Discovery

“As we infuse technology further into students' lives, we must hold tight to the fact that personal relationships, face-to-face interactions, and quiet reflection will always be essential to a happy life - and that the convenience and excitement of technology should enhance - but never outweigh - the value of authentic human experiences.”

Jennifer Waldvogel in Educational Leadership February 2019

Wishing all Casey Grammar families a safe holiday period

It has been an extremely busy Term for staff and students at Casey Grammar School and I want to wish all of the Casey Grammar Community a safe and enjoyable holiday break. There have been far too many highlights to list, but it is worth mentioning the range of activities that students have undertaken ranging from the broad academic offerings, the Senior School musical “Matilda”, sport, cultural experiences, assemblies, Chapel, excursions, incursions and a range of visiting guest speakers. Thank you all for an amazing Term.

Mindfulness-Wellness

Our mental health is as important as our physical health. Wellbeing is essential for learning. With mindfulness, students are more focussed and more engaged learners.

With three quarters of all mental health disorders emerging by the time a young person reaches 24, it’s clear that prevention and early intervention is important.

A recent study in a range of schools indicated that a mindfulness program was beneficial for students:

Students reported:

- improvements in their sleep, and; - reductions in the experience of bullying and classroom disruptions.

Students more at-risk of emotional difficulties also reported:

- improvements in emotional wellbeing, - reduced psychological distress, - enhanced positive wellbeing, - enhanced ability to manage emotions, and; - improvements in concentration.

It was also found that mindfulness leads to increased student engagement in learning and positive emotional wellbeing. The more students practiced, the more benefits they experienced over time.

Casey Grammar is starting to use some of the resources from The Smiling Mind Education Program through our Senior School Pastoral Care program and also with the School Psychologist.  We will also look to roll this out in the Junior School. 

School Photos

Individual, sibling, year level and class photos have been distributed to all Casey Grammar families this week. The school photos are a long standing service provided to the families of Casey Grammar.

I have included a survey link below to enable Parents and Guardians an opportunity to provide the School with feedback on the school photos for 2019.  We value your feedback and appreciate the time you take in completing the survey. 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KHJ6LCL

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

Principal 

Congratulations to Mr Batey and our Year 5&6 students and teachers for participating in our recent Lightning Premiership. Despite the chilly start to the day, the sun broke through to produce a beautiful day of team sports and outstanding sportsmanship. Well done to all our teams and best of luck to our Netball, T-Ball and Newcomb teams who qualified for the Winter Playoffs.

It would be remiss of me not to take this opportunity to thank our talented students and incredibly hardworking staff for producing our hugely successful production of “Matilda”. It was wonderful to see some of our Year 6 students enjoying their roles in the show. It takes an enormous effort to produce a school production and all of this is done in addition to our dedicated staff’s regular teaching roles. Sincere thanks to Natalie Burns, Ben Peake, Stuart Collidge, Bronwyn Kyne and Cathy James for a simply sensational show.

Yesterday we were extremely fortunate to enjoy our very first Casey Grammar School House Assembly that was so ably hosted by Trist House and oh what a way to kick off these new assemblies. We were entertained by Miss Reale and her talented Trist team showcasing their Trist chant, their fundraising efforts and personal achievements. Their assembly was capped off by their terrific “Trist and shout” performance. We also announced our new JAG (Junior Action Group) members for Term 3 and we look forward to seeing the difference they can make to our school in these leadership positions.  

Today in support of the Fight MND campaign, Leaver House ran a special ‘Team’ casual day. Our casual day was in support of those living with a Motor Neuron Disease diagnosis. Thanks to our community for supporting such a worthy cause. The students looked brilliant dressed up in their team colours and their special pie day lunch was thoroughly enjoyed too.

Congratulations to all our P-6 students on the completion of a wonderful semester. Reports will be available at 4:00pm today. Parent/Teacher interviews will follow early next Term and bookings will be opened soon. Information regarding this process will follow shortly.

Finally, wishing our school community a happy, safe and restful holiday break.

Mrs Melissa Roberton

Head of Junior School

Congratulations to the students who were voted in to be Junior Action Group representatives for Term 3. JAG is a leadership position for students elected by their peers. As a JAG member, these students will help to organise fundraisers, support their peers and assist teachers during yard duty to help with playground issues. 

Well done to the following students;

Trist House - Year 3 - Alice Witterick, Year 4 - Tanishq Panchal, Year 5 - Gurnoor Aulakh

Booth House - Year 3 -  Oliver van den Brink, Year 4 - Archie Thompson, Year 5 - Joelan Grech

Leaver House - Year 3 - Phoebe Ferris, Year 4 - Elora Pratt, Year 5 - Tanisha Talapareddy

Reid House - Year 3 - Charlotte Hall, Year 4 - Ava Steedman, Year 5 -  Wil Smairl

Mr Medlyn, Mrs Burns and I are looking forward to working together to support our community and the students of CGS!

Miss  Brittany Testro

Years 3 and 4 students have been working with former professional golfer Paul Boxall during Term 2. Paul has been coaching golf for 27 years and works predominately with children.  Paul recently received the MyGolf Deliverer of the Year Award for his work promoting golf in schools, selected from over 500 PGA professionals and community instructors. Students participated in game-based activities aimed at improving their golf technique. Paul was quick to mention the excellent behavior of our students, as well as their enthusiasm and effort in learning new strokes and skills. He was also very impressed with the putting and chipping talent or many of our students. 

Mr Jeff Batey

Head of Junior School PE and Sport

What a joyous time we had last week with the school production of Matilda. It was wonderful seeing the students performing with such confidence and to see the production come together so flawlessly. Congratulations to all the staff and students who worked tirelessly to ensure the production was of such a professional standard.

This week our Year 10 students have been involved in their Careers and Pathways Program. They have enjoyed visiting a range of Universities and TAFEs as well as undertaking career focused activities at school. This week, Year 10 students and parents also attended the VCE Information Evening, which focused on making appropriate VCE choices to set students on their chosen path to TAFE, University and the world of work.

Congratulations to the staff and students of Leaver House for their beautiful House Chapel service this week. The focus of the service was Family and the audience enjoyed seeing examples of the many different types of families in our community. Red House is now preparing to support families through Red Nose Day next Term.

Thank you to Connor Raselli (Year 12) for his enjoyable series of student interviews at school assemblies this year. Through his interviews, Connor has uncovered some extraordinary student talent. We have learned about Bridie and Kaylee Forster’s award winning Irish Dancing and Cassandra Vincent, Isabella and Mady Pucovski’s National level Cheerleading. I am impressed by the depth and diversity of our student’s talents, along with their commitment to achieving their best.

Casey Grammar School students are flourishing in SIS sports. This term saw more of our teams bringing home pennants. Congratulations to the Intermediate Boys Football team and the Junior Boys Volleyball team who are now reigning SIS champions. Well done to both the Intermediate and Junior Girls Netball teams who are both runners-up in their competitions. Thank you to their coaches; Mr Brad Schreuder, Mr Peter Young, Mrs Fern Schreuder and Ms Cathy James, who have given their time and expertise to coach the teams to victory!

Our DAV debating teams are also strong competitors. In this week’s debate, Daksh Singh, Aisha Canlas and William Fourie won the debate ‘that convicted criminals should not be allowed to publish accounts of their crimes’. With one more round of debates left for the season, the Casey Grammar teams look set to achieve success. 

The French Department has been busy planning and shopping for their French Breakfast being held on Friday. This presents a great opportunity for the students to practice their French while enjoying lovely French foods. It’s the perfect way to end the Term.

Staff are busily putting the finishing touches on their school reports and it is expected that the reports will be sent home on Friday. Please take the time to read the reports with your child. Celebrate their achievements and discuss areas of improvement with them. The reports, along with the the teacher’s feedback on each assessment task located on SEQTA, provide valuable insight into each student’s work along with suggestions for continued improvement.

Year 9 parents are reminded of some important information sessions being held early next Term. Please note Monday 29 July in your diary. At 6.00pm, parents and students who are attending the Northern Territory camp will undergo their camp briefing. At 7.00pm, all Year 9 parents and students are invited to an information evening which focuses on VCE and the process of choosing subjects for Year 10 and beyond. Parents will receive Consent2Go messages inviting them to these meetings in the near future. 

Wishing all members of our school community a safe and restful term break. 

Mrs Fiona Williams

Deputy Principal / Head of Senior School

This week, our Year 10 students participated in the Career and Pathways Program 2019.

The five day program provided our students the opportunity to conduct research into future career pathways by visiting Universities and TAFE providers. The program also supported students to develop their enterprise skills in preparation for 2020 and beyond.

We visited Monash University, Federation University, Deakin University, Chisholm TAFE and Swinburne University of Technology. In addition, students participated in an incursion (facilitated by Tripod) that explored the future world of work and the top 8 transferable enterprise skills students will need for success in learning, life and work.

It was a busy week however I am confident that each student has benefited from the opportunity to consolidate the learning they have done via the Work Related Skills (WRS) subject they completed in Semester 1 2019. The WRS teachers (Mrs Claire Harvie and Ms. Jess Delgos) have done some amazing work with this cohort; with all students completing a number of career assessments to support the identification of career pathways that align with their individual interests, strengths and values. 

I would like to extend my appreciation to the staff who supported this program and to the Year 12 students who sat on the VCE Panel (Avantika Prasad, Lauren Reynolds, Noah McCloskey and Tharushi Perera). These current students provided Year 10 students tips on how to successfully navigate their VCE.

A big thank you also to a Casey Grammar School parent, Yolandie Whitehead-Bell who delivered an engaging ‘Day in the life of a Nurse’ session. It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to hear from an industry professional and they were inspired by the diversity in role/s that they could undertake with a Nursing qualification. 

Reminder: Parent/Guardian volunteers – ‘A day in the life of....’

I am still seeking ‘expressions of interest’ from parents/guardians who would be prepared to come on campus to deliver a short presentation that provides an overview of their role and the skills and experience required to work in the field.

Whether you are a Nurse, Tradesperson, Doctor, Community Engagement Officer, Graphic Designer, Retail Manager, Administration Officer, Accountant or work in IT: I believe that our students would greatly benefit from the opportunity to hear first-hand about your job and the pathway/s you specifically undertook in order to successful transition into this profession.

If you are interested in supporting this initiative, I would encourage you to email me via: s.blythman@caseygrammar.vic.edu.au. A current Working with Children Check will be required.

A big thank you to those parents/guardians who have made contact with me already. It is very much appreciated.

Thank you in advance of your support of this initiative. 

Ms Sarah Blythman

Head of Careers and Student Pathways

As we draw to the end of Semester 1, I feel like I am just starting to find my feet in the role of Chaplain. It has been a very warm welcome and I am looking forward to the rest of 2019.

This week has seen the second Senior School House Chapel Service this year. Leaver House dedicated their House service to Being Family. We explored the role of the extended family found in the community of Casey Grammar and reflected on the biblical imagery of being members of the body to emphasise the importance of family.

This week also saw the Social Justice Group hosting a guest speaker from World Vision who inspired us about the upcoming Backpack Challenge. This challenge is such a great way for students to have some exposure to what it is to walk a day in the life of a refugee. Our Social Justice Group are excited for the challenge in September and are eager to exceed the amazing efforts last year. As a result of their commitment, they were able to provide 1400 young people access to Childsafe spaces within refugee camps for a year.  This year’s goal is to increase the amount given to provide assistance to even more young people displaced across the globe.

As we approach the mid year break, I wish to pass on my warm thanks to the community and pray that you all have a restful and enjoyable break. For those who are travelling, we pray for safe adventures.

Mr Stuart McKenzie

Chaplain

Are those apps safe?

There has been recent publicity about the dangers of apps commonly used by children and teens on electronic devices.

Here are apps that could be dangerous for children:

SNAPCHAT: allows users to take pictures and videos that disappear. New features like ‘stories’ allow users to view content for 24 hours and see your location.

KIK: allows anyone to direct message instead of text messaging and gives unlimited access to anyone, anytime.

YELLOW: allows teens to flirt with one other similar to Tinder.

HOLLA: video chat app that allows users to meet through their phones across the world in seconds.

OMEGLE: allows users to chat for free and encourages anonymous chatting with strangers.

BUMBLE: similar to Tinder, a dating app that requires women to make first contact. Young people are known to create fake accounts and falsify their age.

WISHBONE: allows users to compare photos to each other and rate one another on a scale.

CALCULATOR%: secret app that allows users to hide photos, videos, files and browser history.

ASK.FM: notorious for cyberbullying, this app allows anonymous messaging to ask questions.

WHISPER: anonymous social media app that allows users to share secrets with others and can share users’ locations so they can meet.

BURNBOOK: allows users to post anonymous rumours through text, audio and pictures.

HOT OR NOT: allows users to rate profiles and find people in their area and chat.

LIVE.ME: live streaming app that uses geolocation to share videos so users can see the broadcaster’s location.

INSTAGRAM: one of the most popular apps among children. Kids are known to use this app for fake accounts and to text since the conversation is deleted when someone leaves the chat.

TELLONYM: allows users to anonymously 'tell on' others. It encourages the disclosure of other people's secrets.

These are only examples of potentially dangerous apps. Parents should monitor all apps and note if they offer messaging features. Always be aware of who your children are talking to and how they are doing so. Always have full access to your children’s social media accounts at all times! 

Some tips to protect children are:

• Approve every app on your child’s phone
• Check their privacy settings
• Speak with your children about phone use, app use and social media.   It’s not an invasion of privacy, it’s being a responsible parent!

Check out: https://esafety.gov.au/

Please note the reduced hours for the School Uniform shop.

·         Monday 15 July - 3.00pm to 5.30pm

·         Thursday 19 July - 8.00am to 10.30am

The uniform can also be purchased during normal business hours from the Buxwear's  store at 8/169 Cheltenham Road, Dandenong.