CGGS was founded upon a commitment to service and community. Service to our students, service by our students – and through them – to the wider world. In the ELC and Junior School we work to create a community where our young people live with courage, empathy, generosity, integrity and with a spirit of service that transcends the bounds of childhood and the school gates to last a lifetime.
One of the ways we try to make our commitment to service a reality is through engagement with causes and organisations that need our support. Last week we saw this come to fruition on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin, with our Year 6 students ignoring the biting Canberra wind to launch the ACT Mother’s Day Classic weekend for cancer research. This has become a rite of passage for our Year 6 leaders, and we were all warmed by the energy of giving back and the laughter and excitement of tackling a challenge as a team. As a school we raised over $10,000 to fight breast cancer — the most diagnosed cancer in Australia and one that claims the lives of nine Australians each day. The sea of pink moving around Canberra’s iconic lake was a sight to behold, and to each of our students, all who donated, and our caring community: thank you!
On Grey Street at the ELC and Junior School, we are a community of families working together. On a recent visit to one classroom this week I asked our students what it meant to be part of a community. Their responses were both insightful and heart-warming, suggesting a community is somewhere that everyone has a place, where people help and care for each other, and where you can happily play and learn together. This ties wonderfully with the beginning of Term 2, as we welcome new students, families, friends, and staff into our community.
I am delighted to welcome Mrs Jennifer Jordan and Miss Sophie Bush to our teaching team. Both have already made a positive and cheerful contribution to the life of the Junior School. I am also pleased to announce that Ms Tara Bourne has been appointed to a new position as Director of Junior School with responsibility for Student Care and Experience. Tara is an outstanding educator who in the past eight years has built her reputation as a caring, compassionate, hardworking, and enthusiastic teacher. Tara’s appointment comes after a wide international search which included numerous applicants. Her appointment, and the fact that we were able to promote from within for this vital role, is evidence of the calibre of the teaching staff at CGGS.
As we move into the weekend and as Canberra entertains with the very best of the autumn colours, I encourage all members of our school to pause and appreciate the joy of being part of a community and the gift of giving back.
Mr Peter McDonald
Head of Junior School and ELC
Pictures
Sophie Bush, Tara Bourne and Jennifer Jordan, Mother's Day Classic