It is pleasing to note that the Year 8 students have settled into the school year, with much positivity and enthusiasm. We welcomed into the year level four new students who are finding their way and establishing connections with their peers and their teachers.

All of the students are enjoying the interaction of their peers as well as being physically back on site. Across the year level, there has been much involvement in the Co-curricular offerings. We have been encouraging the students to sign up for at least one of GSV Sport, Music ensemble or choir, and at least one Club. The Club program is very extensive, with activities catering to all students across the School, so it is easy to find something in which to engage.

This term in our Wellbeing sessions, we have been focusing on identifying our emotions, recognising and regulating positive and negative emotions and how these impact upon us in our daily routines. In our Academic Advisory sessions, the students have started to populate their e-portfolios with information including the identification of SMART Goals for the term and semester, and focused on time management and organisation.

Each of the Year 8 Geography classes participated in an excursion to the Port Melbourne and St Kilda Beaches, with the focus on coastal processes. It was interesting for the students to be able to compare the types of beaches evident within Port Phillip Bay and compare these to other beaches they have visited.

In the sporting area, it has been very busy. We congratulate the students who represented the School in the GSV Swimming and Diving GSV Preliminary Carnival. We look forward to the Championship Carnival later in the term. Congratulations to our two junior Softball Teams who are undefeated mid-way in the season. House Cross Country, we congratulate Chamonix Stafford on her outstanding performance placing 5^th in the Year 7 and 8 events.

We are very much looking forward to ‘Two weeks with The Queen’. This is a combined Year 8 and 9 production with performances on the evening of Friday 26 March and a matinee session on Saturday 27 March in the Dorothy Pizzey Hall. Students in Year 8 have begun a Taiko Drumming program. The skills developed in this unit will be showcased at the Years 7 and 8 Concert in June. We are also looking forward to a combined Years 7 and 8 musical soiree on Monday 29 March which is open to soloists from Years 7 and 8. It has been pleasing to note the commitment of all musicians across the Music program in Year 8, in particular the students in Sherren Singers who have been working hard on their performance for the Easter Service in the final week of Term 1.

Congratulations to Lilly Fogarty Year 8

(L to R) Katharine Soutter, Phoebe Hayne, Lilly Fogarty

Lilly competed in the recent Girlsail event at Davey Bay Yacht Club. Lilly sailed a ‘pacer’ which is a two-person boat, sailing with Katharine Soutter, Year 9 and Phoebe Hayne, Year 9 in the competition which involved students from Years 7 to 12.

The day was windy and cold with waves crashing over the boat, however, the girls sailed on, in the First Division Silver Fleet and were placed third.

This is a fantastic achievement for all of the girls who participated in this crew. The competition is fierce as there were several girls training for Olympic levels.

Lilly sailed in the Pacer State Titles at Somers over the long weekend and has been invited to train with the junior 420 fleet, in preparation for future yachting events. We wish Lilly all the very best.