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Alpha News 2023, Term 1, Week 10

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Term 1, Week 10 2023

viv

From the Principal

Hat Parade

Our Junior School students have certainly uplifted the mood with their Hat Parade with many colourful and creative ensembles, followed by Easter activities.  Thank you to all the parents that helped with this fun activity.

Primary House Cross Country

The Primary House Cross Country event was blessed with sunshine this week as students competed admirably to gain points for their House.  House spirit was certainly palpable.  Congratulations to all students for trying out for events and showing team sportsmanship.

Secondary House Night

I wish to congratulate all the Secondary School Leaders and Future Leaders for the work that went into making House Night the huge success it was.  Everyone chipped in to set up, serve food and pack everything away before going home for the night.

Despite the rain and winter like conditions spirits were not dampened. Meticulous planning over the whole term by Ms Deirdre Grealish and Mr Trevor Adams for an evening under the stars meant a quick change of plan to relocate everything to the gym. Change of equipment hire plans within 24 hours and the result was amazing. Much fun was had by all. Families enjoyed the night and had the chance to mingle.

The House decorations, karaoke and photobooth all led to the wonderful family atmosphere on the night.

A shout out to Aristea Papax, School Captain who used her own initiative to have an exhibition match and invite the Victorian Para Football Team here. A truly spirited match was enjoyed by all.

I thank Mrs Priya Wison and all the Music Faculty for providing a sensational evening of entertainment bringing much delight to the whole crowd.

I particularly thank our Canteen Manager:  Mrs Brooke Koutroulis and her team in the canteen who alongside the daily canteen food requirements prepared food for over 500 guests as well as the 120 Year 7 parents who came along for drinks and finger food beforehand. Mr Con Papoulis and Mr Trevor Adams showed their expertise on the BBQ to help cook food for us all.  Thank you to all the staff and parent helpers who gave up their time to serve food and clean up.  Thank you everyone for a really wonderful evening. 

Reminder

Our Annual Mother’s Day event is fast approaching.

Sofi’s Lounge – Sofitel Melbourne on Collins

Saturday 29 April from 2:00pm – 5:00pm

Click here to purchase your ticket. 

I look forward to celebrating with everyone there.

I take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and restful break before we return to the colder months ahead.  I thank students, families, and staff for all that they have achieved this term.

Please note the school will be closed on:

Friday 7 April and Monday 10 April, and Friday 14 April and Monday 17 April for both the usual Easter Public Holidays and the Orthodox Easter.

Student’s will return to school Wednesday 26 April after the Anzac Day Public Holiday. There will be a 2-week transition period before winter uniform becomes compulsory.

Dr Vivianne Nikou
Principal
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lukas

From the Assistant Principal, Head of Secondary

Another term has come to an end and what a busy, productive term it has been. The students have had a brilliant start to the year. Our Year 12 students have been particularly impressive. From day one they have been engaged and focused on their studies! Congratulations to all of our students for such a good start to 2023. It’s now time to relax a little over the holidays. Faculty areas will have designated a little holiday homework to be completed over the break, so as usual, my advice would be for the students to get the Holiday Homework out of the way sooner rather than later. More time to relax that way.

A very important balance to strive for during the holidays is finding what ‘device time’ is fair and reasonable, and determining when excessive device use becomes a real problem. We are trying to prevent technology addiction, which can have a severe impact on the mental health of our young people – in fact not just the young. I read a fascinating article on gaming and technology addiction, written by Janine Cohen and Matt Henry. I will include a link to the article below. It might assist parents in facilitating meaningful discussions that can be had over the holidays. The effects of the Covid lockdowns will be with us for some time yet, unfortunately, and during these lockdowns some of our students formed some bad habits with technology. Schools and parents are struggling to find a fair balance between allowing children the opportunity to use devices for gaming etc. and restricting the use of these devices to prevent any early forms of addiction.

“As many as 10 per cent of kids who game meet the criteria for hazardous gaming while 3 per cent of that group could be diagnosed with a more serious gaming disorder.”

Article:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-06/pilot-program-to-curb-problem-gaming-/101768790

At School we find that the Year 7 students tend to be overly reliant on their devices at recess and lunch time. Generally, by the time these students progress to Year 8 that stops, and they predominantly spend their time on other pursuits. We have imposed small rules and regulations on the use of devices in the library during lunchtimes to ensure that the whole break isn’t spent on a device playing games. Staff will continue to monitor this usage and act accordingly if we see it becoming an issue. While the program mentioned in the article is undoubtably helpful for young people with an addiction, there are other free programs and websites that parents can access if they are struggling with technology addiction within the household. Here are a few helpful websites:

Technology Addiction and Implications for Children

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars – This site has some brilliant webinars for parents. They cover ‘real’ topics that relate to young people and parents in today’s society.

Parents and Carers Seminar Overview 2023

I think psychotherapist, Sandi Warburton, puts it best when she says that parents needn’t feel the necessity to “police their children”, but we need to help our young people “regulate their emotions and communicate with people in the offline world”.

The Consent Labs

Consent education has recently been added to the National Curriculum for all year levels. We need to educate our young people about consent and the associated areas of learning surrounding consent and sex education. We have used The Consent Labs for the last number of years and the students found their workshops extremely informative and helpful. Next term, representatives from The Consent Labs will be coming into School to lead workshops for Years 7-12; however, the first workshop (webinar) to be delivered is for our parents. In the Parent webinar The Consent Lab staff will introduce parents to the world of consent education with a particular focus on:

  • Consent Foundations
  • Digital Consent

They will also focus on these three important areas for parents:

  • How can I keep my children safe, even if I have different views about sex and relationships?
  • How can I start a meaningful conversation with my child?
  • What are some strategies I can use when discussing these awkward topics?

Here is the link to The Consent Labs Parent Webinar on Zoom:

Participants will be able to join from 6:25pm to ensure a prompt start as there will be a lot of content covered during the 1.5-hour webinar.

Topic: Alphington Grammar Parents Session

Time: Apr 26, 2023, 6:30PM

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81405481150

Upcoming workshops with our students:

Year 7: Consent Foundations

Year 8: Consent in the World of Technology

Year 9: Consent, alcohol and other drugs

Year 10: Recognising sexual harassment and assault and responding to harassment and assault

Year 11: Healthy Relationships

Year 12: Healthy Relationships

Please come along to the Parent Webinar and see what your children will be learning about in these upcoming sessions. There will also be the opportunity for parents to ask questions if they would like some further clarification.

Click here to view the Parents and Carers Seminar Overview.

I hope all families have a peaceful and relaxing holiday.

Mr Lukas Silver 
Head of Secondary  
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tracey

From the Assistant Principal, Head of Primary

Most parents and families will be aware of the Child Safe Standards that were introduced and made mandatory for all Victorian School in July 2016.

The Child Safe Standards were introduced in response to recommendations from the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into the Handling of Child Abuse by Religious and other Non-Government Organisations. The Inquiry found that more must be done to prevent and respond to child abuse.

The original 7 standards were reviewed and have been expanded. The expanded 11 standards came into law in July 2022, with some further minor changes this year.

Part of the obligation of any school is to keep parents and carers informed.

Please see below an outline of the expanded Child Safe Standards and some of the ways in which the school demonstrates these.

Child Safe Standards Overview and Update: Semester 1, 2023

The Child Safe Standards (the Standards) commenced in Victoria in January 2016. Since then, we have seen how the Standards have improved safety for children and young people.

Changes in 2022 and 2023 have made our Standards even stronger.

From January 2023, changes have been implemented as to who regulates the Child Safe Standards across various organisations.

For Alphington Grammar School, the following regulators apply:

  • Schools and education providers: Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) will be the regulator for registered schools, school boarding premises, school-sector organisations providing courses to overseas students, student exchange organisations, non-school senior secondary providers and some registered training organisations.
  • Early childhood education and care: Department of Education, through its Quality Assessment and Regulation Division, will be the regulator for early childhood services. This includes long day care, family day care, outside school hours care and vacation care services, as well as limited hours and occasional care services.

The 11 Standards include specific requirements:

  •  To involve families and communities in organisations’ efforts to keep children and young people safe.
  • For a greater focus on safety for Aboriginal children and young people.
  • To manage the risk of child abuse in online environments.
  • In relation to governance, systems, and processes to keep children and young people safe.

Child Safe Standard 1 – Organisations establish a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued.

How AGS Demonstrates this:

  • By creating an Aboriginal Reconciliation Action Plan (continuously evolving document). This sets out how It documents how the school and early learning service will strengthen relationships, respect, and opportunities in the classroom, around the school/service and with the community.

Child Safe Standard 2 – Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in organisational leadership, governance, and culture.

How AGS Demonstrates this:

  • By ensuring that Child Safe Standards issues are included at regular meetings and at every level of governance across the school

Child Safe Standard 3 – Children and young people are empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.

How AGS Demonstrates this:

  • By educating students about their rights at an age-appropriate level.
  • By including students in decisions that affect them (E.g.: OHR issue). 
  • By providing consent education at an age-appropriate level

Child Safe Standard 4 – Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.

How AGS Demonstrates this:

  • Through updates in the newsletter. 
  • By discussion at Parents and Friends Association.
  • Through regular School Community consultation on Child Safety matters

Child Safe Standard 5 – Equity is upheld, and diverse needs respected in policy and practice.

How AGS Demonstrates this:

  • Through policy and procedures such as student and staff bullying and harassment policies; well-being policies.
  • Through the Exceptionality Team process that seeks to provide educational and wellbeing equity for all students

Child Safe Standard 6 – People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.

How AGS Demonstrates this:

  • Through rigorous screening procedures for new staff.
  • By following required screening procedures for volunteers, outside providers, and casual staff.
  • Through staff review.
  • By maintaining accurate records of VIT registration.
  • Through staff, volunteer, and outside provider induction procedures

Child Safe Standard 7 – Processes for complaints and concerns are child focused.

How AGS Demonstrates this:

  • By implementation of the child focussed complaints handling policy.

Child Safe Standard 8 – Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.

How AGS Demonstrates this:

  • By providing regular ongoing training for all staff and volunteers and maintain records of this.

Child Safe Standard 9 – Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.

How AGS Demonstrates this:

  • Through education of all students at an age-appropriate level.
  •  By providing education opportunities for parents and carers.
  • Through policies and procedures around online safety and device use.

Child Safe Standard 10 – Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is regularly reviewed and improved.

How AGS Demonstrates this:

  •  Through ongoing education of key stakeholders in the school so that information can be disseminated.
  • Through regular reviews of all Child Safe Policies and Procedures.

Child Safe Standard 11 – Policies and procedures document how the organisation is safe for children and young people.

How AGS Demonstrates this:

  • Through the creation of the AGS Child Safety Policy and Procedures Document and the regular revision of this document as well as other related policies and procedures.

If you would like to find out more about how the school handles issues around child abuse. Please don’t hesitate to contact me for further information.

Ms Tracey Nicholson  
Head of Primary
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Mother's Day Raffle (2500 × 1500 px)

Mother's Day Raffle

Everyone is invited to take part in our online Mother’s Day Raffle.

The Mother’s Day Raffle is a chance for members of the AGS community to support the school and win one of our prizes; an Apple Macbook Air, a professional photoshoot and portrait, and natural crochet handbag made in Greece.

The total value of our raffle is over $3,000! Click the link below to purchase your raffle tickets for your chance to win! https://www.raffletix.com.au/?ref=6b93r

From the Secondary School

Deputy Head of Secondary

Thank you to all members of the school community who attended last Friday’s House Night.

As well as bringing your House spirit and energy to the evening, you also brought your generosity along to support a very important group: the Victorian Para Football Team.

For anybody who did not get to donate but would like to, please note that the donations link will be active until Sunday 16 April. https://gofund.me/4a76706c

Congratulations to Aristea Papax (School Captain) who was instrumental in raising awareness and funds for the Vic Para team, supported by the rest of the student leadership team. On the evening of House Night, having just watched a football game that featured our very own students along with guest player, Kaylan Van Heer (Vic Para player and Pararoo), Aristea approached me to share “Ms, it all came off even better than I had hoped for!” It seems that hard work really does pay off!

On the evening, several players, family members and coaches, as well as the team’s manager, Sharon Wong, were on hand to answer questions about the team and its future plans. We are grateful to them for coming along; and they, too, have asked me to pass on their heartfelt thanks to everyone who donated.

A lovely way to end the term!

Ms Deirdre Grealish
Deputy Head of Secondary
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Chess at Kryal Castle

On Tuesday 28th March, I took a team of secondary students to represent AGS at a chess interschool zonal tournament at Kryal Castle, a fantastic location for a Chess Competition! The event was run by Northern Star Chess. It was a huge tournament with 236 students representing 16 schools in attendance.

Michael Ooi, Ben Spaziani, Nathaniel Tran, Nikhil Jhamb, Hugh Goodyear, Francis Hogan, Chris Donis, Harry Eagleson Brash, Flynn Hughes, Matteo Dobson, James Dyer, Alexander Cavedon, George Harrison, Finn Reynolds, and Ethan Yee all volunteered to compete. It was a great day and these lads showed good sportsmanship, were well behaved and represented our school admirably! 

Our students were up against a high level of competition, and several of our students narrowly missed out on medals in their age division. Two of our students qualified for the Northern Star Chess state finals (Michael Ooi and Flynn Hughes), congratulations to them.

Looking forward to more chess tournaments throughout the year.

Mr Max White
Secondary Chess Coordinator
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Visual Arts

Pop Art

Over the past month Year 10 Art students have undertaken a Unit on Pop-Art. The student’s have learnt about the late 1950’s and 60’s art movement of pop-art and the influence it still occupies in the art world today.

As the practical component for the unit, students have enjoyed contributing to the infamous roof tile artworks in the art rooms. Student pieces were inspired by the prominent exponents of the movement such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Roy Lichtenstein.

Mr Michael Grigoriadis
Secondary Visual Arts Coordinator
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Debating

On Thursday 23rd of March, the C and A grade debate teams attended their first debate of the season. The C grade team, made up of myself, Kai Dicker and Wilbur Gordon, argued affirmative on the topic ‘That compulsory voting should be abolished in Australia’.

While we put up a good fight, we unfortunately did lose the round. Our A grade team, however, had more luck, arguing affirmative on the topic ‘That Australia should not provide military support for foreign conflicts’. They won, with Adam Patane being awarded best speaker. Overall, it was a great evening.

Freya Monk
Year 10
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Public Speaking

On Thursday the 23rd of March, the public speaking club came together to present their speeches. With a group of both Year 7s and 8s, the topics were very varied. Over the afternoon, we went from basketball to the Cuban missile crisis and speaking languages to Ariarne Titmus. 

Though the evening’s location had been moved due to the weather, the outlook of the evening was quite good, with many parents and teachers arriving, and the whole event being filmed. With snacks being handed out, and speeches being engaging and entertaining, I believe that everyone that came would have had a fun time!

Emma Sluiter
Year 8
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Rambal Music Incursion

On Friday 31/03 Year 9 to 12 Music Elective students enjoyed a workshop with Melbourne-based band Rambal. This was a fabulous opportunity for students to experience live music and ask working musician about their lives and careers. Select students were also given the opportunity to rehearse and perform with the professional band.

Students left the workshop inspired and exhilarated.

Ms Stephanie Atwa 
Primary/Secondary Music Teacher

From the Primary School

Primary Environment Club

We have an exciting addition to our school community this year and it is none other than ‘Environment Club’!
Environment Club is an interesting and fun place to learn more about our environment, surroundings and its impact on our Earth. In this club, you have the opportunity to discover wildlife, plants as well as learn about our beloved planet. Our Environment Club is currently being led by Mrs Downey, Mrs Ross and Jem Lavercombe (Primary Sustainability Captain). The club is welcoming all AGS students to be active participants.

For those who are interested, the club activities are being conducted from the Primary Building (ELC – Year 4). Students that are willing to join Environment Club meet every Friday at primary lunch time in the Primary Art Room in both Terms 1 and 4.

Recently in Environment Club, we walked around the school in search of bugs and insects.  We are currently working on ways to keep a healthy environment in our school by reducing rubbish. A couple of weeks ago, everyone in Environment Club walked around the school finding rubbish on the oval and putting in the bin. We used plastic gloves and found one large garbage bag full of rubbish.

This Term we have also had a gardening session where we planted many types of fruits and flowers such as strawberries, sunflowers, carrots, snow peas and lettuce. The Prep to Year 3 students were fascinated to learn more about each of these plants. I am looking forward to visiting these plants as they grow and tasting the strawberries and snow peas.

Here are some insightful words from our Primary Sustainability Captain, Jem:

“I would like the school to fall into a routine of not wasting food, water or anything that can be reused, repurposed or recycled. If we all make an effort to maintain the world as somewhere we want to live, there is still hope. For every little effort we make, the job will become smaller, if only a tiny bit. Again, there is still hope.”

By Anvee Khan
Primary Writing Captain
Jem Lavercombe
Primary Sustainability Captain
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From the ELC

Wild Action Incursion in the ELC

On Wednesday the 5th of April, Liv from ‘Wild Action’ visited our ELC to help us learn about some very special animals. The ELC children were eager to touch and meet reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals, asking many interesting questions. Some of the animals included a python, a saltwater crocodile, an owl and a very sleepy koala.

What a great way to celebrate the end of Term 1! 

Ms Danielle Munro
Early Learning Centre Leader

Whole School

From the STEM Faculty

Secondary/Primary Science classes

In an exciting trial class this week, Year 7 students hosted Ms Venneri’s Prep class for a science lesson.

The theme was magnetism, where the Year 7 students provided workstations for the Prep students to test and experiment with magnets.

This form of teaching is a very powerful one; Year 7 students enjoy the responsibility of communicating scientific ideas and Prep students have the opportunity to use science equipment usually only found the secondary environment.

Hopefully this proves to be the first of many such classes.

Mr Pat O’Shea
Secondary STEM Teacher
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From the Library

Jane Godwin – Author visit

Last Thursday, Jane Godwin, an award-winning author of over 30 children’s books, spent the morning in the library with students and staff from Years 1 and 2. She has been out and about visiting young readers to share her latest book, The Isabelle Stories, illustrated by Robin Gowcher.

Isabelle is a creative and thoughtful little character who loves making rebuses – using letters and pictures to write a message. These code-like messages appear in The Isabelle Stories and Jane had the children captivated with examples of rebuses on the whiteboard and getting them to decode the messages, while also writing their own.

As well as revealing the inspiration for this book, Jane shared fascinating background information relating to a handful of her picture books that really brought them to life.

Jane’s recommendation of having an ideas book is a practical and useful way to protect and keep simple ideas from being forgotten when it’s time to write a story. Ideas can be ‘slippery’ and unless recorded, can be lost when needed. Ideas can also be drawn in picture form. They can start with something real and can be added to or changed later on!

Some of the students from Year 2 shared the following feedback with me the next day…

Finn – “I was amazed an author came to our school. It’s the first real author I’ve seen! I wrote a code in the library at lunchtime and Mrs Whiffin wrote one back!”

Raijin – “I liked the train picture!”

Mackenzie – “I started reading The Isabelle Stories last night. Jane Godwin explained it well and made it exciting.”

Jean – “I liked having her come to school and teaching us about her books. I liked finding out where she gets her inspiration and her ideas book. It was interesting hearing examples for her other stories, like How Big Is Too Small?”

Alexia – “I loved having an author come to our school. I was amazed!”

It was wonderful to hear such positive reflections from our young readers and the insights they shared.

Ms Jo Whiffin
Primary Library Teacher

 

Crime and Mystery in the Primary Library

Last week it was Crime and Mystery Week in the secondary Library.

This week the mystery was in the Primary Library.

On Wednesday when we arrived at school all books in the Graphic Novel section of the Primary library were scattered across the floor in a terrible mess.

A short time later we received a ransom note telling us that the Bad Guys books had been taken and hidden around the library. We also found envelopes hidden about the library containing coded clues to the location of the hidden Bad Guys books.

We asked students to come to the library at lunchtime to help us crack the code to find these very popular books. We had many students arrive to help us and eventually to everyone’s relief, all the missing Bad Guys books were found and returned to the shelves with all the other Graphic Novels.

Ms Janet Stewart
Primary Teacher Librarian

 

News from the Secondary Library

One of the most popular genres to be borrowed from the library is Crime and Mystery.  Agatha Christie is still popular but more contemporary crime books are also eagerly devoured, along with books on missing persons and psychological thrillers.

To further encourage students to consider the genre, the secondary library held a Crime and Mystery Week. Activities included Take a Chance with a Mystery Book. This was basically books that were packaged in brown paper bags with tantalising but cryptic descriptions to entice student to borrow them. A few books were borrowed but it became more of a guessing competition. Students spent time trying to work out the title of the books from the description and fortunately, there was an abundance of easter eggs and lollipops available for a correct guess.

One of the highlights of the week was a Math Murder Mystery activity. There was a murder at the local public library and the police needed help to solve the crime. Students were given the names of 32 suspects and 5 clues in which the murderer was referred to as M in each clue. Using clever mathematical solving skills, students eliminated the suspects and detected the murderer. This activity took 2 lunchtimes to solve and everyone participating earned 5 House points. Congratulations to the following students who solved the crime earning another 5 points for their House.

  • Chris Donis Year 11 Pericles
  • Sachit Awale Year 8 Socrates
  • Ari Patel Year 8 Byron

The second highlight of the week was the Case of the Missing House Cup. In this activity, the House Cup was stolen from the library during House Night. The police found certain pieces of evidence that pointed to six suspects – teachers Mr Panara and Ms Milburn and students Emma Sluiter, Zac Tsaklas, Ellaine Arabatzis and Sarah Dicker. They also have found that Ms Grealish accidentally left the envelope with the name of the winning House alongside the House Cup, resulting in her being brought in for questioning along with another witness Ms Terezakis.

Participating students came along during a lunchtime to help find the culprit by ‘interviewing’ the suspects and witnesses. All suspects learnt their scripts brilliantly and played the apart of trying to convince students they had no motive and an airtight alibi.

However, they did not fool the following students who were quick to work out who had a motive, no alibi and hard evidence to incriminate them. Students earned 5 House points for participating and 5 House Points for cracking the case. Congratulations to these students and the brilliant ‘suspects’ who made the lunchtime so enjoyable.

  • Freya Monk Year 10 Socrates
  • Thalia Lewis Year 9 Socrates
  • Dimitri Matsamakis Year 7 Byron
  • Karina Barakia Year 7 Aristotle
Ms Angela Mare
Head of Library
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From the Sport Department

Secondary House Athletics Carnival

Alphington Grammar held its annual house athletics carnival on Friday 24 March, and it was a day to remember. The event saw the highest student turnout in recent years, with students from all houses showing up in large numbers to participate in the various sporting events.

 

The most notable aspect of the day was the outstanding house spirit that was displayed throughout the event. From the opening ceremony to the final race, the students were filled with excitement and enthusiasm, cheering on their fellow housemates and showing unwavering support.

After eight years of dominance by Aristotle house, it was refreshing to finally see a new winner emerge. Byron house took first place for the first time in over a decade, with their outstanding performance in both track and field events. Their victory was celebrated with cheers and applause from both students and staff.

The Alphington Grammar House Athletics Carnival is an event that promotes teamwork, sportsmanship and a healthy sense of competition. It provides an opportunity for students to showcase their athletic abilities and to demonstrate their dedication and commitment to their house.

Overall, the Alphington Grammar House Athletics Carnival was a huge success, with the best student turn out in recent years, outstanding house spirit and a new winner after a long period of dominance by Aristotle. Congratulations to Byron house on their hard-earned victory, and we look forward to seeing what next year’s event will bring.

EISM Swimming Championships

The Eastern Inter-Schools Meet (EISM) championship swimming competition took place recently, and the performance of our students was impressive.

The individual events were particularly challenging, and our students faced fierce competition from other schools. However, they demonstrated great determination and put in their best effort. They swam with a great deal of skill and precision, and their dedication to their training was evident.

In the relay events, our teams performed well, showcasing their teamwork and coordination. The relay teams had practiced for weeks, their hard work had not gone unnoticed.

While our students did not come out on top, they can be proud of their performance, knowing that they gave it their all. The competition was intense, and they were beaten by athletes who were just a little bit better on the day. However, they can use this experience to motivate them to work even harder in the future.

It is clear that our relay teams have great potential, and with more training and practice, they can continue to improve and dominate in future competitions. With the exciting prospects of upcoming championships, our students are eager to continue working hard and striving towards excellence.

Overall, the EISM Championship Swimming competition was a great success for our school. Our students demonstrated their athletic abilities, their teamwork skills, and their dedication to their training. While they were just beaten by better athletes, they have shown great promise and potential for future competitions, and we look forward to seeing what they can achieve in the years to come.

AGS Secondary Swim Squad

We would like to congratulate all our students who participated in Term 1 Swim Squad training. It has been a great success, and we are incredibly proud of the commitment and hard work shown by everyone who took part.

Throughout the term, we have seen our students develop their swimming skills and build their endurance, culminating in some fantastic performances in the final training sessions. It is clear that the dedication and effort put in by each student has paid off, and we look forward to seeing even more progress in Term 4.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind parents that Swim Squad training will commence again in Term 4. We encourage all students who participated in this term to continue their training and look forward to welcoming new students who wish to join us.

Once again, we would like to congratulate all our students for their hard work and commitment during Term 1 Swim Squad training. We are proud of your accomplishments, and we look forward to continuing this success in Term 4.

Primary District Soccer Round Robin

IDSSA held its annual soccer round-robin tournament on Friday, 31 March. The event was filled with enthusiastic players, parents, and supporters, all cheering on their respective teams. It was a thrilling day of soccer, and the girls’ team did exceptionally well, putting up an impressive performance throughout the day.

The boys’ team, on the other hand, remained undefeated until the grand final but lost in a penalty shootout. It was a heart-breaking moment for the boys, who had worked tirelessly to reach this stage. However, they played with great sportsmanship and showed tremendous skill and determination on the field.

Despite the loss, the atmosphere throughout the day was fantastic. There was a great sense of community spirit, with everyone coming together to support their school and their children. The event was a testament to the values of teamwork, dedication, and fair play that the school instils in its students.

The boys were just unlucky to miss out on the win, but they could hold their heads up high knowing they gave it their all. It was an outstanding performance from both teams, and everyone involved should be proud of their efforts. We look forward to the next soccer round-robin and hope to see even more excitement and sportsmanship from the students.

Primary House Cross Country

The recent House Primary Cross-Country event held at Alphington Grammar School was a huge success, with Pericles House emerging victorious after a 10-year drought. The primary students put on an amazing display of athleticism and determination, with many running personal best times and pushing themselves to the limit.

The event was organised by The School’s PE staff, who worked tirelessly to ensure everything ran smoothly. They were supported by the primary captains, who helped run various activities and encouraged their fellow students to do their best. Their enthusiasm and leadership were truly inspiring.

The support of the parents was also greatly appreciated, with many turning up to cheer on their children and the other students. It was heart-warming to see the community come together and support the young athletes.

The staff and students of Alphington Grammar would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in making the event such a success. Congratulations to Pericles House for their well-deserved win, and to all the students who gave it their all. You are all winners in our eyes!

Ms Olivia Rahme
Head of Sport, Health and PE
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From the LOTE Faculty

25 March Commemorations 

The final event to mark Greek Independence Day took place on Saturday 25 March. Students Rudra Sekhri (Year 12, Pericles) and Pantelli Saris (Year 11, Pericles) attended the two wreath laying ceremonies at the Australian Hellenic Memorial and at the Shrine of Remembrance. 

Both ceremonies included speeches about the importance of marking this day and acknowledged those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom we enjoy today. 
Lest we forget. 

A Visit to LaTrobe University 

Last week, our senior Greek students attended an information session at LaTrobe University’s Greek Department. Together with other schools, our students learned about the value of learning Greek, the opportunities to study Greek at tertiary level and the benefits of speaking other languages in future careers. 
The sessions were varied and interesting and the students especially appreciated hearing from current students and their experience of learning Greek, both at Beginner level as well as Post VCE. 
Thank you to the Greek staff-Dr Stephie Nikoloudis and Dr Dimitri Gonis for their hospitality. The visit really gave us food for thought. 

Year 3 Greek Library Session

The Year 3s took part in their very first Greek Library session on Monday, where they explored the Greek section of the library. Students were excited to see books they knew translated into Greek, as well as enjoyed practising reading and identifying key words that they already know. It was lovely to see students reading in pairs and working out what was happening in their selected book. After borrowing a Greek book of interest to them, we then read a Greek book as a class.  
Happy reading to all! 

Greek Easter Activities

Students in the ELC, Primary School and Secondary School took part in a number of Greek Easter activities this week in lead up to Greek Easter in a couple of weeks. The children dyed red eggs and made traditional Greek Easter biscuits (koulourakia).  

We also would like to take this opportunity to wish our school community a wonderful Easter – Καλό Πάσχα! 

Ms Effie Bindevis 
Primary Greek Coordinator 
Ms Denise Diakodimitriou 
Head of Languages 

Chinese Cooking

It’s been a fun week in Chinese full of cooking activities! To celebrate the end of a long term in Chinese the Year 8s and 9s have been in the kitchen. The Year 8s participated in some dumpling fun and tried some dumplings and were given a mini lesson on dumpling culture in China and its significance to Chinese people! The Year 9s participated in making their own bubble tea and were challenged by the Year 9 advanced class as they gave the instructions on how to make bubble tea completely in Chinese! We look forward to bringing in more cultural experiences for the Chinese classes throughout the year with more planned excursions and incursions coming soon!

Miss Shirley Ke and Mr Ming Lei
Secondary Mandarin Teachers
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Upcoming Events

Limited tickets are available, click here to purchase. 

Sporting Minds

If you’re looking for school holiday programs that will educate, engage and excite your children these upcoming school holidays, look no further than Sporting Minds. Improve your skills, have fun, and make new friends whilst learning from qualified teachers and expert coaches. Get your kids moving and making memories these school holidays.  
Program 1: 12 – 14 April 
Program 2: 19 – 21 April 

All programs are run by Alphington Grammar PE teachers Andrew Diviny and Blair Runnalls.  

To find out more or to book, visit the website: http://www.sportingminds.com.au 

Term Dates 2023

Term Dates 2023

Semester 1 Key Dates - Secondary

Semester 1 Key Dates - Primary

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