The Crier - Term Two Edition, 2022

The Crier – Term 2, 2022 A school of The Anglican Schools Commission (Inc.)

The Crier The Newsletter of Cobram Anglican Grammar School

Term Two Edition, 2022

despite not yet being an official member.

For his efforts in the community he has received a Lions District Children of Courage Award. He has also recently become a member of the Katamatite CFA after spending the past four years learning the ropes with the Junior Brigade in Cobram.

Considering he has already faced so much adversity due to complications with his heart which included spending much of the first five years of his life in the RCH, Lachlan’s can do attitude and optimistic outlook on life is all the more inspiring.

When asked the question why he is so passionate about community service, his answer was simple.

“I just want to help people. I’ve had a lot of people have to help me in my short 18 year life so I just want to give back as much as I can.”

Images kindly supplied by the Moira Shire.

Lachlan’s big day out Year 12 student Lachlan Ross was bestowed with the enormous honour of being named Moira Shire Young Citizen of the Year at the Shire’s 2022 Australia Day Awards held on April 28 2022. This year the ceremony was held a few months after Australia Day due to COVID restrictions back in January.

For Lachlan, hearing his name called out as the winner came as quite a shock to the system. Humble in accepting the award, he said it could have gone to any of the five entrants he was up against. ”I found out I won the minute they announced it, I had no clue it was coming,” Lachlan told the Crier.

“I certainly didn’t expect it as there were a lot of other kids who probably deserved it just as much, if not more than I did,” he added.

Integrity, Endeavour, Community

Lachlan explained that he was nominated by his neighbour and close mentor Graham, a Katamatite Lions Club member.

He said the Lions Club had been great supporters of his.

“A lot of members from the Lions Club reached out to congratulate me. The event was capped due to COVID so there weren’t too many people there but you were allowed to invite your parents and a couple of people from the community from which you were nominated,” he said.

As well as being able to help people, he added that the networking opportunities that arise from undertaking community work also make it worthwhile.

The entire Cobram AGS community congratulates Lachlan on this fine achievement – it’s certainly well deserved.

Lachlan was formally recognised for his many outstanding contributions to his local Katamatite community and the wider community. A major part of his volunteer work involved organising the Royal Roundup fundraiser for children spending Christmas in the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH). He is also an ambassador for RCH and is involved in ongoing research there.

Despite pouring so much energy into his work with the RCH Lachlan still finds time to assist the Katamatite Lions Club

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Cobram Anglican Grammar School

The Cobram AGS community pays its respects It was heartening to see so many of our students turn out in force for the various Anzac Day services around the district.

Most pleasingly not only did they attend on their pupil free day, many played active roles in the services, demonstrating a clear sense of community and respect – values in which our School are built on.

School Captain Rory Brooker was handed the responsibility of being MC at the 10am Cobram service and did an outstanding job, while Year 9 student Lewis Brown had the huge privilege of performing the Last Post at the Cobram Dawn Service and 10am service.

In addition to our students and staff attending a range of Anzac Day services on the day itself, our school held its own service in the PAC on 27 April, where we were fortunate to be joined by John Hanlon OAM, Secretary of the Cobram Barooga RSL Sub-Branch.

Lewis delivers the post It’s not every day you have the honour of playing the Last Post in front of 1000 people but for Year 9 student Lewis Brown that became his lived reality at the Cobram Anzac Day Service. He also performed the sacred piece at the Cobram Dawn Service.

Reflecting on the moment itself a couple of months later, Lewis was clear on the significance of performing a piece of music that evokes such vivid emotion within the Australian community.

“I felt quite honoured and privileged because it’s not really something anyone has the opportunity to do. I had to play the music with respect.

Performing it on the day made me realise what this piece means to so many people. It’s quite a sad piece and it’s also very meaningful – it has a lot of weight to it. That’s how I would describe playing it,” Lewis told the Crier.

He added that playing the Last Post in front of such a large crowd was always something he’d wanted to do, but still described the occasion as “nerve wracking.”

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John spoke passionately to our students about the sacrifices made by thousands of individuals who served our nation to help create the freedom we all enjoy today. A key theme of his address focused on how it will be up to the youth of today’s society to ensure the legacy of our servicemen and servicewomen continues to live on. He implored our students to keep up their great efforts by attending and participating in key commemorative services such as Anzac Day and Remembrance Day.

Some would say Lewis had spent much of his youth preparing for such a moment.

Fully committed to improving his craft, Lewis told the Crier that he has been travelling to Swan Hill every second Friday for lessons since he began playing the trumpet six years ago.

Despite his long term preparation, Lewis left no stone unturned in ensuring he had the piece nailed down before his moment in the spotlight.

He explained that he began rehearsing a couple of months Image taken by Isabelle Harris, courtesy of the Cobram Courier. beforehand and said the What made his performance unique and number of times he practised the piece all the more impressive was the fact he soared well into the 100s. played the piece on his trumpet instead It also helped that he had prior experience of the bugle. He explained to the Crier playing the Last Post in 2021 in front of the the challenges associated with playing Sporties at Barooga, and in 2020 he was the Last Post on the trumpet instead of its approached by his neighbour Graham customary instrument. to perform the piece on his balcony so the neighbourhood could duly pay their “On the trumpet you have valves, and a respects as they were unable to attend combination of valves create a note. The the traditional service due to COVID Last Post is played all on lip control so you restrictions. don’t use the valves. The valves make it easier to play but I wanted to do it how it is traditionally played on the bugle and the bugle doesn’t have any valves so I did it all on lip control.”

Lewis certainly seized his chance to pay his own respects by delivering a great performance and for that, we are proud of him.

The Crier – Term 2, 2022

Through the swirling smoke, our cultural awareness deepens As part of National Reconciliation Week, a group of Cobram AGS students travelled to Shepparton (accompanied by Mrs Post and Mr Willett) on May 26 to participate in the National Sorry Day Ceremony. Our school was handed a significant role to play on the day as three Senior School students delivered readings: Jett Robbins, Claire Stillard and Caitlin Welch.

We were extremely proud as a school community to be prominently involved in this special ceremony which acknowledges the mistreatment of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities.

To illustrate to the audience what it was like living through the Stolen Generation era, Aunty Ella Anselmi spoke about the haunting experience of having her two brothers forcibly taken from her family.

To add to the unforgettable experience for our students that attended the event, they had the privilege of taking part in the traditional smoking ceremony – an ancient ritual within Indigenous culture.

This event acted as a terrific educational opportunity for our students and presented them with a poignant moment for reflection on how they can help play a part in the healing process for our people

and nation. The day also taught our students how they can inform others when it comes to promoting positive cultural change within our community.

Following the ceremony, the students that participated were asked by Mrs Post to write down what they learnt on the day.

Some of the responses are captured here: “I learnt that the smoke wards off evil spirits.”

“When the kids were going to get stolen a black car would come along.”

“I learnt that if a black car came it scared the parents of most children so they had to hide their kids.”

“Aunty Ella said her grandfather told her they have a connection with the land, trees, river and the sky. If we look after the land, the land will look after us. It is everyone’s business, black and white.”

“It was extremely moving hearing Aunty Ella’s story and listening to her talk about her younger brothers being taken. It really was eye opening hearing somebody’s firsthand experience. It was also healing during the smoking ceremony.”

Get to know your newest Cobram AGS staff member, Mrs Christine Doyle Tell us about your experience working in the education system. What led you to Cobram AGS? I completed my Diploma in Education in 2012, finding my love for teaching later in life. Before that I completed a Bachelor in Youth Work. I have worked in a variety of schools during this time. Starting here as a CRT this year, I was excited to accept a role in the Foundation classes to assist the teachers with our amazing little students.

I have mostly worked in Years 1/2 and 3/4 classes so being with the Foundation students is new and exciting.

What does your new role at Cobram AGS entail?

I work with both Foundation classes in extending and assisting those who require it. I also assist with students who require more one on one with speech, literacy, and numeracy.

What is the one thing you enjoy most about working with young people?

I just love connecting with young people and finding out what drives them to learn, as each student learns very differently.

I also enjoy the ‘light bulb’ moments students have when they finally understand a new concept that is taught. It’s magical.

How have you enjoyed your brief time at Cobram AGS so far?

I have loved working in the Junior School team. Everyone is lovely and professional and we share the love of teaching.

What qualities did you admire in your favourite educator when you were a student?

The one teacher that stands out is my Prep and Year Two teacher, Mrs Cleveland. I still catch up with her today and she is now a dear friend. The things that I remember

most about Mrs Cleveland were her warmth and love towards her students and how she made me feel (in a positive way).

These are qualities I try and project every day as students remember how you make them feel just as much as what you have taught them in the classroom.

Tell us three facts about yourself?

I was born here in Cobram at the Cobram Hospital many years ago! All my education was here in Cobram. I’m married and have two children, Oscar 14, and Matilda 9.

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Cobram Anglican Grammar School

Art supplies on the way to brighten the Little Angels’ day The school was awash with colour and full of vibrancy on May 18 as we held a colours day to raise funds for our sister school in Samoa – All Saints Anglican School.

The fundraiser and activities throughout the day were organised by our wonderful Year 12 students. School Captain and Year 12 student Regan Fox told the Crier why the cohort chose to put on a colours day.

“Ms Doyle told us that every year the Year 12s try and organise a little fundraiser for All Saints in Samoa and she asked us to brainstorm some ideas. Because we decide that we wanted to purchase art supplies with the donation, we thought incorporating colour would match the theme. Then we agreed that having a paper plane throwing contest was something fun the whole school could be a part of,” Regan said.

In total, $444 was raised thanks to our students bringing a gold coin donation.

The money will be used to purchase different art supplies including crayons, pencils and paints for the ‘Little Saints’ at All Saints Samoa to enjoy.

Regan said she and her fellow Year 12 cohort were thrilled with the outcome.

“I was really surprised by the total we raised and I think it’s going to be so good for such a small school over there. It’s really important to support them where we can.”

To add to the School’s efforts, St Margaret’s Anglican Church donated $300 post-fundraiser – a fantastic gesture that we are sure will go a long way.

Regan said the Year 12 students will most likely use the additional funds to buy paint brushes to go with the paints.

Walking and talking about road safety Our Foundation students were greeted with glorious sunshine as they embarked on a leisurely stroll down Campbell Road for Walk Safely to School Day on May 20.

To help them navigate their journey, the Foundation students were accompanied by their Year 12 buddies, teachers and Cobram Highway Patrol. Students were encouraged to walk with their buddy and have discussions around road safety whilst walking. Now in its 23rd year, Walk Safely to School Day aims to promote road safety, health, public transport and the environment.

Foundation teacher Mrs Kennedy said the walk provided a great opportunity for the children to practise an importance life skill, being road safety and awareness.

“It was great because it made them engage their senses and look and listen for oncoming traffic, people and bikes.

It was nice the police were there to walk

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with them as it provided an extra sense of comfort,” Mrs Kennedy said.

The children were stars on the day and even had a visit from Cobram Courier journalist Isabelle Harris who was there to capture their big adventure. The children were so well behaved they hit media street!

Taking part in this walk will hopefully leave a lasting impression on our youngest students at Cobram AGS and make them feel more confident about walking to school as they grow older.

Besides raising a big sum of money to support our sister school, the highlight of the day was undoubtedly the paper plane throwing contest at the basketball court, where a frenzied crowd watched on as Oliver Benson (Year 5) and Jake Kauta (Year 7) took out the title!

A massive thank you to wonderful Year 12 students for driving the event displaying terrific leadership.

The Crier – Term 2, 2022

Thanks mum, that was a lot of fun The PAC was a sea of mums and other special women as we held our annual Mother’s Day Breakfast in the PAC on 6 May. It was great to finally be in a position where we could hold an event of this size and then to see so many members of the school community come together was special.

It’s fair to say the breakfast was a sizzling success as our Year 12 students took the reins and whipped up delicious egg and bacon rolls for all our special women to enjoy. Guests were also treated to coffees from our shiny barista machine to help take off the cold morning chill.

The breakfast ended on a winning note for a lucky few who managed to walk out with some awesome lucky door prizes from D’Vine Ideas! We are certain our school community would agree it was a wonderful morning enjoyed by all and we look forward to the Father’s Day instalment later in the year.

In addition to the breakfast, our P&F ran a Mother’s Day Stall over two days and as predicted, the gifts went like hotcakes, particularly among our Junior School students who were eager to impress mum on her big day! Thanks to the P&F for once again organising the stall, it’s certainly become a crowd favourite amongst our students and one of the highlights of Term Two.

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Cobram Anglican Grammar School

Welcome to ‘Big School’ Term Two saw Cobram AGS play host to multiple kindergartens/preschools in the surrounding area including Punt Road, Eileen Taylor, Bluebirds, Trikki Kidz, Berrigan, Tocumwal and Katamatite.

The children from the various early learning centres had a blast testing out our expansive playground, creating arts and craft and jamming along to some music with the help of Mr Brown and Mrs Chmiel.

These kinder visits are always a highlight as it allows us to help these children manage their eventual transition to primary school – a daunting challenge at first for many.

It was a pleasure welcoming so many vibrant young children to our campus and giving them a small sample taste of ‘Big School’. We look forward to hopefully welcoming back some of these faces in our 2023 Foundation classes.

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The Crier – Term 2, 2022

Taster Day shows kids the Cobram AGS way On June 15 our school was brimming with excitement and enthusiasm as we held our Year 7 Taster Day. This was previously a staple event in our Year 7 transition program so it was fantastic to be able to run it again after two years without it.

On the day our current Year 6 students were joined by a group of students from external primary schools and they participated in a range of classes that run in our Year 7 curriculum, essentially giving them a small ‘taste’ of what to expect in Year 7 to make their eventual transition that little bit easier.

Most importantly, it was fantastic to see the students enjoying themselves as they tried their hand at different skills and familiarised themselves with our Year 7 teachers. While mostly aimed at assisting the students’ transition to secondary school, we hope the day also provided them with a great opportunity to interact and make friends with children from other schools and students from outside their own classroom.

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Cobram Anglican Grammar School

Cobram AGS lights up the catwalk for a good cause On June 8 students from our Year 9/10 Sustainable Fashion Class joined forces with the Cobram Uniting Church Opportunity Shop for the highly anticipated Fashion Fantasia Parade.

Our students generously put up their hand to model a range of clothes from the Cobram Uniting Church Opportunity Shop, doing so in front of a bumper crowd of around 100 people.

Social Enterprise students decide to pay it forward A group of Cobram AGS students were paid a special visit from Sue Braybon who personally thanked them for their contribution to the communitybased Speak Up Campaign.

Ms Braybon is the Secretary/Treasurer of Speak Up, which was established by a group of passionate farmers and community members in the Southern Riverina. It aims to advocate for improved water policy for healthy ecosystems, thriving communities and food security.

Brayden St John, James Hooper, Ned Bugge and Thomas Corso from our Year 9/10 Social Enterprise class participated

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In a combined effort, Mrs White’s Food classes helped the Cobram Uniting Church Ladies Guild prepare a delicious supper for guests to enjoy on the night.

Amelia, Madi, Manar, Tillie, Layla, Angelina and Alex (Monk) all did a fabulous job displaying the clothing in front of keen onlookers, while Bella, Tahlia, Regan and Jess delivered descriptive readings while the girls strutted their stuff on the catwalk to help inform the audience about each piece of clothing.

Molly did a stellar job organising our models behind the scenes, while Gracie, Livinia, Charlie and Lauren performed a range of general duties on the night. The event enabled our students to develop confidence speaking and performing

in front of a large crowd, practise organising clothing arrangements under pressure and write fashion script. Most importantly though, they were able to enjoy themselves in the process.

While the night was a lot of fun, on a more serious note, it was fantastic to see such a great show of support from the Cobram AGS community towards the students participating and to the Opportunity Shop’s fundraising efforts.

We are certain those present would agree it was a brilliant community event.

All proceeds that were raised on the night are going to the Opportunity Shop, with a decision still to be made on where the funds will be allocated to within the community.

in the ‘Beads by the River’ initiative in which they produced hand-made lanyards and key rings. These items were then sold at a Social Enterprise market day and the students were able to donate the proceeds to a cause of their choice. The students involved decided to give the money to Speak Up so it could continue advocating on behalf of the region for more sensible water policy and management.

As a way to thank the students for their generous donation Ms Braybon presented them with Speak Up hats and also advised them they would receive a Speak Up Silver Membership.

“It is important that our region’s young people understand the importance of sensible water management that effectively balances the needs of the environment and growing food,” Ms Braybon said.

Brayden St John, James Hooper and Ned Bugge with Sue Braybon from the Speak Up Campaign.

The Crier – Term 2, 2022

Principal’s Message

Moira Shire Young Citizen of the Year at the Shire’s 2022 Australia Day Awards.

Lachlan was formally recognised for his many outstanding contributions to his local community and the wider community, such as organising the Royal Roundup fundraiser/toy drive for children spending Christmas in the Royal Children’s Hospital and the Good Friday Appeal. This was a magnificent outcome for Lachlan and his family.

From Mr Keith Willett Dear Families, Welcome to the Term Two edition of the Crier. You may have noticed we have somewhat altered our school communications this term with the implementation of our weekly ‘What’s On’ newsletter. This has coincided with the establishment of the Community Relations Officer role, headed by Patrick Tansey. Our intention with this change of tack is to essentially keep our communication to parents frequent but concise. We will now produce a Crier at the end of each term to celebrate the wonderful achievements of our Cobram AGS community.

Semester One 2022 has seen us return to what I would describe as a revised form of face to face teaching and learning.

Whilst the continuing presence of COVID has maintained its impact on the school experience we can be grateful that we have been able to reengage in so many of the activities and experiences that were part of ‘normal school’ pre-pandemic.

Amongst the many wonderful events and achievements, I have specifically noted the following.

Mrs Trewin’s house history mission now complete In Term Two, Cobram AGS Librarian Mrs Pam Trewin concluded her project researching the history of the individuals whom our school houses are named after: Irene Stanyer, Ralph Farrer, Father Lyall Cowell and John Parkes AM. Mrs Trewin said that although our school is still relatively new, it is important to showcase our history around the campus.

“It all started because I had a lot of the younger students coming into the library asking about them (Stanyer, Cowell, Farrer and Parkes) and I realised there wasn’t any real information about them at the school,” Mrs Trewin said.

Beginning the project in the final months of 2020, Mrs Trewin told the Crier she was thrilled to finally complete it and display her findings in the library.

As a school community being able to take part and celebrate key events such as Anzac Day, National Sorry Day, Mother’s Day Breakfast and Harmony Day has been critical in re-establishing the connections between our school, the local community and the wider world community.

There have been many fine individual student achievements academically, on the sports arena or in community based activities. Whilst I am loathe to name individuals in this message it would be remiss not to recognise Year Twelve student Lachlan Ross who was named

As we move into Semester Two, I encourage all students to consider their goals for the remainder of the year and to return to school in Term Three refreshed and ready to work hard to achieve those goals. Our school offers so many opportunities for academic, sporting, cultural and social excellence. Setting personal goals around these pursuits can be a challenging prospect but it should not be so. If all members of our school community strive to be the best version of themselves then this will be a worthy outcome deserving of recognition and celebration.

Finally, I would like to thank all parents and guardians for the support you have given to your children and the school.

I look forward to working with all in what will be a busy and productive Semester Two.

“It took quite a while, especially during COVID as I really wanted to go and visit Irene and then of course we had all the lockdowns in-between which dragged out the process,” she said.

A highlight of her research was going to visit Irene Stanyer at her Barooga home, with Mrs Trewin saying it was lovely to finally “put a face to the name”. Irene is the only one of the four who still live locally. Mrs Trewin added that she was fortunate to speak with Father Cowell on the phone before he sadly passed away in December 2021. To help supplement her research, Mrs Trewin also trawled through old newsletters and other school materials.

In the time the display has been up, Mrs Trewin said it has been fantastic seeing enthusiastic students visiting the library to learn more about the history of their school and its most influential figures.

“I’ve had quite a lot of students come in and read each blurb and find out some interesting facts about them. They’ve all had pretty amazing lives,” she said.

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Cobram Anglican Grammar School

Term Two in photos – what we got up to Being a condensed nine week term, Term Two was jam-packed with different school activities, camps, excursions and incursions. These included Live4Life, First Aid in Schools, House Cross Country, National Simultaneous Story Time, Class Mass, Places and Spaces and our Year 9/10 Outdoor Ed Camp in the Alpine region.

It’s often true that a picture paints a thousand words. Take a look below at the term that was.

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The Crier – Term 2, 2022

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Cobram Anglican Grammar School

Staff Spotlight

Anglican Identity

I graduated from La Trobe University (Melbourne) in 2017 with a Bachelor of Journalism. In 2018, I set off for a new adventure, moving to Cobram.

Cobram AGS staff recently attended the Anglican Schools Commission (ASC) Christian Purposes Day event held at Trinity Anglican College in Albury. The day supports staff from the three eastern state ASC schools to come together for purposeful reflection and worship. Two very engaging keynote speakers reminded us of the significance of our Anglican Identity and prompted us to consider how it is expressed in our schools. We were reminded of the opportunity we have every day to share stories of our faith and practise it whilst at the same time welcoming, with a generous spirit, those of other faith traditions or those of no faith.

Both speakers highlighted how important relationships were to what we do, and we were encouraged to build and nurture our relationships by “looking again” at people, or problems, with a new lens of kindness and compassion.

On Patrick Tansey

After 12-months as a rural journalist at the Cobram Courier, I returned to Melbourne, taking up the position of Communications Coordinator at the Fire Protection Industry (ODS & SGG) Board (FPIB) – a national scheme funded by the Federal Government for minimising the release of environmentally harmful chemical agents used in the fire protection industry.

After two and a half years at the FPIB, I returned to Cobram, taking up the role of Community Relations Officer at Cobram AGS. Now that I have just completed my first term in the role, I can make some observations. My attention has been captured by the speed and vibrancy of the school environment.

Each day holds new challenges and opportunities and it’s rewarding working in tandem with our passionate educators and administration team, who strive to create an environment where our students can flourish.

The efforts of our students in their academic, sporting, community and cultural pursuits only heightens my passion to come into work each day and showcase what our school can offer.

With Ms Shea Doyle

This was evident when we recently welcomed families and other members of the wider school community to our Whole School Assembly focused on National Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week. The presentation facilitated by students from Year 9 and Year 10 engaged the audience with stories from the Stolen Generation and provided examples of how, by acknowledging the atrocities of the past, we can work to heal the hurt suffered by our First Nations people.

One of the most important ways in which we celebrate our Anglican identity is through worship. Earlier this term the Junior School Chapel Service coincided

Business Report

With Mrs Narelle Schreenan Semester 1 is a busy time for the day to day running of the school. Thank you to all the families who have completed the 2022 Payment of Fees arrangements. This is a condition of enrolment at Cobram AGS and it is expected all families must have a payment arrangement in place.

As with many other industries, Education has experienced high rates of illness across both students and staff. The school is very fortunate to have a reliable and competent pool of relief teachers and education support staff to draw from.

The Victorian State Government Tutor Program has been extended into 2022. This has meant the continued service of Sienna Bate and appointment of Christine Doyle

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as tutors for the remainder of the 2022 year.

The new role of Community Relations Officer commenced in 2022 with the appointment of Patrick Tansey. Paddy has hit the ground running, implementing a new community relations and marketing plan. With COVID restrictions lifting we were able to run a successful Open Day and Year 7 Taster Day. The school is currently reviewing how we communicate and engage with our families.

All current forms of communication, including the website, social media and parent messaging will be part of the

with Mother’s Day, and this inspired our theme for the service, Mary the mother of Jesus. The students engaged enthusiastically with the subject of mothers and delighted in sharing how they had celebrated their mums. The Senior School Chapel Service reflected on the significance of our school motto, Integrity, Endeavour and Community and the students were able to connect the chosen readings with these themes.

Further to our school Chapel Services this term, it has been the turn of our Junior School classes to attend the Wednesday church service at St Margaret’s in Cobram.

Father Victor Adams has welcomed a different class each week and engaged the students with conversation, song and dance, and drawing activities. A highlight of each week for the children was when he invited them to stand around the alter as he prepared the Eucharist and then allowed them to partake in the communion ritual.

Another way in which we cultivate our Anglican Identity is through acts of service and one of the highpoints of this term was the ‘Little Saints’ fundraising endeavour facilitated by our Year 12 cohort. Their Colours Day and paper plane challenge raised over $400 to purchase colouring supplies for the students who attend All Saints Anglican School in Apia, Samoa. It was fantastic to see our entire student body come together to celebrate the event and the Year 12 team are to be congratulated on their efforts in organising the day.

process. In the coming months we will be calling on families to provide feedback about what we currently do and what we can do to improve.

Planning for 2023 commences in Term Two. The school is busy looking at student numbers, staffing and budgeting. The recent change in Government and rising inflation have the potential to directly impact our forecasting for future years.

The school is working closely with architect Vincent Chrisp and property manager Tomahawk Property in adjusting the school’s Master Plan. The school currently has an active grant application for further building development. We should find out quite soon if we are serious contender for funding and we will of course notify the Cobram AGS community once we receive a definitive answer.

The Crier – Term 2, 2022

Junior School Report

With Mrs Rathbone, Ms Willmott and Mrs Clark

Looking back at Term Two… The Junior School has certainly been a busy but wonderful place to be in Term Two! As we have continued our first full face to face semester since the beginning of 2020, we are so excited to share in celebrations, recognise achievements at assemblies and attend Class Mass at St Margaret’s once again.

Our calendar was busy from the minute we returned, with our Anzac service,

House Cross Country event and ‘First Aid in Schools’ incursion all happening within the first few weeks. These were all wonderful opportunities to continue to develop our sense of community both within the school and beyond. National Simultaneous Story Time then followed, which is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association.

Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, and many other places around the country. The story followed the growth and lifecycle of a tree, symbolic of the growth and lifecycle within a family.

Our first Whole School Assembly was held soon after ‘Sorry Day’, which marked the beginning of Reconciliation Week.

Here we learnt some history surrounding the Stolen Generations and were inspired by ways we could ‘Be Brave and Make Change’.

The calendar for Semester Two is just as exciting with camps, Book Week and our athletics carnival all coming up. But whilst we have all enjoyed the opportunity to participate in these special occasions, the Junior School team believe it is in the everyday moments of school life that we are seeing our sense of community rekindled after some fragmented years.

Seeing friendships develop and blossom day in and day out, the laughter and chatting heard throughout the yard and supporting one another in times of celebration and in harder times are all great examples of this.

We are truly proud of our Junior School community and look forward to the rest of the year!

Senior School Report

With Mrs Carolyn White and Mr Jon O’Dwyer This short term has been jam-packed with events. Our Year 7 and 9 students participated in NAPLAN, which was online for the whole state to complete for the first time and ran smoothly.

The outgoing Live4Life crew handed over to the new Year 8 students, who attended the launch on how to lead conversations about mental health, reducing the stigma and promoting students to be mental health ambassadors.

Our Year 9 group have been busy analysing their likes and dislikes with the Morrisby testing, which asks students a serious of questions, then suggests pathways and careers that might suit their skill set. It guides students to really hone in on their strengths in seeking applicable occupations to compliment these.

In week 8 our Year 10 students participated in their VCE Subject Expo and attended an information evening with their parents. This allows the class heading into their final years of schooling to gain a full understanding of the pathways available to them.

Our Year 9/10 elective classes have also had some great experiences. The Sustainable Fashion class modelled,

presented and organised a joint Fashion Parade with the Cobram Uniting Church Opportunity Shop. Over 100 people were in attendance and enjoyed the event immensely. It was catered for by the Tricky Techniques Food class and we were able to raise in excess of $3,000!

The Outdoor Education elective spent two days cycling along the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail and spent a night in Bright to complete their semester-long subject.

The Year 11 cohort were presented with their blazers, as they step up into VCE. They have also been looking ahead during their Careers Camp to Ballarat and Melbourne.

They explored various university and TAFE campuses, and found out what it was like to stay in residence. Students also had some fun exploring Lygon Street and visiting the Old Melbourne Gaol.

Whilst studying hard in their final year of VCE, our Year 12 students found the time to organise a fundraiser event for our Samoan partnership, hosting a Colours Day. They also listened to a guest speaker from VicRoads who presented ‘Look After Your Mates’, which attempts to promote driver safety. Our Year 12 group

also cooked morning tea and made heart-warming coffees for our mothers or important women in our lives who were in attendance at the Mother’s Day Breakfast – a great effort with 329 egg and bacon rolls made!

As a school we have come together to acknowledge Anzac Day, with students and staff attending services around the two states. We raised money for the Cancer Council hosting a ‘Biggest Morning Tea’ in which families provided scrumptious food items that were thoroughly enjoyed by the school community.

Our Senior School students and staff members did a terrific job in escorting groups around the school for our Open Day, which attracted a number of new families to come and explore our wonderful school.

We look forward to connecting with our families again next term and wish everyone a safe and restful holiday!

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Cobram Anglican Grammar School

Team Cobram AGS Sports Recap

With Mr John O’Dwyer What a whirlwind ride Term Two has been as the success of our amazing students continues to gather momentum.

Congratulations to the following students who have inspired us all here at Cobram AGS:

School events Cross Country Parkes (Green) won followed by Cowell (Red), Farrer (Blue) and Stanyer (Yellow).

This was Parkes’ first intraschool competition win!

Skipping Our Foundation to Year 9 students have engaged in the Jump Rope For Heart program over Term Two. The Jump Off Day was held on June 21 at Cobram Sports Centre and close to $6,000 was raised.

Football/Netball The Year 5/6 students played Katunga Primary School in AFL/Netball friendlies here at Cobram AGS at the start of term.

Charlotte Woosnam (12/13 secondary girls) and Baden Riedell (15 boys) came away with age champion medallions.

Five Junior School and 13 Senior School students then went on to represent us at the Hume Region event on 17 June which dished up some incredible results for our school. Four students finished in the top 12 competitors to qualify for the Victorian State Championships, the largest number of students we’ve had qualify from the Hume event! These students were Tennille Kautai, Charlotte Woosnam, Baden Riedell and James Hooper. In an amazing personal effort, Tennille Kautai finished FIRST in her age division and will no doubt enter the Victorian Championships full of confidence.

At the Goulburn-Murray Secondary Division Interschool days we enjoyed a number of outstanding results: • The Year 9-12 senior girls badminton team won convincingly and move on to Regionals. This was done on the Pupil Free Day so all our badminton players need to be congratulated for their commitment. The intermediate boys A team finished runners up.

• Tyler Cole won the Year 9 boys clay target competition with Lachlan O’Dwyer coming in third, while Joshua Orsida finished in second place in the Year 10 boys event.

• Our Year 8 girls ‘A’ team WON the Division One netball title for the first time ever and progress to represent the Goulburn-Murray at the Hume Region championships. Our two Year 8 girls badminton teams played off against each other in the final with the ‘A’ team bringing home the win. Our Year 8 boys basketball team finished runners up.

Extracurricular

Cross Country Following our House Cross Country event, 20 Junior School and 14 Senior School students represented Cobram AGS at the Goulburn-Murray Divisional, where Tennille Kautai (12/13 primary girls),

Page 14 Integrity, Endeavour, Community

Netball

Mikayla Woosnam and Charlie Magill contested the North Eastern State Championships as well as other regional tournaments for the Under 17 Murray Netball League and Under 15 Picola Netball League teams respectively.

Soccer

Baden Riedell has been part of Albury Wodonga Under 15 representative team which has been excelling at tournaments, coming runners up in Canberra (Under 16) and winning the 2022 Victorian Country Championships in Geelong, where he kicked one of the winning goals in the grand final. Lachlan Pardy also represented the Under 11s at the Country Championships while Helena Zito was a member of the Under 16 girls team which came third.

Team Vic selections

We have had a number of Year 5/6 students trial for individual selection in Australian rules, cricket, netball and soccer. Kohen Haddrell has progressed through to the next level in cricket, while Ayden Burrows and Alex Hawke will contest with others in soccer.

Locally Equestrian

Charlotte Dickins did extremely well at the annual Cobram-Barooga Championships, where she excelled against older competitors.

Soccer

National Water Skiing

Winter Sports

Regional

Interschool

Kohen Haddrell has been doing exceptionally well in the Jack Newtown junior golf tournaments, where he is pitted against the best players from all over the region in his age group.

Madison Simpson kicked an incredible SEVEN goals as her team won 7-0.

Jennifer Ackerly finished ninth in the Under 17 Girls Slalom event at the National Water Ski Championships held in Mulwala at the start of April.

Tennille Kautai shows off her age division medallion at the Hume Region Cross Country event.

Golf

Athletics

Madison Simpson qualified for NSW Regional athletics, which saw her compete in Wollongong, where she achieved three personal bests.

Basketball

Charlotte Woosnam was made Captain of the Bushrangers Under 13 Talented Players Program squad.

Regan Fox, Thomas Corso and Connor Taylor all played their first senior games for Cobram FNC A Grade, Cobram Roar SC Premier team and Berrigan FNC 1st XVIII respectively.

What an amazing list of achievements!

Congratulations to all our students on their wonderful efforts. You simply amaze us all and make us extremely proud of your accomplishments. Keep up the great work for the remainder of 2022 and have a safe and enjoyable holiday.

The Crier – Term 2, 2022

Alex makes a splash to smash his PB Year 6 student Alex Hawke’s hard work in the pool and long hours in the car paid off at the School Sports Victoria 2022 Primary Swimming State Championships.

Although he didn’t claim victory in the 12/13 Primary Boys 50m Breaststroke Final on April 29, Alex smashed his personal best time (PB) by three seconds.

After competing in the same event at State level last year, he managed to finish two places higher this time around, hitting the wall in sixth place compared to eighth place in 2021.

On reflection Alex said his swim surprised his own expectations.

“I wasn’t expecting to get a PB. I thought I’d make it to State again because I made it last year and I’d been training more this time around but it was still a bit of a shock,” he said.

Swimming is a sport of marginal gains and, it’s fair to say, Alex has made giant strides in the past 12 months. In the lead up to the State final, Alex was travelling to Shepparton for training three times a week with the Shepparton Swimming Club (totalling up to 12km in the pool), as well as doing strength work with a personal trainer in Tocumwal once a week. He has now been swimming competitively for three years and is following in his father Greg’s footsteps who also swam at State level during his schooling years.

Alex told the Crier that he is determined to keep improving his swimming because he enjoys the thrill of winning and getting a personal best time.

“I enjoy it and I want to get better at it. The training is pretty tough but enjoyable in some parts. I do competitions outside of school but that’s just to get medals.”

Head of Sport at Cobram AGS, Mr Jon O’Dwyer, commended Alex for his outstanding efforts and said the outcome was richly deserved.

“He’s got that self-commitment and passion. He’s always been thereabouts in terms of placings but in the last few years he’s really taken off, particularly in the breaststroke event. When you swim faster than you ever have it’s a great effort – three seconds in swimming is a sizeable distance in metres,” Mr O’Dwyer said.

didn’t impact upon their cohesiveness out on the court, and she lauded the ability of each of her teammates to play their role for the team.

“It was kind of easy. Because we are all friends and we play at lunchtime, it was really easy communicating with each other on the court. Everybody was really good in their own way. Charlotte and Charlie were good at shooting goals, Lucy was good at running around with her player and everybody else was good at defending,” Miley said.

Defying history, our Year 8 netballers shine on the big stage On the last day of May, our Year 8 netballers pulled off a historic upset and wrote their names into the Cobram AGS sporting history books as they took out the School Sports Victoria GoulburnMurray Year 8 Division winter event.

robin tournament where the team with the most wins at the end would be crowned champions.

The students responsible for bringing home the glory were Lucy Adkins, Miley Driscoll, Zahlia Kautai, Shiloh Kennedy, Kyana Magalotti, Charlie Magill, Gracie Rice and Charlotte Woosnam.

“We knew we had to win the game because it was really close between us and Notre Dame at the top of the table and there were only a couple of matches after that one. The game was really close and we were dropping the ball because our fingers were so cold, it was a tough game,” Lucy Adkins reflected.

Held in Shepparton, the girls were faced with blisteringly cold conditions but that couldn’t dampen their spirits as they defeated the mighty Notre Dame College 12-11 in the all decisive match of the round

While three of the girls play club netball together at Berrigan FNC, the others said they’ve had no experience playing together besides mucking around at lunch time. Miley Driscoll explained that this

Head of Sport Mr Jon O’Dwyer said he couldn’t be prouder of the girls’ efforts and recognised the enormity of their achievement.

“The result was a bit of a bolt out of the blue. There are some talented girls in the side who play really strong club netball and have, or are, playing representative netball, but the Greater Shepparton high schools and Notre Dame have had a stranglehold on that competition forever and a day,” Mr O Dwyer said.

“In some of those mainstream sports like netball, those schools have sides that play in local competitions so they’re always really strong and that’s why we are so proud of these girls because it’s the first time since we’ve been part of that competition and I’d say probably ever, where one of the schools other than Greater Shepparton or Notre Dame have won the division title in a mainstream sport,“ he added.

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Cobram Anglican Grammar School

Clive weathers the storm to deliver gold Not many people have the luxury of calling themselves a national champion but Year 10 student Clive Cromack now can.

Over the Term One holidays, Clive took out the gold medal for the 14.8km mixed Under 16 K2 event at the Paddle Australia Canoe Marathon Championships held on the Gold Coast (April 22-24). Clive partnered former Cobram AGS student Emma Corrin in the event – the two are both members of the local Cobram Barooga Canoe Club. They qualified for the National event after progressing through the Victorian Canoe Marathon Championships with a gold medal.

While paddling 14.8km through pristine conditions in a kayak sounds hard enough physically, Clive’s challenge on the day was exacerbated by the unusually bleak Gold Coast conditions he was confronted with out on the water. Not that he necessarily seemed too fazed by it.

“You couldn’t tell which way you were going in the end. In a strange way those kind of conditions actually make it easier because you feel like you’re constantly getting washed down with a cool bucket so you can work hard the whole way along,” Clive told the Crier.

Speaking on his and Emma’s finish time of 1 hour and 32 minutes, Clive envisaged that it would have been faster until he witnessed what Mother Nature had dished up.

“I was pretty shocked to get such a good time after the weather turned the way it did. They (Cobram Barooga Canoe Club Club) actually told us afterwards that they weren’t expecting us to finish the course once they saw how bad the weather turned,” Clive said.

Making Clive and Emma’s recent dominance in the Under 16 Mixed K2 event all the more impressive is the fact they have only been paddling together for around six months. Clive said they are “getting better” as a duo and added that he enjoys the mental challenge of pairing up with someone.

“It’s definitely a good way to get yourself to work harder. In singles I don’t have anyone to compete against whereas in doubles I know I can compete against her,” he said.

Clive has certainly reaped the rewards of a strong work ethic and rigorous training regime. He told the Crier he was paddling

Page 16 Integrity, Endeavour, Community

four times a week in the lead up to the event, with his training load varying from day to day. Sometimes he only paddles 5km to focus on speed but on others he might paddle 10km to maintain his endurance.

Despite having the Murray River so close to home his passion for the sport was actually ignited on a Cobram AGS camp.

“On Year 7 camp we went to Wagga Wagga (I think it was) and we did kayaking in completely different kayaks to what I paddle in now but I still enjoyed it so when I got home I told my mum that I’d like to get into. Afterwards she put me in contact with Lou (Emma Corrin’s mother) at the Canoe Club,” he said.

While becoming a national champion “felt pretty good”, Clive is not content with letting that achievement define his efforts in the sport. He harbours lofty ambitions to qualify for the 2032 Olympic Games which will be held on home soil in Brisbane, at which point he will be 25 and hitting his physical peak. In the interim he has his sights set on making the Australian Institute of Sport.

“Most of the best paddlers are in Queensland for the Institute of Sport.

That’s definitely a goal of mine in the future,” Clive said.

Clive said he could not be where he is now without the guidance of his coach Robert who continues to motivate him to fulfil his potential.

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“He’s made me want to push my boundaries in a K1.”

Post P.O. Box 607

Cobram AGS congratulates Clive on his recent achievements and we look forward to seeing what he can deliver with paddle in hand moving forward.

Call

03 5871 1816

Fax

03 5871 1113

Email

admin@cags.vic.edu.au

Cobram VIC 3643

www.cags.vic.edu.au