Our families have partnered with us generously, engaging in learning, celebrating achievements and supporting initiatives that enrich our School. Together, we have created a vibrant, purposeful community.

Highlights of 2025

• STEM Growth: Supported by our Walkathon, which raised over $30,000, students explored hands-on learning that builds problem-solving, critical thinking and collaboration skills.
• Sporting Success: Students represented the School with pride, achieving personal bests and state records.
• Music and Sport Programs: Strengthened through dedicated Coordinators, offering more opportunities for skill development and teamwork.
• Performing Arts: Our hybrid musical The Little Mermaid Jr was a highlight, alongside Celebrations of Learning and Dance and Music Showcases that revealed the richness of every classroom.

Both our Boys’ and Girls’ Futsal teams were eager to finish the term on a high at the CASA Futsal Gala Day. Each team played seven fast-paced games against other CASA schools, with minimal breaks, making for a challenging but exciting day.

The boys had a competitive day, winning 3 games, losing 3, and drawing 1, ultimately finishing fifth out of eight schools. Their increasing selflessness on the court, strong teamwork, and growing defensive commitment made their play more cohesive and dynamic as the day went on.

Our girls had an outstanding day, finishing second out of eight schools. Their sharp passing, strong teamwork, and strategic play were the foundation of their success. They narrowly went down 4–3 to the eventual winners, but convincingly led the for-and-against stats, highlighting their dominance throughout the tournament.

Congratulations to all our boys and girls for their skill, resilience and excellent sportsmanship.

As we celebrate the birth of Christ, may His example of love and hope guide us in all we do. Wishing every family a joyful holiday season and a year ahead filled with learning, growth and new opportunities.

Joanna Miller – Year 7

For a group of Year 7s, the last few weeks have been busy to say the least. And no, I’m not talking about exams. I’m talking about Toys n’ Tucker!

Toys n’ Tucker is an Anglicare initiative that provides food and toys to those in need over the Christmas season. It is a fantastic opportunity to donate small items like tinned goods, children’s books or Christmas puddings. Although one donation may seem small, a couple of items can really make a difference to many Aussies’ Christmas Day. As a School, The Illawarra Grammar School always tries to support as many donations as possible, with a goal of packing 100 boxes this year.

Year 7 took to the challenge to ensure we reached this goal. Although a big task, we campaigned through assemblies, advertising in front of the library, and speaking to the Junior School during recess. Although tiring work, all of it was a lot of fun.

One of my highlights was the many recesses spent with my friends hauling big boxes down to the Junior School. When we came down one day to find bags upon bags of goods in almost every classroom, the looks on our faces said it all. However, there was one small problem: the box was overflowing, and we couldn’t carry it up. Fortunately, there was a wagon at our disposal, but we made this same mistake not once, not twice but another three times, meaning running up the hill again and again. That being said, it was tremendous fun.

Our final day to donate was 4 December, the Christmas Celebration. After this, we began what could only be described as exhausting, hilarious and joyful. After covering the floor of a media room entirely in toys and food, a group of six Year 7 boys and girls (including myself) began to pack the boxes. With the help of our amazing Dean, Mrs Panozzo, we separated the goods into piles and packaged everything neatly. As the number of hampers began to stack up, a few boys started counting. Once we were at 83 boxes, we began to worry we wouldn’t make it. However, amazingly we managed to pack 118 boxes and 3 big bags of toys! What an amazing picture of the generosity in our School.

While this took up most of Friday, there was still one thing left to do: pack and stack the boxes near the Western Avenue car park. We formed a long conveyor-belt-like system—bringing the boxes from the media room, loading them onto wagons, running up the hill and packing them in. We finished hot, sweaty, and ready for a lie-down, but it was great fun!

All of this would not have been possible without the support of our Dean, Mrs Panozzo, and the students, parents, and staff at our School. Thank you everyone for your contributions, and we hope to see you again next year, when maybe we’ll fill 200 boxes!

Please watch the video below to see how Caroline Werakso documented the progress of our Toys and Tucker packing day:

Charlee Ducat – Year 12

It’s been an extraordinary year – one defined by changes and improvements. For many students, this year brought your first experience of a formal exam block – the first of many to come! Whilst these exams were no doubt demanding, I have no doubt that you will look back on what you have learned from them with gratitude when you stand where I am now, approaching the final lap in Year 12.

Yet as I write this, I find it is crucial to acknowledge that our lives extend far beyond the finality we often place on the physical, measurable world around us. At this point in the year, many of us stand with a mixture of excitement and bittersweet reflection on the time past. However, while the term and, more significantly, the year, is coming to an end, our journey is not. Term IV may be the end of the school year, but it is not a conclusion but more a bridge to what comes next. Life is most fulfilling when approached with ambition and a sense of eager anticipation for the future ahead of us. 

So, to our younger students, I hope you will take the opportunity to rest in the summer break, to acknowledge all the bravery and strength you have displayed, and to find peace with the character you have developed across the year. But at the same time, I urge you to gently interrupt that solace with anticipation, motivation and joy for what lies ahead.

The Year 12 cohort recently listened to an interview with Professor Anthony Okely, a small fragment of which discussed the value of open and critical thinking within a post-modern world defined by ‘echo chamber’ like algorithms. As such, I’d like to propose a challenge to our students to make a conscious effort to recognise the selective stream of information we are given online, and to explore at least one piece of media that we wouldn’t usually choose or goes against our engrained belief systems. Just as we challenge ourselves to broaden our perspectives, we also have the opportunity to take meaningful action in our community.

In reflecting on my first term as part of your Head Prefect Team, one of our key responsibilities is overseeing the Year 12 Charity vote, and as such we are proud to announce that the 2026 charity will be Little Wings, an organisation dedicated to helping ill children access specialised medical treatments through safe flight and ground transport services. We have already launched our fundraising efforts with the Santa Photos and barbecue this term, and we are eager to continue the momentum into the new school year. The most significant event, the annual Year 12 Trivia Night, look out for your opportunity to purchase tickets via a link that will be sent out in this newsletter during Term I. In the meantime, I am happy to reveal the theme for the evening will be ‘Rock and Roll – Hall of Fame’!

Caitlin Mitchell  – Year 8

On 17 November, the Year 8 Musical Theatre class performed a showcase alongside the Year 7 Theatre Sports Club. In this article, I will be interviewing Isabella Xu, who participated in the event, to provide us with an insight into what happened on the night and the items the group presented.

1. What have you learned this term to prepare for this showcase?

Throughout the term, our Year 8 Musical Theatre class has been preparing for this upcoming showcase. I have learned how to work effectively as part of a team, especially through our whole-class rehearsals of ‘My Shot’ from Hamilton and our group performance scenes from West Side Story. These experiences have taught me the importance of taking responsibility for my role, whether it’s memorising lines, moving props, or supporting one another.

2. Explain why you chose to perform out of costume design or performance?

The showcase featured a mix of group performances, solo acts and an impressive display of outstanding costume designs. I had the privilege of performing a solo routine, where I choreographed a tap dance to ‘Human Stuff’ from The Little Mermaid Jr., which allowed me to share my own choreography and tap skills with the audience. I chose to perform rather than create a costume design because I enjoy being onstage and performing. Dancing is something I am passionate about, and this showcase gave me the opportunity to express myself and entertain the audience.

3. Elaborating on tap dancing, what experience did you have in tap dancing before the showcase?

I have been dancing since I was 3 years old across a variety of styles, including tap, which I started at a very young age. Tap has always been one of my favourite styles. I have also performed in numerous musicals, which helped me develop stage presence, acting and singing skills. These skills allowed me to choreograph and perform a musical number at the showcase.

4. What performance skills did you learn through this experience that helped you evolve your previous skill set?

Through this experience, I have developed several performance skills that have helped me grow as a musical theatre performer. I have learned how to sing confidently as part of a group, and have improved my acting by interacting with various characters. Additionally, I became more aware of how to move around the performance space effectively, using body language and actions to communicate character and emotion. 

These skills have strengthened my overall stage presence and performance ability.

5. For the performance aspect of the night, what are two things that went well, and what would you improve upon next time?

Two aspects of my performance that went well include the clarity of my beats and the strong energy of the performance, which helped keep the audience engaged. One area I could improve on for next time is making my facial expressions stronger to convey the character fully.

Thank you, Isabella, for taking the time to answer these questions for the Student Voice article this week, and chookas for future performances on behalf of the team.