Caulfield Grammar School
| Caulfield Grammar School | |
| File:Caulfield logo.gif | |
| Labora Ut Requiescas | |
| (Work hard that you may rest content) | |
| Established | 1881 |
| School type | Independent |
| Principal | Stephen Newton |
| Enrollment | approx. 3,500 |
| Colors | Blue, white and gold |
| Homepage | 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, and is of Anglican denomination. It was founded in 1881.
Caulfield has three day campuses in Victoria - Caulfield (Years 7-12), Wheelers Hill (Kindergarten-Year 12), Malvern (Kindergarten-Year 6), an outdoor education campus at Yarra Junction, and a student centre in Nanjing, China.
Caulfield Grammar'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."
History of CGS
Caulfield Grammar School was founded on 1881-04-25 by Joseph Henry Davies as a school of Christian denomination, and began with just 9 pupils. Davies' aim for Caulfield was "that the School should be a thoroughly Christian one" that looked to render "Christian service". A year after it had opened, enrollment had grown to 32 boys. Caulfield Grammar was built on a property near Sir Frederick Sargood's Rippon Lea Estate, and by 1909 the current site of the school had been purchased in what is now St. Kilda East.
The school's boarding house opened in 1912. Caulfield Grammar is the only Melbourne-based school in the APS to provide boarding for both boys and girls, and has a boarding community of nearly 100 students from rural Australia, Melbourne and overseas. By 1931, the school's 50th anniversary, total attendance had grown to 500 students. Caulfield was still considered a small school by Melbourne standards, as schools such as Xavier College and Melbourne Grammar School had much larger campuses and enrolments.
1958 saw the school's Memorial Hall open in memory of Caulfield Grammarians who had died in war. It was also in 1958 that Caulfield Grammar School was admitted to the Associated Public Schools of Victoria. Admission to the APS showed that Caulfield was now recognised as one of the most prestigious independent schools in Melbourne, and entitled CGS membership to the most competitive schoolboy sporting competitions in Victoria.
In 1961 Caulfield Grammar became affiliated with Malvern Memorial Grammar School, located in Malvern's Valentine Mansion, which became the school's Malvern Campus. The school's centenary year, 1981, marked the opening of a second senior school campus at Wheelers Hill on April 26. Wheelers Hill began as a coeducational school for all year levels, and was the first campus of Caulfield Grammar where girls were educated. Caulfield Grammar School now has over 2500 students throughout its three day campuses.
The Lindsay Thompson Centre was opened in 1997 as a sports and function centre at Caulfield Campus, named after former Victorian Premier and Caulfield Grammarian Lindsay Thompson. After Caulfield Campus' historic Memorial Hall was burnt down in an electrical fire on November 14 2000, a Melbourne Cup public holiday, CGS began to plan the construction of major halls at both Caulfield and Wheelers Hill campuses.
2006 will mark the 125th anniversary of Caulfield's founding, and the School Council has commissioned author Helen Penrose to write a history of the school entitled Educational innovation: 125 years of Caulfield Grammar School. The book release is scheduled to coincide with the 2006 anniversary celebrations. [1]
Yarra Junction Campus
In 1945 the Cuming family, who have a long association with Caulfield Grammar, donated land to the school for a country centre at Yarra Junction. 1947 saw Cuming House open as the first rural campus in Australia, set in the Australian bush and close to the Yarra River. The Yarra Junction Campus allows students live in fully sustainable eco-cabins with rainwater tanks and solar power technology to learn how to conserve resources [2]. 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 [3]. The campus also features a commercial dairy which produces over 1 million litres of milk annually for sale to Pauls Milk [4]. On UN World Environment Day 2001 the Yarra Junction Campus won an award for Best School Based Environment Project in recognistion of its energy-saving eco-cabins project.
Nanjing Campus
On 1998-05-06 Sir James Gobbo opened the Nanjing, China campus of Caulfield Grammar School. As Caulfield focuses on Mandarin Chinese as its major Language Other Than English, the establishment of a campus in Nanjing allowed Caulfield Grammar to strengthen ties with the region [5]. The Nanjing Campus was the first overseas campus for any Australian high school, and Caulfield Grammar was congratulated for its initiative by Australian Prime Minister John Howard and then-Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett. The Nanjing Campus allows Caulfield students to complete a five-week Internationalism Program and study five key themes of Chinese culture: heritage, work, family, education and challenges. During their five-week programs, students travel to the cities of Nanjing, Shanghai, Tongli, and Beijing. They visit such landmarks as the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, the Ming Dynasty Tombs, the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. Students also complete homestay visits with students from The Affiliated High School of Nanjing Normal University.
Controversy arose in 2001 when a group of Caulfield students at the Great Wall of China were found to have graffitied a section of the Wall. 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 issue was resolved between the school and the Chinese government with the students responsible suspended from school and returned to Australia immediately.
Academics
Caulfield offers a wide range of subjects. At primary school, students all study basic subjects including mathematics, English, science, Chinese, music and sport.
At senior school, students learn Mandarin Chinese and German as compulsory studies in Years 7 and 8, and electives thereafter. As well as learning Chinese to help on the Year 9 Internationalism trip, Year 11 students may return to China on a two-week language-focused study tour. For students studying German, there are places available for exchanges to Germany during the Christmas/summer holidays.
Average class sizes range from 25 to 30 students per class at senior school, and from 20 to 25 students at primary school. Smaller classes are found in some Victorian Certificate of Education subjects and in the Learning Journeys classes.
The VCE
Caulfield Grammar School senior students study for the Victorian Certificate of Education (CGS 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 Unit 3/4 studies, so that they may complete a full VCE over two years, maximising their ENTER scores by studying up to six subjects over this time. Caulfield achieves highly in statewide rankings of schools offering the VCE, and the annual Dux of the School often achieves an ENTER score of above 99. Caulfield also has important 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 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.
Year 9 program
Year 9 at CGS is seen as a transitional year where students leave the Middle School (Years 7-8) and 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 at Year 9
Years 7 and 8 learning mentors
Introduced in 2004 at the Year 8 level, and expanded to Year 7 in 2005, the learning mentor program ensures that every class during these years has two teachers to around 30 students. Caulfield Grammar is the first school to introduce such a program. 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.
"The virtual campus"
Caulfield Grammar School has not followed the trend of other Australian independent schools in making laptops compulsory for students. The school provides an online login system for students and staff, who can use existing entry passwords and usernames to access email and files from the school network over the internet. This capability is referred to as the School's sixth or "virtual" campus. The school established a computer network in 1997, with all students and staff having individual log in details, email accounts, and file space [6].
Extra-curricular activities
Student leadership
Caulfield and Wheelers Hill senior school
The School Committee is a student body comprising 40 Year 12 students - 20 from Caulfield Campus, 20 from Wheelers Hill Campus - who meet regularly to represent the students from Years 7 to 12 at their respective campuses. Members of the Committee are appointed based on the results of elections when the candidates are in Year 11.
Sport at Caulfield
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, CGS and Brighton Grammar 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.
Sports played include cricket, football, rowing, athletics and swimming. Caulfield currently holds an APS record for winning 11 consecutive Boys' Athletics Championships, 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 championshipship run for a Caulfield Firsts team.
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 [7]. Wheelers Hill includes four sports ovals, AstroTurf tennis and hockey courts, and outdoor netball courts.
The Arts
Music
Primary students in Year 3 learn to play either the violin or cello, and for most students this is their first introduction with the Caulfield music program. 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, woodwinds, singing 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 includes the school's best violinists and cellists. The group went on a major world tour in 1999 and were awarded 2nd prize in the Vienna 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 as part of celebrations to mark the proposed opening of the Twin Halls, renowned Australian jazz musician James Morrison performed with the"No Strings Attached" stage band at Monash University.
Theatre
Each year, Caulfield students participate in over 20 theatre productions across the three Melbourne campuses. With the opening of the Twin Halls, a project to build school auditoriums at Caulfield and Wheelers Hill, these plays will be performed in locations capable of seating 600 audience members. Caulfield also organises theatre tours for drama students - in the past, locations have included Europe and Asia.
Debating and mooting
Caulfield Grammar School 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. Debators in Year 12 debators 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 mooting, where teams argue legal matters based on evidence and precedent, and compete in the Bond University Mooting competition. In 2003, Caulfield Grammar won the prestigious competition.
Tuition details
Fees
As with all Australian independent schools, Caulfield Grammar is a full fee paying institution. Full fees range from AUS$8,000 to AUS$14,000 per year for day students, and in excess of $25,000 for boarding students. [8]
Scholarships
Caulfield Grammar awards scholarships in various fields of excellence. For academic scholarships, applicants must sit an examination, and similar testing occurs for most other scholarships.
Caulfield offers the following scholarships (taken from CGS Scholarship information):
- Academic Scholarships: Based on an examination and an interview with the Principal.
- Founder's Scholarships (General Excellence): Based on several different fields of endeavour relating to school life and an interview with the Principal.
- W.S. Morcom Rural Boarding Scholarships: Based on broad contributions to school life and an interview with the Principal.
- Theatre Scholarships: Based on involvement and background in Performance or Stagecraft and an interview with the Principal.
- Music Instrumental Scholarships: Based on outstanding musical ability and an interview with the Principal.
- Music Choral Scholarships: Requires professional vocal training and experience in solo performance and choral groups.
- Visual Arts Scholarships: Requires outstanding abilities in both the practical and theoretical aspects of the Visual Arts and an interview with the Principal.
- The Caulfield Grammarians' Association Scholarship: Awarded to a child of an alumni.
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.
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.
Famous alumni
See List of famous Caulfield Grammarians.
References
- History of Caulfield Grammar School, 2005 Caulfield Grammar School Record Book, Pages 2B-7B
- One School Six Campuses
- 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.
Further reading
- ^ Helen Penrose. HistorySmiths
- ^ Solar Projects. Going Solar
- ^ J. Walter, A. Heath and R. Clancy. "Earth Studies - A journey towards a sustainable future". MESA The Future is Here 2001 - a conference for Environmental Education
- ^ Gearin, Mary (Sep. 10, 2000). "Eco camp schools students on the environment". ABC Landline.
- ^ Figgin, Jane (Sep. 11, 1996). "Internationalising Australian Education and Information Technologies". ABC Radio National Transcripts (see bottom interview with Stephen Newton)
- ^ Customer Showcase: Caulfield Grammar School. Novell
- ^ Commonwealth Bank Under 19 Championship Fixture. Cricket Victoria
- ^ Tomazin, Farrah (Nov. 15, 2003).Steep rises for private school fees. The Age.
See also
- Associated Public Schools of Victoria
- List of famous Caulfield Grammarians
- List of schools in Australia
- Victorian Certificate of Education