ANNUAL REPORT 2022
CONTENTS Introduction................................................................................. 1 About The School........................................................................ 3 Spiritual Life of the School.......................................................... 5 Primary School Report................................................................ 7 Senior School Report................................................................ 17 CGS Professional Learning ......................................................45 Community Development Report.............................................53 CGS Foundation.........................................................................55 Strategic Operations Report.....................................................57 Student Outcomes in Standardised National Literacy & Numeracy Testing (NAPLAN)......................................61 Year 12 Results.........................................................................63 Senior Secondary Outcomes....................................................64 School Policies..........................................................................65 Student Retention.....................................................................67 Student Attendance..................................................................67 How the School Manages Non-attendance.............................68 Characteristics of the student body.........................................69 Human Resources Department................................................71 Business & Finance Report......................................................73 Summary of Financial Information...........................................75
INTRODUCTION
It’s hard to imagine a school year as distinctly divided as 2022. The first half was dominated by the gruelling endurance as the wave of the COVID-19 pandemic that swept the country in early 2022 finally broke over the School, bringing sickness and absence at unprecedented levels. At times in Semester 1, nearly 20% of staff were away with COVID or winter illnesses or bearing carers’ duties. Students, too, were absent in large numbers, with countless families in household quarantine. Classes that couldn’t be covered had to be collapsed or reallocated, students were supervised en masse in the War Memorial Hall or in outdoor programmes, and time and again activities and events were postponed, cancelled or transferred online. While not as dramatic as the lockdowns and disruptions of the previous years, the impacts of the pandemic in the first half of 2022 were at least as traumatic to an exhausted faculty, a frustrated community and to students who had not known the School in normality for three years. That’s a long time for the young: the whole of the early learning years and half of the primary or senior school experience. Many students, families and staff had never even known the School as it was before the pandemic, nor therefore what we now strive to recreate. Yet, remarkably, amidst it all, School life was brimming with individual and collective triumphs, fuelled by the ideas and idealism of our student leaders, and vibrant with the energy of a community determined not to be diminished. As highlighted in the mid-year edition of CGS Outlook, our student leaders gave focus and purpose to the year. Their initiatives, including welcome events for new students, Harmony Day, recycling schemes, and an admirable array of service-learning projects, worked to rekindle our togetherness and optimism. As a consequence, and as the pandemic subsided, the School’s rebound in Semester 2 was remarkable. The winter sporting season climaxed in exciting record finals. Outdoor education returned in force with eleven camps in last three months of the year! Community events saw hundreds of parents welcomed back to campus, and Year 12 celebrated the end of their schooling in style. After years of disrupted preparation, we also launched our next strategic plan, CGS 100, to build upon the achievements of our past and guide the School towards its centenary in 2029.
1 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
Amidst it all, the opening of the Snow Concert Hall brought excitement and more music back to the daily experience of the School than we’ve heard in years. As a magnificent venue for Primary and Senior School assemblies, for the wonderful Yumalundi Concert Series that ran throughout Term 4, and for a delightful array of Christmas celebrations, it gave us the opportunity to affirm our togetherness when we needed it most. Likewise, our first full Presentation Night in person for three years was an opportunity to celebrate our bounce back in music and dance and song, in the words of our student leaders, in the awards presented, and in the acknowledgement of as many students and aspects of the School experience as its possible to include on stage in one event. To have that capped by the outstanding results of our IBDP and HSC students in the summer that followed was all the more confirmation of our enduring spirit. In short, having begun the year in illness and anxiety, we ended it proud and excited for all that is to come. For that, and all that is fulfilling in the enjoyment and progress of our School, we thank our students, staff, families, alumni and community, as always, for your support. Sincerely, Justin Garrick Stephen Byron Head of School Chair of the School Board
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 2
ABOUT THE SCHOOL
At Canberra Grammar School, we pride ourselves on our long-established history. Being founded in 1929, we are proud of our rich heritage and full of desire to push forward into the future. At CGS, from Pre-School to Year 12, we ensure our students thrive in a safe and supportive environment, recognising the different needs, interests and strengths of every student and instilling virtues of respect, resilience and responsibility.
OUR STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO BE CREATIVE, CURIOUS, CONFIDENT AND COMPASSIONATE LEARNERS WHO GROW TO LEAD THEIR LIFE AS CITIZENS OF THE WORLD. This is why we offer a choice between studying the New South Wales Higher School Certificate (HSC) or the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). The IBDP is a culmination of global-minded learning, following the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the Middle Years Programme (MYP). No matter their programme, we prioritise our students’ opportunities beyond Year 12, push them to nourish their strengths, and explore a world of global tertiary opportunities. In Canberra, we enjoy all the opportunities that a capital city can offer at the pace and ease of a small town. The School takes advantage of the breadth of those opportunities, encouraging students to explore and succeed beyond the classroom. With the benefit of second-to-none facilities, we support our students’ physical, social and emotional development with a focus on identity and community. Formal CGS Acknowledgement of Country from the Head of School, Dr Justin Garrick CGS takes this opportunity to acknowledge the age-old custodians of the land on which our School stands, the Ngunnawal people. On behalf of CGS, we offer respect and gratitude to their elders past and present, and we affirm our obligation to honour the heritage of countless generations in our on-going care for this special place in which it is our privilege to learn and work. we also extend my respect and greetings to all Aboriginal people here today, and we thank you for sharing this occasion with us.
3 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
The School Board includes: Canberra Grammar School is a company limited by guarantee, which a Board of Directors governs. The Right Reverend Bishop Dr Mark Short, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn was Visitor to the School in 2021. During the 2022 Calendar Year, the following people were Directors of the School Board: • Chair of the Board – Mr Stephen Byron • Deputy Chair of the Board – Ms Simonetta Astolfi • Board Directors: • Ms Bobbi Campbell
• Mr Sung Lee
• Mr David Carr
• Mr Kent Peters (Secretary)
• Dr Antonio Di Dio
• Mr Xavier Simonet
• The Right Reverend Grant Dibden
• Ms Denita Wawn
• Dr Justin Garrick (Head of School)
• Ms Anne Witheford
The Executive Leadership Team of the School includes: The Executive Leadership Team of the School includes: • Head of School – Dr Justin Garrick • Head of Senior School – Mr David Smart • Head of Primary School – Dr Sandra Webster • Director of Business – Mr Kent Peters • Director of Community Development – Mr Sandy Goddard • Director of Strategic Operations – Ms Kerri Rock
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 4
SPIRITUAL LIFE OF THE SCHOOL
FROM THE SCHOOL CHAPLAIN FATHER ANDREW ROBINSON What are the pandemic years teaching us, and how are they changing us? As 2022 draws to a close, these are the questions many of us are questioning in our minds. The year was a year of two distinct halves. The first six months were spent in the shadow of the disruption and unpredictability of the Omicron waves. Still, in the second, it started to feel like normality had returned: carnivals, in-person assemblies and chapels, and the smiles of staff and students once again lighting the corridors of the School. Some things need rebuilding: we are learning to sing together again and rediscovering the joy and fullness of gathering together, particularly as entire sections of the School can now be together in one venue, the new Snow Concert Hall. We spend much time at School discussing what life is all about. Whether in conversation with philosophers, theologians and poets in RaVE and Philosophy or in passing moments between classes, the question of what matters in life comes up in various ways. I often find myself returning to the pithy words of the Hebrew prophet Micah’s account of ‘the good life’: He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8) One striking thing about this is that practising justice and mercy – not to mention humbly walking with God – can only be done in community with others. The isolation so many have experienced during the pandemic has made many of us realise how deeply we need warm and deep connections with others and how hard it is to find meaningful community.
5 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
CGS has always been a School that is, first and foremost, a place that attends to the whole person – intellectual, social, physical, spiritual – and the Chaplaincy continues to seek to be at the heart of that commitment. In Chapel, we continue to tell the story of God’s reconciling work in Christ and of God’s deep and abiding love for the world and every human being. This abiding conviction pushes us to be a community where students and staff of all faiths and none feel known and loved. We were pleased to have the Rt Rev Grant Dibden, Anglican Bishop to the Australian Defence Force, confirm a group of students in the Chapel at the end of October, and we look forward to the return of Associate Chaplain Elizabeth Gale, as well as other new faces and voice in the Chaplaincy in 2023. As this tumultuous decade continues to unfold, and as the School looks to its centenary in 2029, it will be more crucial than ever to be a community that seeks justice, mercy and a humble walk with our Creator. May this report of this year’s work and all the stories it tells inspire gratitude and hope in us.
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 6
PRIMARY SCHOOL REPORT
FROM THE HEAD OF PRIMARY SCHOOL DR SANDRA WEBSTER In Primary School, the 2022 academic year concludes with a sense of achievement and satisfaction. I am very proud of our students and of the staff that encourage and guide their learning each day. Out students set themselves apart not just by their academic achievements and progress throughout the year but also by their ability to articulate their learning and to present themselves as confident and poised students that our community can be proud of. They are indeed a credit not just to Canberra Grammar School but to their family and to all who support them in their learning journey. This is evident right across our School, from Pre-School to Year 6. I remember talking to one of our youngest learners, who held out his hand for me to shake at the conclusion of our impromptu chat. That handshake made my day! Moments like that occur every day across all our classrooms, and it is stopping to recognise and appreciate them that constantly reminds me of what a truly special community CGS is. A highlight of 2022 was the ability to be able to welcome parents back onsite finally. It was great to see the support of many parents coming on to campus to cheer their child on at Sport’s Days, Book Week Parade, PYP walks, Year 6 Graduation and Exhibition right to awaiting the arrival of buses back from camp. Parents are such an important part of the education process for the children we share, and so this has been so welcome. After years of planning, it was a great joy to attend the opening of the Snow Concert Hall. This beautiful building has been a wonderful addition to our facilities, and the Primary School has already enjoyed assemblies and performances in this space. So, in conclusion, 2022, while we began the year with restrictions, has, over the course of the year, unfurled to become one of welcome and delight. Thank you to all who have contributed to this successful year. It certainly takes us all to work as a team to achieve great things for our wonderful students. Plans for 2023 are well in the making, and I look forward to another year of growth, learning, opportunity, and challenge.
7 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
Primary School Leadership Team • Head of Primary School – Dr Sandra Webster • Deputy Head of Primary and Director of Academic Education – Ms Lucy Garven • Director of Action and Service – Mr Adam Hall • Director of Students – Ms Lauren Dunn • Director of CGS Care - Ms Tanya Alcorn • Primary School Operations and Administration Manager – Ms Kristen Murray
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 8
Major Projects Over 2022, several major projects supported the growth of our students as well as the aims of our CGS Strategic Plan. In the Primary School, an effort is made to limit the number of new initiatives or major projects to ensure that new learning is embedded and workflow is managed. All projects are developed with a deliberate strategic outcome that supports the overall School Strategic Plan. In keeping with an approach that supports the in-depth examination of one curriculum area per year, we focused on literacy, supported by Dr Misty Adoniou. This year-long, high-quality professional development, delivered by a recognised expert in this area, was highly successful, with demonstrable changes made to the pedagogical approach to teaching literacy in our classrooms. With a return to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, although not a major project per se, remote learning significantly changed how the curriculum was delivered to our students. Our teachers responded with agility, and consequently, our students continued to receive the high-quality education expected at CGS. Parental feedback was highly positive, and I am indebted to our staff, who made this possible. Over 2022, led by one of the Head of House staff members, we launched our ‘Green Project’, which began with a student Green Team and waste audit and progressed to the implementation of Re-collect bins, compost bins, stationery recycling, and a ‘Sharing the Planet’ programme. Both students and staff became active changemakers, taking climate action to start our mission to become a zero-waste school. This has already led to school-wide behaviour change and community engagement. Our Green Team initiative was seen as necessary because we believe schools play an essential role in teaching sustainability practices, knowledge and skills throughout the community. We were thrilled to receive a ‘Leaps and Bounds’ Award from The Climate Choices Schools Awards, an annual event that recognises and celebrates climate action and sustainability champions in ACT schools. These Awards celebrate excellence in the sustainable management of resources across the Sustainable Schools Programme focus areas – energy, water, biodiversity, waste, transport and curriculum integration. Another exciting project of 2022 was initiating the trial of new Apple devices, including using iPads in classrooms to extend and support curriculum delivery. While this initiative will be deliverable over the next few years, it was pleasing to see it start over 2022. An IT Pilot Team for 2023 has been created, allowing staff to trial the new devices, share their thinking and feedback, and work closely with the IT team. This is a continuation of the initial Pilot group that has now been extended. Image Top: Left to right: Naaz B., Sophie L., Toni B., Lachlan M. and Ms Emma Potter.
9 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
Our BRIDGE partnership with Indonesian teachers continued, intending to share culture, language and understanding of the context in which our students learn the Indonesian language. To facilitate this, an Indonesian teacher visited our School over several days and stayed in the home of one of our staff members. CGS teachers can travel to Indonesia for a reciprocal visit at a time of their choosing during 2023/ 2024. These trips are fully funded for one or possibly two teachers. All of the major projects mentioned in this report began in 2022. In keeping with good practice, they will continue to form a part of the life of our School over the long term, to become embedded in how we operate.
Academic Education CULTURAL & LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT This year, our Primary School Languages team strengthened their practice by exploring Dr Gianfranco Conti’s work. His approach to the teaching of languages through the use of sentence builders became a key focus. It supported the link between classroom literacy work and our Chinese and Indonesian programmes. Students developed an understanding of how grammar functions in other languages, allowing them to combine words and phrases to build sentences in written and spoken form.
INDONESIAN The Primary School continues to strengthen our partnership with SDK Cor Jesu in Malang, East Java, as part of the Asia Education Foundation’s BRIDGE Programme. This global initiative aims to connect learning communities and provide a platform for teachers and students to develop intercultural relationships internationally. Term 2 allowed our Year 3 students to meet with the students from our Indonesian partner school via Zoom and email. Then in Term 4, class teacher Ibu Amanda visited Canberra Grammar School. Throughout the week, she visited many K-3 classes, answered questions, shared information about her school, sang Indonesian songs, and taught students a traditional dance. She also spent time observing some Literacy and Art lessons in various year levels around the Primary School. The students thoroughly enjoyed learning from Ibu Amanda, and we were proud to have fostered cultural awareness and global connections between our School community and theirs.
CHINESE The Primary School PYP Walk and Year 6 Exhibition provided opportunities for the broad array of Chinese learning to be showcased across Years 4-6. In Term 2, focusing on Chinese culture within the How We Express Ourselves unit led to the creation of Peking Opera masks and traditional kites. During Term 4, Chinese teacher Ms Tian Chen was invited to share her expertise at the ANU Languages Roundtable Series. One of three speakers at the event, the Roundtables comprised discussions of conceptual and theoretical issues and the presentation of classroom instructional practices and offered a wide array of the latest thinking, methods and experience in the Chinese language teaching field today. Ms Chen’s role as a highly regarded Chinese teacher within our Primary School means that she was well-placed to share her extensive knowledge and experience in this area with the broader community.
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 10
Primary Years Programme It has been another hugely exciting and energetic year as we have embraced and celebrated more and more events in the Primary School that demonstrate our commitment to, and growth of, the PYP. Underpinning the International Baccalaureate (IB) is a commitment to developing lifelong learners who thrive and make a difference. As 2022 has unfurled, it has been evident that Primary School is rich with opportunities for students to grow in knowledge, skills and abilities that equip them to take action and make the world a better place. This year has seen significant progress with our PYP Action Plan, PYP events, and a deeper understanding of Transdisciplinary learning. Since our 2020 PYP IB Evaluation, we have addressed many of the recommendations set by the IB. Working in small collaborative focus groups, we have reflected on and identified ways to improve each. One such area has been establishing an agreed definition and understanding of what transdisciplinary learning means at CGS. Transdisciplinary learning explores a relevant concept, issue or problem that integrates the perspectives of multiple disciplines to connect new knowledge and deeper understanding to real-life experiences. What this has meant on a more practical level is that in our planning meetings, we are more confident to talk about learning from a holistic perspective. We have initiated ‘anchor’ meetings where all teachers and the academic team discuss the UOI from a literacy, mathematics, science, HaSS, health, and arts perspective. We have seen how we can embed some of these subject areas more authentically and teach through the lens of the PYP concepts (form, function, change, causation, connection, perspective, responsibility). These anchor meetings have helped us establish clear understandings and directions for each unit. Our significant PYP events this year were the PYP walk, Showcases and Year 6 Exhibition. The PYP walk focus of 2022 was to highlight the six PYP Transdisciplinary Themes. These themes are globally and socially driven and provide a starting point for how we structure our units of inquiry: • Who We Are • Sharing The Planet • How We Express Ourselves • How The World Works • How We Organise Ourselves • Where We Are In Place And Time Our PYP walk displays demonstrated how students think critically, creatively and problem-solve. Across both our Campbell and Red Hill campuses, each display resulted from learning from one of our examples of transdisciplinary learning. Whether art and mathematics, engineering and technology, literacy and geography, the interrelated dynamics of disciplines were evident. A diverse range of student work on display showed student voice, choice, and agency. An interactive Science and Technology exhibit in the Library and Music Performances at both campuses was highlighted throughout the afternoon.
11 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
The Year 6 Exhibition was another highlight of our PYP journey this year. Make an Impact was our slogan for Exhibition 2022. How can we impact and change the world for the better? Weeks of planning, discussions, workshops, research, dance, music, art, mathematics and more resulted in a great and memorable Exhibition for our Year 6 students. ENERGY was our overarching concept for the Exhibition; solar, kinetic, nuclear, physical, nutritional, sound, hydro, and spiritual are just some of the different forms of energy that students chose to explore. The range and quality of student work were exemplary but more importantly, the deep knowledge and understanding of students as they talked about their Exhibition inquiry. Our year finished with a whole-day staff workshop led by the experienced teacher, author, university lecturer and popular consultant Kath Murdoch who worked with us to look deeper into the key characteristics of an inquiry approach to learning and teaching. Centered around questions such as: • How can we nurture agency in our day-to-day teaching? • How might we plan to impact students voice? • Who owns the learning? • How to engage more learner voice? The day allowed for clarification, ideas, and strategies to be shared. As educators, we need to constantly review our Units of Inquiry to ensure they are relevant, current and suit the needs of our students. We plan to engage with Kath Murdoch more in the future to improve our practice and develop student agency and action. As we head into 2023 with our new and reviewed Programme of Inquiry that includes the new v.9 Australian Curriculum content and a focus on Agency and Action, we look forward to even better creative, adventurous, and authentic learning experiences.
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 12
Primary School House System and Student Leadership Bariny
Buru
House Captains
Archer Glaskin, Alisha Gupta
Head of Student House
Brendan Mowlam
Dhiriwiri
Guginyal
Namarag
Mulleun
Alexander Aadit King, Challana, Kaitlin Stoker Alice Henry
Emeline Ashurst, Nicholas Kimberley
William Kearns, Sneha Merson
Soha Palnitkar, Joshua Oguns
Angela Turner Emma Potter
Mitch Prentice
Anna Gray
James Graham
This year has been a big year for the House system and student leadership in the Primary School. Not only have we introduced and established six completely new Houses, but we introduced those Houses to encompass all students from Kindergarten to Year 6. This meant that 2022 was the first year for both Campbell and Red Hill Campus to be part of the House system! And if that weren’t enough, we also expanded the Student Representative Council to include both campuses. Both significant changes have been an enormous success. A big thank you is to be extended to the Associate Directors of Students for their work with the SRC and the heads of Student Houses for their leadership and creativity in driving the new House system forward The Year 6 Leadership Day is one of the most anticipated events for the Year 6 students. It’s their chance to understand themselves as future leaders and reflect on the values and characteristics of leaders they respect and want to channel into their own leadership journey. The students participated in workshops led by the Heads of Student Houses and Dr Webster to develop an understanding of how to be a successful leader in Primary School and the roles and responsibilities of being a leader. We officially welcomed and congratulated all student leaders in the Primary School at our Annual Leadership Assembly. This was a chance to present badges and acknowledge the impact and roles that the House Captains, Year 6 Leaders and Student Representative Council members have on our School.
13 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
One of the things that the Primary School House system is most proud of this year is how we’ve embedded Indigenous culture, stories and language into our new Houses. We’ve been so lucky to have the stories and origins of our house names taught to us by Mr Aaron Chatfield, and then they were brought to life by the artwork of Ms Kalara Gilbert. We also worked with the Indigenous scholars from the Senior School about how we can connect to Country and the importance of the land around us. We walked Red Hill, read stories, and chatted about the importance of our House totem to our School and local environment. We also wrote House Acknowledgements of Countries as a collective, which we say at the beginning of each House meeting. The House Captains, in particular, have been very busy this year. From supporting all Sports Carnivals across the Primary School to coordinating House meetings, organising House debating, inter-House sports and e-sport tournaments. They gave up their lunchtime each Tuesday for Captain meetings and have been selfless in establishing our new Houses as ‘places’ of inclusivity, fun and support. One of the House Captains’ most valuable experiences this year has been our Captain’s Retreat. This was a chance for us to work together to implement the House Green Team project and implement the Container Deposit Scheme. We also had the opportunity to reflect on our leadership strengths and goals with Dr Garrick and Mrs Rock. We would also like to thank the Senior School Captains for supporting the Primary School Captains throughout the year for various events. Next year is super exciting! Each student from Pre-School to Year 6 will have a House and the opportunity to meet and connect each fortnight, strengthening our community and building House spirit and action. We can’t wait to see what adventures we can have next year!
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 14
Primary School Sports Age Champions: ACT SWIMMING REPRESENTATIVES
CROSS COUNTRY AGE CHAMPIONS
ATHLETICS (TRACK AND FIELD) AGE CHAMPIONS
Max Axiom
8 Years: Rafael Reiner Sara Thompson
8 Years: Victoria Damo Rafael Reiner
Finn Braithwaite
9 Years: Jim Gaffey Aarya Ramchander
9 Years: Alexia Tzanetos Charlie Griffin
Jim Gaffey
10 Years: Jamie Bracic Saleena Ramboer (also represented CGS at Nationals)
10 Years: Amanda Paas Jamie Bracic
Vivienne Gaffey
11 Years: Liam Temby Hannah O’Donnell
Jack Williams
12 Years: Alexander King Olivia Medina
Jasper Leonard-Hiew (also represented CGS at Nationals) Holly Bodman
15 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
11 Years: Hannah O’Donnell Oscar Pratho (also represented CGS at ACT Track & Field)
12 Years: Sneha Merson Alexander King
House Points and Overall Champion House HOUSE
ACT & NATIONALS SWIMMING REPRESENTATIVES
CROSS COUNTRY CARNIVAL
ATHLETICS CARNIVAL
HOUSE GALA CARNIVAL
HOUSE POINTS TOTAL
10
131
554.5
305
1,000.5
0
157
549
365
1,071
20
184
565
315
1,084
30
143
581.5
360
1,114.5
10
151
608
395
1,164
10
203
699
360
1,272
OVERALL CHAMPION HOUSE: BURU
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 16
SENIOR SCHOOL REPORT
FROM THE HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL MR DAVID SMART Celebrating the life of the Senior School 2022 was a fantastic year in the life of the Senior School. The return of so many normal events and activities provided an opportunity for us all to regain a sense of community and enjoy so many important occasions that shape our school life. The highlight was the opening of the new Snow Concert Hall and Music Centre, the most amazing school facility. It has already had an incredibly positive and powerful impact on our weekly assembly gathering, which will be enormously beneficial in the future. The ability to have many wonderful concerts in a hall with amazing acoustics has also been a positive feature for our student and staff musicians. From the beginning of the year, our School Captains, with the support of all of Year 12, prioritised four key initiatives that they were focussing on to bring positive change to the life of the Senior School. These included: • Improving the sense of belonging that all members of our School feel • Continuing to highlight the issue of mental health difficulties and how to receive support • Fostering student voice at CGS; and • Improving our awareness and action regarding sustainability. Many powerful and positive messages and guest speakers provided clear insights in these four areas, and the development of a revamped and rejuvenated SRC committee model based on each year group provided the avenue for student voice to be much more prominent.
17 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
The unveiling of the “annual motto” for the year, “Be curious, not judgemental” provided each student in the Senior School opportunity to reflect on what it means to be curious. And also to understand that often judging others is not a way of being welcoming and including people in our community. A wide range of other issues was also covered each week. Considering all these issues has enabled us to be a School that values people for who they are and celebrates differences rather than being threatened by them. We celebrated many important occasions as a school. Important celebration days such as ANZAC Day, Reconciliation Day, International Women’s Day, Harmony day, Are you OK day, Movember, Mental Health Awareness days, NAIDOC, and Remembrance day were marked and the key concepts of these days discussed in smaller groups. The annual ‘CGS Shave’ again took place early in the year, and our Year 12 students decided to support the work of the Sydney Children’s Hospital due to the strong personal connection they had with this hospital. The sense of purpose, belonging, and connection with CGS that almost all students display is one of the most pleasing aspects of leading in this community, and it is one of our defining features. Adjustments for Year 12 students were made to still provide a meaningful and moving finish to their years at CGS, with the final assembly and march-out proceeding at the end of Term three. The whole Year 12 and parents Valedictory Celebration took place after exams and just before their formal. Whilst it must have been strange for students to put their winter uniform back on for one last time, it was a significant evening and a lovely occasion to recognise each student’s contribution to the life of CGS. The formal was also held at Old Parliament House at the end of November. It made for a very busy finish to the year, but one that was extremely important and valued by all.
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 18
Senior School Leadership Team (SSLT) In 2022 the leadership team in the Senior School remained as it had been at the end of 2021. Mr Neil Dunkley continued as the Director of Academic Education, Ms Dimitria Karapanagos as Director of Student Care and Development and Mrs Lindsey Herse as the Assistant Director of Student Care and Development. These appointments continued until the end of 2022, when permanent appointments were finalised for the following year. They worked alongside Ms Ann Hamer as Director of Teaching Development and Mr Stuart McNeill as Director of Active Education. Mrs Deborah Tierney continued as Senior School Co-ordinator, and her team continues to develop and add value to Senior School’s daily operations. The commitment and insight provided by each member of the SSLT towards the overall functioning of the Senior School helped enormously as we returned to normal operations throughout the year. I want to personally acknowledge and thank each team member for their valuable, tireless and professional commitment to CGS and for the cooperative spirit which has helped us achieve so much in a short time. Mr Sandy Goddard and Ms Kerri Rock remained members of the SSLT even though their Director’s portfolios covered whole school operations. Ms Rock was farewelled at the end of the year as she retired from CGS to move to Queensland. Her impact, down-to-earth attitude and no-nonsense approach have been a wonderful asset to the functioning of our team. Mr Smart was ‘decommissioned’ from the role of Head of Senior School at the end of term four as he moved into a new role as Deputy Head (Senior Specialist Care) from the start of 2023.
Exchange Programme & Overseas Tours Unfortunately, the Covid-19 situation meant that the School again decided to postpone all overseas tours for 2022. The Exchange Programme also remained suspended, with resumption planned for 2023 on a small scale at this stage. Online opportunities for connection and interaction with students from other parts of the world were taken up as they became available.
Pastoral Care Pastoral Care at CGS in the Senior School is overseen by the Director of Student Care and Development, along with the team of staff - the key group being the Pastoral Leadership Team (PLT). Specialist assistance is provided through our Chaplains, School Counsellors, Careers Advisor, Individual Learning Department, Indigenous Student Co-ordinator, Defence Mentor, Boarding staff and Health Centre as required. Our ten Senior Houses and three Year 7 Houses in the Senior School are crucial in providing individual pastoral care to all students and delivering an essential programme of learning about key topics in character development and becoming good citizens. The House system continues to be one of the finest aspects of a Canberra Grammar education. The Pastoral Care provided to students through this system helps to increase students’ connectedness to their School, which arises through the many unique facets of each House. Care for our students remains one of the highest priorities at CGS, encompassing many facets and interventions depending on the individual situation. This continued to be even more crucial during the Covid-19 lockdown, and the interactions within
19 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
Houses were a crucial aspect of how successfully we could navigate the uncharted waters of a global pandemic and keep students connected and motivated. In 2022 a new Pastoral Programme was launched through the House Tutor Group system. This programme delivers key elements based on ten important pastoral dimensions commencing in early childhood up to Year 12. It involves a natural content progression up to the final year of Senior School, incorporating relevant issues and activities. The programme will provide holistic and age-appropriate sessions and activities to develop ethical values and strong, positive behavioural skills.
Leadership Opportunities Leadership opportunities are provided across all levels of the Senior School through various activities, our House system, and formal positions of responsibility. Our model of leadership is based on service and having a positive impact on others. In 2022 a positive change to our model of student representation and agency was made whereby the Student Representative Council (SRC) was expanded to have a separate committee for each year group under the leadership of one of the School Captains. This provided much greater opportunities for student voice from all year groups. Special thanks to our School Leaders for 2022 from Year 12 who had such a positive influence on the life of Canberra Grammar School. Tom Gazard, Evie Lane, Zara Ford, Nick Yannopoulos, Lily Feakes, Mia Byron and Orlando Throsby were all inspirational captains. They were superbly supported by the House Captains, Co-curricular Captains and many others without official leadership titles. Leadership opportunities were also provided through the CAS programme in the IB, the Service Committee and through many fundraising initiatives led by students, including “Shave for a Cure” and a wide variety of House-led initiatives supporting many worthy charities. Outdoor Education provides many practical leadership experiences when students are out in the field. It was superb to be able to hold camps once again in 2022.
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 20
Indigenous Scholarship Programme Our Indigenous Scholars Programme continues to thrive at CGS through our valuable connection with the South Coast community at Nowra, Wreck Bay and Ulladulla. In 2022 we invited eight new students to join us at CGS and have drawn from the South Coast region and further afield. Silas Holmes joined Year 11 from East Reynella College in South Australia and Kaylah Upfield from Wagga Wagga. Both are gifted athletes, and it wasn’t long before ACT Brumbies recognised Silas’ natural ability and included him in their representative programme. Kaylah has also played Netball at an Elite level, including playing as Goal Shooter for First Nations All Stars. We aim to see the Indigenous Scholarship programme flourish as we seek to invite six new students to join CGS in 2023.
Outdoor Education Camps In 2022 we had the good fortune to return to a full camps programme and offered a range of outdoor experiences throughout the year. The Year 9 Rolling Camps occurred during Terms 2 & 3 with great success. These important opportunities lay a solid foundation as they are organised in small groups of 20 students and led by our own Outdoor Education team. With more outdoor opportunities in 2022, we supplemented our staff team, and Kevin Archbold was employed as Assistant to Sue Donoghoe. Mick Forrest continued in his pivotal logistic role, and the team was often strengthened by Sam Beaver when he had breaks in his Master’s programme. In Term 4, we trialled Camps Week after a three-year hiatus. Getting this huge undertaking off the ground was difficult, but we offered separate Year Group activities for the first week of term. Year 7 had a great four-day programme at Sport and recreation Camp in Jindabyne. At the same time, Year 8 headed to Coolendel on the Shoalhaven River with an exciting week of hiking care of Optimum Experiences. Year 9 trialled a different programme delivered as a learning and leadership week at a non-residential camp in Canberra. Year 10 got to self-select their mode of travel and journey through Kosciuszko National Park by Skiing, Snowshoeing, Paddling, Mountain biking or bushwalking.
21 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
Music & Drama Music and Drama continue to play a crucial role in the life of CGS, and the range of concerts, performances and plays enrich those involved and the wider school community. We were lucky indeed to open the Snow Concert Hall in August, and the range of guest performers was simply stunning. As they were all alumnae of Canberra Grammar School, it was a very special evening enjoyed by a capacity crowd. Next year will see music moving to the next level, and the SCH will come online as a fantastic asset for CGS and the wider community. Drama will continue to offer stellar productions as they gear up for the lively musical “Chicago” for 2023
Boarding Boarding continues to provide a wonderful component of CGS education for many students. Returning to almost normal operations for most of the year was a positive situation for our students and staff involved with boarding. Our boarding staffing underwent some temporary adjustments during 2022, with Mr Kiel Brown moving to assist with Psychologist responsibilities in the Senior School and Mr Lawson Waser Acting as Head of Boys Boarding. This meant Mr Max Bode assumed responsibility as Assistant Head of Boys Boarding. Mrs Jenny Hunter and her team, which includes Ms Olivia Gurney as Assistant Head of Girls Boarding, continued to have a positive impact. Our Boarding provision underwent an audit by the Australian Boarding Schools Association (ABSA) late in the year. This report has provided valuable feedback that will help further develop boarding operations throughout 2023. Those in Acting positions were confirmed as moving to permanent positions. Mr Brown will continue his connection with boarding by providing psychological support to boarders each week and valuable input to the pastoral programme within boarding. This will give CGS Boarding a unique level of support for students. Numerous initiatives were introduced throughout 2022 to improve the assistance provided to boarding students with their academic work and study, including teaching staff being made available to assist with work during prep times. This has provided valuable extra support.
Final Thoughts 2022 concluded with a return of Presentation Night at the convention Centre as a way of recognising our top academic achievers and experiencing fantastic performances from our musicians, choirs, actors and dancers, as well as powerful speeches. A new style of Valedictory celebration was also held after the Year 12 examinations in late November to conclude the year. I would like to especially thank the staff, parents and students for their outstanding contribution throughout 2022, which helped to make CGS the special place it is for many in our community. As we continue to encourage connection and belonging to our School, we experience students who thrive in our world and have a sense of purpose and well-being. Hopefully, you will enjoy reading about the Senior School experience in the following pages and reflect on a year that saw a return to more normal operations and activities and was very positive in the life of our School.
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 22
Academic Education DIGITAL INNOVATION This year was a challenging one for the department of Digital Innovation. With the change over of staff at all levels, the continuity and delivery of new learning programmes might have been adversely affected. However, the team stepped up and came through with excellent results, given increased enrolment in the courses offered. We remained true to our department goals of providing an inclusive learning environment, upskilling staff abilities and better integration of the Code Cadet programmes with our subject programmes. The continuation of the semester-based ‘Computational Thinking’ programme in Year 7 allowed students to understand better how to use and create applications and formed a foundation for later years. Year 8 students progressed their understanding of the previous year by adding to their coding skill set by learning ‘front-end’ application languages HTML, CSS and JavaScript. In Year 9, the department began the integration of the IB MYP into the ‘Application Development Project.’ Through this, students learned about the development process in a student-centred environment. The department learned about key MYP methods, allowing us to fine-tune our future MYP-based programmes as the school adopts this more broadly. Year 10 students were excited to learn about cybersecurity and machine learning. These programmes allowed students to gain perspective on these emerging fields through an ethical lens as a possible career path for themselves. Students in the HSC Software Design and Development and the IB Computer Science courses made impressive strides in either completing the course or advancing into the final year. The department has changed its leadership twice this year, with Michael Zampogna taking over late in Term 3. The addition of Brenton Reid in Term 4 has rounded out the staffing. His 14 years of experience as a teacher and his particular skill in cyber security will lend a great advantage to the improvement of our Year 10 programme. Christopher Lemmer has completed his first year of teaching and has commenced his effort towards the proficiency level of professional accreditation. He has proven to be a capable teacher, as seen in the results of the Year 7 and 8 classes. The staff have engaged in multiple professional learning opportunities throughout the year, including all the internal school offerings, IB Category 1 courses, HSC exam marking and many teacher identified areas. In the fast changing world of IT, staff have been continuously developing their skill in the area of coding and methods of teaching this specialised subject. The Code Cadets programme, while getting off to a slow start, finished the year well. The Code Cadets team, comprised of five alumni led by Damian Camilleri and Alex Cresswell, developed and delivered a range of learning programmes for all years. These programmes extended the learning in the classroom and gave students unique opportunities to express their creativity. This year’s Code Cadet programme culminated in the first ‘Showcase’ event, held in Term 4, celebrating the success of the students’ efforts. The Code Cadets programme continues to expand and prospects for the coming year are exciting. This year in Digital Innovation was highlighted by student enthusiasm for the subject and the realisation of a more inclusive learning environment that provided opportunities for all to gain knowledge and understanding of this subject at all levels.
23 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
MATHEMATICS The Mathematics Department has continued its dedication to supporting and enriching all students at CGS in Mathematics during 2022. The Mathematics Department incorporated portfolio learning for students in Years 7 to 10, allowing them to show their learning and understanding continuously throughout the year in various ways. Some assessment types included developing reports, group presentations, videos and posters. This year, for the first time at CGS, Year 10 students had the opportunity to extend their mathematical knowledge by electing to study the Mathematics Extension Course. This course allowed students to extend their mathematical knowledge beyond the Australian Curriculum. Students had the opportunity to delve deeper into the subject and get stuck into new and interesting concepts. Two highlights for the students were: learning about different base numbers and how to apply this knowledge to solve challenging questions involving polynomials; and the opportunity to undertake a five-week personal research project where students wrote a 10 page article on a topic of their choosing. Some other highlights and recognitions include: • Following last year’s successful trial, Year 10 students were again placed in their Year 11 cohort for the final weeks of Term 4 based on their subject selection. Students showed excellent motivation for the last two weeks of school, and the feedback was again very positive • 110 students participated in the Australian Mathematics Trust Challenge programme • 40 students participated in the Australian Mathematics Trust Enrichment programme • 113 students volunteered to participate in the Australian Mathematics Competition, with 7 students being awarded a High Distinction and being invited to celebrate their achievement at the presentation evening • One student was invited to compete in the Australian Mathematics Olympiad Senior Contest; and • The continued success of Mathematics Tutorials, with over 800 students attending the sessions throughout the year. For the Mathematics Department, our collaborative focus and determination to work as a team to get the best out of every student have provided us with fresh approaches to teaching and learning. The Department will continue to develop these approaches in 2023 with an eye to the future as CGS starts to incorporate the Middles Years Programme and its educational philosophy into our Curriculum.
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 24
SCIENCE 2022 was another rewarding and challenging year. We returned to school, receiving the news that the 2021 cohort had performed exceptionally well in their final exams. Other successes followed, including Oscar Brown’s selection in the Australian Asian Olympiad Team for Physics and Flora Dong being invited to attend the Junior Science Olympiad Team selection camp. We again performed very strongly in the ANU’s Brain Bee Competition, placing first in the team and second in the individual events. Credit is due here to Janette Soper, who has given countless hours over many years to selecting and preparing students for the opportunity to participate in this competition. Staff have continued to engage in many professional development opportunities during the year. This will be important again next year as we migrate IT platforms and systems. Work has begun to align our junior curriculum more closely with the requirements of the MYP, which will continue over the coming years. Staffing and facilities continue to present challenges as the rapid growth in class numbers outstrips the ability to increase capacity at the same rate. Staffing was a significant issue during the year with the unanticipated movement of several staff, often at short notice, that left classes without allocated teachers for periods of time. This is an issue facing all schools locally and nationally, especially over recent years. This placed a heavy burden on many, and we are grateful for the members of the Department, especially Assistant Head of Department Janette Soper, who helped provide cover and continuity as best as we could for our students. The outlook for 2023 is positive, with a number of excellent staff joining us through the year and more talented individuals who will begin at the start of next year. The growth in numbers over recent years has created issues concerning the number of teaching laboratories available. There are a number of lines on the 2023 timetable that have 16 science/agriculture classes at one time, with only 12 laboratories within the Department. In addition, the need for a large staffroom to accommodate the whole science staff continues to be a pressing concern. These are expensive and long-term issues but must be addressed if the opportunities for our students are to align with our aspirations for them.
25 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
GEOGRAPHY Academic programme Geography continued to evolve and make significant, innovative contributions to the academic success at CGS in 2022. • Students undertook HSC, IB Geography and ESS in substantial ongoing numbers. • Year 8, 9, and 10 Global Studies elective course was also popular choice. In 2022, there were three areas of focus for the department: Goal 1: Reflective practice: To create consistent online feedback forms for classes that teachers can use to inform future directions in curriculum and improve student outcomes. This was a focus of three hours CPL in Term 3 and was linked to CGS Learning and Teaching Framework: Focussed and Formative. Goal 2: Online rubrics for assessment: To develop collaboratively effective and efficient online marking rubrics to aid in continuous assessment, improved release of marks (consistency) and record keeping. This was the most consistently focused goal throughout the year, with a dedicated CPL focus and the link to CGS Learning and Teaching Framework was: Structured and Resourced. Goal 3: Task talk : To create an allocated time for team teachers to discuss assessment tasks, create detailed and clear marking criteria and examples and then discuss feedback once the task is marked. The link to CGS Learning and Teaching Framework was: Focused and Formative.
Australian Geography Competition: CGS maintained a strong presence in the AGC and held its number one position in the Australian Territories for the 23rd consecutive year! The following students gained First place in the combined territories: Christopher Taudevin (Year 9), Jessica Li (Year 10), Thomas Lin (Year 11), and William Truman (Year 12). Thomas Lin and Nivedita Gawarikar (Year 11) represented the ACT at the Australian Geography Fieldwork week in Darwin. Thomas was further selected as a member of the Australian team, which will compete in Bandung, Indonesia, at the 2023 International Geography Olympiad. This is the second consecutive year we have had a student from CGS chosen for the Australian team.
Fieldwork Fieldwork continues to be the backbone of the geography curriculum. It is a crucial part of every student’s experience at CGS, and we as a department take great care, effort and time to make these experiences valuable. This year there was a combination of virtual and ‘real’ fieldwork opportunities. We trialled fieldwork to Tidbinbilla for Year 8 instead of the Broulee fieldwork to work within COVID demands. This was a great success and allowed staff to try new methodologies. The Year 11 Geography Thredbo trip (a datacollecting field trip linked to the Internal assessment) continues to develop students’ fieldwork confidence. It has led to excellent results for the IB students and further encourages strong relationships amongst the cohort. In 2023, we hope to develop exciting curriculum opportunities for our Senior HSC students.
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 26
Global Studies Programme The contemporary interdisciplinary course (Global Studies) has continued to be a great success, with four classes in Year 8, two classes in Year 9 and two in Year 10. Student feedback has been outstandingly positive.
Sustainability This year Carol Pogson and Sidsel Farrimond took the opportunity to lead and assist students in the Sustainability club. Sustainability is a theme throughout the Geography and Global Studies curriculum, and the connection between the two has benefited our students.
Staffing The department welcomed Sarah Lim. Sarah brought an enthusiasm for Geographic thinking. She balanced her teaching with beginning the work required for the TQI - Highly Accomplished. Helen Sutherland also began upgrading her qualifications to Experienced teacher through the ISTTA process. Patrick Curtin became a father for the first time and continues to be a strong support for Hay House as the Assistant Head of Student House. All staff continue to be dedicated to exploring new technologies, pedagogy, and fieldwork. The Geography department is an environment that encourages, supports, and motivates one another and, ultimately, our students. We look forward to welcoming two new members to the department in 2023.
27 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
ECONOMICS Department Goals and Action Research In 2022 our team used an action research model that enabled us to maintain a focused and measured approach to our department goals. Our priority goal, ‘improving students’ writing confidence’, has formed the basis for the action research project we plan to continue in 2023. This year every course developed targeted writing skills in assessment tasks for each reporting period and produced evidence-informed scaffolds and formative assessment tools. Lesson observations across the department show a positive application of writing strategies in daily lessons. Students have started to show interest in writing outside of the classroom. Lizzie Cao, a Year 12 Global Politics student, published an opinion piece in the Canberra Times based on her IB research project. And Lillian Healy, a Year 9 student, has initiated conversations with staff and the Student Leadership Team about a student-authored newsletter in response to the Year 9 writing task in Term 3. The team has made slow yet positive progress with developing reliable measures and collecting reliable data on writing confidence, and we look forward to working on this in 2023.
Leading Beyond the Department This year our team members engaged in high-quality shared practice within the team and very generously invested in sharing their expertise across the school and with the ACT Independent school’s community. Shared practice across the school included workshops and collaborations by our Assistant HoD in positive behaviour management, coaching and setting up Microsoft Teams for departments. Our Head of Department also shared the team’s holistic approach to assessment, results analysis, and reporting with the ALT. Progress with our action research project on writing confidence was presented at the AISACT showcase event in November. Next year, we look forward to hosting regional IB teacher collaboration events for IB Economics and IB Global Politics.
Demand for Elective Courses The demand for elective courses in Years 9-12 remains high. We now have five elective classes in Year 10. Student enrolments in IB and HSC courses have remained consistent with two or three lines of subject offerings in all courses except for IB Business Management. Popularity in our elective courses and teaching team has also been evident in 35% of students electing to complete their IB Extended Essays with subject specialists from our department.
New Team Members Lisa Smith and Anthony (Tony) Prior joined our team at the beginning of Term 2 and joined our HSC Business Studies, Legal Studies and IB Global Politics teams. They both bring a wealth of experience in the HSC and the IB, which has significantly benefitted the quality of teaching and collaboration in their respective teams.
Extensive Professional Learning On top of the scheduled CPL offered by CGS, our team members invested approximately 150 hours in subject-specific specialised learning for the IB and HSC. Our team has shown excellent agility and a willingness to improve their impact in the classroom continually.
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 28
HISTORY & ABORIGINAL STUDIES 2022 has also seen the continued growth of Extension History, an elective 1 unit course that enables interested students to further deepen their writing and analysis skills. In 2022, HSC students visited heritage sites and learnt about archival research. For their significant projects, students are researching the contested nature of the following: • The roles and status of women in ancient Egypt • The unification of Japan • Legacy of Cecil Rhodes • The concept of ‘the digger’ • Myths about the German army during WWII; and • Real and propagandised versions of the Iranian Revolution. Work to promote History’s value to Year 10 students has resulted in strong enrolments for senior classes in 2022. We will run two Ancient, Modern and IB DP classes. History is a subject that contributes directly to their understanding of contemporary events, research and writing skills, and capacity to make a persuasive argument. In the IB, high results significantly help students to access their preferred university courses. The skills they have developed will allow them to succeed academically and in adulthood. Students also worked with staff on Extended Essays across a wide range of topics, including: • The impact of climate change on ancient Egypt • The role of Australians in key battles of WWI • Multiculturalism in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth • Deradicalization in Germany and Japan after WWII; and • The political use of sporting events.
29 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
In Aboriginal Studies, a focus for students was their major projects. These are significant independent pieces of original research, requiring adherence to ethical standards, stakeholder consultation, and communication with audiences outside of School. Some projects have examined: • Ngunnawal language revival and teaching • Traditional dying materials and techniques • The recovery of Aboriginal identity through family history • The establishment of the Tent Embassy • Evaluation of the experiences of Aboriginal students at CGS We hope to celebrate these with an in-person event in 2023. Students have particularly enjoyed excursions to AITSIS, Myall Creek, and the Press Club. Incursions have included weaving and painting. Department members also undertook additional training in supervising the EE, a literature review and action research into the factors contributing to improved student success. Over half of the students received a ‘bonus’ point from their EE. The renewed focus on teaching First Nations histories is a highlight of the year. In Year 7, a local case study captivated many students. Excursions/incursions have enriched this learning, notably visits to the National Museum, visits by archaeologists Dr Sue Feary and Dr Josephine Flood, and powerful presentations by Prof. Jackie Troy from the Ngarigo community. In Year 9, we led students through an analysis of frontier conflict through a case study on the Arrernte and controversial Central Australian policeman William Willshire. Ms Dwyer has led the development of a new elective Year 9 and 10 courses in Aboriginal Studies. We believe this work is an essential part of combating ignorance and racism. The Department is recognised as a leader in History teaching with growing impact on teacher networks. A team from the Department ran a Professional Learning event at CGS on teaching the new Australian Curriculum Deep Time unit. This was attended by over 60 educators from across the ACT and NSW. The History staff experimented with different ICT platforms to respond to the challenges of presenting content engagingly and clearly. The resulting websites have been enthusiastically embraced by students and shared with colleagues across Australia. Alongside lesson observations and other continuing professional learning undertaken by Department members, it is notable that: • Two continued post-graduate studies • Four presented at internal professional development sessions • Two had presented papers for the ACT History Teachers Association • One was elected to the ACT HTA Council • One achieved Highly Accomplished accreditation; and • One was awarded the SPEF award for professional excellence. Sadly, we farewelled a long-serving colleague, Mr Ashley Hogan. In Term 4, we welcomed Mr David Gooley, who brings extensive experience teaching Modern History in the ACT and NSW systems. In 2023, the Department will focus on integrating the Middle Years Program into our Year 7 – 10 History units. This will allow a greater focus on sequential skill development and explicit teaching of transferrable skills. In the senior years, we will undertake preparation for changes to senior courses by participating in the HSC Review and assessing the feasibility of new IB DP courses. We will also roll out new, more efficient ICT systems for staff and students.
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 30
ENGLISH 2023 was a year of remarkable change and innovation in the English Department. We welcomed seven new teachers to the team whose considerable experience and energy contributed greatly to the English Department’s culture. With them and our more established staff working together, we were able to reinvigorate the curriculum (particularly as we embraced the AC v.9 and look forward to the MYP), broaden our academic and pastoral outlook, and establish robust and visionary goals for 2022 – 2023. Last academic year, we introduced the Learner Portfolio as a space to develop students’ critical thinking, writing, and cognitive processing skills. Inspired by the IBDP Learner Portfolio and movements in global educational landscapes more broadly, the CGS 7 – 10 Learner Portfolio revealed more and more, in 2022, its potential to grow student capacity in thinking, writing, and reading. The Learner Portfolio has become a fundamental instrument of collaboration wherein teachers and students can target areas for improvement, develop conceptual engagement, promote the individual’s voice, and be an increasingly inclusive assessment tool. Writing was not the only area of focus in 2022; strong, elegant, distinctive writing is the product of practice and regular reading. To promote active reading in 2022, the Years 7 – 10 English courses required a considerable reading commitment from all students, over and above their prescribed reading lists. The supplementary reading text lists elevated the understanding of story and fostered an appreciation of narrative. They also provided a greater diversity of student exposure to varying styles, cultural discourses and genres. The lists were developed to strengthen the skills of all students who embark on the HSC and IB English curricula. Of course, the 2021 HSC and IB English academic results were amongst the highest on the school’s records. This is a testament to our students’ commitment, the strength of our English articulation of senior programmes, and our teachers’ expertise and tireless efforts. The IBDP team underwent considerable change over the course of 2022 as we said goodbye to two of our team, Hannah Lendon (Assistant Head of English) and Amy Lomas (Extended Essay Coordinator), and we engaged in the first offering of Language A: School Supported Self-Taught IBDP courses. The English Department will continue to support students’ engagement with literature in their mother tongue into the future, and we are so far very proud of our students’ results. However, the students who are just beginning their journeys in language and literature must inspire us the most. These young people stretch their reading and writing beyond the confines of curriculum and academic requirements, where we see the real power of the written and spoken word. And no more was this more evident than the achievements of our competition students, such as Hugo Carpay (Year 7), who was awarded first place in the “Pens Against Poverty” short story writing competition by the Governor General at Government House. We are sure he will be the first of many award-winning writers and readers who emerge from CGS.
31 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
ART, DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY • In 2022 we have continued to expand on the courses offered with the first Year 12 HSC Textiles and Design class. Year 12 IB Design and Technology has also rerun with the first class since 2019. We offered 20 courses across Visual Arts and Design this year and will continue to do so next year. • We have re-connected with the ANU School of Art and their Emerging Arts Support Scheme. Caitlin Dominey and Kate Deeves visited the pre-exhibition opening and awarded the Canberra Grammar Artist in Residence Award to Juliette Baxter and Niamb Armstrong. They will work alongside staff and students using the ADT facilities next year and run workshops for students. • This year Xavier Wiencke entered the UC Faculty of Arts and Design competition and was a finalist. • We organised a range of experiences for students outside the classroom, including excursions for Years 8, 9 and 10 to the National Gallery of Australia, National Museum of Australia, Questacon, Botanical Gardens and the Portrait Gallery. The Year 10 Design and Technology students were fortunate to participate in a workshop organised through Culture on the Move and run by Veronica Jordan, a Kalkadoon Pitta Pitta woman who is a professional weaver and artist. The workshop was hands-on and allowed students to gain an understanding of and connect with indigenous culture. This workshop was part of the Semester 2 Year 10 Design and Technology unit. • This Year saw two very successful Year 12 Exhibitions with the Year 12 HSC Design, Textiles and Visual Arts students, along with the IB Design students exhibiting work in the ADT building, which transformed into an exhibition space. The Year 12 IB Visual Arts students exhibited their work in the new Atrium of the Snow Concert Hall. Students and families attended both exhibitions and celebrated their achievements. • Year 7 – 11 works from the department were exhibited in week 4 of Term 4 across the school to celebrate the work produced in the Art Design and Technology department, with work displayed in the Atrium of the Snow Concert Hall, ADT Building and the Administration Building. • As part of our professional development programme within the department, we created student surveys consistent across the department to collect feedback from the students in relation to the courses we are offering. This was completed in Semester 1, and this data was used to reflect and modify courses where needed. Professional development was run on the latest computer manufacturing facilities we have at the school. We then embedded these into our teaching programmes from Years 7 – 10 to help build students’ skills for senior courses. Megan Detering participated in the HSC Design and Technology marking for this year and ran two workshops with staff on her experience as a marker. This was a valuable experience for Megan and the whole department. Yumi Young participated in a two-day workshop run by NESA on Visual Arts HSC marking processes, and Yumi has shared these insights with the staff. Along with this, we had staff participate in IB training, ACARA version 9 training and Design and Visual Arts teachers association workshops. • This year, we farewelled Kath Podger, who worked as the Assistant Head of Art Design and Technology and Visual Arts teacher from 2019 – 2022 and Colin McAlister, who worked as a Technical Assistant for the Art Design and Technology Department from 2018 – 2022 after spending 2013 – 2017 working in the maintenance team. We welcomed Caitlin Dominey as a new staff member to the department who joined at the end of Term 2 as a Visual Arts teacher. She comes from Western Australia, where she worked as a teacher and was in the arts industry and brings a diverse range of experience to the role and has been an asset to the team.
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 32
MUSIC 2022 has been an exciting year for the CGS Music Department. The new CGS Music Centre and Snow Concert Hall were officially opened on August 25, with lessons and rehearsal commencing in the new facilities from the start of Term 4. The new Music Centre doubles the size of classroom teaching/rehearsal spaces from 2 rooms to 4, with the capacity to open two rooms into a 2nd large rehearsal space. The 17-practice studios have also doubled the schools’ capacity to cater for more individual and small group lessons given by the 36 Visiting Music Teachers (VMTs).
Staffing: Mid Term 1, we welcomed Mrs Liz Furman to the full-time music teaching staff as Assistant Head of Music – Curriculum, Senior School. Liz moved to CGS from St Leonard College, Melbourne, where she had been Head of Music – Academic, K – 12 for over ten years. Liz has brought a wealth of content knowledge, experience running a whole school academic department and a bright and positive outlook to her role. CGS has gained much by her joining the music team. Mrs Maddie Retter took over the role of Acting Head of Performing Arts in the absence of Mrs Elizabeth Pfingst, who went on maternity leave for all of 2022.
Academic: Both the IB and HSC results from 2021 were as expected: • IBHL received 2 X Grade 7 & 1 X Grade 6 • IBSL received 1 X Grade 6 • HSC Music 1 received 2 X Band 5 • HSC Music 2 received 2 X band 6 & 1 X Band 4 • Music Extension received 1 X Band 3 The music extension course continued to cause concerns with the extreme state-wide standard of the performance elective, meaning that for middle-range students, the musicology elective is the only viable option. For the first time, music ran two Year 8 academic music classes with 32 students choosing the subject as one of their three electives. This was a real surprise considering that the performance component of the 2021-Year 7 course had to be cancelled due to Covid and the restrictions of online learning. Under the guidance of Liz Furman, a review of the Senior School Curriculum was started, with a particular focus on the development and implementation of the IB Middle Years Program (MYP), which is due to be rolled out in Year 7, 2024.
33 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
Co-curricular: Despite the restrictions of instrumental & vocal performance opportunities over the last 2 ½ years due to Covid, the co-curricular music programme bounced back with enthusiasm and energy in 2022. All instrumental and vocal ensembles returned to a normal rehearsal regime, and a resultant increase in participation and standard was evident. Term 3 saw the opening of the new Snow Concert Hall in August. Due to the venue being unavailable for school ensemble rehearsals, the opening concert featured performances by four CGS Alumni (Chris Pidcock – Cello, Aaron Chew – Piano, Liam Budge – Voice and Marko Sever – organ). A highlight of the opening concert was the world premiere of the commissioned work – Resonance, composed by Canberra based composer Dan Walker and performed by members of the CGS Chorale and CGS Choir, accompanied by Dr Anthony Smith – piano and Alumni, James Monro – cello. The Yumalundi Concert Series was held in Term 4. Five one-hour concerts over two weeks gave all CGS musicians a chance to perform on the stage. This was a challenging transition as Year 12 students had finished at the end of Term 3, and the repertoire planned for Term 3 had to be performed without the most senior musicians.
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 34
PERFORMING ARTS 2022 saw several adjustments to the Drama academic programme. With only one semester of Drama for Year 7, it was decided to rewrite the course to give it a stronger academic foundation, with a greater focus on group work and team building. Year 7 also experienced some Dance classes to promote the course in Year 8. Years 9 and 10 studied a new unit called play building using Aboriginal pedagogies and the 8 Ways of Learning. Both years studied this unit to determine where it would best sit, with Year 9 coming through strongly. Dance continued to build on its foundations, and Film focussed on student agency to develop student collaborative skills. IB Theatre and Film courses are undertaking a review phase as part of the introduction of revamped IB programmes.
Staffing COVID continued to impact the Performing Arts department in 2022. We welcomed Kristy Griffin in Semester 2 to support the Performing Arts staff; unfortunately Ms Griffin is unable to stay with us in 2023 as she has accepted a full-time Education role at the Canberra Theatre Centre. Professional learning covered our unpacking of the Australian Curriculum v9 and how we could best implement this understanding in our courses within an MYP framework.
Student Outcomes Academically three of our Year 12 2021 HSC students achieved a Band 6, and one of our 2022 HSC Dance students received multiple offers at prestigious dance schools in the Asia/Pacific region; she ultimately signed on with the New Zealand School of Dance. Achievements in IB Theatre and Film remain high. Pleasingly the Entertainment course was offered this year, and next.
Highlights Unfortunately, the Term 1 production of TEEN was cancelled due to cast illness; “The Chocolate War” was staged in Term 2, but it too was impacted by cast illness. For the first time in many years, we celebrated the work of our Year 12 cohort with an evening of their major projects, and all enjoyed a Dance evening in Term 2. We’re still struggling to return to our fully-developed Performing Arts program, and with CHICAGO next year are anticipating that things will return to some normality as the PAC celebrates its 20th Anniversary.
35 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
PDHPE The PDHPE Department continued to grow in terms of staff and the number of students studying this core subject in Years 7-10, as well as steady numbers in our HSC PDHPE & IB Diploma Sports Science offerings. 2022 was the first full year the department could enjoy the major relocations and renovations within the PDHPE Centre. A larger and more professional office space; third classroom; meeting room; two smaller rooms for group work; student study; separate supervision for provisions; and a place for staff to conduct private phone calls. The department also benefited from the new weights room and associated outside areas for fitness lessons.
Highlights This year we implemented our new Year 7 Personal Development/Health units, undertaking a thematic approach that will be implemented consistently across Years 7-10 in 2023. The department is working closely with the pastoral team to realise a more coordinated approach to specific topics and complement the work in each space. An application was made to move Year 10 PASS into Year 9 and create a Year 10 Sports Science elective. Such an elective would enhance the skills and capabilities of students leading into the senior courses and provide an attractive intellectual and academically rigorous elective offering for many students interested in these topics. This was rejected, but the department will apply again in 2023. Year 9 students would benefit from PASS more so than Year 10. The introduction of the MYP and greater time allocated to the subject may help realise some of these aspirations. Mental Illness Education ACT (MIEACT) provided guest speakers within our Year 10 unit. This was a welcome return to hearing their stories face-to-face, with a focus on de-stigmatising mental illness. Health and PE Week also returned bigger and better in 2022. Health and PE week aims to raise awareness of the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle, promoting physical and mental well-being through various student activities and competitions. The year saw continued consolidation of the Athlete Development Programme. The programme supports talented athletes through mentoring, strength and conditioning, nutrition, resilience and developing organisational and time management skills. A host of seminars and guest speakers have supported this programme in 2022, with a replacement for Justin Abrahams (Athlete Development Coordinator) still to be appointed at the time of writing.
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 36
Staffing The department farewelled a valued staff member Justin Abrahams who, after eight years in PDHPE at CGS, is now going to be the Director of Sports at Sunshine Coast Grammar. We will miss his contributions, dry sense of humour, and unwavering commitment to his students. Lawson Waser (Head of Boys Boarding) and Max Bode (Assistant Head of Boys Boarding) have been appointed to these positions. This, and the departure of Justin Abrahams, will result in two new staff members joining the department in 2023. At the time of writing, the shortlisted candidates were commencing the interview/lesson demonstration process. Staff professional learning included: Biomechanics of running (Craig Honeybrook); Fundamental Movement Skills training (Christabelle Wright); In Your Skin Train the Trainer; Departmental course-writing involving accessing contemporary information, research and resources. 2022 also presented several challenges. Staff had to adapt and overcome a large proportion of our green space being inaccessible for much of the year and timelines being shifted. The persistent wet weather and a crowded timetable made it difficult at times. A Long Service Leave replacement declined employment the day Term 3 commenced, meaning staff had to take on extra lessons to cover classes internally. Then not least, the disruption to teaching and learning in the first half of the year due to Covid, where at one time, half of the department was absent for two weeks. In all this, the staff worked professionally and as a team to ensure the students continued to experience quality lessons. Indeed, amid adversity, the can-do attitude of the department became a highlight for the year from a HoD’s perspective.
37 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
Co-Curricular Education 2022 launched with great optimism after a 3-year interrupted schedule from Bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic. Term 1 continued without a hitch, and we rolled into Week 5 with our Inter-House Swimming Carnival held at CISAC. Although we only offered the Carnival to athletes, it was still great to witness the fierce competitive rivalry. Middleton House was too strong on the day and held off Garnsey and Sheaffe in a formidable display of talent and depth for the second year in a row. By late Term 1, we offered the Cross Country Carnival and decided to forego our booking at Stromlo Forrest Park, bringing the event back on campus. Mr Reilly did a great job carving a new course out at Flinders, and each Year Group headed out to compete during the day. In 2023 we hope to return to the original course around the entire campus, and now that construction has been completed should have a more open and accessible course. Garnsey House continued with their consistency on the podium and took out 1st place honours, closely followed by Burgmann and Eddison. In Term 2, Father Andrew dusted off his shiny red waistcoat and hosted an unforgettable House Music Festival with the Captains of Music. Edwards House took line honours and was impressive across the four sections. Garnsey again featured in the top three and secured 2nd place, with Burgmann in 3rd position. By Term 3, we continued with life post-covid and were able to host the CGS Athletics Carnival. The athletes of Garnsey House proved too strong by wrapping up both the Cross Country and Athletics Carnivals. In an impressive display, Garnsey students posted some strong individual performances and solid relay results, taking 1st position from Eddison and Burgmann. Without any doubt, Garnsey House was crowned with the overall House Shield point score and was incredibly consistent across Swimming, Cross Country, House Music, Athletics and Academic Effort. Well done to Mr Bugden and the students of Garnsey House!
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 38
Senior School Captains & Vice-Captains 2022 NAME
POSITION
School Captains
Tom Gazard Genevieve Lane
School Vice-Captains
Mia Byron Lily Feakes Zara Ford Orlando Throsby Nicholas Yannopoulos
Boarding Captain (Boys)
Thomas Walker
Boarding Captain (Girls)
Eloise Brown
Boarding Vice-Captain (Boys)
Samuel Churchill
Boarding Vice-Captain (Girls)
Lucie McKay
Sacristan
Esther Hampton
39 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
House Captains & Vice-Captains 2022 BLAXLAND
House Captain
Indiana Saunders
House Vice-Captain
Frida Meares & Christopher Ryan
BURGMANN
House Captain
Rachael Wan
House Vice-Captains
James Rensch & Tara Southwell
EDDISON
House Captain
Benjamin Lee
House Vice-Captains
Claire Chang & Oliver Primrose
EDWARDS
House Captain
Jennifer Liu
House Vice-Captains
Lily O’Rourke & Hugh Pedley
GARNSEY
House Captain
Benjamin Varela
House Vice-Captains
Eleanor Campbell & Charlize King
GARRAN
House Captain
Lachlan Carew
House Vice-Captains
Penelope Robson & Georgina Scott
HAY
House Captain
Alice Newnham
House Vice-Captains
Declan Memmolor & Romy Swan
JONES
House Captain
Olivia Nolan
House Vice-Captains
Olivia Kent & Joel Morrison
MIDDLETON
House Captain
Zoe Bond
House Vice-Captains
Caleb King & Caitlin Teng
SHEAFFE
House Captain
Jemima Kilmartin
House Vice-Captains
Jack Gardner & Alexander Lee
BURGESS
House Captain
Elektra Tsarpalias
House Vice-Captain
Tim Robinson
CLEMENTS
House Captain
Harrison Clark
House Vice-Captain
Rosina Archer-Challinor
SNOW
House Captain
Mia Slater
House Vice-Captain
Akash Allada
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 40
Co-curricular Captains 2022 SUMMER ACTIVITY 2021/2022
Debating
COORDINATOR
CAPTAIN
Mrs Amy O'Donnell
Aania Cheema
VICE-CAPTAIN
1ST TEAM CAPTAIN
Matthew Johnston Code Cadets
Mr Arnold Choi
Angus Davie
Jack Bashford
Cricket
Mr Michael Graves
Tim Robinson
Lewis Robertson
Dragon Boats
Mr Justin Hassall
Harrison Clark
Tara Southwell Lizzie Cao
Equestrian Rowing
Ms Juliet Lautenbach Mr Tobi WehrCandler
Zoe Bond
Matilda Klein
Orlando Throsby Tennis
Mr Reza Tompsett
Yutaka Yamada Rachael Wan
Sailing
Mr Michael Zampogna
Swimming
Matilda Jones
Beatrice Alexander
Millie Jacobson Jack Hawley
Water Polo
Mr Lawson Waser
Millie Jacobson
Arley Downey
Eleanor Campbell Zac Newman
41 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
Matthew Crafter
Thomas Gazard
1ST TEAM VICECAPTAIN
WINTER ACTIVITY 2022 COORDINATOR Athletics
CAPTAIN
VICE-CAPTAIN
1ST TEAM CAPTAIN
1ST TEAM VICECAPTAIN
Sophia Christopherson Akash Allada
Badminton
Dr Ross Parkes
Harry Chan
Basketball
Mr Michael Graves
Emma Slater
Lily O'Rourke (Girls)
Lakeisha Watson
Mia Slater (Girls)
Justin Tsoi
Angus Byatt (Boys) Chess
Mr David Messina
Cross Country
Thomas Lin
Oliver Primrose (Boys)
Lachlan Ho
Caitlin Teng David Waters
Dance
Isabella Da Costa
Drama
Mr Simon Hughes
Football
Mr Mitch Stevens
Zoe Hughes Emily Bodycott (Girls) Ben Lee (Boys)
Film Hockey
Amish Sharma (Boys)
Campbell Hyam Mr Dylan Turner
Frida Meares Jessica Latham
Music
Rachael Wan Matthew Crafter
Netball
Mr Jason Yipp/Ms Simone Blay
Victoria Spark
Rugby
Mr Jerry Yanuyanutawa
Grace Wills Sebastian Laws
Snow Sports
Charlize King Felix Taylor
Lachlan Carew
Samuel Johnson
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 42
CGS Colours Awarded Football
Sofia Christopherson
ACTIVITY
NAME
Athletics
Akash Allada
Sophia Medina
Basketball
Angus Byatt
Bessie Riethmuller
Colton Goodear
Ryan Zanatta
Lily O’Rourke
Hockey
Frida Meares
Oliver Primrose
Motor Racing
Zachary Bates
Music
Matthew Crafter
Angus Skrbinsek Mia Slater
Grace Houghton Genevieve Lane
Cricket
Blake Faunce
Carl Vitolovich
David Waters Cycling
Oscar Chamberlain
Debating
Aania Cheema
Dragon Boats
Elizabeth Cao
Rachael Wan Rowing
Lily Feakes Jack Gardner
Harrison Clark
Penelope Robson
Tara Southwell Drama
Mia Byron Lily Feakes
Orlando Throsby Rugby
Charlize King
Matthew Johnston
Sebastian Laws
Georgina Scott Amelia Clements Isabella Da Costa
Lachlan Carew Zya Coleman
Zara Ford
Dance
Zoe Bond
Grace Wills Swumming
Jack Hawley
Water Polo
Eleanor Campbell Arley Downey Millicent Jacobson Elisabeth Milson-Mahy Zachary Newman
43 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
Senior School House Results HOUSE
SWIMMING
CROSS COUNTRY
HOUSE MUSIC
ACADEMIC EFFORT
ATHLETICS STANDARDS
ATHLETICS CARNIVAL
TOTAL
RANK
Garran
9
9
7
6
9
9
49
10th
Jones
7
10
7
9
4
8
45
9th
Hay
10
7
4
7
10
4
42
8th
Blaxland
4
8
10
4
7
7
40
7th
Sheaffe
3
5
6
10
5
5
34
6th
Middleton
1
4
5
3
8
10
31
5th
Burgmann
8
2
3
5
6
3
27
4th
Edwards
5
6
1
2
3
6
23
3rd
Eddison
6
3
7
1
2
2
21
2nd
Garnsey
2
1
2
8
1
1
15
1 st
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 44
CGS PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FROM ANN HAMER & LUCY GARVEN CGS Learning: A Whole School Focus In March of this year, the whole school focused on how we challenge and empower students by differentiating the curriculum and providing formative feedback. Presentations were given by Owen Jones, Phyllis Lynch, Sarah Muller, Hannah Irvine and Emily Dempsey to showcase different ways teachers can engage students in the classroom and challenge them to reach their potential. Building on this, in May, the whole school were presented with some hands-on workshops which allowed a deeper dive into some critical issues: Indigenous Perspectives with the Year 1 team; Trauma Informed Practice online modules; Positive Behaviour Management workshops with the senior coaching team: Lyndsay Reid, Charlotte Watt, Chris Brain; CGS Connect and Assessment with Russell Waldron; and Staff Well-Being with an external presenter Antoinette Gomez. In addition, we also ran a workshop on teacher accreditation and how we can help staff to navigate the accreditation process. In July, we had a significant event for staff as we spent a day building knowledge and understanding of important academic issues. The day started with Dr Justin Garrick’s introduction of our strategic plan. For the rest of the day, staff explored the intricacies of Student Agency; Differentiation; English as an Additional Language or Dialect; Health Clinic Presentations; Literacy Intervention with the MultiLit Suite; Mental Health Issues; NCCD and Inclusive Learning, Positive Behaviour; Student Anxiety; Reconciliation Matters; Restrictive Practices; Safety and Inclusion; Self-Regulation and Trauma Responsive Practice Online Modules. From these workshops, the afternoon was devoted to department time in the Senior School and learning area time in the Primary School to see how they can embed practices into their curriculum. This was also a great opportunity to consider the Australian Curriculum version 9 and how changes impact student learning. Staff were challenged to reflect on issues and empowered to design a curriculum to meet our students’ needs. Making sure students are safe and our school is following best practices, all staff were able to hear from Kate Halloran in September. In our new Snow auditorium, this presentation focused on how teachers must follow safe practices and ensure professional boundaries are in place. Kate Halloran is a specialist child protection practitioner, and her presentation was engaging and thought-provoking. With the news that the Senior School is moving to MYP, our November CPL focused on MYP Approaches To Learning. The Primary School also used this time to focus on PYP to have a streamlined curriculum from Year 1 to Year 9. CGS Aspire continues to be a publication highlighting staff’s professional growth. By coordinating our approaches across the whole school, we can ensure a consistency of approach to enable us to unpack the CGS Learning and Teaching Framework and build curious, creative, compassionate, confident citizens of the world.
45 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 46
Senior School Focus Staff in the Senior School have continued developing ideas from the whole school sessions into their departmental meetings and professional conversations. At the start of the year, we heard from Professor Michael Anderson about how we can encourage creativity in the classroom. This was followed up with departmental discussions. In addition, we were privileged to have Anthony Seldon visit and talk to staff about the Future of Education. As a leading educator in the UK, this was a valuable opportunity for staff. A small project, “Follow a Student For a Day”, has allowed some staff to see the Senior School from the students’ perspective, highlighting how lessons are engaging and active. Teachers have also been accessing external professional learning opportunities and conferences, such as: • 2022 ICT Management and Leadership Conference • TechNow Conference • Chemistry Workshop Macquarie University • Students as Change Partners: Student Self-Determination and Autonomy • Building Learner Agency • Youth Sport & Athletic Development Seminar with Prof. Jean Cote • AISNSW Curriculum Leadership Conference: Riding the Waves of Curriculum Reform • Executive Functioning in the Classroom • Effective Pedagogy Workshop • Deepening the Learning in Technology • Visual Arts Practical Marking Experience • Indonesian Batik Workshop • AISNSW PDHPE K-10 Conference • National Indigenous Education and Boarding Symposium • World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education • AISACT Workshop #1: Coaching for School Improvement • Dr Conti Professional Learning • Berry Street Education Model • Feedback for Professional Growth • 2022 Embedding RESEARCH Literacy in Schools • AISACT 2022 Colloquium • History Study Days • 2022 Stage 6 History Teachers’ Day (HTA) • Australian Geography Teachers Association Conference • Trauma Informed Education • IB Global Conference, Singapore
47 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
In addition, teachers running IB courses are required to complete IB training in their subject, and many Category 1 and 2 courses were completed this year. Four teachers have completed their Graduate to Proficient portfolios. Three teachers have embarked upon the ISTAA Experienced Teacher process, and three people have started TQI Highly Accomplished Accreditation. This process is essential for building skills and ensuring professional growth for staff. A small group of staff in the Senior School are looking at coaching and have been upskilling themselves to coach others. Several keen staff members undertook to coach in the year’s second half to refine their practice. This initiative has been supported by Mark Dowley from Brighton Grammar School, guiding our thinking in this important space. Finally, departments were asked to develop professional learning for their teachers linked to their departmental goals. This has been hugely successful in driving change at a departmental level. Topics such as strategies to improve writing, developing rubrics, embedding cultural perspectives, and encouraging student autonomy have all been featured as areas of focus and are making a difference for students. These departmental goals are often featured in teachers’ personal goals, which are part of the Professional Growth cycle.
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 48
Primary School Focus The Primary School Academic Team continues to encourage staff to challenge their understanding of Inquiry Learning and how best we can effectively offer this pedagogical style of learning. A day spent with Kath Murdoch at the end of the year allowed staff to reflect on their understanding of guided inquiry and how the ‘inquiry approach’ naturally builds the skills of agency within students. The statement inspired primary staff that after over 40 years of teaching through inquiry, Kath felt there was always something to adjust and learn. This session follows a year-long focus on consolidating, challenging and building our understanding of Student Agency, Inquiry learning, and transdisciplinary learning. The central focus within the Primary School has been developing Literacy skills and competencies of staff and students. We have spent the year working with Adjunct Professor Misty Adoniou. She has led staff to reflect on using mentor texts to explore and explicitly teach grammar and punctuation. Focusing on quality literature to write like authors has led staff and students to successfully use engaging text to write their own, share thinking, and improve and experiment with sentence structure, punctuation and grammar. Misty has worked with staff as a whole in planning sessions and modelled processes in classrooms. This has successfully driven improvements in professional knowledge and student outcomes. Teachers and Learning Assistants have also accessed a plethora of external professional learning opportunities across the year, such as: • Designing Rigorous and Engaging Learning Experiences • Enriching the MYP Language Acquisition classroom • Explicit instruction: effective and efficient teaching • High-impact teaching strategies • Zones of regulation • Diverse Learning Needs Symposium • Communication and Autism • Inclusive Learning Post Pandemic • Nurturing Learner Agency through Inquiry • Musica Viva in Schools: music and culture • Cyber Safety for students • Apple iPad in the early years series • IPSHA Wellbeing Data Deep-Dive • PETA Leading with Literacy Conference • Australian Primary Principals Association Conference • Positive Schools conference • Trauma workshop • Treatment for children with selective mutism • Diabetes training • Reading – school libraries supporting literacy and wellbeing • Supporting English Language Learners
49 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
• Pushing the boundaries • Seasons for growth companion training • Dreaming with eyes open CBCA national conference • Developing a future-ready school librarian mindset • The Power of Questioning – unlocking student thinking • Macquarie University MultiLit Suite training • The active role of the teacher • ReSolve – Effective teaching in primary mathematics • Positive behaviour management in the classroom • Introduction to Big Write and VCOP • Social Media Awareness • Building Student Resilience • Be You: responding together, mentally healthy communities • Dyslexia Awareness • Embracing Neurodiversity • Encourage Critical Thinking with 3 Questions • Embedding Aboriginal perspectives • The Resilience Project • Maths as Storytelling; and • Seven Principles of Learning. In addition to these formal courses, we have had staff engaging with accreditation, with two staff moving from provisional to full registration, three staff starting ISTAA Experience Teacher and one starting Highly Accomplished through TQI. This process is essential for building skills and ensuring professional growth for staff. There are also five Learning Assistants currently undertaking study to become teachers. Primary School staff have also engaged in professional upskilling of positive behaviours, use of data to inform teaching, science pedagogy in the classroom, IT skills, embedding cultural perspectives, developing writing rubrics, Early years and more. The Individual Learning Team (ILT) lead a series of sessions on Inclusion and what it means to be an inclusive school. Mr Daniel Sobel shared his professional knowledge and experience via zoom to assist the Primary School in exploring and refining what Inclusion looks like at CGS. Teachers have been embedding an enhanced reporting cycle of continuous reporting. Teachers plan assessment tasks in teams, discuss the learning intentions and document the success criteria through a rubric. Students receive assessment feedback and the next steps of learning at the time of the assessment, with evidence that allows discussion with parents. This has been immensely important in the communication of learning and individualising the next steps of learning. Teachers have worked closely with the Educational Technology Service (ETS) to develop an effective and efficient process for uploading information. Finally, staff have been asked to develop professional learning for their teachers linked to their departmental goals. This has been successful for the staff involved in driving change in their professional knowledge and engagement. These professional goals are often featured in teachers’ personal goals, which are part of the Professional Growth cycle.
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 50
SPEF The Staff Professional Excellence Fund (SPEF) has finished the 3-year cycle. The previous impact of the pandemic on staff involvement in professional learning lifted in Term 3, with staff again seeking unique experiences that will guide, challenge and inspire their professional growth. There had been a steady stream of online courses across the year, with Term 4 opening up to 40 staff accessing professional learning opportunities globally. Applications continue to come from a range of Primary and Senior teaching staff across all departments and teams. One significant trend of 2022 has seen the operational or support staff applying to access the SPEF allowance. Staff have adapted their professional experience to the restrictions of COVID-19 and thought creatively about how they can connect digitally with others and attend professional learning. In addition, teaching and support staff are accessing the additional higher education funding more readily in 2022. This has become more widely known and accessed across the 3-year cycle. In 2022 there were three Masters paid, and three additional Masters approved, with payment given when complete. Notably, a Learning Assistant was one of these applications. The SPEF continues to be an invaluable asset to the staff at Canberra Grammar School. Staff state they feel fortunate to be afforded these opportunities that build on their personal and professional interests. They return to CGS inspired, share their knowledge and experience with a reflection, and continue collaborating with their departments or teams. A few SPEF reflections have been included in the CGS Aspire magazine in 2021 & 2022. All other summaries are uploaded for viewing on CGS Connect. Some of the experiences that staff have or will complete within the 2022 SPEF approved include: • Reading Tutor Macquarie University • Digital Innovation Conference in Santa Clara, North America • Masters of Education: Special Education Unit • Positive Schools conference • Outdoor Leadership Mentor Program • Teaching Training Australia – subscription • ISTAA Experienced teacher Accreditation • IB Global Conference in Adelaide • Leadership and Coaching Development – Rowing • Indigenous perspectives self-guided tour • Applied Research Methods in Education and Ethical Issues in Professional Life • Bundanon Museum and Gallery Course • Action, Agency and Service: IB Course Dubai • GERRIC Mini-COGE course • Geographical tour of Tasmania • Philippines Palawan Island Tour and experience • Masters of Teaching: History of Australian Education unit • TQI Highly Accomplished Accreditation • International Conference on Languages – Mexico • An Identity Method Workshop for Educators • Marking of Design and Technology major projects (NESA) • Design and Technology tour of Tasmania
51 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
Professional Growth Cycle Our Professional Growth Cycle continues to develop as teachers actively set goals and work towards achieving them throughout Terms 2 and 3. This system, whereby learning leaders or Heads of Departments have professional conversations with staff, helps to build teacher knowledge and understanding of pedagogy. This cycle of planning, collection of evidence and reflection is the cornerstone of professional growth for individual teachers. The staff digital portfolio is a place staff can use to collate all their professional learning evidence together. Lesson observations are conducted between peers, and teaching strategies are exchanged and discussed.
PERFORMANCE AND DEVELOPMENT IS ABOUT CREATING A CULTURE OF TEACHER QUALITY, FEEDBACK & GROWTH FOR ALL TEACHERS WITHIN ALL SCHOOLS. – AITSL 2013
Performance & development measures Consistency of standard & language
Report Formal feedback
Ongoing feedback & collaboration CGS Strategic direction & expectations
Focus on student achievement Student learning Engagement Well-being
Professional learning
CGS PROFESSIONAL GROWTH CYCLE
Relevant Collaborative Future Focused
Leadership Collective responsibility Shared commitment to improvement
Professional Practice Evidence
Self-Reflection Professional growth
Effective Teaching Professional knowledge Professional practice Professional engagement
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 52
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT REPORT FROM THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MR SANDY GODDARD The CGS Community Development Office (CDO) is responsible for the School’s Alumni engagement, communications and marketing, media relations, events, graphic design and community liaison functions, the International Exchange Programme (Year 10), and supports the CGS Foundation. Most of 2022 saw a return to pre-pandemic activity in the CDO. However, the large-scale events of Semester One, including the CGS Fete, were not conducted. Highlights from the year are summarised below. The laying of the Foundation Stone for the Snow Concert Hall marked the generosity of Mr Terry Snow. Over 900 people from our community gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the new Concert Hall, which has hence seen the return of student gatherings in Senior School Assemblies and various music performances. The P&F welcome to New Families event was initiated in the Primary School over the year, with Year 7 parents and carers gathering in September to meet socially and be introduced to Senior School staff members. The ANZAC dawn service was once again held in the CGS Quad. It was well attended by family representatives of those who had fallen and many members of the broader school community, including students, parents, alumni, and neighbours. Reflections of Remembrance Day were held in both the Senior and Primary schools. The annual alumni weekend, traditionally held on the second last weekend in May, saw the return of cohorts from 20, 25, 30, and + 40 years to the campus to attend a luncheon and tour of the School. Many were impressed with the changes to the campus, but more importantly, the opportunity to reminisce over past times. All state reunions were held in the Australian capitals, with Adelaide, Hobart and Darwin holding functions for former students and staff. The annual CGS Vintage Club reunion saw the return of over 60 alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago. The weekly Senior School Assembly was made special to honour the Vintage Club. All in attendance were entertained by fantastic music performances and heard from guest speaker Emeritus Professor Malcolm Gillies AM, former School Captain of CGS, peer year 1970. The School still curtailed international travel in 2022, so no International reunions occurred, nor did the CGS International Exchange programme eventuate. Planning was undertaken to ensure the Exchange Programme recommenced in 2023 with a limited number of schools sharing similar values to those of CGS. The digitisation of previous editions of the Canberran, Red Hill Outlook, CGS Outlook and Annual Reports is being undertaken. The National Library of Australia is carrying out the work through the generosity of Mr David Kenyon AM. The technology will allow for the provision of a search function through Trove to investigate historical records.
53 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
The year concluded with the annual Year 12 Formal returning to the traditional Old Parliament House venue and Presentation Night being held at the National Convention Centre. The CDO is made up of a dynamic team dedicated to working with the whole School community and associations: • Director of Community Development - Sandy Goddard • Communications and Marketing Manager - Ayesha Shahed & Serena Netto • Alumni and Foundation Manager - Tammy Foley • Events Manager - Rachel Gurney • Graphic Designer - Twee Phan • Communications and Marketing Co-Ordinator - Ryan Butterworth • Receptionist - Gini McFadyen • Attendance Register - Josie Coles • Archivist - Pamela Hunt
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 54
CGS FOUNDATION
FROM ALUMNI AND PHILANTHROPY MANAGER MS TAMMY FOLEY The CGS Foundation has much gratitude for the ongoing support of the CGS community. Throughout 2022 we have seen amazing generosity from our alumni, staff, current and past parents, grandparents, and students. Most donations received by the CGS Foundation during 2022 were directed towards the Indigenous Scholarship Programme and The Heads Discretionary Fund, where donors can provide funding towards the projects the Head of School deems to be a school priority.
The Centenary Project The launch of The Centenary Project in May saw wonderful support for the Head of School’s vision as we look towards the school’s 100th birthday in 2029. The goal is to grow the cumulative total of the CGS Foundation to $20.29 million (including distributions) to make possible the next stages of campus development and scholarship plans. The Centenary Project’s purpose is underpinned by our aspiration to provide unparalleled excellence and opportunity. Our vision is to see 100 students educated at CGS on Indigenous and equity scholarships, in addition to our current scholars, by the time we reach our 100th year.
Opening of the Snow Concert Hall After years of planning and construction, the philanthropic vision of CGS Patrons Terry Snow (1961) & Ginette Snow was finally revealed on the evening of 25 August. The new building provides state-of-the-art concert facilities and is home to the CGS Music Department and Senior School Resource Centre, which generations of students will enjoy. The endowment made by Mr & Mrs Snow has also impacted prospective donors who want to provide transformational change and experience to students regardless of their contribution. The CGS Foundation hope that this inspiration continues into 2023 and beyond. The CGS Foundation continues its ongoing gratitude to the Snow Family for impacting student life and that of the greater CGS and Canberra community.
55 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
2022 CGS DONATION SNAPSHOT The 2022 donation snapshot highlights a total of $315,164.42 received to the CGS Foundation in donations, with various designations, including Indigenous Scholarships (including Podmore), Area of Greatest Need, Music Scholarships, CGS General Scholarships, Poate Scholarship, Campus Development, and other funds directed to sports associations and other projects.
DONATION SNAPSHOT 1 JANUARY 2022 - 31 DECEMBER 2022 $ AMOUNT OF DONATIONS RECEIVED
$315,164.42
No. of donations made
222
No. of donors
96
No. of new donors
35
DONATION DESIGNATION
NO. OF DONATIONS
DONATIONS
Area of greatest need
119
$152,783.42
Indigenous Scholarships
96
(Includes Podmore)
56
$80,375.00
CGS General Scholarships
20
$13,825.00
Poate Scholarship
17
$17,700.00
Other (Includes campus development and other special projects
8
$30,511.00
Music Scholarships
2
$20,000.00 $315,194.42
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 56
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS REPORT
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC OPERATIONS MS KERRI ROCK The Strategic Operations Team works closely with the Senior Executives to lead critical strategic and operational initiatives across all areas of the School. Deploying our resources and capital and improving operational efficiency and technologies that can automate processes and functions form the basis of our remit. The Strategic Operations Office has become known for its timely service delivery, faster implementation of quality projects and processes, and a place where stakeholders are confident in receiving the necessary expert knowledge to make a change and move forward. Another key focus of this office is to champion, promote and implement new projects within the Global Education environment so that our students are ready for the world. This includes upskilling students with the soft skills needed to participate actively in our world today. And giving them access to world-class speakers and thinkers to help them grapple with the real-world problems that all citizens of the world are challenged by and to encourage agency where we empower our students to empower others to enact change. The key personnel in the Strategic Operations Office include: • Director of Strategic Operations – Ms Kerri Rock • Administrative Assistant - Executive Leadership – Ms Erum Hamza • Head of Education Technology – Ms Anna Hu • Head of Admissions – Ms Huma Cheema • Head of CGS Centre for Global Citizenship & Australian Studies – Ms Elizabeth Allsop
57 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
Education Technology Department 2022 has been another busy year in Education Technology, keeping all systems running and updated while developing and trialling enhancements. Kerri Rock led the team until the arrival of Anna Hu in March. This year’s updates include upgrading the Wi-Fi and Edge Switches and the Internet and LAN redundancy across the School. The initial stages of M365 implementation with the migration of on-premise document storage and the pilot of M365 Class Teams and Department Teams have begun. Our student BYOD Model has been reviewed in line with CGS 100 Strategic Plan, and the initial phase to move to an Apple Ecosystem across the School is in the planning stages. CGS Connect has had a minor refresh to its navigation as part of the software update, and enhancements have been made to Academic Reporting in the Primary School and the Student dashboard. 2022 has also seen the development and implementation of the Staff Dashboard and the Flexible Rubric for the IB Diploma assessment program. With all these changes, the Service Desk and the integration teams have been up-skilling and supporting staff with new systems, services and projects.
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 58
Asian Engagement The School has been engaging with Asia since the 1970s, and since 2012 this has been a strategic priority. The recent drive towards CGS Global Initiative highlights the importance of continuing our activities in Asia, defining our focus and developing as the leading School in Asian Engagement internationally. Over the past three years, the geo-political and COVID-19 environment has impacted engagement with Asia resulting in less exchange activity but requiring greater remote liaison. Draft Memorandum of Understanding documents have been developed with schools in Indonesia, South Korea, and Bhutan. It is anticipated that in 2023 these relationships will continue to grow and provide further opportunities for students and staff. 2022 activities include: • Embassy Engagement Programme maintained with visits to and from the Indonesian, South Korean, Bhutanese and Chinese Embassies focussing on cultural understanding and maintaining relationships providing opportunities for staff and students • Ambassador Visits from the Indonesian and Bhutanese Embassy to progress above • Indonesian Cultural Day organised at the School that was trans-disciplinary across Design, Drama, Music, and Language Departments • Attendance at the Indonesian Ambassador’s Residence for Betawi Day celebrations in June • Hosting Asia Education Foundation Council Meeting on Thursday 8 September, showcasing Primary School’s success with BRIDGE partnership with Cor Jesu School in Malang, Indonesia • ACBC ACT Annual General Meeting, Chinese New Year Dinner and End of Year function • Meet and greet with the Chinese Ambassador and attendance at Chinese Ambassador’s Press Conference at the Press Club • Indonesian Language popularity maintained for Years 11 and 12, and Year 8 Indonesian to be offered in 2023 • Staff secondment to South Korea • Chinese Language Learners Dinner and Lion Dance; and • Working with Asia Link to develop a local partnership with National Foundation for Australia-China Relations.
59 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
CGS Centre for Global Citizenship In 2022, Global Citizenship continued to grow, incorporated into the curriculum and co-curricular and experiential opportunities for students and the broader community. A globally focused curriculum is evident throughout the School, from text choices and issues explored in English to understanding our universe in Science, considering the lived environment in Geography, reviewing sustainable development in Economics and Business Studies, and exploring the role of the UN in Global studies. The Centre for Global Citizenship continues to offer opportunities for students to continue their global citizenship education beyond the classroom, with diverse experiences and learning opportunities. Students attended the National Press Club, an Australian Institution bringing world leaders and innovative thinkers to Canberra. In this unique forum, student leaders met with the founder of OzHarvest, Ms Ronni Kahn and invited her to speak to the student body. Senior Global Politics students heard the Lithuanian Foreign Minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis and discussed the imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine and the impact on his nation and others. Biology students had the opportunity to ask questions of Dr Fiona Wood, Australia’s world-leading burns specialist. Students from Years 10 and 11 Aboriginal Studies heard Rachel Perkins and Professor Henry Reynolds discuss Ms Perkins’ three-part documentary, ‘The Australian Wars’. Furthering our engagement with current issues and ideas, Economics students attended the ABC’s Budget Q&A at ANU, and Insight restarted with a Q&A session with former school Captain and Mental Health researcher Mr Brad Carron-Arthur. The Insight series hosted a special performance by John Bell and the Australian Haydn Ensemble, followed by masterclasses for Music students with the Ensemble and an open forum with John Bell for Drama and English students hosted by the School’s Drama Captain. The MBAIS occurred online with presentations by staff and students to an international audience over two days and listening to experts and debate on the issue of wellbeing in the world today. A student-led international Accord was developed and signed by the end of the symposium. A community mentoring programme was successfully trialled with Year 12 IB students attending a primary school in Coombs to assist the Year 6 students in their reflection process and participate in a panel. The Sustainability club continued to consolidate its successes, raising awareness of Environmental issues and working on student-led projects. The recycling project continues, promoting recycling for staff and students and collecting valuable data on the situation at CGS. The CGS Speakers’ Club was launched after a collaboration with the Parents and Friends, which saw the Coach for TEDx Canberra deliver a masterclass to students. Year 11 CAS students ran a Model UN for students to debate current issues and understand how international cooperation can and does work. Students continue to engage in external opportunities such as the Evatt Competition – a model UN competition, with two Year 9 CGS students winning the ACT competition and progressing to finals in South Australia later this year. Looking ahead, the Centre for Global Citizenship has started to develop additional co-curricular opportunities for students, including expanding the Speakers’ Club, exploring partnerships with TEDx Canberra, reinvigorating Mock Trials and Mooting competitions, which closed since the pandemic started, and working with the ANU’s Coral Bell Centre to present the Senior Schools Global Challenge in Term 1, 2023.
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 60
CGS
State
61 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
Year 9 Numeracy
Year 7 Numeracy
Year 5 Numeracy
Year 3 Numeracy
Year 9 Grammar
Year 7 Grammar
Year 5 Grammar
Year 3 Grammar
Year 9 Spelling
Year 7 Spelling
Year 5 Spelling
Year 3 Spelling
Year 9 Writing
Year 7 Writing
Year 5 Writing
Year 3 Writing
Year 9 Reading
Year 7 Reading
Year 5 Reading
Year 3 Reading
STUDENT OUTCOMES IN STANDARDISED NATIONAL LITERACY & NUMERACY TESTING (NAPLAN)
2022 Comparison of CGS vs State for Top Band 70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
BAND (IN %)
READING
Year 9 Year 7 Year 5 Year 3
WRITING
Year 9 Year 7 Year 5 Year 3
SPELLING
Year 9 Year 7 Year 5 Year 3
GRAMMAR
Year 9 Year 7 Year 5 Year 3
NUMERACY
Year 9 Year 7 Year 5 Year 3
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
CGS
19
29
25
19
7
1
1
0
STATE
7
18
28
25
13
6
2
0
CGS
6
21
30
27
14
1
1
1
STATE
2
9
20
30
25
10
4
1
CGS
2
7
22
30
25
11
3
0
STATE
1
4
13
27
27
18
7
CGS
3
6
8
14
22
25
STATE
1
2
5
11
18
CGS
9
16
35
28
STATE
7
13
28
CGS
1
9
STATE
2
CGS
2
1 0
0
0
0
0
3
1
0
13
6
3
2
21
19
12
8
3
10
2
0
1
25
17
7
2
1
31
31
14
11
2
1
7
21
26
25
13
4
1
1
4
18
25
28
18
7
0
STATE
0
2
9
19
31
25
10
CGS
0
0
0
6
26
40
STATE
0
0
1
4
20
CGS
4
28
39
19
STATE
5
17
32
CGS
3
14
STATE
3
CGS
1 0
1
1
1
3
1
1
23
5
0
0
35
24
10
5
2
7
3
0
1
28
11
4
1
1
36
28
12
5
1
1
11
27
27
19
9
4
2
2
7
14
34
29
12
1
1
STATE
1
3
14
25
27
18
8
CGS
0
1
8
12
25
20
STATE
0
1
3
9
18
CGS
24
25
28
16
STATE
11
16
24
CGS
9
13
STATE
4
CGS
0 0
0
0
0
3
1
0
21
7
6
1
23
20
13
7
6
6
2
0
0
24
14
7
3
1
22
34
17
4
1
1
8
18
26
25
12
5
2
3
5
13
27
30
20
3
0
STATE
2
4
10
20
27
23
10
CGS
5
3
8
15
21
20
STATE
2
3
5
10
17
CGS
15
29
36
15
STATE
9
16
28
CGS
10
18
STATE
7
CGS
0 0
0
0
0
3
1
0
22
4
1
1
20
20
13
7
4
5
0
0
0
30
14
2
0
0
27
30
11
2
1
0
11
19
25
20
11
5
1
2
2
11
28
31
24
3
0
STATE
1
3
8
19
28
26
12
CGS
1
0
2
7
17
28
STATE
0
1
2
5
11
20
0 0
0
0
0
3
0
0
26
19
1
0
26
20
11
3
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 62
YEAR 12 RESULTS 8%
26%
35%
99
95
90
ACHIEVED ATAR OF
ACHIEVED ATAR OF
OR ABOVE
ACHIEVED ATAR OF
OR ABOVE
OR ABOVE
30%
OF HSC STUDENTS EARNED A SPOT ON THE
DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVERS LIST
THE MEDIAN ATAR FOR IB WAS
TWO STUDENTS EARNED A PERFECT IB SCORE OF
95.2
97%
ACHIEVED AN ATAR
17%
OF IB STUDENTS RECEIVED A SCORE OF
42
45
SECOND HIGHEST
85%
ATTAINED EARLY UNIVERSITY OFFERS
OR ABOVE
Post-school destinations UNIVERSITY
HSC
University of Canberra
104
University of Sydney
49
Australian National University
34 offers via a direct application, 8 offers via UAC
University of NSW
28
6 offers
University of Melbourne
28
31 offers – 26 students
University of Wollongong
12
University of Newcastle
12
3 offers
Macquarie University
11
23 offers
Monash University
9
4 offers
RMIT
9
7 offers
University of Technology Sydney
7
20 offers
University of New England
5
Western Sydney University
3
27 offers
La Trobe University
3
7 offers
Deakin University
3
2 offers
Australian Catholic University
2
1 offer
Charles Sturt University
2
3 offers
Torrens University
2
1 offer
ACPE
1
Griffith University
1
Overseas Offers
8
63 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
IB
Fields of Study Evident in Offers* Society and Culture
91
Health
34
Natural and Physical Sciences
28
Management and Commerce
25
Creative Arts
18
Information Technology
16
Engineering and Related Technologies
16
Architecture and Building
8
Agriculture, Environmental and Related Studies
4
Education
4
Mixed Field Programmes
4
*Some students received offers from multiple universities and/ or offers into multiple fields of study
STUDENTS OF NOTE: One student successfully gained a place in the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts for a Dance major. One student gained entry to a Diploma of Dance at the NZ School of Dance. One student was successful in gaining a Co-op Scholarship to UNSW. Two students were successful in gaining a Dalyell Scholar place at the University of Sydney.
SENIOR SECONDARY OUTCOMES 112 STUDENTS
STUDIED THE
OF THESE 194 STUDENTS
THERE WERE 195 STUDENTS
IN
12
2022
83 STUDENTS
& 99% ATTAINED A
IN YEAR
AMONG THE STUDENTS WHO ATTAINED THEIR HSC
STUDIED THE
5 STUDENTS STUDIED A VOCATIONAL EDUCATION COURSE
TRENDS IN STUDENT HSC PERFORMANCE As CGS offers both the HSC and IBDP pathways, separate HSC performance trends are difficult to isolate. When combined with the IBDP, the median ATAR has an upward trend over the last 10 years. Key trends in HSC student performance include: • The use of detailed question-level HSC results data to drive improvement within Departments • Continuing strong results in Software Design and Development, Science and History • Results growth in Economics, Business Studies and Legal Studies. Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 64
SCHOOL POLICIES
All policies have been written in accordance with the requirements for ACT Government Registration and have been last rewritten and updated during the reporting period.
Major School policies cover: • Child Protection • Work Health and Safety • Student Duty of Care • Academic • Staff and Human Resources • Boarding • Overseas Students and International Students • Business, Property and Finance • Admission and Fees • Grievance Procedures • Pastoral and Student Support • Volunteering • Parent Code of Conduct; and • Privacy Policy and Information Collection. All policies are available to the CGS Community via CGS Connect (the School’s online Community Portal) or via application to the Head of Primary or Senior School.
Changes/additions to policies include: • First Aid and CPR policy • Privacy Policy Internal • UV SunSmart Policy • Bush Fire Policy • Lockdown Procedures • Evacuation Procedures • Psychosocial Hazards Policy • Student Duty of Care – Medical Appointments Policy • Overseas Students (Monitoring Course Progress Policy) • Transport and Traffic Management - “Drive Way and Car Park Safety and Driving Safety policies” • Child Protection Programme update – “Key definitions in our child protection programme” • Excursions and Happening Policy; and • Student Movement Register policy.
65 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
Admissions Policy Canberra Grammar School (the School) is an independent Anglican school that welcomes applications from students of all backgrounds, cultures and faiths. We strive to be an inclusive, diverse and talented community, educating students with a wide range of interests, abilities and aspirations. The main points of entry to the School are: YEAR GROUP
OPEN TO
AGE REQUIREMENTS
Pre-School (Southside)
Day girls and boys
Must turn 3 by 30 April in year of entry
Pre-Kindergarten (Northside)
Day girls and boys
Must turn 4 by 30 April in year of entry
Kindergarten (Southside)
Day girls and boys
Must turn 5 by 30 April in year of entry
Year 3
Day girls and boys
Must turn 8 by 30 April in year of entry
Year 5
Day girls and boys
Must turn 10 by 30 April in year of entry *
Year 7
Day and boarding (girls and boys boarding)
Must turn 12 by 30 April in year of entry
Year 11
Day and boarding (girls and boys boarding)
Must turn 16 by 30 April in year of entry
Applications for entry to all other year groups (known as non-main entry points) are welcome though places only become available following the departure of current students and are therefore limited in number. The School offers places to boys and girls in separate streams at its main entry points in the interest of achieving and maintaining gender parity. To this end, the School maintains separate girls’ and boys’ waiting lists. The School will make offers to applicants on each waiting list, subject to interviews and assessment, in the following order until all places in each year group are full: 1. Scholarship winners and applicants with academic scholarship results in the top 25% of external applicants by performance rank (applies to Years 7 and 11 entry only) 2. Siblings of current students by age at application date. 3. Siblings and children of Canberra Grammar School Alumni by age at application date; and 4. Other applicants by age at application date. Notwithstanding the principles outlined above, the Head of School has the right to reserve or to offer places in any year group, including, for example, to potential boarders or to children of permanent full-time staff of the School. The School also reserves the right to alter the Admissions Policy from time to time. *Year 5 main entry point effective from August 2022
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 66
STUDENT RETENTION 214 STUDENTS
IN
COMPLETED YEAR
10 OF THOSE
2020
171 OF THEM
COMPLETED
214
YEAR
12
STUDENTS
THE RETENTION RATE IS
IN
2022
80%
STUDENT ATTENDANCE The School recorded the following attendance rates in 2022:
PRIMARY SCHOOL
SENIOR SCHOOL
Year
Attendance Rate (%)
Year
Attendance Rate (%)
K
97.3
7
95.2
1
96.0
8
93.5
2
93.4
9
93.5
3
94.6
10
94.8
4
95.0
11
94.6
5
94.1
12
94.8
6
93.6
67 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
HOW THE SCHOOL MANAGES NON-ATTENDANCE Due to our student and family culture, Canberra Grammar School has very little problem with student non-attendance. Occasionally, issues arise that are related to health, mental health or family issues. If an issue of non-attendance arises, the normal procedure is explained.
Primary School 1. Primary School Administration assistants alert Campus Directors of unapproved absences that extend beyond a week, are of a health or pastoral concern and/or any unexplained absences of longer than two days 2. Campus Directors investigate the issue and take steps to encourage and, as needed, assist parents/ caregivers in returning a student to School 3. Campus Directors inform the Head of Primary School of non-attendance issues, involving him/her in the return to School strategy as needed 4. If non-attendance continues, the Head of Primary School will request a formal meeting with the student and parents to outline the requirement to attend School and that of the Directorate 5. Outside agencies such as CAMHS or Care and Protection may be utilised depending on the specific circumstances. Referrals to these agencies will be made by the Head of Primary School in conjunction with the School Counsellor 6. If non-attendance continues then the Liaison Unit of the Education and Training Directorate (ETD) would be contacted to discuss next steps and the Head informed; and 7. The Head of Primary School in consultation with the Head of School would then request intervention from the Registrar of Non-Government Schools as per ETD protocols if non-attendance remains a problem.
Senior School 1. Head of Student Houses become aware of the problem (either through the school roll marking procedure or via notification) 2. Head of Student Houses investigate the issue and take steps to encourage return to school 3. The School Counsellor is notified and becomes involved in assisting a return to school 4. The Counsellor and Head of Student Houses will, as deemed necessary, visit the student and parents in their home to encourage a return to school 5. The Head of Senior School will also be involved at this stage (or afterwards if it is not successful) and will request a formal meeting with the student and parents to outline the requirement to attend School and that the Directorate will need to be notified if non-attendance continues 6. Outside agencies such as CAMHS or Care and Protection may be utilised depending on the specific circumstances. Referrals to these agencies will be made after consultation with the Head of Senior School and the School Counsellor 7. If non-attendance continues then the Liaison Unit of the Education and Training Directorate (ETD) would be contacted to discuss next steps; and 8. The School would then request intervention from the Registrar of Non-Government Schools as per ETD protocols if non-attendance remains a problem.
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 68
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STUDENT BODY The data on these pages is taken from Canberra Grammar School’s entry to the Government Census in 2022. The enrolment at the time of the report was 2,157 students
GENDER THE SCHOOL HAD
1,264 MALE STUDENTS
892 FEMALE STUDENTS
INDIGENOUS 19 STUDENTS IDENTIFIED AS
ABORIGINAL OR TORRES STARIT ISLANDER
69 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
1 OTHER STUDENT
=
2,157 STUDENTS
Languages spoken at home Students spoke the following language at home: English
2080
Afrikaans
2
Chinese
56
Albanian
2
Mandarin
46
Bangla
2
Hindi
34
Croatian
2
Cantonese
20
Dutch
5
Greek
17
Italian
2
Tamil
15
Maltese
2
German
11
Myanmar
2
Punjabi
9
Nepali
2
Sinhalese
8
Polish
2
Arabic
9
Slovak
2
French
8
Spanish
4
Farsi
7
Tagalog/Filipino
2
Telugu
10
Turkish
2
Urdu
4
Egyptian
1
Bengali
9
Estonian
1
Macedonian
6
Finnish
1
Gujarati
4
Hakka
1
Hebrew
4
Lithuanian
1
Japanese
4
Norwegian
2
Korean
6
Serbian
1
Malayalam
4
Setswana
1
Vietnamese
4
Sri Lankan
1
Konkani
3
Swedish
1
Marathi
4
Danish
2
Other
5
Kannada
1
Russian
6
Somali
1
Thai
4
Total
2157
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 70
HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
71 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
171 TOTAL ROLES RECRUITED IN 2022 (EXCLUDING CO-CURRICULAR).
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 72
BUSINESS & FINANCE REPORT FROM THE DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS & BOARD SECRETARY MR KENT PETERS 2022 has been a year where we have seen the continuing impacts of the Covid-19 virus but also the opportunity to see many aspects of the depth, breadth and richness of School life returning to what will be the new normal following the Covid-19 pandemic. However, in the midst of all that these challenges have posed, Canberra Grammar School has continued to embrace the challenges and in the midst of it all has demonstrated the strength of its community in achieving significant milestones during the year. 2022 has also seen a not insignificant rise in not only interest rates but also increases in many other key costs that impact the day-to-day operations of the School. The School continues to see its overall enrolments consolidate with a total student population of some 2,153 students across the Northside and Red Hill Campuses. The boarding community has been hit very hard with the impacts of Covid-19 and the uncertainties that being in boarding has created for many of our boarding families, but is well positioned to bounce back in 2023. The reportable income including Government recurrent per capita funding for the year ended 31st December 2022 was $66.9 million excluding revaluations of the School’s investment portfolio. Approximately 71% of this income was contributed by parents with Federal and State Government Recurrent Grants providing around 10% and the balance of 19% from investments, donations and other sources.
73 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
The School has continued to consolidate its sound financial performance. The School continues to prioritise significant reinvestment in both teaching, learning initiatives and will in 2023 continue its focus on the significant capital infrastructure projects with a new classroom and administration development in the Primary School. The School achieved a solid performance in 2022 and continues to recognise the importance of effectively managing the increasing pressure on School revenue and expenditure, particularly managing the potential impact from the implementation of the Capacity to Contribute funding platform. The School has been able to maintain fee increases at levels that enable the School to meet the combined challenge of providing the resources necessary to deliver exceptional educational outcomes but remaining mindful of the pressures being faced by our parent community. 2022 has been a busy year with the main focus being on the major project being the Snow Concert Hall, Music Centre and Library Development. This project was completed in August 2022 and considering the challenges that that arose in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic it has been a resounding success. This project has been significantly supported by the Canberra Grammar School Foundation Building Fund and the significant donation made by Terry Snow. The Snow Concert Hall held a magnificent opening concert in late August 2022 and it is already proving that it is a truly world class facility that will not only serve the School well but also the wider community for decades to come. The facility will be fully operational for the commencement of the 2023 School Year and we are already seeing the benefits of the investment made in the geothermal heating and cooling of the complex. The School continues with its program of ongoing refurbishment and maintenance of its existing facilities. During the 2022 Summer holiday period we have been able to add a further 8 rooms to our girls boarding facilities which will increase our capacity to a total of 58 beds. The Swimming pool refurbishments have continued with the pools protective coating being fully removed and replaced. Chapel and P&F Ovals have been fully restored following the significant impacts incurred during the construction of the Snow Concert Hall project and the ovals have been restored to being some of the finest ovals in Canberra. The total capital expenditure exceeded $19.2 million in 2022, in comparison to $13.2 million in 2021. The maintaining of diligent financial management will continue to be a priority in coming years as the School continues in the delivery of the Campus Development Plan projects, whilst continuing to maintain a primary focus on the core enterprise of teaching and learning to ensure a strong and sustainable School, which is fit to fully embrace the opportunities and also any challenges that may lie ahead. The School is also focused on the challenges arising from the increasing inflation rates and also the continuing rise in interest rates and the potential impact on the timing of future capital projects. The School Board is pleased with the 2022 financial results and will continue to focus on improving the School’s facilities and in doing so ensuring that the School remains committed to equipping its students to be ready for the world.
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 74
SUMMARY OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION 2022 Revenue 19% 2% 8% 71%
Parent Contributions
Federal Government funding
ACT Government funding
Investments, donations, other income.
2022 Expenses 2% 4% 3% 5%
12%
74%
Staff Costs
Depreciation and Interest
Maintenance of School Property
Teaching Resources
Co-Curricular Costs
Teaching and Boarding Operations
75 | CGS | Annual Report 2022
2022 Capital Expenditure 1% 2% 3%
94% Land and Buildings i ncl WIP
Furniture and Equipment
Computer Equipment
Buildi ng Projects in Progress
2022 Capital Funding
45% 55%
Capital donations
Retained earnings
Annual Report 2022 | CGS | 76
T +61 (2) 6260 9700 E community@cgs.act.edu.au 40 Monaro Crescent, Red Hill ACT 2603 CGS.ACT.EDU.AU CRICOS Provider No 00580G