Newsletter Term 4 2024
Principal's Update
As we approach the end of the year and prepare for the festive season, you may have noticed our front office was transformed into an Aussie Christmas theme. It has been an extremely busy time at Golden Grove High School with the Year 12 exams, Year 12 Graduation, Year 11 End of the Year Assembly, and the Year 7 Parent Information Night. We look forward to celebrating with the Year 9 students on Monday, 9 December at their Middle School Graduation and the Year 12 class of 2024 when their results are released on Monday, 16 December. Next week, we are excited to welcome over 250 new Year 7 students for their two transition days on Thursday and Friday.
Reflecting on 2024, we can take immense pride in the exceptional public education we provide to students in our community. At Golden Grove High School, our purpose is clear: to achieve Success for All through a steadfast commitment to supporting every student to:
- Develop purpose, belonging, and wellbeing,
- Become thriving, lifelong learners,
- Transition to a fulfilling and successful future.
Our core values of respect, equality, pride, integrity, and resilience are the foundation of everything we do. These values shape our daily interactions and guide the decisions we make. In 2024, our school culture has continued to flourish, with positive relationships remaining the cornerstone of our success.
As I often say, I love my job. Every morning, I wake up excited for the day ahead, energized by the meaningful connections I have with both staff and students. The way we support, respect, and challenge each other is what makes this school so special. This year, I was thrilled to learn I have the privilege of extending my tenure as principal for another five years, taking me through to the end of 2029. I am truly honoured by this opportunity and do not take it for granted.
During the recent school holidays, I was fortunate to travel to Japan and join the last few days of the Japan Study Tour. It was an incredibly impactful experience, seeing what it is like on a typical day in a Japanese school. School begins earlier than it does in Australia, finishes later, and most students are still at school until 6 pm participating in club activities two or three times per week. Class sizes are much bigger, and students only have one break (for lunch, which is eaten inside) for the entire day. It was certainly an eye-opening experience for our GGHS students. The day before we flew home, we were lucky enough to go to Disneyland in Tokyo, which was an incredible way to finish what was an amazing experience for our 20 students.
There have been many other highlights for the term, including:
- A group of our talented dance students were selected to perform in the Adelaide Christmas Pageant—a wonderful showcase of their skill and creativity.
- Both the Year 7/8 boys' and girls' Touch Football teams were crowned Division One State Champions—an incredible achievement.
I wish you and your family all the best for a fabulous festive season, and I look forward to seeing you all again in January 2025.
Peter Kuss
Principal
Meet GGHS Family
Samantha Boocock- Year 9 Leader & English/HaSS Teacher
Education (school)- Tyndale Christian School
Education (tertiary) –University of South Australia
Interest/Hobbies –Like many English teachers I love reading, I am currently up to my 52nd book of the year! I also love spending time with my husband and rottweiler, Henry. My favourite type of weekend would involve friends and family for a BBQ and a fun card game.
I am super competitive when it comes to sports but lack the skill to back it up, so I spend Saturdays watching my husband play soccer while I cheer way too loudly from the sidelines.
Favourite Drink – Alcoholic- Mojito but best served by the pool while I'm on holidays Non- alcoholic wuld be a lemon, lime and bitters, pub version!
Favourite Book -Throne of Glass series was amazing, so many ups and downs!
Favourite Movies –If you haven't watched The Tourist yet, please do it and tell me what you think
Overseas Travel – I went to New Zealand this year for my honeymoon and it blew me away. The South Island was amazing, such good scenery but also lots to do. My favourite part was the helicopter ride and hike on the Franz Josef Glacier (seen in the picture). The food and coffee was also unmatched, I would go back in a heartbeat.
If I could go to dinner with anyone -It sounds morbid, but Hitler and Churchill. I would love to get some first-hand understanding of the war and gain a deeper understanding of the war's impact on the people at the time. I would like to hear what Hitler and Churchill would have to say to each other (and then share this with my History classes afterwards!).
Proudest Accomplishment –Buying our house, when people say the property market is crazy they truly mean it. It took us over 2 years of looking to finally get a house and I am so thankful for it.
Senior School
2024 SACE Results
Congratulations to the class of 2024 on your incredible results!
Time to put down the pen (or laptop) and enjoy a well-earned break!
Year 10 News
Program ID
Program ID is an important part of the Year 10 curriculum and takes place on a Monday during lesson 3. In term 4 we worked on a unit of work called Shape Your City. This work is linked to the citizenship strand of the program. Students were asked to come up with a way to enrich the local community with a new idea or initiative. Program ID is the platform where a lot of information goes out to students and so attendance to these lessons is just as important as any other lesson.
Grove UNO Challenge
In Term 3 our students used some Grove and ID time to have an UNO challenge. We hosted the grand finale of this challenge in week 10 in which one student from each Grove played off against each other to win a pizza party for their peers. Congratulations to Hallie who won the event and secured a pizza party for 1010.
Year 10 Achievement Assembly
On Friday of week 2 we held our termly assembly for the Year 10 students. During this assembly we celebrated a variety of achievements which included positive behaviour records, school values and attendance to school. I would like to mention our schools values award winners and congratulate them:
Respect – Jethro
Pride – Talise & Jaydyn
Integrity – Joel
Resilience – Kayleigh
Positive Behaviour records – Term 3
Students can receive Positive Behaviour Records (PBR) from any staff member at the school and it has been great to read these and see some of the ‘good stuff’ that happens at our school. During term 4 120 students received a PBR which equates to almost half of the year level. Congrats to Layla from 1004 for receiving six PBR’s, the most for our year level.
School Sport – Year 9/10 Soccer
Our Year 9/10 Boys were crowned State Champions by defeating Hallet Cove in the Division 2 final at Service FM stadium. It was a great effort to take out this title and the boys played consistently well throughout the competition. Well done to all involved and Emerson and Nate for winning the best and fairest award.
Individual Achievements – Tea Tree Gully Council Awards
Congratulations to Indah and Darcy for their achievements with the TTGC community programs. Indah was runner up in the Young Entrepreneur of the year award and Darcy graduated from the Youth Leadership program. It’s awesome to hear about students thriving in the local community and engaging with programs like this.
Anzac Spirit Prize
I am proud to share that 3 Year 10 students entered the competition in 2024 and with the support of Mr. Wood and Mrs Holden they all submitted a thorough piece of work to be considered by the judges. Congratulations to Paige, Billy and Layla for the time and effort they put into their applications and good luck, fingers crossed.
Year 10 End of Year Assembly
In week 7 we hosted our end of year awards assembly for the year 10 students. This was an opportunity to say some special things about some special students. Several prestigious awards were presented during the assembly, which included Service to school awards, School values awards and the Principals award. All members of staff were given the opportunity to nominate students for these awards, so to win one of these is a big deal and a moment to be proud of. To the families of these award winners, your children are fantastic young people and you also should be very proud of their achievement. Congratulations to all of our winners and we look forward to seeing you move into Year 11 and continue to thrive with your learning at Golden Grove High School.
Middle School
Middle School Update
This year sees our first Year 7s at GGHS graduate from the Middle School – what a milestone for us!
As such, we are in our initial stages of reviewing our current Middle School model. Thank you very much to all the parents/carers who contributed to our Middle School Review survey! As stated in our last newsletter, your honest and constructive feedback and ideas were the most important of all and we valued this input when constructing our proposals for refining our Middle School model for 2025 and beyond.
I am excited to share with you as a site we have voted on two changes to our model from 2025. This was after we evaluated a range of relevant data sets, surveyed staff, students, and families, and consulted with staff about potential areas for improvement.
Change 1
At GGHS we currently offer an inter-disciplinary approach to English and Humanities, and Mathematics and Science. This means we combine the content and skills of these subjects together and teach them as Global Perspectives and STEM. While this approach has been extremely successful for Global Perspectives, we have experienced some challenges having the same success with STEM. When doing a deep dive in to the benefits of this subject, we found the priority was our Year 7 and 8 classes having a smaller team of teachers rather than the combination of Mathematics and Science. As such, from 2025, Year 7 and 8 students will no longer study STEM, but rather Mathematics and Science separately. Year 7 and 8 classes will still have 3 core teachers, but this could be for a combination of subjects (eg, Global OR Maths and Science OR Science and Healthy Lifestyles). One of the teachers who has them for 2 subjects will also be their Grove teacher. We are excited to have found a solution that maintains our high standards of curriculum offerings, while keeping wellbeing and relationships at the forefront of all we do.
Change 2
Currently, students moving into Year 9 stay with the same Grove they have been with since starting high school. They also do their core subjects (English, Mathematics, Science and History) with that same class. From 2025, Year 9s will stay with their Grove for Grove time and Program ID only. A new class will be created with students from a blend of their Village (for example, a blend of students from 804, 805 and 806) and students will do their core subjects with that newly formed class. This is an excellent opportunity to allow students to experience classes with a range of new students, which they will do for all their subjects in the Senior School, while still balancing being with a range of friends and known peers. Grove teachers and students will be consulted next term to ensure wellbeing, positive behaviour, and learning are all being considered when constructing these classes.
Kirsty Ujhelyi - Assistant Principal: Head of Middle School
Year 9 Raise Mentor Program - Looking for 2025 mentors!
Over the last couple of years, the Year 9 and Wellbeing teams at Golden Grove High School have partnered with Raise Youth Mentoring to provide selected Year 9 students with the opportunity to participate in weekly 1-hour mentoring to improve their wellbeing and engagement at school. This has proven to be extremely well-received by our young people, who find genuine connections with their mentors. This year, 97% of our students who participated in the program reported that they enjoyed it. Even better than this, 96% of students identified an area of improvement in their life, and 74% told us that this mentoring helped them to cope with mental health or personal issues. We are proud to continue with this meaningful program in 2025.
To continue the success of this program, we are looking for volunteer mentors from our local community to support our students. If you would like to support our year 9 mentorship program, please see below for details.
Middle School Celebration
Term 4 of Middle School is a crucial period for our young people and at Golden Grove High School we have focused on making this a term of celebrations. Term 4 is not only an opportunity for students to showcase the knowledge and skills they’ve acquired over the year, but also a time for reflection and preparation for the following year. Our Year 7s are getting ready to move in to their second year of high school with confidence of what it means to be a high schooler. Our Year 8s are moving in to their final year of Middle School and are set to become the next leaders of this wonderful stage of schooling. Our Year 9s have graduated and are setting their sights on the adventures that moving in to the Senior School will bring.
Year 7 Showcase of Learning
This semester, the second half of our Year 7s engaged in our exciting new subject called Visible Learning, with a focus on one of four areas of interest: Engineering Innovation, Inspired Minds, My Artistic Self or The Great Outdoors. This subject is designed to teach students the key skills that will assist them in their learning across all their subjects at GGHS. Throughout the course, the focus has been on our learner dispositions, encouraging and fostering the students’ sense of collaboration, resilience, creativity, self-motivation and reflection in their learning, both in and out of the classroom.
On Wednesday 4th December, we invited families and carers into our school to attend our Year 7 Showcase of Learning, where students were given the opportunity to show off their Visible Learning journeys. Students showcased their projects, presented what they learnt, how they learnt it and why it is important.
It was fantastic to have so many parents and grandparents in our Middle School building, sharing the pride that we felt towards our Year 7s and enjoying a yummy morning tea at the same time!
Middle School Celebration Assembly
On Monday 9th December we hosted our 2024 Middle School Celebration Assembly. We had a record number of students nominated for awards and nearly 70 students were selected across the three year levels to be acknowledged and celebrated for their academic success, demonstration of our school values, and for specialist awards. We were overwhelmed with pride and excitement to be able to gather together with our Year 7 and 8 students, families of award winners, special guests and staff to celebrate the achievement, growth and spirit of our incredible Middle School students. A special thank you to Ms Jenni Stam and our incredibly talented Year 8 band, comprising of Zahra-Eve Quinn, Caitlyn Roessel, Tanya Tanya, Owen Welsh and Sam Woolman for their outstanding performance on the day!
Year 9 Graduation
On December 9th, our Year 9 students gathered to celebrate the culmination of their middle school journey at the much-anticipated Graduation Lunch at Sfera's. A total of 181 students attended this special event, reflecting on the memories and experiences that have shaped their time so far at GGHS.
It was a joy to see the students dressed up and enjoying themselves as they celebrated their achievements. The buffet lunch provided a wonderful opportunity for everyone to relax, reminisce, and share stories with friends and teachers alike.
During the event, we proudly handed out senior shirts and graduation certificates to each student, marking the official end of their middle school years. We are incredibly proud of each and every one of them, and we look forward to seeing them continue to grow and succeed in the years ahead. Congratulations to the Year 9 class of 2024!
We believe that acknowledging and celebrating academic success and personal growth is crucial in motivating and inspiring our Middle School students to reach their full potential. The achievements of our students reflect not only their dedication, but also the support they receive from their teachers, parents, and the entire Golden Grove community. As we look forward to the continued success of our students, we express our gratitude to the parents/caregivers for their unwavering support and encouragement. Your involvement in your child’s education plays a pivotal role in their journey, and we appreciate your commitment to fostering a positive and empowering learning environment.
We wish you Merry Christmas are can’t wait to see the successes 2025 will bring!
Kirsty Ujhelyi
Assistant Principal – Head of Middle School & High Quality Teaching and Learning
Faculty Focus
Music Night
What do you get when you combine months and months of rehearsals, and a performance stage to share your journey? Everyone breathing and feeling the same rhythm and energy levels rising!
On Wednesday 25 September the Golden Grove Recreation and Arts Centre was a buzz with over 60 student musicians keen to entertain the attending audience. Our Year 10 Class band kicked off the night with their renditions of Mr Brightside, Another One Bites the Dust and What is Love? Our drummers showed great commitment, also stepping in as vocalists for the performance with the guitarists and pianists providing strong accompaniment and melodic highlights. Vocal solo performances were presented by Zahra, Georgia and Talise with beautiful warmth and sensitivity in their singing. These were capped off by a rousing performance of Never Enough by Year 12 vocalist, Riley.
The next class performance was our Year 8 music class with a mashup of Lose Yourself, Green Onions and Iron Man. Drew, Emma, Patrick, Samuel and Owen showed great courage and resilience to play the hard rock arrangement to an appreciative audience.
A music night is never complete without senior students showing their musical prowess. As part of Year 12 Music Explorations studies Kade performed a self-taught drum solo of Walk by Pantera which many of the junior students commented on as the highlight of the night. Later in the program he reappeared with Amelia and Hayden (Year 11) to play No One Knows. Amelia also performed Schism by Tool supported Year 11 student, Isaac and Lachlan presented an original music production piece- Reggaton. Isaac again featured, performing an original with Jamie on piano and guitar with great passion and musicality.
We went back to the Blues when the Year 7 class band played C Jam Blues (in Eb flat), and What Makes You Beautiful. This group has worked for only a short time as a class band, with most students only having learnt their instrument in class for one term. A massive achievement! We were also treated to a piano solo from Year 7 student Izac playing Carol of the Bells. The Year 9 class played a tribute to Michael Jackson with both Billie Jean and Bad, finishing with Save Your Tears featuring Malachi, Alecia and Kirill. Providing stylistic contrast was Benson on the acoustic guitar with a beautiful rendition of Until I Found You and Tara representing the woodwind students, playing Winter by Vivaldi. The school’s percussion ensemble performed Boom Boom and the Australian-composed up-tempo Bucket of Gunk- featuring a soul groove.
The night was rounded out with our Year 11 Ensemble performing a powerful version of Live and Let Die. With changing feels and time signatures, the group moved fluently through the transitions as an energetic end to the evening.
Many thanks go to those staff who supported in getting this event ready and running smoothly. Events like this often rely on the good will of colleagues, and Belle McKay, Jenny Christie, Lynette Haines, Wayne Hurst, Chantel Lee, Andrew McLean, Jane Roddy and Adrian Rusby gave this in spades. Thankyou to our encouraging and enthusiastic members of the audience for supporting our musical superstars.
A massive congratulations to every single student who stepped on the stage. You represented yourself and Golden Grove High School Music Department magnificently and should all be incredibly proud. I know I am!
Jenni Stam- Music Teacher
Discovery Centre
We've had an exciting and productive term at the Discovery Centre, filled with enriching Community Access visits! A highlight was our whole unit lunch at the Village Tavern, where we enjoyed a fantastic meal and had the chance to showcase the skills students have been practicing all year. The staff at the Tavern were incredible, and it was a joy to see our students confidently navigating the community, managing money, and demonstrating their growing independence.
Throughout the term, students have continued to participate in quality, targeted learning focused on building their independence and social-emotional skills. We also enjoyed some friendly competition in the House Cup, where students took on the creative challenge of designing outfits from recyclable materials – a project that brought out some amazing ideas and a lot of laughter.
In addition, our Outdoor Education classes are gearing up for a thrilling Aquatics Camp! This will be a fantastic opportunity for students to develop water skills, experience teamwork in a new setting, and enjoy the outdoors as they learn about safety and independence in aquatic environments.
We’ve also made conflict management a focus this term, with lessons designed to help students understand their emotions and learn practical strategies for handling conflicts in positive and constructive ways. These skills have been a valuable addition to our program, empowering students to build stronger, healthier relationships.
As the term draws to a close, we wish our Year 12s all the best in their future endeavors and want them to know they will be deeply missed by everyone at the Discovery Centre. We’re excited for a series of fun and festive events, including our DC Talent Show, the end-of-year Christmas celebration, and much more! It’s been a wonderful term, and we can’t wait to see what our students achieve in the coming year.
Cherie Dawkins - Discovery Centre Leader
Discovery Centre Learning
The Discovery Centre continues to provide enriching experiences through our fantastic Community Access program. Recently, students have enjoyed exciting visits to various locations, including the city, IKEA, and local businesses. These outings have offered them incredible opportunities to engage with the world around them, practicing important life skills and building confidence in real-life settings.
We were also fortunate to welcome SAPOL officers to the Centre, where they gave an engaging presentation on online safety and the risks associated with cyberbullying. The officers’ approach was highly relatable for our students, who enjoyed a lively Q&A session. It was a valuable experience that reinforced crucial lessons on staying safe in digital spaces.
In addition, we took part in RUOK Day, a powerful reminder of the importance of mental health. We used this occasion to address ongoing concerns around emotional well-being and provided students with practical strategies for support. Students learned how to recognise signs of distress in their friends and families, equipping them to ask that important question: "Are you OK?" It was a meaningful and reflective time for all involved, building a stronger foundation for mental health awareness.
Our electives program has been a creative space for students, and we are seeing some fantastic creations taking shape. Whether through art, music, or hands-on projects, the students have embraced the opportunity to explore their talents and express themselves in new and exciting ways.
With the Paralympics underway, we've also taken the opportunity to talk about diversity and the power of perseverance. These conversations have encouraged our students to believe that all things are possible if they put their minds to it, and that their abilities can take them as far as they dream.
Stay tuned for more exciting updates from the Discovery Centre as we continue to grow and create valuable experiences for our students!
Sport
Year 7 to 9 Baseball State-wide Minor Round
To start term 4 off, our school played in the minor round of the State-wide year 7-9 baseball competition early in week 1. We ended up with 1 win and 1 loss and progress through to the state final due to having the lowest runs against.
Game 1: Golden Grove High School 3 defeated Wirreanda High School 0
Hits: Harrison 1.
Battery: Zac / Owen to Harrison
A very close game against quality opposition. Jakob ended up with our first run after drawing a walk and then stealing second and third. Harrison managed a hit and stole 2 bases before being driven in by Ashton in a great at bat. Zac and Owen pitched well, holding the opposition scoreless while striking out 6 opposition hitters between them. Harrison did well as our catcher, throwing out 5 opposition base runners.
Game 2: Golden Grove High School 3 defeated by Marryatville High School 5
Hits: Ashton 1, Eliot 1
Battery: Olivia / Ashton to Zac
In the second game, we had a slow start and never really managed to score our runs back. Eliot made a great play at short stop and took a difficult catch in the outfield. Best of the hitters were Ashton and Eliot with one a piece. Ashton came in to relieve and managed to keep the opposition scoreless while striking out 8 hitters in 3 innings in a dominant performance.
Thank you to the parent helpers, Ian for scoring, and Tess for taking photos.
Congratulations to our student coaches as well – Blake, Lincoln, and Lucas.
School Life
Remembrance Day
On Monday the 11th of November, a commemorative service was held to acknowledge Remembrance Day. Students and staff from Golden Grove High School, Gleeson College and Pedare Christian College gathered together to show respect to more than 100,000 Australians who made the ultimate sacrifice during conflicts, to provide us with the freedoms we have today.
We had guest speaker Warrant Officer Class One, Eliza Mayger from the Army Reserves, Adelaide Universities Regiment. Eliza spoke about Resilience and what Remembrance Day represents to Australia. Along with this we had support from Captain (AAC) Ben Foxwell from Army Cadet Unit 432ACU; and our student Cadets from within our own school unit 432ACU and unit 49ACU who conducted the Catafalque Party Drill, flag raising role and performed a guard of honour.
Staff and students from One + worked together to construct white crosses to be displayed at each campus. The students then conducted research on South Australian soldiers and on each cross was the name of a soldier from South Australia. We had three crosses that were completed by students that had a family member serve.
Layla
Layla's great-grandfather Richard served in World War II with the 43rd Battalion and the Light Horse Regiment in the South Pacific. Richard Ross was a multiple awardee of service medals for his actions and conduct in the South Pacific.
Paige
Paige's great-great-grandfather Frederick served in World War I with the 7th Brigade at Gallipoli and then later in France, most notably at the Battle of Pozieres. Frederick was an awardee of the British Victory Medal for his service in France.
Billy
Billy's great-grandfather Colin served in World War II with the 30th Infantry in New Guinea. He was a multiple awardee of service medals for his actions in New Guinea, particularly following an ambush and his work destroying Japanese booby traps in the jungles.
Displayed around the crosses were beautifully crocheted poppies, which were completed by one of our Golden Grove High School parents, Tammie.
Thank you to everyone that participated in the organising of this year’s Remembrance Day service.
Kerrie Stevenson – Defence School Mentor
Golden Grove Spring Carnival
We had an amazing time at this year's Golden Grove Spring Carnival on Tuesday, September 24th! With four exciting zones; Zone 1: Inflatable World, Zone 2: Nerf Wars, Silent Disco and Game Retreat, Zone 3: Neverland and Zone 4: Splash & Game Arena. There was something for everyone to enjoy.
It was wonderful to see so many students engaged in the fun and watching staff also join in. Whether bouncing through the obstacle courses, battling it out in Nerf Wars, making slime or dancing the afternoon away at the Silent Disco, it was just awesome to watch so many happy faces.
A huge thank you to our dedicated staff and student volunteers who worked tirelessly to bring this event to life and make the day such a success. The day was four months in the making but, it was so worthwhile when seeing how awesome the students are at Golden Grove.
As we reflect on this event, we are already looking ahead to see how we can make next year even better. Being the first year of running the carnival this way, there were things we would do differently but, to see how amazing the staff and students were at embracing the event, we look forward to making it even better next year. Thank you to everyone for your support, it was greatly appreciated.
Well done to Robertson for earning the most tokens on the day, with a close battle for second and third between Stevens and Tilley. All tokens collected will be converted to points for the House Cup.
Marc Wallis - Student Wellbeing and House System Leader
Mirnu Wirra – mini Kaurna Nation forest
As part of our school's “Cobbler Creek to Dry Creek Habitat Restoration Connectivity Project,” we created a natural "Mirnu Wirra" – meaning "Golden Wattle Place" in Kaurna – at our school entrance. This mini Kaurna Nation forest mirrors the native plantings around our oval, forming a circular gathering space that symbolizes "place" in Kaurna.
Here, students, staff, and our community can observe indigenous plants like Mirnu (Golden Wattle), Tarnta Tutha (Kangaroo Grass), and Peintuk (Dianella revoluta) as they pass by.
Mr. Ujhelyi, First Nations Teacher, explains, "Planting native plants at school provides a unique opportunity for both First Nations and non-First Nations students to connect with and share culture and Country. As they work together to nurture native flora, students learn about the cultural significance of these plants in local traditions, fostering respect and understanding between cultures. Through this collaborative effort, students gain a sense of responsibility for the land and an appreciation of Indigenous knowledge on caring for the environment. This experience benefits all participants by enhancing cultural awareness, building community, and encouraging a shared commitment to environmental stewardship and respect for Country."
We’re excited to watch Mirnu Wirra grow with the seasons, learn from its role in Australia’s rich biodiversity and provide habitat for some native butterflies and bees! 🦋🐦🌳🐝🌿🌼
Staff Christmas Decoration Challenge 2024
Last year was our first staff office Christmas decoration challenge, and it was such a success that the bar was set high for this year's challenge - an Aussie Christmas. Boy, did our staff rise to the challenge, with each office taking a unique spin on the theme!
Our judges this year, Santa and his elf Snowflake, had the impossible task of deciding winners in the following categories:
Most Sustainable - won by the Library and One+ office
OTT - won by Maths and PE
On theme - won by the SSO office and Front Office
Honourable Mention (2nd place) - won by MS18U office and Science
The joint 2024 Staff Christmas Decoration Challenge winners were... One+ and PE!
Check out the incredible effort made by our staff below!
Wellbeing
What a year! The wellbeing team have achieved so many great successes this year with the support of our pastural care workers we held several recess and lunch time events that brought the school community closer together. Our lunch time clubs have grown year on year and that is a testament to the relationships our teachers have with the students. Our spring carnival was a standout achievement with a record number of students attending a variety of new activities and food options, and with the weather being kind this year, it really was a roaring success.
Throughout the year we began connecting with our 2025 year 7 students visiting the primary schools and having the year 6s visit us. This culminates in the two formal transition days in early December where our new year 7s get a real taste of what middle school is really like.
Next year we welcome back Mrs Kristy Power to lead the wellbeing team and year 7 sub school through what I am sure will be another super successful year for Golden Grove High School.
I would like to use this platform to thank the wellbeing team, and the entire GGHS staff for all their support and dedication to our students and their families. Their hard work and commitment to this school and the community is what makes GGHS the special place it is.
To all our families I wish you a merry Christmas and happy holidays, take time to recharge and enjoy time with family and friends.
If you or your family need any supports over the break you can always look to our School TV page as well as any of the support organisations below.
Rob Yeend - Acting Assistant Principal for Student Wellbeing
Community News
Join our Parent Engagement Committee in 2025!
Would you like to contribute to meaningful change in our school and assist our staff in consultation of school processes, events and ideas?
Our Parent Engagement Committee are a wonderful team of passionate and dedicated school community members who meet 3 Monday evenings a term from 6-7pm. Our work together has included consultation on school policies, parent feedback on diaries, uniform, the PBL framework, community consultation and parent education events. We have also run school fundraising events, supported school events such as Open Day and contributed to facility and branding upgrades around the school. We have featured in the Parents Say magazine and been invited to speak with Minister Boyer and local member Rhiannon Pearce during a visit to the school.
Two of our long-standing committee members were awarded Minister Boyer's Volunteer of the Year award this year for their dedication to our committee and school. Congratulations to Maja and Ali!
If this sounds like a team you would love to be a part of, please register your interest through the link below. We look forward to welcoming you in 2025!
Sarah West - Assistant Principal for School Culture, Behaviour Support, Communications and Media and Community Engagement
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