St Margaret's Berwick Grammar

The Grampians are home to some of Victoria’s most spectacular rock climbing, and Year 9 students are getting the chance to experience this incredible environment on camp this week.

Today, the students showed great courage as they abseiled down a rock face approximately 10 storeys high. The stunning views of Summer Day Valley provided the perfect backdrop as the sun began to set.

What an incredible first day for the Year 9 students. They are looking forward to hitting the trails and exploring more of the Grampians on their hikes tomorrow.

Congratulations to Year 7 student Abbey O, who has been selected to represent Victoria at the 2026 AusCycling Junior Road Championships in Queensland this September.

This is a fantastic achievement and an exciting opportunity for Abbey to pull on the Victorian colours and compete against some of the best junior cyclists from across Australia.

We wish Abbey all the very best as she takes on this exciting challenge!

Thanks to the many teachers who support the Launchpad program to assist and extend our students.

Recently, Ms Rogers extended a group of intellectually curious Year 10 students with a lunchtime session exploring a gendered reading of Macbeth. Ms Rogers gave the students plenty to think about as they interpreted Macbeth’s fatal flaw and considered who was ultimately responsible for the events of the text. No doubt some nuanced essays will be the result!

Last week, Aseni and Aimee participated in the UN Youth Australia Evatt Competition, an academic competition combining debating and diplomacy. Working together as a team, the girls took on the role of a country in a simulated United Nations Security Council, where they debated international issues, negotiated with other delegates and worked to build support for their position.

They weighed up proposals from other delegations, considering both the priorities of the nation they represented and the broader impact their decisions could have on the international community. It was wonderful to see the genuine passion they showed while engaging with complex global affairs in such a mature, thoughtful and empathetic way.

As we move closer to the end of Unit 4, balancing study and wellbeing becomes even more of a priority for our VCE students.

This week in Launchpad, we welcomed back Catelyn Van Es, Class of 2023, to share her story of balancing study with high-level representative sport. Catelyn reflected on the important role that exercise, teamwork and getting out in nature can play in supporting good mental health throughout VCE.

On Friday 7 August, we were delighted to host our Life Governors' Luncheon at Kooyong, bringing together a wonderful group of Old Girls to reconnect, reminisce and celebrate the enduring bonds of our community.

We are incredibly grateful for their continued connection and support, and for the shared memories that continue to bring our community together. It was a beautiful opportunity to catch up with old friends, reflect on the past and celebrate the lasting impact of our alumni.

We also extend our warmest congratulations to Fiona Templar on her appointment as a Life Governor. This is a wonderful recognition of her longstanding contribution and commitment to our community.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for such a special occasion.

Congratulations to our Senior Netball team on winning the Girls Sport Victoria (GSV) Netball Pennant last term!

The team went undefeated on finals day, securing the title with a 39–15 victory over Sacré Cœur in the Grand Final. This fantastic result is a testament to the players’ hard work, teamwork and determination.

A special thank you to our dedicated coaches and support staff for their guidance and encouragement throughout the season. Their commitment played an important role in helping the team achieve this outstanding result.

Last Thursday, Samantha, Adriel, Yashika, Adidev and Abhiveer took part in the City of Casey Youth Climate Summit. Hosted by Casey Tech School, the event brought together students from many local schools to participate in hands-on workshops, listen to keynote speakers, and meet experts and volunteers working in the sustainability space.

Students were inspired by hearing from representatives of the Dolphin Research Institute and Wild Days Wildlife Shelter, lecturers from RMIT and Monash University, environment officers from engineering firms, and a local Indigenous flora and fauna guide. Each speaker highlighted career pathways focused on mitigating climate change and protecting the environment.

Well done to Senuri and Anaaya, who are members of the City of Casey Youth Climate Action Committee and helped organise the day.

First Place at the Monash Youth Music Festival!

Congratulations to our Poco Vivace String Orchestra, who achieved an outstanding result at the Monash Youth Music Festival this morning.

Our ensemble of 32 string players from Years 5–10 performed The Country Fair and El Toro, delivering a confident and musical performance that earned them First Place with an impressive score of 87/90.

The adjudicator praised the ensemble’s excellent balance, dynamic contrast, tone quality and projection of the melodic line — wonderful recognition of the students’ hard work, musicianship and teamwork.

We are incredibly proud of our young musicians and the way they represented our school. Congratulations to all our students and staff involved in this fantastic achievement.

Our Prep students celebrated 100 days of learning with smiles, creativity and plenty of sparkle. To mark this special milestone, they created amazing 100 Days Brighter hats and had a little parade for the Prep families. From colourful decorations to unique designs, every hat was a wonderful reflection of our bright young learners.
Over the past 100 days, our students have grown in confidence, skills and friendships, achieving so much along the way. We are incredibly proud of all they have accomplished and look forward to many more exciting learning adventures ahead.