Bedding – for boarders
The school supplies a mattress protector, fitted sheet, pillow and pillowcase. A pillowcase protector and a flat sheet are available on request. Students should bring their doona as well as two doona covers. Extra pillows and pillowcases are optional. A sleeping bag is required for camps.
Bicycles and skateboards
Students may bring their bicycle or skateboard to school. A locked bike shed is available for storage, and students are responsible for ensuring their equipment is safely locked up. Students are permitted to ride their bikes around designated areas of the campus. Heads of House may allow longer excursions in groups of three. Helmets are compulsory whenever bikes or skateboards are being ridden, and protective knee and elbow pads are required for skateboarding.
Books and supplies
Books are ordered through Campion Education and are delivered to the School at the commencement of the school year. More details for booklist ordering codes and dates are provided in Hive.
The Corio Campus book room, located in the Cook Quad, sells a range of pens and pencils, general stationery, books and novels to students and is open during term time, Monday to Friday.
Computers
Middle School students are required to have a personal laptop computer which is provided by the School and must be ordered prior to commencement. Access to a personal laptop computer allows the development of capabilities needed to learn, collaborate and communicate, and prepares students for future digital demands.
Computers are ordered through the nominated school provider. A summary of the GGS laptop programme and instructions on how to order a computer may be found in Hive.
Electrical Applicances – for boarders
Students can bring electric toothbrushes and international power adaptors into the boarding house. These may be used at the discretion of the Head of House. These items must be named.
The following appliances are prohibited and must not be brought onto campus: cooking appliances (including kettles, coffee machines and toasters), electric blankets, air conditioners, heaters, refrigerators and televisions.
Food
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are enjoyed in the Darling Hall, apart from some occasions when breakfast or dinner is taken ‘in house’. Supper is enjoyed following Prep each night in the house, and homemade pizzas and BBQ breakfasts are enjoyed on occasion during term time. Each house has several pantries where students can prepare morning tea, snacks and drinks.
Dietary needs
Students with dietary needs should contact the House Assistant. Kitchen staff will also be notified, and special meals will be provided.
Snacks / ‘Tuck’
Food for snacking (known as Tuck in the boarding house) may be brought into the house for consumption at recess and on weekend afternoons. Food should be safely packaged in plastic sealable containers or cans and should not require refrigeration. Suitable options include dried fruit, wholegrain crackers, cups of soup and bags of air dried popcorn. Students have access to fresh fruit at every meal and is always available in the house.
Junk food is discouraged, and food containing nuts and nut products are not permitted. Chewing gum, soft drinks and energy drinks are not permitted.
Hair and make-up
Students are expected to keep their hair clean and well-groomed each day. All hair is to be of natural colour. Coloured nail polish, shellac, acrylic nails and extensions are not permitted. Make-up should not be worn with school uniforms.
ID cards
Identification cards, including a photograph and individual barcode, are used to borrow books from the libraries, purchase items from the book room or Uniform Shop, commuter bus travel, and photocopy use.
Insurance of personal belongings
Students’ belongings such as computers, phones and bicycles are not covered by the School’s insurance. If cover is needed, it must be arranged by parents. All personal electrical appliances should be labelled with the student’s name and fully insured. The School takes no responsibility for articles of value that are left in bedrooms or studies. Each student is provided with a lockable cupboard to store their personal belongings.
Jewellery
The only earrings that are permitted to be worn are a single pair of studs or sleepers. Earrings are only to be worn in the ear lobe. Apart from a watch, no other jewellery may be worn. Tattoos are not permitted.
Laundry – for boarders
Laundry within each house is managed by the House Assistant and sent to an external laundry facility every week with a 48-hour turnaround. Items such as blazers, trousers, kilts and pullovers are dry-cleaned. Students are responsible for distributing their dirty laundry to the correct place in the boarding house and collecting clean laundry regularly.
There are washing machines, clotheslines, and a drying room for students to wash small loads of casual clothes within each house. Expensive clothing items should not be brought to school as they are unsuitable for industrial laundering and tumble drying.
Library
The Fisher and Panckridge libraries have an extensive range of resources available to Middle School students. At their core, they aspire to stimulate curiosity and encourage a love of reading and learning across all year levels. We encourage students to use the library for quiet study and collaborative work.
Lockers
Each Day Student is provided with a private locker for storing personal items during the day. Locks are issued to students at the beginning of the year.
Mobile phones
Middle School students are not permitted to use their mobile phones during the school day.
Boarding students may bring mobile phones to school, but they must be kept with their Head of House, who will, with discretion, allow use at appropriate times: e.g before Prep time in the evening, and specific times on the weekend.
Day students are always required to keep their mobile phones in their locker during schooltime.
Any student found to have their phone with them outside of the permitted times will have it confiscated.
Money and valuables
Students should use a debit card or cash card to access their money. Students should not keep cash on their person or within their dorms, except in small amounts (e.g. $20). More significant sums of money, passports and other travel documents should be stored in the care of the Head of House.
Name tapes
Name tapes can be ordered from the Geelong Grammar School uniform shop. Only sew-in name tapes are permitted, and they must state your child’s full name and house code as follows:
JANE SMITH, HI
House codes: Highton (HI), Kunuwarra (KU), Otway (OT), Parrwang (PA)
All items of clothing should be named. For trousers, kilts, shorts and underwear, name tapes should be sewn on the inside of the middle-back of the waistband. For shirts, jumpers, blazers and tops, the tape should be sewn inside the middle of the back of the neck. For socks, sew the tape vertically on the inside of the top of each sock. Shoes should be named with marking ink.
The school sewing room can name your child’s clothing. Please arrange this through the uniform shop.
Prohibited items
Please do not allow your child to bring the following items to school: aerosol cans (e.g. deodorant, hair spray), candles and oil burners, chewing gum, incense sticks, soft drinks, electrical appliances (as previously listed), liquid shoeshine, lighters and laser beams. Items that are expensive or irreplaceable should remain at home.
Please refer to the Student Behaviour Rules available via Hive for expectations and requirements regarding student behaviour, including prohibited substances and items, to ensure a safe and supportive learning and living environment for all in our community.
REACH
All students sign in and out of the boarding house via the REACH student management software. This allows our staff to monitor student locations on and off campus safely, and this software is also used to manage exeat and leave requests.
Toiletries
A consistent supply of shampoo, soap, deodorant, toothpaste and feminine hygiene products is required. These items may be purchased at the uniform shop, and other essential chemist items can be ordered through the House Assistant and charged to your account.