Gippsland Grammar School

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Gippsland Grammar School is an independent boarding school located in Sale, in the state of Victoria, Australia. The school is located on St Anne's Campus and the Garnsey Campus. The school's motto is Veritas Liberabit Vos, Latin for "the truth will set you free." Gippsland Grammar is a member of the GIS and ICCES schools associations. The current school principal is Mike Clapper, with the Heads (teachers in charge) of the junior and senior campuses being Garry Gray and Jan Henry (who was the 1980 school captain, and head of year 9 for many a year) respectively.

As of April 2006 there were 786 students enrolled in Garnsey Campus and around 250 in St. Anne's Campus

1 History of the School
2 Garnesy Campus
3 Year 9 Program
4 Blackwood Boarding House
5 St. Anne's Campus
6 Bairnsdale Campus
7 Houses
8 Notable alumni
9 See also
10 External link

[edit] History of the School

St Anne's Church of England Girls' School was founded in 1924. Gippsland Grammar School for boys commenced in 1961. The two schools amalgamated as St. Anne's and Gippsland Grammar School in 1971. For a period of time, the School was known by the acronym STAGGS, but became known as Gippsland Grammar in 1997.

Today, Gippsland Grammar caters for students from three years of age through to Year 12, with boarding facilities for secondary students.

The former site of St Anne's Church of England Girls' Grammar School has been developed as the Junior School, known as St Anne's Campus. This site also contains the boarding houses for both boys and girls.

The Senior School, is located on the former Gippsland Grammar School site on the northern side of Sale, adjacent to Bishopscourt. Also has a quality typewriting department.

In January 2006 a new Bairnsdale campus was opened for primary school students.

[edit] Garnesy Campus

The Garnesy Campus is the schools senior campus, teaching students years 7 to 12. There are four or five classes at each year level from 7 to 11, each class consisting of around 20 students.

The Garnsey Campus teaches students the core subjects; English, Mathematics, Science, Geography, History and Health, as well as a variety of electives including Art, Drama, Woodwork, Music, French and Japanese.

An up-to-date and flexible learning facility, designed to cater for rapidly advancing electronic communication and learning is located on the campus, for the use of both staff and students. This is the Information Services Centre (ISC). I provides a fully networked information system, an information and literacy skills program, instruction in using online services, reading programs, photocopying, a range of audiovisual equipment and reading and games for recreational purposes.

The Garnesy Campus is also host to the year 9 Centre.

[edit] Year 9 Program

There is a specially designed Year 9 Centre, located in the south-west corner of the Garnsey Campus, with classrooms and facilities designed to support the Year 9 community.

The Year 9 program is designed especially as students in this year level are recognised as people going through a transitional time in their lives and who are currently establishing their own individual identities within the community.

On top of the core and the elctive subjects undertaken by the year 9's, they also take part in many other activities including; two weeks based at the Melbourne City classroom and a comprehensive Outdoor Education Program, with hiking trips and ski camps.

In Year 9, the students are encouraged to become involved in activities such as; joining the Student Council, catering for functions and funderaising for the red cross. This promotes a sense of responsibility and gives the students an opportunity to act and be treated like young adults.

[edit] Blackwood Boarding House

The Boarding House is situated at the St Anne's Campus and is home to approximately 40 female and male students from years 7 to 12. Boarders can stay as weekly's (Monday - Thursday) or as full timer's, such as interstate and international boarders.

Students have access to study facilities including; a study room with a well stocked library with school texts and a range of reference books, a computer room with computers which are linked to the school system and which have internet, intranet and school e-mail access, and teachers and tutors for a variety of subjects.

Students have regular, nutritional meals, cooked by the Boarding House Chef at the Boarding House. At school Boarders have a daily budget for the school canteen which is currently being upgraqded.

The Boarding House is only a short stroll from many locations including; rowing sheds, netball courts, the shopping centre and the local pool and is in close proximity to many other sporting facilities.

For Boarders that chose to stay on weekends there are a variety of activities undertaken such as; cinema evenings and ten pin bowling and trips such as; surfing trips to Cape Conran and an annual snow trip to Mount Hotham.

[edit] St. Anne's Campus

This is also situated in Sale and teaches students from ages 3, in the early learning centre, to year six.

It also has a Library Resource Centre with up-to-date fiction and non-fiction collections and a strong reference section, computers for educational games and research and library classes conducted each week to promote information literacy.

[edit] Bairnsdale Campus

This is the most recent campus, it is for years preparatory to 6.

The new campus offers many of the subjects that are available at tha St. Anne's campus including; a full curriculum at all grade levels with specialist teachers for Art, Music, Japanese and Sport/PE.

[edit] Houses

Gippsland Grammar has Five Houses, which compete against each other in various cultural and sporting activities. Each is named after a person and a place in Gippsland

Tisdall-Hotham: Gold, 2006 House Champions
Cranswick-Dargo: Royal Blue, House champions 2000-2005
Wellington-Binks: Maroon, House Champions 1994-1999
Blundell-Bogong: Red

[edit] Notable alumni

Lindsay Tanner - Labor politition, MHR
Wil Anderson - comedian
Andrew McQualter - midfielder with St. Kilda Football Club
Christine Kininmonth - broadcatser, inventor and regular panellist on the ABC television programme, The New Inventors
Dr. Simon Gregory - scientist and nobel prize laureate, involved in the Human Genome Project
James Tomkins - Olympic rowing gold medallist