The warmer weather has brought with it an energetic and positive vibe to our campus. With activities taking place across all year levels of the school, it can be hard to contain the excitement and enthusiasm that organically develops at this time of year. As we step closer to Christmas, this joyful and festive season provides a valuable opportunity for our students (and community members) to reflect on progress, celebrate achievements and prepare goals for 2023.

Exams

Examinations have been a focal point for students and teachers. Currently, we have our Year 12 students completing their VCAA exams which will culminate in our Valedictory celebrations in Week 7 (next week). We also have our Year 10 and Year 11 students completing exams, which will be a valuable learning opportunity for future external examinations. We understand that this time can be extremely challenging for our students, but also for our parents and carers who support their children through the stress and anxiety that can be experienced. HeadSpace provides a useful resource for families by outlining strategies that can help reduce stress during examinations (please click here to access the resource).

Student voice

We are constantly searching for ways to further student voice within our school. Most recently, we have welcomed a Year 7 and Year 8 student working party which is drafting landscaping designs for the entrance and land adjacent to the new Art and Design building. We want this space to celebrate student creativity and innovation, as well as be a welcoming environment that enhances student learning and wellbeing. We are very excited to see the designs our students create over the coming weeks.

2023 student leaders

We have also finalised our Captains and Prefects for 2023. Following an extensive application process that included: letters of application, interview and speeches to the students and staff, we are very pleased to welcome the following students as leaders next year:

School Captains: Emily Thai and Ed Courtier
Vice Captains: Monty Richardson and Sophie Alexander
Community & Culture Prefects: Lailah Moore and Nathaniel Shelton
Wellbeing & Care Prefects: Chris Kelsey & Isabel Lestrange
Curriculum & Learning Prefects: Jonathan de Kock & Samithri Kaluarachchi
Sport & Experience Prefects: Austin Bauer & Ella O’Doherty
Creativity & Expression Prefects: Leah Brutovic & Georgia Shell

We are very confident that these young leaders have the values, skills and approaches necessary to create positive change within our community, as well as being responsible role models to younger students. 2023 will surely be an exciting year for all students to be actively involved in the direction and progress of our school.

Chess

Seven students from Garnsey represented Gippsland Grammar in the 2022 State Chess Finals. To qualify, all students were required to win at least five out of seven games at an approved tournament during the year. Our team started off very strong, winning six out of seven games, an excellent start considering the quality of players at the competition. Connor Rogalsky and Josiah Levchenko played well above their year levels, finishing the day with 5 points and 4.5 points respectively. Overall, we finished 13th out of 36 schools, only missing out on a top 10 spot by half a point. The students thoroughly enjoyed themselves and were able to learn so much by playing against such strong opposition. As always, Friday chess club continues in the ISC and new players are always welcome.

Shooting

On October 17th, students from Gippsland Grammar competed in the Wellington Clay Target shooting competition. Each shooter had a series of 20 targets to shoot, with each successful hit going towards the team’s total score. The Gippsland Grammar team was split into three squads, which all performed extremely well. Luca Di Corleto shot especially well, with a final score of 18 out of 20, placing him into a shoot off for first place. He managed very well and hit all four targets, winning him first place overall in the Senior Boy’s grade. Another impressive performance was shown by Ella O’Doherty, who competed in a shoot-off for third place in the senior girl’s grade. Despite a great effort, Ella narrowly missed out on making the place but was an inspiration to the team. Overall, Gippsland Grammar had a very successful day as two of our Grammar squads achieved first and second place. Our first-place squad finished with a score of 81 out of 100, while our second-place squad were just shy of 80 targets. Congratulations to all our shooters!

The buzz of Term 4 will continue with many exciting and engaging activities. We will be welcoming to our campus, once again, our Year 7 cohort and families for 2023. They will be here with us on campus for four days, learning more about life in Year 7, establishing friendships and connecting with teachers. Our Year 9 students will have completed their Electives camp and will commence their Peer Support training. Furthermore, we will enter our ‘rollover’ period, allowing our students to commence new courses and programs before the break.

We wish all the best to our students and families!