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• Ronald McDonald House plaque unveiling
• Sundowners
• IT outage
• Director of Sport

We are off to a great start this term with planning underway for some significant events such as Preparatory School Grandparents Day, Soli ’24 for our Year 12 musicians, NAIDOC Week, Book Week, Science Week, and Mental Health Week. These special events remind us that we are part of a community, local and global, and have a shared past, present and future. When we acknowledge and celebrate these days, our students learn more about issues, and when they share their learnings with others, awareness is raised and positive conversations and changes occur.

Yesterday I was delighted to join a small group of staff and students at Ronald McDonald House (RMH) located in Perth Children’s Hospital. Together we witnessed the unveiling of the plaque – Friends & Family of Fergus Egerton-Warburton & the Christ Church Grammar School Community – which is located at the entry of 1 Family Room. The three-year sponsorship of the room was achieved by student fundraising and donations which took place for one of our own, Fergus Egerton-Warburton. In 2023, Fergus fell ill with a brain tumour while in Papua New Guinea trekking the Kokoda Track with his father. On his return to Perth and stay in hospital, the Egerton-Warburton family were supported by RMH. While Fergus and his family were adjusting to a very different life split between home, work, and the hospital, the Senior School Prefect group of 2023, Fergus’s cohort, planned and held a fundraiser for RMH to help keep families together when life turns upside down due to a child’s illness. You can view photos of the plaque unveiling here.

This Sunday is our first Sundowner for Term 3, bringing Year 11 parents and guardians together to learn more about opportunities for student leadership. We like to offer the students a range of roles which continue to develop particular skills including decision making, communication and organisation, and accepting accountability. On the night we will also discuss Health and Wellbeing and how we are supporting healthy masculinity.

Last Friday, when much of Australia and the world was impacted by a massive IT outage, I am pleased to say that Christ Church had only one minor interruption which was quickly resolved. The limited impact was due in part to the School’s ongoing environmental scanning and the selection of a cyber security solution in 2022 which strongly aligned with the Australian Government’s Essential 8 Security stance. Since last week, the School has reviewed its IT systems and risk management to ensure we are prepared as best we can be for new and emerging risks.

Finally, I am delighted to announce the appointment of Matt Goes as Director of Sport, commencing in Term 4, 2024. Matt joined Christ Church in 2022 as Assistant Director of Sport and has excelled in this position. Matt’s vision for the future of CCGS Sport is both exciting and aspirational.

Alan Jones
Principal

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• Prefectship
• Exciting final weeks of winter sport
• Parent/Student/Tutor interviews

At Christ Church, our focus on leadership development begins when a student joins his tutorial group. Our vertical tutorial group structure promotes the concept of ‘boys mentoring boys’. In his tutorial, a student will be guided through a wide range of opportunities, all of which can provide degrees of leadership growth.

The process of nominating for Prefectship is well underway with the Year 11 cohort this week after it launched last week. It is important that all students understand these responsibilities prior to completing a nomination form. The process of selecting students for leadership positions is conducted in a democratic and thorough manner that engages all Senior School students. My reason for outlining this process is to emphasise that the responsibility for selecting and ensuring a high quality of student leadership does begin with the students. This year they have had many fine role models to look up to, including Captain of School, Jeremiah Wang, and Vice-Captain, Jakob Akhlil. I will be presenting information on the School’s leadership selection processes at the Parents’ Association Year 11 Sundowner this Sunday 28 July at 5.30pm.

The sporting fixtures last week against Hale provided some exceptional highlights. Both the Badminton and Hockey games pretty much decided their respective championships with both codes securing close wins, and Badminton going down to the last game in the final set. Whilst Soccer lost to Hale, they are still on track to secure the championship with wins in their final fixtures. Cross-country didn’t compete but will return to the track this week and are looking certain to secure the championship, having not lost a fixture all season. With three weeks of the season to go we are optimistic that four codes will bring home championship trophies this winter season.

A reminder that Parent/Student/Tutor interviews will be held on Monday 29 July. Bookings for these on campus interviews close at 12.00pm on Friday 26 July, and we ask all parents to ensure they have made a time to meet with their son’s Tutor, along with their son, so that a meaningful discussion can take place around Semester 1 report feedback and Semester 2 goals.

Upcoming Senior School Events

• PSA Bye – Friday 26 and Saturday 27 July (except for Cross Country)
• Parent/Student/Tutor Interviews – Monday 29 July 3.30pm to 7.00pm
• Year 12 Parent Information Evening and Sundowner – Monday 29 July 6.00pm to 8.00pm (please register for Sundowner here)
• MYTC Guys and Dolls production – Wednesday 31 July to Saturday 3 August (tickets available here)
• PSA Sport v Trinity – Friday 2 and  Saturday 3 August
• Dr Judith Locke information evening for current parents – Tuesday 6 or Wednesday 7 August (please register here)

Mark Morrissy
Deputy Principal/Head of Senior School

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• Emphasis on reading and comprehension 
• Parent Forum
• NAIDOC Week
• Integrity

Reading and comprehension are fundamental skills promoted across the Preparatory School and help form the cornerstone of your son’s educational development. As educators and parents, we understand that reading can serve as the gateway to knowledge across all subjects. By engaging with texts, boys expand their vocabulary, improve their language skills, and gain exposure to different cultures and perspectives. This foundational skill enables boys to follow instructions, understand complex concepts, and participate fully in classroom activities. 

Comprehension, on the other hand, ensures that reading is meaningful. It involves interpreting and making sense of the information read, allowing students to connect ideas, infer meanings, and draw conclusions. Strong comprehension skills enable students to critically analyse texts, fostering higher-order thinking skills essential for problem-solving and creativity.   

In the Preparatory School, the emphasis on reading and comprehension sets the stage for future academic achievement. Students who master these skills early are better equipped to handle more challenging material in higher grades. Furthermore, the confidence gained from proficient reading and comprehension enhances a child’s enthusiasm for learning, encouraging a positive attitude towards education. To complement this emphasis, boys across the upper years use Reading Progress as part of their weekly homework, to engage in challenging texts and questions to build on the work that is done in their classes.  

I look forward to sharing more information about reading fluency, speed and accuracy, pronunciation and all aspects about Reading Progress in more detail at next week’s Parent Forum which takes place: Week 3 – Tuesday 30 July commencing at 8.30am in the Preparatory School Staffroom or a YouTube livestream link. The focus will be on literacy development and NAPLAN 2024. If this interests you and you can attend in person, please RSVP here. If you cannot attend in person, the livestream link will be available on CCGS World Year Group notices prior to the event commencing.

Next week we will be celebrating NAIDOC Week in the Preparatory School. All boys will participate in workshops to learn about Indigenous culture and history. There will be NAIDOC Week themed activities at lunchtimes and the boys will learn about NAIDOC Week in their library lessons and through the school bulletin. This exciting week culminates in the NAIDOC Week Assembly on Friday 2 August, hosted by the Term 3 Captains.  

Each term in the Preparatory School, the staff promote and focus on one core value. Through our School Wide Positive Behaviour Support, the boys learn about this value during class time, through the student bulletin, in the playground and in Vertical House Groups. In Term 3, our core value is Integrity. The teachers encourage the boys to demonstrate integrity by providing examples of what this can look like around our school. Integrity can be demonstrated by using school devices appropriately, playing fairly during playtime and putting all rubbish in the school bins. 

The School Values are also promoted within our House system with students earning valuable house points for demonstrating Integrity at school. The House system is popular amongst our boys with students feeling proud to represent their House at carnivals, lunchtime competitions and the inter-house running club. The SWPBS contains our house system and school values, as well as our VHGs, social and emotional learning curriculum, service program and pastoral care services. 

Dr. Steven Males
Head of Preparatory School