I am delighted to extend a warm welcome to the celebration of our School's Centenary year!

I enjoyed catching up with colleagues during our professional growth and preparation days prior to the start of term and I am filled with gratitude for their unwavering commitment, our wonderful building, grounds and programs that create a nurturing environment as the School has once again filled with our amazing students. I look forward to sharing this year with you and reflecting on the 100 years that has shaped Gippsland Grammar.

To mark this significant occasion, we have a series of exciting events and activities planned throughout the year. These events will not only celebrate our past but also look forward to the future with a renewed sense of purpose and vision. From next weekend’s launch weekend to reunions and the return of STAGGfair in Term 4, we invite each member of our extended Gippsland Grammar family to keep a keen eye on our communications for announcements and invitations.

There are still tickets available for the Gala event next Friday (February 23) and this is an event that we hope will bring our current families and our Old Scholars together to celebrate both the Gippsland Grammar Foundation and this amazing year in our School’s history. So I encourage you to gather those you may chat with at the school gate and embrace this opportunity to socialise together out-of-hours with a drink in hand and the live music of teacher (and singer extraordinaire) Cara Schaefer as our evening’s soundtrack. A return bus from Sale and Bairnsdale is also included in the ticket price, which you can buy here: https://www.trybooking.com/eve...

In tandem with our Centenary celebrations, I am thrilled to reiterate that we will soon be launching our School's Strategic Plan. This comprehensive roadmap outlines our vision for the next five years and charts a course for continued excellence in education. It encompasses key initiatives focuses on five strategic pillars:
- Purposeful Learning
- Culture of Trust and Growth
- Integrated Wellbeing
- Financial Sustainability
- Operational Effectiveness

As we communicate this document, I encourage you to engage with the plan, provide feedback, and join us in realising the collective aspirations we have set forth.

In the spirit of inclusivity and reconciliation, we are also establishing a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) team. This team will play a pivotal role in promoting understanding, respect, and collaboration between our School and Indigenous communities. We are calling upon passionate individuals within our Community – parents, students and community members - to volunteer for this important initiative. Your involvement will contribute significantly to building meaningful connections and fostering a culture of reconciliation within our School. Please email info@gippslandgrammar.au if you are interested in participating.

As we stand at the beginning of this year, I am filled with gratitude for the unwavering support and commitment of our Community. Together, let us embrace our past, celebrate our present and shape an inspiring future for Gippsland Grammar.

Warm regards,
Michele Wakeham
Principal

Dear Bairnsdale Campus families,

I must start this newsletter by passing on my heartfelt thanks for everyone’s support during what has been an unexpectedly interrupted week. As a Campus, and a town and as individual families we all faced challenges in the aftermath of Tuesday’s storm, most prominently a lack of power both at school and our homes. Some of us – including myself! – are still living without power at home. But after having to close our Campus on Wednesday and Thursday it was lovely to be able to turn the lights back on and for us all to return to school today. Well, some of us returned to School … I’ve spent the day in Melbourne with our Year 6 students at the Halogen Young Leaders day where we have all had a lovely time listening to speakers talk about the joys and challenges of leadership.

As I shared on VOS last week, I would like to pay credit to our parent community and staff for their positive attitude and approach to the new school year. With the exception of the storm, we commenced the year smoothly from ELC to Year 6 as a result of the preparation and commitment shown to our students by their parents and our staff alike. I have observed cheerful and honest interactions between teachers and parents, teachers and students and between parents, which builds trust in each partnership. I personally thank you all for your support and look forward to a terrific 2024.

The theme for our Bairnsdale Campus this year is ‘Creating Connections’, understanding the great value in connecting with others, what we can give and what we can receive in these interactions. The new School year provides the opportunity to build new connections, friendships, and support networks. For our new families and staff, connecting with others brings a sense of belonging. For our teachers, our first term focuses on connecting with their students and creating a positive class culture.

We have the opportunity to ‘create connections’ with the many events scheduled for the term, in particular, the first few weeks. Last week alone we have had ‘Meet the Teacher’, the House Swimming Carnival, the Welcome Fellowship and our Family Picnic. I thank you for attending these events and valuing our Community.

Through our Newbies Club, I have met with our new students, Jack (Year 1), Charlotte and Gigi (Year 2), Grace and Hudson (Year 3), Jack (Year 4) and Alec and Reece (Year 5), to check in with how they are settling in. They have told me they felt welcomed and have already made some new friendships. As a Community, we welcome all our new students and families.

Our Positive Behaviour Framework will continue to develop as we set the expectations for the year ahead. On review of our framework at the end of 2023 and on behaviours, we are particularly focussing on respect for our School equipment and property. We will work with the students to incorporate their voice in setting expectations in managing and valuing our equipment, both within the classroom and on the playground.

Our first Fellowship for the year included a welcome to all and the important process of acknowledging and inducting our campus leaders. Our Year 6’s stated their own leadership pledge, our Campus Captains Ayla Buckley and Blake Maxwell spoke of their aspirations in leadership. Our Green Team, Service Learning Representatives, House leaders and Bus Captains were announced and celebrated. We hope for them, both growth and understanding in their leadership roles.

After a full week of events, I wish you well for the weekend ahead.