Caulfield Grammar School

Caulfield Grammar School
File:Caulfield logo.gif
Location
Melbourne , VIC Australia
Information
Type	Independent coeducational secondary; primary
Motto	Labora Ut Requiescas 'Work hard that you may rest content'
Established	1881
Founder	Joseph Henry Davies
Principal	Stephen Newton
Grades	K–12
Enrolment	c.2800
Campus	multiple, refer to article
Colour(s)	Blue, white and gold
Affiliations	Anglican, APSV
Website	www.caulfieldgs.vic.edu.au

Caulfield Grammar School is a coeducational independent school in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The school is a member of the Associated Public Schools of Victoria (APS), and is of Anglican denomination. It was founded in 1881 as a boys' school, and began admitting girls exactly one hundred years later. The school amalgamated with Malvern Memorial Grammar School (MMGS) in 1961, with the MMGS campus becoming Malvern House.

Caulfield has three day campuses in Victoria, Caulfield (Years 7–12), Wheelers Hill (Kindergarten–Year 12), and Malvern House (Kindergarten–Year 6). It has an outdoor education campus at Yarra Junction, and a student centre in Nanjing, China. Caulfield is the only Melbourne-based APS school to provide boarding for both boys and girls, with nearly 100 boarding students.

Caulfield's vision statement is, "Caulfield Grammar School is a community of learners committed to best practice and visionary, innovative learning experiences that foster the skills, values and attitudes needed in the active pursuit of a sustainable global future." The school's marketing slogan is more than a school.

As with most Australian independent schools, Caulfield is not a full fee paying institution; full fees apply only to international students, who are not subsidised by government funding. For non-international students, fees range from AU$8,000 to AU$14,000 per year for day students, and in excess of AUS$25,000 for boarding students. Caulfield received AU$2,134,444 as estimated ERI (federal funding) in 2000, which increased to $AU6,573,791 in 2004.

History

The original buildings on Caulfield Campus's current site, c. 1910.

Caulfield Grammar School was founded on April 25, 1881 by Joseph Henry Davies and began with just 9 pupils; Davies had bought the site for the school — a small lolly shop — for £25 on April 16, and employed his two brothers and sister as teachers. Davies' aim for Caulfield was "that the School should be a thoroughly Christian one" that looked to render "Christian service". The school is believed to have been named Caulfield Grammar School as at the time Melbourne's regional areas were not strictly defined and named but Caulfield was the locality, and Davies had been supported in opening the school by the vicar of St. Mary's Church in Caulfield, the church for which he would later work as a missionary.

A year after it had opened, enrollment increased to 32 boys. The school then moved nearby to a small building which could house the growing student body, but in 1890 a fire destroyed this building. The current site of the school was purchased in 1909 in what is now St Kilda East, and built on a property near Sir Frederick Sargood's Rippon Lea Estate; classes began on the site on February 9, 1909, and the school's boarding house opened in 1912. During this period the school also amalgated with St. Kilda and Hawksburn Grammar Schools, two smaller local Christian schools.

By 1931, the school's 50th anniversary, total attendance had grown to 500 students but Caulfield was still considered a small school, compared to schools such as Xavier College and Melbourne Grammar School. To mark the Golden Jubilee, a Jubilee Fair was held at the school in May to celebrate. In 1958 it became a member of the Associated Public Schools of Victoria, showing it to be by that time a well-regarded independent school, and entitling it to take part in the most competitive schoolboy sporting competitions in Victoria.

In 1961 Caulfield Grammar amalgamated with Malvern Memorial Grammar School, which became the school's Malvern House, a primary school located in the Valentine's Mansion. Malvern Grammar School opened as a boys' only secondary school in 1890, and in 1924 moved into the Valentine's Mansion, formerly the home of Sir John Davies, a Victorian Cabinet minister. The mansion was classified in 1956 by the National Trust as a building of State significance and in 1975 given statutory protection when placed on the Victorian Heritage Register; it was built in 1892, and contains a large ballroom. The school was renamed Malvern Memorial Grammar School in 1947 to honour old boys who had foughts in World Wars I and II.

The school's centenary year, 1981, marked the appearance of the first girls at Caulfield, as a second senior school campus opened at Wheelers Hill on April 26. Wheelers Hill began as a coeducational school for all year levels. Twelve years later in 1993 girls began attending the other campuses, making Caulfield one of only a handful of fully coeducational private schools in Melbourne. The number of girls attending Caulfield increased quickly after 1993, and currently girls make up around 45% of the student body.

The Cripps Centre (left) and main buildings (right) at Caulfield Campus, with Alf Mills Oval in the foreground.

After Caulfield Campus' historic War Memorial Hall, built in 1958, was burnt down in an electrical fire on November 14, 2000 — a Melbourne Cup public holiday — Caulfield Grammar School began to plan the construction of major halls at both Caulfield and Wheelers Hill campuses, naming the project "The Twin Halls". The Memorial at Wheelers Hill was officially opened on July 28, 2005, with the Cripps Centre at Caulfield Campus opened on October 25, 2005. The halls each seat 650 people, and include a new chapel fitted with a multimedia centre and a music/visual art department at Wheelers Hill and Caulfield Campuses respectively.

Caulfield Grammar School now has over 2,500 students throughout its three day campuses. It is the only Melbourne-based school in the APS to provide boarding for both boys and girls, with nearly 100 boarding students from rural Australia, Melbourne and overseas.

2006 will mark the 125th anniversary of Caulfield's founding, and various events have been or will be held to commemorate this milestone. On April 26, 2006, the School community commemorated this anniversary with a day of celebrations (ANZAC Day is held in Australia on April 25, the actual anniversary of the founding, and this is a national public holiday). Staff and students at all five campuses of the school — with student groups visiting both the Nanjing and Yarra Junction campuses at the time — formed "125^TH" at their respective campuses and an aerial photograph was taken. Other celebrations during the year to mark the occasion included a 125th Anniversary Ball for past and present staff and parents, as well as past students, to be held at Crown Casino, and the annual Founders' Day service at St Paul's Cathedral, attended by guest of honour Dr. David de Kretser, the current Governor of Victoria and a past parent of the school. The School Council has commissioned author Helen Penrose to write a history of the school entitled Educational innovation: 125 years of Caulfield Grammar School, to be released in October 2006.

Yarra Junction Campus

In 1947 a country centre opened at Yarra Junction on land donated by the Cuming family. Cuming House was the first rural centre for a metropolitan school in Australia, set in the Australian bush and close to the Yarra River. The Yarra Junction Campus today allows students to live in sustainable eco-cabins with rainwater tanks and solar power technology. The Earth Studies Centre, Wadambawilam (Aboriginal term for 'learning place'), operates on wind and solar power, and uses many environmentally-sound practices to teach students about long-term environmental sustainability. Also on campus is a commercial dairy which produces over 1 million litres of milk annually. On UN World Environment Day 2001 the Yarra Junction Campus won an award for Best School Based Environment Project for its energy-saving eco-cabins project.

Nanjing Campus

The newest Caulfield campus is the Nanjing, China campus, opened in 1998. Caulfield focuses on Mandarin Chinese as its major Language Other Than English, and the establishment of a campus in Nanjing allowed the school to strengthen its ties with the region. The Nanjing Campus was the first overseas campus for any Australian high school, and Caulfield was congratulated for its initiative by Australian Prime Minister John Howard and then-Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett. Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Downer witnessed the signing of an agreement to build the campus in 1996; also present were the Mayor of Nanjing, Principal of the Nanjing Middle School affiliated with Nanjing Normal University, and Principal of Caulfield Grammar School Stephen Newton.

At the Nanjing Campus Caulfield students study five key themes of Chinese culture during a five-week program: heritage, work, family, education and challenges. Students travel to the cities of Nanjing, Shanghai, Tongli, and Beijing, visiting such landmarks as the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City and the Ming Tombs, and also complete homestay visits with students from The Affiliated High School of Nanjing Normal University.

Controversy arose in June 2001 when a group of six Caulfield students at the Ming Tombs were found to have graffitied this culturally sacred site. A teacher caught the students writing their full names on a wall near to this site. The story made headlines in Melbourne, and was reported on the front page of the city's major newspapers, The Herald Sun and The Age. The school, in conjunction with Australian consular officials resolved the issue with the Chinese government. The six students responsible were immediately suspended from school, and along with one teacher returned to Australia four days following the incident

When a global outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) occurred in 2003, and had the highest confirmed cases in China, the school postponed all scheduled trips to China in 2003 indefinetely. The group which was in China at the time of the outbreak — March and April 2003 — traveled to Xi'an instead of Beijing to avoid the peak areas of infection, and returned to Australia via Tokyo's International Airport several days before the scheduled departure on the advice of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The remaining Internationalism Programme groups for 2003 returned to the program in the second half of 2003 to participate in shortened three-week programs.

In March 2004 a Year 9 Caulfield student was caught defacing the Great Wall. The student was returned promptly to Australia and suspended from school. The Great Wall was World Heritage listed in 1987 and it is an offence to cause damage to the monument. In this instance the offending graffiti (a name) was able to be removed.

Academics

Caulfield offers students a full range of subjects in its academic curriculum. All students study Mandarin Chinese — the school's major Language Other Than English, taught because of China's developing importance in the Asia-Pacific region — from primary school to Year 8, and German in Years 7 and 8, and may continue these languages as electives thereafter. The school awards scholarships for a range of fields, including academic excellence, theatre, music, art and sports.

Middle School structure

Caulfield has recently reorganised the early years of high school, which had previously been overshadowed by the VCE (Years 10–12) and attempts to upgrade programs for senior students. Years 7 through 9 make up the middle school, and operate differently to the later VCE years. New programs at the middle school include a learning mentor program, introduced in 2004 at the Year 8 level, and expanded to Year 7 in 2005. This program provides every class with two teachers to around 30 students. Each class is assigned a learning mentor, who attends all of that group's lessons and assists each student with improving their own learning style. The mentor focuses on both academic and pastoral issues, while the designated subject teacher is responsible for preparing and teaching the set curriculum.

Year 9 at Caulfield is seen as a year where students prepare to undertake the VCE (Years 10-12). Students do not have examinations, as would happen in any other senior school year at Caulfield, but rather focus on their classroom studies and the Learning Journeys program. Learning Journeys is a combination of various subjects previously studied in Year 9 - history, geography, religious education and personal development - with students working in groups of around 15 pupils to each teacher. Year 9 is also the year in which the internationalism trip to Nanjing takes place (see Nanjing Campus).

The VCE

Caulfield Grammar School senior students study for the Victorian Certificate of Education (Caulfield does not offer the International Baccalaureate), achieved after graduating from Year 12. While the VCE is usually completed over two years, in 2003 Caulfield became one of the first schools in Melbourne to encourage Year 10 students to take as many as three Year 11 VCE Unit 1/2 courses. This program is seen as giving students a taste of the VCE a year earlier, thereby giving them a chance to prepare for what is to come. This also allows Year 11 students to undertake Year 12 Unit 3/4 studies, so that they effectively begin part of their Year 12 course a year earlier, maximising their ENTER scores by studying up to six subjects over this time. By beginning the VCE Year 12 program in Year 12, students may only study five subjects, which results in fewer subject scores influencing final ENTER results.

Year 11 students studying Mandarin may return to China on a two-week language-focused study tour at the Nanjing campus. For students studying German, there are places available for exchanges to Germany during the Christmas/summer holidays.

Caulfield achieves highly in statewide rankings of schools offering the VCE - both campuses ranked in the top 30 schools in Victoria for 2004 results - and the annual Dux of the School often achieves an ENTER ranking of 99.95 (the highest possible ranking, placing the student in approximately the top 20 students in the state). Caulfield also has associations with Australian universities which have led to the introduction of awards for VCE students at the school. Each year, one Year 12 graduate from each senior campus is awarded a scholarship to attend Bond University, with their degree fully paid for. A Monash University bursary is also awarded to the top student in Year 11 at each campus to help pay for the cost of Year 12 studies.

"The virtual campus"

Unlike other Australian independent schools, Caulfield Grammar School has not followed the trend of making laptops compulsory for students. However, the school provides an online login system or Intranet for students and staff that is accessed via existing entry passwords and usernames. This capability is referred to as the School's sixth or "virtual" campus enables access to email and files from the school network over the Internet. The school established a computer network in 1997, with all students and staff having individual log in details, email accounts, and file space.

Caulfield student life

Caulfield Grammar offers a comprehensive extra-curricular activities program for students. The major components of the program are sport, music and the Arts.

Sport

Caulfield Grammar School has played in school sporting competitions since its establishment in 1881. Students from Years 5 to 12 participate in school sport as part of the APS competition.

The school has been a member of four school sporting associations since 1892:

• Schools' Association of Victoria (1892–1910)
• Schools' Amateur Athletic Association of Victoria (1911–1920)
• Associated Grammar Schools of Victoria(1921–1958)
• Associated Public Schools of Victoria (1959–)

Caulfield was one of the founding members of the Schools' Association of Victoria, but when the legitimacy of the association's amateur status was questioned, Caulfield and Brighton Grammar School formed the Schools' Amateur Athletic Association of Victoria (later renamed the Associated Grammar Schools of Victoria), and were joined by other Melbourne private and church schools in the competition. In 1958, Caulfield accepted an offer to join the Associated Public Schools of Victoria. Caulfield currently holds an APS record for winning 12 consecutive APS Boys' Athletics Championships from 1994 to 2005, and has won numerous 1st Division premierships throughout its history. The First XVIII football team won 18 consecutive premierships from 1913 to 1930 - the longest championship run for a Caulfield Firsts team.

For students from Years 5 to 12, inter-school sport is a compulsory activity. Teams usually train twice a week, often travelling between Caulfield and Wheelers Hill or to other sporting venues, and play matches against other APS schools on Saturdays. Sports played include cricket, football, rowing, athletics and swimming. A United Kingdom Cricket and Tennis tour every three years sees Caulfield Grammar students play matches against students from such schools as Eton College and The King's School, Canterbury. Similar tours also exist with an annual sporting exchange to Walford Grammar School in South Australia.

The main facilities for sport are shared over both Caulfield and Wheelers Hill campus. At Caulfield, the Lindsay Thompson Centre is used for indoor sports such as basketball and netball, and the Alfred Mills Oval is the traditional home of the First XI cricket and First XVIII football teams, and host venue to matches in the 2004 Commonwealth Bank Under 19 Cricket Championships. Wheelers Hill includes four sports ovals, AstroTurf tennis and hockey courts, and outdoor netball courts.

The Arts

Primary students in Year 2 learn to play either the violin or cello, and for most students this is their first introduction to the Caulfield music program. Year 4 students choose one of a number of woodwind or brass instruments to learn for a year. Year 7 students also take part in a music program where they may choose one instrument to learn as part of a small group, with a range of musical groups represented including guitars, brass, woodwind and keyboard. Students who wish to learn an instrument in private lessons may do so from prep through to Year 12, and many of these musicians go on to join various musical groups available at Caulfield. School bands, choirs and orchestras are open to students from Year 3 onwards, and many of these musical groups are on show at the annual Caulfield Grammar School Concert at Melbourne's premier performance venue, Hamer Hall. Senior choirs and bands also take part in such events as the Kodaly Choral Festival and Melbourne Bands Festival.

Caulfield's most senior orchestral group is the Galamian Orchestra, which is primarily a string group, but expands to add other instruments when required. The group went on a small tour to England and Austria in June and July of 2000 and were awarded 2nd prize in the Vienna Youth Music Festival. School music groups rehearse regularly in the music departments at each of the three campuses, and students from Wheelers Hill and Caulfield perform together in the three premier groups at Caulfield Grammar - the Galamian Orchestra, the "No Strings Attached" stage band and the Chamber Choir. These groups perform at major school events such as the annual year-ending Speech Night presentations, the Founders' Day chapel service, and the School Concert, as well as performing at music festivals in Melbourne and on tours. In 2005 renowned Australian jazz musician James Morrison performed with the "No Strings Attached" stage band at Monash University. Each year, Caulfield students participate in over 20 theatre productions across the three Melbourne campuses as part of the school's drama program. Caulfield also organises theatre tours for drama students - in the past, locations have included Europe and Asia.

Caulfield Grammar School also competes in the Debaters' Association of Victoria Schools Debating competition, and Caulfield Campus is the host venue for the Caulfield regional competition. Five debates are held each year, and Caulfield teams debate against other Melbourne schools - both independent and government schools - on various current interest topics. Debaters in Year 12 compete in the A-Grade division, many having begun in the Year 9 D-Grade and been involved in all four divisions of the DAV competition. Students are also involved in mooting, where teams argue legal matters based on evidence and precedent, and compete in the Bond University Mooting competition. In 2003, Caulfield were runners-up in the prestigious, national competition.

School uniform

Caulfield Grammar School, like all other Australian independent schools, requires students to wear full school uniform at all times. Two school uniforms exist for boys and girls for both summer and winter, and the main colours featured are blue, white and grey.

File:Caulfield pocket.JPG

An example of a Caulfield awards pocket.

The navy blue school blazer with the school crest on the breast pocket is the central item, and students in Years 10 to 12 are allowed to wear blazers with white braiding and award pockets that represent achievement within the school - a similar concept to military decorations, where initials representing different activities are worn (for example, MU for music) and the school crest is threaded appropriately (the crest is threaded in the colour of the highest award).

The three levels of awards are:

• Emblem - recognising distinguished participation (for example, one season of inter-school debating). Initials and crest are white.
• Half Colours - recognising distinguished participation and service over a long term (for example, two-year membership of a senior choir and orchestra). Initials and crest are silver.
• Full Colours - recognising outstanding participation and leadership over a long term (for example, captaining the First XI cricket team at the end of a three-year membership of the team). Initials and crest are gold.

Notable Alumni

See List of Caulfield Grammar School people.

References

• Caulfield Grammar School (2005). "History of Caulfield Grammar School". 2005 Caulfield Grammar School Record Book. 1: 2B–7B.
• Caulfield Grammar School (2005). One School Six Campuses. Retrieved April 10, 2005.
• Webber, Horace (1981). Years May Pass On... Caulfield Grammar School, 1881-1981. Centenary Committee, Caulfield Grammar School, (East St Kilda). ISBN 0-9594242-0-2.
• Wilkinson, Ian R. (1997). The Fields At Play - 115 years of sport at Caulfield Grammar School 1881-1996. Playright Publishing. ISBN 0-949853-60-7.

See also

• Associated Public Schools of Victoria
• List of famous Caulfield Grammarians
• List of schools in Victoria
• Marketing of schools
• Victorian Certificate of Education

External links

• Caulfield Grammar School website
• Caulfield Grammarians in the AFL
• The Caulfield Grammarians' Association (alumni association)
• Caulfield Grammar School images - from the collection of the State Library of Victoria.