Recent Events

Book Exchange & Swap Shop

The 2009 Book Exchange will be held on Thursday, 3rd December from 5.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m in the HR McDonald Building, rooms M30-33 and the Swap Shop will be opened on Thursday 3rd December between 5.00 – 7.00 pm. More details here.  The second hand book exchange list can be found here.

Valedictory Celebrations Wednesday 21 October 2009

This week we farewelled our Year 12 students as they concluded their final day of formal schooling. Amidst all the media hype about ‘muck-up’ day, our students showed great maturity and restraint as they said goodbye to their teachers and House mates. We began the day with a breakfast in the Cafeteria, followed by formal House farewells. This was followed in turn by tributes to the group by Junior School teachers, Middle School teachers and Senior School teachers who all remembered the good times and fun experienced along the journey. A wonderful video of the year level was presented by Mr Brian McManus and the students enjoyed a brunch before heading home for a rest before their Valedictory Service at St Mark’s Church and Dinner at the MCG. The toast to the Leavers was presented by Mr Dowse, himself a leaver at the end of the year, and the response was made by School Captain, Tim Shue. It was a lovely day, characterised by a warm spirit and affection for these students who have been part of our lives for so long. We now wish them well for their final preparations for their examinations. We ask only that they do their best.

Paul Hicks
Headmaster

Prize Giving Assembly Tuesday 20 October 2009

Prizes for outstanding achievement were presented at our annual Prize Giving Assembly on Wednesday, 21 October in the Performing Arts Complex. Our guest speaker this year was the Professor Sally Walker, Vice-Chancellor of Deakin University. Professor Walker spoke inspiringly to our students about maintaining focus on their goals, on not over-complicating our lives and about remembering that there is always more than one way to get to our desired destinations. We welcomed the parents and families of our Prize Winners in order to share in our congratulations and recognition. Last year it was impossible to separate the achievements of two highest achieving students. Our joint duces for 2008 were Andrew Chester and Eddie Qiu, who gained the highest possible ENTER scores of 99.95, and it was great to have them back to receive their prizes. The Proxime Accessit was Kaili Zhang who gained an ENTER score of 99.90.

Paul Hicks
Headmaster

Sports Uniform Booklet
The Sports Uniform Booklet provides information about all sports offered at Camberwell Grammar School and the relevant uniforms that need to be purchased for each sport. The booklet is regularly reviewed and updated. Uniforms can be purchased at either Bob Stewart’s or Dobson’s. If there are any further queries call the Sports Department at the school.

Open Day  Saturday 10 October 2009

Many thanks to all of our students, staff and parents who helped to present such a wonderful Open Day this year. The gorgeous Spring weather was certainly a help, but there was a genuine community spirit and warmth of spirit here which would have made even a gloomy, rainy day seem sunny. The Cadets got us off to a wonderful start with their impressive parade, and the momentum continued all day. The quality of our Academic displays in the new William Angliss Building was most impressive and it was great to see so many of our students involved in presenting interactive displays and demonstrations. The Chemistry Spectacular was again spectacular, and the music performed around the school was, as always, superb. The Art work displayed by our students across the school was of the highest standard. The ‘village’ created in the Middle School Atrium by our Parent Support Groups provided a focus and a hub for the day, and a convenient meeting point. The Junior School looked superb and I was so impressed by the work our youngest students are doing. The various sporting activities were well supported, and the game of cricket on the KAO was such a civilised way to conclude the afternoon. The new initiatives of the rock-climbing wall and the learn to drive simulator proved to be great hits. The buildings and grounds looked superb and even the plants in our gardens bloomed right on cue. We had an enormous number of visitors through the school but even more importantly, the day gave us the opportunity to present and reflect upon the community that is Camberwell Grammar School – I think we have much for which to be thankful. The real stars of the day were our students – they proved to be very gracious hosts and tour guides and interacted with our visitors in a very assured way.

Thanks to everyone – we have a very special school.

Paul Hicks
Headmaster

Spectemur October 2009

Spectemur is the official magazine of the school which updates current events during the academic year. A pdf version is available here.

School Concert  Thursday 10 September 2009

In the final week of third term we were treated to another extraordinary School Concert. The Junior, Middle and Senior School Orchestras and Bands and the School Choir all demonstrated their wide range of talents over a varied and entertaining programme. Thank you to the many parents and friends who supported our musicians by attending last night. As always, our Director of Music, Mr Henley, and his colleagues prepared a very varied and challenging programme, which provided many opportunities for our young musicians to demonstrate their virtuosity. It is difficult to single out individual items on nights such as these but it would be remiss of me not to congratulate James Dong on his extraordinary solo performance of the first movement of Greig’s Piano Concerto. James is an extraordinary musician and played this very challenging piece with flair and dramatic intensity. All groups who performed on the evening did so beautifully and with great passion, and I cannot remember a better standard of playing at our school. On everyone’s behalf, I thank our Director of Music, the inimitable Mr Trevor Henley, the Assistant Director of Music, Mr David Byrne and congratulate all the Music staff and all the players and choristers, on an extraordinary evening of music.
Photos from the evening can be found here

Paul Hicks
Headmaster

Senior School House Music Competition Thursday 30 July 2009 

Congratulations to all who were involved in the excellent Senior School 43rd Annual House Music Competition. It was very encouraging indeed to have so many parents and other family members come along to be part of this joyful occasion: we value your support and interest.
This event involves every boy in the Senior School coming together to make a significant contribution to his House on this evening. The House Music Competition is very much under the control of the students themselves. Each House selects its items for the instrumental and choral sections. Conductors and pianists also come from the Houses themselves with the staff role limited only to the scheduling and supervision of rehearsals.
Congratulations go to the first three place winners in each of the sections:
Instrumental Section: 1st Steven, 2nd Summons and Scholfield (equal), 4th Derham and Macneil (equal)
Unison Song: 1st Summons, 2nd Clifford , 3rd Macneil
Part Song: 1st Clifford, 2nd Robinson, 3rd Macneil
Overall Result: 1st Summons, 2nd Clifford, 3rd Steven
Photos from the evening can be found here

Paul Hicks
Headmaster

Spectemur June 2009

Spectemur is the official magazine of the school which updates current events during the academic year. A pdf version is available here.

Parent Education Seminar

On Monday evening 11 May in the Performing Arts Centre Professor Rob Moodie spoke to parents about “Teenage Drinking”. Professor Moodie is Professor of Global Health at the Nossal Institute, University of Melbourne. He is an internationally renowned public health expert and was Chief Executive of VicHealth between 1998 and 2007. Professor Moodie is also Chairman of the National Preventive Health Task Force. His presentation can be found here (25 MB).

Agendo Art Prize

The Agendo Exhibition Committee is excited to announce the 2nd Bienniel Agendo Exhibition and Award to take place during July 2009 at the Phoenix Gallery at Deakin University Melbourne. Artists under 35 are invited to submit an application to be considered for this prestigious award.

Closing date for entries is Friday 12th June 2009

The Agendo Exhibition and Award is an exciting new event in the Australian arts calendar. The Innaugural Agendo Exhibition took place in September 2007 at Gardner Galleries in Richmond, Melbourne. This years Agendo Exhibition and Award will take place during from 16 July (Opening Night) to 24 July 2009, at the Phoenix Gallery, Deakin University, Melbourne.
Initiated by Camberwell Grammar School, the aims of Agendo are to provide a platform for the newest and brightest lights in the visual arts in Australia.
The award is open to all Australian and New Zealand residents under the age of 35 and there are two award opportunities for artists selected for the exhibition.

To apply or for further information please go to the following web address: www.cgs.vic.edu.au/agendo  


Senior School Play - The Crucible  May 7-10 2009

Our senior students together with Canterbury Girls Secondary College this year chose to present a confronting and challenging play: Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’. Written in the period of Senator Joe McCarthy’s ‘Reds under the Beds’ witch-hunts in the United States, the play explores how people in a small Puritan town in 1692 were driven and divided by conflict and fear, and how this ultimately proved tragically destructive. It was very impressive to see so many of our students performing at a very high level on stage. The performances of the ensemble cast were excellent, and the simple but striking set and clever lighting design added to the overall high standard of the show. My thanks and appreciation go to all members of the cast, the backstage crew, the designers and technical crew, for making this a memorable evening of theatre. It was a great example of our learning community in action! A special thanks to our Director, Ms Penny Wood for all the time and energy she invested into this production: the quality of the final show was entirely a result of her vision and direction. Photos here

Paul G. Hicks
Headmaster

The Glass Soldier  April 24 2009

On Friday 24 April there was a performance of ‘The Glass Soldier’ in the Performing Arts Complex. The Story of an ANZAC in music, it is based on the diaries of N.H. Ferguson who was born in Ballarat in 1893. He was a young artist, when in 1915 he volunteered as a stretcher bearer in World War I. In April 1918 he was blinded at Villers-Brettonneux, France. Upon his return to Australia, Ferguson, although visually impaired, taught Art at RMIT and in 1968 was one of the first to receive a corneal transplant, restoring his sight. The narrative was drawn from and inspired by Hannie Rayson’s play ‘The Glass Soldier’ which was premiered by the Melbourne Theatre Company in 2007. Much of the music was by Australian composer Nigel Westlake, and was been arranged by one of Ferguson’s grandsons Mr David Farrands whose two nephews and thereby Ferguson’s great grandsons now attend Camberwell Grammar School. The performance involved brass players from the Concert Band, a string orchestra, a small choir, guest musicians and guest narrator as well as visual depictions throughout the one hour performance. Photos here

Spectemur February 2009 - Year in Review 2008

This Spectemur reviews the experiences and achievements of 2008.
It gives us a chance to review the year, to celebrate the successes of
our students and staff and reflect upon the work we do.
A pdf version is available for viewing and download here

Year 12 and Year 11 VCE Information evenings

These were held on 3 and 10 February respectively in the school Auditorium. Both nights were attended by students and parents and featured advice, necessary information as well as the obligatory paperwork required for enrolment into the VCE system.
The Year 12 evening featured the Headmaster, Dr Hicks, the Careers Counsellor, Mrs Larn followed by the Year 12 VCE Coordinator, Mr Ramalingam. The emphasis of that evening was achieving a successful VCE result at year’s end through an organised and industrious approach through the year. Powerpoint presentation here.
The Year 11 evening saw Dr Hicks introducing the evening’s speakers and noting the recent terrible events. Mr Dowse gave wise counsel on a range of issues concerning successful study and outcomes. The Year 11 VCE Coordinator, Dr Jack Smith, then outlined the structure of the VCE with emphasis on attaining a good foundation in terms of knowledge, attitude and habits. Powerpoint presentation here.

VCE Results 2008

From The Headmaster

Dear Members of the Camberwell Grammar School Learning Community,

I am sure that all members of our community have great pleasure in congratulating our outgoing Year 12 students on their excellent results in the VCE this year. This group of students worked hard all year and their efforts have resulted in very pleasing results overall. All 164 of our students who completed the year, satisfactorily met the requirements of the Victorian Certificate of Education.

The results are impressive across the full range of scores. Seventeen students (10%) achieved scores of 99 or better, placing them in the top one percent of the state. Forty-two students (26%) achieved a score of 95 or better, while 74 students (45%) achieved scores of 90 or better, placing them in the top ten percent in the state. In addition, 70% of our students achieved a score 80 or better while our median ENTER score was 88.3. These excellent results follow the record achievements of the class of 2007.

I congratulate our students, their teachers and their parents who have worked so hard during the boy’s schooling to get the very best result that they can. What is particularly pleasing about this year’s results is that many students who did not originally consider themselves to be natural scholars have performed to a very good level indeed. They may not always have achieved scores in the 90s or 80s, but we should be very proud of their results too, as they have often done better than expected, sometimes in very difficult circumstances. The results which will be highlighted in the media over the next few days cannot do justice to the stories behind each and every grade. Only the students, their teachers and their families can fully understand the extent to which a particular result should be the subject of rejoicing or consolation. It is also clear that students leave our school with much more than an ENTER score. For my part I am very proud of all that this year level has been able to achieve.

This year two of our students – Andrew Chester and Eddy Qiu - achieved the highest possible score of 99.95 and will share the title of Dux of the School. Our Proxime Accessit is Kaili Zhang, who achieved a score of 99.90

Each of these boys have been active participants in the life of Camberwell Grammar School.

Andrew Chester achieved two perfect study scores - Specialist Mathematics (50) and Physics (50) - as well as studying Literature (46), French (44) and Chemistry (48). In addition, he studied Mathematical Methods (44) whilst in Year 11. He has long been recognised as a gifted scholar at our school, and in his final year won prizes in Chemistry, Physics and French, the Prize for General Excellence in Mathematics in the Australian Mathematical Olympiad, Distinctions in the Westpac Australian Mathematics and the University of NSW Mathematics Competitions along with a Credit and a Distinction in the Alliance Française Oral and Written competitions. Andrew was also a leader of our school, having been appointed a School Prefect in 2008. He won the Ivan Smith Memorial Award for scholarship, arts, games and leadership, was a Scholar of the School, and was a University of Melbourne Kwong Lee Dow Scholar. He was also Captain of Macneil House and participated in Cross-country, Athletics, Orienteering, Debating and Swimming competitions. Andrew was an enthusiastic member of the School’s Swimming squad (of which he was Captain) and he also enjoyed playing soccer as a winter sport. He was also active in the School’s cultural program. Andrew was a member of numerous Inter-School Debating teams and he distinguished himself as a talented musician through his involvements in the Senior School Concert and Stage Bands and the School Choir.

Eddy Qiu studied English Language (45), Latin (36), Specialist Mathematics (48), Physics (48), and Chemistry (49), as well as the University of Melbourne Enhancement Mathematics for which he received a high distinction. In addition, Eddy completed Mathematical Methods (50) whilst in Year 11, in 2007. Eddy also won many academic awards in his time at Camberwell Grammar School. This year alone he won School prizes for Latin, Chemistry, Physics and Specialist Mathematics as well as being A Scholar of the School. Further, Eddy gained an Outstanding Award (Senior Division) in the BHP, University of Melbourne Mathematics Award and a High Distinction in the Westpac Australian Mathematics Competition in 2008 together with the University of Melbourne, Kwong Lee Dow Scholar Award. Eddy was also involved actively in the co-curricular life of the School. He has played the Bassoon for both the Middle and Senior School Bands and Middle and Senior School Orchestras, including three performances at Hamer Hall, and sang Tenor in the School Choir. He was also a member of the School Chess Team which finished second in a competition involving the best and brightest from the nine Associated Grammar Schools of Victoria. He was also a highly successful school debater. Eddy also played a full part in the School’s sporting program, both as a Soccer player and, more significantly, as Captain of the School Orienteering team. He was also actively involved in his House.

The Proxime Accessit to the joint Duces of the School was Kaili Zhang, who scored an impressive 99.90. He was also a Scholar of the School. Whereas Andrew and Eddy both joined the school when they were in Year 7, in 2003, Kaili has only been with us for two years. Kaili studied Specialist Mathematics (50), Revolutions (37), Mathematical Methods (49), English Second Language (43) and Chemistry (50) in Year 12. In addition, Kaili studied Units 3 and 4 Biology (43) whilst in Year 11 in 2007. He also studied University of Melbourne Mathematics this year for which he received an High Distinction and was named the best performing student in the State for the subject. In 2008 Kaili was awarded Prizes for Chemistry, English as a Second Language, General Excellence in Mathematics along with a High Distinction in the Australian National Chemistry Quiz. Kaili participated actively in Music programme including the Senior School Orchestra, Senior School String Orchestra and School Choir. Kaili was made Leader of the School Orchestra in 2008 and attained Full Colours in Music for his contributions.
These boys demonstrate perfectly that active involvement in a very wide range of School extra-curricular activities can enrich our students and also help them to maintain their focus on their studies.

As mentioned, a total of 17 students, or 10% of the group, achieved scores of 99 or better, which places them in the top 1% of all students in the State. Apart from Andrew, Eddy and Kaili, the others are, in alphabetical order: Robert Ceglia, Andrew Crosby, Plutarch Deliyannis, Benjamin Hart, Sam Hughes, Kevin Mei, Dylan Morris, Andrew Murray, David Murray, William Shute, James Stayner, Sanjay Sudarshanan, Jacky Wu, Gavin Yang. These boys all took a wide range of courses and subjects and also involved themselves in many aspects of school life.

Ten students achieved perfect scores (50) in their subjects : Andrew Chester – Specialist Mathematics and Physics; Jonathan Lee – Biology; Julian Lim – Mathematic Methods; Nirav Madhok – Further Mathematics; Andrew Murray – History Revolutions; James Stayner – Economics and Legal Studies; Norman Tay – Mathematics Methods; Gavin Yang - Mathematics Methods; James Zhang - Mathematics Methods and Kaili Zhang – Chemistry and Specialist Mathematics. I would like to publicly acknowledge our remarkable teaching staff who give generously of their time and wisdom for the good of their students and I know that they too are proud of the results overall. I also congratulate our parents, who have nurtured, encouraged and supported the students through the highs and lows of a VCE year. Congratulations once more to the class of 2008 on their excellent results. It is pleasing to see that all of their hard work has been rewarded so generously.

Paul G. Hicks
Headmaster

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