The Bridge, Issue 2, 2017

SECTION HEADER

The magazine of Brigidine College St Ives

the bridge Issue 2 2017

THE

Big Picture BRIGIDINE’S SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT FRAMEWORK

Performing With

THE IDEA of NORTH MUSIC MENTORSHIP FROM THE BEST

What’s Cooking?

INTRODUCTION OF HOSPITALITY TO THE CURRICULUM

the bridge Contents Featured Graduation Week Congratulations and good luck to the Class of 2017!

3

Leading with Strength and Gentleness Meet our 2018 Senior Leaders 12

Event Highlights Performing with The Idea of North

21

Community Unity

Year 11 Play

22

BrigFest

23

Dance Spectacular

24

Athletics Carnival

25

Making a difference to those within reach

13

The Big Picture Brigidine’s School Improvement Framework

4

In the Spotlight We love a sunburnt country...

Year 10 Indigenous Immersion

Latest News A Brigidine good bye to Assistant Principal, Bill Gleeson

Isobel Keeping, Class of 2016

9

New HSC Requirements from 2020 NAPLAN standards and how they affect your daughter

10

What’s Cooking?

Introduction of Hospitality to the curriculum

15

8

Leadership Restructure

Our Community Annual Giving

16

Geography Grant

17

Snapshots

18

P&F Trivia Night

20

Sport and Cocurricular Clubs Sport

26

Clubs

27

Back to Brigidine News and Events

28

Weddings, Births and Deaths

29

Where Are They Now?

30

Alumni Update

30

11

LETTER FROM

14

Artist Spotlight

A Fond Farewell

Changes to staffing from Term 4 2017

the Editor

As I write this Letter from the Editor I can see outside my window that flowers are beginning to open. Not quite yet in full bloom, they’re propped up from their stems as they bask in the sunlight outside the Convent building in the beautifully landscaped College gardens.

Ah, Spring! It’s hard not to love this time of year – a time for reflection and to celebrate the past as another year draws to a close, but also a time for new beginnings, growth and hope for the future, which is exactly what this issue of The Bridge is all about.

Our lead story focuses on the College’s framework for improvement, which

will be implemented in 2018 after our teaching staff conducted thorough research on student needs and how they are delivered as part of the ALTitude Project. Continuing to look forward, this issue also brings you all the latest news, including Brigidine’s Leadership restructure following the retirement of our much-loved Assistant Principal Bill Gleeson, upcoming changes to the HSC, and our Student Leaders for 2018.

Get your quick fix of event highlights from page 21, featuring the Year 11 Play Animal Farm, Brigidine’s annual short film competition BrigFest, the crowd-pleasing Dance Spectacular concerts, and a special performance from The Idea of North, who shared the Bowie Hall stage with our very own budding musicians.

Exciting times, indeed!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe, happy and holy Christmas spent with loved ones and with fond memories of those who are no longer with us.

I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on the good times this year has provided and look forward to all that’s in store for what promises to be another successful Brigidine year.

Until then!

Aleisha Conlay Editor

FEATURED

GRADUATION

Week

“

Thank you, Brigidine, for making it your mission to help girls find themselves and go on to achieve their dreams. Thank you for making our Year 12 theme, FutureMakers, a reality; for training the doctors, musicians, politicians, engineers, teachers, and creative minds of our future. High school has been the best years of my life so far, though I know many opportunities await in the magnificent yet daunting world that lies ahead. It feels surreal to leave just as I feel like I’ve found my place, but no matter what, I will always be proud to call myself a Brigidine girl.

”

VALENTINA BUAY, 2017 COLLEGE CAPTAIN

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THE

Big Picture

Brigidine’s School Improvement Framework It is a pleasure to introduce you to the first stage of our current projects resulting from the ALTitude Project undertaken by the teaching staff in 2015 – 2016.

Four projects were initiated as a result of this: STEM, Literacy, Social Justice and Student Leadership.

These projects are a commitment to the recommendations made by the teaching staff in the ALTitude Project, and are part of Brigidine’s School Improvement Framework.

The projects draw from and align with the College’s strategic intents as stated in the Strategic Plan Towards 2020 and operate within a two-year timeframe with a 2017 focus on team building and planning for a 2018 first phase implementation. Each project is led by the Project Leader with a team in support and draws on the ALTitude research. Each project also incorporates the Australian Curriculum general

capabilities of ethical understanding, personal and social capabilities, and intercultural understanding.

General capabilities are a key dimension of the Australian Curriculum.

They encompass knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions that, together with curriculum content in each learning area and the cross-curriculum priorities, will assist students to live and work successfully in the twentyfirst century. They play a significant role in realising the goals set out in the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA) 2008 that all young people living in Australia should be supported to become successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens.

The Australian Curriculum includes seven general capabilities. These are: •

Literacy

•

Numeracy

•

Information and communication technology (ICT) capability

•

Critical and creative thinking

•

Personal and social capability

•

Ethical understanding

•

Intercultural understanding.

ACARA (2017) General Capabilities in the Australian Curriculum

Arguably one of the most exciting aspects of this is that teachers at Brigidine are driving the changes they have identified as needed and which have the potential to create better possibilities for all students. My sincere thank you to those who have led the teams: STEM – Byron Usmar; Literacy – Sharon Cimen; Social Justice – Carmel McCudden; Student Leadership – Skye Wacher. And my sincere gratitude to all who have volunteered their time and expertise to support them.

Jane Curran Principal

Reference: ACARA (2017) General capabilities. (online) Available at: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities (accessed 18 October 2017).

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STEM As a result of the ALTitude Project conducted in 2016, a working group of dedicated teachers with a passion for STEM education have come together to formalise research and development towards a richer implementation of integrated learning throughout the College community.

At the heart of the STEM working group is a desire for promoting innovation and engagement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Our objectives are to provide all students with opportunities to develop this goal.

Our intent, therefore, is to: •

facilitate interdisciplinary learning opportunities, formally and informally

•

celebrate achievement of women in STEM within the College community and at a national level

•

increase opportunities for STEM related extracurricular activities within the College community

•

facilitate opportunities for student innovation, invention and engineering

marking the official start of the Brigidine Astronomy Club, another one of the initiatives put forward.

•

develop connections with STEM experts within the College community, local industry and local tertiary institutions

•

increase the uptake of students in STEM subjects.

Brigidine Robotics has also taken a step towards the stars with our official participation in Zero Robotics, an international high school programming competition hosted by the International Space Station (ISS) with the assistance of NASA, MIT and Sydney University.

The conclusion of this competition will find participating students connecting with astronauts on board the ISS.

This year marked the introduction of FutureMakers Week, an initiative built in conjunction with the graduating Class of 2017 and consistent with their “FutureMakers” theme. The week coincided with National Science Week and commenced with the inaugural FutureMakers Day, where Years 7 and 8 students were invited to a day of in-house STEM activities, including competitive construction activities in the gym and hands-on STEM experiences with students from the University of Wollongong’s Travelling STEM Roadshow. Other activities throughout the week included a whole school paper plane competition and a special presentation by two female software engineers from Sydney’s Atlassian software development company for Years 9 and 10. The week finished with the inaugural StarGazing on the Green,

Brigidine students will be attending the NSW Alliance Combined Schools Senior Space School Program in December this year, where they will visit the Houston Association for Space and Science Education in Texas, USA. The students will be working with several girls from Alliance schools and also have the opportunity to work with NASA officials, meet Astronauts at Johnson Space Centre and participate in NASA Project simulations.

There is certainly a lot happening, and more to come.

Byron Usmar STEM Project Leader

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FEATURED

THE

Big Picture

Literacy The overall purpose of this project is to develop a literacy platform across all subject areas in the College, raising awareness of literacy amongst both staff and students with a view to implementing and monitoring a whole school literacy policy in accordance with the Australian Curriculum in 2018. The Australian Curriculum mandates the interdisciplinary nature of the Literacy continuum.

Liaising with Heads of Departments from all faculties, Learning Support and Library staff to organise and embed literacy initiatives and practice in all areas of teaching and learning, the Literacy group has identified five areas of interest and need in the College. These are to: •

increase uniformity across the curriculum in our approach to literacy

•

increase the accessibility of data collected from NAPLAN, Accelerated and Star Reader, and Literatu.com to make this data easier to utilise

•

bridge the gap between primary and secondary school literacy

•

address digital literacy

•

apply research findings of Neuroscience and Adolescent Learning, Assessment for Years 7–9, Learning Spaces and Learning Beyond the Classroom of the ALTitude Project and the research of Douglas B. Fisher and Nancy Frey of the San Diego State University, USA and John A. Hattie of the University of Melbourne, Australia.

The Literacy working group believes paragraph structure, vocabulary and terminology particular to each subject are the key areas that need to be given priority to improve literacy at Brigidine.

The existing Student Evaluation Form that accompanies all assessment tasks will be enhanced to include consistent feedback codes across all subject areas, and more emphasis is to be added to the current reflection about learning and vocabulary.

The Literacy group also recognises literacy is intrinsically connected to developing critical thinking. To develop critical thinking and a consistent approach to literacy in all subject areas, Drama teacher Chris Rutherford is trialling

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Digital Literacy Program ORIENTATION PROGRAM: LIB

TOUCH TYPING: TECH

ICT 1 One Drive/Office 365/Email

20 WPM

ICT 2 Digital textbooks

30 WPM

ICT 3 Portal/Firefly

40 WPM

ICT 4 Library Orientation

50 WPM

BIBLIOGRAPHIES: HIS

ADVANCED RESEARCHING: GEO

Online Encyclopaedias

Online referencing generator

Google Searching

Word referencing

Copyright

ADOBE SUITE: LIB

MAKING FILMS: ENG

Photoshop Premier Pro a colour wheel in Drama and each department has been invited to adapt and reinforce a similar colour coded approach to deconstructing text and essay writing.

A digital literacy passport is to be included in the 2018 student diary (see example above). While the digital passport can be used by all Year groups its use will be introduced to Year 7 during their orientation program at the commencement of the school year in 2018.

In 2018, the Literacy working group plans to: •

reinforce a peer led focus on learning across the curriculum by having selected students from each Year group speak at Assembly and/or Presentation Day about the connections between each subject’s content and their learning throughout the year

•

develop a video literacy kit to communicate literacy tips to teachers and students using film footage of older students sharing literacy hints with younger students

•

develop a literacy bank of adaptive questions and exercises using the digital technology available through organisations such as Literatu.com

•

support the introduction of the English Department’s ‘Transition to High School’ Unit at the beginning of Year 7 focusing on how narrative voice, point of view, paragraphing, structuring, vocabulary, punctuation, syntax and grammar shape meaning, and the use of the motif.

Sharon Cimen Literacy Project Leader

FEATURED

THE

Big Picture think for themselves, learn from their experiences and ensure they reach their full potential

Student Leadership The year 2017 has seen further investigation and exploration of student leadership models we believe would best suit our girls.

The revised and newly implemented Leadership program at the College is designed to empower young women with skills that will propel them into the future.

Students will learn important leadership skills such as resilience and problem solving, giving them the opportunity to actively participate in the decisionmaking process of the College. Students will become role models, being true to themselves, providing responsible service to the College community by leading with strength and gentleness.

Brigidine’s leadership practices are informed by the knowledge that leadership needs to include active democratic principles and the opportunity for students to voice their opinions and concerns.

This leadership program will: •

provide meaningful and purposeful opportunities that allow students to

Social Justice At Brigidine we inspire all students to value learning. We challenge girls to act in the world with strength and gentleness and provide opportunities for all students to practise justice and service. The Brigidine community is called to participate in educating ourselves and others, to act, challenge and make a difference reflecting on what Jesus would say and do.

Social Justice at Brigidine has a rich tradition whereby the community has actively been involved in activities through awareness and fundraising.

The Social Justice working group has been investigating the question, ‘What is Social Justice at Brigidine College and what opportunities are there for change?’

Involvement in charitable works and providing social justice opportunities at Brigidine are responding to the ‘spiritual needs of the girls in a changing world’

•

develop the independence and autonomy of students and recognise every student has much to learn from exercising her potential to lead and from practising the humility to follow

•

teach leadership as a journey to discovering the strength and courage to spend a lifetime taking action, influencing outcomes and having a lasting impact.

In 2018 we will start implementing strategies to achieve the following student leadership goals: •

reimagine leadership in the Brigidine community and its potential in a holistic setting

•

develop student leadership capacity and skills in all students

•

align the senior leadership structure to provide purposeful and meaningful experiences

•

create opportunities for student voice to be more widely heard in the College community.

(Brigidine College’s Strategic Plan, Towards 2020). True charity involves giving without any expectation of return.

But it is not a substitute for justice.

Educating women is probably one of the most rewarding investments a nation can make. Expanding opportunities for women, and especially for women and girls of outstanding abilities, opens avenues for the emergence of women leaders and allows them to make a valuable contribution to decisionmaking for the benefit of educational progress and sustainable development (Delors, 1996). It is aimed that providing a platform for student voice across all Year groups is paramount to promoting ‘see, judge and act’ – Kildare Ministries Formation – Curriculum – Catholic Social Teaching and Educating for Justice At Brigidine we have the greatest opportunity to be advocates for social justice. Advocacy can be a vehicle for justice because it is a way to not only represent marginalised voices

From Term 4, 2017, we will be working closely with the newly appointed 2018 student leaders of the College for them to learn and implement the skills of leadership from which the whole community can benefit. An initial focus as we move into 2018 will be the introduction of junior leadership opportunities across a wide variety or curricular and cocurricular areas, with these junior positions being actively mentored and supported by their senior leader counterparts.

It is an exciting, innovative time for Student Leadership at Brigidine.

Skye Wacher Student Leadership Project Leader

but to also make tangible changes for those individuals.

Brigidine College has a responsibility to provide opportunities for all students and staff members to: •

Be informed – about social justice

•

Be engaged – in social justice.

The Social Justice working group has therefore: •

developed a Philosophy Statement

•

developed a set of Principles

•

proposed 10 initiatives for possible implementation in 2018, including creating a sacred space for social justice, developing a social justice motto, restructuring the student leadership aspects of social justice, developing social forums for ‘student voice’, and developing a closer link with Kildare Ministries.

Carmel McCudden Social Justice Project Leader

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LATEST NEWS

A FOND

Farewell Some of you may not know that, although Bill’s greatest number of years were spent at Pius X in Chatswood, he had the foresight to marry a Brigidine girl, Julie.

Assistant Principal Religious Formation, Bill Gleeson, retires The end of Term 3 marked the final day of Mr Bill Gleeson’s devoted service to Brigidine as the Assistant Principal Religious Formation.

He has also participated in the cocurricular program at all his schools, coaching and convening cricket, soccer, cross country and undertaking the duties of the Sportsmaster. This certainly would come as no surprise as we have seen Bill on the sidelines for the past seven years, encouraging the girls to victory and sympathising with them in defeat.

His passion for sport was evident in his schoolboy days and later when he played Rugby League for the North Sydney Bears.

The College owes Bill a huge debt of gratitude. At a time when there was no specific leadership in faith and formation, Bill arrived with a passionate commitment to his work and an enthusiasm that brought all on board. In a world where religion has been tarnished by those who have abused it, Bill represents goodness in its best form. He is kind, ethical, inclusive and his integrity has earned him the respect of all.

Education has always been important for Bill and his dedication to lifelong learning is reflected in the dedication he has brought to the classroom. Bill has a Diploma of Teaching, a BA from Macquarie University and two Masters’ degrees, one in Administration and one in Religious Education, both from ACU. He has worked for the Board of Studies as an HSC Marker and in Advice Line in Studies of Religion for a number of years.

Bill began teaching in 1976 at Marist College in Eastwood and this was the commencement of his commitment to Catholic education which has now spanned 40 years. Bill has taught History, Religious Education, Commerce, Geography and Studies of Religion.

He has served his faith devotedly throughout his life and we witness daily his true goodness. He has organised the more formal faith events such as our liturgies and masses with enthusiasm but it is in his leadership of social justice that we witness the heart of this extraordinary

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man – his commitment to harnessing the innate justice in each girl as she grows into a more faith-filled understanding of her world throughout global and local immersions, raising awareness of those who are marginalised and fundraising for worthy causes. The girls rally to help.

We have been blessed to have had Bill as part of the Brigidine community for the past seven years. I know he won’t be too far away and will remain connected.

Bill, farewell and thank you. May your years ahead be filled with health, happiness and the love of your family and friends.

Jane Curran Principal

LATEST NEWS

LEADERSHIP

Restructure New positions Following the resignation of Mr Bill Gleeson from the role of Assistant Principal Religious Formation, the College Executive reviewed the needs of the school to ensure that it would remain faithful to its mission.

The following restructure is in place from Term 4 2017.

Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning: Mrs Sue Martin

Mrs Claire Hatherell, Head of Sport (L) and Mrs Belinda Moore, Director Cocurricula (R)

Mrs Belinda Moore will move from her current role as Director Sport into the role of Director Cocurricula with oversight of all aspects of the offerings beyond the classroom.

Deputy Principal Faith and Wellbeing: Mr Brian Loughland Director Cocurricula: Mrs Belinda Moore Head of Sport: Mrs Claire Hatherell Mr Brian Loughland has been the Assistant Principal Pastoral for the past 10 years responsible for student wellbeing and the cocurricular program. Prior to this, he was the Assistant Principal Mission at Mt St Benedict’s at Pennant Hills. The new role allows him to bring spiritual wellbeing more closely in line with all other aspects of wellbeing. The ALTitude Project showed us that the value of spiritual wellbeing is integral to an adolescent’s holistic development.

Mrs Claire Hatherell has been appointed to the role of Head of Sport. Mrs Hatherell has been working at Brigidine in a parttime administrative capacity for the past 12 months but prior to that has occupied various senior positions in Sport and PDHPE. Mrs Hatherell has worked in independent schools since 1999, much of that at SCEGGS Redlands where she was both Head of Sport and a PDHPE teacher. Redlands is a member of the Independent Sports Association (ISA) and, while at Redlands, she was at various times the ISA Convenor of Netball

and Girls Basketball, ISA Manager of Girls Basketball and Hockey, and ISA Coach and Selector of Water Polo. Mrs Hatherell has also had extensive experience in teaching Years 3–12 PDHPE. For the past 13 years she has been the competition administrator with the Northern Suburbs Water Polo Association. For much of 2015 and 2016 until commencing here, she was the Competitions Manager for Netball NSW, planning and implementing Netball NSW competitions including Premier League, Metro League, State Age Championships, Masters and State Cup. This also involved working with 118 Associations for state wide competitions.

Jane Curran Principal

BOARD

PRINCIPAL

PRINCIPAL/BOARD PA

BUSINESS MANAGER

DIRECTOR DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS

DP FAITH AND WELLBEING

DP TEACHING AND LEARNING

DIRECTOR COCURRICULA

DIRECTOR STAFF

DIRECTOR ADMINISTRATION

FINANCE

COMMUNICATIONS

FAITH FORMATION

TEACHING AND LEARNING PROGRAM

COCURRICULAR PROGRAM

WHS

IT

ALUMNI

STUDENT WELLBEING

PROPERTY

P&F

DAILY ORGANISATION, CASUAL RELIEF, EXAMINATIONS, ROOMING, TIMETABLE, CALENDAR

RISK/ COMPLIANCE ADMIN

EVENTS

SOCIAL JUSTICE STUDENT LEADERSHIP

STAFF LITERACY HR STEM ICT

ARCHIVES MARKETING ENROLMENTS

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LATEST NEWS

NEW HSC REQUIREMENTS

from 2020 to the new requirements.

It seemed inevitable that students, especially girls, in Year 9 and their parents across New South Wales would experience heightened levels of anxiety, perhaps unnecessarily so without more clarification.

NAPLAN standards and how they affect your daughter On Monday 14 August, the NAPLAN results for 2017 were released to schools. This year’s results are being subjected to significant scrutiny following the media release last year reporting changes to the Higher School Certificate.

One of the changes aligned the achievement of a NAPLAN Band 8 (at the Year 9 level) in reading, writing and numeracy to the minimum standard required to be eligible for an HSC from 2020. This affects Year 9 students in 2017.

The initial concerns arose from a changed interpretation of what was required to satisfactorily achieve the HSC. Years of referencing the importance of diligence and sustained effort as the requirements for HSC success and challenging the myth that any mark under 50 was deemed a failure seemed to be suddenly cut adrift.

A notion of failure to meet a standard was being introduced to take effect in 2020. Year 9 in 2017 would be the HSC cohort in 2020 and would be subjected 2015 – YEAR 7

% of cohort

It is important to focus on the intent of the change. At present in the HSC, the minimum expected standard in a course is a Band 2 but achieving a Band 1 does not deny any student their HSC. The change is to create a minimum expected standard in literacy and numeracy across all courses and this has been aligned to the equivalent of a NAPLAN Band 8 achieved from Year 9 onwards through to Year 12. The standard has been set for success in day-to-day life, like following instructions in a manual, preparing a job application or interpreting routine tables, graphs and charts. What is important to grasp is that there is no expectation that this standard should be reached by Year 9; the results across New South Wales show this to be so. That is why online testing is available to students in Years 10, 11 and 12 to enable them to demonstrate they have achieved the minimum standard.

Many girls in Year 9 already meet the minimum standard three years ahead of the HSC and I would be optimistic that those who need to sit another test should achieve the standard in Year 10. This optimism is based on a cursory analysis of the figures we have received and consideration of the growth trajectories for Year 9 in 2017 over their

2016 – YEAR 8

2017 – YEAR 9

School

State

School

State

School

State

Reading

48.6

31.8

na

na

85.5

58.4

Writing

39.7

18.9

na

na

75.7

45.2

Numeracy

38.7

29.1

na

na

84.6

58.5

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two years from Year 7 to Year 9 and an extrapolation of those trends through Years 10, 11 and 12. Below is a simple table showing the percentage of Year 9 students who have achieved a NAPLAN Band 8 in 2017, compared to the percentage achieved when they were in Year 7 in 2015.

As Brigidine is a non-selective school there has been a pleasing growth which exceeds the comparable relative growth in the State cohort. Growth will occur beyond 2017 and a NAPLAN Band 8 should be achievable in 2018, 2019 or 2020, especially when one considers the majority of girls have already achieved Band 7. At this stage there should be no cause for anxiety and certainly no cause to talk to your daughters about failure.

Quite simply, about 25 girls in each test have not yet reached Band 8. This affects 51 girls across the three tests but they will have two opportunities a year to achieve it.

One would say that this year is no different from previous years; certainly this year’s Year 7 have comparable proportions of Band 8 to those of Year 9 when they were in Year 7. The change in the minimum standard requirements, however, has caused us to consider how we might restructure some areas of curriculum to better prepare some girls for achieving a NAPLAN Band 8 in literacy and numeracy and alleviate the pressure on them to perform at a standard they have not yet reached when they are in Year 9. The introduction of online testing and the considerable work that Studies Coordinator, Ms Jo Baker has done to prepare the College for readiness to deliver the tests next year is another indicator of what the future holds.

A more detailed analysis will be presented to parents at the Year 9 Information evening in Term 4.

Sue Martin Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning

2018 – YEAR 10

2019 – YEAR 11

2020 – YEAR 12

School

School

School

HSC online testing at least twice a year

HSC HSC

LATEST NEWS

WHAT’S

Cooking?

Introduction of Hospitality to the curriculum Planning and delivering a curriculum that meets the needs of students is a prerequisite for excellence and equity in education.

Brigidine is proudly a non-selective school which integrates all of the girls into a carefully considered curriculum that satisfies the depth and breadth of learning that challenges each one according to her interest and ability, enabling her to progress with a sense of personal success.

Having established opportunities to challenge the depth of learning with rich Life Skills and acceleration programs, attention has turned to delivering a program of study aimed towards those girls whose career path is more aligned to the vocational sector. A number of girls already choose to study such courses at TAFE at considerable expense to their parents.

Two years ago, we determined that Brigidine could offer Hospitality, a VET course that would contribute to a successful HSC and as a Category B course, would contribute also to an ATAR. The employment of Mr John Gregory in TAS, who has successfully delivered Hospitality in his previous schools on the back of successfully running his own restaurant, made this plan a reality. Earlier this year, we combined and transformed two Synan classrooms into a commercial kitchen and offered the course to Year 10 students for their Preliminary Course in 2018.

The new commercial kitchen is built to industry standards and specifications.

It is built of stainless steel, has island benches, six burner gas cooktops and ovens, a commercial dishwasher, all the necessary tools and equipment and is designed to be able to expand in the future.

In 2018, there will be two classes studying Hospitality, Food and Beverage as a Preliminary course. They will be wearing full chef’s uniform and possess a toolkit of specialist equipment.

The Food and Beverage course teaches food and drink preparation for a small café style operation, incorporating orders, exchange of money and small business practice.

It extends that to large scale catering which means that Open Day, the Donors’ cocktail parties, thExhibition and other functions will provide many opportunities for the girls to be assessed at different levels of competency in meeting the course requirements.

Earlier this year, we combined and “transformed two Synan classrooms into a commercial kitchen and offered the course to Year 10 students for their Preliminary Course in 2018.

”

Beyond the internal assessments of competency, there is a mandated requirement of work placement in a café or restaurant for a total of 70 hours to complete the course successfully.

The provision of this course in 2018 is an opportunity for those girls who seek a career in the hotel, restaurant or café sector. It is also an opportunity for those girls who seek employment in an industry that may provide an income during the years of study that follow school. It is an exciting addition to the breadth of curriculum we offer the girls at Brigidine.

Sue Martin Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning

In 2019, the course has the potential to be extended to Hospitality, Kitchen Operations which teaches restaurant catering. In this course, all methods of cookery from soups, sauces, roasts to exquisite desserts are taught. Perhaps the girls will have the opportunity to cater the annual College Board dinner? It opens up many possibilities.

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LATEST NEWS

LEADING WITH

Strength and Gentleness

2018 Senior Leaders announced We cannot underestimate the need for good leadership in our current global climate. We certainly see enough examples of poor leadership where the essential leadership values of integrity, courage, compassion and fairness are absent.

caring, gentleness with those you lead, gentleness of spirit.

Congratulations to our Student Leaders for 2018. As they move through this journey towards leadership, I know that they have the integrity and courage to make the right choices.

Jane Curran Principal

More than ever, it is important that we teach leadership and provide opportunities to young people so that their awareness grows and they can ‘act in the world with strength and gentleness’ (Brigidine College Mission).

Year Ambassadors

Developing aspects of leadership in schools allows the skills of leadership qualities to be transferred into positions beyond the school context.

Brigidine so openly advertises its motto of Strength and Gentleness and there can be no better articulation of leadership than that: strength in decision making, strength in courage and justice, strength of character; gentleness in

Senior Six

House Captains

2018 Senior Leaders

Captains 2018

Senior Six

Art: Ana Butron, Bernadette Kelly Athletics: Helena De Gruchy, Isabelle Ronksley Basketball: Isabella Geftakis, Olivia Onslow Dance: Hannah Collins, Cinzia Marrocco Debating: Eloise Carroll, Sarah Issaia Drama: Matilda Christie, Tea Delle Vergin DEA: Eloise Carroll, Helena De Gruchy Football: Sophie Eyres, Rebecca Mcdonnell Hockey: Rhona Kennedy, Anna Supierz Honours: Jacinta McGrath Justice and Democracy: Kate Heffernan, Emily Kennedy Mock Trial: Emma Gillman, Chloe McCammon Music: Annabelle Ambrogio, Lucy McKern Netball: Mikaela Ellis, Olivia Onslow Softball: Grace Christensen, Isabel Zhu Sports Aerobics: Anna Dunn, Jessica Villegas Swimming: Annabelle Oh, Mia Rolfe Taekwondo: Isabella Behrens Tennis: Mikaela Ellis, Rachael Emms Textiles: Gabriella Penn Touch Football: Rhona Kennedy, Sarah Raaff Volleyball: Holly Glover, Annabelle Oh Water Polo: Caitlin Wilcox

College Captain: Ciara Flynn Senior Vice Captain: Claudia Pinn Vice Captain Houses and Sport: Camryn Woolley Vice Captain Performing Arts: Ruby Magee Vice Captain Social Justice and Ministry: Abbey Butler Vice Captain Academic and Student Leadership: Giorgia Ryan

Year Ambassadors Grace Christensen Sophie Eyres Lily Galoustian Aimee Miller Laura Wheen

House Captains Fatima: Kildare: Lourdes: Prague:

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Abigail Palmer, Isabelle Ronksley Zarina Mangal, Rebecca McDonnell Larissa Navakis-Pettersen, Ruby Trevallion Alana Harris, Zoe Re

LATEST NEWS

COMMUNITY

Unity Making a difference to those within reach The Year 10 Parent and Daughter Dinner offers an opportunity for daughters and their parents to experience an evening together with the rest of their cohort. Now in its to 19th year, this annual Brigidine tradition helps build unity and cohesion amongst students and parents alike.

At this year’s event in August, Year 10 students and parents enjoyed a presentation by Brigidine alumni, Sophia Goodwin Class of 2008. Her story was of a journey beyond school assisting orphans and people living with AIDS and disabilities in Kenya. She has established support and funding for these children through her own Kumbuka Project.

‘Kumbuka’, meaning ‘remember’ in Swahili, is a reminder for Sophia to endeavour to support this struggling community of people that have given her a healthy perspective on life, and who demonstrate a willingness to be educated and to move beyond their own experience of the world.

Sophia shared an important message with our Year 10 students and their parents that we can make a significant impact on the lives of disadvantaged people with our own personal commitment and

resourcefulness. In the presentation, she spoke about how people may not be able to change the whole world, but they can make a significant difference to those within their reach.

Sophia is also the author of Lots of Love, Soph (published in 2016), with 100% of all funds raised through book sales going directly to the Kumbuka Project. Year 10 girls were thrilled to have their very own copies signed by Sophia on the night.

Brian Loughland Deputy Principal Faith and Wellbeing

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

I LOVE A

sunburnt country...… toy farm set. The boys were slightly more reserved, however this in no way impaired their ability to build the most amazing tower out of wooden blocks that I have ever seen!

On my second trip to the Preschool, we played outside, drawing with chalk on the ground, playing in the sand pit and playing chasings around the yard. It was beautiful to see these children so happy about such simple things, making me realise that happiness can be brought to any situation, if only you have the right attitude towards life.

What were the highlights?

Year 10 Indigenous Immersion to outback NSW Evaluation from both staff and students indicate a positive response to the recent Year 10 Indigenous Immersion to outback NSW. The tour visits the towns of Bathurst, Dubbo, Coonamble, Collarenebri, Lightning Ridge and Goodooga, with a key focus being the girls working as teacher aides in local schools.

To accommodate the growing number of students wishing to participate, this year, for the first time, the College incorporated stopovers at three schools, St Brigid’s Coonamble, Lightning Ridge and Goodooga Central schools.

The purpose of this immersion program is to gain an insight into the realities of life for outback communities, including indigenous respect for traditional ways and highlighting school routines in rural Australia. Through the experience the girls grow to see the world differently, deepen their spirituality and commit to their faith in ways that will help build a more just and peaceful world.

We asked Caitlin Cummins of Year 10 to reflect on her experience.

Did the Indigenous Immersion meet your expectations?

The Indigenous Immersion exceeded my expectations in every way! Never would I have imagined such a beautiful and warm welcome into the Goodooga community.

Whilst it was clear that Goodooga, being such a remote Indigenous community,

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would not be equipped with the facilities we are blessed with back home, I was amazed to experience the strong sense of love and generosity between the members of the small town. What was even more amazing, was how they extended that love, friendship and generosity towards us, people they had never met before. After only being in Goodooga a few days, leaving was one of the hardest things I have done.

Where did you spend your class visitation?

I spent the first part of my class visitation in the Goodooga High School, in a Stage 5 (Years 9 and 10) English class. The small class only had five students in it at the time, all of whom were quite shy around their visitors. Despite being in the class for less than half an hour it became quite clear to me that these students did not have the confidence to answer the teacher’s questions as freely as we do at Brigidine.

The rest of my class visitation time was spent at the Preschool, which was an incredibly fun experience. When I visited, only four students were in attendance. The two girls were full of excitement and energy, dancing several rounds of the Hokey Pokey with us and playing with a

The children of Goodooga were by far the highlight of the trip. It seemed that they were always looking for an opportunity to have fun and it was incredible to hear about their lives in Goodooga, which are so different from our own. While I absolutely loved playing hide-n-seek and handball with the children, it also gave me the opportunity to step back and look at the world with a new perspective. These children have very little, yet they manage to laugh, make the most out of every situation and live in the moment, and being surrounded by them for a few days made me feel the same way.

Another highlight of the trip was meeting Aunty Nicky who taught us about Goodooga’s history. Hearing about her first-hand experiences was truly eye-opening and thought-provoking.

She shared with us how she had felt ‘richer’ before electricity had arrived

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

in Goodooga. This metaphoric wealth, symbolising her happiness, caused me to really think about the impact of European settlement on the traditional owners of the land, and how their happiness had been affected. By listening to her experiences, accounts and stories about Goodooga, I developed a deeper respect for Aboriginal people and their land.

Another highlight of the trip was every opportunity we got to help out. Whether it be in the kitchen to butter bread, stir the sauce or wash up, or in the classroom, helping and entertaining the children, or on the Indigenous Games Day, serving everyone lunch, or in the hall, helping to pin up the fallen art displays, every opportunity where our efforts were needed was incredible to be a part of.

It was rewarding to know that we were making a difference, no matter how small.

Which visit did you gain the most from?

What did you learn from the experience?

Perhaps the most valuable lesson I learnt from the Indigenous Immersion was the importance of happiness. The people in Goodooga, particularly the children, managed to radiate happiness no matter where they were or what they had. They had this amazing ability to always look on the bright side, and to spread that happiness to everyone around them.

It was because of this that at times I thought I could learn so much more from these children than they could learn from me, and spending so much time with them brought me one step closer to being able to see the world the way they do.

I also gained a stronger respect for the people of Goodooga and their land. These people, particularly the elders, have faced adversities that I couldn’t even begin to imagine, yet they welcomed us so warmly into their community.

A stand out part of the trip for me was when we got to experience a Distance Education Video Conferencing session.

It was amazing to see how the older students at Goodooga learn and how different that learning process is to ours back home. Through seeing this, I grew an even deeper appreciation for how I receive my education and a deeper respect for the students at Goodooga.

Artist Spotlight Isobel Keeping Class of 2016

We asked Isobel to tell us about the concept behind her 2016 HSC Visual Arts Body of Work titled ‘We’re a Nation of Migrants’ (Graphic Design).

My Body of Work explores the multicultural nature of Australia and the foreign cultures that make up Australia’s identity. By using the Hills Hoist, an

iconic Australian invention, I aim to represent Australia as an umbrella for many foreign cultures. I used tea towels, which are usually associated with kitsch souvenirs, to hang under ‘Australia’ on the hills hoist to express the idea of a collective Australian identity.

Additionally, I aimed to acknowledge the original custodians of the land, the Indigenous Australians, through the use of traditional Aboriginal painting. I have placed the traditional dot painting on the Hills Hoist to recognise their original ownership of the land.

Would you recommend the tour to other Brigidine students?

The Indigenous Immersion was the best week of my life, for so many reasons.

The memories I have from this trip I will truly treasure forever, such as bonding with the children, forming life-long friendships with the other Brigidine girls, being so warmly accepted into the Goodooga community, hearing about their experiences and culture and seeing first-hand some of the hardships they face on a daily basis. The Indigenous Immersion is an experience of a lifetime, and I hope that one day I will be able to return to Goodooga, perhaps as a teacher once I have finished university. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have this incredible experience, and I would recommend it in the highest possible way to every future Year 10 student.

including Mabel Kwong, to further gain a perspective about being a migrant in Australia, and Reg Mombassa for inspiration of stereotypical Australian icons that I fused within each design.

My work uses humour to convey the idea of a fusion of cultures and languages and to communicate the friendly and welcoming nature of Australians. My work expresses my own experiences of immigrating to Australia and ultimately contributing to Australia’s multicultural identity. I looked to artists

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OUR COMMUNITY

2017

Annual Giving Digital designs Our Year 10 Design Technology students were excited to use a Digital Laser Cutter provided by LST briefly during Term 2 to produce some of their work for our own Vivid Light display.

Reality success Who would have thought there were different kinds of reality?

Reality television, virtual reality, augmented reality and just plain reality! Fortunately our community understood the value of augmented reality in bringing reading to life and now it is about to become a REALITY! In our last issue of The Bridge we read how Augmented Reality, digitally triggered video, can bring life and motivation to ideas. We aimed to purchase iPads to allow our girls to produce video book reviews for each other thereby encouraging reading, improving literacy and developing critiquing skills.

The result was an impressive setting of works themed around the Great Barrier Reef which created an entrance for those attending the Opening Night of the Year 11 Play. On the same night Donors joined us to see the Digital Laser Cutter in operation and were amazed at the variety of work it produced. Unfortunately we only had this machine on loan, however, with the help of our community we hope to purchase one for next year’s students.

This Annual Giving project could be used by students across a range of study areas and ages particularly for design and STEM work. Digital Laser

technology allows students to develop concepts, from prototyping to testing and production phases, using materials ranging from acrylic and aluminium to leather, stainless steel and wood.

Help us fund this Digital Laser system for use across the disciplines at Brigidine bringing amazing opportunities to our girls and their futures. The goal for this project is $5000.

To make your gift to this special project visit our website www.brigidine.nsw.edu.au and click on Support then Annual Giving. You can click the Donate Now button to take you straight to Payments. Whatever your gift, it will be greatly appreciated and will make a difference to our girls.

Di Lawrence Director Development and Community Relations

Success! With the support of current parents, alumni, past staff and the mothers of our Lunch and Supper groups we reached our target and the iPads have arrived.

Thank you! This project, based in Kinkead Library, will be used particularly by girls in Years 7 and 8. Special thanks to Mrs Leanne Miller, Head of Library Services, for her help in facilitating this project.

We thank the following donors and those who chose to give anonymously for their support of this year’s Annual Giving projects: Kerry-Ann O’Sullivan

Raimund Navakas

Anne Garvan

Irene Ponniah

McGain Family

Preziuso Family

Stuart Wilson

Roche Family

Alan and Debbie Jenkins

Elliot Family

Barratt Family

Jack Zhu and Christine Shen

Coakes Family

Tom and Ingrid Veidners

Maher Family

Camilleri Family

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Gordon Family Goritsas Family Anne and Peter Nanayakkara Biggs Family Nishide Family Lynda and Richard Maurice Lea Elliot Gardiner Family Clements Family Angela Glover McElhone Family Philippa Goddard

Graham Hughes Greg Smith Jane Curran Sherryl Bremner Lucille Flory Sue Martin Colleen McKeown Sarah Gillard Flynn Family Dodd Family Di Lawrence

OUR COMMUNITY

GEOGRAPHY

Grant Granting a wish It’s not often someone says that they want to grant a wish to a person they don’t even know. Why would they?

What lies behind such a gesture?

This was a suggestion by a past staff member who volunteers in Archives.

Her dedication to the College has been evident for many years but the next step came as a surprise.

Margaret Cook principally taught English and Drama at Brigidine, originating the tradition of the Year 11 Play during her 27 years here! The surprise was that she wanted to give an opportunity to someone studying Geography rather than English.

This is how her gesture led to the ‘granting of a wish’ to one of our students.

Margaret explained, “I have always loved learning about the Earth on which we live – all its variety and complexities. This is Geography! But I feel that the study of this priceless subject can be undervalued.

So last year I determined to offer an award of encouragement to a senior Geography student – to a person who was passionate about the subject – an enquiring mind, a competent student who was considering further study leading

“

Margaret Cook principally taught English and Drama at Brigidine, originating the tradition of the Year 11 Play during her 27 years here! The surprise was that she wanted to give an opportunity to someone studying Geography rather than English.

This is how her gesture led to the ‘granting of a wish’ to one of our students.

Margaret explained, “I have always loved learning about the Earth on which we live – all its variety and complexities. This is Geography! But I feel that the study of this priceless subject can be undervalued.

”

to a career in one of the many fields of geography.”

So the process began by seeking Expressions of Interest from senior students for a grant of $500 to be used to extend the student’s study of Geography, subsidising the cost of relevant associated resources or experiences.

Some impressive applications were received and the grant was awarded to Annika Hather. Initially Margaret was keen to remain anonymous but curiosity and interest grew until both parties were keen to meet and talk about the opportunities that had emerged in the Geographic arena. At a recent meeting at the College, Margaret and Annika were able to share their interest.

Annika recently remarked, “I feel so privileged to have been awarded the Geography grant as it will help me pursue a subject I feel passionate about.

My interest in geography stems from the way it addresses humanitarian, environmental and sustainability concerns. I’m especially interested in how these apply to urban settings, something I feel has particular importance in today’s globally dynamic world.

So far the grant has enabled me to attend holiday Geography lectures which have helped consolidate my learning and provided valuable insight from HSC

“I feel so privileged to have been awarded the Geography grant as it will help me pursue a subject I feel passionate about.

My interest in geography stems from the way it addresses humanitarian, environmental and sustainability concerns.

I’m especially interested in how these apply to urban settings, something I feel has particular importance in today’s globally dynamic world.”

ANNIKA HATHER, YEAR 12

markers. I am hoping that the rest of the grant will help support my study of Urban Planning at University next year.

I am very thankful to Margaret for her generous donation.”

Margaret has now reflected, “How fortunate we were to select Annika.

Her enthusiasm is infectious and her dedication is beyond question. I have been delighted to meet her and she is fulfilling all my expectations. I wish her success in the exciting years ahead.”

If you are interested in discussing a gift to the College in any format please contact Di Lawrence at the College on 02 9988 6278 or email dlawrence@brigidine.nsw.edu.au Di Lawrence Director Development and Community Relations

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OUR COMMUNITY

Snapshots

FutureMakers Week

Pink Day

Founders Day

St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal

Year 7 Grandparents Day

Indigenous Awareness Day

Father’s Day Mass

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OUR COMMUNITY

Pink Day

Founders Day

Open Day

Legacy Appeal

Year 8 Mother and Daughter Afternoon

Mother’s Day Mass

World’s Greatest Shave

Year 12 Charity, Orange Sky Laundry

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OUR COMMUNITY

BACK TO

the 80s

P&F Trivia Night Parents and Friends went “Back to the 80s” on Saturday 2 September to enjoy this year’s P&F fundraiser and Trivia night.

The scene was set on the College Green with the opportunity to take photos in a DeLorean, also known as the famous Back to the Future Time Machine! From there our guests entered Bowie Hall and found themselves in an 80s nightclub before taking a seat at their team table surrounded by 1980s film artwork, kindly produced and donated by Brigidine parent, Mark Haynes.

The night began with a superb performance from the College’s own award-winning Sports Aerobics Team under the direction of Josh Holmes.

A wonderful evening followed, hosted by Tim Shorter our quiz master and MC. I would like to extend the P&F’s thanks to the businesses who so generously donated some fantastic prizes and items to our raffle and auction. They included accommodation at the Westin, Sydney, a 32” TV from Harvey Norman, a Stanley Street Butchery voucher, dinner for two at Rosedale Cottage, a gourmet Hamper from Fresh Taste Canteen, golf at Bayview Golf Club – and that’s only naming a few from over 100 items! We really do appreciate the generosity of all of our donors who support our efforts throughout the year; it is due to this support that we are able to hold such successful events.

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The aim of the night was to raise funds for outdoor furniture for our girls to use in the newly renovated College grounds and to provide funds towards a laser cutter for the TAS Department. Sponsorship brought a major contribution to our efforts this year providing $10,000 towards our total. Huge thanks go to our Platinum Sponsor Acer, Gold Sponsors BRASV Group and Exetel, and Silver Sponsors Forest Coaches, Prime Constructions and Fuji Xerox.

I would also like to extend a personal thank you to the committee who worked tirelessly towards making it a fun and successful night, even being game enough to appear on stage as a somewhat comical P&F Aerobics

team! Thanks to the awesome College Maintenance team who continue to support our ridiculous “creative” ideas and to Gareth Edey, multimedia extraordinaire for the images, music and lighting.

Finally, and most importantly, on behalf of the P&F, the girls and the College, sincere thanks to all those parents who gave in some way to the success of the event.

Whether donating items for the auction, purchasing raffle tickets or reliving your youth in your 80s outfits on the night, you helped to make it another memorable event and to raise $31,000. Thank you!

Pip Inman P&F President

Thank you to our Sponsors

Platinum: acer.com

Gold: brasvgroup.com.au

exetel.com.au

Silver: forestcoachlines.com.au

theprimegroup.com.au

fujixerox.com.au

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

PERFORMING WITH

The Idea of North

Brigidine singers receive music mentorship from the best As a result of our Senior Vocal Ensemble becoming National A Cappella Champions in 2016, Brigidine College was honoured to host Australia’s finest vocal group, ARIA Award winning, The Idea of North (TION) in May. After a performance to the whole school at assembly, TION held a workshop with the College Choir providing them with tips on how to improve their own signing and vocal projection. TION then taught them a song in just 12 minutes which the Choir performed later that evening as part of the concert.

For the remainder of the afternoon TION worked with our Senior Vocal Ensemble on their eisteddfod songs and held a session on Improvisation Skills where they had the girls come up with lyrics and melodies on the spot!

A concert was held that evening in the Murray Theatre featuring our Choir, Senior Vocal Ensemble, an inaugural performance from our new Alumni Choir comprising alumni and staff, followed

by The Idea of North who treated the audience to a wonderfully entertaining and balanced program, from ballads such

as Cold Chisel’s Flame Trees, to comedy songs such as Tim Minchin’s hilarious Singing in F#, and getting the audience involved with the crowd–pleaser Isn’t She Lovely by Stevie Wonder.

It was an outstanding evening and one that will not be forgotten for a very long time.

The most amazing news to come out of the whole day was when, right at the end, TION asked, “Do you think you would mind combining your Senior Vocals and Alumni Choir to become a support act for us at Christmas?” There was only one possible answer and it took no time at all for a resounding reply of “YES!!”

Well done to all the girls involved.

Hopefully they will remember this day as long as the staff will and see that being a part of the Brigidine Choir and Senior Vocals is not only fun, but very rewarding too with experiences such as these!

Charlie Lovelock Head of Cocurricular Music

“

The most amazing news to come out of the whole day was when, right at the end, TION asked, “Do you think you would mind combining your Senior Vocals and Alumni Choir to become a support act for us at Christmas?”

There was only one possible answer and it took no time at all for a resounding reply of “YES!!”

Well done to all the girls involved.

”

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EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

MAKING ANIMAL FARM

great again Year 11 Play Animal Farm, 2017 style. When animals trump the humans and take over the “farm”, what happens in a world dominated by fake news and tweets?

We didn’t start this fire. It started back in 1945 when Animal Farm was penned

by George Orwell as a response to the war and as a warning against the rise of Stalinist Communism. Now, over 70 years later, the fire burns on and on and on and on...

This production had its genesis during my long service leave last year. I landed in the UK the morning after the Brexit vote. The media, the politicians, and the people were shocked – who had dared to vote to exit? The front pages squawked, demanding to know who had done this to their beloved home country. Clearly someone had, whilst everyone else benignly watched this happen. I travelled further to the United States, as the presidential campaign was in full voice, and watched in horror the wall to wall media coverage. The average American was certain the election would result in a historical result. And once again, they were right – just not the way they thought.

In both cases, it was apparent that the more vociferous and vocal minority were at odds with the silent majority, and had blinded the watchers of the world by vehemently changing the direction of the world political map. I started rereading Animal Farm and became more and more convinced that Orwell’s allegory of 1945 could once again be applied to the complex machinations of world politics, in particular the rise of Trump.

Our farm could be any “farm”. Our animals could be any “animals”. Here, the White House becomes a metaphor for the Farm House. The actors remain in the audience

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watching helplessly and powerlessly in exactly the same way as the British and American voters did last year. Unable to be heard or listened to by those in power, they are forced to submit to the new practices or ‘commandments’ brought in by those who rule. All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.

As George Santayana eloquently reminds us ‘those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it’.

On a less global scale, 2016 was a hugely exciting year for the Brigidine Drama Department when Ella McCrindle topped the state in HSC Drama. A newspaper reporter asked Ella whether this would mean that she would become an actor, but she replied that she wanted to be a director. Inspired by a meeting Ella and I had with Kip Williams (Artistic Director, Sydney Theatre Company) in January, I offered Ella the opportunity to assist with the direction of this production with me. And what a fantastic team we have

made! Ella has shared and contributed to my creative vision from the outset and it has been an absolute privilege and joy to collaborate with her on this production.

Thank you for your wonderful input into this production Ella – I sincerely hope we can collaborate again theatrically in the not too distant future.

Congratulations to all of the Year 11 “animals”, both on and off stage. This production has taught them that hard work, dedication and commitment to each other will be crucial as they venture into their HSC year and beyond.

DiAnne McDonald Director Turn to page 31 to find out what else Ella has been up to this year!

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

AND THE

winner is!

Results from Brigidine’s annual short film festival, BrigFest Filmmakers with talent was the focus of BrigFest 2017.

Production Team: Sarah Bakker

With this year’s theme of ‘Ribbon’, girls from Years 7 to 12 showed their creativity and skill with camera work and production to deliver an excellent standard of impressive films. Congratulations to all our entrants for their outstanding work.

Best Years 9 and 10 Film

Cameraman: Amelia Davis Film: Sinking Production Team: Bridget McKee Actors: Auria Nunes

Years 7 and 8

Assistants: Auria Nunes, Olivia Sheridan, Nina Loone

Film: Jam’ai’s Lucky Ribbon

Years 11 and 12

Production Team: Genevieve Kelly, Maren McHugh

Equal Best Years 11 and 12 Films

Film: Gone Production Team: Sarah Walbank, Grace Cox, Lucie Cuda Actors: Alannah McGrath, Aisling Tutaan, Katherine Ayala-Schnell, Olivia Dinnar, Lucie Cuda, Grace Cox, Sarah Walbank Film: Training Day Production Team: Natalie Guyot, Olivia Cornes Highly Commended Film: Red Production Team: Micaela Mulholland, Catherine Failla, Natalie Bowesman

Head to the BrigidineStIves YouTube channel to watch all of this year’s winning entries!

Film: Memories Production Team: Georgia North Actors: Larissa Navakas-Petterson, Charlotte North Film: Here’s to the Kids Who Dream Production Team: Valentina Buay Best Overall Film Film: Sinking by Bridget McKee (Year 10) We sincerely thank our wonderful sponsors who attended the event and presented their wonderful prizes to the entrants:

Best Years 7 and 8 Film Film: Hear Me Production Team: Zephya Semaan, Hannah Emms Actors: Mia Malek, Zephya Semaan Years 9 and 10 Highly Commended Film: Gone

Di Lawrence Director Development and Community Relations

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EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

DANCE

Spectacular A celebration of gifts and talent While holding three performances provided the opportunity for all to access seats, many parents and friends came to more than one performance, demonstrating just how popular the annual Brigidine Dance Spectacular is and reaffirming the quality of the dancing.

The performances were perfectly planned to showcase all our talented dancers from Years 7 to 12 and ensured everyone in attendance enjoyed our diverse range of dancers, the fantastic costumes and the creative and innovative choreography.

It was exciting to watch the performances choreographed by our Year 12 Dance students and appreciate the commitment, skill and knowledge that it takes to choreograph and teach these routines.

The Dance Spectacular is always a celebration of what is essential at Brigidine: inclusiveness, participation and reward for effort in all of the dancers.

While there is always the element of glitz and glitter, the girls often speak about their experience of dance as being a part of a family and working hard to achieve their goals as part of a committed team.

Congratulations to our 2017 Dance Captains, Mia Barbour and Claire Thomson, for their leadership and enthusiasm throughout the year. Their love and enjoyment of dance was clearly evident on stage.

Stage 6 teacher, Katrina Pattalis and all the Dance staff that choreographed and supported the classes this year. Thanks also to Chris Rutherford who was the MC at all of the performances and to the College staff and parents who assisted backstage.

Congratulations also to Dance Convenor, Lauren Grieve, Eisteddfod dance and

Belinda Moore Director Cocurricula

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EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

ATHLETICS

Carnival Athletics Carnival Results

Para Athletics

The following athletes were awarded ribbons and trophies for their individual results at the College House Athletics Carnival.

1st 2nd 3rd

Congratulations to all the girls who placed in an event.

Madelin Owen

12 Years 1st 2nd 3rd

Giuliana Panozzo Zoe Ellis Alexandra Rollinson

13 Years 1st 2nd Joint 3rd

Ta’alili Feaunati Ella Johnson Aleisha Jeremy

15 Years 1st 2nd 3rd

Claudia Vidulic Natarsha Vidulic Nicola Markley

16 Years 1st 2nd 3rd

Isabel Zhu Rachel Tysoe Kaddison Van Rhoon

17 Years+ 1st 2nd 3rd

Open 100m Invitational Champion Records Broken 17 Years+ 400m: Helena De Gruchy, 1:00:42 sec (previous record was 1:02:02) Junior 800m: Ciara Sinclair, 2:27:93 sec (previous record was 2:32:61) Overall Athletics Champion

Esme Sergi Danielle Thrum Lucinda Bensley and Kathryn Trewhella

14 Years 1st 2nd 3rd

Juliet Liddy Lisa Weingartner Natesha Shalliker

Isabelle Ronksley War Cry Results 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Lourdes Kildare Fatima Prague

Overall Results PLACE

HOUSE

POINTS

1st

Prague

955

2nd

Lourdes

868

3rd

Fatima

792

4th

Kildare

689

Belinda Moore Director Cocurricula

Isabelle Ronksley Helena De Gruchy Phoebe Wayne

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SPORT AND COCURRICULAR CLUBS

COCURRICULAR

Sport BBSSSA Carnival Congratulations to the Athletics team for what is their best result at BBSSSA (Broken Bay Secondary Schools Sports Association) for many years, with the girls taking home all of the major team awards on the day.

Sports Aerobics National Championships Congratulations to the five Sports Aerobics teams that competed at the National Championships at the Gold Coast in August.

This was our largest team to travel to the championships and our teams consisted of students from Years 8–12.

Our teams who had all placed in the medals at the State Championships competed against Australia’s best and achieved outstanding results.

Our Stage 1 team, the Dynamic Divas won the Silver medal, our highest achievement at a National Championships to date. This was complimented by top 10 finishes by our other 4 teams.

The results were: Stage 1 “Dynamic Divas”

2nd place

Secondary Open B

4th place

Secondary Open A

7th place

Secondary Stage 2 “Aftershock”

4th place

Secondary Stage 2 “Dynamite”

8th place

All the girls and their coaches are to be congratulated on their incredible efforts to get to the National Championships and place Brigidine amongst the best schools in the country in Sports Aerobics: Stage 1 “Dynamic Divas” Year 8 team coached by Brigidine Alumni, Sophia Tonoli Class of 2016.

Emma Lowry, Ella McNamara, Georgia Bonadio, Abbie Gates, Sienna Papalia, Imogen Ryan, Ruby Szelid.

Stage 2 “Aftershock” Year 9 team coached by Jessica McNamara of Year 12.

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Charlotte Ellis, Sacha Clements, Claudia Dixon, Shae Griffiths, Holli Raaff, Elizabeth Mitcherson, Anika Townley.

Stage 2 “Dynamite” Mixed Years 9 and 11 team coached by Nicola Thompson of Year 12.

Layne Cook, Tara Dean, Jessica Keyser, Ashlee Marks, Ella Temple, Keily Ting, Tamara York.

Brigidine literally ran faster, jumped higher and threw further. It is a wonderful achievement following a term of Wednesday afternoon trainings and the Friday night competitions.

The results were: Brigidine overall point score

1st place

Seniors (16–17+ yrs)

1st place

Intermediates (14–15 yrs)

1st place

Juniors (12–13 yrs)

1st place

Secondary Open A Mixed Years 8–11 team.

Ariel Belger (Year 8), Jemima Belger (Year 10), Annika Geftakis (Year 8), Ashlea Geftakis (Year 9), Isabella Geftakis (Year 11).

Secondary Open B Mixed Years 11–12 team.

Lilly Holdsworth (Year 11), Anna Supierz (Year 11), Anna Dunn (Year 11), Emma Shlager (Year 12), Chloe Grant (Year 12).

Intermediate Relay team (L–R) Kahli Gilchrist (Year 10), Claudia Vidulic (Year 9), Madelin Owen (Year 10) and Aleisha Jeremy (Year 8).

Mia Rolfe announced as Batonbearer for the Commonwealth Games

Relay teams

Congratulations to Mia Rolfe, Year 11, who has been selected as a Batonbearer for the Gold Coast 2018 (GC2018) Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) which precedes the Commonwealth Games. She will have the honour of carrying the Queen’s Baton as it travels around Australia on its 100-day journey to the Opening Ceremony of the XXI Commonwealth Games. Her Batonbearer position will be in Sydney NSW on Relay day 40, Saturday 3 February 2018.

BBSSSA Records

Brigidine teams won all three Relays: Senior, Intermediate and Junior.

1. The Intermediate 4x100m Relay team 2. Aleisha Jeremy in the 14 years 80m hurdles.

NSWCCC representatives Twenty-two Brigidine athletes went on to represent Broken Bay at the NSWCCC (New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges) event on Friday 15 September, where our Intermediate Relay team (pictured) won Gold with a time of 51.34s which is faster than the record they ran at the BBSSSA Carnival.

Congratulations girls!

Belinda Moore Director Cocurricula

SPORT AND COCURRICULAR CLUBS

CENTRE FOR

Excellence Tournament of Minds The Regional Final of TOM was held at Roseville College. Brigidine entered three teams in the competition.

Teams 1 and 3 took part in the Language Literature long-term challenge, ‘A Hidden Gem’ and Team 2 competed in the Social Sciences long-term challenge, ‘Inspire-ational’.

The girls worked consistently for 6 weeks in preparation for Tournament Day.

On the day, each team performed in their long–term challenge and took part in a Spontaneous challenge.

Three of our Year 11 students participated as judges in the Tournament of Minds this year. Zoe Re, Alice Stafford and Isabella Behrens were all wonderful representatives of the College as were our three teams of girls.

Team 1: Taylor Rondeau, Lauren Board, Charlotte Parker (Year 7), Bianca Henderson-Brooks, Mia Teuma, Sarah Matthews, Charlotte Price (Year 8).

The girls worked “consistently for 6 weeks in preparation for Tournament Day. On the day, each team performed in their long-term challenge and took part in a Spontaneous challenge.

Three of our Year 11 students participated as judges in the Tournament of Minds this year. Zoe Re, Alice Stafford and Isabella Behrens were all wonderful representatives of the College as were our three teams of girls.

”

Team 2: Zoe Casey, Tara Gategood (Year 7), Chiara Nunes, Ayva Barney (Year 8), Teya Murray, Charlotte Cuda, Priya Uskovic (Year 9).

Team 3: Clarisse Tsang, Ivana Ponniah, Charlotte Willoughby (Year 7) Sophie Tunks, Jennifer Cummins, Jasmine Guyot, Tara Thai (Year 8).

We were very proud of the girls’ performances and are delighted to announce that Team 3 was given Tournament Honours.

Legacy Junior Public Speaking Award The Northern Sydney Local Final of the Legacy Junior Public Speaking Award was held at Northern Beaches Secondary College Cromer Campus in July. Tara Thai (Year 8, pictured left) and Jemima Guberina (Year 9, pictured right) represented Brigidine College in the competition.

The girls gave a five minute prepared speech on topics of their own choice and this was followed by a two minute impromptu speech on the topic ‘Great Expectations’. They spoke with passion and eloquence and it was a pleasure being there to hear them.

Jan Whiddon Centre for Excellence Coordinator

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BACK TO BRIGIDINE

ALUMNI

News & Events

Class of 2016 Yearbook Afternoon Tea The Class of 2016 had a memorable afternoon full of fun and laughter when they got together recently to collect their Yearbooks. The afternoon flew by and the chatter didn’t stop. There were smiles all round as the girls flipped through the pages of their Yearbooks reminiscing about their days at Brigidine and the experiences they shared, not to mention the excited conversations about what they had

been up to since leaving Brigidine!

The girls have taken on a wide variety of further study including Engineering, Health Science, Vet Science, Political Science, Criminology, Global Business, Commerce, Marketing, Film, Media and Communications, Dance, Music, Tourism, Law, Design, Nursing and Education. A few girls have taken a Gap year to work and travel.

We wish the Class of 2016 every success in the years ahead.

Where is my Yearbook?

Have you lost your Yearbook in a box somewhere? Have you ever tried to remember a girl from school but can’t quite picture her face?

Well the good news is, we can help.

Brigidine’s Yearbooks are now online and available exclusively to College Alumni. The first Yearbook online dates

back to 1970. As each year graduates their Yearbook will be added to the site.

We encourage you to take a look. It’s amazing to see how much the College has grown and changed.

To access the Yearbooks simply log into your Alumni Connect account at http://alumniconnect.org.au and click on Archive.

From Judged to Judge Several Alumni returned to the College in September to adjudicate the annual Interhouse Public Speaking Competition. Many participated in public speaking during their time at the College and enjoyed coming back to help with the competition.

Special thanks to Briana Domjen Class of 2003 who was guest speaker at the Prizegiving Ceremony. Briana spoke passionately about how public speaking at Brigidine enhanced her skills and gave her confidence to pursue a career in the media.

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(L–R): Vicky Boyd Class of 2010, Stephanie Long Class of 2014, Amy-Elizabeth Dugan Class of 2014, Amelia Pitney Class of 2016, Francesca Rowlinson Class of 2016, Eloise Ott Class of 2016 and Lara Cyznock Class of 2016.

BACK TO BRIGIDINE

WEDDINGS

and Births He lives in Australia now so we decided to have our wedding in his hometown of Nordborg. It was an absolute fairy tale – we were married in the grounds of a castle and even had a horse and carriage for our transport!

Weddings and Births Clare Christensen (nee Gavin) College Vice Captain Class of 2005 I met my husband, Thomas, nine years ago when I spent a semester studying in Denmark on a university exchange.

We had about 30 Aussies fly over, which we were so touched by. The atmosphere was amazing and it was exciting to hear of our guests’ travel plans around the wedding. We combined Aussie and Danish traditions on the day – theirs included cutting the groom’s socks off at midnight, while we taught the Danes the all–important moves to the Nutbush!

included Tasmin Dilworth Class of 2005, Avril Mahoney Class of 2005 and Kathryn Moore who left Brigidine in Year 11 in 2004.

It truly was the most magical and happiest of days.

We had several Brigidine Alumni in attendance, including two of my three bridesmaids. My sister, Erin Gavin Class of 1999 was Maid of Honour, and Katie Osborne Class of 2005 was another bridesmaid. Other Brigo guests

Births Elijah Dabile

Nikki Searle Class of 2001 I met Michael Thomas over 12 years ago through mutual friends and dated briefly before I broke his heart! We remained friends over the years and kept in contact through Facebook and other social media. Three years ago I ran into him at a pub and we starting chatting again and have been inseparable ever since. Apparently he had been chasing me for 10 years, I just didn’t realise!

We got married on 21 October 2016 at the Newport Mirage overlooking Pittwater. I was lucky enough to have Hannah Littler Class of 2008 as one of my gorgeous bridesmaids, as well as three Alumni attend as guests – Aleisha Conlay, Samantha Beard (nee Lockett) and Grace Seeto, all from the Class of 2001.

As cliché as it sounds, my wedding truly was one of the best days of my life. It wasn’t the most traditional wedding, it was more like one big party, which was exactly what we were aiming for.

We honeymooned for three blissful weeks in Hawaii, spending a week in Maui, a week on the North Shore of Honolulu and a week in Waikiki.

Since then we have been blessed with the arrival of our beautiful baby girl, Ruby Audrey Belle Thomas. She was born 14 of July at 1.35am.

She was 3kg and 45cm of absolute perfection!

Elijah Dabile is the third child of Sandra Dabile (nee Caronna) Class of 1998 and George Dabile, and brother to Layla and Mason.

Elijah was born at North Shore Private Hospital on 1 September 2017, weighing 3.15kg and 50cm long. Mum and Dad are absolutely thrilled with the beautiful new addition to their family.

Eve Mardi Hatton Daughter to Katherine Hatton (nee White) Class of 2002 and Brock Hatton. Eve was born at 7.50am on 17 May 2017 weighing 2.46kg. Naturally the parents are delighted!

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BACK TO BRIGIDINE

WHERE ARE THEY

Now?

Brittany Lane Class of 2009 After graduating from Brigidine College in 2009, I said goodbye to Sydney, packed up my life and headed to the country to complete a journalism degree at CSU in Bathurst.

Three years of studying later, I graduated and was selected for the Channel Seven internship in Sydney. After four weeks of coffee runs and lengthy unpaid days, the internship turned into paid work and I began my gig as a Field Producer for Seven News. A Field Producer is the bottom of the barrel, no-one-wants-thatshift kind of job. It was 5am starts, door knocking, crime-chasing and countless hours with a cameraman. It was the job that would certainly make or break you in the industry – and was a great eye-opener into the relentless world of journalism.

Ella McCrindle Class of 2016 As I write this article, I am sitting in a Greek Island paradise. The cobblestoned streets are golden with the warm touch of the setting sun and the ocean is as blue as shimmering steel as I lounge on my little balcony overlooking the port of Antiparos. Now this is what a gap year is all about.

As I look back on the past nine months, I am shocked by how much has changed. In this short period of time I have worked four jobs, met my career role model, assistant directed a play and visited over twelve countries, experiencing things I had only ever seen in photographs.

However, I won’t say it’s all been easy.

After the HSC, I found myself terrified when I realised I could do anything I

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After sticking it out for a year, I was lucky enough to land a job as a Beauty Editor for FAMOUS Magazine. This was my Devil Wears Prada moment – and looking back, was definitely the first ‘pinch me’ job in my career. I had just turned 23 and I was editing a whole section of a magazine (6 pages a week!), testing makeup and hair products by day, and attending glamorous parties by night. I interviewed some of the biggest celebrities in the world (Khloe Kardashian was a highlight) and was flown to exotic places. But just like anything in this industry, it was a demanding field and I had to learn how to work under the immense pressures of a weekly publication, juggling photo shoots, pleasing advertisers and writing and editing everything lifestyle for the magazine. Unfortunately, I was caught up in the brunt of the dying print world, and the magazine was axed for a digital-only version.

I began working for News Corp as an online lifestyle editor but after 8 months I knew it was time to enter back into TV land. After continual annoying emails, phone calls, coffee meetings chose for the rest of my life.

The first day after my exams I filled the day cleaning my room from top to bottom, writing resumes, and otherwise distracting myself from the looming reality of adult life. Luckily, this year has given me the time to consider what I really want to achieve.

One of my former Drama teachers, Ms Dianne McDonald (known affectionately by her students as Miss Mac), has been instrumental in helping me discover my

and rejections (you certainly need thick skin in this industry) I was offered an absolute lifeline: TV reporter for Sky News Australia. The catch? It was in Brisbane.

So I packed up my bags, and off I went.

So here I am now; 25 and living in the sunshine state as TV Reporter for Sky News and Fox Sports. Reporting is an exciting, fun, exhausting, crazy and rewarding job. It’s unpredictable, extremely impulsive and high pressure with the stress of live (unscripted!) television. There’s certainly a theatrical element to reporting – you’re telling a story, captivating an audience, and presenting without any autocue or script.

Thankfully, all of those lessons spent at school in the drama room taught me so many fundamental skills I’m SO grateful for.

If I could give any advice to students wanting to get into this industry; it would be that nothing comes easy, be nice to EVERYONE, hard work always gets noticed, network as much as possible, and, with timing on your side, you’ll get where you want to be.

ambition to pursue a career in theatre.

Not only did she invite me to assist her in directing the 2017 Year 11 Play, Animal Farm, but she organised a meeting with Artistic Director and resident genius of the Sydney Theatre Company, Kip Williams (not his formal title of course).

That’s what has truly amazed me about Brigidine. I had graduated and officially moved out into the adult world, yet all of the staff continued to care as if I was still enrolled.

Fortunately, these experiences as well as the travels I’ve had so far haven’t just drained me of thousands of dollars.

They have imbued me with direction.

I am currently enrolled to start a combined degree of Law and Media Communications in 2018. I suppose I don’t have to worry too much about that yet. I’ve just booked a flight to Africa.

BACK TO BRIGIDINE

Stephanie Bendixsen Class of 2002 I came to Brigidine later in my schooling life. I found myself arriving at Brigidine in Year 9, hoping to be admitted. I sat down with the school’s Principal at the time, John Bowie – who told me that he was not interested in taking on anyone who would bring disrespect to the school. But he also told me that as a Christian, he believed in forgiveness, and that I deserved a second chance.

“

It was at Brigidine that I was finally able to embrace my passion for the arts

”

I don’t think I fully understood the gravity of his decision at the time – but as I look back at my time at Brigidine, it seemed as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

It was at Brigidine that I was finally able to embrace my passion for the arts. It was where I finally encountered teachers that helped me find and celebrate my strengths, rather than

Alumni Update During the last five years Wendy Baxter has organised reunions, updated contact details, planned events and put possibly hundreds of people in touch with each other.

Wendy began her involvement with Brigidine College when her daughter, Andree, began here as a student, completing her education in 2000 as the College Captain. Wendy and her husband, John, were great supporters of the College as parents and were generously active in the P&F during their time. Wendy continued her involvement when she was engaged as the Alumni Coordinator in 2011 looking after so many Alumni, particularly our Pioneers.

We will certainly miss her but hope she will return to enjoy some events without having to organise them!

single out my weaknesses – Mrs Boyd, Miss McDonald I still think of you often.

And Mr Fitzgerald – who even offered to help me at lunch times with my maths when I felt too overwhelmed in class (I’m still rubbish with numbers, I’m afraid!).

After I graduated from Brigidine, I felt a little lost. It truly had become my safe space. Everyday I draw on the lessons I learnt there without even realising it.

I’ve since pursued a career in television, having just left the ABC after seven years presenting on a TV show called Good Game. I’m now presenting on a new TV show with Seven Network that we created and launched earlier this year: a video game and screen culture show called screenPLAY. I’ve also written a series of books for children published by Scholastic Australia, Pixel Raiders.

Now, more than ever, I feel so “grateful for the opportunity to attend a school that recognised my strengths and allowed my creativity to flourish.

”

Now, more than ever, I feel so grateful for the opportunity to attend a school that recognised my strengths and allowed my creativity to flourish.

Brigidine was my ‘second chance’ and without it, I don’t know where I might have ended up. So in truth, it means the world to me, to be a Brigidine Girl.

We now welcome Lisa Foulstone as our new Alumni and Community Relations Coordinator. Lisa has a strong background in events and corporate relations. She also has experience volunteering and managing events at her children’s school. Lisa grew up in the area, so many of our Alumni may already know her. We look forward to introducing her to our past students and staff at Alumni Day this year.

Lisa with Sr Anita at the Year 12 Graduation Dinner in September

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bridg Term 2 2017 Term Dates

TERM 2 COMMENCES:

Term 4

Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday:

TERM 4 ENDS:

Friday 1 December

TERM 3 COMMENCES:

Term 1 Year 7 and New Student Orientation Day:

Easter:

Monday 11 June Friday 29 June

Term 3

2018 Term Dates

TERM 1 COMMENCES:

TERM 2 ENDS:

Tuesday 1 May

Tuesday 30 January Wednesday 31 January

Friday 30 March – Monday 2 April

TERM 1 ENDS:

Friday 13 April

TERM 3 ENDS:

Tuesday 24 July Friday 28 September

Term 4 TERM 4 COMMENCES: TERM 4 ENDS:

Tuesday 16 October Tuesday 4 December

2018 Reunion Dates Class of 1978

Class of 1988

Class of 1998

Class of 2008

Class of 2013

40 Year Reunion

30 Year Reunion

20 Year Reunion

10 Year Reunion

5 Year Reunion

Saturday 20 October

Saturday 20 October

Saturday 20 October

Saturday 20 October

Saturday 20 October

For all Reunion enquiries, contact: Lisa Foulstone at alumni@brigidine.nsw.edu.au