Message from Grant Andrews, Acting Head of Junior School

Dear Families,

As the end of Term 1 approaches, courage is about finishing strong, despite feeling fatigued or facing challenges. Courage means tackling those final tasks, whether it is wrapping up projects or preparing for the next steps. It is about embracing all the progress you have made and being proud of how far you have come.  Term 1 has been a term filled with wonderful achievements, especially for our new students across all grades. Our Kindergarten cohort have made a fantastic start to their school journey, and we are so proud of each and every one of them. As we begin to reflect on the term in shared professional dialogue, and with parents as partners, there is much to celebrate in growth and achievement across all areas of the School.

Our first House da Vinci Day was a great success. It was wonderful to see all students from Years 5 and 6 embrace the day and engage so enthusiastically with the various challenges presented. Many thanks to all staff involved for the enormous amount of preparation that goes into creating incredible experiences such as this for our students.  

This week, we also celebrate the success of our Music Department who have been awarded a Certificate of Distinction for achieving a Top Ten overall result in the 2024 AMEB examinations – Most Outstanding Accredited School, All Instruments, All Grades. This is an outstanding accolade to receive and a credit to the hard work, dedication and passion of our entire Music Department.  

A further highlight of the week was on the sporting field, with our AFL players winning the Paul Kelly Cup in an outstanding demonstration of both incredible skill and sportsmanship. Congratulations to these students and the coaching staff. 

In Debating, our Primary Red and Blue Debating Teams competed in the final preliminary round of the ISDA Debating Competition last Friday, both finishing their seasons with outstanding results. The Red team secured 5 wins out of 7 debates, and the Blue team earned the win in 6. Both teams viewed every debate as a valuable opportunity to improve and worked together to present compelling cases. Some of the thought-provoking topics they tackled included “that doctors should be able to overrule parents’ in the medical treatment of children” and “that the government should not fund space exploration.” With their impressive performances, both teams are set to progress to the Finals rounds next term. Ms Light, Miss McKendry and coaches Jack and Ansh appreciated the boys’ effort each week and would like to thank their families for attending and supporting them throughout the season. 

Next week, we farewell our Nepal trekkers on Wednesday and our Armidale Tour Rugby Team on Friday. We wish them all safe and enjoyable trips. Thank you to our dedicated staff for giving up their time away from families and loved ones to enable our students to enjoy these wonderful experiences. 

We look forward to our Easter Service next Wednesday from 12pm-1pm in the JS Gym. All families are welcome to join us. 

Warm regards, 
 

Grant Andrews
Acting Head of Junior School