In this edition of Students’ Voice, we interviewed Grammarians from ELC right through to Senior Years on how they reflect on their learning and what they love about learning at MGGS.  

What this reveals is a passion for learning and specific dreams for what they hope to achieve.

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ELC

Eliza – Mitchell Group ‍

What do you enjoy learning the most at MGGS?  
Painting! I am painting a dragon, a Chinese New Year one. I like playing with my friends, and drawing the Junior School [Morris Hall]. It makes me feel happy and excited when I am learning.  

What do your teachers do to help you learn?
They teach me how to write my name. They teach me fun games. They help me learn about the plants and flowers at the fairy garden and at the [Royal] Botanical Gardens. My teachers make me feel happy and excited.

How does coming to MGGS make you feel?
Happy and excited, I love it! I look forward to seeing my friends and playing games with them.

Luca-Rose – Mitchell Group

What do you enjoy learning the most at MGGS?
Playing with my friends, doing puzzles and reading books, playing at the tea party with my friends and making cards. It [learning] makes me happy.

What do your teachers do to help you learn?
They help me learn about the [Royal] Botanical Gardens. We learn about plants and animals. We learn where we can play. We can look and play. They help me learn how to do music. They make me feel happy and smiley.

How does coming to MGGS make you feel?
Happy. I like coming and playing with my friends and doing the puzzles.

Adelia - Wilmot

What do you enjoy learning the most at MGGS?
I love how we go into the Studio to play, do painting and play with clay. I love building with blocks. I like the drawing table. Singing and dancing. Playing games. Puzzles! Making puppets. I love making jellyfish and learning the ocean. I love going outside and Jump Start and Ready Steady Go. I love the teachers and the friends that I have. We love this room. It’s beautiful. It makes me feel love.

What do your teachers do to help you learn?
They set up things for us and help us think about things. Reading! That is my favourite thing that they do. Kylie is always playing with me and we are drawing sunflowers and making flower faces. My love [for my teachers] comes from the bottom of my heart all the way to my head. They make me feel grateful and love.  

How does coming to MGGS make you feel?
HAPPY! [I look forward to] playing with friends, playing in the sandpit, playing games like I Spy. Everything.

Junior Years

Charlotte – Year 3

What do you enjoy learning the most at MGGS?
MGGS provides different resources. I like to learn by doing fun activities. I feel like I want to do or learn more every time.

What do your teachers do to help you learn?
My teachers teach us patiently. They give us suggestions and supportive advice. They make me feel confident.

How does coming to MGGS make you feel?
MGGS is like my second home. I feel confident coming to school. I look forward to seeing my friends, especially on the weekends! I have been here for half of my life.‍

Aaradhya – Year 3

What do you enjoy learning the most at MGGS?
I love learning math at school because in math there are so many things to learn. There are not just like five things to learn in math. Math makes me feel happy every time because you learn so much more than the last time.

What do your teachers do to help you learn?
My teachers help to explain the task properly and help us, even if we are doing a test. My teachers make me feel happy every time I learn because they make learning super fun.

How does coming to MGGS make you feel?
I feel super excited when I come to MGGS because there is always something new to look forward to every single day. I look forward to seeing my friends because they are funny and brighten my day up.

Annie – Year 4

What do you enjoy learning the most at MGGS?
I love learning at MGGS because our learning is fun and exciting. I have lots of favourite subjects. I like Maths because it is always challenging, and we learn something new each lesson. I enjoy writing because I love writing fiction. I imagine it and then describe it to the reader. I love STEM because we code, experiment and learn new things. I love Art because we do creative and challenging things at the same time. I enjoy DCIT [Digital Citizenship] because I love to read, and it is good to know how to be safe online.

What do your teachers do to help you learn?
The teachers at MGGS are kind and caring and always make the work challenging for you. I enjoy working together in our learning studio because you learn with your friends and help each other. 

How does coming to MGGS make you feel?
Coming to MGGS makes me feel welcome. Every day, I look forward to seeing my friends and teachers and learning new things. These are some reasons why I love going to MGGS and I think MGGS is an amazing school to go to.

Xanthe – Year 4

What do you enjoy learning the most at MGGS?
I like MGGS because our learning is very enjoyable. I enjoy Maths because I like adding and subtracting numbers; we also do interesting, creative work like making graphs and activities like ‘Smartie Maths’. I like writing because I love to write scary, dark fiction. We get to do coding in STEM and it’s so fun and cool to see what happens when we code things. We have an amazing library at Morris Hall. In DCIT [Digital Citizenship] we get to borrow and read books that we don’t have at home.

What do your teachers do to help you learn?
I like the teachers at MGGS because they make our learning fun and interesting. I enjoy how the two classes of each year level at MGGS get to learn together, I think this is great because each year level gets to know more of who’s in their class.

How does coming to MGGS make you feel?
Every day I go to MGGS, I look forward to seeing my friends and playing with them. But my overall favourite thing would be my Prep buddy. I like having a Prep buddy because I feel good knowing that I am helping them in their first year of school.

Middle Years

Sophia - Year 5

‍What do you enjoy learning the most at MGGS?
Melbourne Girls Grammar is amazing because there are so many subjects and activities. As a Year 5 student, I love learning maths and science the most because in Science there is always more to discover and in Maths, there are so many ways to solve one problem. When I do Science I’m inspired by my teacher’s passion for it, and when I do Maths I’m motivated by my teacher when she tells us to never give up on a problem.
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What do your teachers do to help you learn?
The teachers at Wildfell are good natured and love to get involved with their students’ work. When I struggle with my learning, my teachers go out of their way to help me explore and discover new facts and strategies by answering my questions and encouraging me when I’m learning. They are humorous and empathetic; they make us laugh and understand how we’re feeling. That’s why I’m always enthusiastic for school in the morning, I can’t wait to solve problems and learn new things during the day.
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How does coming to MGGS make you feel?
School is the best. I feel extremely lucky that I am part of such a thoughtful school community. I always feel valued and safe at school because of the amazing teachers, my thoughtful friends, and our school community. I love MGGS!

Martha – Year 6

What do you enjoy learning the most st MGGS?
I joined the MGGS family in Year 5. Year 5 was great, despite COVID and lockdowns. My favourite part of Year 5 was Techspo — our third term Cross Curricular project. We created inventions on Scratch to help us with pets, hobbies and even just games for fun.
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At MGGS, I love the House events, facilities, the staff and the students. I really enjoy supporting my House in the athletics and swimming competitions and I love participating in House Drama and sharing my opinions in House Public Speaking. Sadly, due to COVID, I couldn’t participate in House Music last year. The facilities at MGGS are amazing and the great thing is that Wildfell students get to use some of them, such as the science labs, Artemis and the art rooms.

‍What do your teachers do to help you learn?
The teachers and staff are really kind and caring towards us; they help us to become more independent but are always there if we need them.

‍How does coming to MGGS make you feel?
Every day, I look forward to seeing my friends, learning something new and having fun. I have many favourite subjects at school. I like Art, Music and Cross Curricular because they are very creative. I like Science and Maths because they are very logical and having specialist teachers from the Senior School really helps with our in-depth knowledge. Finally, the students here at MGGS are fantastic. They are friendly and always supportive, which makes learning together an enjoyable experience.

Leila - Year 7

What do you enjoy learning the most at MGGS?
At MGGS one of my favourite subjects is Drama. When I do Drama, I like to act and turn into a different character. I also love to work with my friends and to learn with new people I don’t usually hang out with. I find learning in groups or pairs is an opportunity to find new friends and that’s why I love Drama. When I do Drama, it makes me feel happy and it makes me feel like I can express myself in a way that I can’t do normally.
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What do your teachers do to help you learn?
My teachers are very helpful in class, especially when I find something challenging. When that happens, I ask my teacher for some help, and they help me by explaining the confusing topic from the very start or they put on a helpful video that explains it more clearly. I like that my teachers don’t only help me when something is confusing but also when I need feedback. I like how my teachers give truthful feedback and challenging tasks to make my assessment or writing piece even better. My teachers make me feel comforted when I can’t understand something, and I think that is very important thing for a teacher to make you feel comforted and not stressed.
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How does coming to MGGS make you feel?
Coming to MGGS every day makes me feel happy; I know that I am in a safe place. When I come to school, I look forward to seeing all my friends and working with them for a whole day. I also look forward to fun events like House Athletics or House Drama, because House events like those are always so much fun!

Xanthe - Year 8

‍What do you enjoy learning the most at MGGS?
What I love to learn most at Melbourne Girls Grammar is not simply one class – School has supplied me with many opportunities it’s hard to just pick one. Instead, my favourite things to learn are two separate subjects that in my opinion complement each other quite well, although they seem an odd match. These two classes are Drama and History. In Drama we learn about characters motives and traits, and how they act in the past and present. History allows me to understand historical figures with more empathy, as I’m able to open myself to more perspectives. This allows me to gain a better understanding of events in history and how they came to be. The combination of these two courses allows me to learn more deeply. Due to this, I have a great passion for these two subjects, as not only are they a challenge for my brain, but they are also very fun.
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What do your teachers do to help you learn?
My teachers help me by responding to the feedback I give them about how I’m learning. They answer questions and try to explain the query in different ways, which l feel helps me the most overall and allows me to feel confident in my learning.  
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How does coming to MGGS make you feel?
Every day I look forward to going to school not only for the educational aspect, but also the classroom environment. I have really missed this environment over the past two years with COVID-19 lockdowns, so having a classroom dynamic again has really improved not only my school life but my social life also. I think that this is a very important part of education, as it helps to make students more assured of their learning.

Senior Years

Alisha – Year 10

‍How does coming to MGGS make you feel?
Learning at Melbourne Girls Grammar is not measured by the letters on a report card or the number of badges on a blazer, because to me it has always meant so much more. I love learning at MGGS because it helps me to strive for excellence.

‍What do your teachers do to help you learn?
I am given opportunities to make mistakes and then supported by my teachers to learn from them, empowering me to seek personal growth by embracing errors. I am provided with an environment that fosters curiosity and a voracious need to gain knowledge, and I believe that is a true measure of success.

‍How does coming to MGGS make you feel?
I look forward to coming to MGGS every day because it provides me with a sense of purpose and direction, whether through learning in class, studying with friends or understanding myself a little better with my learning coach. The education extends beyond the red brick walls with international exchanges, opportunities for music and drama performances and work experience. Our cultivation of collective identity and a sense of community has enabled me to form bonds with my peers and teachers, who have taught me the importance of trust and respect. I am thankful for the foundation of learning MGGS has given me and all of its students, and the space to fail and grow and succeed every day.

Ginger – Year 10

‍How does coming to MGGS make you feel?
Coming to MGGS in Year 7, I explored the ways that it was different from my primary school. While the transition from primary to secondary school can be difficult for many students as they adapt to their new school, I immediately felt welcomed and began to love learning here at MGGS. Suddenly, I was being taught by teachers who are experts in their topics and who cared for my wellbeing and I began to feel challenged in my learning.

‍What do your teachers do to help you learn?
Today I am grateful that I have these teachers that have continued to guide me through my learning as I grew and matured. I have learned to love subjects such as Science. I enjoy learning Science in class time, when we learn content on the main three branches, as well as furthering my learning by inviting people who are renowned around the world to explore different subjects, such as our visit from Dr Jared last year. It led to many students in Year 10 taking up VCE Psychology Units One and Two, as is offered by MGGS.

‍How does coming to MGGS make you feel?
Every day I look forward to school and having the independence to take control of my learning and build time-management skills during my Independent Learning Time periods. MGGS supports me in my learning while giving me the tools I need to go further after my time here.  

Bridget – Year 11

‍How does coming to MGGS make you feel?
For me, the heart of learning at MGGS lies in the enriching discussions that take place in the classrooms – this is where I am most challenged each day. We are all encouraged to be respectful of each other’s differences, and this in turn gives me the confidence to own my thoughts and viewpoints.  This progressive learning space makes for a wonderful mixing pot of ideas and directions, enabling all students to gain insight into other viewpoints that we might not have previously considered.

What do your teachers do to help you learn?
The high level of knowledge that my teachers have in their respective fields, further supports our learning.  They are enthusiastically invested, not only in imparting information, but also, in prompting us to think deeply about the reasoning behind what we are learning and how it may be applicable to a real-world context. There is a strong sense of professionalism from teachers towards all students; treating us with the utmost regard encourages us to feel capable of independent and progressive learning. Knowing that my teachers are there on this journey of learning is incredibly motivating and empowering.
Nevertheless, perhaps the most valuable skills I have learnt during my time at MGGS are those of emotional maturity, empathy and companionship. The House system is particularly useful in this regard. It is the day-to-day acknowledgement and time spent with my peers in my House group that has bolstered a culture of ‘sisterhood’ — we have learnt to have each other’s backs, celebrate each other’s achievements and commiserate when things don’t quite work out as planned.
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How does coming to MGGS make you feel?
These are precisely the things I look forward to each day when coming to MGGS – the holistic development of skills like critical thinking and emotional maturity that will assist me in making a meaningful difference to the world later on.