huddle
St Aidan’s S T A IDA N’ S C RO S S C Ohuddle UN TIRY 201 2 june 2012 19 3
huddle I december 2012
DECEMBER I 2012
contents
St Aidan’s Front Cover Year 5 Art Class exploring the nature of bubbles
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huddle I december 2012
Leadership
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Academics
9
Kindergarten
11
Junior School
15
Senior School
17
Sport
31
Community
37
Alumni
42
Faith
53
Disclaimer The Editors have gone to great efforts to ensure the accuracy of the information compiled in this publication but can accept no responsibilty for inaccuracies or omissions. Although the Editors support the right of expression by members of the student body and other writers, we wish to make it clear that the views expressed by individual authors are not necessarily those held by the Editors or St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School, Corinda.
from the principal “A single sex girls’ school may not be for every young woman. Just those who want to one day rule our city, state and the world”. Tom Hanks wrote this in the forward to Learning Like a Girl: Educating Our Daughters in Schools of Their Own (Diana Meehan, 2007). In the book, Meehan asserts that, “What’s good about girls’ schools is that they are totally and exclusively dedicated to girls. The research about how girls learn urges us to find a place they can “own”, which only occurs in single-sex space; where their values, community, connection are honoured; and where their ways of knowing are respected and their hearts engaged”.
Karen Spiller Principal
She continues, “This kind of school provides an antidote to a female adolescent culture found to value cars, clothes and boys and gives our daughters a little longer to be plain unadorned kids”.
2013 LEADERS
Girls’ schools are ideally positioned to educate, inspire and nurture the girls of
SCHOOL CAPTAIN: Sophie Dunn
today, who will be the leaders of tomorrow. I truly believe that at St Aidan’s we have an authentic culture where relationships are paramount. One parent of a Junior School girl recently commented to me: “The fact that girls from Years 8 to 12 took the time to speak to her during the last couple of days of the week really demonstrates a well-established sense of community spirit, and we feel is a marvellous reflection of the hard work and diligence of the staff.” We know girls; we know that they need to feel safe in a space where they can take risks and learn who they are. Every day at St Aidan’s, our girls have the opportunity to experience leadership
VICE CAPTAIN: Claudia Leggett PREFECTS: Nicole Ashton-Brooks Hannah Dillman Sophie Dunn Shona Gibson Victoria King Claudia Leggett Jemma McNaughton Amy O’Connor Harriet Smith Georgia Starky Yadanar Tut Lydia Wardale
some aspects of the curriculum which assist in this evolution.
SACRISTANS: Bronte Prowse Jacqueline Vuong
SPORTS CAPTAINS: Amy Morssinkhof Christabelle Stafford-Smith
and explore their talents. This edition of the Huddle provides a small glimpse of
Karen Spiller
DEBATING CAPTAINS: Francesca Leonard Amy O’Connor MUSIC CAPTAINS: Amy Holley Jessie Woods
huddle I december 2012 2
Leadership - 2013 Leaders
Sophie Dunn
School Captain Sophie Dunn How did you feel when it was announced you were the 2013 School Captain? I was really overwhelmed as it all happened so quickly, but it gave me a new perspective on how people saw me as a leader and it gave me so much confidence. I feel so honoured to be representing the School next year alongside Claudia (Leggett) and the rest of the Year 12 cohort.
2013 LEADERS HOUSE CO-CAPTAINS: Austen Rachael Lewis Helena Sawyer Barrett Celene Pretorius Tallulah Smith Bronte Rachel Haffenden Ella Levison Cavell Irene Mengel Eilish Smith Hartland Antoinette Fielding Urvi Patel Nightingale Rebecca Fletcher Alexandra Thompson ATHLETICS Jayde Mavrik Jade Dowling BADMINTON Sophie Boyle Clare Voroteliak BASKETBALL Hannah Dillman CROSS COUNTRY Jade Dowling Shona Gibson GYMNASTICS Kirsty Neucom EQUESTRIAN Shaya McAdam Marnie Woodhead
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huddle I december 2012
What do you want to achieve as School Captain? Claudia and I both have a very strong passion for the School and we want every girl to feel what we feel about St Aidan’s. We want to inspire, encourage and motivate the girls and showcase the wonderful opportunities St Aidan’s gives us. We want the girls to open their minds to the realisation that school is where you learn from your mistakes; find out who you are, what you don’t like and what you do like, so that every student can make the most of the opportunities afforded by being a part of St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School. What extra-curricular activities are you involved in? I really enjoy The Arts and being on stage. I am involved in The 17 Chamber Choir as well as the Chorale and have taken part in the Brisbane Boys’ College and St Aidan’s musical, Into the Woods, along with the BBC and St Aidan’s production, The Odyssey. I have also been a part of softball, athletics, touch football and netball teams, which I have thoroughly enjoyed. Best thing about being a St Aidan’s girl? There is so much support behind every girl. As the community is quite small a very strong bond has been established between everyone creating a sense of family as everyone is recognised and acknowledged for their achievements no matter how big or small they may be. There is such a strong sense of belonging at St Aidan’s and I think that is why I love being a student here. Most memorable moment so far? It would have to be Year 9 camp. It was one of the most physically and mentally challenging things I have ever done, but in saying that, one of the most rewarding. It was a great experience where I learnt not only a lot about myself but about the girls in my cohort. Even though we were all exhausted we all pulled together and supported each other, no one complained and everyone became so much closer. Has a particular teacher acted as a mentor to you? My Year Level Co-ordinator and Maths teacher, Ms Coleman, has been a great guide for me. She has been in charge of our year level since Year 8 and all the girls have become very close to her. Ms Coleman is so organised and pushes us to do our best. She has been the biggest support system for me during my time at school and although she may not realise it I know a lot of the girls really appreciate all the little things that she has done for us. What will you always take with you when you leave St Aidan’s? The fond memories and achievements I have accumulated. I will also take the sense of belonging as well as the strong foundations I have built for myself with the help of the teachers, students and school culture. What are you planning to do after school? I have always been very passionate about working with people; helping them and watching them grow. I have always been quite determined to become a teacher because to me I could not think of a more rewarding job. I am surrounded by so many great teachers who have inspired me and one day I hope I will be able to have that same impact on someone’s life.
Leadership - 2013 Leaders
2013 LEADERS Claudia Leggett
School Vice Captain Claudia Leggett How did you feel when it was announced that you were the 2013 School Vice Captain? In the selection process for senior leaders there was a huge number of girls suitable for the positions of School Captain and Vice Captain, all of whom have the potential to perform the job very well.
2013 LEADERS NETBALL Courtney Otto Amy Morssinkhof ROWING Nicole AshtonBrooks Emily Hodgson
Therefore, it was hard to predict who would be appointed to the pinnacle positions and it was a very happy surprise for my name to be read out as Vice Captain.
FOOTBALL Mia Temperly Alexandra Thompson
I was delighted to have the overwhelming support of our cohort and I am extremely excited for the year ahead. Sophie (Dunn) and I work very well together and I look forward to sharing the journey with her and the rest of the senior cohort.
SOFTBALL Antoinette Fielding
What do you want to achieve as Vice Captain? In 2013, Sophie and I hope to be the most enthusiastic school leaders possible. We hope to inspire younger students to achieve their goals, both academic and extra-curricular. The chosen School theme for next year promotes unity and working to be the best we can be. What extra-curricular activities are you involved in? In my four years at St Aidan’s I have been involved in swimming, cross country, athletics, touch football, rowing, softball, concert band, stage band and chorale. Best thing about being a St Aidan’s girl? The individual care given to each of the girls by the teachers and the strong importance of extra-curricular activities as well as having a balanced life. Most memorable moment so far? Apart from being appointed Vice Captain the most memorable moments at St Aidan’s have been Year 9 camp, performing in the concert band at QPAC and QG Swimming. Has a particular teacher acted as a mentor to you? Our Year Level Co-ordinator, Ms Coleman, has been a spectacular role model and has mentored our cohort fantastically with a particular emphasis on following the rules and punctuality. The School Captain and School Vice Captain of 2012, Kate Pidgeon and Maddy Colquhoun, have been extremely helpful and supportive and have given great advice and have helped Sophie and I to settle into our new responsibilities. Ms Mothershaw is also a big role model in my life at St Aidan’s. She has been my French Horn teacher for four years now and has helped make instrumental music at St Aidan’s the fun and rewarding experience that it is. What will you always take with you when you leave St Aidan’s? Many happy memories of my experiences in the classroom, the sporting field and in the rehearsal rooms. St Aidan’s has been a positive experience that has helped shape the person I am.
SWIMMING Josephine Osborne Tatum Marais TENNIS Lyann Hoang TOUCH FOOTBALL Helena Sawyer Christabelle Stafford-Smith VOLLEYBALL Rachel Haffenden ART Freya McBrearty DUKE OF EDINBURGH Hannah Roberts GLOBAL SHIELD PRESIDENT Jayde Mavrik GLOBAL SHIELD SECRETARY Nathalie Ledlie JUNIOR PRESIDENT/ DIRECTOR Jennifer Leonforte DIRECTORS Peace Laura McMillan Justice India Oswin Sustainability Simran Shah
INTERACT PRESIDENT Kate Rush INTERACT VICE PRESIDENT Lydia Wardale INTERACT SECRETARY Isabel Sinnige INTERACT TREASURER Emily Wallace LIBRARIANS Isabel Sinnige Meera Swaminathan STAGE DANCE Jemma McNaughton Georgina Bartlett TECHNICAL SERVICES Madeleine Stoermer BAND Caitlin Fulcher Jessie Woods CHOIR Celene Pretorius Eilish Smith ENSEMBLE Preethi Pasumarty STRINGS Caitlin Fulcher Louisa Macdonald INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS Huong Vu Pham PUBLIC SPEAKING Irene Mengel
huddle I december 2012 4
Leadership - Churchill Fellowship Principal Karen Spiller’s views on promoting women in the workplace are widely acknowledged. So much so, that in 2011 she was granted a Churchill Fellowship to examine strategies for preparing female leaders for the role of principalship in Australian schools. She recently wrote an article for Independence –the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia’s journal. In the article (printed below in its entirety and with permission from AHISA) Mrs Spiller presented the case for a more targeted approach to be used to support women aspirants of principalships.
Preparing female leaders for the role of principal I have been passionate about encouraging women as leaders in our schools since 2005. When completing annual staff reviews, I was struck by how many able and talented women were not considering promotional positions in the future, citing a number of reasons for this disinclination. In 2006, at a United States National Coalition of Girls’ Schools conference in Boston, I heard women’s issues advocate Marie C. Wilson exhort those attending, as teachers and leaders in schools, to ‘reach back and bring other women forward’. And so started my journey to explore how as a profession and as leaders, both female and male, we can assist our younger female colleagues to prepare for leadership. I am grateful to the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust of Australia for the privilege and opportunity to undertake conversations with inspirational women in the UK and USA and the time to research and consider their wisdom and experience in a bid to increase the number of women applying successfully to be Principals of Australian schools. It is these conversations that inform this article. Change imperatives So what is the issue really and why should we be concerned? In spite of what has been termed the ‘feminisation’ of the teaching profession generally, the relative proportion of women in school leadership positions remains low. For example, the Staff in Australia’s Schools 2010 survey (McKenzie et al 2011) showed that 5
huddle I december 2012
while 21 per cent of primary teachers in independent schools were men, they held 45 per cent of leadership roles. At secondary level, 55 per cent of teachers in independent schools were women yet only 29 per cent held leadership positions. The imbalance occurs across all school sectors – government, Catholic and independent. This leadership disparity not only warns of a severe narrowing of women’s career opportunities, it represents a critical shrinking of the leadership talent pool at a time when many Principals are reaching retiring age (Milburn 2012). Research in the UK identified that ‘the data on the gender of senior leaders and head teachers suggests that increasing the number of female Heads to reflect the proportion of females currently at Deputy level would generate a further 330 potential Heads a year’ (reported in Maunder & Warren 2008). Barriers to leadership According to a recent survey of 842 Australian business professionals (Sanders et al 2011), the biggest threat to female advancement is that senior leaders are more likely to promote someone with similar leadership styles to their own. Sixty per cent of all study participants and 78 per cent of women participants felt that ‘style’ differences – gender specific approaches to management situations and issues – were an obstacle to women’s career advancement.
Leadership - Churchill Fellowship The survey also found that men were more likely to appoint or promote someone with a style similar to their own (90 per cent) and women undersold their experience and capabilities (79 per cent).
•
Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick (Broderick 2011) identifies three barriers that impede gender equality and the equal representation of women in senior leadership: belief barriers; cultural barriers; and structural barriers. These, she says, require systemic intervention.
Australia is pursuing a number of strategies to support an increase in the number of women moving into CEO and board roles, and there are some programs centred on the principalship, which appear to be mostly based on state or system initiatives. Many of these policy initiatives are at risk of being diluted by the view of some that affirmative action has solved the ‘problem’ for women and through being replaced by blander ‘family friendly’ initiatives.
A report on women in leadership in Australia (MINCO 2004) found barriers included constraints of traditional gender roles, social attitudes, the balance of work, family and lifestyle, male and female leadership styles and cultural and skills recognition.
other women, “ For career advancement
All agencies agree that the problem is not the lack of female talent, but the leaky pipeline whereby women drop out at senior levels in disproportionate numbers. A review of the research literature shows a number of factors contributing to the deselection process, including: •
•
•
•
Many women report that they are so busy with their current job and home responsibilities that they cannot imagine spare capacity to prepare for a more significant leadership role.
Some women are plagued by self doubt and a lack of confidence. They underestimate their own capacity for the position because they have unrealistically high expectations of the level of skills and experience needed, or they lack the confidence to articulate their own achievements and desire for career advancement. For other women, career advancement and ambition are viewed as selfish and indulgent and, of great importance, risk the safety and sanity of their home life (that is, their partner and children). Women who ‘off-ramp’ (to raise their children and care for family members) are often disadvantaged on their return to work. The challenge of quality and affordable childcare and the ‘work-life balance’ challenge, together with inflexible workplaces and practices, reduce many women’s appetite and ability to focus on a career.
and ambition are viewed as selfish and indulgent and, of great impor tance ...
”
Challenges for aspiring Principals The challenges facing women aspiring to headship of Australian schools can be considered as internal (pertaining to their own agency or control) and external (especially with regard to structural impediments), including: •
Externally, the issue of homosocial boards and, to some extent, the bias of placement firms are major obstacles to the appointment of well qualified and able female candidates.
•
Some women choose to limit their career aspirations on the basis that they believe their family life and/or partnership may be threatened by the longer hours and commitment they view the role requires. This is often disguised and wrapped in the blanket term of ‘work-life balance’. The telling anecdote that large numbers of women Principals are single and often without children or dependent children, as opposed to their male colleagues, suggests something about the choices that men and women are
making with respect to leadership. •
Additionally, women are often limited (or limit themselves) in their ability to relocate and hence apply for Principal roles in provincial or country settings – roles that are often more accessible to first-time Principals.
Solutions to such challenges must be addressed systemically. An example of this would be government programs for childcare to broaden the work and career opportunities of both men and women. There is certainly an argument to be made that the Australian Stock Exchange Governance Council’s introduction of gender metrics reporting could be used as a model for school reporting both on the My School website and in school annual reports. A UK report on women on boards (Sealy et al 2011) identifies the need to make transparent the appointment process of board members of corporations. Perhaps this should also be considered for appointment not only to school boards but also to school leadership positions. Anecdotal evidence suggests there is a strong correlation between the number of women on school boards and the appointment of women Principals. There may even be the need to consider offering the Principal role in a job share structure. There are numerous benefits of this format, especially in the opportunity to share the leadership and to utilise different skill sets within the partnership. Equally, the job share could be utilised as a form of internship, as one less experienced partner is phased into the role. Such a reconception of the role would require a shift in the mindsets of many board members and probably school community members, but certainly has the potential to offer a viable alternative leadership format. Preparation and planning To better prepare for the role of Principal in Australian schools women must consider opportunities offered by personal agency and preparedness and by systematic and strategic planning. Aspirants to the role of Principal, as for the leader of any organisation, need to ensure huddle I december 2012 6
Leadership - Churchill Fellowship
that they have the requisite experiences and qualifications to position them for the role. This remains the same for both women and men. Women, especially those considering the need to ‘off-ramp’ in the future, need to do this overtly and with great care. They need to choose carefully their study program, the courses and conferences they attend and contribute to and the committees they join. Positioning is key, and this is not just in terms of amassing experience and credibility but also in accumulating contacts and networks. Career planning and planning with ambition are crucial. Not setting the ceiling of expectation about where one’s career might go because of an intention to have children in 10 years’ time – ‘not leaving the table before you leave the table’ – is vital. This cannot be emphasised enough for young women of all careers and aspirations. Some describe this as ‘front loading’, that is, making the heavy duty professional progress prior to ‘off-ramping’. More experienced leaders, women and men, must exhort our talented young women to ‘lean into their career’. In the language of Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, this leaning in involves sitting at the table confidently and making sure that each opportunity for career progression and experience is taken. Career planning must extend to finding strong mentors. Mentors can assist in making sense of the world around you, especially in career planning, and also in terms of opening the doors to membership of organisations or groups that are important professionally. Women must ‘reach back and bring other women forward’, and use the ‘old boys’ club’ format to create networks for women. Ideally, the mentors should challenge the ceiling set by the aspirant and also assist her in becoming more comfortable with the ‘taboos’ of money, power, ambition and failure. Options for action It must be acknowledged that at present both formal and informal networks exist in some professional associations to mentor aspirant women leaders in schools. The question is, how can this be formalised and made 7
huddle I december 2012
universal?
One strategy might be to include in Principals’ reviews and school operational plans, the requirement to report on mentoring of colleagues (and of women and people of diversity, in particular). One of the five professional practices articulated in the National Professional Standard for Principals (AITSL 2011) is ‘developing self and others’. It should become a requirement of this Standard that current Principals report on their efforts to encourage, mentor and support women into school leadership and, specifically, principalship. Women’s networks can offer social occasions and conferences to allow high-profile women in the industry or other public domains to speak candidly of their story, to tell of their challenges in dealing with the taboos. Such safe spaces are vital for all women and aspirants in particular, to explore their own challenges and learn from and invigorate each other. There is strong evidence to support the value of women-only leadership development courses. These provide the opportunity to demystify the role of Principal and the appointment process and provide opportunities to develop specific skills for the role. Without men in the group women are more likely to: •
Address doubts about the role and their ability to fulfil it
• Hear from successful women role models • Appreciate that others have similar concerns •
Identify real and practical ideas to overcome self doubt
• Reflect and learn in a supportive atmosphere •
Access peer support and build effective networks
• Recognise their potential and develop ways to communicate these (Maunder and Warren 2008).
There is a case for organisations such as Principals Australia Institute, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) and state-based agencies such as the Queensland Education Leadership Institute (QELI) to offer a course for women only that assists women to work towards the National Professional Standard for Principals and to devise a career plan.Such a course could be tailored to include and support women of diversity, especially Indigenous women. Teacher training courses at universities should accept some responsibility for identifying talented and high achieving female students to be mentored and encouraged by women currently in leadership roles. Providing networking opportunities early can highlight the importance of career planning and future networking, to allow young women to understand the potential obstacles in front of them and commence planning for and around them. An association for women teachers in training could be formed to take this forward. Wilson (2004) and Lacey (2004) identify that women need to be mentored and encouraged to apply for leadership: more often than not women focus on the obstacles to their ability to lead, and many women will not consider leadership roles until someone suggests it to them. This suggests that women already in leadership roles must become more purposeful about recommending and sponsoring other women. We must mirror the strength and effectiveness of the male networking model and ensure that our talented women are not only encouraged and mentored, but spoken about when important jobs or assignments are being allocated. What will be key, of course, is the support of male Heads and school boards in providing support for aspiring women. Recent research highlights the importance of engaging men in diversity initiatives, and it is vital that the power and position of male Principals are tapped. The reality is that, while many school boards are still dominated by male businessmen, having a high-profile, successful male Head as a sponsor will
Leadership - Churchill Fellowship
provide additional credibility to an application and career plan. Assuming that women have the skills and experiences from their foundational learning and time on the job, educational programs, study and other professional learning, the issue is two-fold: how can we encourage women in greater numbers to apply for leadership roles; and, more importantly, how can we ensure that talented and experienced women receive the appointments they deserve? There is much for us all to do. Karen Spiller was granted a Churchill Fellowship in 2011 to examine strategies for preparing female leaders for the role of principalship in Australian schools. Her full report to the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust of Australia is available at http://churchilltrust.com.au/site_media/ fellows/2011_Spiller_Karen.pdf
REFERENCES Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) (2011) National Professional Standard for Principals. Accessed at www.aitsl.edu.au/verve/_resources/ NationalProfessionalStandardForPrincipals_July25.pdf. Broderick, E. (2011) Getting on board: Quotas and gender equality. Speech delivered to Gender Matters – Third Women on Boards Conference, Sydney, 29 April 2011. Commonwealth, State and Territories Ministerial Conference on the Status of Women (MINCO) (2004) Women in leadership: National report 2003-04. Accessed at http://www.communities. qld.gov.au/resources/women/resources/womeninleadership/leadership-report.pdf. Lacey, K. (2004) Women in teaching: Factors that impact on their leadership aspirations. IARTV (CSE) Seminar Series, No 131. McKenzie, P., Rowley, G., Weldon, P. and Murphy, M. (2011) Staff in Australia’s Schools 2010: Main report on the survey. Melbourne: ACER. Accessed at http://www.deewr.gov.au/ Schooling/Documents/SiASMainReport.pdf. Maunder, M. and Warren, E. (2008) Women in headship. National Association of Head Teachers feature, 5 March 2008. Accessed at http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/ comment/magazines/features/womeninheadship/ Milburn, C. (2012) Search widens for a new generation of leaders. The Age, 30 April 2012. Accessed at http://www.theage.com.au/national/ education/search-widens-for-a-newgeneration-of-leaders20120427-1xq1b.html. Sanders, M., Hrdlicka, J., Hellicar, M., Cottrell, D. and Knox, J. (2011) What stops women from reaching the top? Confronting the tough issues. Bain & Company Inc. Accessed at http://www.bain.com/Images/BAIN_BRIEF_ What_stops_women_from_reaching_the_top.pdf. Sealy, R., Doldor, E., Singh, V. and Vinnicombe, S. (2011) Women on boards: 6 month monitoring report. Cranfield University School of Management. Accessed at http://www. bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/business-law/docs/w/11-p124women-on-boards-6-month-monitoringoctober-2011.pdf. Wilson, M.C. (2004) Closing the leadership gap: Why women can and must help run the world. New York: Viking.
in conversation As part of her Churchill Fellowship, Karen Spiller had the opportunity to talk with women in the United States and the United Kingdom who were expanding opportunities for women to take up leadership roles. Women leaders must hold up the mirror to themselves. If women aren’t succeeding in your organisation, you are part of this by omission or commission. So what are the conversations you need to have to move the careers of women in your organisation forward? What are the context shifts that need to happen in your world that will create the breakthrough? Women’s equality has to be owned by men. Male CEOs are the critical differentiators; they can give legitimacy to the cause. Rayona Sharpnack, Founder, Institute for Women’s Leadership, San Francisco Many men start looking for their next opportunity the minute they enter the workforce. Women still believe in a linear path – ‘If I work hard and am good at my job I will get a promotion’ – so are less likely to talk themselves up among their colleagues. Professor Kathryn Kolbert, Director of Leadership Studies, Athena Centre for Leadership Studies, Barnard College, New York What we need is sponsorship, that is, sponsors (men and women) who talk about us when we are not in the room. Men do this almost automatically: ‘Oh, you should consider John for the next job, he’s been doing some great work lately’. This is an area where women’s support is useful but that of powerful men in high places, those with influence and the respect of the decision makers, is vital. Marie C. Wilson, Founder and President Emeritus, The White House Project, New York It is ironic that the gender known as the ‘nurturer’ of others seems less capable or unwilling to reach out to each other and network, mentor or seek mentors as naturally and eagerly as do men. Professional organisations need to promote a persona of leadership in the profession that focuses on ability, preparation and experience rather than gender. Dr Sandra Lee Gupton, Professor of Educational Leadership, University of North Florida, Jacksonville Often women are more driven by the common good than ambition for themselves, and this can impede their progress. Governor (board) training is vital. The single biggest issue in the appointment of women is the gatekeepers who are mindful to appoint in their own image. Dr Marianne Coleman, Emeritus Reader in Educational Leadership and Management, Institute of Education, University of London huddle I december 2012 8
Academic- NAPLAN
St Aidan’s students take top NAPLAN honours Year 5 best in Queensland St Aidan’s Year 5 students have officially been crowned the best overall academic year level in Queensland. By taking top marks in the 2012 NAPLAN testing, the Year 5 students are continuing to prove the School is one of the country’s leaders in the education of young girls. Principal Karen Spiller was extremely proud of the result, but emphasised all St Aidan’s year groups tested well above the State and National averages in all five areas: Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar/Punctuation and Numeracy – since the inception of the national assessments. The St Aidan’s Year 9 cohort was also ranked in the Top 15 schools in Queensland. “It is pleasing to see our students have been recognised for their outstanding results, however what is more pleasing is to see our application of the curriculum and programs we have in place are producing the results we expected,” Ms Spiller said.
“The way our teachers work with students and parents to plan and cater to the individual needs of students is a real strength of St Aidan’s. “These strong results are a reflection of both the quality teaching and learning opportunities provided at St Aidan’s and the diligent work done by our staff, students and parents in maintaining a focus on literacy and numeracy.” It is important to note there is an average age difference of between six and twelve months in Years 7 to 9 for Queensland students compared with school children from other parts of Australia. 9 huddle I december 2012
Mrs Spiller said the 2012 results were expected due to the fact many of the individual results last year showed a significant proportion of students equaling the highest scores in Queensland on one or more each of the sub-tests. However, she cautioned that while NAPLAN data was a useful diagnostic tool, schools needed to be mindful that it was only one set of results, taken at one point in time throughout the school year. “Our focus at St Aidan’s continues to be on all areas of our students’ education. It is just as important to support and encourage our girls in the sporting and extra-curricular fields as well as having a strong pastoral care program that emphasises the need to have a well-rounded education that doesn’t focus solely on academic results,” Mrs Spiller said.
“We celebrate all of our successes at St Aidan’s.” This first look at the national assessments for 2012 – now in its fifth year – gives information about students’ achievements in literacy and numeracy. It is also a good way of identifying parts of the curriculum individual students are struggling with therefore giving teachers and schools the chance to implement programs to help. The success of these programs can then be tracked via results in two and four-year intervals. The following tables give a class-by-class breakdown on this year’s NAPLAN results. The full report and individual school information will be published on the next version of the MySchool website early next year.
Academic- NAPLAN
NAPLAN Results for 2012 Percentage of students above national benchmark Year 3 Year 5 Year 7 Year 9
Writing 100% 100% 100% 97%
Reading 100% 100% 98% 100%
Spelling 100% 100% 100% 99%
Numeracy 100% 100% 100% 100%
Grammar and Punctuation 100% 100% 100% 100%
Reading Average
Year 3
Year 5
Year 7
Year 9
St Aidan’s 471 574 576 631 State 408 480 532 567 National 419.3 493.2 541.3 574.5
Writing Average
Year 3
Year 5
Year 7
Year 9
St Aidan’s 426 539 551 615 State 403 457 512 539 National 415.4 476.5 517.9 553.3
Spelling Average
Year 3
Year 5
Year 7
Year 9
St Aidan’s 430 537 566 610 State 398 479 534 571 National 413.9 494.3 543.1 576.6
Grammar & Punctuation Average
Year 3
Year 5
Year 7
Year 9
St Aidan’s 475 628 584 633 State 411 477 540 570 National 423.6 490.5 545.9 572.8
Numeracy Average
Year 3
Year 5
Year 7
Year 9
St Aidan’s 426 562 561 618 State 381 476 532 575 National 395.1 488.4 537.9 584
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Kindergarten - active learning
11 huddle I december 2012
K i n d e r g-acreating r t e n - a cat iliving v e l e bridge arning Alumni
No two days at St Aidan’s Kindergarten are the same. Making movies, singing songs,conversing in Japanese – it’s all in a day’s work (and play).
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Kindergarten - active learning
Children drive curriculum Active learning all part of a day’s work
At St Aidan’s Kindergarten, the children’s interests drive the curriculum with a strong focus on technology, communication, music and language learning. The morning routine starts with choosing the correct day of the week on the kindergarten calendar. “On Wednesday we have the full suite of specialist lessons. For the first lesson Ms Jeanes-Fraser, the Physical Education specialist teacher, rotates through small groups in a tailor-made program. This is followed by a trip to the Junior School Library for a specialist library lesson, and then it is back to our kindergarten room for a 20-minute Every Day Music lesson with Dr Cuskelly. Before lunch, we squeeze in an Every Day Language lesson with Sensei. The children love Wednesday and fly from one activity to the next,” St Aidan’s Kindergarten teacher Shaleen Prowse said. Every Day Music sessions are offered daily for 20 minutes. The children explore active learning (a key focus of the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline, 2010) and playfully explore ways to be imaginative and creative. While such a framework for teaching and learning is predicated upon the child’s experience and enjoyment of music, this pedagogical approach also promotes skill development, personal and social confidence, academic and conceptual scaffolding, and group cohesion. The Every Day Language Program has been designed and implemented based on best practice in early years’ second language learning. It has long been cited that young children have a greater capacity for second language acquisition and learning, compared to adults (Perani et al, 1998). There has also been a renewed commentary in modern media on bilingualism and the many benefits (socially, cognitively, economically, etc) that children can reap if encouraged to learn more than their mother tongue.
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There is also a strong focus on technology within the Junior School, particularly within the kindergarten. For example, the children use one of the iPads on offer to film short movies and shoot images throughout the year. They also know how to use the editing software iMovie. These skills were brought to the fore this year when the children and teachers gathered for collaborative planning time to discuss ideas for a Father’s Day gift. This led to a discussion about the day, including the types of gifts and presents dads might like to receive. The group discussed the different ways Father’s Day was celebrated – trips to the park, barbeques with family and for some, a special breakfast in bed for their dad. The class eventually concluded that Father’s Day could be celebrated at the kindergarten. One of the students, Claire, suggested the children use the iPads and act as ‘a ‘cameraperson’ to produce a DVD that showcased what they had done in the kindergarten over the past eight months. “Then we could have the dads in and have a movie night and show them our DVD,” Claire said. Together, the teachers and students started planning what would appear on the DVD. In this instance, the children demonstrated that they were connected with, and making contributions, to their world (Early Years Learning Framework, 2009). Furthermore, these discussions developed the children’s skills in connecting and relating to others (Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline, 2010). “This collaborative planning was an active example of the children having a strong sense of identity within the kindergarten setting,” Mrs Prowse said. “The children make choices about their learning direction and through this, develop confidence in themselves as learners.”
The children were also provided with opportunities to tell stories and explore narrative structure within a media environment. “As a group we discussed the need to gain dad’s permission to film him. This was an example of being an informed and active citizen, an important component of the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (2008),” Mrs Prowse said. “The children then designed a permission slip for their dads to sign. By colouring a happy or a sad face, each father identified his permission to be filmed. This simple act helped the children identify the importance of gaining permission to use images in media production.” Mrs Prowse said the St Aidan’s Kindergarten teachers participated as co-players, mentors and meddlers – often swapping between the many roles. “We believe it is part of our teaching responsibility to begin conversations with young children so that they might be able to act and listen with moral and ethical integrity,” she said.
Kindergarten is only the first step of the educational journey of St Aidan’s students. As the students move through the early years (Kindergarten to Year 2) in the high performing Junior School they continue to have opportunities with specialised teachers in Science, Music, Languages and Physical Education. As students move into the upper levels of the Junior School these opportunities extend to the use of dedicated science laboratories and the inclusion in extra-curricular activities such as the Andrews Cup sporting competitions. “At St Aidan’s we believe it is a part of our teaching responsibility to begin conversations with our young children so that they might be able to act and listen with moral and ethical integrity,” Mrs Prowse said.
“We aim to do this through providing our young children agency, choice and independent lifelong learning skills.”
References Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2009). Shape of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts. Sydney, NSW Australia: ACARA. Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2011). The Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages. Sydney, NSW Australia: ACARA. Department of Education,Employment and Workplace Relations for the Council of Australian Governments (2009). Belonging, being & becoming: (electronic resource) : the early years learning framework for Australia. Canberra, ACT Australia: Australian Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Retrieved from http://www.deewr.gov.au/ EarlyChildhood/Policy_Agenda/Quality/Documents/Final%20 EYLF%20Framework Doidge, N. (2007). The brain that changes itself. Carlton North, Victoria Australia: Scribe Publications. Gage, F. H. (2003). Brain, repair yourself. Scientific America, 289(3), 87-95. Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) (2005). National Languages Education in Australian Schools: National Plan for Languages Education in Australian Schools 2005-2008. Adelaide, South Australia: Australia: DECS. Perani, D., Paulesu, E., Galles, N. S., Dupox, E., Dehaene, S., Bettinardi, V., . . . Mehler, J. (1998). The bilingual brain: Proficiency and age of acquisition of the second language. Brain, 121(2), 1841-152. Retrieved from http://brain. oxfordjournals.org/content/121/10/1841.full.pdf Sacks, O. (2006). The Power of Music. Brain, 129(10), 25282532. The State of Queensland (2010). Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline. Brisbane, Queensland Australia: Queensland Studies Authority. Woods, D. G. (1991). Brain development and creativity in early childhood music education (Symposium presentation). Bulletin of the International Kodály Society, 16(2), 48-59.
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Science
Junior School full of Technology
bright sparks
From volcano displays to clay animation workshops, audiences were treated to a range of exciting demonstrations at the Junior School’s Discover Bright Sparks Science and Technology Showcase in October. The event offered students the chance to demonstrate their knowledge about the wonders of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Among the hive of activity, students could be found conducting various experiments, including demonstrations proving the chemical and physical changes involved in making ice cream, yeast bread and slime. Another display, Lose the Blues, had students testing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere using an acid indicator. St Aidan’s youngest students also got in on the action, with the children from Kindergarten proving they were true digital natives as they wowed the crowd with their skills on their iPads. Head of Junior School Louise McGuire said the event was just one of the ways the School was actively involved in encouraging and fostering STEM subjects. “There is still a significant gender gap in the number of young women pursuing university degrees and careers in STEM fields,” Mrs McGuire said. “It is because of this imbalance that we emphasise these subjects at St Aidan’s, not with the intention of directing girls toward any particular career, but to level the playing field so that girls feel confident and well prepared to delve further into these studies.” Guest speaker Felicity Briody, who last year at the age of 26 was announced as one of the Australian Financial Review’s Top 100 Most Influential Women in Australia, opened the showcase with reflections of what led her to study engineering. Three of St Aidan’s secondary students who formed part of a winning Australian team at the International Space Settlement Design Competition, held at the Johnson Space Center in Texas, also spoke on the day about their experiences competing against the best in the world. 15
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Alumni - creating a living bridge
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s c i e n c e - interest SPARQ-ed
Chelsea’s interest SPARQ-ed Chelsea Ho is one of few high school students who can claim to have firsthand experience in the world of medical research.
Year 11 student, Chelsea spent the first week of her summer holidays undertaking a scientific project in a purpose-built laboratory at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, as part of The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute’s SPARQ-ed research immersion program. Established in 2009, SPARQ-ed (Students Performing Advanced Research Queensland) is a biomedical educational facility for schools, which connects selected students with world-renowned scientists and involves them in scientific research. Under the supervision of researchers and tutors from the Diamantina Institute, participants develop advanced technical skills through practical hands-on experience, and learn for themselves the rewards and challenges of working in ground-breaking medical research. Experimental work in the laboratory is accompanied by a range of workshops and research seminars at the cutting edge of biomedical
science, aimed at complementing and enhancing theories learnt in the school classroom. Chelsea and her peers also learnt valuable academic research skills at the Joint Princess Alexandra Hospital/University of Queensland medical library. The intensive weeklong immersion culminated in a research symposium, where participants were given the opportunity to share their scientific findings with each other, as well as with staff and students from the Diamantina Institute. “Programs like this can help students consolidate their understanding of science in ways that would take us years in the classroom,” St Aidan’s Head of Faculty – Science, David Madden said. “Nothing can quite compare with the experience of working as a scientist in world-class research facilities.” Chelsea was also part of the St Aidan’s team who won the International Space Settlement Design Competition in Houston, Texas in July.
Wh i z k id wins comp
they learn in the classroom to create their own Information and Communications Technology (ICT) project.
Tech whiz, Brynlea Gibson has taken out first prize in the Year 6/7 division of the Young ICT Explorers competition, with her innovative website for Mathematics and English learners. Led by SAP Research in conjunction with the University of Queensland, the competition seeks to help Queensland students from Years 4 to 12 apply what 17
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Final submissions were judged by an independent panel of academia, industry partners and ICT professionals, judged against the criteria of creativity, uniqueness, quality, level of difficulty and project documentation. Following her win, Brynlea was invited to speak at a networking event hosted by Women in Technology, the industry peak body for women working and studying in the Technology and Science industries across the State.
The Year 6 student spoke confidently about her growing interest in Technology and her experience of winning her division at the Young ICT Explorers competition. Head of Junior School Louise McGuire said that links were now being developed with Women in Technology to connect St Aidan’s to other relevant events, as well as opportunities for mentoring, programs and professional networks. “We are excited about the possibilities these connections will bring and the industry support and encouragement that will become available to our girls,” Ms McGuire said.
science - lego
Competition proves LEGO is not just for boys This year an enthusiastic unit of Year 6 students and a fantastic group of Senior School technology mentors entered a competition called the FIRST LEGO League. FLL is a robotics program for nine to 16-year olds, which is designed to get children excited about science and technology and teach them valuable employment and life skills. FLL is a global competition, which engages competitors in finding solutions for real-world scientific problems based on a different theme each year. This year’s theme was ‘Senior Solutions’ and the aim of the research project was to investigate how to improve the quality of life for seniors by helping them continue to be independent, engaged and connected in their communities.
Competition day dawned on Saturday 17 November and Sophie Acton, Anneka Dove, Brynlea Gibson, Taylor Gosens, Kate Johannsen, Jessica Miller, Amber Mitchell, Emily Robertson and Gemma Rowell joined forces to compete in what was called the FIRST LEGO League Brisbane Tournament held at QUT’s Kelvin Grove campus. Over 40 teams from all over Queensland competed in the tournament.
The FLL Challenge had three parts: 1. The Robot Game 2. The Project 3. The Core Values.
The girls presented their project in the form of a news report using the same technology St Aidan’s employs to broadcast assemblies from the auditorium.
The easiest way to explain each element of the competition is that the Robot Game and Project are what the teams do; the Core Values guide teams through the experience. During the school holidays the team got together and started familiarising themselves with the challenge by building the ‘challenge kit’ which makes up the themed playing field for the robot challenge. As you can guess this involved building LEGO models, which was a load of fun (not just for the students, but the support staff as well!).
The team was presented with a Judges’ Award for the technical skills and confidence they demonstrated. They also put in a huge effort in the Robot Challenge by programming an autonomous robot to score 83 points by completing tasks on the themed playing field. If you are interested in learning more about FLL and this year’s challenge take a look at the challenge release video: YouTube version. Nathan Beveridge ICT Training & Classroom Technologies Specialist
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Science -
international aerospace competition
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Science -
international aerospace competition
St Aidan’s boldly goes where few have gone before Enterprising girls scoop first prize in international space design competition Three students from St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School took out first prize in an international aerospace competition. The girls – Sarah Krause, Preethi Pasumarty and Chelsea Ho – were part of a team including students from Brisbane’s Sheldon and St Laurence’s Colleges that competed at the 17th Annual International Space Settlement Design Competition, held in August at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The team battled the best in the world, working alongside students from Romania, Wales and the US, to take out the title. Canterbury College and Bundaberg State High School also represented Australia in the international competition. St Aidan’s Principal Karen Spiller said this was the third time the School had been on the winning team that took out the prestigious award. “We are proud of our girls and their teachers with this recognition on the international stage,” Mrs Spiller said.
“The competition provides students with a unique opportunity to work together with other schools on a significant and challenging project requiring team work, creativity and integration of ideas as well as scientific and engineering principles.” The competition is open to high school students and is supported by NASA. The students get to recreate the experience of working on an aerospace company’s proposal team. The competition required the team to prepare a tender response to a major infrastructure project located in space. This year the teams had to describe the design, development and construction of a space settlement on Venus and develop operational plans to maintain the community and fulfil its business objectives. Students were given just 48 hours to fully understand the proposal and submit a 50-page design document. They then had to give 35-minute presentations to a group of judges who were all aerospace industry professionals.
According to St Aidan’s Head of Science, David Madden, the win demonstrates the students’ outstanding problem-solving skills and teamwork. “First and foremost, this is a tremendous intellectual achievement. Designing a structure of this scale and complexity requires an ability to absorb and process an enormous amount of technical information in a very short period of time,” Mr Madden said. “These are students dealing with concepts that are beyond the scope of our senior Physics and Chemistry courses and they have to understand what they’re doing because at the end of the competition they have to defend their design to a panel of aerospace engineers. “What makes this team special is that they have mastered the technical side of the competition and can also work together cohesively and present their ideas articulately. “It was particularly exciting to see students discussing thoughts and ideas with scientists working in the areas of aerospace science.” Mrs Spiller said the School had a strong focus on the Sciences. “Students can take an elective unit, Space and Robotics, in Years 9 and 10 and have their competition work contribute towards their subject assessment,” Mrs Spiller said. “With St Aidan’s students continuing to achieve national and international recognition in Science and Engineering, the sky is no longer the limit for our girls.”
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SScience e n i o r -Sspace c h o odesign l - Big History Project
merging fact
with non-fiction
Imagine exploring 13.7 billion years of history, from before the Big Bang through to today. That is exactly what the Big History Project, an ambitious educational program designed by Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates alongside renowned historian David Christian, sets out to achieve. St Aidan’s is excited to announce its selection as one of the first Australian pilot schools to implement the Big History Project, to be brought into Year 9 and 10 classrooms from 2013. A radical departure from conservative models of history teaching, the course seeks to bring our shared history to life for high school students and link different areas of knowledge into one unified story. St Aidan’s will offer this exciting course as a yearlong “Big Science/Big History” elective for Year 9 and 10 students, taught in Semester One by Head of Faculty – Sciences, David Madden, and in Semester Two by Humanities Teacher, Sue Burvill-Shaw. Both Mr Madden and Mrs Burvill-Shaw agreed that one of the strengths of the approach to understanding the world was that it placed both Science and History in context – and made it clear that this context was actually about understanding the world around us. “It provides a broader view of both disciplines and allows girls to see how different disciplines understand the world, but also to see that knowledge and understandings should be connected across disciplines. It will provide the potential for greater challenge for independent, academic thinkers and enrich existing programs,” Mrs Burvill-Shaw said.
what does it look like? Students and teachers work together within a purpose-built online learning environment that will provide an up-to-date, interactive experience through various texts, videos, animations and even comics. The project complements the Australian Curriculum and its inquiry-based approach towards History and Science, but engages interested students in a deeper, cross-disciplinary exploration of societal issues.
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“While it can’t replace either the Australian Curriculum: Science or Australian Curriculum: History, it does touch on some of the areas covered there so will allow reinforcement by examining these from a very different perspective,” Mrs Burvill-Shaw said. “Big History takes a big perspective evolving study in independent disciplines into a holistic view of our interrelated universe. This unified story provides students with a deeper awareness of our past; hopefully better preparing them to help shape the future of our fragile planet.”
backed by research
“The strong trend over recent decades of outcomes-based education has been to foreground content knowledge and a narrow set of skills rather than to tell a complex story of the ways in which science is a social activity,” La Trobe University Senior Lecturer Dr Dorothy Smith said in an article last year. In contrast, the Big History Project is very much focused on developing students’ deep understanding of the way Science has influenced History, and of the way History has conceptualised this influence. Dr Smith goes on to refer to a new approach called “new contractualism”, a concept developed by The University of Western Sydney’s Professor Anna Yeatman. “If a scientist is to interact successfully with the broader community today, she doesn’t just need to understand science content knowledge; she also must be able to see that knowledge in a variety of contexts, choose what is important for the context, reframe and explain it in ways that make it accessible.” It is hoped students of Big Science/Big History will develop precisely these skills. Reference: Smith D 2012, ‘Teachers Note: Science and Society are Intertwined’, The Conversation, <http://theconversation.edu.au/ teachers-note-science-and-society-are-intertwined-8697>.
Senior School - Big History Project
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Arts - Creative Generation
Picture
perfect From more than 500 submissions across Queensland, 2012 St Aidan’s Senior, Jessie Chandler, was selected for a Creative Generation Excellence Award in Visual Art. The awards are an initiative of the Department of Education and Training, acknowledging and promoting excellence in senior visual arts education. Jessie’s mixed media work, Alchemic Vessels, will feature alongside the works of other prize recipients in an exhibition hosted by the Gallery of Modern Art, opening in March. As part of the prize, award recipients attended a residential workshop in Brisbane during the school holidays, where they were mentored by professional artists from the Queensland University of Technology and Queensland College of Art. Minister for Education, Training and Employment John-Paul Langbroek presented the awards, and called the work produced by student artists “exceptional” and “amazing”. “The Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art showcases the exceptional work of student artists, the outstanding skills of our teachers, and the high quality of visual art programs in Queensland schools,” Mr Langbroek said
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Arts - Creative Generation
“
This series of works resulted from experiments I did using salt as an alchemic agent on both black and white roses (symbols of life and death). In my final series vessels have been constructed, which along with their contents, gradually disintegrate. I have used parts of my original experiments in them,. I was physically and metaphorically investigating the passage of time,
“
deterioration, scarring and how to represent remnants of existence. Jessie Chandler
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Arts - The Inspirational Masters
Celeste Withey Year 10
The inspirational Masters.... As an integral part of both the Senior and Junior art programs, students have looked to famous artworks of the past to inspire and inform their own classroom practice. The importance of students learning to “unpack artworks” within historical, cultural, personal, psychological and political contexts is a potent and rich source of knowledge and insight.
“are we to paint what’s on the face, what’s inside the face, or what’s behind it?” Picasso
Celeste Withey (Year 10) was acknowledged at the Queensland Youth Art Awards with a Medallion of Excellence for her personal exploration and reinterpretation of Renaissance artist Albrecht Durer’s Young Hare 1502. Ella Lau (Year 5) received the QIEU Award for overall excellence for both Years 5 and 6 in their annual Art and Design Awards. Her self-portrait series evolved from class exposure to a number of diverse traditional and contemporary artists who work within the self-portrait genre. The Annual Junior Art Show further showcased the works of students who actively engaged with a study of Modern Masters such as Van Gogh, Picasso, Chagall, Marc and Matisse. This year’s work highlights the rich talent of students and the value of experiential learning in art, to cultivate creativity and nurture personal aesthetic.
Ella Lau Year 5 25
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Arts - The Inspirational Masters
Starry, starry night... Paint your palette blue and grey, Look out on a summer’s day, With eyes that know the darkness in my soul. Shadows on the hills, Sketch the trees and the daffodils, Catch the breeze and the winter chills, In colors on the snowy linen land. Now I understand what you tried to say to me, How you suffered for your sanity, How you tried to set them free. They would not listen, they did not know how. Perhaps they’ll listen now. Starry, starry night. Flaming flowers that brightly blaze, Swirling clouds in violet haze, Don McLean Vincent (Starry, Starry Night) Lyrics
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Arts - Inspiring a generation
Nominated for
inspiring a generation
In July, Head of Faculty – Creative Arts (Music), Dr James Cuskelly, was nominated for a Pride of Australia award. Teaching at a Kodály conference at the time, we managed to track him down to ask him how he felt about the fact a St Aidan’s parent nominated him for the award. How do you feel about being nominated for a Pride of Australia Medal for Inspiration? I feel honoured and humbled to be nominated for an award for such as this. As a general rule, I think that teachers work very hard and that we are a pretty dedicated bunch, so a nomination like this is an acknowledgement of that work. For me, it is also rewarding that such a nomination has come from a student’s parent. While students may not always appreciate our efforts at school, the fact that a parent has recognised the value of the work is really gratifying. What is it about teaching music that you love; how do you think music and singing help student development? I love teaching music because I love music. For me, singing is particularly significant. I think that singing has the ability to capture our emotions and express ideas and thoughts and stories and emotions in a really direct way. Unfortunately, in western society we often regard singing as an activity which certain ‘talented’ people do and while students consume music (they buy recordings, watch videos and listen to music – all passive activities) they often don’t feel as confident to participate in singing. When I teach very young students – three to four and even five-year olds – they are completely uninhibited about participating in singing and because they are taught carefully they develop skills and abilities which mean they are successful. This feeling of success means that they are more than happy to continue to be involved and so a cycle of success is established and singing becomes a normal and natural thing to do. Unfortunately, older students do not often share this feeling of confidence and my job is to support and encourage them. I want them all to feel confident about singing and participating in singing. I think I want every person to find and treasure their own voice! And if we can do this, I think that we end up with a transformed society – one that is changed and changing for the better. What sort of programs do you get the girls involved in; how do you try to make an impact on them? The program at St Aidan’s is inspired by the work of the Hungarian educator and philosopher, Zoltán Kodály. While the program in Hungary is amazing, we have not tried to just recreate that program here. We have adapted the ideas to our Australian situation and time – and we continue to reflect on what we do and how we might improve it. Along with Kodály, I believe that music education is the right of every person. However, this is not just some vague idea – students should be led to an independent understanding and mastery of music. Musical literacy, theoretical understanding, improvising and composing are all drawn out of performing and this forms a comprehensive approach to music and music learning. I want students not only to enjoy music, but to also understand music and it has been my experience that students want to be taken seriously and that they want to learn. Where do you get your inspiration from and how do you pass this on to others? I often receive inspiration from unexpected sources and in unexpected ways. Nature, the Arts, stories and film often give me reason to think and to dream, but what inspires me most is people. I teach at a school, I am involved in a range of community activities, and I have the privilege of teaching at the national and international level on a regular basis. This work allows me to meet a huge variety of people and I am always amazed at what people do, how they engage with the world, how they interact with one another and what they think about. I guess I feel like I have this wonderful opportunity to listen to people’s wisdom and this touches me and moves me deeply. I have to add that I am always inspired by the people I teach. I learn so much from my students and I particularly feel that it is a great gift to work with young people.
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Arts - all groups concert
confidence to inspire
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A r t s- languages - languages Arts
Spotlight on Every Day Language The St Aidan’s Every Day Languages Program has been put under the spotlight at the National Symposium: Japanese Language Education, the first held in over 30 years. Former Head of Languages Karen Gorrie presented the paper, titled Every Day Languages Program Years K-2: The benefits of less more often and how it is implemented with success. “I found presenting at the conference personally and professionally valuable. We have a great school and a truly innovative structure with our Every Day Language Program and I was so happy to share it,” Ms Gorrie said. Hosted by the Melbourne Centre for Japanese Language Education and the Japan Foundation, Sydney, the conference offered a national platform for Japanese teachers and other stakeholders to share best practice and discuss contemporary education issues. Ms Gorrie was unaware of any other school in Australia that has a similar program to St Aidan’s, which dedicated 20 minutes each day to the learning of a language, but said that
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many who attended her session were eager to learn more about the innovative program and how they could implement similar ideas within their own school curriculums. “One of the conference themes was Innovative structures for changing learning and increasing opportunities. I think our Every Day Languages Program is exactly that,” Ms Gorrie said. “Theory suggests that the most successful language learning occurs with time, regularity and continuity of language learning, and I think that our program ticks all these boxes.” “As we start from such a young age, students seem more confident in trying the language and playing with it – they are not concerned with making mistakes, and really seem to get a thrill from using the language.” Ms Gorrie has this year accepted a position as St Aidan’s as the Associate Dean of Studies.
Academic - new faculty
New faculty
structure unveiled St Aidan’s is set to undergo a significant faculty restructure in 2013. Combining seven into five faculties will see the three main faculties of Mathematics, English and Science relatively unchanged, however two new ‘mega’ faculties will be formed from the previous areas of Languages, Humanities, Business and Technology and Creative Arts. These two facilities will be known as Social-Cultural Studies headed up by Marcia Forness; and Creative and Design Studies led by Dr James Cuskely. Principal Karen Spiller said the proposed faculty mergers would result in ‘‘increased efficiencies’’ but more importantly to lead to better learning outcomes for students. ‘‘It’s about enhancing the student experience and creating more opportunities for across subject boundaries.’’ Mrs Spiller said the proposed new structure would result in a refocus on learning and teaching. ‘‘Each faculty will be run by an experienced Head of Faculty, with the continuation of the current system of the appointment of subject coordinators (or PARs),’’ she said. ‘‘It’s about getting academics in the right faculties and subjects and in the right places,’’ she said.
Socio-Cultural Studies Accounting Business Studies Chinese Economics French Geography German History (Ancient & Modern) Japanese Work Practices
Creative/Design/Arts/ Studies Art Digital Productions Drama Graphics Home Economics/HDT Music
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S p o r t - - awards fencing sport
Alicia foils competitors She’s 13-years old and in a competition in July, fencer Alicia Kwag, walked away as the most successful fencer in terms of the number of medals won in the championships. She competed in the National U15 and Cadet divisions as the youngest fencer and was the only person who competed in all 12 events over the five days of the competition. At the end of the nationals, she bagged 11 medals, including three Gold, four Silver, two Bronze and two Top Eight medals. Alicia has been fencing since she was seven and admits to sometimes being “a little too competitive”. She won her first major State U13s competition when she was nine, but she won her first trophy when she was seven at the Queensland Schools’ Competition. “I have travelled all over Australia for fencing and am looking forward to travelling the world. I want to go to the Youth Olympics and the Olympics,” Alicia said. “I train four days a week; on Tuesday I train for one hour and 45 minutes, Wednesdays two-and-a-half hours, Thursdays two hours and 20 minutes, and Saturdays for two-and-a-half hours.” Her dedication has paid off. In June she competed in: • QLD State U17 championships: Silver and Bronze • QLD State U13 championships: Gold (record four times in a row) • National School Fencers Championships: Gold and Bronze • QLD State U15 championships: Gold in Foil, Epee and Sabre for the first time in the history of the championships
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Sport - fencing
have travelled all over “ IAustralia for fencing and am looking forward to travelling the world. I want to go to the Youth Olympics and the Olympics
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s p o r t - S p o r t s w o m a n o f t h e Ye a r
Sportswoman of the Year Finalists •
Christabelle Stafford-Smith
•
Elizabeth Jacques
•
Lilly Fuller
•
Madeleine Attlee
•
Morgan Gallagher
Sportswoman of the Year 2012 Elizabeth Jacques • • • • • • • •
QGSSSA Cross Country team Second - QGSSSA 15 years Cross Country QGSSSA Athletics team Open Softball team Open Touch team - Most Valuable Player Open Netball team Second-Interhouse Cross Country Age Championship Third - Interhouse Athletics Age Championship
Representative Achievements • Western Districts Netball State Age team • Met West Athletics team First - 1500m and 3000m, setting new records in both ; 1500m record had stood for 24 years • Queensland Schools Athletics team Seventh 3000m at National Titles • Met West Cross Country team and Regional Champion Ninth - State Titles • Queensland Schools Cross Country team 33rd National Titles • University of Queensland Athletics team
awards 2012 sports ‘celebrating excellence in spor t’ 33
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s p o r t - S p o r t s Te a m o f t h e Ye a r
St Aidan’s Team of the Year Finalists •
Hockey - Junior team
•
Netball - Open team
•
Rowing - First VIII Crew
•
Tennis - Open team
•
Tennis - Senior A team
Australian and Queensland Sporting Representatives 2012 Australia
Ski Cross
Claudia Leggett
Alicia Kwag
Fencing
Jade Dowling
Mountain Running
Heather Burridge
Orienteering
Queensland
Athletics
St Aidan’s Team of the Year Tennis - Open team
Heather Burridge
Lyann Hoang, Simran Shah, Darcia McRae, Jemima Fraser
Grace McKellar
Cricket
Kate Woodhouse
Netball
Major Achievement: First in the Open QGSSSA Tennis Competition - Undefeated Premiers
Elizabeth Jacques
Cross Country
The Open Tennis team won all nine rounds of the 2012 season, with an overall ‘for and against’ games ratio of 313 to 71. They achieved the maximum possible game score in seven of their nine rounds, their best result being 36-0 against Clayfield College. The team qualified for the finals of the Tennis Queensland Secondary Schools Team Tennis Competition, winning all their pool matches. Each member of the team regularly competes in national tournaments through Tennis Australia’s Optus Junior Tour series and the Australian Money Tournament series. Each member of the team has a current Australian Single’s Ranking.
Athletics Morgan Gallagher
Hockey
Olivia Tannock
Futsal
Victoria Poon
Kung Fu
Rachael Knowlman
Cross Country
Equestrian Isabella Wilkinson-McIntyre Equestrian Rosanna Relton
Equestrian
Kate Austin
Equestrian
Sarah MacPherson
Equestrian
Marnie Woodhead
Equestrian
Madeline Scott
Equestrian
Game, set, match with victory in the Knowles Cup
The strong tennis program at St Aidan’s continues to move gain momentum with continued success in the competitive Knowles Cup. The Year 8 team of Lauren Baillie, Jemima Fraser, Millie Morrison-Davies, Bronwyn Van Wyk and Brittany Vidler took out the premiership with Millie
recognised as the Best Player (Year 8) of the competition. Our Senior players also performed well with a second place from the Senior A and fourth place to the Senior B team.
Our Open tennis team were also successful in the Met West Girls Tennis competition held prior to the Knowles cup taking out the title of Regional
Winners. huddle I december 2012 34
Sport - athletics
Individuals shine at QGSSSA athletics St Aidan’s is blessed to have some outstanding athletes and this was evident at the recent QGSSSA athletics held at QSAC. Individual event winners included Madeleine Attlee for the 13 years 400M and Jade Dowling for the 16 years 1500M with Jade as securing second place in the 16 years 800M ‘A’. Second places were also secured by Sophie Barnes (16 years Discus ‘B’), Elizabeth Jacques (15 year 1500M), Rachael Knowlman (Open 3000M), Jayde Mavrik (16 years Discus ‘A’), Erin Sundstrom (14 years 400M and 14 years Long Jump ‘B’) and Melissa Watkin (15 years High Jump). With Rachael Knowlman (15 years 800M ‘B’), Jayde Mavrik (16 years Shot Put ‘A’), Lucy Smith (15 years 400M) snaffling third places in their respective events.
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Sport - state champions
ABOVE: State Champions Schoolgirls Coxed VIII St Aidan’s Helena Sawyer (Bow) Alex Dennis (2) Lauren Danckwerts (3) Bec Fletcher (4) Bronte Prowse (5) Emily Hodgson (6) Gabi Wruck (7) Ane Botha (Stroke) Brooke Daglish (Cox) Dan van Hoof-Harkin & Kate Borger (Coaches)
Oarsome
effort to become state champions
The St Aidan’s First Eight has capped off a very successful season by taking out the Championship Schoolgirls First Eight race in Bundaberg in September. In the last event of the three-day Queensland Schools Regatta the girls rowed their hearts out to beat St Margaret’s by a boat length, with St Peters in third. This recent win followed the crew’s second place and the reversal of results at the Head of the River in August to St Margaret’s. According to program coordinator, Jeremy Parsons, this was a significant achievement for the girls. “Bearing in mind we were up against schools with rowing programs twice our size, and in many cases with their own rowing sheds, this is a phenomenal achievement for a crew selected from a squad of 11.
“Despite a fast approaching storm and strong head winds, the girls powered down the 2000m course to beat St Margaret’s by more than a boat length, with St Peter’s in third place. “After losing this same event by 0.4 seconds in Rockhampton last year, the girls were determined to make this year’s race. In the past five years the St Aidan’s rowing program has had some enviable results winning two Aggregate Cups and the Percentage Cup, individual crews winning 21 Head of the River races, and five State Championship titles, including the premiere Schoolgirls VIII event this year at Bundaberg.
“It is even more notable that the girls trained for the State Championships off our boat trailer parked in the car park at the BBC Rowing shed.
huddle I december 2012 36
Community - Blessing of Cairnmore
Blessing
o f Cair nmore
The Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent have a new home. The sisters moved from Community House mid-year into the former Principal’s residence adjoining St Margaret’s, known as Cairnmore. Cairnmore has undergone significant work prior to the Sisters moving in. This work included: • • • •
Full refurbishment of the seven bedrooms, office, oratory, bathrooms and kitchen Installation of ducted air-conditioning throughout Installation of an internal lift Landscaping of the surrounding area and gardens.
Bishop Jonathon Holland conducted the blessing of the new Sisters’ residence with the Sisters and a group of guests.
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Community - Council
Schools and their Councils face constant churn in the policy environment every year. 2012 has been no different. We started the year with the Gonski Review of school funding having been aired late in 2011 and with hopes for a speedy response from the Federal Government, a response which would disadvantage no school. We waited, and while we did so, Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ) was able to demonstrate that a school such as ours would be worse off were the recommended funding model to be implemented. It took more than nine months before the government announced its plans for the future, but in doing so, it has left the existing funding formula in place until the commencement of 2014 at least, and repeated the assurance that no school would receive less funding. It also put forward a phased implementation plan running up to 2020 contingent upon state governments contributing added funding.
Professor Neil Dempster Council Chair
Further flux has been added to this evolving policy mix with the State Government’s announcement of a four per cent reduction in funding to independent schools commencing in 2013. These developments call for strong representation by the School Council through forums such as Independent Schools Queensland, the Anglican Schools Commission (ASC) as well as by parents, individually or collectively, when they have the opportunity to engage with politicians so that no potential funding downturn is left unchallenged. At the same time as we are experiencing a lack of certainty in funding, the School is moving to implement a smooth transition by Year 7 students to the secondary setting, to take a lead in the ongoing implementation of aspects of the Australian Curriculum and to react thoughtfully to the continuing maintenance and enhancement of ICT supported learning. In the light of the accountability pressures for student performance on the National Assessment Program in Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), the School steadfastly pursues a well-rounded set of educational encounters for girls so that they become and capable young adults, well able to lead self and others in the pursuit of ‘dreamable’ and achievable aspirations. The School’s record of past students’ careers in the publication Born to Fly 2, is testimony to the outcomes of an undiluted dedication to a broad future-oriented educational experience for young Australian girls. The Council is conscious of the need to shepherd the School through whatever contemporary changes occur, while it maintains its focus on traditional values to ensure we continue to present the School to our Old Girls, present and future parents, and the wider community as a premier site for girls’ education in Queensland and Australia. These ‘snippets’ from 2012 are illustrative of the matters that School Council members have grappled with during the year. In doing so, dedication to the Sisters’ ethos, acknowledgement of the School as a mature institution, the pursuit of a well-rounded education experience of our girls, and support for the professionalism of the Principal and staff remain the drivers for the governance process. Next year will be no different. Professor Neil Dempster Council Chair huddle I december 2012 38
Community - Foundation
An affair
to remember
St Aidan’s social event of 2013! Friday 22 March 2013 Where: Libertine, Paddington What:
When:
The Foundation’s March 2012 event with celebrity chef, Ben O’Donoghue, was a popular and fun affair and the feedback received from attendees indicated they wanted to see similar events scheduled each year. So, St Aidan’s please put Friday 22 March 2013 in your calendar now and start thinking about who you’d like to share a table with at the next big Foundation function. We will bring you more details in early 2013. Libertine is a 2012 Chef’s Hat winner in the Australian Good Food & Travel Guide. Its opulent, heritage-listed dining room is the perfect venue for a celebratory luncheon that will raise funds for the St Aidan’s Foundation’s Science Appeal. To see the sort of culinary delights in store for you, visit the restaurant’s website at www.libertine.net.au
Supporting the Sciences The academic and career opportunities linked to science subjects is blossoming with an increasing number of St Aidan’s graduates choosing to study Science and Engineering at university.
For our daughters to continue to be a part of this Science boom, it’s important for St Aidan’s to have the right facilities. The ‘Science Appeal’ is the St Aidan’s Foundation latest major capital fundraising project. The Foundation is aiming to raise $300,000 to build two new science laboratories in the Senior School. Two new technology-enabled science laboratories will help St Aidan’s deal with the demands of integrating Year 7 fully into high school from 2015. The St Aidan’s Foundation is looking to the St Aidan’s community for support to ensure its girls have the facilities required for continued excellence. Converting two normal classrooms into full science labs will cost approximately $300,000. The Foundation wants to provide the School with as much financial support as possible because the project “is unlikely to receive any State or Federal Government funding”. St Aidan’s is hoping to start the building project within the next 18 months, with the start date dependent on the success of the Foundation’s Capital Campaign. Here are two facts that might help you make up your mind to support the Science Appeal: • Queensland’s resources boom means that girls who study Science and Engineering will have many and varied future career opportunities. The appeal is all about supporting their abilities in these subjects. • Girls who attend single-sex schools are more than six times more likely to earn degrees in Mathematics and Science subjects than their counterparts who attend co-educational facilities. To contribute to the appeal, please contact Foundation Officer, Anne Ferguson, on (07) 3373 5929 or email: a.ferguson@staidans.qld.edu.au
39 huddle I december 2012
Community - Foundation
The second half of 2013 has flown with the Father / Daughter breakfast and Fathers Disco again a huge success. We’re pleased to announce the Foundation, with the help of our St Aidan’s community, has raised more than $200,000 with $30,000 of this directed to the perpetuity fund. I am excited to announce next year (2013) we will launch a major Foundation fundraising project – a $300,000 appeal to add two new science laboratories to the Senior School, The building commencement of this first-class facility will be dependent on the success of the Foundation’s fundraising campaign, so I encourage all of you to support our initiatives. We have some exciting new events in the pipeline for 2013 including March lunch at the outstanding Libertine. Tony Markwell Foundation Chairman
huddle I december 2012 40
Community - P&F President’s Report
First fair feted as
fabulous! Ambifair, St Aidan’s inaugural school fete, was a delightful event that showcased the many talents inherent in St Aidan’s students. The weekend event, held on the grounds of the Ambiwerra Sporting Fields, also included a variety of participants from the local community who brought their wares along to promote and sell on the day. Organisers were blessed with glorious weather, support from many volunteers and outstanding performances from School groups. Stall holders added colour and vibrancy to the day, and the rides delighted many of the younger visitors. The P&F is very grateful especially to the Junior School for its overwhelming support. Money raised on the day was used to buy iPads for student use in the Junior School.
The St Aidan’s Parents and Friends’ Association comprises parents/guardians of girls enrolled at the School, past parents and Old Girls. With the exception of a small number of very dedicated staff, the P&F is reliant on volunteers who generously contribute a great deal of time and energy to a wide range of ventures. As the role of the P&F is to support to the School by contributing resources and amenities, which cannot be funded through school fees alone, the volunteers make a valuable contribution to the wellbeing of all the girls and I thank them for their gift. The P&F conducts two commercial businesses within the School – the Tuckshop and the P&F Shop as well as running the Text Hire Scheme. In addition, we provide administrative assistance and financial backing to the support groups who operate within the P&F and support our girls’ participation in a wide variety of extra-curricular activities. 2012 has been both challenging and rewarding for the P&F as we review our core role and move towards a ‘leaner’ and more sustainable operation in 2013. We are also exploring new ways to raise funds to support the School. While our very popular school dances continue as our most successful means of raising funds, we welcome your suggestions for new and exciting fundraising opportunities to take us into the future. P&F meetings are held regularly throughout the year, led by the P&F Executive: •
Vice President - Amanda McKenzie;
•
Treasurer - Mark Bell;
•
Secretary - Gillian Mullis;
•
Principal - Karen Spiller; and
•
School Council Nominee – Helen Thomas.
P&F meetings are a great opportunity to become involved in your daughter’s school and we welcome your attendance and contributions at any time. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and best wishes to our outgoing Vice President Carolyn King, Text Hire Convenor - Jane Leonforte and Uniform Shop - Assistant Di McKellar. Finally, in the words of Elizabeth Andrew, I would like to thank our volunteers:
“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart”. Cathy Carnie P&F President 41
huddle I december 2012
Alumni - creating a living bridge
From the Alumni Office
Congratulations
2012 was a successful year for St Aidan’s Alumni for a number of reasons. Our Facebook status saw us end the year with over 1200 ‘friends’ and thousands of ‘visitors’ from the Old Girls’ network spread throughout Australia and overseas. October realised our first Young-Old Girls’ event with 80-plus girls gathering on the roof of The Archer and Templeton Science and Technology Centre for a night-time function. The girls reminisced about their St Aidan’s school days and had the chance to see where their classmates’ careers had taken them. After the success of this function we would like to see as many Young-Old Girls as possible attend the second annual event in 2013.
Sophie Dunn appointed as School Captain and Prefect. Sophie is the daughter of Jennifer Dunn (nee Coates 1975).
Our Law Breakfast in September was extremely well attended. A number of Old Girls working in law joined us and shared their experiences about working in the industry. They gave our current tertiary students up-to-date and relevant information on what to expect if the girls pursued a career in law. Next year – along with a second Law Breakfast – we will hold Health Sciences and Business Breakfasts. Please contact us at paststudents@staidans.qld.edu.au if you are interested in attending any of the breakfasts. A special treat for some of our ‘Old School Ties’ was the Year 7 choir, Mezzo, performing at one of the recent get-togethers.
Student Leaders 2013
Hannah Dillman appointed as Prefect. Hannah is the daughter of Karen Dillman (nee Strong 1982). Harriet Smith appointed as Prefect. Harriet is the daughter of Kitty Smith (nee Brown 1980). Bronte Prowse appointed Sacristan. Bronte is the daughter of Shaleen Prowse (nee Kopittke 1987). Helena Sawyer appointed Austen House Co-Captain. Helena is the daughter of Louise Sawyer (nee Lanham 1983).
Ray Geise, a teacher from St Margaret’s, published a book on the history of the Sisters of the Society of Sacred Advent and their contribution to the education of girls in Queensland. The book featured a chapter on each of the Sisters’ schools with St Aidan’s being showcased. If you would like to buy a copy of Ray’s book ($55 each), contact the Alumni Office or Penny Priestley at St Margaret’s: (07) 3862 0761; ppriestley@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.
huddle I december 2012 42
Alumni - Born to fly 2
born to fly 2
Annabel Tully
Hélène Dennis OAM JP
Pamela Reisner
Anne-Marie Rice
Suzanne Mayo
Janette Gibson AM
(Pettigrew 1989) Artist
(Holdsworth 1953) Community Service
The second edition of the popular and award-winning, Born to Fly, series was launched in October at an intimate function hosted by Principal Karen Spiller and a number of Old Girls, including a many of those featured in the book.
(Pennycuik 1944) Biologist
(1991) Lawyer
Born to Fly showcases the successes of St Aidan’s Old Girls across a variety of fields and occupations. The 14 women profiled this year included an Olympian, one of Australia’s first-ever engineers, a musician who is currently a Professor of Violin at the Taipei National University of the Arts, and a pharmacist who has become a media celebrity and industry spokesperson.
(Mowbray 1978) Sports Director
(McKay 1954) Community Service
Gayle Mayes
Winifred Davenport OAM
Dr Louise Mahler
Birgitta Stephenson
Nancy Tsung
Dalma Novak
Kate Carnell AO
Dr Geraldine Moses
(1973) Olympian
(1979) Violinist
43 huddle I december 2012
(1941) Marine Engineer (1924-2003)
(1983) Electrical Engineer
(Camens 1974) Business
(Knowlman 1972) Business
(Thomas 1977) Pharmacist/Archaeologist
(1980) “Celebrity”pharmacist
Alumni - creating a living bridge
More than 80
‘young’
Old Girls joined
us no the roof of The Archer and Templeton Science and Techonology for the first of what we hope will be many of our our annual ‘Young Old Girl’ cockail party.
huddle I december 2012 44
Alumni - creating a living bridge
Clementine Fox
Lisa Turner
I graduated St Aidan’s in … 2007
I graduated St Aidan’s in … 1993
I study … Bachelor of Arts (fourth year)/Law (second year), Diploma of Languages (Spanish)
I am a … corporate lawyer at Santos Limited. I currently work on the GLNG project specialising in land access agreements for the gas fields in central Queensland, which will ultimately supply the Coal Seam Gas to the LNG plant in Gladstone. Career highlights … working as a project lawyer at SunWater during the drought when water infrastructure was being designed and constructed across Queensland. This involved thinking outside of the box for innovative water solutions in regional areas of Queensland. I worked as a lawyer in a team of specialists on a mega project (worth $16 billion) – a once in a lifetime opportunity in a new and cutting-edge industry for Queensland. I work on issues which often have never occurred previously and have to constantly “invent the wheel” and trust my experience and judgement to resolve the matter and keep parts of the project moving along. I enjoy working with a project team of non-lawyers to see past the legal smoke screen and uncover the true drivers of an issue.
I’m currently working … at Cooper Grace Ward Lawyers as an administration assistant in the Family Law Department. I chose to study law because ... I thought it would complement my Arts degree, in which I major in Political Science, and provide me with greater professional and career opportunities. Over the holidays ... I partook in the Southern Hemisphere Summer Space Program, an exciting five-week intensive interdisciplinary study on space sustainability. My advice to students interested in law is … go for it! It’s hard work, but can open doors. Don’t get caught up thinking that just because you are studying law you have to practice it. When I graduated from St Aidan’s I didn’t even consider law, and it wasn’t until my second year of my BA I decided it was something I wanted to do.
L
My first job after graduating university was … Associate to Justice Fryberg in the Supreme Court of Queensland. The best part of my current job is … working in a multidisciplinary team to achieve outcomes which work for both the company and the community.
aw Br ea k fa st
Your advice to current St Aidan’s students is … It really is true that St Aidan’s students are highly sought after in the workplace and being an Old Girl can assist you tremendously if you carry yourself in an appropriate way. Everything seems to get better with age. Life at school was good, life at uni was good, life working is great and life after 30 is even better.
Hosted by the St Aidan’s Alumni, the inaugural Law Breakfast saw a room at The Brisbane Club brimming with lawyers of the past, present and future. For girls currently studying law at university, it was the perfect opportunity to mingle with past St Aidan’s students already working in the legal profession to get an understanding as to how others had forged the path before them. “It was really great to meet successful female lawyers, many proving it is possible to have a healthy work-life balance,” said Clementine Fox, who graduated St Aidan’s in 2007; she is in her second year of a Law degree at the University of Queensland. The second Law Breakfast is planned for 24 July 2013, along with the first Health Sciences (31 October 2013) and Business Breakfasts (23 May 2013). If you would like to attend one of the breakfasts contact the Alumni office for details on how to register.
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huddle I december 2012
Alumni - creating a living bridge
huddle I december 2012 46
Alumni - creating a living bridge
Births
Congratulations Chelsea Higgins (2011) was the youngest member of Equestrian Australia’s Paralympic Shadow Squad and with her beloved horse, HP Comedian. Chelsea was also cited as a Rising Star in Womensport Queensland’s Sportswoman of the Year Awards. Rachel Forbes (2005) was selected to play for the Scottish Netball Team – the Scottish Thistles – in the Tri Nations Series held in the Cook Islands and Samoa in October. The three-week competition saw Scotland win against Samoa in a threetest match series; the Scots lost one and won one against the Cook Islands. This was a vital competition for world rankings leading up to the Commonwealth Games in 2014, which will be held in Glasgow. Tricia Smout (nee James 1965) who was the 2012 Artist-in-Residence at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mt Coot-tha. Because Tricia loves putting lettering into much of what she does she chose, The Language of Nature, as her theme for the year. Kristal Choi (2009) completed her Fashion Design Degree and was awarded the Westfield Graduate’s Award.
Born to Fly It was with wonderful to receive the EducatePlus Practitioner Award for Excellence in Alumni Publications for Born to Fly – Citation : This is an annual publication showcasing the range of achievements and career paths of St Aidan’s alumni. The publication is multi-platform: hardcopy , on-line , and a “wall of fame” on the school campus. A wide range of alumnae were included in the publication in order to engage the entire school community including current students, current and prospective parents and alumnae. It is well designed, not text heavy, and has very good contextual photos.
Eddy and Jemma Picco (nee Petrie 1994) welcomed James Michael on 10 April 2012. James is a younger brother for John and Angelica. Igendi dis molo estionestis magnimp quatinu sapedig nissundam Benjamin anderehent Stephanie Downing la quas earibus esciistis et ad ut ersperu (nee Hunter 2001) welcomed ntibustiores qui odi ium hicia sum etur Savannah Claire on 17 March 2011. rehendi occus maio magni ducidest, sae nim voluptatur? StephenDaectus and Jane conWade res moluptata deles sae(nee Cooper 1989) welcomed cturiaes am qui utatur, alici cumet, sit mil Annabelle Grace on invendam fugitatur aut que magnamu 20 September 2012. fugitius dellam dias stiaspe simenihit accusdam ab ipsa dolupta sperum quam, Allan and Dianneomniati Armitage ulparunt unt, coris excearum nam, 1993) quidentwelcomed eaquam aut restisto con (nee Kendall erehend sum ium facea their fourth child,aepudipidior Isabel Esther, consectum in nus, sollaciae. Nam id que on 1 November 2011. cus, nectios acesto omnis etur reperita doluptat et et exped Chris and Jill Deveney (Brown 1995)
Q
welcomed their second child, Henry, on 28 September. Henry is a brother for Ruby. Igendi dis molo estionestis magnimp erehent quatinu sapedig nissundam Marriages la quas earibus esciistis et ad ut ersperu ntibustiores qui odi ium hicia sum etur rehendi occusmarried maio magni ducidest, sae Tegan Capp (2003) Shane niminvoluptatur? Wombwell March 2012. Daectus con res moluptata deles saecturiaes am qui utatur, aliciSam cumet, sit mil Joanne Wymann (2008) married fugitatur aut que magnamu Paine oninvendam 21 September 2012. stiaspe simenihit fugitius dellam dias accusdam ab ipsa dolupta sperum quam, Bethany Phillips (2004) married ulparunt omniati unt, coris excearum David Wass on 23 September 2012 nam, quident eaquam aut restisto con at St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane. erehend aepudipidior sum ium facea consectum in nus, sollaciae. Nam id que Deaths acesto omnis etur reperita doluptat et et exped Since our last Huddle, it is with a great deal of sadness that I inform you that we have lost two of our Old Girls as well as two past teaching staff.
A
Old Girls: Barbara Morris (nee Woodcock 1941): November, 2012 Chandra Pollock (nee Thorn 1938): May 2012 Teachers: Doris Hilda Swan (nee Hawkins): October 2012: taught from 1955–80 Aileen Godfrey OAM: taught in the 1940s 47
huddle I december 2012
Alumni - creating a living bridge
Did you know?
From the Archives
Signs of the times
Snippets of building history Do you know what building is St Aidan’s oldest? Can you guess? Here are some hints … It was built after much fundraising by the School community, including £200 from the Romany Fair. A final cheque was written in February 1937 for £344. Opened in 1937 “with a sigh of relief” it was described as “our new brick improvements”. Rectangular in shape, brick, with six small windows, its interior has been transformed over the past 75 years. It has been a Seniors’ common room in 1978 and an art storeroom in recent years, but its original purpose was welcomed with great excitement. Not many of the girls’ homes would have had a chain-flushing and purpose-built toilet, but with the completion of this “new” building there was one at St Aidan’s. Commonly known as Mecca (after the sacred centre for Muslim pilgrimage) the girls would ask if they could go to “Mecca” as it was impolite to ask to go to the toilet (some Old Girls report that the tuckshop later became known as Jaffa, because it was halfway to Mecca. The city of Jaffa in Israel is in fact halfway between Mecca and Jerusalem). Can you tell us some Mecca stories? What was its purpose when you were at St Aidan’s? When did the girls stop their “pilgrimage to Mecca”? We’d love to hear your tales.
the long and the short of it Photographs capture much social history in a single image. The St Aidan’s Archives collection of photographs provides us with the unexpected bonus of a ‘visual commentary’ of the fashions (as well as a peek at the school rules that surrounded personal appearance). These photos traverse the changes in hairstyles – long and short – from the 1940s. It is also interesting to note the differences in the length of the school uniform – were the skirts really that short? 1940 Tennis A Team J Park, Joan Sharpe, S Bratchford Jac Chapman
In 1951 the Interschool Swimming and Athletics Carnivals were not held. Unfortunately, 1951 was marred by the outbreak of the much-feared disease poliomyelitis in eastern Australia. Many children were stricken with the disease including five recorded cases of St Aidan’s students, causing a great deal of concern throughout the community. In an effort to impede the spread of disease, all public swimming pools were closed for the season and large gatherings of people were actively discouraged. Consequently, the Interschool Swimming and Athletics Carnivals were not held that year. The report from the Austen House Notes from the 1951 Recorder went as follows: “Halfway through second term Austen’s Janis Rake, Diana Galloway and a young Cavell girl, Judith Dyer, caught polio. Imagine our shock when Beres Rake (our House Captain) also was stricken with it. To the parents of these girls we convey our admiration for the courage and calmness with which they have taken these blows. To Mrs Rake especially we send our love and hope that ‘the girls’ will soon be home with her once more.”
1968 Basketball C Grade Team
huddle I december 2012 48
Alumni - creating a living bridge
where are they now ?
What’s 20 years between friends? By Ingrid Farnsworth (nee Mason 1992) After getting over the initial shock of being so long out of school, I went along to the reunion with mixed feelings of excitement and apprehension. Would people be friendly? Would they have changed? Would I recognise all the faces? The first surprise was while everyone looked more glamorous you could have put them in the navy and white uniform and not a day need have passed. Giggles and laughter filled the air. Small chat ensued. As someone said, it was a bit like a speed dating night trying to get up-to-date with everyone in no time. But the biggest surprise of the night? Realising what a lovely year we had. To the senior girls of 1992 – it was a blast, thanks for all the memories.
Where did the years go? By Anna Dann (nee Douglas 1982) What a fantastic turn out for our 1982, 30-year reunion! Over 50 gorgeous gals gathered, laughed, chattered, exchanged news, sang … and yes danced to a variety of old favourites. I seem to recall hearing Tainted Love, the Rolling Stones, a bit of Bowie, and the sounds of Iggy Pop to name a few. We met with Sue Russell and Wendy Biggs from the St Aidan’s Alumni outside the tuckshop for a celebratory glass of bubbles and delicious cupcakes. Following this, Sue and (brave) former teachers from 1978-82, including Marcia Forness and Trish Evans, led us on a grand tour of the School. Most of the group had not seen the School since 1982. We were Marcia’s first-ever class at St Aidan’s. We mustn’t have been too bad; she is still at St A’s! Marcia also read out a message from Miss Neil, reminding us that we were now the same age as she was when she was our head mistress in our final years. Following the afternoon tea and tour, over 50 girls gathered at my home, where a wonderful afternoon and evening were spent catching up on 30 years of news. It was lovely that so many girls flew in from interstate, including our School Captain Karen Hutchinson. Sadly, our beautiful Sr Julian was unable to attend at the last minute due to ill health. Our thanks to the St Aidan’s Alumni and especially Sue Russell and Wendy Biggs for the wonderful assistance they gave me so the day to go ahead.
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huddle I december 2012
Where are they now? Amaya Fernandez (2006) was admitted as a lawyer to the Supreme Court of Queensland on Monday 8 October before Chief Justice Paul de Jersey AC. Amaya graduated last year with a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Environmental Planning from Griffith University and completed her professional year at The College of Law. Garbi Fernandez (2009) has just finished her third year of a Bachelor of Science/MBBS at the University of Queensland. This dual degree is offered to up 50 international fee-paying students each year to enable to them study health sciences, science or art alongside a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) while still at secondary school. Garbi is heading off to Cambodia for a six-week placement in a hospital in Phnom Penh. Sascha Kelly (2010) has spent the last year and a half teaching Low Brass at various schools. She is currently in the process of auditioning for conducting programs for 2013 where she will most likely be making a move to Melbourne. Over the years Sasha developed an interest in music journalism and started volunteering at the local classical music radio station in Brisbane (4MBS 103.7FM) once a fortnight, where she programs and presents her own show. Deborah Stephenson (2003) is working in Toronto, Canada as a marketing associate for Firmex, an international organisation that provides a virtual a data room for investment, legal and finance professionals. Deborah just had an academic article published in The Australasian Marketing Journal titled, The Financial Services Cultural Orientation Matrix.
Alumni - creating a living bridge
Sydney Reunion
Sydney Reunion
Reunions We held three interstate reunions during this last semester including the interstate reunions in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. It was lovely to have girls from across the eras gather together to celebrate being a St Aidan’s girl.
Canberra Reunion
Sydney Reunion
Victorian Reunion
Sydney Reunion
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Alumni - creating a living bridge
Reunions and Old Girl Events 2013 Date Time Reunion Details Tuesday 19 March 2 pm 50 Year Reunion Contact Alumni Office 3373 5961 or paststudents@staidans.qld.edu.au Thursday 9 May 10 am Ascension Day Contact Alumni Office 3373 5961 or Concert/Picnic paststudents@staidans.qld.edu.au Friday 17 May 6 pm Sydney Reunion Contact Alumni Office 3373 5961 or paststudents@staidans.qld.edu.au Saturday 18 May 2 pm Canberra Reunion Contact Alumni Office 3373 5961 or paststudents@staidans.qld.edu.au Saturday 18 May 6 pm 20 Year Reunion Contact Alumni Office 3373 5961 or paststudents@staidans.qld.edu.au Thursday 23 May 7 am Business Breakfast Contact Alumni Office 3373 5961 or paststudents@staidans.qld.edu.au Sunday 26 May 12 noon 40 Year Reunion Contact Alumni Office 3373 5961 or paststudents@staidans.qld.edu.au Wednesday 24 July 7am Law Breakfast Contact Alumni Office 3373 5961 or paststudents@staidans.qld.edu.au Sunday 4 August 11 am Melbourne Reunion Contact Alumni Office 3373 5961 or paststudents@staidans.qld.edu.au Friday 18 October 7 pm Young Old Girls Event Contact Alumni Office 3373 5961 or paststudents@staidans.qld.edu.au Thursday 24 October 12 noon Launch Born to Fly 3 Contact Alumni Office 3373 5961 or paststudents@staidans.qld.edu.au Thursday 31 October 7 am Health Sciences Contact Alumni Office 3373 5961 or Breakfast paststudents@staidans.qld.edu.au
Book celebrates Sisters commitment
A book celebrating the remarkable women who are the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent was launched in late October at our sister school, St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School. Author and current St Margaret’s teacher, Ray Geise, has spent the past few years researching and writing the book. This was done in conjunction a number of people including our own Archivist, Wendy Biggs, who contributed many images, Recorder extracts and important details which have made their way into the final publication. Ray’s book details the ways in which the Sisters touched the lives of so many young women in Queensland by providing them with a unique education. Ray said the purpose of the book was to tell the stories of the schools with which the Sisters had been associated. He also profiled some of the Sisters, interviews Old Girls from the various schools and asked teachers to reminisce on their involvement with the schools. The Most Reverend Dr Phillip Aspinall was the special speaker on the night and the Sisters, current (and past) staff, Old Girls, current students from both St Aidan’s and St Margaret’s and community groups attended the launch.
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community - all creatures great and small
all creatures great and small...
Creatures great and small converged on the lawns outside the St Aidan’s Chapel for an unusual kind of service. Based on an ancient Anglican tradition commemorating St Francis Day and St Francis’ love for animals, the School community was invited to attend the chapel service accompanied by their cherished furry companions. “This is the first time in memory that we have done the Pet Blessing here at St Aidan’s,” Reverend Paul Bland said.
“We had big dogs, little dogs, old dogs, puppies, frisky dogs and well-behaved dogs.
“My favourite was a tiny little thing who had been fostered after a puppyhood filled with abuse and misery. It was just precious to see her there with the kindest, gentlest lady who cared for her so generously.” Students continued to celebrate the importance of animals, with a visit from the RSPCA Education Mobile Unit (EMU) in the last week of Term Four, a state-of-the-art classroom on wheels filled with interactive animal welfare education. St Aidan’s is proud to support the great work provided by the RSPCA through the full sponsorship of a Dog Apartment at their new Wacol centre. huddle I december 2012 52
Faith - apology accepted
Apology accepted
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Faith - apology accepted
What a challenge to try to sum up an exciting and interesting year in “400 words or less” as my editor has instructed. But, I am going to give it a go … here are some of the highlights and reflections of 2012 – the year that was. I was out of Australia for the media blitz that accompanied a particularly nasty statement made by controversial radio broadcaster, Alan Jones, at a packed Liberal Party function in Sydney. It quickly became one of those controversies that spread instantaneously all over the world via the Internet. It made the news in Canada – where I was – admittedly as a footnote or ‘puff piece’ that led me back to Australian media sites on line so I could follow the circus to its shameful conclusion. But, just as bad as the original comments made by Mr Jones at the social event was his apology that followed. Lots of people have said unwise things after a few drinks, and Alan Jones might have been wise to acknowledge that and express his regrets. Instead, the apology began well but ended up doing little except repeat the original offensive remarks this time while in a ‘sober’ state. What is it with public figures who insist on an aggressive approach to something as fragile as an apology? I guess that part of the explanation lies in the fact that an apology attempts to be the “final verse and chapter” in a conflict. It’s meant to bring closure and the healing of a hurt – not reignite the conflict. True reconciliation isn’t easy. It involves risk taking, a certain amount of vulnerability and a lot of hope. Sometimes it works – as we’ve experienced in our personal life. Sometimes it begins a process of healing – as the national apology to the Stolen Generation appears to have done. And sometimes it doesn’t help at all – as Alan Jones found out to his detriment. Moving on from difficult periods is something that many of our St Aidan’s families encountered this year as the legacy of the 2011 Floods, the outcome of which continues to be felt in some areas. Despite the continuing pain, our school family is now robust enough to reach out to others who have been traumatised by a natural disaster; witness the generosity of our people to families at our sister school in New York who suffered loss from Hurricane Sandy. The lesson is relatively simple. We move on from our own loss by supporting others in their grief. It’s a great message to take into the Christmas season. The angels promised Peace on Earth, Goodwill Towards Men. How much we ache for that goodwill and peace in our national life and in our own community. My experience is that we ache for it in our family circle as well. So let the last word (and the final verse) for the 2012 Huddle be the words of the angels and may Christmas bring you joy and hope and reconciliation – and a new day dawning. The Reverend Paul Bland Senior Chaplain
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St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School
confidence and success 11 Ruthven Street Corinda Qld 4075 T: 61 7 3373 5999 F: 61 7 3379 9432 E: school@staidan.qld.edu.au www.staidan.qld.edu.au A School of the Society of the Sacred Advent
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