to their learning. Above mean scores were received in all year levels and across all four components. This result would not have been possible if it were not for the wonderful teaching staff, learning aides and support staff we have at CGS.

In the Junior School, the time and effort staff dedicated to ensuring our students were prepared to sit NAPLAN online for the first time as well as familiarising our students with the format and helping them remain calm and confident, played a huge part in our students’ performance.  In Year 3 our highest scores were received in both Reading and Grammar and Punctuation.  Our Year 5 students also received their highest scores in Grammar and Punctuation. 

In the Senior School, the strong results reflected the hard work of our English department in developing a curriculum that ensures spelling, punctuation and grammar skills are integral to each learning unit, as well as challenging students to read increasingly complex texts that inspire them as writers. 

The introduction of ability-based grouping for Year 8 -10 Math students, delivered an adaptive curriculum which allows students to achieve at a rate that suited their learning style.  The success of this program was evident in the NAPLAN Math results.  

City of Casey – Schools on Stage

Congratulations to the students who participated in the City of Casey - Schools on Stage on Thursday night. With over 200 students performing from seven schools, I couldn't be prouder of our talented students who took top place and were announced the 2019 winners with their performance from ‘Matilda’. A special mention to Miss Natalie Burns, Mr Ben Peake and Mr Stuart Collidge, who have supported the students.

Father’s Day

Last Friday, to celebrate Father’s Day, Junior School classrooms welcomed fathers to spend some time reading with their children. This was followed by a breakfast for Junior and Senior School fathers, grandfathers and guardians hosted by the Parents and Friends Committee; we were fortunate to have over 80 guests attend the breakfast of egg and bacon rolls in the PAC foyer.  

Thank you to the members of the PFC who work tirelessly to run the event for our fathers each year.

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

Principal 

Congratulations to all our Year 3 & 4 students who recently competed in the annual basketball competition, Hooptime. The students thoroughly enjoyed the day which was spent working in teams cooperatively, improving skills and cheering each other on. I’m happy to report that their sportsmanship and behaviour were commendable. Thanks to Mr Batey and Miss Testro for accompanying our students to this most successful event.

Last Friday at the early hour of 7:00am, Mrs Torcasio and her team of selected Year 5 and 6 students headed to the show grounds in Melbourne to compete in the prestigious RoboCup competition. It was an exciting day for all our competitors and despite many opposing schools, Casey Grammar’s results were admirable. Our three students who had built and programmed RoboRescue robots competed against more than sixty teams and all managed to place in the top ten. Other students worked in pairs to make robots and then programmed them to compete in RoboSoccer, a game of soccer using their robots. Every team performed well and Brendan and Anish made it through to the tightly contested grand final in which they placed second. Thanks to Mr Dunkley, Mrs Nolan and Mrs Corkell for attending the day and a huge thanks to Mrs Torcasio for all her hard work which culminated in this wonderful excursion.

Last week our 3R students took to the big PAC stage to host our weekly Junior School Assembly. In class, 3R students had to identify their personal strengths and qualities. They also discovered their special talents and values and their Assembly was a showcase of these talents, strengths and shared values. The performance concluded with a beautiful song, Me, that celebrated our 3R students. Bravo Miss Reale and 3R.

Seventy-five excited Year 1 students boarded a bus on Tuesday and departed on their excursion to the infamous Puffing Billy. From all reports, the day was a complete success and the children thoroughly enjoyed riding the steam train. Thanks to our wonderful teachers, Ms Duell, Mrs Black and Miss Papettas for organising and taking their students on such a terrific excursion that was full of fun and learning.

Mrs Melissa Roberton

Head of Junior School

This week we commenced the process of electing the Student Leadership team for 2020. At school assembly, we were impressed by the speeches presented by our School Captain applicants. They shared a strong vision of what they hoped to achieve in the role of School Captain and were impressive in their leadership capacity and public speaking ability. In addition to School Captains, the student leadership team consists of House Captains, Arts Captain (assisted by a leader of Music and a leader of Drama), Sport Captain, Environment Captain, Social Justice Captain and Communication Captain. It is very pleasing to see our students aspire to leadership and all contenders bring their own unique abilities and strengths to the role. It will be very difficult for the student body to choose their student leaders for 2020 as we are blessed with so many worthy leaders.

Last Monday Casey Grammar School hosted the SIS Athletics Carnival. A large number of students participated in the carnival and a number of personal bests were achieved. Congratulations to Head of Sport Emma Garby and the sport and PE staff who trained, encouraged and inspired the students to do so well.

In addition to the large range of sports on offer, SIS also offers a huge range of other co-curricular and cultural activities. This week the Performing Arts Faculty showcased the talent of Casey Grammar students in the Schools on Stage program. Held in Bunjil Place, the Schools on Stage gave students the valuable experience of performing in a professional space, along with developing their teamwork and performing skills. It was an evening of high quality entertainment.

This week students also participated in the SIS Debating competition. Thanks to Mr Willis and Mr Cozzio who have been teaching debating skills to interested students. Casey Grammar is building a strong reputation in both SIS Debating and DAV (Debating Association of Victoria).

Excitement is mounting in Year 9 as the students prepare for their Melbourne and NT experiences. This week the students spent a day in the city, learning how to catch public transport and how to navigate safely and confidently around the city. Meanwhile the students going to the NT spent the day learning about their itinerary, health and safety in the outback and cultural sensitivities. The students are excited about the new experiences ahead of them in the final week of this term.

Last Friday, our students enjoyed a very special lunchtime performance by our very own rock band, The Exports. The band played a mixture of covers and original songs to a very enthusiastic audience. The band were thrilled by the large crowd of students who came to hear them play. Congratulations to the boys in the band - Luke Holland, Joel Rasmussen, Charlie Hermans and Phoenix Brousse De La Borde. We love your music!

Mrs Fiona Williams

Deputy Principal / Head of Senior School

On Friday the 16th of August myself and 5 other Year 11 students were given the opportunity to go to the city and attend a leadership workshop. All 6 of us learned new leadership skills and were able to meet other people our age from other school across Victoria that had the same leadership aspirations as we do. This opportunity allowed all of us to further develop speaking and leadership skills. We completed activities that had learning aspects in them, some of which we did not realise until after the workshop when we were all discussing what we learned. We compared our values to actions we actually take and learned to work in a team with people we may not have known. I learned valuable skills that I wish to utilise as a leader in 2020 and in my everyday life. Thank you to Miss Dourios who allowed us to have this opportunity by taking us to the workshop to help us with our leadership skills.

Catherine Thornton, Year 11

Congratulations to the Senior debating team, who have made it through to the semi-final.

Kudos to Spoorthy Bhat, Lily Hopp, Robert Kuzek and Manesha Casey – and let’s hope they bring their ‘a-game’ to the semi-final in a couple of weeks’ time!

Also well done to the 3 intermediate teams who demonstrated amazing improvements since their first debates at the DAV competition.

Of note, Layla Hargreaves, Molly Murphy, Teah Dorman and Bella Arnold were our best performing intermediate team. They won 3 out of 4 debates, and ranked 5th out of all the intermediate teams participating. However, they missed out on a semi-final position by 0.1%

Gary Willis - Head of English

On Monday 26 August, a select group of students participated in the Division B SIS Athletics Carnival, representing Casey Grammar School. Starting our day early, staff and students ventured out to Lakeside Athletics Stadium in Albert Park to compete against other schools in our division, including Berwick Grammar, St Peters, Balcombe Grammar, St Johns, Nazareth and St. James. It was a very busy day, with Casey being one of the host schools, but all the staff and students attending kept their spirits high and showed great sportsmanship throughout the event, making it a fun-filled day for everyone involved. Casey had quite a successful day, winning the U13 boys pennant, the Merit Award, and an overall placing of 3rd. The following students should be recognized for their efforts on the day, placing either 1st or 2nd their event:

Amelia Liccardi, Mark Banks, Connor Morgan, Fatma Abdelrahim, Rhylee Ashton, Jack Brewster, Taylan Narayana, Lina Ouaziz, Tom O’Neil, Patrick Shields, Kobe Seers, Zain Wassif, Jayden Meyers, Mady Pucovski, Millie Rowe, Shannon Bardou, Anastasia Weller, Romeo Bellinvia, Leo Gillespie, William Dunne, Ruby McDonald, Isabella Hetherington, Olivia Antonello, Cassandra Vincent, Mahek Joshi, Luke Floyd. 

Miss Amy Frangalas

AFL Trainee

Course Applications for 2020 (VTAC and direct applications)

With only 2 weeks to go until the end of Term 3, I remind current Year 12’s to take some time to meet with me to discuss their plans for 2020 and to similarly, get some support with applications.

Timely VTAC applications close at 5:00 pm on Monday 30 September and TAFE’s are currently accepting direct applications from prospective students. Pathways & unscored students are encouraged to submit course applications directly to TAFE providers.

 Important VTAC dates (reminder)

 VTAC applications open                                              5 August 2019 (9:00 am)           

Timely applications close                                            30 September 2019 (5:00 pm)   

SEAS applications close                                               11 October 2019 (5:00 pm)

(+ supporting documentation)

Scholarship applications close                                   11 October 2019

ATAR results released                                                  12 December

Change of Preference (1st round) closes                 14 December 2019

December offer round                                                18 December 2019

January offer round                                                     15 January 2020

February offer round 1                                               3 February 2020

February offer round 2                                               10 February 2020

February offer round 3                                               17 February 2020

February offer round 4                                               24 February 2020

Ms Sarah Blythman

Head of Careers and Student Pathways

"Spring drew on...and a greenness grew over those brown beds, which, freshening daily, suggested the thought that hope traversed them at night and left each morning brighter traces of her steps."

–Charlotte Brontë

As we welcome spring, we welcome life springing forth. The transition from the dying off to the new growth. Life is full of transitions and times of challenge. While at times this can often be unpleasant and many times seem drawn out – there is always the hope of new growth in our lives.

While in scripture it speaks of the hope of fullness and completes in the future, it does not hide the fact that life is not immune to hardship and trials. It’s not all roses and on many occasions, equates life to walking through fire. However, the hope that is found in Jesus, is the transforming hope, through which we can find meaning and purpose. The fires, or trials, help us as people to better understand ourselves and others around us. Just like the natural process of flowers, the dying off process allows for life to spring forth in all its creativity and colour.

Embrace the Spring of your life, and know that even though life might seem tough at the moment, there is a spring waiting to set in.

Community Care

As a community, we extend our prayers and support to the families who have been impacted by the recent death of Mikaela Claridge, while training, at the Cranbourne Racecourse last Friday. The School has a long and close connection with many within the racing community in Cranbourne and understands the impact that the tragedy can cause within the community.  As a part of our commitment to support and community care of our families, our Wellbeing Team, School Psychologist and Chaplain are available should you or your children need time to talk through the impact of tragedy.

The BackPack Challenge **IMPORTANT NOTICE**

As mentioned in previous newsletters, Casey Grammar School is hosting a BackPack Challenge event. The date of this event has been changed to Friday 11 October. We would like to see more students become involved in this World Vision event raising awareness for those around the world who are Displaced, Refugees or Seeking Asylum. Please see either myself or a member of the Social Justice Team for more information.

Fathers Day

Recently we celebrated Father’s Day. This gives us a good opportunity to reflect on how, as fathers, we are helping to guide and grow our children into the best version of themselves. Often as dads, we find it hard to fulfil the different cultural, societal and familial roles and expectations. More importantly, there are less natural environments where dads feel that they can share or seek advice on how to father. Here is a tip to help Fathers continue to engage in positive role modelling;

*  Play to your strengths

Fathers often parent in a more active or action-oriented way than mums, so games, playtime and physical activity become important parts of a man’s parenting repertoire. No matter the age of your child/ren, be spontaneous or set out more time to be actively engaged with your child.

Mr Stuart McKenzie

Term 3 concludes on Friday 20 September 2019 and we look forward to welcoming students back on Tuesday 8 October 2019.

Junior School School Holiday Care

TeamKids will be open throughout the holidays for holiday care, please download the schedule for activities below.

Senior School Youth Program

Download the below flyer for details of activities organised by the City of Casey specifically designed for teenagers.

Important Reminder Regarding Student Absences

If a student is going to be away from school, for any reason, notify the school ASAP via the Absentee Line 5991 0801 as well as your child's teacher.

If your child is going to be absent for an extended period during the school term, a letter must be written to Mr Richard Baird, highlighting the dates and reason for the student absence.