Grammar Gazette- Issue 1, 2007

Ms Sarah McGarry, Head of England House, with her Year 8 House group

afternoon tea where they are able to meet the other members of the class. Thus, the connections which will be nurtured throughout the following year are initiated. On their first day as students of the School our 200 plus Year 8s gather as a group for a formal greeting from the Principal, Ms Bell. They are addressed by the Head Girls who reminisce about their own feelings when they sat in the same building five years earlier. This is an exciting time for everyone involved and there is a palpable sense of anticipation and promise. This year Mrs McConaghy, one of the Deputy Principals read the girls a wonderful story, Imagine a Day by Sarah L Thomson which encouraged them to seize the opportunities being offered yet acknowledged the uncertainty and newness of their situation. With the words of the book still fresh in their minds the girls divided into their House Groups and moved to the rooms which were to be their base during morning House Group time for the rest of the year.

The role of a House Group teacher is particularly significant for Year 8s. These teachers monitor the day to day progress of the girls within their care, managing a multitude of situations as they arise and pre-empting many concerns felt by their students. Each Year 8 group has two House Prefects appointed from the Year 12 group of the same House who act as role models for the younger girls. They contribute to the feelings of connection through their acknowledgement of birthdays, achievements and qualities. As well as having their Prefects, each Year 8 girl has a Year 12 buddy from their House. This buddy relationship is rewarding for both the younger and older girls, allowing one to see where they are going and the other to see where they have been. It is difficult to define the responsibilities of a “buddy” as the relationship tends to be shaped by the individuals involved. Each Year 8 girl receives a welcome card from her “buddy” during the Christmas holidays before they

they experience their first taste of the Girls Grammar approach to life and learning. A personal interaction with the Principal makes the occasion an auspicious one and establishes each individual’s importance to the School. This is a fundamental principle of our approach to orientating our new students — that is, that they are and feel that they are, seen and known within the School community. Each student’s first meeting with her Head of House is crucial in establishing a relationship of trust which will develop throughout her five years at the School. The sense of belonging to a specific House is deepened when they visit again on Open Day where they experience a House display focussed on welcoming them to the School. It is particularly appropriate that these displays are planned and created by the incumbent Year 8 group — almost seen as a rite of passage. Towards the end of the year preceding the girls’ entry into the School each Year 8 House Group is invited to attend an

grammar gazette autumn 2007