CGS Annual Report 2023

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

INTRODUCTION

It is our privilege to present another full and vibrant Annual Report for Canberra Grammar School, reflecting another year of thriving progress and activity in the life of the School.

There is no doubt that the School was back to full steam after the constraints of the pandemic years. That makes all the more challenging the task of capturing in this report all that was experienced by over 2000 students and 500 staff in 19 Primary and Senior School Houses plus Northside, Southside and the ELC.

Despite their richness, however, these pages are but a glimpse of the breadth and vitality of our community’s achievements in sixteen summer and thirteen winter sporting seasons; in dozens of clubs, societies and Horizons activities; in thirty musical ensembles, bands and choirs performing in over forty concerts throughout the year; in five major theatre productions or in exhibitions displaying the creativity of hundreds of students in venues across the campus; nor in twenty-seven outdoor expeditions from the coast to the mountains; nor in five overseas cultural, service and sporting tours; let in alone in dozens of community service initiatives.

That’s not to mention all that went on under six different curriculum frameworks run between Pre-School and Year 12, encompassing more than 120 courses, taught in tens of thousands of timetabled lessons, assessed in more examinations than we care to count, culminating in over 80% of our graduating students receiving direct tertiary offers, most before they’d even sat their final exams, plus dozens of entries and awards in national and international academic competitions, Olympiads, extension and enrichment courses, da Vinci Decathlons and more.

Then, of course, there were hundreds of hours of professional learning, curriculum planning and lesson observation; the construction of twelve superb new classrooms in record time for the Primary School; and countless community events, including eighteen CGS Alumni reunions in eleven cities, the return of the CGS Fete, the CGS Foundation Giving Day, the Year 6 Exhibition, the PYP Walk and Primary Showcases, House dinners, book week parades, Christmas concerts and much more.

Yet, as much as our endeavour in these pages is to record our School’s abundance, it must also be to focus on what it is all for. That is the chance for every student, in the infinite complexity of individuality that is our School’s diversity, to discover in the midst of our copious opportunity what it is that stirs them: a hunger for ever greater understanding in whatever fields of endeavour pique their curiosity; a joy in innovation and cultural creativity; a confident knowledge of themselves and of others; a compassionate commitment to the betterment of all; and a fundament impulse to give, not just to get, in the world.

I hope that is what you see in these pages; not abundance for its own sake, but within it the discovery of personal aspiration and potential that is the defining purpose of all our opportunity.

For everything that was behind that in 2023, we thank the School staff for their passion and dedication; our colleagues on the Board and Foundation Board for their unstinting commitment; parents and families for their support and faith; Alumni and donors for their continuing commitment; and above all and always, our School’s students for their optimism and energy, and for all that gives meaning to what we do and makes us so deeply proud.

Sincerely,

Dr Justin Garrick

Ms Simonetta Astolfi Head of School Chair of the School Board

ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Canberra Grammar School is a co-educational independent Anglican day and boarding school offering outstanding academic education, co-curricular opportunities, and pastoral care to students from Pre-School to Year 12.

Initially founded in Cooma as Manaro Grammar School in 1908, the school was re-established on its current site in 1929 as Canberra Grammar School with a mission to educate the children of Australia’s capital city and the regions surrounding the seat of national leadership.

Set in Ngunnawal country, the School is blessed with a magnificent 20-hectare campus in the inner south of Canberra, along with a small early childhood campus in north Canberra and a Rowing Centre on the shore of Lake Burley Griffin. The campus includes outstanding heritage and modern facilities for learning, boarding, sports and the creative and performing arts.

The School became co-educational from Pre-School to Year 2 in 1975 and then in all year groups from 2018. It now educates over 900 Primary School students and nearly 1300 Senior School students from more than 40 nations. Students are taught and supported by around 500 highly qualified and dedicated teaching, operational, casual, coaching and specialist staff.

As from the School’s earliest days, boarding is central to our community with 143 students living in modern accommodation on campus, primarily from rural areas surrounding Canberra, from overseas, and from Canberra-based families serving on diplomatic and defence postings.

Funded by the generosity of parents, staff and alumni, the CGS Foundation supports an ambitious campus development plan and a broad array of Indigenous, academic, arts and merit-based scholarships and access bursaries.

Although governed and administered independently, the School has enduring links with the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn, and our values are founded in Christian scriptures and traditions.

The School is non-selective, and it welcomes students, families and staff of all faiths and ethnicities, backgrounds and capabilities to live, learn and work in a community guided by our values, vision and mission to educate curious, creative, confident and compassionate citizens of the world.

Formal CGS Acknowledgement of Country from the Head of School, Dr Justin Garrick

Canberra Grammar School acknowledges the local Ngunnawal people who have walked this land for centuries. We acknowledge their living culture and pay tribute to the unique role they play in the life of this region as traditional owners and custodians of the land on which we meet. We would also like to pay respect to the elders, past, present, and emerging, and extend that respect to other First Nations people.

SCHOOL GOVERNANCE

Canberra Grammar School is a company limited by guarantee, governed by a Board of Directors. The Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn, Bishop Mark Short, is a visitor to the School. The Bishop-in-Council appoints a majority of the Directors, including the Chair and Deputy Chair. Other positions are held by company representatives and ex officio by the Head of School. The School’s Director of Business, Mr Kent Peters, is the Secretary to the Board.

During the 2023 Calendar Year, the following people were Directors of the School Board:

• Chair of the Board – Mr Stephen Byron (January – June 2023), Ms Simonetta Astolfi (June 2023 – present)

• Deputy Chair of the Board – Ms Simonetta Astolfi (January – June 2023), Mr Sung Lee (June 2023 – present)

• Board Directors:

• Ms Bobbi Campbell

• The Right Reverend Grant Dibden

• Dr Antonio Di Dio

• Mr Xavier Simonet

• Ms Anne Myongsook Witheford

The Executive Leadership Team of the School includes:

• Head of School – Dr Justin Garrick

• Mr David Carr (January – June 2023)

• Mr James Wilson (December 2023 – present)

• Dr Justin Garrick (Head of School)

• Mr Kent Peters (Secretary of the Board)

• Deputy Head (Head of Primary School) – Dr Sandra Webster

• Deputy Head (Head of Senior School) – Mr Oliver Thompson

• Deputy Head (Senior Specialist Care) – Mr David Smart

• Director of Business – Mr Kent Peters

• Director of Community Development – Mr Sandy Goddard

• Director of Strategic Operations – Ms Anna Hu

SPIRITUAL LIFE OF THE SCHOOL

FROM THE SCHOOL CHAPLAINCY MR DAVID SMART & FATHER JAMES COATES

The Christian foundation of the School continued to play an important role in CGS’s community life throughout 2023. All students from Years 3-12 continued to attend Chapel once a week, with students from P-2 attending fortnightly. In Term 1, the School Chaplain, Rev. Andrew Robinson, concluded his service by taking a few years’ leave to accompany his wife on an overseas posting. Consequently, the Chaplaincy team underwent reconfiguration, with Rev. James Coats assuming the role of School Chaplain, focusing on the Primary School and performing other Chaplaincy duties across the entire school. Mrs Libby Gale continued part-time as an Associate Chaplain in the Primary School. Mr David Smart accepted responsibility for overseeing the overall Chaplaincy programme and leading the weekly and special services throughout the year in the Senior School, along with others in the team.

Several new initiatives arose in the Senior School, including hosting a whole Senior School Chapel once a term in the Snow Concert Hall, where a special guest speaker was invited to share a message. In 2023, these guests included Bishop Mark Short, who spoke at our Easter Service, Rev. David McLennan from St John’s Reid, Rev. Dan Evers (a Chaplain at Goulburn gaol and CGS alumnus), and Rev. Anna Boxwell from Renew Anglican Church, which meets at the Limelight Cinemas Tuggeranong each Sunday.

Additionally, several staff members assisted with weekly House Chapel services to provide an alternative voice through our regular services. Staff who have helped this way include Mr Graeme Lendrum, Mrs Lisa Smith, Mr Kent Peters, Mrs Sarah Czarnota, and Dr Garrick. Students continued their involvement as Bible readers, leading prayers and sometimes being part of student panels to discuss pertinent issues. Our School and House Sacristans helped support the Chapel ministry by ensuring they assisted with many aspects of each Chapel Service throughout the year.

Regular Chapels continued in the Primary School led by Rev. James Coats and Mrs Libby Gale. Students were divided into different year groups for these, with P-2 Chapel services in a simplified format more suited to their age. The Chapel and Chaplaincy team across the whole school, particularly in the Primary School, also strongly supported the Anglicare Winter Pantry Appeal, with many thousands of items donated. Year 10 students helped transport items to the Anglicare outlet at St John’s Care in Reid. We were privileged to have the new CEO of Anglicare, Mr Brandon Howard, speak at Primary School Chapel services to acknowledge the immense generosity students had demonstrated.

The student Christian support group known as ‘Cru’ continued to meet at lunchtimes on Tuesdays during term time. This involved several staff and students who would meet for encouragement and fellowship. A smaller number were also able to join with other schools across Canberra for occasional inter-school gatherings and host one such gathering at CGS in Term 1. During term 3, Rev. James Coats ran a series of Confirmation classes culminating with a Service of Confirmation with Bishop Mark Short. In total, nine students chose to be confirmed.

The CGS multi-faith prayer room remained available to all students who wished to take time out during the day to pray.

PRIMARY SCHOOL REPORT

FROM THE HEAD OF PRIMARY SCHOOL DR SANDRA WEBSTER

2023 was a notable year for the Primary School. It marked a return to a semblance of normality, with zero COVID-19 restrictions in terms of visitors on campus.This meant that we could fully welcome parents and guests back onto both campuses to join us, and share in the learning opportunities and events that have marked our calendars in the past. This was significant, as a fundamental belief of the Primary School is in the importance of parent partnership, so a missing dimension to school life had been restored. The year began with a well-attended whole-school picnic, including a lion dance, to welcome everyone back onto campus. The year concluded with a similarly well-attended Christmas Carols Concert, with many events in between.

Our curriculum focus in 2023 was on Mathematics, specifically developing pedagogical approaches to Mathematics teaching involving student-centred structured inquiry, inclusive Mathematics teaching and the rationale for and the processes of creating rich mathematical tasks. We worked with Professor Peter Sullivan, Emeritus Professor, School of Curriculum Teaching and Inclusive Education at Monash University, to assist us in this professional development.

Over the year, we continued to support understanding an inquiry pedagogy by working with Kath Murdoch, an internationally recognised expert in this area.

We continued to work with Dr Misty Adoniou on functional grammar and the place of mentor texts in our literacy programme, thus concluding our formal, two-year focus on this curriculum area.

Our students had some excellent learning opportunities outside of the classroom. One particular highlight was the contribution of our students to Vivid Sydney. Vivid Sydney is an annual festival of light, music and ideas. It includes outdoor immersive light installations, projections, and performances by local and international musicians. In 2023, it included a prominent art projection from the students at CGS!

Throughout the year, our students continued to impress us with their Rostrum speeches, PYP Walk contributions, courage on camps, and hard work across all classrooms. The publication and reiteration of our Behaviour Management Policy and Code of Conduct document has reconfirmed our commitment to an expectation of high standards of behaviour from all members of our community, which adds to the feeling of security and place.

2023 was a successful year. There were many delights, from the Christmas Choral Concerts, the Year 6 Exhibition, the PYP walks, the ELC Portfolio Sharing, Book Week parade… As always in a large and busy school, the year was not without its challenges; however, the strength and support of the whole CGS community enabled us to move through these constructively and positively, bringing the Primary School to a satisfying conclusion.

The year’s many successes were echoed in various staff and student achievements. We enjoyed celebrating these, with the following being a snapshot of some (but not all) highlights:

• Mr Liam Hannan won the inaugural Stephen Byron Award for contributions over and above to the School community.

• Mrs Emma Potter was awarded the Staff Sustainable Leadership Award in the 2023 Climate Choices Schools Awards from the ACT Government’s Sustainable Schools programme.

• Ms Jasmin Clark-Wellinton, a Primary School teacher in her capacity as Technical Director, had great success with the netball teams under her care. CGS had eight teams in the semi-finals, four in the finals, a grand final win for each inters team (Years 7 & 8) and the first-division women’s team. This was an achievement, as CGS had never had a grand final or many wins in general.

• Oscar Cheung (Year 6) won the Peter O’Halloran Award for achieving a perfect score in the Australian Maths Competition and the Best in School award.

• Oscar was also selected to be in the junior stream of the Australian Maths Trust’s High Performance Mathematics School of Excellence.

• Vivienne Gaffey’s short story was selected as a winning entry for this year’s ‘Pens Against Poverty’ writing competition. The story was honoured for quality writing and engagement with this year’s theme, ‘Voices for Change’.

• Zara Skepev (Year 3) was awarded for her Outstanding Community Service and Citizenship by The Order of Australia Association.

• 93% of Year 5 students achieved a strong or exceeding achievement in Reading in the 2023 NAPLAN results.

• 92% of Year 3 students achieved a strong or exceeding achievement in Numeracy in the 2023 NAPLAN results.

• 93% of our Year 3 students achieved a strong or exceeding achievement in Writing in the 2023 NAPLAN results.

• Our Da Vinci Year 6 team qualified to compete in the nationals held in Sydney.

• Our choir was selected to sing at the Lighting of the Parliament House Christmas Giving Tree 2023.

Primary School Leadership Team

• Deputy Head (Head of Primary School) – Dr Sandra Webster

• Deputy Head of Primary School 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

Major Projects

The most notable project of 2023 was the completion of the new primary administration and classroom block. The building work had been planned for some time and was started and completed over the year. It has provided Years 5 and 6 students with open, light, and airy classrooms that are a pleasure to work in. The new classrooms provide a learning space for students to collaborate with their peers across the year level, a variety of furniture options suited to different learning styles, and space to spread out and create, unhindered by the need to pack items away at the end of the day. Teachers can join to plan as a team or work individually in their own space. Visitors have a well-marked entry point at which to enter the Primary School. The administration and leadership teams have spaces on the same floor, thus enabling easy collaboration and communication. It has been a joy to work in this new building. As I write, Stage 2 of the planned building work is underway, that is, the refurbishment and remodelling of the former administration building, which will provide:

• Further collaborative office spaces

• A larger staffroom which will fit all staff comfortably; and

• Multi-purpose meeting rooms.

As a School, we are grateful for the provision of these buildings, which reflects the commitment to excellence of provision that we strive for.

Academic Education

In 2023, the Primary School directed its learning and teaching efforts towards nurturing curious, creative, confident, and compassionate citizens of the world. The Academic Team was pivotal in assisting teachers in developing learning programmes that cater to diverse abilities, fostering transdisciplinary connections, and promoting effective assessment practices.

PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAMME (PYP)

The Primary Staff continued to engage in all aspects of the IB PYP, focusing on inquiry-based pedagogy, learner agency, and authentic action. The evaluation process commenced to ensure alignment with IB requirements, focusing on enhancing student ownership, voice, and choice within classroom practices.

The Primary Staff continue to engage comprehensively with the International Baccalaureate (IB) framework, reinforcing our commitment to excellence in IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) education. Central to the IB philosophy is the aspiration to cultivate internationally-minded students dedicated to lifelong learning. Our Primary School remains committed to providing enriching opportunities that equip students with the skills necessary for meaningful action.

LITERACY

2023 was a year of consolidation for the innovative work undertaken with Misty Adoniou last year. Teams have been applying the scaffolded literacy approach to their reading and writing instruction, building their capacity to plan and document high-quality literacy programmes that align with their units of inquiry. Mentor texts have been specifically chosen for the grammatical elements, author’s choice of vocabulary and sentence structures. The team can explicitly use quality texts to teach text features using real-life, purposeful writing. They can mirror this with the joy of reading a good book, pondering about the author’s choices of character, vocabulary and sentence structure. This has become a fundamental element of collaboration with teams and the Associate Director of Academic Education (Literacy).

Teams are prioritising and planning for effective reading instruction to increase student capacity in reading and writing. We have continued strategic sorting of reading materials and ensured that we are well-resourced with decodable readers and high-quality reading material in classrooms and the Library. Supplementary reading materials are a priority to support and extend conceptual learning within our Units of Inquiry. Student agency within the Library learning space has meant many books have been rehomed, and spaces have become more flexible, facilitating a collective understanding of what makes a positive interaction in a short Library session to promote various text types. They continue auditing the resources for connections to conceptual ideas and to ensure cultural diversity.

Students continue to inspire teachers with their ability to read and write beyond the confines of the curriculum and challenge the limits of an academic rubric. The stretch and challenge groups continue to astound us with the power of the written word, and the command of the spoken word is evidenced through Rostrum speeches. 2023 saw two awards within the “Pens Against Poverty” short story writing competition, with Vivienne Gaffey and Avi Jain being awarded prizes by the Governor General at the Government House.

MATHEMATICS

Department Objectives:

• To develop and build a collective understanding of the teaching and learning of mathematics at CGS

• To ensure that all teaching staff are knowledgeable about and skilled in delivering a high-quality mathematics programme

• For all students to achieve one year’s growth in their academic achievement within mathematics

• To upskill staff on writing a mathematics programme using an inquiry-based approach to learning; and

• To use assessment to drive teaching and learning for individual students.

Primary School teachers have continued their dedication to supporting and enriching all students through ensuring engaging, stimulating and authentic learning and teaching. We had the opportunity to collaborate with a leading academic thinker this year. Emeritus Professor Peter Sullivan from Monash University worked with teachers, learning assistants, educational leaders and students across the year. Peter has spent his career developing a range of practical strategies to enhance numeracy skills in students and build teacher efficacy through quality mathematics teaching. Teachers used the inquiry framework of developing openended learning opportunities that provide multiple entry and exit points and set challenges for the students to stretch to their full potential.

The four strategies he shared were:

1. Making tasks open by working from the answer

2. Making tasks open by creating blanks

3. Openness through personalising; and

4. Forcing connections.

Professor Sullivan encouraged us to remove our preconceived ideas about what students might achieve and instead challenged us to imagine what they could accomplish when allowed to explore, discover, innovate, and extend when ready, with support provided as needed. Teachers had the opportunity to engage as students with Peter, sit in the uncomfortable with the open questions and then reflect as students would. Return visits allowed teachers to ask more questions, discuss, refine, reflect on practice, and watch demonstration lessons that supported the design of academically challenging learning opportunities.

The key takeaways from these sessions were:

1. Multiple Approaches: to build awareness that there is often more than one way to solve problems and to share students’ work as a mechanism to discuss student thinking and to all other students to build on these ideas or try something they might not have thought of before

2. Using Students’ Work Samples: The power of modelling student work samples in real-time and using this as a catalyst for moments of explicit teaching; and

3. Student Agency: Getting out of the students’ way gives them time to discover and explore questions. The role of the teacher is to ask questions when required to promote deeper thinking, which can be facilitated through wait time.

ENHANCING LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

THROUGH THE INDIVIDUAL LEARNING TEAM

Department Objectives:

• Inclusive Education: Establish an international standard for differentiation that will help all teachers effectively meet the needs of all children in the classroom in a truly inclusive way

• Tier 3: to document, enhance and implement an effection response to intervention Tier 3 model

• Intervention: Continually review, refine, and enhance the intervention programme and identification suite to ensure high-quality and evidence-based purpose, content, and outcomes

• Enrichment: to introduce the refined and enhanced Stretch and Challenge Enrichment Programme to ensure high-quality and evidence-based opportunities for students who require an enriched curriculum; and

• Pastoral Connection: Bridging the gap between pastoral and learning by enhancing the connection that the Individual Learning Team has with the Student Care Team.

All Primary School teachers and leaders completed flagship training with the Global Inclusive Teaching Initiative (GITI), focusing on building a global standard for all teachers to understand and embed inclusive practices in their everyday learning and teaching programme. Staff collaboratively undertook five modules to challenge, extend and refine their professional practice to support and extend student learning in and out of the classroom.

We continue supporting, challenging, and extending students with additional needs through an inclusion lens. Tier 3 support case managers collaborate with teachers to determine what adjustments are required to ensure that we meet each student’s academic needs. Adjustments have been in time allowances, altered transitions, presentation or timetable, small-group work, individualised presentation expectations, or learning environment. Introducing a Tier 3 teacher and upskilling Learning Assistants has allowed a supported and targeted space for learning.

The Academic and Individual Learning Team continue to delve into standardised data to guide the selection of intervention and enrichment groups. This year, we had to tighten the parameters to determine stretch and challenge groups, as a number of our students were placed in the top 10% of students. We used Renzulli’s Three Ring Conception of Giftedness to ensure ability and task commitment were in place. We have continued purchasing more Level B assessments to support onsite assessments and provide more targeted interventions.

CURRICULUM INTEGRATION AND EVALUATION PROCESS

We have seamlessly integrated all updated elements of the new V9.0 Australian Curriculum content into our Programme of Inquiry (POI). Moreover, we have embarked on a thorough evaluation process, developing a strategic timeline for critical reflection and refinement through an Action Plan. Collaborating within our PYP network, we have identified areas for improvement and formed focus groups to ensure a comprehensive self-study. Continual refinement is informed by previous IB Evaluation recommendations, ensuring ongoing enhancement of our educational practices.

ENHANCING INQUIRY LEARNING AND STUDENT AGENCY

Staff have actively participated in professional development opportunities, including working with esteemed educators like Kath Murdoch, to enhance our understanding of inquiry learning. Prioritising learner agency, we encourage students’ ownership, voice, and choice within classroom practices. By revisiting rich questioning techniques and targeting three levels of questions (Factual, Conceptual, and Debatable), we aim to foster critical thinking and extend students’ understanding.

PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY AND ACTION

A whole-school focus on sustainability, exemplified through the Sharing the Planet Unit of Inquiry, has empowered students to engage with environmental concepts and take meaningful action. Initiatives such as the Green Team and everyday actions promote a culture of sustainability. The Year 6 Exhibition, themed ‘You’re the Voice’, demonstrated students’ profound understanding of global issues and their commitment to effecting positive change. Mentors facilitated collaborative sessions to refine presentations, culminating in a vibrant showcase of student-led initiatives at Presentation Night.

THE PYP WALK – TRANSDISCIPLINARY LEARNING

Teachers across the Primary School strategically developed learning experiences that could be showcased for our annual PYP Walk with the transdisciplinary link of Mathematics. This was launched with open-ended tasks facilitated by Peter Sullivan, with students being asked to make their thinking visible.

Providing engaging opportunities for students to explore and apply their knowledge through various learning opportunities is the key to creating mathematically empowered students. Teachers used inquiry in everyday maths classes in conjunction with explicit teaching. We also look for ways to integrate mathematics into our other learning areas with all teachers and students exploring mathematical concepts across art, music, religion, sport, language, science, technology and HaSS. They have made authentic connections to how maths exists in the real world. From mobiles, monster characters, interactive maps, wallpaper designs, virus sculptures, and so much more, it is clear that maths is all around us.

INDIGENOUS EDUCATION

The Primary School remains steadfast in its commitment to nurturing cultural sensitivity and understanding, with a particular focus on living out the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) over the past five years. This year, we embarked on an innovative journey to place Indigenous education at the forefront of our curriculum.

Guided by a vision to integrate Indigenous education into our curriculum seamlessly, our primary staff celebrated the cultural wealth of Australia’s Indigenous communities. Leading up to Sorry Day and Reconciliation Day, a series of lessons were taught to every year group. This initiative aimed to create a learning environment that imparts knowledge and cultivates deep respect for diversity and a nuanced understanding of the nation’s intricate history and Indigenous culture.

Our programme is built on foundational pillars crafted in collaboration with pastoral, academic, and team coordinators, drawing on the invaluable insights of Australians Together, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to Indigenous education. Lessons were thoughtfully tailored to fit within a 20 – 30 minute timeframe, equipping students with a comprehensive understanding of Indigenous heritage.

A pivotal milestone in this endeavour was the Reconciliation Assembly, which served as a culmination of weeks dedicated to Indigenous education. Here, students showcased their learnings and experiences, emphasising their commitment to understanding, respect, and action, culminating in writing pledges on how to live out reconciliation.

Beyond the assembly, the School planned events celebrating Indigenous cultures and commemorations aligned with significant days such as Sorry Day, Reconciliation Day, and NAIDOC Week. These commemorations stand as a testament to the diversity and richness of Indigenous heritage. Additionally, planned activities during every camp, including corroborees and smoking ceremonies, underscore the immersive nature of this educational journey.

Furthermore, each year group continued to incorporate Indigenous perspectives through their units of inquiry. For instance, Year 3 brought local artist Kalara Gilbert to create an artwork collaboratively showcasing their connection to the country and Canberra Grammar School’s space within the local community.

Looking ahead, the primary staff envisions a comprehensive calendar and curriculum that steadfastly upholds the School’s commitment to Indigenous education. Our ongoing effort aims to educate and instil a lifelong appreciation for and understanding of Indigenous cultures.

INDONESIAN

This year, the Indonesian team has continued providing students with a booklet for each unit of inquiry, including the sentence builders appropriate for the unit and a range of associated classroom tasks for recycling and vocabulary practice. The sentence builders contain chunks of language based on the communicative functions appropriate for our young learners: describing and identifying people and places, responding to questions, and expressing opinions.

TheSschool partnership with SDK Cor Jesu in Malang, East Java, continues to flourish and grow. Through this connection, the students are enhancing their awareness of how their positive attitudes can assist them now and in the future to contribute to the global community through strengthened intercultural understanding. The partnership facilitates our students’ development of empathy, curiosity, and a desire to improve their language skills. The connection gives meaning to their learning and shapes how they engage with language and cultural diversity locally, nationally, and globally through experiential learning. The similarity in the ethos of both Schools has enabled us to share Indonesian aspects of our service learning.

OUTDOOR EDUCATION

The Outdoor Education Programme nurtured holistic development, instilled enduring values, and fostered connections among our students, community, and the natural world.

In 2023, we curated and executed five distinct camps, each meticulously designed to nurture skills and foster personal development:

• Year 2 – Warrambui (2 Days/1 Night): Building foundational confidence and independence and introducing students to the camp experience immersed in nature

• Year 3 – Warrambui (3 Days/2 Nights): Providing fundamental outdoor education experiences, fostering healthy self-esteem, and encouraging diverse activities

• Year 4 - Fitzroy Falls (3 Days/2 Nights): Emphasising teamwork, communication, and independence within outdoor challenges

• Year 5 - Jervis Bay (3 Days/2 Nights): Cultivating cooperation, resilience, and a sense of responsibility towards self, peers, and the environment; and

• Year 6 - Illawarra Coastline (4 Days/3 Nights): Transitioning to extensive outdoor expeditions, focusing on relationships, introspection, leadership, and fostering responsibility for self and others.

Our programme encompassed a diverse range of experiential learning activities, including snorkelling, kayaking, team-building initiatives, water safety, navigation, bush walks, hiking, high ropes, low wires, giant swings, camp craft, fire lighting skills, cooking on open flames, and indigenous education. A notable highlight of our Year 6 Camp was the service learning component, which involved planting trees to increase the water table and support local ecosystems.

Single Outdoor Education Days

Throughout the year, single outdoor education days were held for Pre-school to Year 2 students. These days aimed to introduce students to the outdoors, promoting confidence and comfort through bush walks, group games, bush art, fire lighting, cooking on a fire, and indigenous bush tucker and plant use.

Junior Duke of Edinburgh

The Junior Duke of Edinburgh programme symbolises our commitment to fostering personal development, service, leadership, and resilience. In the past year, 25 Kindergarten to Year 6 participants completed their Junior Duke and received awards in the final assembly.

Integration of Core Values

Our programme was intricately interwoven with core values, providing a consistent framework for personal and character development, including resilience, courage, adaptability, integrity, gratitude, embracing challenges, and fostering a connection with nature.

Educational Approach

Beyond conventional outdoor educational boundaries, our approach emphasised community partnerships, local environmental studies, exploration of history and culture, service learning, indigenous knowledge, interdisciplinary learning, reflection, ecological stewardship, and project-based learning.

Outdoor Education Benefits

The Outdoor Education Programme impacted our students’ relationships with themselves, the community, and the environment. It fostered resilience, responsibility, confidence, leadership, empathy, understanding, a deep connection with nature, sustainability, and holistic well-being.

PERFORMING ARTS

Pre-school – Year 2 Christmas Concert

The Pre-school – Year 2 Christmas Concert was a delightful celebration of the Christmas story, featuring energetic performances by our students. Dressed as stars, stable animals, shepherds, and kings, the students captivated the audience with their beautiful singing and graceful movements.

Years 3-6 Carols Service

The Carols Service for Years 3-6, held in the Snow Concert Hall, was a much-anticipated event on our annual calendar. It provided a fantastic opportunity for the School community to come together, reflect on the past year, and engage with the Christmas message. The service showcased exemplary performances from our co-curricular choirs, including the CGS Singers and Chorale. Congratulations to Erin Read for her outstanding solo in ‘Once in Royal David’s City’. Additionally, we commend our chamber string performers and student readers for their contributions to the event.

Music Soirées

Primary School Music Soirées provided a platform for students who learn instruments or voice at CGS and externally to showcase their talents. We hosted six concerts for Kindergarten to Year 6 students in the second semester, featuring over 130 performances. Audiences were treated to diverse recitals, including piano, oboe, cello, and trombone, supported by our talented piano accompanists and music staff.

Theatre Production

The Primary Co-Curricular Theatre Production returned to the stage with great success. The Co-curricular Horizons Programme students dedicated themselves to crafting an original theatre piece, showcasing their talents and hard work. Parents and community members joined us in celebrating their achievements, highlighting the importance of the performing arts in our curriculum.

Primary School House System and Student Leadership

House Captain Vivienne Gaffey

The Primary School House system is dedicated to empowering students to become curious, creative, confident, and compassionate citizens of the world. Through an additional pastoral care layer, we aim to enhance students’ sense of belonging within the School community and contribute to their care and development.

PURPOSE AND INITIATIVES

The House system aims to foster a sense of self, community, and leadership among students, encouraging active citizenship and service to others. Students can engage in vertical groupings, promoting interaction with the broader school community.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP

This year marked significant growth in student leadership within the Primary School. At the annual Leadership Assembly, we officially welcomed and congratulated all student leaders, including House Captains, Year 6 Leaders, and Student Representative Council members, acknowledging their roles and impact on our School.

EXPANSION AND INTEGRATION

Starting in 2023, every student from Pre-school to Year 6 was assigned a House, providing regular opportunities to connect and strengthen our community. The House system expanded into the Early Learning Centre and other Primary School campuses, accompanied by the development of house picture books linked to indigenous totems and stories to foster connections among younger students.

HOUSE SERVICE LEARNING INITIATIVE

A highlight of the year was the launch of our House Service Learning initiative. Collaborating with local community groups and the ACT government, students dedicated their time and energy to regenerating a plot of land on Red Hill. Students actively contributed to preserving their local environment through rubbish collection, weeding, and planting.

Head

Jasmin

Priya Sangani

COMPETITIVE ASPECT AND ACHIEVEMENTS

The House system also encompasses a competitive aspect, including swimming, gala days, athletics, debating, cross country, and e-sports. Congratulations to Buru House for securing the House Shield for another year.

We thank the House Captains, Year 6 leaders, Heads of Student House, House staff, and, most importantly, our students within each House for their leadership, enthusiasm, warmth, and fun. We are immensely proud of the efforts shown in 2023.

The Primary School House system continues to play a vital role in fostering a sense of community, leadership, and service among our students. We look forward to further expanding our initiatives and offerings in the coming years.

HOUSE POINTS AND OVERALL CHAMPION HOUSE

1st: Buru – 13892

2nd: Mulleun – 13379

3rd: Dhiriwiri – 13243

4th: Namarag – 13047

5th: Guginyal – 13024

6th: Bariny – 12875

Overall Champion House: Buru

HOUSE DEBATING

Buru – 75

Guginyal – 70

Mulleun – 65

Namarag – 60

Dhiriwiri – 50

Bariny – 45

SENIOR SCHOOL REPORT

FROM THE HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL

MR OLIVER THOMPSON

Celebrating the life of the Senior School

Given the richness and diversity within the Senior School, it is hard to encapsulate the full scope of the school year in this report. Like myself, many students and parents will have completed their first year at CGS. That experience of the School is quite incredible, and seeing it come to life daily with all of the elements that make it whole is a fulfilling experience.

Over this academic year, we have often spoken to the students, staff, and our families about returning to a sense of normalcy following the disruption of the ‘COVID-19 years’. I wonder if any school year ever truly feels normal as our students’ challenges and successes always vary; therefore, the School’s experience is unique. The students of CGS have certainly created a unique and fulfilling year. In the final assembly, I spoke of fulfilment and reaching a point that acknowledges the busyness of the year but reflects on a sense of accomplishment and achievement. Across the Senior School, we should all feel that achievement and accomplishment. Many students have indeed achieved great things that do not receive medals or certificates. They have had to battle and challenge themselves, and I am delighted for every student that this resonates with. For those who did have their moment on the Snow Concert Hall stage to be acknowledged by the staff and their peers, I equally recognise your achievement. What I have been pleased with is that all our students are seen and known, and we will strive to elevate the range of success and accomplishment within the School.

Our student leaders have been a positive force throughout 2023, enabling high levels of participation in various activities. Our BIG House events and carnivals have been impressive and are true communitybuilding moments. Students have felt safe to be involved, and they aptly celebrated their successes and that of their peers. Continuing these community moments and building on the success of our 2023 Captains is a priority for our new student leaders. There is a collective appreciation for their privileged position and the good work and service they can do locally, nationally, and internationally. The general willingness to rally around a cause and find ways to contribute has been impressive. Everything from Shave for a Cure, Moonlight Recycled, and Movember have shown an excellent side to our students who have given generously. However, the broad range of contributions to service work has stood out. Our Service programme is dynamic and varied. In 2023, we have seen students fully embrace this work and opportunity. We have had three students receive the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Awards, and we have seen students head off to Nepal and inter-state to undertake such service learning. We should be proud of how these students find ways to contribute to the world.

After some years of looking locally, our exchange, experiences, and tours have been in full flow since the beginning of the year. We have welcomed students from around the globe and equally sent students in the other direction. These are truly formative moments for our young people, and we recognise that those who visit our School, even for short periods, can enrich who we are. In 2024, we look forward to further exploring these opportunities for our students.

While I will leave the deeper cocurricular reflection to others in this report, I have been amazed by the engagement of our students and staff to create exceptional moments beyond the classroom. In Sports, our senior teams have excelled, and it was with great pride that we saw our girls’ teams win the senior tournaments in Netball and Rugby, alongside other successes. In CGS Theatre, we saw students take on the challenging Broadway hit Chicago and the unique Verstand. The environment and safety created on the sporting field and stage demonstrate the commitment of our staff to developing our students.

Recognising the breadth of contribution from our teachers and staff is essential. Many people make up the whole, and each person enables the learning environment to thrive. On behalf of our community, I thank everyone who has worked with our School and students in 2023. You have made a difference in the lives of our young people, and we are grateful for this contribution.

Senior School Leadership Team (SSLT)

In 2023, the Senior School team witnessed changes and new appointments as part of its ongoing commitment to shaping the School’s future.

Welcoming a new Head of Senior School, we also introduced Karen Driver as the Executive Assistant in the Senior School, providing crucial support to Oliver Thompson and the Senior School Leadership Team. Catherine Dobner took on the role of Director of Academic Education, succeeding Neil Dunkley. In this position, Catherine oversees the key curriculum operational team, playing a vital role in the Senior School classroom environment. Neil Dunkley transitioned to the Director of Educational Opportunities role, dedicated to supporting students in seeking experiences beyond the classroom, enriching their perspectives and challenging their understanding of the world. In Term 4, Elizabeth Allsopp temporarily assumed this role during Neil’s leave, which extends through the end of Semester 1, 2024. Additionally, Stuart McNeil took a welldeserved leave in Term 1, with Gareth Downey acting as Director of Active Education.

Ann Hamer, as the Director of Teacher Development, and Dimitria Karapanagos, as the Director of Student Development, continue to lead their domains with exceptional dedication, innovation, and wisdom.

A new addition to the team in 2023 was Vivienne Sheridan, who assumed the role of Assistant Director of Academic Education (Timetabling and Student Data), transitioning from her previous role as Head of Burgmann House. We were also thrilled to appoint Chris Brain to the ongoing role of Assistant Director of Teacher Development for 2024, following his acting role in 2023. Lindsey Herse (Assistant Director of Student Development - Wellbeing), Graeme Lendrum (Assistant Director of Student Development - Service Learning), Graham Maltby (Assistant Director of Academic Education - DP Coordinator), Andrea McNamara (Assistant Director of Academic Education - MYP Coordinator), and Mark Perkins (Assistant Director of Academic Education - HSC Coordinator) continued their roles in 2023. Lindsey took leave in Term 3, with Lizzy Collier acting in her place during Semester 2. We extend our thanks to Mark for his contributions as HSC Coordinator, and in 2024, we welcome Amy Hall as the Assistant Director of Academic Education (HSC Coordinator).

While leadership poses various challenges, these individuals are instrumental in driving the School’s initiatives. Their efforts are complemented by an incredible Administrative team, and we express gratitude for the diverse contributions that continuously enhance our School.

Exchange Programme and Overseas Tours

TOURS

In 2023, the School had two major international tours in the mid-year break, reflecting a return to pre-COVID-19 opportunities. These included recommencing the annual Cricket Tour to the United Kingdom, with cricketers from Years 9 to 12 travelling around the United Kingdom, playing against schools and attending two Ashes matches during the three-week tour. Parents were able to attend aspects of the tour, including cricket matches. The Ancient History and Latin tour to Italy saw 33 students and five teachers travel to sites of historical and cultural significance in a tour that spanned the entire country. Students were able to experience firsthand the sites and experiences studied in the classroom through a range of learning and cultural immersion activities. Both tours were oversubscribed, demonstrating the support these activities have received from the community.

Over Easter, two students attended the Montgomery Bell International Symposium hosted by the African Leadership Academy in South Africa, with the Principal and an accompanying teacher. The week-long symposium was the conclusion of a six-month project exploring the future of work and the economy, with nine schools from across the world and students participating in forums and workshops with experts from across Africa exploring the issue of youth unemployment and sustainable growth. The School has been asked to host in 2024, focusing on the future of Democracy.

EXCHANGES

After an extended break due to COVID-19 and travel restrictions, the School’s exchange programme returned in 2023, with twenty students experiencing six-week exchanges in schools worldwide. These exchanges saw students in groups of between two and nine students attend the schools after hosting students in a reciprocal arrangement here in Australia with a mix of boarding and homestay arrangements. The exchanges took place in Terms 2 and 4, with Shawnigan Lake School in Canada, Strathallan School in Scotland, Shebbear College, The Royal Hospital School, and Dulwich College in England, Waseda Jitsyo School in Japan, and Argentina’s St George’s College.

Pastoral Care and Student Wellbeing

Being a student in the 21st century is challenging: our young people juggle a post-pandemic world that has shifted sands and changed goalposts. The nature of communication and technology has developed at an unprecedented rate, the prospects of future jobs are more diverse than ever, and the educational culture has exploded in an array of new learning foci and appreciations. At this core is a collective of hardworking, busy Canberra Grammar School students navigating their journey to the best of their ability. We know this journey does not happen in solitude but moves in tandem with our families, community and staff.

The Student Development Team of Canberra Grammar School, led by the Director and Assistant Directors of Student Development, Heads of Student Houses, and supported by all teaching staff, is committed to the wellbeing of our student body. Wellbeing encompasses the feeling of belonging, inclusion and achievement. When our students feel these elements, we know their engagement to be curious, confident, and creative learners is amplified. To support the overall wellbeing of our students, our team has been busy implementing the Senior School Pastoral Programme. Designed to ensure a consistent approach, this programme moves alongside our students to support their development of resilience, empathy and compassion skills. The programme draws on the vast experience of our teaching staff, field leading research and external providers to deliver a variety of age-appropriate messaging across the year.

2023 offered a diverse programme for all students in the Senior School. Our Year 7 cohort met with presenters from the Butterfly Foundation to learn about the importance of Body Positive image. Our Year 11 and 12 students were lucky to have an opportunity to meet and work with Dr Tessa Opie, a sex positive education leader in Australia, to discuss positive relationships and consent. Year 10 was visited by the P.A.R.T.Y programme to discuss the strategies of safe and risk adverse behaviours as they move into young adulthood, and Year 9 enjoyed the interactive presentation with Gibber on how to deal with peer pressure. Beyond our external providers, however, were some powerful staff and student devised lessons. One of the most notable being the redesigned Year 8 programme on reconciliation, which was designed in partnership with our Year 11 Indigenous Scholars. We strengthen our connection between school and home by offering parent information sessions from presenters such as Tessa Opie. By working in tandem and fostering positive across-school relationships, we build meaningful connections for our students to engage with.

Our ongoing dedication to student wellbeing is a commitment we have made to help our students reach their full potential. We know all students travel on a different journey and aim to support everyone in the way they need. The dedication of our tutoring staff offers each student in the Senior School an opportunity to meet and work with a staff member each week. These connections form the heart of our Houses, and it is here that we grow our sense of belonging and inclusion, here we celebrate our achievements. We are committed to student wellbeing as we understand this forms the foundation of strong, positive learning habits that we want our students to develop for life.

Boarding

Boarding is a significant and enriching component of a CGS education for many students, contributing to the vibrant life of our School. The diverse backgrounds and experiences of boarders bring an additional dimension to CGS, fostering a positive environment for all students and staff involved in boarding.

The stability in boarding staffing throughout 2023 reflects the dedicated leadership of Mrs Jenny Hunter (Head of Girls’ Boarding) and Mr Lawson Waser (Head of Boys’ Boarding). Supported by Ms Olivia Gurney and Mr Max Bode as Assistant Heads of Girls’ and Boys’ Boarding, respectively, this leadership team and resident and non-resident supervisors have cultivated a positive and dynamic culture within our Boarding Houses, positively impacting everyone involved.

In 2023, the boarding provision focused on implementing initiatives identified in the 2022 audit by the Australian Boarding Schools Association (ABSA), further enhancing boarding operations. Ms Gurney took a break from boarding responsibilities to focus on teaching, and we were delighted to welcome Ms Giorgia Bakeberg as the Assistant Head of Girls’ Boarding in the fourth term.

Numerous initiatives persisted throughout 2023 to enhance support for boarding students in their academic work and study. Teaching staff made themselves available during prep times, offering valuable additional support. The introduction of ‘stay-in’ weekends and ‘everyone on leave’ weekends once a term provided a well-balanced mix of boarding activities and refreshing breaks at key points each term. Additionally, the once-a-term Boarders Chapel and Formal dinner became highlights of the year, adding meaningful and enjoyable experiences to the boarding community.

Leadership Opportunities

Leadership opportunities are provided across all levels of the Senior School through formal positions of responsibility and our House-based system. Our model is based on servant leadership and having a positive impact on others. In 2023, 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 to hear student voice and representation from all year groups.

Special thanks to our School Leaders for 2023 from Year 12, who had such a positive influence on the life of Canberra Grammar School. Sarvani Gaddipati, Milind Meson, Roman Johnson, Audrey Kuan, Jack Morrissey, Victoria Spark and Yutaka Yamada were effective in their roles, and 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 Council 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 also provides many practical leadership experiences when students are out in the field.

Indigenous Scholars Programme

The Indigenous Scholars programme at CGS continues to grow and thrive through our valuable connection with the South Coast community and other regional areas of NSW. This programme has helped several Scholars join CGS for their education, and it has had an enormously positive impact on the life of the School. We aim to see this programme continue to grow and develop. Our boarding houses provide enormous support to all students, particularly those on scholarship, as they adjust to the different demands of a CGS education. In 2024, we have invited seven new students from Albury, Hillston, Harden, and Alice Springs to our School and three day students from Canberra.

Outdoor Education Camps

In 2023, CGS returned to the model of offering rolling camps for Year 9 students throughout the first half of the year, and these camps proceeded smoothly. Two groups of approximately 20 students each experienced an outdoor education programme run by our staff during Term 2 and the initial weeks of Term 3. The Outdoor Education staff also continued to provide smaller opportunities, mainly through the Duke of Edinburgh programme throughout the first half of the year and during holiday breaks. Ms Lauren Hargreaves has done a great job coordinating this programme and offering an important element of a well-rounded education. Year 7 was offered two specific camp experiences at the ‘top and tail’ of the year. The first experience in March was a chance for the cohort to get to know each other and take some time out of their busy schedules to enjoy the outdoors and work with their new Year 7 Head of House. They were also offered a two-day activity in November to get to know their Senior Head of Student House and build confidence and capacity to prepare for Year 8.

Camps Week this year was scaled back to just Year 10 and Year 8, who both enjoyed an incredible week of outdoor adventures. Year 10 was based in Koziuscko National Park using service provider ALI from Jindabyne. Year 8 was again based on the Shoalhaven River at Coolendel.

Our outdoor programmes’ dynamic nature and adventure were celebrated in a special assembly in term 4, doubling as a fitting tribute to Ms Sue Donoghue. As Head of Outdoor Education at CGS for the past 18 years, Sue has had an incredible and lasting impact on thousands of CGS students and many staff. We wish her well in her retirement.

Academic Education

ART, DESIGN, AND TECHNOLOGY 2023

In Term 2, we welcomed Beattie Lanser to our department as a Design and Technology teacher. Beattie has brought diverse experiences to the role and has proven to be a valuable asset to our team. Unfortunately, we bid farewell to Alister McDonald, an Art, Design, and Technology teacher from 2013 until Term 1, 2023. Additionally, we said goodbye to Ashley Roxburgh, an ADT Technical Assistant (2021–2023), and Beattie Lanser, who concluded their tenure with us this year. We thank all these staff members for their significant contributions to the department and the School.

This year, we proudly offered 20 courses across Visual Arts and Design, maintaining stable Year 7–10 class numbers while actively working to increase enrolment in our senior courses.

As part of our professional development programme, we dedicated time within the department to enhance our Year 7 and 8 MYP programmes. Our collaborative efforts focused on sharing knowledge and skills across various disciplines in Art and Design. Notable areas of expertise included CNC routers, 3D printers, plasma cutters, electronics, ceramics, and textile printing workshops.

Introducing the inaugural co-curricular Young Artist Programme, led by Caitlin Dominey, has been a highlight of this year. The programme allows students to engage with practising artists in various artistic pursuits. They participated in a portraiture workshop and will submit their work to the Young Archies competition. Furthermore, they collaborated with a local artist to design and create a mural in the Jones House area, scheduled for completion in 2024. Due to its success, the programme is set to run again in 2024.

We welcomed two artists this year in collaboration with the ANU School of Art and their Emerging Arts Support Scheme. Niamh Armstrong worked with Caitlin Dominey and the co-curricular group, conducting workshops in portraiture painting. Juliette Baxter joined us later in the year, working with senior students to develop their bodies of work. This valuable programme allows students to collaborate with emerging practising artists. We are delighted to announce Molly Desmond as the recipient of the Canberra Grammar Artist in Residence Award for 2024.

Beyond the classroom, we organised various student experiences, including excursions to the National Gallery of Australia, the National Museum of Australia, Questacon, and the Portrait Gallery for Year 8, 9, and 10 classes. Additionally, the Year 10 Visual Arts students visited the NSW Art Gallery workshop on the Archibald prize, while our Year 11 and 12 Design students explored a design studio and factory, gaining insights into the design process in the industry.This year, Bianca Handel entered and won the overall prize in the UC Faculty of Arts and Design competition, securing free tuition at UC for 2024.

The Year 12 Graduating Exhibition was a resounding success, showcasing the work of IB and HSC students in Art, Design, and Textiles at the Snow Concert Hall Foyer and Atrium.

In Term 4, we hosted the first Years 7–11 ADT exhibition, displaying work from all department courses in the Atrium of the Snow Concert Hall Foyer and Atrium, ADT Building, and the Old Library. Every student who completed a course in ADT in 2023 had their work on display.

Our collaboration with IT teachers to develop Design and Technology and Information Technology programmes has been fruitful. Notably, Year 9 Textiles and IT students collaborated to create wearable technology, and we look forward to continuing this collaboration in 2024.

ECONOMICS

Department Goals and Action Research

Our team experienced positive progress with the current project on “Improving Writing Confidence”. Staff surveys show Department CPL sessions had a high or significant impact on teachers’ professional goals, classroom practice and student learning. All teachers reported they used more writing scaffolds, improved formative assessment, tried different feedback methods and improved their confidence in teaching explicit writing skills. Rowena Gregson and Sarah Czarnota presented a project update at the AISACT showcase hosted by CGS in November. The project is now well-positioned to measure the impacts of improved approaches to teaching and learning via implementing formative assessment in 2024 as a baseline. We have valued our collaboration with Dr Michael Rosenbrooke and Evidence for Learning.

In Term 4, a subset of the Department formed a working group to establish a new action research project on metacognition and self-regulated learning (SRL). Lindsay Reid, Carmen Love, Jerry Yanuyanutawa and Sarah Czarnota will be supported by Dr Shyam Barr and the SRL programme facilitated by AISACT.

Leading Beyond the Department

Our team continues to lead and support quality teaching and learning across the Senior School and our curriculum networks. Some of these initiatives include:

• IB ID Collaboration Day – Term 2. Our team hosted and led a one-day workshop with IB teachers from Radford College, Trinity Grammar School, St Andrews Cathedral School, Canberra Girls Grammar School, St Ursula’s Kingsgrove, Monte Sant Angelo Mercy College and The Riverina Anglican College.

• HSC Legal Studies Association Committee – Lisa Smith provided excellent leadership in this curriculum space for our team and invested significant time and energy travelling to Sydney with the committee.

• Coaching and mentoring – Lindsay Reid and Sarah Czarnota continued their work with the CGS coaching team, working with teachers across the Senior School to help them develop their professional goals. Sarah has used these skills to mentor new Heads of Department and support them in their first year in their role. Carmen Love and Rowena Gregson completed their coaching training this year, and we look forward to seeing them benefit the wider Senior School in 2024.

• Careers – Lindsay Reid, Carmen Love and Lisa Smith supported Verity Beman in various ways this year, particularly with the Year 10 Careers Education Programmes in career development, self assessments and information presentations on self awareness, positive mindsets and VET education opportunities.

• Rugby – Jerry Yanuyanutawa, Alex Sumpter and Paul Daly contributed significant leadership and enrichment opportunities to the rugby programme this year. Students, parents and teachers highly value their contribution. They formed a strong link between co-curricular and the classroom, supporting teachers with high expectations at school by having high expectations of academic engagement for every rugby player in the programme.

• Centre for Global Citizenship – Our team worked closely with Elizabeth Allsopp and led several co-curricular activities for the Centre this year. These include Model United Nations, Mock Trial Competitions, the Secondary School Global Challenge, the Wharton Investment Competition and the Economics Olympiad. Students experienced a lot of success in these representative activities.

• Supporting the ALT – Lindsay Reid and Sarah Czarnota shared best practices on action research, holistic assessment and reporting and NCCD evidence collection processes.

Demand for Elective Courses

The demand for our elective courses in Years 9 – 12 remains high. We look forward to adding additional Year 9, IB Business Management and VET Business Services classes. Student enrolments in IBDP and HSC courses have also remained consistent, with a notable increase in students electing IB Psychology. Popularity in our elective courses and teaching team has also been evident in 34% of students electing to complete their IB Extended Essays with subject specialists from our department.

Approx. 34% of IB Extended Essays (4000 words) are completed in the Department’s subject areas

Approx. 70% of CGS graduates enrol in Commerce and Law related degrees

Year 12 Student Results 2022

IBDP - Final grade averages and distributions are improving at both the top and bottom end of the cohort:

• 40% of Global Politics students achieved a Grade 7

• 93% of Economics students achieved above Grade 6; and

• While there are clear improvements across courses, some students are still struggling with the extended writing components of assessments across all courses.

HSC – Distribution of results are improving at both the top and bottom end of the cohort:

• Slight increase in the number of Band 6s awarded in Economics and Business Studies; and

• No students were awarded below Band 3, an improvement in student engagement with our weakest students.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

By embodying Canberra Grammar School’s 5 Cs (Curious, Creative, Confident, Compassionate, Citizens of the world), the English Department has, through the transformative power of literature, continued to nurture students into becoming young adults who are ready to face the challenges of the 21st Century.

2023 saw the Department start confidently due to the 2022 cohort receiving excellent HSC and IBDP results. Frida Meares was a top performer in the HSC English Standard course, being awarded 14th place state-wide: a formidable achievement and a continuing testament to the commitment of the English staff. The students who opted for the IBDP pathway demonstrated a strong global performance across Literature and Language. The senior English teams have continued to build upon previous strengths and refine their programmes as required.

In continuing to drive excellence, the Department has developed opportunities for interdisciplinary learning to foster continued curiosity in learning. Most notably, the Year 12 IB Literature class’s stage production of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’, in collaboration with the Performing Arts Department, saw students reach new heights as they navigated the complexities of planning, writing and producing a stage play. Furthermore, the Year 9 English team worked closely with the History department to enhance the students’ learning experiences while studying World War I History and the poems of Wilfred Owen, a distinguished WWI poet. This interdisciplinary study allowed students to see connections between the documented historical experiences of trench warfare and how these experiences were captured in literature.

Our main incursion for the year occurred in Year 10. The Year 10 English cohort’s study of ‘Maus’, by acclaimed American cartoonist and editor Art Spiegelman, was enhanced with a live linked survivor talk organised with the Sydney Jewish Museum. The students were spoken to by Professor Mark Spigelman, cousin to Art. This special presentation enabled the story of ‘Maus’ to come alive as Professor Spigelman explained the difficult experiences of his childhood that were vividly depicted throughout the graphic novel. The students were deeply impacted by his words.

As a staff, the Department strives for professional excellence by sharing best practices and experiences with others in the ACT region. Amy O’Donnell presented at the AATE ALEA national conference, Elizabeth Allsopp and Sarah Field presented at ACTATE ‘Shorts: Tools, Texts and Strategies’, and Christopher Brain and Lindsey Herse presented at the AIS ACT Celebrating Teaching and Learning event. The Department hosted the ACTATE Sharing Session on the Australian Curriculum Version 9 for English teachers across the region. We have also had staff members selected for HSC and IB marking.

The Department is enthusiastic about implementing MYP in 2024 and looks forward to continually building upon our strengths.

GEOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

Geography continues to make strong and valuable contributions to the academic success at CGS in 2023.

• Students continue to undertake HSC, IB Geography and ESS in solid numbers

• The new HSC course was implemented during Term 4 and had new and exciting fieldwork; and

• Year 8, 9, and 10 Global Studies elective courses continue to be a popular choice.

This year, there were three areas of focus for the department:

2023 Goal 1: Online rubrics for assessment

To continue to collaboratively develop effective and efficient online marking rubrics to aid in continuous assessment, improved release of marks (consistency) and record keeping.

2023 Goal 2: Reflective practice

To continue to explore using online feedback platforms in Connect and with the new Microsoft platform, to help shape future directions in curriculum and to improve student outcomes.

2023 Goal 3: MYP ATL investigation

Begin to embed the MYP ATL in 7-10 geography assessment.

Senior results

Structured and resourced-develop online resources

Focussed and formative – Reflective opportunities

Purposeful and Contextual, Challenging and Empowering

There were outstanding IB and ESS results and continuing solid results in the HSC in 2022. [mainly because of COVID-19].

In IB Geography, 64% gained a Grade 7, and 63% of Students in ESS gained a Grade 6 or 7.

In the HSC, 52% of the cohort gained a Band 6 or 5, with the average ATAR contribution a consistent and strong 2.6. There has been continued teacher professional development-exam marking across both IBDP and HSC.

Highlights – Australian Geography Competition

CGS maintained a strong presence in the AGC and its number 1 position in the Australian Territories for the 24th consecutive year! The following students gained First place in the combined territories: In Year 9 Oscar Wu; In Year 11 Nicholas Lawrance; In Year 12 Wilhelm Gerner.

Nicolas Lawrance and Isla Moore (Yr11) represented the ACT at the Australian Geography Fieldwork Week in Darwin. Isla was further selected as a member of the Australian team, which will compete in Dublin at the 2024 International Geography Olympiad. This is the third consecutive year we have had a student from CGS chosen for the Australian team.

COVID-19

Thomas Lin (Year 12) represented Australia at the iGeo, held in Bandung, Indonesia. The team received one bronze, two silver, and one gold medal. Thomas received the gold medal and was 4th out of 177 students at the Olympiad. This is a truly outstanding result.

Fieldwork continued to be the backbone of the geography curriculum. It was back in full swing after COVID-19, including the Year 11 Geography Thredbo trip over two days (a data-collecting field trip linked to the Internal assessment) and pre-planning for exciting opportunities for our Senior HSC students. Fieldwork is a crucial part of every student’s experience at CGS, and we as a department take great care, effort and time into making these experiences valuable.

Global Studies programme

The interdisciplinary contemporary course (Global Studies) has continued to be a great success: Five classes in Year 8, two in Year 9, and two in Year 10. Student and staff feedback has been outstandingly positive.

Staffing

The department had a new staff member leave mid-Term 3, so we relied upon and appreciated help from Bruce Faraday. Eventually, in Term 4, we warmly welcomed graduate teacher and CGS Alumni Edmund Gilding.

HISTORY & ABORIGINAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT

The History & Aboriginal Studies Department’s results for the class of 2022 show that the courses continue to make substantial contributions to CGS students’ ATARS. In the HSC, Ancient History students performed exceptionally well. The excursion to ANU to attend lectures and visit the Classics Museum was a high point. In Modern History, students benefited from hard work leading to the exams, performing better than the state in all areas. Extension History, an elective 1-unit course that enables interested students to further deepen their writing and analytical skills, had strong results, with results for the new Crusades case study nearly 10% better than the state average.

In Aboriginal Studies, students achieved at the highest levels, with performance in the top three bands significantly better than the state average, reflecting a focus on exam technique. A focus for students was their major projects, which were shared with the school community at a showcase event. Students have particularly enjoyed excursions to Mulligans Flat, the Tent Embassy, and on Country learning at Boorabee near Glen Innes.

In the IBDP, CGS students received 18 top band ‘7’ results in their exams. Students also worked with staff on Extended Essays across a wide range of topics, including:

• The Emperor Augustus’ rise to power

• The impact of organised labour on conscription during WWI

• Japanese aggression against China

• NATO assessments of the Soviet Navy

Half of the EE students achieved in the top two bands for their essays. These results will significantly help students to access and succeed in their preferred tertiary courses.

Work to promote History’s value to Year 10 students has resulted in strong enrolments for senior classes in 2024. We will run two Ancient, three Modern, and one IB Diploma class. History is seen as a subject that enables students to appreciate current events and develop critical thinking and written communication skills.

A highlight of the year has been the range of competitions students have participated in to enrich the usual curriculum, including the National History Challenge, the Australian History Competition, the Simpson Prize, the #HistoryMakers video competition, and the Hear Our Voice Campaign. Several students have been state-level champions.

The Department is recognised as an innovator in History teaching with national impact. A team from the Department helped convene the History Teachers Association of Australia conference for over 150 attendees and several local events. In responding to IT change, the History staff experimented with different platforms for delivering clear and engaging material.

Alongside lesson observations and other continuing professional learning undertaken by Department members, it is notable that:

• two continued post-graduate studies

• two presented at internal professional development sessions

• two presented papers for the History Teachers Association of Australia and the NSW History Teachers Association

• one was elected to the ACT HTA Council; and

• one was nominated as an Australian Centre for Educational Leadership Emerging Leader.

Sadly, we farewelled beloved colleagues Louise Dwyer in Term 2, Elizabeth Bowden at the end of Term 3, and Phyllis Lynch at the end of the year. We welcomed Kaitlyn Delaney, who quickly demonstrated her differentiation and pastoral care expertise. Erin Richman joined the Department, bringing a passion for teaching Ancient History from her experience in the ACT system. We also hosted a pre-service teacher, Mikayla Giddings.

In 2024, the Department will focus on sharing practice and integrating the Middle Years Programme into our Year 7-9 History units. In the senior years, we will continue to develop a medieval option in the IB DP and respond to the recent syllabus reviews.

LANGUAGES

Academic Programme – Embracing Diversity

In the dynamic landscape of 2023, our Languages Department continued its commitment to fostering a global perspective. French, German, Chinese, and Latin persisted as Standard and Higher Language B courses for the International Baccalaureate, while Indonesian, French and Spanish were offered at the foundational Ab Initio level. In Year 12 HSC, the Continuers and Language in Context courses were taught to a small but dedicated cohort of Chinese students. The absence of a Year 12 IB Chinese Course reflected the accomplishments of an entire cohort of anticipated students who completed their exams in 2022.

Adding Indonesian in Year 8 marked a bold step forward despite the challenges faced. Admittedly, we encountered hurdles with a limited number of students and staffing issues, leading to temporarily pausing Year 9 Indonesian classes in 2024. We remain optimistic, learning from this experience, and are determined to chart a more sustainable course for Indonesian language education.

Staffing – Navigating Change

The year brought about shifts in our staffing dynamics. The introduction of Martin Rein enriched our German courses, while a series of events led to temporary gaps in our French and Indonesian teams. Recruiting a new Indonesian teacher promises stability for the language programme in the upcoming year.

Professional Growth and Learning

In our pursuit of excellence, professional learning remained a cornerstone of our departmental focus. Noteworthy was the 6-hour course on the Middle Years Programme (MYP) curriculum, facilitated by Nitisha Hazareesing from Philipot Education. This ensured that the entire department felt confident implementing all facets of the MYP Language Acquisition curriculum from 2024 onwards. This year’s continual emphasis on mastering the Microsoft 365 suite, particularly OneNote, has empowered language teachers to create and share resources seamlessly.

Enriching Experiences for Students

The Languages Department upheld its commitment to fostering a vibrant and inclusive language community by organising many student enrichment experiences. Successful initiatives such as the Latin trip and Chinese and French nights were celebrated, and multiple visits to and from the Indonesian Embassy took place.

Challenges and Aspirations

Undoubtedly, challenges surfaced throughout the year. Recruitment complexities and logistical issues surrounding overseas experiences were among our concerns. However, we remain optimistic that 2024 will provide clarity and solutions, ensuring our students continue to benefit from diverse language immersion opportunities.

In confronting challenges directly, we steadfastly uphold our dedication to delivering an enriched language education experience at Canberra Grammar School. As we conclude the year, we are enthusiastic about the forthcoming implementation of the MYP, signifying the mandatory inclusion of foreign language instruction for all students until the completion of Year 9.

MATHEMATICS

The Mathematics Department has continued its dedication to supporting and enriching all students at CGS in Mathematics during 2023.

With the MYP due to rollout in 2024, the Mathematics Department continued to develop portfolio learning for students in Years 7 to 10. This allowed students to continuously show their learning and understanding throughout the year and in various ways. Some assessment types included developing reports, group presentations, videos and posters.

This year, 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 were allowed to delve deeper into the subject and get stuck into new, interesting concepts. A major highlight for most students was the excursion to Luna Park, which focused on mathematical problem solving.

Some other highlights include:

• 106 students participated in the Australian Mathematics Trust Challenge programme, with ten students being awarded a high distinction

• 25 students participated in the Australian Mathematics Trust Enrichment Programme

• 120 students volunteered to participate in the Australian Mathematics Competition, with five students being awarded a High Distinction and invited to celebrate their achievements at the presentation evening

• Multiple students were invited to compete in the Australian Mathematics Olympiad Senior Contest

• The continued success of Mathematics Tutorials, with over 900 students attending the sessions throughout the year

• Collaborating with the Primary School in cross-campus activities; and

• Outstanding 2022 Year 12 results, especially in our IBDP programmes.

For the Mathematics Department, our collaborative focus and determination to work as a team to get the best out of each student has provided fresh approaches to teaching and learning. This year, there has been a real focus on collaboration and sharing ideas, with a major highlight being the Department’s action research projects. The Department is excited to start teaching our MYP programmes for Years 7 and 8 in 2024, which will further promote curious, creative, confident, compassionate citizens of the world.

MUSIC

Academic Achievements:

In academic music, our Year 12 students have garnered widespread acclaim, with promising predictions for HSC results. Five exceptional candidates received nominations for Encore, a testament to their outstanding musical prowess. Noteworthy mentions include performance nominations for Xavier and Oliver Weincke, composition nominations for Xavier and Oliver Weincke, and Thomas Crosby-Bennett.

In the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, our two candidates are predicted to achieve at the highest level. Exploring the intriguing Area of Enquiry 4—Music in the electronic and digital age—our students have embraced the challenge despite it being an area of least experience for our teaching staff.

Project Planning and Enrichment:

Our Year 11 HSC and IBDP students have been fortunate to receive assistance from Liz Furman in the HL Contemporary Music Maker project planning phase. With seven HL candidates, this substantial task involves comprehensive project planning and execution. Additionally, all students have engaged in composition sessions with the esteemed Canberra-based composer Sally Greenaway, enhancing their musical skills.

Class Dynamics:

In Year 10, a large class of up to 20 students, skilfully led by Liz Furman, has shown good retention for Year 11, although some excellent students have transitioned to other subject areas. Challenges arise with larger classes, emphasising the need for additional staff to facilitate differentiation and extension.

Year 9 presented unique dynamics, with a varied class of 18 students led by Lizzy Collier. The class experienced changes in teaching staff throughout the year, impacting the smooth delivery of the course. Despite challenges, the class demonstrated resilience and achieved positive outcomes.

Co-curricular Music:

Co-curricular music programmes thrive, with strong retention rates and impressive AMEB results. While needing attention, the Choral programme showcased a remarkable performance at Presentation Night, featuring a choir of over 200 students.

Towards Greatness:

The Full School Music Review, aimed at propelling the CGS music department from good to great, has completed its first phase. The strategic development project plan for 2024/25, facilitated by Dr Anita Collins, signals our commitment to continuous improvement.

PDHPE DEPARTMENT

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 increased numbers in our HSC PDHPE course, & steady enrolments in IB Diploma Sports Science course and the Sports Lifestyle and Recreation non-ATAR pathway offering.

• The MYP pilot implementation in Years 7 & 8 of 2024 occupied a lot of department time understanding MYP philosophy to teaching and learning. Sessions on Statements of Inquiry and associated inquiry questions proved most valuable. Mapping units in ATLAS for both practical and theoretical units have been completed in readiness for the 2024 pilot.

• This year, the department implemented our new Personal Development/Health units, extending the thematic approach implemented in Year 7 last year. The rewritten units are pitched at a higher level and align with the New Australian Curriculum framework. The Department continues to work closely with the

Pastoral Team to realise a more coordinated approach to certain topics and to complement the work being done in each space.

• The department also made initial steps to build a fitness curriculum to ensure similar outcomes and experiences for students in this important practical component.

• Health and PE Week continues to occupy a prominent place in the calendar. 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 Department welcomed three new staff members in 2023. Tom Leddy and Nic Thomas joined the department at the start of the year, whilst Stewart Crowley commenced in Term Three, replacing Christabelle Wright and taking on the Athlete Development Coordinator role. These three staff have brought unique qualities to the department and have been valuable additions.

• In 2024, we will welcome Belle Paley to the Department and look forward to guiding and supporting her Graduate Teaching year. We are excited to have her fresh perspective and enthusiasm in the department.

• Department professional learning included MYP, Navigating ATLAS (Andrea McNamara), Water Polo (Lawson Waser), and Departmental course-writing involving accessing contemporary information, research, and resources.

• The year ended brightly with one of our long-serving department members, Matthew Bugden, receiving the Ian Powell Award. Whilst his citation focussed on Matt’s dedication to the pastoral and co-curricular spheres, his contribution to the teaching of PDHPE over many years has ensured the students under his care receive a quality learning experience. The relationships Matt forges with students are a great example to the other department members.

PERFORMING ARTS

• In 2023, Canberra Grammar School’s Performing Arts Department soared to new heights, showcasing remarkable achievements that significantly impacted the School’s cultural landscape. Through a dynamic blend of talent, dedication, and innovation, the department showcased its prowess through various milestones, focussing on Drama, Dance and Film.

• At the heart of the department’s triumphs was the performance of the iconic musical, “CHICAGO.” The production involved every staff member of the PA team, with the addition and support of the Music department. “CHICAGO” not only showcased our Drama students; it is a Dance musical and attracted non-academic Dance students, seeing it as an opportunity to explore their talent and skills. From auditions to the final curtain call, students honed their acting, singing, and dancing skills, breathing life into the captivating storyline of this musical. The show’s success wasn’t just in its flawless execution; it was a testament to the camaraderie and dedication fostered among the performers, crew, and staff. The applause and rave reviews from the school community and external audiences affirmed the production’s brilliance, setting a high watermark for future theatrical endeavours.

• Our remaining two productions gave a significant focus to student agency; Year 11 HSC and IB students completed a directing project, where they were walked through the entire process from concept to performance. The students devised the physical theatre piece “VERSTAND” under staff direction, resulting in an intense 39-minute performance piece with the audience on stage in an enclosed “room”. Year 11 and 12 VET Entertainment students honed their skills by producing these two shows.

• The department is now revamping its Film and Dance courses to meet the evolving landscape of artistic expression. Under a new teacher, the Years 9 & 10 elective Film course empowered students to channel their creativity through cinematic storytelling. From scriptwriting to post-production, students delved into every aspect of filmmaking, honing their skills in a hands-on environment that mirrored professional studios. Simultaneously, the Dance courses have been reimagined under a new member of staff catering to diverse dance styles and techniques. Both disciplines are poised to encourage exploration, pushing boundaries while nurturing individual artistic identities.

• Amid these achievements, the department fostered an inclusive environment that celebrated diversity and encouraged personal growth. Embracing students from various backgrounds and skill levels nurtured a supportive community where every individual found a place to shine and evolve as an artist. Our Year 9 Drama students participated in cultural walks to Red Hill, and our senior students visited Canberra Theatre regularly to enhance their theatre-viewing experience.

• The Performing Arts Department’s achievements, marked by performances, innovative collaborations, and a commitment to nurturing talent, have again enriched the School’s cultural fabric. We continue to inspire passionate, skilled, and culturally aware individuals poised to impact the world of the arts significantly and beyond.

SCIENCE

It has been another exhilarating and demanding year. We began with delightful news regarding the exceptional performance of the 2022 student cohort. This included the outstanding achievement of Frida Meares, who achieved in the top 5 of the state for HSC Biology. This was alongside impressive results in physics and chemistry from both the IB and HSC groups, particularly Oscar Brown in Physics.

The Science Olympiads saw another triumphant year, with numerous students achieving outstanding results, earning distinctions and high distinctions. Oliver Gotzinger’s remarkable performance in the Junior Science Olympiads earned him a coveted spot at the Junior Science Olympiad Team selection camp at ANU, providing him with a valuable opportunity to hone his scientific skills further.

The Year 11 Group 4 Project at Outward Bound near Namadgi National Park was a resounding success, with students from different science disciplines working together to create a student-led research project that was conducted, analysed, and presented in the field. Students demonstrated a strong capacity to design and critically analyse their experiments. It is an experience that will hold them in good stead moving into their final year of school.

Our faculty welcomed new members: Giorgia Bakeberg, Matt Gover, Duncan Shirley, and Elise Daly. Their arrival injected a fresh wave of vitality and enthusiasm into the faculty. Existing faculty members generously supported them, going above and beyond to ensure their integration. Additionally, Tanja Olivier’s appointment as laboratory manager has been a tremendous asset. Her willingness to extend herself in supporting both staff and students is highly valued.

While celebrating new arrivals, we bid farewell to some long-serving science faculty members, notably Janette Soper and Richard Carter. Their depth of knowledge will be sorely missed, and their expertise will be challenging to replace. However, we extend our best wishes to them in their future endeavours. Others leaving include Judy Harara, Kyle James, Sarah Zhou, Sarah Lindsay, Elise Daly, and Lucienne Martel. We express gratitude for their contributions to the entire School during their time at Canberra Grammar School.

The upcoming year will bring fresh challenges as we update all junior programmes to align with the MYP and the Australian Curriculum. These changes promise new and diverse learning opportunities, introducing more projects, individually directed learning, and fostering student reflection. This will remain a primary focus for the faculty in 2024. Moreover, introducing the new IBDP senior syllabi for Biology, Chemistry, and Physics will challenge staff and students as they adapt to evolving structures within these courses.

The school’s continuous growth presents ongoing challenges for the science faculty, including supporting new staff, staffroom allocations, and the limited number of laboratories, sometimes making conducting classes difficult. Nonetheless, the science faculty eagerly anticipates the opportunities and challenges in 2024.

Co-Curricular Education

SPORT

CGS Sport continued to flourish under the leadership of Mr Kyle Piper, our new Head of Sport. Kyle has built some important structures and systems in this new role to make CGS sport a high-quality offering. The Head of Sport is a school wide position supported by three sports administrators. Kyle has worked hard to build a cohesive team and recruit some effective technical directors to lead their specific areas and offer coaching consistency. More school teams made Finals and Grand Finals throughout the year with impressive victories and a record number of students making representative honours.

DEBATING

In 2023, 103 students participated in School Debating, which consisted of two semesters of competitions. Teams participated in coaching sessions and internal competitions on Friday afternoons, with ten teams competing each semester in the ACT Debating Union Competitions. The School had five teams in the semifinals throughout the year, with one team in the grand finals, narrowly defeated by Merici College, with the Senior team placing equal second throughout their competition. The annual Kitchen-Tyrell Debates were held in Term 3, with the School winning back the Kitchen trophy for the first time in four years but relinquishing the Tyrell trophy to Girls Grammar after a close debate. The annual Staff versus Students debate returned, with the students winning unanimously.

DRAMA

It was a huge year for the performing arts, with Chicago as our stand-out musical. The all-singing, alldancing production was a significant stretch for our School and extended our students to recreate the popular and well-loved Broadway musical. The Drama department continued to offer sophisticated and challenging pieces for audiences throughout the year. The challenge of physical theatre was presented in September with the dark and disturbing Verstand. Other performance opportunities were created with the One Hit Wonders offered during Term 3.

MUSIC

Our School music programme continues to grow in number and maturity as our staff and students have settled into the state-of-the-art facilities provided by the Snow Concert Hall. On top of the Evening of Fine Strings and various ensembles, music continued to showcase the depth and breadth of talent in our weekly Assemblies. Our students travelled to Perth this year to join in the celebration of music at the Combined Schools Music Festival. This trend continues with a more local production involving Radford College, Burgmann and Canberra Girls Grammar School. The Scow Concert Series continued to offer worldclass artists and master classes for our students. The year’s highlight was our students sitting in on an unscripted rehearsal and Q and A from the world-renowned Wynton Marsalis Band from New Orleans.

Senior School Captains & Vice-Captains 2023

NAME POSITION

School Captains

School Vice-Captains

Sarvani Gaddipati

Milind Merson

Roman Johnson

Audrey Kuan

Jack Morrissey

Victoria Spark

Yutaka Yamada

Boarding Captain (Boys) Darcey Wooderson

Boarding Captain (Girls) Sienna Ottaway

Boarding Vice-Captain (Boys) Emma Bennett

Boarding Vice-Captain (Girls) Shaurya Raj

Sacristan

Theodore (Theo) Manikis

House Captains & Vice-Captains 2023

BLAXLAND

House Captain Poppy Ritchard

House Vice-Captain Charles (Charlie) Bowden & Scarlett Fittler

BURGMANN

House Captain Vinay Goel

House Vice-Captains

EDDISON

Bessie Riethmuller & Kaylah Upfield

House Captain Amelia Mukherjee

House Vice-Captains Halle Noyes & Gordon Gooi EDWARDS

House Captain Glenn Zhu

House Vice-Captains Emma Slater & Shaan Wing GARNSEY

House Captain Isabelle Simonet

House Vice-Captains Pita Summers & Domniki (Domi) Platis

GARRAN

House Captain Rick Dewar

House Vice-Captains James Hawes & Sophie Hewlett HAY

House Captain Jet Chalmers

House Vice-Captains Sophie Green & Keerthana Howles JONES

House Captain Bianca Handel

House Vice-Captains Benedict Milo & Wilhelm Gerner

MIDDLETON

House Captain Omotara (Tara) Balogun

House Vice-Captains Henry Lawton & Tom Carson SHEAFFE

House Captain Jaija Rangiah

House Vice-Captains

BURGESS

Aaditya Rai & Louisa Carr

House Captain Maximilian (Max) Cassidy

House Vice-Captain Zoe Hughes

CLEMENTS

House Captain Sarah-Michelle Ramsch

House Vice-Captain Dylan Pitt SNOW

House Captain Emma Branch

House Vice-Captain Oscar Hu

Co-curricular Captains 2023

SUMMER ACTIVITY 2022/2023

Debating Gabrielle Geddes Iris Bian Nivedita Gawarika Nivedita Gawarika

Code Cadets Michael Zampogna Henry Gotzinger

Cricket Mr Randall Starr

Dragon Boats Mr Justin Hassall Mia Cape Liam Fergusson

Equestrian Ms Jane Callahan Katherine Stewardson

Rowing Mr Tobi Wehr-Candler Jack McDonald Domniki Platis

Tennis Reza Tompsett Yutaka Yamada Rachael Wan

Jakome Roberts-Charlton

Sailing Mr Jeremy Atkinson Beatrice Alexander Matthew Power Matthew Power

Swimming Victoria Spark Darcey Wooderson

Water Polo Mr Lawson Waser Sebastian Knotek Rhys Patten-Richens Victoria Spark Zarah Williams Savannah Bogar

WINTER ACTIVITY 2023

ACTIVITY

Athletics

Badminton Dr Ross Parkes

Basketball Mr Connor Wroe

Amalia Merrifield

Shaan Wing

Raymond Chen

Frances Fang

Adam Wang

Lakeisha Watson

Emma Slater Malcolm Fitzgerald

Chess David Messina Oscar Ho

Cross Country

Jarvis Christie

Lucy Galland

John Maguire

Dance Mr Simon Hughes Mikayla Helms Quinn Derlacki

Drama Mr Simon Hughes Celeste Hodgens Quinn Derlacki

Football Mr Mitch Stevens

Hockey Mrs Rowena Gregson Mrs Peta MacKinnon

Harrison Ludwig

Zarah Williams

Jessica Latham

Lauren Parton

Dylan Phelps

Music Mr Craig Woodland Henry Lawton

Netball Mrs Jasmin ClarkWellington

Rugby Mr Jerry Yanuyanutawa

Victoria Spark

Kaylah Upfield

Finn Bradley Domniki Platis

Jack Morrissey Isabelle Simonet

Sophie Green

Flynn Russell

Sienna Ottaway

Amalia Merrifield

Tom Carson

Darcey Wooderson

Snow Sports

Samuel Johnson

CGS Colours Awarded

AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL

ATHLETICS

BASKETBALL

CODE CADETS

Jaija Rangiah

Benjamin Kalenjuk & Pita Summers

Malcolm Fitzgerald & Emma Slater

Henry Gotzinger

CHESS Lachlan Ho

CRICKET Jakome Roberts-Charlton

CROSS COUNTRY John Maguire

DANCE

Emma Clements, Mikayla Helms & Keerthana Howles

DEBATING Iris Bian & Nivedita Gawarikar

DRAGON BOATS

Jacob Sidaros

DRAMA Zoe Hughes

ECONOMICS

FOOTBALL

GEOGRAPHY

HOCKEY

MUSIC

NETBALL

ROWING

RUGBY

SNOW SPORTS

WATER POLO

Ajay Kumar

Harrison Ludwig, Sophia Medina, Bessie Riethmuller & Zarah Williams

Thomas Lin

Jessica Latham

Sophie Green Henry Lawton

Phoebe Hopkins, Victoria Spark & Kaylah Upfield

Jamie Bjerregaard, William Hawkins, Jack McDonald, Amelia Mukherjee & Halle Noyes

Sienna Ottaway, Domniki Platis & Flynn Russell

Samuel Johnson

Victoria Spark

Senior School House Results

CGS PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

FROM ANN HAMER & LUCY GARVEN

CGS Learning: A Whole School Focus

2023 has seen the development of IB professional learning in the Primary Years Programme (PYP) in the Primary School and the Middle Years Programme (MYP) in the Senior School. Across the School, we have been building a common language to discuss student learning. Approaches to Learning, Global and Local Perspectives and Inquiry Statements are becoming common topics for discussion. In addition, the IB Learner Profile, in conjunction with the CGS 5 Cs: curious, creative, confident, compassionate, citizens of the world, focuses on the type of students we are developing at CGS.

Building on the IB foundations, in May, the whole School engaged in a workshop with Dr Tessa Opie about the importance of respectful relationships and consent. Working through the In Your Skin programme, Dr Opie presented a well-researched and informative session that addressed a changing approach to consent education. Through the lens of a harm reduction approach, Dr Opie unpacked how we form relationship values, attitudes, and expectations in a social climate that feeds us often misleading messages about sex and relationships.

In July, the Senior School concentrated on achieving MYP accreditation. To be a candidate school for MYP, it was necessary to have a workshop focusing on the core elements of MYP. Each department, or learning area, had an IB workshop facilitator who guided teachers through the elements of an MYP programme. Teachers focused on essential aspects of the MYP framework, such as inquiry learning and assessment. The Primary School similarly focused on the role of assessment and PYP standards and practices in learning and teaching. Our PYP coordinator and Associate Director of Education in Mathematics collaborated with teams through a series of workshops and time to apply new learning.

The delivery of CGS Mini-Bites is a new addition to our whole school learning. These short presentations of 25 minutes have been held after school and focus on a range of issues, such as homesickness, the experience of our boarders, using One Note, the way to harness AI in education, positive behaviour strategies, and self-regulation - to name a few. Teachers and psychologists from the School have delivered these presentations. They allow for various perspectives and help build professional conversations across both Senior and Primary School.

Senior School Focus

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES FOR STAFF

Departments have continued to build their teachers through focused professional learning in their subject areas. For example, Languages had informative sessions from a subject expert in MYP; Mathematics worked on research projects that focus on pedagogy; History had some training in IT and worked with Renee Jones in the library on Research and Source Evaluation skills; Geography continued their work on flexible rubrics and also explored the possibilities of Microsoft 365. Topics have been diverse and broad but ultimately focused on increasing teacher agency and capability.

At the start of 2023, we heard from Mr Ashley Coates, Deputy Principal of Tatachilla Lutheran College in Adelaide. He talked teachers through the MYP unit planner and helped teachers see the possibilities of MYP as we embrace this change to our middle years programme. Further professional learning opportunities throughout the year were focused on elements of the MYP framework and supported teachers in their planning for 2024. In addition, changes to our IT infrastructure have meant that teachers are exploring One Note and Microsoft 365 more deeply. Using MS Teams in conjunction with CGS Connect, students and teachers can get the most from the IT tools available.

Our “Follow a Student For a Day” project has continued to grow and expand. This opportunity has allowed several staff members to see the Senior School from the students’ perspective, highlighting how lessons are engaging and active. It has also provided us with feedback about how to improve the learning experience for our students.

Teachers have been accessing external professional learning opportunities and conferences, such as:

• 2023 Meet the Markers 3A: Chemistry – Exam Analysis

• ACT/NSW MYP Coordinators

• ACT/NSW MYP Science Network Meeting

• AHISA Directors of Studies Conference

• AIS Restorative Practice

• Approaches to Learning

• Artificial Intelligence in Education Conference

• Berry Street Education Model

• Child Standards Professional Development

• Conflict to Collaboration

• DATTA 2023 Conference

• DATTA ACT Present Technologies – Version 9.0 Seminar 2

• Early Career History Teachers’ Day

• Effective Pedagogy Workshop

• Evidence for Learning

• IB Trial Assessment Collaboration

• IBAP Workshop SOR In Focus Conference

• Internal Coaching and Mentoring Programme 2023

• Introduction to Philosophy Course

• Legal Studies Association Conference

• Make Hot Hits with Garage band for iPad

• Marking Your Mathematics Analysis and Approaches Internal

• MYP Network Day at CGGS

• Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Education Professional Learning in Action for Teachers Workshop 2023 MANSW Annual Conference

• NSW History Teachers Association 2022 Exam Reviews

• NSW History Teachers Association Conference

• Personalised Learning Process for Aboriginal Students

• PIEFA Conference 2023

• Resilience Project Teachers Seminar

• Resource Creation with Chat GPT: A Game Changer for Language

• Restorative Practice in Schools Webinar

• Teaching Proficiency Through Reading and Storytelling

• Teaching Reading

• Teaching School Learning Forum: Vision to Reality

• Teaching Youth Culture Texts for the new 7-10 English Syllabus

• The Role of the Librarian

• The Science of Reading

• University of Sydney CA Conference

• Vaping, Youth and Health

• Working your Mathematics Applications & Interpretations

• Yamaha Conducting and Rehearsal Technique Workshop

In addition, teachers running IB courses are required to complete IB training in their subject, and many Category 1 and 2 courses have been completed this year. Three teachers have embarked upon the ISTAA Experienced Teacher process, and four have started TQI Highly Accomplished Accreditation. These accreditation opportunities are important for building skills and ensuring professional growth for staff.

A growing group of teachers have embarked upon the role of pedagogical coach. All CGS teachers are supported through coaching and mentoring should they wish to avail themselves of the opportunity. CGS coaches can lend a hand when a teacher wants to grow their practice in a specific area. To upskill our coaches and our Heads of Department, we have run 2 Growth Coaching sessions, which have proved invaluable in building a coaching culture in the School. This initiative continues to be supported by Mark Dowley from Brighton Grammar School, who has guided our thinking in this important space.

Lesson observations have been a core part of our Professional Growth Cycle this year. Teachers can get feedback on their classroom practice and engage in professional conversations about their craft through this practice. As we move forward in this space, lesson observations are increasingly linked to achieving department goals and provide data for realising the School’s strategic plan.

CGS is building our pre-service teacher and graduate programme. Fifteen pre-service teachers have been welcomed into six subjects this year. Their contribution to the teaching profession is important, and they provide our teachers with excellent mentoring opportunities. These students have predominantly come from the University of Canberra and the Australian Catholic University as we further develop our relationships with these institutions. We have also hosted University of New England and Charles Sturt University placements.

Our graduate teachers have been involved in a programme to enrich their practice. This has been scaffolded to include presentations on key teaching areas, such as classroom management and differentiation, to form action research projects. This support programme will be further developed and refined next year with a new intake of graduates. One teacher has completed their Graduate to Proficient portfolio this year, with five others starting this process. These teachers have collected evidence on their teaching practices and their impact in the classroom. Next year, the current cohort of graduate teachers will join this group, further developing support for new teachers at CGS.

Finally, hosting the AIS ACT Celebrating Teaching and Learning Event here at CGS was a privilege. Mr Andrew Wrigley, Executive Director of the Association of Independent Schools, introduced the event, and Dr Garrick welcomed teachers to our School. Presenters from schools across the ACT delivered short, interesting synopses of the main teaching and learning initiatives being explored in 2023. CGS had six presenters delivering on a wide range of topics, from camps and pastoral programmes to evidence-based practice in Economics. It was a great way to meet colleagues and share ideas about innovation in education.

Primary School Focus

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES FOR STAFF

Teams and Departments continued to build their teaching skills and understanding through targeted professional learning within their strategic curriculum planning goals. The beginning of the year is an opportunity to collaborate and engage. For example, Early Years explored the use of creative arts and assessment within their Units of Inquiries; Year 1 critically reflected on Mathematics learning and teaching sequence; Year 4 trained with APPLE experts on iPads as learning and teaching tools; Year 5 participated in a Science workshop with Questacon building scientific knowledge and skill; Language and Music built skills by sharing previous professional learning experiences; and other elements included exploring the Digital Curriculum V9.0, transdisciplinary learning, Assessment strategies and building connections within teams. The focuses were diverse and matched the staff’s wide range of skills and interests with an ultimate goal of increasing student agency and capability to increase student outcomes.

At the beginning of the 2023 school year, we held a whole day workshop with Emeritus Professional Peter Sullivan, Monash University. Peter is a leading force behind the improvement of teaching Mathematics worldwide. He is a past President of the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers and was a lead writer of the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics. Staff engaged in sessions that delved into approaches to Mathematics teaching that involved student-centred structures explored strategies to support learning and shared the rationale and process of developing rich learning tasks to support differentiation and student agency. Further professional learning occurred across the year with Peter & Lisa Kaptein (Associate Director of Education – Mathematics) presenting at Staff meetings, modelling for teachers in classrooms, working with students, planning with teachers and collaborating with the Academic Team. This engagement model allows teachers to build skills, reflect on practice and refine professional practice. Peter will continue working with the teachers in 2024 to cement and extend thinking.

Changes to our IT infrastructure have meant that teachers are exploring One Note and Microsoft 365 in more depth. Using Teams in conjunction with CGS Connect, students and teachers can get the most from the IT tools available. Adding iPads as a learning tool and moving away from Chromebooks meant that teachers and students were focused on a continual improvement model. Professional Learning across Terms 1, 2 & 3 with Simone from Augmented Learning allowed Year 4 teachers to build confidence in their skill to use iPads with students to extend learning. Melissa Chadwick (Associate Director of Education – Science & Technology) supported professional practice in classrooms, modelling lessons, providing feedback and engaging student voice within the lessons.

In addition, the Primary School completed a course with the Global Inclusive Teaching Initiative (GITI). This is world-class training for teachers, facilitated by the International Forums of Inclusion Practitioners (IFIP), which is working to create a global standard for all teachers to include all children through highquality professional support. Presenters include Louise Dawson, Abigail Gray, Daniel Sobel, Professor Carol Tomlinson and Helena Walberg. CGS is the first school in Australia to engage as a collective in the 5-module online course - Introduction to the Global Inclusive Teaching Initiative, Structures that support differentiation, differentiation of pedagogy and teaching skills, common specific issues and conceptual and practical foundations of inclusive teaching.

The Students Team engaged in a critical reflection of the pastoral support and student wellbeing programme offered for students. In collaboration with the Student Team, James Graham (Associate Director of Students) used a programme evaluation framework to explore the effectiveness, quality and value of the current student care approach. James conducted multiple research avenues, including observing models of other schools in Sydney and Melbourne to guide our thinking in this important space. He consulted with staff and students, offering critical reflection opportunities throughout the project.

Teachers have been accessing external professional learning opportunities and conferences, such as:

• Alpha Theta – Base Flow workshop

• AISACT Amplify programme

• Synergetic Absences & Attendance

• Excellence is customer service training

• IB Global Conference

• Dance Educators master class

• Arts Up Front

• Making the PYP Happen: Implementing Agency

• Coaching/Mentoring workshop

• Language Lift

• Public Consultation Group – Early Childhood

• The Middle Leaders Programme

• ACTWELL First Aid

• Early Childhood Philosophy and Pedagogy

• Coaching others for success

• Evidence into Action

• Supporting Teachers through Experienced Teacher Accreditation

• Personal, Social and Physical education – wellbeing

• AISNSW PDHPE Conference

• Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Conducting Masterclass

• Conducting and rehearsal techniques

• Sue Larkey Autism Awareness

• Planning for programme evaluation – IB

• Supporting challenging behaviour

• James Nottingham Masterclass

• Masterclass for Leaders

• The Learning Pit

• Zart Conference

• From conflict to collaboration

• The Science of Language and Reading

• MiniLit Sage Professional Development workshop

• SpellX – MultiLit Suite

• Bringing Writing strategies to life; and

• Surf and protected waters supervision.

CGS CARE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING:

• A Novice’s Guide to the Reggio Emilia Principles and their Relation to the Frameworks – Semann and Slattery

• The Third Teacher - Reconsidering Environments – QCAN

• NOSHSA Embedding Inclusive Practices in Outside School Hours Care – QCAN

• Critical Reflection and Quality Improvement for ACT with Dr. Jennifer Cartmel – NOSHSA ACT

• Using a Neuroscience Lens to Understand Behavior – QCAN

• Safety Intervention Foundation – Working with Children and Young People – Crisis Prevention Institute

• Child Abuse in our Sector: Where to From Here? – Semann and Slattery

• Nutrition and Food Handling – Nutrition Australia ACT

• Updated Approved Learning Framework - MTOP V2.0 – NSW Department of Education

• Reconciliation, the National Quality Standard, and Approved Learning Frameworks – Narragunnawali

• The Safe Transportation of Children in ECEC Services – NSW Department of Education

• Dreamtime Connections Cultural Workshop – Aaron Chatfield

• ECA in Conversation Special Event - Approved Learning Frameworks: The Vision and Revision – Early Childhood Australia

• Real Kids in an Unreal World: Building Resilience and Self-esteem in Today’s Children (10 Resilience Building Blocks - CGS @ Home) – Maggie Dent

• Which Educator Leadership Lens Do You Use – Farran Street Education

• My Emotional World Online Session – NSW/ACT Inclusion Agency

• Exploring the New My Time Our Place Framework – Children First Training; and

• So… The Learning Frameworks Have Been Updated – What Now? – Semann and Slattery.

All CGS teachers are supported through coaching and mentoring should they wish to avail themselves of the opportunity. CGS Coaches can lend a hand when a teacher wants to grow their practice in a specific area. To upskill our Primary School leaders as coaches, we have run a Growth Coaching session, which has proved invaluable in building a coaching culture in the School. The AISACT facilitated this initiative.

Lesson observations have been a core part of our Professional Growth Cycle this year. Teachers can get feedback on their classroom practice and engage in professional conversations about their craft through this practice. As we move forward in this space, lesson observations are increasingly linked to achieving individual professional goals and provide data for the realisation of the Primary School curriculum and strategic plans.

CGS is building our pre-service teacher and graduate programme. Nine pre-service teachers have been welcomed into the Primary School this year, with four offered long and short-term positions. Their contribution to the teaching profession is important, and they provide our teachers with excellent mentoring opportunities. These students have predominantly come from the University of Canberra and the Australian Catholic University as we further develop our relationships with these institutions. We have also hosted University of New England and Charles Sturt University placements. Our graduate teacher programme will be enriched next year with a group of teachers new to CGS undertaking additional opportunities to hone their craft and gain proficiency.

We have had three teachers achieve the ISTAA Experienced Teacher accreditation, and three teachers completed the TQI graduate to proficient portfolio, with two others embarking on the process. Teachers have found this both professionally challenging and rewarding as they collect evidence of their teaching practices and reflect on how they have an impact on student learning. 2 of our experienced teachers presented at the AIS ACT Celebrating Teaching and Learning event at CGS: James Graham on pastoral project and Sarah Dunn on Coaching. It was rewarding to share their thinking and learning with the broader community and engage in professional dialogue.

SPEF

The Staff Professional Excellence Fund (SPEF) began a new cycle in 2023. The committee received over 80 applications across the Senior School, Junior School and Operational staff throughout the year and approved 70. The SPEF has yet to reach quite the peak of its use as it was before COVID-19, but it is encouraging to see more staff applying for funding through this highly valued initiative.

As of 22 November 2023, the fund has paid out $72,676.05. By the end of the year, this will be a good increase on the previous year’s total spend of $75,611.08.

The activities undertaken by staff are incredibly diverse and enable staff at CGS to model being Curious, Creative, Confident, and Compassionate Citizens of the World to their students. These enriching experiences improve teacher pedagogy, enrich curriculum, develop leadership potential and significantly impact students, staff and the CGS community.

The committee has been very impressed at how these experiences have been fed back to all staff at CGS. This can be done through workshops, presentations, meetings, and articles in CGS Aspire, our professional journal. Some examples of experiences that have been funded through the SPEF include:

• Outdoor Leadership Programmes

• Masters of Educational Neuroscience

• ICTENSW Writers workshops

• Teacher Education Training

• Gift of Dyslexia Programme

• IB Global Conferences

• MANSW Conference

• ACHPER PDHPE K-12 Conference - Western Sydney University

• Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Professional Certificate

• ALEA ACT Leadership Unconference

• ABODA Victoria Summer Conducting School

• Sound file editing techniques- EQ management, part balance, mastering techniques; and

• MYP Language acquisition workshop.

The committee looks forward to the next two years of this funding cycle and is excited to see how the SPEF can continue to build staff’s professional excellence and experience.

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 teachers’ 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 where staff can collate all their professional learning evidence. Lesson observations are conducted between peers, and teaching strategies are exchanged and discussed. The Professional Growth cycle draws on the AITSL standards and the CGS Learning and Teaching Framework.

PERFORMANCE AND DEVELOPMENT IS ABOUT CREATING A CULTURE OF TEACHER QUALITY, FEEDBACK & GROWTH FOR ALL TEACHERS WITHIN ALL SCHOOLS. – AITSL 2013

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, community liaison functions, the International Exchange Programme (Year 10), and supports the CGS Foundation.

In 2023, the School saw a successful return to normal activities following the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The collaborative efforts of our dedicated staff and the expertise each person brings to delivering a service to the School are insurmountable. Admissions, Alumni, Communications and Marketing, Events, Foundation, Graphic Design and Reception, played an instrumental role in delivering exceptional services and memorable experiences to our School community. Together, we projected our students’ and staff’s inspirational activities and achievements to communities locally, nationally, and globally.

The highly anticipated Fete returned to the Red Hill Campus in May, attracting record crowds and fostering a vibrant atmosphere of activity. With an array of stalls, sports activities, eateries, and musical performances against a fine autumn day, the event exceeded expectations, serving as a cornerstone of community building. No longer focused on fundraising but as a community builder, it achieved its goal.

The Alumni programme hosted annual events in Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide, and Brisbane, allowing former students to reconnect, network, and stay informed about the School’s progress. The Alumni weekend saw the largest gathering of former students attend 10, 20, 25, and 30-year reunions back at School. Other cohort years took the opportunity to hold their own events and tour the School to discover the changes and reminisce about old times. The final event saw the Vintage Club of our alum graduates from 50 or more years ago gather back at the School for Chapel, School Assembly and a lunch hosted by the School. The address was given by Mr Sandy Goddard, drawing on comparisons of educational leadership between Mr Paul McKeown (former Headmaster) and Dr Justin Garrick (Head of School) with visuals reflecting the changes to the School campus.

The P&F continued to play an active role in supporting the School community through various projects and events aimed at fostering connections and inclusivity. Funds were allocated to bolster pastoral programmes and enhance playground facilities, further enriching the student experience and promoting a sense of belonging.

The launch of the CGS Engage platform marked a significant milestone, providing a dynamic networking and engagement hub focused on career development, mentorship, and social interaction. This innovative platform strengthens connections within our community and facilitates meaningful engagement among students, alumni, parents, and staff.

The CGS Foundation celebrated a successful year as it continued to support the School’s strategic objectives outlined in the CGS 100, Centenary Plan – Towards 2029. Through community events and philanthropic campaigns, the Foundation championed initiatives such as indigenous scholarships, equity and hardship bursaries, merit scholarships, talent scholarships, and funding for campus development projects.

The year concluded with significant events, including Validatory, the Year 12 Formal held at Old Parliament House, and Presentation Night at the National Convention Centre. These landmark occasions showcased the achievements and milestones of our students, affirming our collective commitment to excellence and celebration.

The CDO is made up of a dynamic team dedicated to working with the whole School community and associations:

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

• Communications and Marketing Coordinator – Ryan Butterworth

• Communications and Marketing Manager (Alumni & Foundation) – Serena Netto

• Alumni and Foundation Manager – Tammy Foley

• Head of Admissions – Lucy Welsh (Jan – Nov), Lisa Baum (Nov – Dec)

• Assistant Head of Admissions – Francesca Scully

• Administrative Assistant – Olivia Benic

• Events Manager – Rachel Gurney

• Graphic Designer – Twee Phan

• Receptionist – Gini McFadyen

• Attendance Register – Deb Cole

• Archivist – Pamela Hunt

• School Photographer – William Hall

CGS FOUNDATION

FROM ALUMNI AND PHILANTHROPY MANAGER

MS TAMMY FOLEY

In 2023, the CGS community’s steadfast support played a pivotal role in propelling the CGS Foundation and the causes it supports. From 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023, the CGS Foundation received an astounding $1,068,690.49 in contributions from 129 dedicated donors. These funds were allocated to bolster scholarships, bursaries, campus development, and associated projects.

A year highlight was the Inaugural CGS Giving Day held on 15 June, where the community rallied together, raising an impressive $120,417 in just 24 hours. This noteworthy achievement significantly advanced the awareness of the CGS Foundation, the CGS Indigenous Programme, Merit and Talent Scholarships, and hardship and equity bursaries. The event served as a powerful catalyst, uniting the diverse segments of the CGS community in a shared commitment to make a lasting impact on the lives of students.

The achievements of 2023 were driven and inspired by the CGS 100, Centenary Plan – Towards 2029, with aims of supporting the long-term goal of philanthropic support towards the CGS Indigenous Scholarship Programme, Merit and Talent Scholarships, Equity and Hardship Bursaries and Campus Development projects – all of which are underpinned by the success of the CGS Centenary Project which was launched in 2022.

DONATION SNAPSHOT 1 JANUARY 2023 - 31 DECEMBER 2023

$ AMOUNT

The enduring effect on students through scholarships, bursaries, and campus initiatives is immeasurable. The benevolence and compassion exhibited by our alumni, parents (past & current), staff (past & current), students, and friends of CGS are deeply appreciated. We are committed to continually exploring avenues to express our gratitude and to honour those who have made a difference.

Please scan the QR code below for a detailed list of our 2023 donors and Foundation members.

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS REPORT

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

MS ANNA HU

The Strategic Operations Team collaborates closely with the WSLT to lead essential strategic and operational initiatives across all areas of the School with a focus on allocating resources and capital to enhance operational efficiency and leveraging technologies to automate processes and functions. The Strategic Operations Office has earned a reputation for its punctual service delivery, swift implementation of high-quality projects and processes, and as a reliable source where stakeholders can confidently access expert knowledge to drive change and progress.

The key personnel in the Strategic Operations Office include:

• Director of Strategic Operations – Ms Ms Anna Hu

• Administrative Assistant - Executive Leadership – Ms Erum Hamza

Major initiatives led or supported by the Strategic Operations Team include:

• CGS 100 Strategic Plan

• Framework development for continuous compliance with ACT Registration

• Review and restructure of Staff, Parent and Student Handbooks

• Review and development of the CGS Policy Framework

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Committee recommendations for AI at CGS

• CGS Calendar review and implementation of new Calendar Planning System

• Operations Staff Minibites Sessions – Saving Minutes in the Day

• Transgender Framework and Policy; and

• IB (International Baccalaureate) MYP (Middle Years Programme) Candidacy.

Education Technology Department

Education Technology is a key strategic area for delivering enhanced learning experiences and improved system accessibility within the purview of the Director of Strategic Operations.

The key personnel in Education Technology include:

• Head of Education Technology – Mr James Nelson (February – September)

• Database and Web Services Manager – Mr Shomy Mundammany

• Education Technology Integrator - Mr Russell Waldron

• Education Technology Coordinator – Ms Ranu Bhattarai (Commenced June)

• Network & Systems Administration Manager – Mr Naveed Sarwar

• Service Desk Manager - Mr Adrian Cengia.

The Education Technology Team, while continuing to provide exceptional service and system management, has also been part of many significant new projects or enhancements to technology at CGS.

These include:

• Deployment of Apple Mac laptops to staff

• The Year 4 Pilot iPad programme in the Primary School in preparation for the School Learning Device Programme, including Apple Classroom

• The deployment of new AV (Audio Visual) in the PS Classrooms, including Apple TV Deployment across the School

• Planning and Preparation for MS Teams Calling Phone System

• Preparation for the Deprecation of Google Services for the end of 2023

• The development of Continuous Feedback and reporting in preparation for 2024

• Rollout of new Switches, UPS, and Access Points across the School

• Implementation of Multifactor Authentication (MFA) for staff

• Review of Forms System to a Microsoft Power Project

• Improvements to the Student and Staff Dashboards

• Implementation of Calendar System

• Roll out of Microsoft Teams; and

• Migration of staff file storage (S and H Drive) to Microsoft SharePoint and OneDrive.

Policies

Policies that set expectations or requirements from legislation are required to be available for:

• Employees, contractors, and volunteers

• Students, parents and guardians; and/or

• The public.

Several key policies underwent review and updates during the reporting period, including:

• CGS Child Safe Policy (includes the Child Safe Code of Conduct and Statement of Commitment)

• CGS Complaints Policy and Procedures

• CGS Parent and Guardian Code of Conduct

• CGS Student Code of Conduct

• CGS Whistle Blower Policy

• CGS Behaviour Management Policy

• CGS Prohibited Activities and Substances Policy

• CGS Mobile Phone and Linked Devices Policy; and

• CGS Admissions Policy.

As part of the ACT Registration requirements for schools, the CGS Website now has a policies page for Publicly available policies. Community policies are available via CGS Handbooks and the CGS Knowledgebase or via application to the Deputy Head (Head of Primary), Deputy Head (Head of Senior School), or the Director of Business.

2023 Compliance Statement

This Section outlines the School’s compliance with each of the Registration Standards during 2023, demonstrating our dedication to providing a safe, inclusive, and effective learning environment for our students.

The School demonstrates dedication to each standard by gathering and compiling substantial evidence of our compliance, and improvements aligned with these standards. The Comprehensive documentation that we have maintained for ACT Registration Standards offers a transparent account of our commitment, ensuring accountability and high standards in our educational and operational practices.

ACT Registration Standard A: The School’s governance structure is designed to ensure effective oversight and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. The School Board ensures that the Leadership team is accountable for maintaining compliance at all levels.

We guarantee financial sustainability and proactively plan for future operations, including enrolment management in line with our Admissions Policy.

CGS continuously strives to exceed the expectations set by regulatory authorities, fostering a culture of transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement within all areas of the School. To this end, feedback from the School community is welcomed and addressed through our formal processes.

ACT Registration Standard B: CGS aims to not only meet but exceed the standards set by the ACT Education Directorate. Regular assessment of our educational programmes ensures their alignment with the Australian Curriculum framework, the IB (International Baccalaureate) Frameworks, and the NSW HSC (Higher School Certificate) NESA (NSW Education Standards Association) for students undertaking the NSW HSC in Years 11 and 12. Our commitment to educational excellence is evident through the ongoing professional development of our teaching staff and the integration of innovative teaching practices and learning technology. We aim to establish clear learning outcomes for our students and implement effective practices and processes to support the achievement of these outcomes.

ACT Registration Standard C: The School has placed the highest priority on the safety and well-being of our students. We have comprehensive policies and procedures in place to address child protection and child safe practices. Our staff receives regular training to identify and respond effectively to child protection concerns.

Promoting attendance and maintaining the student movement register are compliance necessities that we strictly adhere to, backed by formal procedures.

We strictly adhere to a transparent policy and procedure on behaviour management to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment for our students.

ACT Registration Standard D: CGS demonstrates commitment to compliance with Territory and Commonwealth laws that are relevant to our operations. Our emphasis on the qualifications of our teaching staff is reflected in the mandatory requirement for obtaining necessary clearances and licenses, with an annual renewal of their TQI (Teacher Quality Institute) card. Additionally, we enforce the mandatory possession of a Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) card for every staff member, irrespective of their role.

Our commitment to excellence extends to our physical infrastructure as well. Our buildings and facilities are purposefully designed and maintained to meet the highest educational standards.

Beyond educational spaces, we pride ourselves on delivering a premier Boarding service while maintaining compliance with established standards.

At CGS, safety is paramount. We approach safety with the gravity it deserves by implementing comprehensive emergency management plans. These plans undergo thorough reviews in each cycle, ensuring their ongoing effectiveness and relevance.

Our dedication to upholding the highest standards of compliance underscores our broader mission—to provide a safe, nurturing, and academically enriching environment for all our students.

Percentage of students achieving top band

STUDENT OUTCOMES IN

STANDARDISED NATIONAL LITERACY & NUMERACY

TESTING (NAPLAN)

2023 Comparison of CGS vs State for Top Band

2023 Comparison of CGS vs State for Top Band

SENIOR SECONDARY OUTCOMES

THERE WERE 195 STUDENTS IN 2023 IN YEAR

125 STUDENTS

OF THESE 193 STUDENTS

STUDIED THE STUDIED THE

70 STUDENTS

99% ATTAINED A AMONG THE STUDENTS WHO ATTAINED THEIR HSC

4 STUDENTS STUDIED A VOCATIONAL EDUCATION COURSE

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Results

More than a third of the year group undertook the IBDP this year, making the CGS cohort one of the larger in Australia, with a wide range of abilities. The majority of students met or exceeded expectations, with those attaining an IB Diploma collectively achieving a median point score of 34, which is equivalent to a median ATAR of 90.15.

Thomas Lin achieved the highest possible IBDP point score of 45, equivalent to an ATAR of 99.95. This makes him the Dux of the IBDP cohort and places him among the highest-achieving IBDP students worldwide.

In addition, 8 students achieved IBDP point scores of 40 or higher, with Ajay Kumar and Nancy Xu both earning 44 and 43, respectively, which also equates to ATARs above 99. While the School does not receive all final ATARs under the UAC system, half of the School’s IBDP students will have received ATARs above 90.

The School offers one of the most diverse subject offerings among IB schools in Australia, with notable performances in upper-level grades this year in subjects such as Language B, Business Management, History, Sports Exercise Health Science, and Mathematics.

Year 11 students who took Languages a year early also performed exceptionally well, with every student achieving top two grades in their early Language examinations.

Higher School Certificate Results

Aaditya Rai is the Dux of the HSC cohort with an ATAR of 98.05. He is joined by Oscar Hu, who placed 5th in the state in Chinese Continuers, and Thomas Fahey, who placed 5th in Software Design and Development.

Students in Chinese and Software Design and Development achieved outstanding results. Aaditya Rai also achieved 97% in Chinese, and 11 students in Software Design and Development received marks of 90% or above, including Henry Gotzinger and Sophie Hewlett, who scored 98% and Ethan McBain, who achieved 97%.

Other noteworthy subjects include Aboriginal Studies, Agriculture, Drama, English Extension 1, History Extension 1, Geography, Music, PDHPE, Studies of Religion, and Visual Arts, all of which outperformed the state in the top bands.

Furthermore, HSC students earned 43 places on the Distinguished Achievers List, covering a wider range of subjects than usual, including Visual Arts, Design and Technology, Drama, Music, and Modern History.

Tertiary Pathways

Across the entire cohort, 97% of students achieved an ATAR, which surpasses the ACT and national averages. This follows two years of outstanding and record-breaking results at the School in 2021 and 2022.

Moreover, around 80% of Year 12 students at the School in 2023 received early or direct university offers, many before even completing their final examinations. This is well above the national average and is strongly supported by the School. While the diversification of direct and early entry pathways to tertiary education undoubtedly impacts traditional approaches to final examination preparation and, consequently, ATAR profiles, these pathways take into account a broader range of personal and educational attributes than just results. They also reduce anxiety and excessive focus on ATARs, providing students with confidence in their future options.

As a result, and in line with the School’s core aspirations, it is gratifying to see the cohort pursuing a wide range of tertiary and career pathways in Australia and abroad, with many securing their top preferences. It is also pleasing to see a number of students embarking on apprenticeships, as well as opportunities in sports and the performing arts.

YEAR 12 RESULTS

ACHIEVED AN ATAR 98.9% ACHIEVED ATAR OF 25.5% 90 OR ABOVE ACHIEVED ATAR OF 9.7% 95 OR ABOVE ACHIEVED ATAR OF 1.5% 99 OR ABOVE OF IB STUDENTS RECEIVED A SCORE OF 10% 40 OR ABOVE

OF HSC STUDENTS EARNED A SPOT ON THE 37% DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVERS LIST

ONE STUDENT EARNED A PERFECT IB SCORE OF 45 THE MEDIAN ATAR FOR IB WAS 89.20 ATTAINED EARLY UNIVERSITY OFFERS 80%

Post-school destinations

Fields of Study Evident in Offers*

STUDENT RETENTION

174 STUDENTS

IN 2021 IN 2023 OF THOSE 174 STUDENTS

148 OF THEM THE RETENTION RATE IS 85%

COMPLETED YEAR 10 COMPLETED YEAR 12

STUDENT ATTENDANCE

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STUDENT BODY

The data on these pages is taken from Canberra Grammar School’s entry to the Government Census in 2023. The enrolment at the time of the report was 2,182 students

FEMALE STUDENTS

0.1% OTHER STUDENTS

INDIGENOUS

25 STUDENTS IDENTIFIED AS

ABORIGINAL OR TORRES STARIT ISLANDER

2,182 STUDENTS

Languages spoken at home

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

Pre-School (Southside) Day girls and boys

Pre-Kindergarten (Northside) Day girls and boys

Kindergarten (Southside) Day girls and boys

Year 3 Day girls and boys

Year 5 Day girls and boys

Year 7 Day and boarding (girls and boys boarding)

Year 11 Day and boarding (girls and boys boarding)

REQUIREMENTS

Must turn 3 by 30 April in year of entry

Must turn 4 by 30 April in year of entry

Must turn 5 by 30 April in year of entry

Must turn 8 by 30 April in year of entry

Must turn 10 by 30 April in year of entry

Must turn 12 by 30 April in year of entry

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 entry for Years 7 and 11 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.

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.

BUSINESS & FINANCE REPORT

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS & BOARD SECRETARY

MR KENT PETERS

2023 has been a year where we have had the opportunity to see many aspects of the depth, breadth and richness of School life returning following the previous years that the COVID-19 pandemic had so impacted. It is very pleasing that Canberra Grammar School has continued to embrace both the opportunities and the challenges and has celebrated and demonstrated the strength of its community in achieving significant milestones during the year. 2023 has also seen a not insignificant rise in not only interest rates but also the underlying headline inflation levels, which has seen significant increases in many other key costs that impact the School’s day-to-day operations.

The School continues to see its overall enrolments consolidate with a total student population of 2,218 students across the Northside and Red Hill Campuses. The boarding community has shown signs of increased growth following some difficult years from the COVID-19 pandemic. The demand for available places in boarding has seen the need to add eight extra beds to the girls’ boarding facilities and convert some additional rooms within the boys’ boarding facilities.

The reportable income including Government recurrent per capita funding for the year ended 31st December 2023 was $73.8 million excluding revaluations of the School’s investment portfolio. Approximately 82% of this income was contributed by parents with Federal and State Government Recurrent Grants providing around 12% and the balance of 6% from investments, donations and other sources.

The School has continued to consolidate its sound financial performance. The School continues to prioritise significant reinvestment in both teaching and learning initiatives and, in 2024, will commence a review of its current master plan and look to redefining priorities in concert with its strategic plan as the focus turns to the centenary in 2029. The School achieved a solid performance in 2023 and continues to recognise the importance of effectively managing the increasing pressure on School revenue and expenditure, particularly managing the potential impact of implementing 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 our parent community faces. There have been significant salary increases paid to ACT Education Directorate staff, which has placed additional pressure on the School to pay competitive salaries to attract and retain the best staff.

2023 has been a busy year, focusing on the major project, Primary School Development. This project commenced after the 2022 school year, and the main facility, the 12 classrooms and the Primary Administration building were ready for occupation at the commencement of Term 4. It is a tremendous achievement to complete such a significant project at the entrance to the Primary School and to do so in such an incredibly compressed timeframe. This project has been supported by the Canberra Grammar School Foundation Building Fund and planned borrowings with the School bankers. The remaining component of the Primary School Development, the refurbishment of the original Administration building, will be fully operational for the commencement of the 2024 School Year.

The School continues with its programme of ongoing refurbishment and maintenance of its existing facilities. During the 2023 Summer holiday period, we were able to undertake a significant refurbishment of the Senior School Canteen, some refurbishment of the tutor accommodation in boys’ boarding, and repainting of the exterior facades of the original Quad building. The total capital expenditure exceeded $13.0 million in 2023, compared to $19.2 million in 2022.

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 embrace opportunities fully and also any challenges that may lie ahead. The School is also focused on the challenges arising from the increasing inflation rates, the continuing rise in interest rates, and the potential impact on the timing of future capital projects.

The School Board is pleased with the 2023 financial results and will continue to focus on improving the School’s facilities, ensuring that the School remains committed to equipping its students to be ready for the world.

SUMMARY OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION

2023 CAPITAL EXPENDITURE