Discovery

Friday, 9 August 2019

Important Dates

Monday 12 - Wednesday 14 August      Unit 4 Outdoor Ed Snow Trip

Wednesday 14 August                              Year 9 2020 Subject Selections Due

Friday 16 August                                        Junior School Division Athletics (selected students)

Monday 19 - Friday 23 August               Book Week

Monday 19 August                                   Open Morning

Tuesday 20 August                                   Junior School Book Week Parade

                                                                    

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents/Guardians,

There is a Japanese proverb which states ‘teaching is half learning’ and with our visiting exchange students from Kaichi Junior and Senior School, I reflect on just how true this is.  As much as we have taught our new Japanese friends about life at Casey Grammar School, we, in turn, have learnt so much from them.  And despite the distance and cultural differences, it’s been interesting to learn how closely their values of empowering students and developing their strengths, talents and academic skills, align with the CGS values of compassion, integrity, inclusion, respect and excellence.  

The exchange students were welcomed on Monday morning with a special assembly attended by Years 6 - 12 students.  It was also a pleasure to host the City of Casey Mayor, Cr Amanda Stapledon and State Member for Cranbourne, Mrs Pauline Richards MP at the assembly.  Both welcomed the Kaichi students to the City of Casey and spoke fondly about forming life-long friendships. 

Thank you to our students who accepted the role of being a ‘buddy’ to the exchange students this week.  The time you’ve spent looking after them and helping to immerse them in classes and activities has been much appreciated. 

Moving ahead, we look forward to working further with OutBeyond who facilitated the exchange and potentially having CGS students travel to Japan or other chosen countries.

It’s been a busy week in the Junior School with our Prep students celebrating 100 days of learning by dressing up and having a party.  There was also a special visit from Reptile Encounters with some very brave Prep students holding lizards, frogs and even a crocodile!

The following students were presented with the Principals Award at Junior School assembly on Thursday. 

Prep - Khloe Sok

Year 1 - Logan Leow

Year 2 - Lucy van Brakel

Year 3 - Ayaana Arora

Year 4 - Harrison Brewster

Year 5 - Sabreen Kaur

Year 6 - Aaron Owen

Congratulations to these students who have been recognised as upholding the school values and treating others the way they like to be treated.

Last night we had the pleasure of welcoming back students from the class of 2018 for their one-year reunion.  These events always leave me with a sense of gratitude that we, as a community, past and present, have helped in developing the foundations for their future endeavours.  It’s fantastic hearing about their journeys and what they've achieved. It’s also an opportunity to remind them that they will always be part of the CGS community.  

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

Principal 

JUNIOR SCHOOL NEWS

From the Head of Junior School

Last week we concluded our Junior School Parent/Teacher interviews and I’d like to yet again sincerely thank our parents and teachers for attending these valuable meetings. We highly value productive, collaborative partnerships with our families. Understanding and trust between parents and teachers develops through clear, respectful dialogue and follow-up. At CGS we respect the shared investment our parents and teachers make in educating the whole child.

Our Netball and T-Ball teams headed off to Winter Play Offs recently after having made it through the interschool sporting round. They certainly braved the elements and although neither team were victorious, our students competed with a never-give-up attitude and returned to school with smiles on their faces despite their defeats. Thanks to Mrs Schreuder and Mrs Nolan for taking these teams to the competitions in trying conditions.

I’d like to congratulate all our students who received certificates at our recent Awards Assembly. It is always a delight to hear about the accomplishments of our students which can range from being a great friend, to hosting an Assembly well, to completing a project to a very high individual standard or for great acts of kindness. Our students and their families should feel very proud of these students. Special mention to our Principal’s Award recipients who were mentioned in Mr Baird's article.  

It was a pleasure to welcome 30 Japanese students and two teachers from Kaichi Junior and Senior School from south of Osaka. They are visiting CGS for a week and they commenced their visit with a wonderful Welcome Assembly on Monday that our Year 6 students were fortunate to attend. Although the students have varying ability to speak English, they enjoyed the Assembly and they certainly all understood the universal language of music as the School Band entertained us. I sincerely hope our visitors return to their homeland of Japan with wonderful memories of their week at CGS. 

This week we were treated to a fabulous Assembly that was hosted by our wonderful Prep D students. It was incredible to see the class perform ‘Caps for Sale’, sing and dance along to ‘The Pattern Song’ and be well supported by three of their Year 5 buddies. It really was hard to believe that these talented students have only been at school for just over half a year. Bravo to Mrs Driessen and Prep D!!

Mrs Melissa Roberton

Head of Junior School

100 days of School

The Prep children celebrated 100 days of learning at school this week by dressing up and having a special party.  A highlight of the celebration week was a special visit from Reptile Encounters and talented Prep C in their assembly performance ‘Caps for Sale’.  

Ms Charlotte Boumen

Head of Early Years

JAG News!

Our JAG team will be wearing yellow student monitor vests and patrolling the playgrounds during snack and lunch times each day!

They will be assisting teachers on yard duty, making sure every student is happy and playing safely!

If you see a JAG student please come up and say hello! 

Miss Brittany Testro

Year 3 Teacher

Japanese Students visit 5N

The students of 5N were very excited to have a visit from the Japanese students visiting Casey Grammar. We had fun learning to pronounce their names and enjoyed showing them our classroom. The 5N students each had a question for the visitors.

What types of sports does Japan have? (Gareth)

Is there a place in Australia that you would like to visit? (Andreea)

Have you tried any Australian food, like Vegemite or a meat pie? (Manasa)

Do you find the English language hard to learn? (Mitchell)

Do you like video games, such as Fortnite? (Tanisha)

What music do you like to listen to? (Harry)

What is Mount Fuji like? (Isabelle)

What do you like to do for fun? (Noah)

We are learning about Space. What do you know about the Solar System? (Rahul)

Ms Sarah Nolan

Year 5 Teacher

SENIOR SCHOOL NEWS

From the Head of Senior School

This week we have enjoyed hosting students and staff from Kaichi Junior and Senior High School in Japan. The week commenced with a welcome assembly attended by the City of Casey Mayor, Cr Amanda Stapledon and our local State Member of Parliament, Mrs Pauline Richards. The Japanese students have enjoyed their taste of Australian education and the Casey Grammar students have loved hosting them. Through this experience, new friendships have been formed, language skills have developed and students have gained a greater understanding of different cultures.

Over the past few weeks, we have held information nights for students and parents to ensure everyone is well informed about the process of subject selections for next year. Based on student subject choices, staffing for 2020 is being finalised and the school timetable is under construction. We expect to confirm the student’s 2020 subject choices early in Term 4. Thank you to all parents and students who attended these information sessions. It is wonderful to see parents actively involved in the school life of their children and the choices they make as they move through their secondary schooling. A reminder that our careers counsellor Mrs Sarah Blythman is available to meet with parents and students upon request and she also contributes important careers education material for parents each fortnight in Discovery as well as working directly with the students.

Thank you to the parents who attended the Year 10, 11 and 12 Parent Teacher Student Conferences last week. I hope these conferences provided you with more information regarding the academic progress of your child. Year 7, 8 and 9 Parent Teacher Student Conferences are being held on Thursday 29 August. Bookings open at 9am on Tuesday 20 August and close at 11pm on Tuesday 27 August. I encourage you to take the opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher at these meetings.

This week staff enjoyed catching up with students from the Class of 2018 at their reunion. Lots of fond school memories were shared while everyone caught up on the diverse directions our alumnae have taken. One of the greatest joys in teaching is seeing your students grow and flourish in their chosen pathways and this reunion highlighted the diversity and success of the Class of 2018.

Recently we have had a number of enquiries regarding final examinations and end of year activities for our students. After completing their 2019 studies in late November, students sit their exams and then undergo an Early Commencement Program. In this program all students make a start on their 2020 classes which gives them a stronger start in their studies for the following year. All students will be engaged in important learning activities right up to the last day of school. Please note that students finish school on Wednesday 11 December. Families should plan their holidays after 11 December to avoid disadvantaging their child. 

Please note the date of this year’s Celebration Evening is Tuesday 10 December. This is an important school function and it is an expectation all students will attend. In addition to prize giving, there will be plenty of music, performances, images from the school year and a celebration of the many and varied activities undertaken in 2019. Please add this date to your diary to ensure your child will attend.

Recently I have been made aware of some parent’s concerns regarding communication between home and Senior School. I am keen to hear suggestions from the parent body on how we can better communicate with you and have started to form a small group of interested parents as a consultative group. Here at school, the staff have been engaged in discussions regarding better ways of reporting on student progress and generally communicating with parents through the Learning Management System SEQTA. If you would like to be part of this group, please SEQTA message me or email me your expression of interest f.williams@caseygrammar.vic.edu.au

Mrs Fiona Williams

Deputy Principal / Head of Senior School

Senior School Science

Science Talent Search

This year three Casey Grammar School students entered the annual Science Talent Search (STS) run by the Science Teachers’ Association of Victoria (STAV). The STS is a competition that gives students the chance to investigate any Science concept they're interested in and present it in any of the following formats: Research, Games, Working Models, Inventions, Computer Programs – Games & Simulations, Science Photography and Video Productions. You can choose your own theme and specific topic. The STS is open to all primary and secondary students to Year 12 in Victoria and aligned with this year’s National Science Week theme – Destination Moon!

Casey Grammar students carefully designed and created scientific projects and presented them to the judges at Methodist Ladies College in Kew and Parade College in Bundoora on Saturday 3 August.

Anmol Shing (Year 11) – Ionic Thruster (Working model of a scientific concept)

Georgia Schelfhout (Year 10) – Solar Cellution (Working model of a scientific concept)

Annabella Woo (Year 7) – The Dark Side of the Moon (Creative writing) and Super String Theory (video of scientific concept)

Two of Casey Grammar’s very own Science teachers - Daniel Isgro (Head of Science) and Gina Upward (Science Teacher) were also involved in the judging of student projects from all over the state of Victoria.

We wish the three students the best of luck!

RACI 2019 Titration Stakes

On Friday 2nd August, Casey Grammar School entered four teams in the RACI (Royal Australian Chemical Institute) Titration Stakes – an analytical chemistry competition. 

Students who participated included: Year 11 students Anmolpreet Shing and Robert Kuzekn. Year 10 students Georgia Schelfhout, Al-Karrar Al-Khalidi, Ellen Streat, Simar Gill, Alexia Gherghiceanu, Lilly Hopp, Abhijit Bhullar and Tanysha Hogan.

Students formed a CGS Titration Club which commenced training during Term 1. Under the watchful eye of Mr Daniel Isgro (Head of Science) and Mr Paul Meehan (Laboratory Technician), students learned how to perform simple acid-base titrations using analytical chemistry equipment.

In the competition, each team standardised a sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution against a supplied hydrochloric acid (HCl) solution and then standardised three (3) acetic acid solutions with the sodium hydroxide solution.

Judging is on the basis of the values each team reports for the titres and concentrations of the NaOH and acetic acid solutions. Teams are ranked on how close they get to the actual concentration.

The top teams in the state competition are put forward to represent Victoria in the National Finals later in the year.

Best of luck to those who participated!

Mr Daniel Isgro

Head of Science

Year 8 Engineering

On the first three days of the holidays, I was one of about 200 Year 8 students who went to Monash University Clayton campus to participate in an engineering challenge. During the challenge, we did a half-day on six different types of engineering. They were Mechanical, Environmental/Resources, Software, Electrical, Civil and Chemical.

On the first day in Mechanical Engineering, we made little hover cars that when we slid them on the ground they hovered and travelled up to 15 meters. We also programmed robots. Ours was programmed to do a star jump. Finally, we went into a VR driving simulator and tried to beat the University’s F1 racing team’s driver who is ranked 2nd in the world. I came the closest, only losing to him by 0.5 seconds. In the second half of the day, we did Environmental/Resources Engineering. We made fans and recorded how many watts and amps it produced. We also went into a VR room and explored a mine. We also learnt how much advancements in technology are affecting humans.

Day 2 was Civil and Chemical Engineering. In Civil Engineering, we made a bridge out of spaghetti and tested how much weight it could carry and then found the efficiency by dividing the weight that the bridge could hold by the bridge’s weight. In Chemical Engineering, we made a three-layer density tower with different liquids, tested how quickly different metals heat up and how well they could conduct the heat. After that, we extracted all of the carbon dioxides from a bottle of coke by using salt. Finally, we made a solution with water iron and salt and extracted all of the rust that the iron produced with a magnet.

On the final day of the challenge, it was Software Engineering and Electrical Engineering. In Software Engineering, we used an application made by one of the students from the University, which when you take a photo, it generates similar photos to the one you have taken. We had to make an image using all of the ones generated by the application. In Electrical Engineering we made a battery that was strong enough to power an LED light bulb out of lemons. We also made a robot that follows the light.

The challenge concluded with an awards ceremony for all of the different types of engineering. I was one of three students who received an award for Software Engineering. Out of the six engineering types my favourite was Mechanical Engineering. I would highly recommend this for all Year 8s who are interested in Maths, Science, ICT or engineering in general.

Joshua Reeve, Year 8

From the Head of Careers and Pathways

Term 3 from a careers perspective is a big one for Casey Grammar School students.

For our current Year 12 students, it is time to start making decisions regarding their transition from CGS to further study or employment in 2020. For other year levels, they are selecting subjects for 2020; with many students starting to consider their career pathways to support informed decision-making.

At this time, I would like to remind both students and their Parents/Guardians that I am available for one on one meetings to support career decision making. If you do have any questions or would like to meet with me, my working days are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and I can be contacted via email: s.blythman@caseygrammar.vic.edu.au.

VTAC Applications – now open

On Monday 5 August, VTAC applications opened for current Year 12 students. The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) is the central office that administers the application process for places in tertiary courses, scholarships and the Special Entry Access Scheme (SEAS) at universities, TAFEs and independent tertiary colleges in Victoria. VTAC also calculates and issues the ATAR for VCE students.

Year 12 students attended a VTAC information session on Thursday 1 August. This session provided students detailed information regarding VTAC dates, the application process, SEAS and Scholarships. Students also viewed a number of videos, which provided guidance to setting up a VTAC account and tips on how to preference courses of interest.

Detailed information will be forwarded to parents/guardians of Year 12 students via SEQTA early next week. In the meantime, please find below important VTAC dates.

Important VTAC dates

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 - 2 December 2019

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

Note: Timely VTAC applications cost $39. Applications can take after the 30 September 2019 however the cost increases significantly (i.e. over $100).

Upcoming Open Days

ACU (Melbourne) - 11 August (Sunday)

Australian College of Applied Psych. - 11 August (Sunday)

Macleay College - 11 August (Sunday)

RMIT University (Melbourne/Brunswick) - 11 August (Sunday)

SAE Creative Media - 11 August (Sunday)

Latrobe University (Mildura) - 14 August (Wednesday)

CQUniversity (Melbourne) - 15 August (Thursday)

Melbourne Institute of Technology - 17 August (Saturday)

Deakin (Waterfront) - 18 August (Sunday)

Deakin (Waurn Ponds) - 18 August (Sunday)

Latrobe University (Albury-Wodonga) - 18 August (Sunday)

Melbourne Polytechnic (Preston) - 18 August (Sunday)

Monash University (Parkville) - 18 August (Sunday)

University of Melbourne - 18 August (Sunday)

Footscray City Films - 20 August (Tuesday)

For further information, please visit: https://www.vtac.edu.au/opendays.html or the website of the relevant University, TAFE or Private Provider.

Casey Grammar Careers Website

Students and parents/guardians are now able to access the Casey Grammar Careers Webpage via the Casey Grammar homepage.

This website is a terrific source of information for both students and parents/guardians; I strongly encourage you to regularly check the page for important career updates. Information regarding Open Days and similarly, the VTAC application process can be found on this page.

http://www.caseygrammar.vic.edu.au/careers

Ms Sarah Blythman

Head of Careers and Student Pathways

Pursuit of a dream career for Jack Kleidon

Current Year12 student Jack Kleidon hopes to be able to apply his love of video games and make it his career after completing VCE at Casey Grammar.  Last term he had an opportunity to present his portfolio and be an interviewed for a place at the Academy of Interactive Entertainment where he hopes to continue his studies next year. Following the interview, Jack toured the college and some of the facilities of the campus, including the green rooms and virtual reality spaces.

Jack loves creating new worlds and can express his creative side through his video games. Jack also enjoys networking with fellow gamers through online forums and is currently a moderator and active member on a few popular chat forums dedicated towards 'The Elder Scrolls Online'. He also hosts a live stream that now has over 75 followers.

To view some of Jack's work (online known as ESO_Nightingale), please follow the link below.

https://dottzgaming.com/build/reanimator-necromancer-healer-pvp-build/

We would like to wish Jack the best of luck with his application into the college where he will have the opportunity to pursue his dreams of becoming a Video Game Designer.

From the Chaplain

World Visions 40 Hour Famine Backpack Challenge

"Join the 40 Hour Famine Backpack Challenge and take a stand for young refugees around the world. You'll unite with thousands of other Australians to lead global change by raising funds for young people who've been forced to flee their homes. Take up the challenge and commit to living out of your backpack with only essentials for 40 hours.

Globally there are 70.8 million refugee and displaced people - among them 25.9 million refugees and more than half that number are under the age of 18.”

Casey Grammar students have a proud history with the 40 Hour famine and Backpack challenge and this year, we would like to be able to extend our contribution and awareness of the refugees and displaced people.

By joining fellow CGS students and others around Australia, you will help by providing resources to create Child Safe play spaces for children in refugee camps – This equates to approximately 13 million children living in makeshift tent cities. Child Safe spaces provide opportunities for children to experience play and interaction with other children without the fear of getting lost or separated in the camp.

Pictured is Zaatari, a Syrian Refugee camp in Jordan. Population 78,000.

By joining the Backpack Challenge, your child will have the opportunity to help children in Zaatari and other camps across the Middle East and have opportunities to experience some of the fun experiences that children should have, amidst the turmoil of living in uncertainty.

On Friday 6 September to kick off the 40 Hour Famine Backpack Challenge, we are holding an event at the school. There will be lots of fun activities and opportunities to learn more about how we as a community, can have a positive impact for those who are displaced or seeking asylum.

Speak with your child and if they are interested in joining us as we take on this adventure, get a couple of friends together and come and see me in the Chapel to register. Alternatively, head to the 40 hour famine website and register online and join the Casey Grammar team. http://www.40hourfamine.com.au/

See below photos from some of the activities from last year’s backpack challenge.

Mr Stuart McKenzie

Chaplain

The Parent Website - Backpack for Kids

Students from CGS have been featured on The Parent Website promoting the volunteer work in support of Backpacks 4 Kids. 

This website provides a combination of useful information, news and thought-provoking material for Independant School Victoria (ISV) families and is worth a browse. 

See the article feasturing Casey students via https://www.theparentswebsite.com.au/helping-kids-need/.

Student Absences

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. 

Help the Garden Grow!

The School Veggie Garden needs rubber bands to bundle our fresh produce!

In alignment with our 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle' values, we will be collecting any used rubber bands to reuse in the garden.

Please drop your used rubber bands into the jar at the Library. 

Work at the Uniform Shop

Buxwear, is currently seeking a retail assistant to work in the Casey Grammar School Uniform Shop throughout various dates for the remainder of 2019 and into the January 2020.

Retail experience is preferred, however not necessary. If you are interested in this position, please drop your resume into the Uniform Shop or email it to info@buxwear.com.au.