Our goal setting girl

It has been quite a big year for our girl and we have to hand it to her, she sets herself a personal goal and she goes for it.  She is brave, courageous, she bounces back from disappointments, and she always tries her best.  Underneath is a volcano of emotions that can explode without warning, and I'll admit we are fearful of when hormones and the teenage years come in to play, but she is a girl who strives and we are proud parents of this wonderful girl.

This year she has auditioned for three musical theatre productions and was successful in being cast in all three.  The first was Alice in Wonderland, where she had a role in the ensemble.

The second production was Elf Jr, where again she was cast in the ensemble and given her first individual line.

The third show is Madagascar Jr, which is in pre production and rehearsals kicking off in full next year.  She will be Lynn the Lemur and has a couple of lines and an extra ensemble role as a Lioness.

She also stuck her hand up to be part of a Year 5/6 singing ensemble that appeared in an adult production celebrating the songs of Sondheim.  It was her first time performing with a live orchestra.

She ended her year by performing with her drama class in a Jamboree (class showcase), where she had a role with lots of dialogue and we got to see her shine on stage.  The showcase also acted as a presentation day and she was one of two students in her drama class chosen for the Principal's Award for Outstanding Effort in Drama.

Aside from her theatrical pursuits, she has also had a great year at school.  She put herself out there to be a school leader heading into her final year at primary school. She first had to prepare and do a speech in front of her grade, grade teachers and the current school leaders as an expression of interest for captaincy.  Her Year 5 grade of 110 students voted her one of six girls to be in the leadership team.  She then needed to prepare another speech and present it to the whole school assembly of over 630 students to convince them she should be school captain.  She did a wonderful speech, speaking confidently about the schools values, being a role model and how she wanted to inspire as a school leader.  She wasn't successful in being voted captain, but she is a prefect for next year and she is thrilled.

Then to top it all off, at the school's end-of-year presentation day she was one of five kids in her class chosen for a class award and medal.  Her award reads for Outstanding Effort and Citizenship and her medal reads for Excellence, Respect and Responsibility (which are the school's values).

So, yes, it has been a great year for our girl and she has ended the year grinning from ear to ear.