The New Head of Junior School

After 23 years of service at Ivanhoe Girls’, the School can be credited with contributing to my growth as a leader which has ultimately led to my appointment as Head of Junior School this year. After such long service to the School, I am privileged to be in a position to look back with understanding and to look forward with wisdom.

One of my first impressions of the School, when I visited on a hot December day in 1999, was of fearless girls running down the grassy lawns and jumping over a stream made by a hose lying on the ground. I was immediately attracted to this natural, ‘grounded’ play space which enabled students to be themselves. While environmental changes have altered the way we play with water these days, the Junior School continues to provide play spaces that nurture curiosity and joy. I also have strong memories of the photos of past Junior School musicals on the wall in Amos House; I remember being struck by the rich and diverse co-curricular programs on offer. Our recent Arts Festival was a testament to the School’s continued focus on providing high-quality arts experiences. I also recall being deeply moved by my very first Junior School Church Service in which the choristers sang so beautifully. These early memories were formative and remind me of the things that must be nurtured. We will be sure to retain these excellent traditions. A home-grown leader can have many benefits. Over my many years at the school, I have had the privilege of witnessing and actively supporting numerous whole school transformations from start to finish. I have been actively involved in the important transformation of buildings, three uniform changes and many pedagogical and technological advances. I look back with nostalgia on the old yellow and brown uniforms, but the new uniform is vibrant and according to the students, it is very comfortable. In 2010, The Cooerwull Centre and the Hillsley Visual Arts and Hospitality Complex transformed the Junior School Library and Visual Art learning spaces – I recollect that in my first year of teaching Prep, prior to those renovations taking place, I could only send half of my class at a time to Art lessons as the art ‘shed’ was too small for my whole class to attend all together. The Sharwood House renovation back in 2011 was impressive as the old outdoor ‘red square’ was replaced by the wonderful indoor Sharwood Atrium, where the whole of Junior School can gather indoors and enjoy a cool or dry space on any day of the year. I look forward to further changes and developments to come, including the construction of a large roof over the Junior School tennis courts which will enable physical activity to take place outside every day of the year, whatever the weather. I have appreciated and enjoyed many rich learning opportunities in my various teaching and leadership roles in the Junior School. Starting as a Prep teacher 23 years ago, I happily embraced the rapidly changing technologies available to teachers to make learning more engaging and accessible and I was an advocate for new teaching practices which were emerging from contemporary research. After gaining a wealth of experience in my first 10 years of teaching, I was placed in good stead to take on the Deputy Head of Junior School role (now 13 years ago). In that position, I helped lead the way with the introduction of interactive whiteboards and iPads to the Junior School.