Welcome back!
It has been a wonderful start to the new school year with a number of significant events being held for the girls.
We warmly welcome the following teaching staff to the Senior School: Tammi Beardmore joins us as a teacher of Japanese. Elise Daley has returned from overseas to teach Science. Theo Hartman has made the move from Melbourne and will be teaching Design and Art. Sarah Martin (also from Victoria) is our new Head of Faculty in Creative Arts, and is joined by Elizabeth Owen who will also be teaching Art. Ricardo Veloso returns to CGGS as a teacher of Technology. Already mentioned in an earlier message are Adriaan van Wijk, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme coordinator, and Joanna Payne our new Head of Kilburn. We hope they are as excited to join us as we are to have them. This capable group of teachers are pictured below so if you see them around, please extend a warm welcome to them.
On Monday, we welcomed our Year 7 cohort and our new students to the campus. There was a lot of excitement as they met one another and their new teachers. Our student Senior Council members excelled in their care for the new students, and ensured that they felt welcomed during their orientation. On Monday, we also held the drive-through Rapid Antigen Test collection, with no waiting times or queues for parents. Again, the senior students assisted our teaching and professional staff superbly to ensure this process went smoothly.
Tuesday saw the whole school return to campus, and we hosted our Commencement Service where the student Senior Council members received their badges. The Year 12 students made their pledge to the rest of the school which recognises the important role our senior girls play in the life of CGGS. This service, led by Father Chris, was a lovely introduction to the school year, and we were so pleased that the Year 12 parents were able to watch the live stream in the absence of being there in person.
Our Senior Council spent Thursday in a leadership retreat, starting with some team building on the lake dragon boating. As you can see from the pictures below a fantastic time was had by all on the water. This was followed with a day exploring what great leaders do, examining different leadership styles and traits, and deciding which of these best fit with their roles in the School. I know the Senior Council have a lot of fabulous things in store for 2022.
Ms Joanna Leaman
Acting Deputy Principal (Head of Senior School)