From the Middle School
From the Head of Middle School, Jenny O’Donnell
This week in Middle School, we had an opportunity to come together as a community to celebrate 2025 in our termly Middle School Assembly. I would like to acknowledge our Middle School Student Leaders who again planned and facilitated what was a beautiful event which captured the spirit of Term 4. A thoughtful and engaging video was shared highlighting key reflections and memorable moments. I had the privilege of sharing the award recipients for our up and coming Speech Day and at the same time took the opportunity to congratulate every student for their achievements and contributions to the college. We spent time farewelling Year 8 officially and thanking their Compass teachers for their ongoing investment in your daughters. Thankyou to Jessamy Facer of Year 8 who performed ‘A place called home’ from a Christmas Carol. Following on from this everyone got involved in our Christmas themed Just Dance with great enthusiasm. Over the next few weeks we will ramping up our Gloucester Gathering initiatives with a number of festive season activities: handprint Christmas tree decorations and a Christmas photo booth for souvenirs. Please encourage your daughters to get involved and spread some cheer!
I wanted to share with you the reflection delivered by some of the Middle School girls who have been committed to our Weaving With Colour Project. We are all so delighted with the outcome of this collaborative artwork which now hangs proudly from the ceiling in the Middle School reception.
We’re some of the lucky girls who got to take part in the Port Jackson Shark weaving workshops in Term 3 with the First Nations Group Weaving in Colour. Every Monday during Compass Time, we worked with a special guest, Aunty Sheree and Aunty Lynette, two First Nations women from Wiradjuri and Darkinjung country who taught us different weaving techniques. We started with simple pieces like bracelets and then moved on to making small basket starters. We began each basket with a tight coil, then used a needle to stitch and weave it outwards into a larger shape. We even learnt how to dye our creations, making the fibres darker by using a special pot. We also learnt about the cultural significance of weaving and how these techniques have been passed down through generations. It wasn’t just about making something, it was about understanding the patience, skill and creativity behind it.
As the weeks went on, our confidence grew. Each session pushed us to be more careful with our hands, more focused on the details, and more willing to try new patterns. Some of us experimented with colours, shapes and tighter stitches, and it was so cool to see how different everyone’s arts were when using the different colours. One of the best parts was the teamwork. We helped each other when the coils came lose or the thread tangled, and we just had fun. By the end of the workshops, we had not only created beautiful woven items, but we also gained new skills and created the beautiful port Jackson shark sculpture. It was such a fun experience, and we’re really grateful we got to learn a new skill and make something meaningful. Our amazing Port Jackson shark is now hanging in the Middle School office, so please pop by and have a look. We are so proud of the final product.
Written by Skye Mitchell, Olivia Sheldrake, Milly Farr, Camilla Metcalf and Dimity Loeve
We are looking forward to welcoming our Year 7 families back to Chapel on Friday for our Christmas Chapel celebration to mark the end of what has been a very successful year for our Year 7 students. Chapel begins at 1.30pm, followed by afternoon tea for families.
Celebrating our Speakers!
Athena Wu of Year 8 recently attended the Singapore International Schools Debating Competition and was awarded: Senior Semi-finalist, Junior 4th Best Speaker, Senior 9th Best Speaker. Well done!
Arabella Hoang of Year 8, progressed to the state finals of the UN Voice State Final, at NSW Parliament House, this week. To be selected for the state finals is a most impressive achievement. Congratulations, Arabella!
Well done to Lily Zhou of Year 7 who attended the Australian Math’s Trust workshop to hone her skills a few weeks ago. She thoroughly enjoyed the experience and embraced the opportunity to build new connections.
