SCIENCE

2022 was another rewarding and challenging year. We returned to school, receiving the news that the 2021 cohort had performed exceptionally well in their final exams. Other successes followed, including Oscar Brown’s selection in the Australian Asian Olympiad Team for Physics and Flora Dong being invited to attend the Junior Science Olympiad Team selection camp. We again performed very strongly in the ANU’s Brain Bee Competition, placing first in the team and second in the individual events. Credit is due here to Janette Soper, who has given countless hours over many years to selecting and preparing students for the opportunity to participate in this competition.

Staff have continued to engage in many professional development opportunities during the year. This will be important again next year as we migrate IT platforms and systems. Work has begun to align our junior curriculum more closely with the requirements of the MYP, which will continue over the coming years.

Staffing and facilities continue to present challenges as the rapid growth in class numbers outstrips the ability to increase capacity at the same rate. Staffing was a significant issue during the year with the unanticipated movement of several staff, often at short notice, that left classes without allocated teachers for periods of time. This is an issue facing all schools locally and nationally, especially over recent years. This placed a heavy burden on many, and we are grateful for the members of the Department, especially Assistant Head of Department Janette Soper, who helped provide cover and continuity as best as we could for our students. The outlook for 2023 is positive, with a number of excellent staff joining us through the year and more talented individuals who will begin at the start of next year.

The growth in numbers over recent years has created issues concerning the number of teaching laboratories available. There are a number of lines on the 2023 timetable that have 16 science/agriculture classes at one time, with only 12 laboratories within the Department. In addition, the need for a large staffroom to accommodate the whole science staff continues to be a pressing concern. These are expensive and long-term issues but must be addressed if the opportunities for our students are to align with our aspirations for them.

Geography

Academic programme

Geography continued to evolve and make significant, innovative contributions to the academic success at CGS in 2022.

• Students undertook HSC, IB Geography and ESS in substantial ongoing numbers.

• Year 8, 9, and 10 Global Studies elective course was also popular choice.

In 2022, there were three areas of focus for the department:

Goal 1: Reflective practice:

To create consistent online feedback forms for classes that teachers can use to inform future directions in curriculum and improve student outcomes. This was a focus of three hours CPL in Term 3 and was linked to CGS Learning and Teaching Framework: Focussed and Formative.

Goal 2: Online rubrics for assessment:

To develop collaboratively effective and efficient online marking rubrics to aid in continuous assessment, improved release of marks (consistency) and record keeping. This was the most consistently focused goal throughout the year, with a dedicated CPL focus and the link to CGS Learning and Teaching Framework was: Structured and Resourced.

Goal 3: Task talk :

To create an allocated time for team teachers to discuss assessment tasks, create detailed and clear marking criteria and examples and then discuss feedback once the task is marked. The link to CGS Learning and Teaching Framework was: Focused and Formative.

Australian Geography Competition:

CGS maintained a strong presence in the AGC and held its number one position in the Australian Territories for the 23rd consecutive year! The following students gained First place in the combined territories: Christopher Taudevin (Year 9), Jessica Li (Year 10), Thomas Lin (Year 11), and William Truman (Year 12).

Thomas Lin and Nivedita Gawarikar (Year 11) represented the ACT at the Australian Geography Fieldwork week in Darwin. Thomas was further selected as a member of the Australian team, which will compete in Bandung, Indonesia, at the 2023 International Geography Olympiad. This is the second consecutive year we have had a student from CGS chosen for the Australian team.

Fieldwork

Fieldwork continues to be the backbone of the geography curriculum. It is a crucial part of every student’s experience at CGS, and we as a department take great care, effort and time to make these experiences valuable. This year there was a combination of virtual and ‘real’ fieldwork opportunities. We trialled fieldwork to Tidbinbilla for Year 8 instead of the Broulee fieldwork to work within COVID demands. This was a great success and allowed staff to try new methodologies. The Year 11 Geography Thredbo trip (a datacollecting field trip linked to the Internal assessment) continues to develop students’ fieldwork confidence. It has led to excellent results for the IB students and further encourages strong relationships amongst the cohort. In 2023, we hope to develop exciting curriculum opportunities for our Senior HSC students.

Global Studies Programme

The contemporary interdisciplinary course (Global Studies) has continued to be a great success, with four classes in Year 8, two classes in Year 9 and two in Year 10. Student feedback has been outstandingly positive.

Sustainability

This year Carol Pogson and Sidsel Farrimond took the opportunity to lead and assist students in the Sustainability club. Sustainability is a theme throughout the Geography and Global Studies curriculum, and the connection between the two has benefited our students.

Staffing

The department welcomed Sarah Lim. Sarah brought an enthusiasm for Geographic thinking. She balanced her teaching with beginning the work required for the TQI - Highly Accomplished. Helen Sutherland also began upgrading her qualifications to Experienced teacher through the ISTTA process. Patrick Curtin became a father for the first time and continues to be a strong support for Hay House as the Assistant Head of Student House.

All staff continue to be dedicated to exploring new technologies, pedagogy, and fieldwork. The Geography department is an environment that encourages, supports, and motivates one another and, ultimately, our students.

We look forward to welcoming two new members to the department in 2023.