Canberra Girls Grammar School

Template:Infobox Aust school private Canberra Girls' Grammar School (C.G.G.S) is an independent, non-selective, day and boarding school predominantly for girls', located in Deakin, a suburb of Canberra, the capital of Australia.

The school is affiliated with the Anglican Church of Australia, and currently caters for approximately 1450 students, with both male and female students from pre-school to Year 2, and girls only from Year 3 to Year 12. Boarding facilities are available on the Senior Campus for Students in Years 7 to 12.

Canberra Girls' Grammar is a member of the Alliance of Girls’ Schools (Australasia), the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), the Australian Boarding Schools' Association, and the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools (AHIGS).

History

Canberra Girls' Grammar School was established in 1926 as a Church of England, day and boarding school for girls', in order to cater for the small but growing community in what was designated as the new Federal capital.

Girls' Grammar School viewed from Red Hill with Lake Burley Griffin in distance

The school was formerly known as Canberra Church of England Girls' Grammar School and before that St Gabriel's School. From 1926 to early 1928 the Old Rectory of St John the Baptist Church, Reid, was leased from the Government by the Anglican religious order of the Community of the Sisters of the Church, or the Kilburn Sisters. The rectory was known as Glebe House and was close to the city. The school moved into its Deakin premises on Melbourne Avenue in 1928. In May of 1927, the day before the opeming of Parliament House, the Foundation stone of the School was laid by Dr Radford, Bishop of the then Diocese of Goulburn.

The school nearly closed down during the Great Depression and sold some of its land in order to remain solvent. A boom period in the 1970's saw C.G.G.S expand with the Junior School moving to a new Campus in Grey Street, Deakin, in order to cater for a surge in enrolments. Today the junior school remains on a separate campus within the suburb.

Campus

Canberra Girls' Grammar School is located on a ten hectare campus in the inner Canberra suburb of Deakin. The schools facilities include an indoor heated swimming centre, gymnasiums, sports courts, playing fields, an Aquatic Centre on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin and buildings catering for the performing arts, art and textiles. The School's most recent additions include a Music Centre and adjoining 1,000 seat Hall.

2006 saw improvements made to the junior school with the opening of six new classrooms, two music rooms and accompanying practise rooms.

Principals

School Prayer

Almighty God In whom we move and live And have our being Make this School as a field which the Lord has blessed that whatsoever things are True, pure, lovely and of good report May here forever flourish and abound Preserve in it an unblemished name enlarge it with wider usefulness and exalt it in the love and reverence of all its members as an instrument of your Glory for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord Amen.

• Miss Susan Just 2005-
• Mrs Jane Pelvin 2004 (Acting)
• Mrs Elizabeth Gilbert 2003-2004 (Acting)
• Mrs Alyson Groom 2000-2004
• Mrs Elizabeth McKay 1985-1999
• Mrs Elizabeth McKay 1984 (Acting)
• Dr Helen Granowski 1980-1984
• Mrs Jennifer Shaw 1974-1979
• Mr Donald V. Selth 1971-1973
• Miss Evelyn Heath 1966-1970
• Miss Mavis Prater June 1962-1965
• Miss Isabel Masters 1947-1962
• Mrs Doris Laity 1947 (Acting)
• Miss Una Mitchell May 1937-1947
• Miss Bessie Tomson Forster 1934-1937

House system

As with most Australian schools, Canberra Girls' Grammar utilises a house system in order to facilitate intra-school activities and competitions, and form the basis of its pastoral care programme. Students in the senior school are divided into six houses:

• Burgmann Named after the Right Reverend E H Burgmann
• Deakin Named after the suburb in which the school is situated and former prime minister Alfred Deakin
• Glebe Named after the building in which the school was first established
• Kilburn Named after the suburb in London where the Mother House of the Order of Sisters of the Church was located
• Robertson Named after Archdeacon C W Robertson
• Waverley Named after the Sydney suburb of Waverley where the Mother House of the Order of Sisters of the Church in Australia was located.

Notable Alumnae

Former students of Canberra Girls' Grammar School are known as 'Old Grammarians' and may elect to join the 'Old Grammarians’ Association' (OGA). The OGA was formed as the 'Old Girls’ Union' in 1931 and has a number of branches around Australia and overseas. Some notable 'Old Grammarians' include:

Academic

• Chloë Amy Flutter - 1999 Rhodes Scholar
• Freda Whitlam AM - Lay Preacher of the Uniting Church; Moderator of the NSW Synod Uniting Church of Australia (1985-86); Sister of former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam; Former Principal of the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney (1958–76) (also attended Abbotsleigh)

Entertainment and the arts

• Sibylla Budd - Australian actress
• Kate Fischer - Model, Pru Goward's daughter and formerly engaged to James Packer
• Sarah Turnbull - Australian author

Politics and law

• Tupou Draunidalo - Fijian lawyer, Vice-President of the Fiji Law Society and daughter of former Deputy Prime Minister of Fiji, Kuini Speed
• Patricia Hewitt - Minister in Tony Blair's government
• Katrina Hodgkinson - Australian politician and member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly

See also

• List of schools in the Australian Capital Territory
• List of boarding schools
• Head of the River (New South Wales)

External links

• Canberra Girls' Grammar School website
• The Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools
• Anglican Church of Australia