St Aidan's Blueprint VOLUME 1 JANUARY 2020
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C ontents F r o m t h e P r i n c i p a l
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G o v e r n a n c e 7 A c a d e m i c R e s u l t s
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E t h o s 1 0 J u n i o r S c h o o l 1 2 J u n i o r S p o r t 1 8 S e n i o r S c h o o l
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S e n i o r S p o r t 3 0 M u s i c 3 2 G l o b a l 3 4
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Our focus at St Aidan’s is to develop and promote
AUTHENTIC, CARING, CONNECTED, CONFIDENT and CREATIVE women who value reason, imagination, truth, compassion and responsibility.
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From the Principal Welcome to t h e ver y f i r s t edi t i on of the Bl uepr i n t! The historical use of the word, ‘blueprint’ described a photographic print, including white lines on a blue background, which captured an architect’s building plans or a designer’s representation of patterns of ideas. It is the on-line Collin’s Dictionary definition, which I believe serves St Aidan’s purpose and provides the working title for this new publication: A blueprint for something is a plan or set of proposals that show how it is expected to work. Blueprints contain all the information that is needed to build or make something. At St Aidan’s, we are in the business of building excellence in education for girls (and boys in Kindy), which ensures each individual is nurtured and shaped by the values of Christian faith and has the opportunity to reach her aspirational potential. The Blueprint will assist our school leaders in communicating to our community the on-going work of ‘building’ or ‘making something’ at St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School. It will help us map the work of each year against our school’s vision, values and the strategic objectives. This annual report will complement our current publications, such as the annual Recorder and the twice-a-year Huddle, to inform, to bring to life and of course, to celebrate key events and achievements each year.
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St Aidan’s focus is to develop and promote authentic,
new chapter for senior schooling in Queensland, one
caring, confident, creative and connected women who
in which graduating students will receive an ATAR,
value reason, imagination, truth, compassion and
consistent with other states and in which external
responsibility. The values of the Society of the Sacred
assessment becomes part of the landscape. They have
Advent; humility, courage, compassion, resilience,
done what St Aidan’s community has always done,
faithfulness and whole-heartedness intentionally sit
faced the future with confidence, hard work and care
alongside our school values and they inform our daily
for each other.
school life.
We dedicate the inaugural edition of St Aidan’s
This year we have celebrated many memories and
Blueprint to the many leaders of St Aidan’s, past and
collective achievements at a range of 90th Birthday
present, staff, students and voluntary community
celebrations. Ninety years ago, in 1929, the Sisters of
members, for their tireless efforts in leadership.
the Society of the Sacred Advent established
Leaders in our school, year in and year out, live the
St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School. Since this time, our
notion of servant leadership as they enrich and enable
school has grown to be a place of quality education for
others, as they ‘build’ a compassionate and courageous
over 7,000 alumni. We’ve celebrated a long history of
school community. They lead with strength and
educating girls in Brisbane and developing strong young
responsibility to care for the wellbeing of all at
women, so many of whom lead with passion in their
St Aidan’s, to make a positive impact in this community
chosen fields.
and to make a difference more broadly to society.
In 2019, we balanced our look to the past with our gaze to the future and the introduction of the new QCE and ATAR system. Our Year 10 and 11 students,
Toni Riordan Principal BEd, MEd (Leadership), MACEL, MACE, GAICD, FIML
their parents and teachers, have stepped into a brand
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Governance SCHOOL FOUNDERS
ST AIDAN’S FOUNDATION
Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent
Mrs Rachel Sakurai (Chair), GAICD, AdvDip (Japanese), AdvDip
SCHOOL COUNCIL Mrs Cecile Wake (Chair), LLB (Hons), B.Econ Mr Stephen Green (Deputy Chair), BE Civil (Uni NSW) The Reverend Paul Bland, BA (Hons), DipEd, BEdStud, MLitt, FACE, FACEL Ms Rachael Cronin, B.Com.Law, MBA, MAICD Mr Scott Douglas, BAppliedSc-Property Econ. BEconomics Ms Chelsea Ho, BMedSci Ms Toni Riordan, BEd, MEd (Leadership), MACEL, MACE, GAICD, FIML The Reverend Michael Stalley, Grad. Dip Applied Sc – Pod, Bth
(International Bus), Company Secretary Short Course, GradDip Finance
Mrs Rebecca Brice, B.Comm Mr David Goffage, B LLB (Honors), B Comm CFA Mr Andrew Harris, B.Comm, CPA Mrs Sally Harris, BN Mrs Susan McDonald, BA Dip.Ed Ms Toni Riordan, BEd, MEd (Leadership), MACEL, MACE, GAICD, FIML Mrs Leah Saul (Company Secretary), BComm, CA, Dip Mgmt Mrs Kim Wiegand, BBus
(Distinction)
P&F ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE
Mrs Toni Williams (Company Secretary), BBus (Accounting),
Mr Craig Mitchell (President), B.Comm, CA
BBus (Information Systems), GAICD, CSA (Cert)
Mr Ben O’Dwyer (Vice President), BCom, GradDip Applied Finance and Investment
Mrs Alex Boyd (Secretary), LLB, Grad Dip Legal Prac Mr Reuben Saayman (Treasurer), B Com, B Com (Hons), CA
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Academic Results NAPLAN Results
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Year 3 2019
Reading
Writing
Spelling
Grammar & Punctuation
Numeracy
St Aidan’s Results
499
475
467
545
460
State Average
427
413
411
433
399
National Average
432
423
419
440
408
Year 5 2019
Reading
Writing
Spelling
Grammar & Punctuation
Numeracy
St Aidan’s Results
587
525
543
617
560
State Average
503
465
495
498
493
National Average
506
474
501
499
496
Year 7 2019
Reading
Writing
Spelling
Grammar & Punctuation
Numeracy
St Aidan’s Results
609
564
585
607
622
State Average
545
504
544
542
550
National Average
546
513
546
542
554
Year 9 2019
Reading
Writing
Spelling
Grammar & Punctuation
Numeracy
St Aidan’s Results
638
616
638
659
650
State Average
576
535
580
573
589
National Average
580
549
582
573
592
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Senior Results Queensland Core Skills Test St Aidan’s
State
A
43%
17%
B
23%
30%
C
32%
36%
55
%
of our students achieved an
OP 1-5
Overall Position Results St Aidan’s
State
OP 1
19%
3%
OP 1 – 2
38%
7%
OP 1 – 5
55%
23%
OP 1 – 10
79%
54%
OP 1 – 15
98%
83%
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Ethos Turning 90 is a big deal. Although we can expect to live longer than ever these days, 90 is still well above the average life expectancy of 82-84 years, for Australians. Schools are a bit different. At 90, a school like St Aidan’s is just hitting its stride. Far from bringing aches and poor sight, 90 years of experience brings St Aidan’s a sense of establishment, endurance and the getting of wisdom. As we draw to the close of this celebration year, it is right to give thanks to God for both the abundance of years and the abundance of blessings we have received over those 90 years. This year we have been more intentional in sharing some of the early stories of the Sisters. In the annual Mother Emma’s Day service in March, we were blessed to have Sr Gillian SSA as our preacher, to tell first hand some of those stories and to reflect on the experience of being a Sister today. What comes clearly through these stories is the absolute importance of people, especially the young and the vulnerable. The Sisters looked for opportunities to nurture and enrich the lives of those in their care, often in very poor circumstances. It is their love and compassion that we remember with gratitude and try to live out today. St Aidan’s has built on that story, beginning with the Sisters and The Rev’d Barrett and their combined dream of an Anglian girls’ school in the western suburbs. The story has been added to
over the years by teachers and students, the Society, the wider community and our alumni to flesh out that initial dream. We have taken our motto to heart and learned to fly upwards on the thermals of the Sisters’ philosophy, emphasising Anglican faith, academic rigour and attention to the whole person. This year our focus was on the many connections that exist between the lives that have unfolded here, the countless students, staff and families who have been associated with us. Gratitude and story lie at the heart of the Christian faith, and of our practice. In the Eucharist we retell the story of Jesus and give thanks for its transforming work in our lives. So it was entirely appropriate that our centrepiece in this celebration year was the Ascension Day Eucharist at St John’s Cathedral. What a remarkable moment as first day girl Helen Barrett processed down the aisle to commence the service, joined by current students and staff as old girl Jenny Gunnarsson sang. It was with great sadness that we farewelled Helen forever in the closing weeks of this anniversary year. Having given thanks for what has been, we are ready to notice all that will come in the future, and we are primed to expect there will be much to be thankful for. In our alumni, in our current students, in all whose lives have been part of our common life, we have been richly blessed. We look forward to sharing these blessings for many more years to come. St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School I B luep r i n t 11
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Junior School In the St Aidan’s Junior School, our aim is to harness the natural curiosity of students through an innovative, engaging curriculum relevant to today’s student. While we ensure that we meet the objectives of the Australian Curriculum, our teachers develop creative programs which allow students to explore topics that best meet their needs. The following summaries of each year level outline some of their favourite and most enjoyed learning experiences this year.
Kindy Whilst the Kindergarten curriculum is based on the children’s interests, units of work evolve organically and provide students with an opportunity to further develop their skills and knowledge through cross-curricular integration. In Kindergarten this year, students engaged in a unit of work where they completed two scavenger hunts. Students loved going into different Junior School classrooms and playgrounds looking for the picture book character, the Green Sheep. The second scavenger hunt coincided with the School’s 90th Birthday. Several locations were visited around the Junior School and Senior School to learn more about the School’s history and objects of significance to St Aidan’s. After completing the scavenger hunts, everyone returned to the classroom to map their journeys. This activity also allowed the children to engage in mathematical concepts involving positional language. Many discussions were had about how and where maps are used in everyday situations. Students listened to a number of books, such as “We’re going on a Bear Hunt” to further develop understanding of positional language and map different journeys. They discussed the importance of labelling maps so that people would be able to easily follow them. This encouraged students to engage in rich literacy opportunities through copying and writing words, and it also assisted in students’ creative and imaginative development. It was wonderful to see many of the students continuing to create maps of important things in their lives, such as their houses, playgrounds and even the classroom.
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Prep In Prep 2019, St Aidan’s Prep students were lucky to be able to participate in shared learning experiences with Brisbane Boys’ College (BBC) Prep students once a term. The girls were excited to be able to share their learning environment with the BBC boys. Some of the boys were previous students of the St Aidan’s Kindergarten. The girls were excited to reconnect with old friends and embraced the opportunity to make new friends. During one of the visits, students were asked to create something out of recycled materials. They were asked to draw, model and explain design ideas. Working collaboratively with their peers, the boys and girls had to answer questions like “How does it work?”, “What is its purpose?”, “Who will use it?” and “How can it be improved?”. Students came up with design ideas for trains, cars and cubbies and were proud when they saw their designs come to life. Dr Cuskelly (Music Teacher) visited the classroom and everyone participated in a group music lesson. When the visit came to an end, and the BBC boys had to leave, the St Aidan’s Prep girls reflected on the wonderful experiences had by all. They wrote a recount about their morning and had such exciting stories to tell.
Year 1 The sound of excitement echoed through the Year 1 classroom in Term Four as the students presented their ‘Christmas Arcade’. The girls were delighted to share their creativity with staff and older students. Integrating learning across Science and Technology, students began the unit by viewing Caine’s Arcade. Applying their knowledge of Physical Science, they individually planned a Christmas arcade game using recycled materials. These plans were shared co-operatively as students buddied together to brainstorm a final plan. The Year 1 classroom became a hive of activity as students collaboratively created their arcade game incorporating the elements of light and sound. A procedural text was created for each game so participants would have a clear understanding of how to play. When ‘Game Day’ arrived, the environment was ‘charged’ and pride was abundant. One Year 3 student stated that they were the best games she had ever played.
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The students waved goodbye to Ms Riordan (Principal), Mrs McGuire (Head of Junior School) and Mrs Swan (Assistant to the Head of Junior School) as they left carrying their cherished prizes.
Year 2 Our students are digital natives; therefore, integrating classroom learning with the use of digital tools and technologies is not only motivating, it is essential. In Year 2 in 2019, students eagerly embraced technology as a means for collaborating, communicating and creating. Inspired by the captivating allure of technology, they developed confidence and necessary skills to empower them to be active and informed digital citizens. In Geography, students used Quiver (a 3D augmented reality program) to bring their labelled 2D world maps into the digital world. When learning about the water cycle, they consolidated their understanding by creating a stop motion movie that detailed the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth. Demonstrating their understanding of well-designed and sustainable functioning systems, students used Classroom Architect to construct their ultimate classroom floor plan. Scratch Jnr provided the platform for students to strengthen their coding skills as they programmed interactive presentations on the history of St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School. In English, they researched Australian native animals and published their multimodal information reports using Book Creator. This is just a snapshot of the numerous ways technology was truly embedded for successful educational outcomes in Year 2.
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Year 3 Embarking on a journey to discover the landmarks and historical past of our city provided the perfect excuse for the Year 3 students to take a trip into Brisbane CBD to explore the magnificent St John’s Anglican Cathedral. Combining elements of Humanities and Social Sciences and Religious and Values Education, the trip fulfilled multiple outcomes. The walk around the Cathedral was led by the School Chaplain, Reverend Gillian. Not only did the girls learn about the religious past of the building, they experienced firsthand what it was like to sit in the antique choir stalls surrounded by carvings of the Saints. The intensive search for St Aidan provided students with the chance to read the unique names and wonder about the lives of all the different Saints. After a morning tea on the lawn, Rev. Gillian led the girls in prayer and singing as part of their Chapel Service for the term. Finally, the girls were given the opportunity to light candles of remembrance and reflect with gratitude on their connections to others.
Year 4 With Climate Change being at the forefront of so many global discussions in 2019, Year 4 students were incredibly motivated to delve into their Sustainability unit. How has our planet changed over time? What are the implications of these changes for future generations? What can we do to help? These were questions posed by students throughout the unit in order to understand the world around them and how they can make a difference. While engaging with this content, students had the opportunity to develop their understanding of climate issues, specifically waste management and the problem with plastics. They then used their learning to develop their own opinion in relation to product packaging and excessive use of unsustainable materials for promotional campaigns of large companies. Year 4 girls thoroughly enjoyed writing a persuasive letter to supermarkets expressing their opinion on these matters.
Year 5 Year 5 put on their ‘design and technology’ hats this year. While studying the characteristics of the built environment in their local area as part of a Humanities and Social Sciences unit, students created a 3D map of an imagined suburb, complete with roadways, bridges and buildings. 16
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They then programmed Spheros to navigate the suburb and used a drone to video and take aerial photographs. The study of space exploration in Science also allowed students to integrate technology. They used CoSpaces software to build space environments, animated them using code and shared them with their peers though a QR code. Students were excited to explore their 3D space environments using both virtual and augmented reality.
Year 6 The inaugural tour to the nation’s capital was indeed the highlight for the 2019 cohort. The four-day trip focused on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy and took in many of Australian’s most significant institutions such as Parliament House, Old Parliament House and the Museum of Australian Democracy. The Australian War Memorial guided tour included the opportunity for students to lay poppies at the Wall of Valour in honour of relatives who died at war and attend a wreath-laying ceremony. At the High Court of Australia, students experienced a courtroom in session with seven High Court Judges and Chief Justices presiding. Among the other noteworthy visits on the trip was visiting the residence of the Governor General, Sir Peter Cosgrove and Lady Cosgrove. Students were given a tour of the grounds, reception room and were even greeted by Sir Peter who popped in and said g’day! The National Gallery of Australia and the Reconciliation Place walking tour allowed students to experience incredible artworks that enriched their learning in Art and History. Students really enjoyed Questacon, the National Science and Technology Centre, and The Deep Space Communication Complex for loads of hands-on experiences that enhanced many aspects of the Science curriculum.
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Junior Sport As we look back on the 2019 St Aidan’s Junior School Sports Program, Aristotle’s quote, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” embodies the spirit, the belief, the culture and the dedication that has swept over the entire Junior school sporting environment. With students from Prep to Year 6 immersed in a diverse and rich sporting program, the pursuit for greatness as an individual, team and school was delivered through hard work, dedication and true perseverance by our young sporting stars. This year saw a significant increase in the number of students being selected for representation in Eastern Taipans, Metropolitan West and Queensland teams. We further celebrated success at our pinnacle sporting competition - the Andrews Cup. St Aidan’s competitors achieved the most impressive results recorded in many years within our core and team sports with a multitude of premierships and second and third placings. The Walter Taylor participants proved to be just as triumphant across several disciplines with girls demonstrating the pride and honour of wearing the brown, blue and white. With such richness and diversity of sporting prowess plentiful in the St Aidan’s Junior School, 2019 was undoubtedly a year of discovery, opportunities, enjoyment, and the building of individual and team dreams. The achievements, inspiration and success of so many of our young St Aidan’s sportswomen would not have been possible without the encouragement, collaboration and dedication of the wonderful coaches, devoted teaching staff and committed parents.
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2019 Junior Sport Highlights Andrews Cup Athletics •
Andrews Cup Aggregate Cup - 3rd Place
•
10 Years Age Group – 1st Place
Andrews Cup Cross Country •
Andrews Cup Aggregate Cup – 2nd Place
•
Percentage Cup – 2nd Place
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Isabelle Mortensen 1st Place in 10 Years
Andrews Cup Swimming •
Percentage Cup 3rd Place
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10 years 1st Place
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8 Years 3rd Place
Andrews Cup Netball •
B Division – 1st Place
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C Division – 1st Place
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Junior A – 1st Place
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Junior B – 2nd Place
All Schools Cross Country •
10 Years 1st Place
Netball •
Year 6 White A Div. – 1st Place
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Year 6 Brown B Div. – 2nd Place
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Year 5 White A Div. – 2nd Place
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Year 5 Navy A Div. – 3rd Place
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Year 4 Navy B Div. – 3rd Place
Touch Football •
Year 5/6 White A Div. – 2nd Place
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Senior School Sciences Science continues to be abuzz with change, with an array of new subject electives offered this year, including Introduction to Psychology and Digital Engineering. In the unit, Introduction to Psychology, students have investigated topics relating to short and long-term memory, visual perception and its fallibility, whilst researching topical issues such as the influence of media on behaviour. In Digital Engineering, students have used digital tools to design and prototype solutions relating to aviation, to program drones for remote missions and have explored future capabilities of home-automation technologies. The Marie Curie (MC2) Club continues to engage students with exciting experiments. This large and growing membership of extremely eager young girls is involved in exciting experiments and competitions. The diversity and scope of learning opportunities are further enhanced through collaborations with the STEM community. Students have worked alongside researchers in institutions such as the QUT Vice-Chancellor’s STEM camp and have had the opportunity to hear the latest in research into sustainable energy alternatives from Dr Pegah Maasoumi, 2019 recipient of the John Mainstone Award from the Australian Institute of Physics. Students have visited the Amberley Air Force base to explore RAAF aircraft and their associated technologies and a range of STEM careers, providing “real world” research experience for students with an interest in a potential career in STEM.
Mathematics Through the Mathematics curriculum, students have been improving their numeracy and mental maths skills as well as being exposed to rich investigation tasks. We endeavour to provide authentic, real-world applications for the foundation skills learnt in Years 7 to 9. Year 7 have explored measurement by investigating Andrew’s Caravan, Year 8 have been working on budgeting to save for a surfboard for summer and Year 9 used their knowledge of linear equations to compare two taxi companies. St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School I B luep r i n t 21
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It’s been an historic year as we say goodbye to our senior subjects Mathematics A, B, C and Prevocational Mathematics. Students in our incoming subjects, General Mathematics, Mathematical Methods, Specialist Mathematics and Essential Mathematics have had some similarly enriching experiences. Our General Mathematics students have been investigating bungee jumping barbies, Olympic swimming times and preparing a budget for their formal. Methods students have used their data skills to identify an internet scammer, their knowledge of functions to create CGI characters and investigated sunlight hours for a solar-powered community. Students in Specialist Mathematics have investigated sporting competitions as well as designing their own game of Battleships. Outside of the classroom, it’s been a busy year for enrichment and competitions. In March, we had a delegate of Year 10 students represent St Aidan’s at the ASMI International Women’s Day Mathematics Conference held at QUT, Garden’s Point. Many students have taken advantage of the competitions we have on offer, participating in Westpac’s AMC, the Australian Maths Trust’s Challenge and Enrichment Stage, QAMT Problem-Solving Competition and ICAS. As always, our Mathematics Assistance Program sessions were well attended throughout the year.
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English This year, we introduced Tristan Bancks’ new novel, Detention to our Year 7 students. Our Essential English and English Communication students also reflected on representations of those who seek refuge in Australia by studying The Happiest Refugee, by Anh Do. Through these narrative studies, students have reflected on themes such as empathy and humanity. Students also explored stories of those who are often disempowered in our communities. Year 11 Literature students were introduced to White Tiger by Aravind Adiga and Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey. Both of these texts encouraged students to consider to what extent we get to write the stories of our own life, or whether society tells us who we are. As has become tradition, our Year 9s have shared the thoughts of many poets on the universal ‘big questions’ of life. Many questions arose from this study, including: what are the limitations that society puts on us? Do the choices we make define who we are? Does money control us? The Year 12 students also pondered universal themes, such as identity, as they studied Shakespeare’s Hamlet, writing articles to convince modern readers of the play’s relevance in their world. The work that is done in the English Faculty is not only about comprehending and analysing the thoughts and words of others, but also fostering independent thinking and the skills with which to share our perspectives on the world. The Year 10 English students have been exploring the trends in popular culture that they feel have either a positive or negative impact on young people. Finally, the Year 8 students represented their “place” by writing and sharing short stories that explored what mattered to them. It has been a privilege for the English teachers to explore the world with the students of St Aidan’s - via the pages of the literature they have studied, and by listening to their thoughts and opinions.
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Socio-Cultural Throughout 2019, teachers in the Socio-Cultural Faculty provided a range of enriching learning experiences to support students’ learning and skill development across the curriculum. Business The Year 9 Young Entrepreneurs used the $20 Boss program to frame their business projects and established their own social enterprises. The Year 9/10 Business Goes Global students participated in the ASX share market game to investigate the impact of global events on our economy. NAB Head Economist, Dean Pearson, shared his insights on the latest trends and data on behavioural economics and future employment with Year 11 and 12 Economic and Accounting students. Geography Year 7 Geography classes visited locations around Corinda to examine the liveability of this suburb and planted trees at the Oxley Creek Common. Year 8 students travelled to Mt Tamborine to examine volcanic landforms and landscapes. Also, they studied urbanisation and the liveability of cities and environments around the world. Year 9 and 10 students studied a variety of biomes and researched food security issues in the world. History At the Abbey Museum, the Year 7 History students uncovered the past in an archaeological dig and followed in the footsteps of the Ancient Egyptian priests in a ‘hands on’ presentation on mummification. In Year 7 and 8, multi-media presentations, dramatic recreations, 3D printed
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pyramids and computer simulations, that included a Minecraft coliseum, combined to show student understanding of the past. The Year 9s re-enacted and debated past historical controversies.
Languages Chinese Year 7 and 9 Chinese language students participated in the annual Buddha Birth Day Celebration. Both groups participated in Chinese arts, crafts and cultural activities. Year 8 students visited the Chung Tian Buddha Temple to learn more about Buddhism, meditation, and traditional Chinese tea ceremony, and practised Chinese calligraphy. Students celebrated the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival and learnt about the legends behind these celebrations. French Year 10, 11 and 12 French students enjoyed sharing a meal at a French restaurant in South Bank. To celebrate Languages week students dressed up during French classes. At lunch time, French songs were played while students tackled the task of making paper Eiffel Towers. We welcomed visitors from our New Caledonian sister school, Collège Mariotti.
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German Students in German Years 9 and 10 continued to consolidate skills in many areas of German grammar. There was a strong shift towards the use of contemporary online learning materials such as podcasts and video clips from Deutsche Welle, media published by the Goethe Institute online, the network of Partnerschaftsschulen online and other printed media such as FAZ, Süddeutsche Zeitung, die Zeit and the magazine Der Spiegel. Japanese Gifu Daiichi High School students and staff visited our school for four days and were integrated with our Japanese classes from Kindergarten to Year 12. Cultural activities in Languages Week and restaurant events in Term 4 also provided enriching learning experiences.
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Creative Arts & Design Studies We often hear that for girls to make their mark in the 21st century they need to find new ways to see and engage with it. This may encompass breaking with traditional ways of understanding and to think, invent and problem solve beyond traditional lines of inquiry. As educators in the Arts and Technology we value the diverse learning opportunities across our subjects that allow students to learn things in a more open-ended way and often make them applicable to real life. This year we introduced a new cross curriculum elective into Year 8. Based on STEAM principles, it is set up to teach students to use creative thinking to drive forward and complete projects using new methods, tried and tested solutions and their own initiatives. In Visual Art this year, students were challenged by an ongoing engagement with their tactile, material, imaginary and visual world as we deliberately set tasks which continue to develop student attributes of a growth mindset, curiosity, self-awareness and ethical citizenship. Art students across all year levels continued to win awards in the QIEU Art and Design Competition. Senior students gained an Excellence Award in the Creative Generation Awards and also a three-day Art mentorship through GoMA, Griffith College of Art and Education Queensland With the introduction of the new Digital Solutions senior subject, Design and Innovation Studies has focused more heavily on the application of digital technologies within design problems. Students across different year levels were successful at state and national levels in a number of competitions including Search for the Next Tech’ Girl Superhero, the Conrad Challenge, Technovation and the International Space Settlement Design Competition. This saw a number of groups travelling to compete internationally. Drama students continued to enrich their creative practice this year through seeing professional theatre performances, participating in workshops, presenting public performances and engaging in community theatre development. Year 9 students completed a series of puppetry and play building workshops with Dead Puppet Society. Year 10 students engaged with the Home exhibition at the State Library of Queensland before devising their own performances in response to the images, artworks and sensory experiences, which they performed as part of the exhibition for library patrons and public guests.
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The Drama Club performed over three nights presenting Never, Never Alone, a play specifically written for the girls and funded by the P&F. In Health and Design Technology, classes designed and produced skirts and dresses for the ‘Sew in to Fashion’ unit and a highlight of the ‘Food for Teens’ unit was entering an Australian Culinary Competition called the Flavour Forecast Recipe Challenge. The Certificate III in Hospitality students explored reservations and front office operations and became competent in using a Property Management System called NewBook. We finished off the year exploring Food and Beverage service.
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Sport Overall results in QGSSSA Competitions in 2019. QGSSSA has 10 member schools. Core Sport
Aggregate Trophy
Percentage Cup
Event Wins
Top 3 Places
Athletics
th
5
1
st
10
37
Cross Country
6
th
1
st
0
1
Swimming
10th
7th
0
0
Team Sport
Number of Teams
Premierships
Top 3 Places
Artistic Gymnastics
6
0
1
Badminton
18
1
2
Basketball
11
0
0
Hockey
4
0
1
Netball
12
1
3
Soccer
4
1
2
Softball
6
2
4
Tennis
6
1
2
Touch Football
9
1
2
Volleyball
6
0
0
QGSSSA Premiership Teams
30
•
Open Badminton
•
7C Netball
•
Intermediate Soccer
•
9A Softball (shared)
•
7A Softball (shared)
•
Open Tennis
•
9A Touch Football
Student Athlete Mentoring Program In 2019, St Aidan’s piloted a Student Athlete Mentoring Program for ten students in Year 9 to 11. The program provided tailored support and guidance for students who are also elite athletes, to reach their academic and sporting potential. The program embraced a holistic approach to academic achievement, personal development and sporting excellence. Each student had a dedicated Staff Mentor and participated in strength and conditioning sessions, received academic tutoring, nutritional advice (including practical cooking classes) as well as sport psychology sessions. After a very successful pilot, the Student Athlete Mentoring Program will run in 2020 and students in the Senior School will be invited to apply to participate in the program.
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Participation Participation in sport at St Aidan’s continues to grow. Over half of all Senior School students represent St Aidan’s in at least one QGSSSA Sport. St Aidan’s is also well represented in Equestrian Queensland events, Brisbane Schoolgirls Rowing Association and local Club Touch, Netball and Basketball competitions.
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Music The Music Department at St Aidan’s is vibrant, diverse and inclusive, and promotes access to music making and music education at all levels of the School. A wide range of curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities are offered from Kindergarten to Year 12.
building confidence when performing, increasing knowledge of music history and theory, analysing music and composing and improvising. Through these learning experiences, students will be given opportunities to engage in personal development and social cohesion.
In the Junior School, classroom music is provided for all students with the Every Day Music program in place for Kindergarten to Year 3. St Aidan’s has an outstanding Classroom Music Program, featuring a unique application of the Kodály Concept of Music Education in the Junior School. The Every Day Music program is based on research which clearly identifies the benefits of daily music instruction. The impact of such an approach to education is not only evident through an extension of students’ musical knowing, understanding and skills, but also in the development of a range of academic, personal and social outcomes. It is apparent that student engagement in daily music study has a positive impact upon regular schooling outcomes through the development of highly flexible, focussed and skilled minds.
The quality of the St Aidan’s Music program has been recognised by the large number of teachers, pre-service teachers, parents and visitors who visit the school to observe the workings of this approach to Music education. It is important to note that there is an ongoing program of research around the Classroom Music Program and staff have been involved in keynote presentations on the benefits of this program in Japan, New Zealand, Scotland and England.
The Classroom Music program involves performing music through singing, playing and moving, reading and writing music, creating music and aurally and visually analysing music. In every class, students are engaged in a variety of sequential, developmental activities, each with a musical goal such as developing music literacy,
The Music Education program at St Aidan’s is notable for its outreach activities. Grounded in core values of inclusivity and accessibility, the school’s music educators are involved in many significant endeavours including continual professional development, promoting St Aidan’s as a hub for music training and education, creating accessibility of singing for all, through community choirs and partaking in many community events. Through these many activities, the music department at St Aidan’s encourages lifelong learning and seeks to make engagement in music making available to all.
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Global Being an exchange student is without
house. Our Year 10 students travelled
a doubt, a challenging, rewarding and
further afield to St Mary’s DSG in
fun experience. In this context, the girls
Pretoria, South Africa. While there, they
participating are neither a tourist nor
travelled widely throughout the country,
a guest. They live in the host state/
visiting the Kruger National Park and
country and attend their host school
Cape Town.
as a member of that community. Having to integrate into someone else’s family necessitates that they confront challenges outside familiar support networks thereby increasing self-awareness and leading to greater resilience, enhanced self-confidence and self-esteem. The tremendous sense of accomplishment participants have on completion of an exchange encourages them to develop more independent opinions and strive to attain fresh goals.
Throughout the year St Aidan’s were privileged to host students from both St Mary’s DSG and Seymour College, as well as our incoming Study Experience students in our International Program who visited from America, China, Japan and Taiwan. We currently have 49 long term (one year or more) international students studying at St Aidan’s who have come from Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China. These
In 2019 four Year 8 students travelled
students global experience is extended
to Seymour College in Adelaide, where
through our homestay program or with
two of the students had the unique
family members who live in Brisbane.
experience of staying in a boarding
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Anglican Girls’ School
St Aidan’s
St Aidan's Blueprint 11 Ruthven St, Corinda Qld 4075 Australia P +61 7 3373 5999 F +61 7 3379 9432 E reception@staidans.qld.edu.au www.staidans.qld.edu.au A School of the Society of the Sacred Advent www.youtube.com/staidansags
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www.facebook.com/StAidans
twitter.com/staidansagsidansags
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