Huddle - Dec 2015

huddle

St Aidan’s

DECEMBER I 2015

contents Editor Alice Tidmarsh Contributors Karen Spiller Rev Gillian Moses Sue Russell Wendy Biggs Gaye Brown Louise McGuire Steve Baker

Design Annie Fanning Photography Cory Wright Brooke Petro Annie Fanning

Leadership

2

Academic

4

The Arts

12

Junior School

14

Sport

20

Community

28

Staff

34

Alumni

40

Faith

53

Printing Print Systems Australia Editorial queries, feedback and change of address E: marketing@staidans.qld.edu.au

Front Cover Artwork by Indigo Johnston

the first word I recently read a list of items and activities from the recent past - you know the kind of list you see on Facebook or other media from time to time. While I know that the items on this list really did exist and that they were part of my own life experience; every time I read of them, it seems so hard to believe that they were the reality not that long ago.

The list included: •

Sending mail overseas was so expensive, we used very thin paper and aerogrammes

•

A highlight of the weekend was a trip to the ‘dump’ (now recycling station) with my father

•

When we had a party or friends over, we would put cocktail onions and cubes of cheese on toothpicks and place them in an orange

•

Red public phone boxes were readily available on every corner

•

Petrol stations closed from Saturday noon until Monday, but then again, so did most things!

•

My school lunch was wrapped in either brown or greaseproof paper, glad wrap wasn’t invented nor were post its, liquid paper and we still used carbon paper to make copies of assignments which of course, were hand written.

Karen Spiller PRINCIPAL

What seems so unlikely and so old fashioned really was only a handful of years ago.

We could make a list of what has changed in education and schooling over this time as well.

It is true, in grades one and two, I did use a slate and was very proud of my little yellow sponge in its small plastic container to keep it moist! Even in my early years as a Head of Department, we had only started to use a computer, and shared this among a number of staff. None for students!

Of course so much has changed in a relatively short period of time. Our students in K-12 have access to iPads and laptops on a 1-1 basis, we have 3D printers and our students learn design and innovation studies, solve problems with their creative ideas, can join the maker space movement and learn coding in the primary school, can study any number of 39 different subjects through the school and take part in 15 different sports and a multitude of activities.

They can travel internationally easily and communicate in real time with their families for free rather than be restricted to the lightweight paper and the six weeks tyranny of distance. And they do!

I hope you enjoy this issue of the Huddle which provides a glimpse of some of the current real world activities that our students and staff participate in on a daily basis.

Karen Spiller

MBA, MEdAdmin, BA, BEdSt, FACE, FAIM, FACEL, FAHRI, FAICD, FCEOI Fellow of Bond University

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academic - HUMANS OF AIDAN’S

#HumansOfAidans Est. 2015 by Rebecca Black and Laura Sharkey Humans of Aidan’s began in the winter of 2015, with the thought that it would be really interesting to create an exhaustive catalogue of St Aidan’s inhabitants and share their stories with the St Aidan’s community. Rebecca and Laura set out to photograph 100+ members of the St Aidan’s community in a similar style (on a smaller scale) to Humans of New York #HONY. They started collecting quotes and short stories from students and staff and began including these snippets alongside the photographs on the St Aidan’s Facebook page. Taken together, these portraits and captions, have provided a glimpse into the lives of strangers (and friends) at St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School throughout 2015.

Follow along in 2016 as Georgia and Lucy take the reins and continue, what truly is, a fantastic initiative. #hoa#humansofaidans #connectinga1dan5

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HUMANS OF

AIDAN’S

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academic - SCHOOL LEADERS 2016

We congratulate our 2016 School Captains and Student Leaders

SCHOOL CAPTAIN: Lucy Clarke (right) VICE CAPTAIN: Georgia Jacobsen (left)

SCHOOL CAPTAIN:

Lucy Clarke

VICE CAPTAIN:

Georgia Jacobsen

PREFECTS: Siobhan Brodie Alexandra Brunello Lucy Clarke Jenny Gunnarsson Georgina Hazenberg Susanna Hutchinson Meghan Hood Georgia Jacobsen Madison Krummel Melia McCarthy

Millicent Morrison-Davies Khameela Noendeng Sasha Paulin Eliza Sherington Leinani Wright SACRISTANS: Maylis Loth Eleanor Pokarier SPORTS CAPTAINS: Alexandra Nothdurft Raquel Spies

DEBATING CAPTAINS: Laura Milton Candace-Shaye Robinson MUSIC CAPTAINS: Paris Irwin Sarah Rodgers HOUSE CO-CAPTAINS: Austen Kate Flanagan Amelia Lewis Barrett Joanna Gale Isabelle Pugh Bronte Lilly Fuller Brie Morse Cavell Brittany Cheadle Emma Stubbs Hartland Claire Hood Jemima Walker Nightingale Emma Frey Kathleen Kendall

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academic - NAPLAN

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napla

an

academic - NAPLAN

Educational EXCELLENCE We are once again pleased with the results of The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) for 2015.

Our students achieved well above National and State averages in each of the literacy and numeracy domains and each year level scored in the top ten of the state.

•Year 3 had the fifth highest mean in Queensland; •Year 5 had the seventh highest mean in Queensland; •Year 7 had the third highest mean in Queensland; and •Year 9 achieved tenth highest mean in Queensland

Year 3 2015

Reading

Writing

Spelling

Numeracy

453

Grammar and Punctuation 506

St Aidan’s

529

464

State Average

418.2

National Average

425.8

405.8

396.5

430.4

392.8

416.3

409.2

432.7

397.8

Reading

Writing

Spelling

Numeracy

495

Year 5 2015 St Aidan’s

564

533

536

Grammar and Punctuation 587

State Average

494.6

470.0

489.2

499.9

485.9

National Average

498.2

478.1

498.1

503.8

492.3

Reading

Writing

Spelling

Numeracy

551

Year 7 2015 St Aidan’s

612

584

598

Grammar and Punctuation 629

State Average

542.9

504.5

544.3

538

539.2

National Average

545.9

510.5

546.4

541.3

542.6

2015

Reading

Writing

Spelling

Numeracy

St Aidan’s

635

612

621

Grammar and Punctuation 632

State Average

572.3

537.4

579.5

565.9

584.9

National Average

580.4

546.2

583.3

567.7

591.7

617

Year 9

632

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a em c co amd m u inci t- yT H - EB LG ER SE ASTI NOGU TODFO OTRHSE A N I M A L S

St Aidan’s in the

G R E A T OUTDOORS

Hiking, mountain biking, high and low ropes, flying fox, camping out and cooking – just some of the experiences that the girls faced while participating in the Year 9 annual outdoor education experience at Woodford. The camp has long been a part of the Year 9 calendar and was extended in 2015 to include a Duke of Edinburgh component - with 45 girls participating.

The weather this year was very good and the absence of rain ensured the girls were able to make the most of all the activities; and most importantly stay dry and warm.

While it is always a demanding camp, and the girls had to leave their comfort zone with the end result the forging of new friendships. As well, the girls challenged themselves, got lost, learnt new skills, and most importantly learnt what they are capable of - showing each of them that when they try new things, they are sometimes surprised at their own abilities.

Year 8 camp As is the case in so many things, sometimes we just need to jump and figure it out as we go along. So it was for the Year 8 cohort as they took their first steps in the Senior School.

Our camp on beautiful Moreton Island was the perfect way for the girls to build and cement friendships, both old and new.

We left the mainland under grey skies but were blessed with beautiful weather for the next three days. The girls swam, snorkelled and kayaked – meeting a myriad of sea creatures as they did so. For many the biggest challenge was waxing up their board and tobogganing down the sand dunes. Cooling off at the Blue Lagoon was also a great way to get rid of all the sand collected along the way!

great ou 6

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OA OL RS c o m m u n i t ya c-a dB eLm E iScS -I NT H G E OGFR ET AHTE OAUNT D IM

tdoors

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a c a d e m i c - D E S I G N A N D I N N O VAT I O N S T U D I E S

Design

+ Innovation

STUDIES

St Aidan’s introduced Design and Innovation Studies in 2014, thanks to three innovative teachers, Tim Kemp, Marcia Forness and Gaye Brown, who saw a gap that could be easily filled in the curriculum.

Tim has worked at St Aidan’s as a Maths, IT, Multimedia, Music and Design and Innovation Studies teacher since 2007.

More recently, Tim has dedicated his time to developing an innovative program for senior students in Year 7-10, after realising that design needed to be explicitly taught as, after years of teaching multimedia, he could see that many of the practical skills he was teaching (in terms of how to use software) could be learnt online, but students needed guidance on how to produce multimedia that was welldesigned.

The inspiring program focuses on teaching students the fundamental concepts and methodologies based on Stanford University’s Design program - through fun and easy-to-understand activities that equip students with the skills and mindsets which enable them to pursue highly sought after roles and lead strategic initiatives.

Under Tim’s guidance, students have the freedom to pursue their own

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interests by creating programming projects, developing important design and problem-solving skills, all while learning to think creatively and work collaboratively.

The initial program began with Year 7 and 8 students in 2014, who reaped great benefits to their programming and entrepreneurial skills. With this success, the program was introduced to Year 9 and 10 this year. The Year 7 and 8 program covers a range of design fields including programming and engineering concepts. In Year 9 and 10 students can focus on either digital technology (i.e. web development, app development, and programming) or design and technology (use of different materials, engineering, graphic design, textiles and service design).

Tim’s passion for teaching knows no bounds with his desire to further expand his knowledge in design, innovation and programming by studying a Masters in Design in the near future.

a c a d e m i c - D E S I G N A N D I N N O VAT I O N S T U D I E S

Australian winners of the Search for the Next Tech Girl Superhero competition.

Georgia Brown, Robyn Conradie, Jess Miller and Emmaline Monteith (Year 9) won the Australian Search for the Next Tech Girl Superhero competition for their dog walking app Pawsout.

Their prize includes a 6 week internship with Buckham & Duffy, an innovation and technology consultancy firm who will assist them with getting the app on the market.

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a c a d e m i c - I N N O VAT E O R S TA G N AT E

Innovate or Stagnate ?

With the Innovation and Design Hub in its planning stages, it is timely to consider the importance of creative and innovative learning and the need for a specific enabling environment. The impact of the hub will be far reaching, as the benefits from improved creative learning practices will favour all subject areas, since creativity is intrinsically linked to effective thinking methods and problem solving.

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a c a d e m i c - I N N O VAT E O R S TA G N AT E

The ability to be creative and innovative is often dismissed as a skill one either has or doesn’t, however this preconception is incorrect; creativity and innovative thinking can be taught, but through interactive rather than reproductive tasks.

Because creative learning does not prescribe a right or wrong answer it is a student’s engagement with the process of creating that is important, and one of the key factors in this engagement is motivation. The environment students find themselves in has the most immediate impact on their motivation level.

As well as innovation, creative spaces can encourage self-reflection and offer respite from external pressures. In their 2013 “stats and facts”, Beyond Blue states that young people are most concerned about coping with stress, school or study issues, and see mental health as a more important issue than the environment, bullying and employment. 1 in 6 young Australians currently experience an anxiety condition.

Both anxiety and depression can have serious negative consequences for learning outcomes, since cognitive functions such as memory, focus, sequencing, logic, and selfconfidence can be severely impaired. The value of art therapy is well known; however even outside of a formal therapy setting creative processes contribute enormously to general well being and positive mentalhealth. Brisbane psychologist Susanne Gilmour notes that the cognitive flexibility developed through engaging with creative processes is neurologically useful in wellness and healing, particularly for young sufferers of anxiety and depression, and other increasingly prevalent mental health issues.

Children from an early age are now spending increased amounts of time participating in adult organised activities and watching stories on screens all told and imagined visually by adults, leaving little room for children to actively imagine and create scenarios for themselves.

Creative activities are vital in enhancing cognitive flexibility for successful problem solving, essential for academic success across the curriculum, and for managing emotional well being. Schools need to offer as many opportunities as possible to ensure originality thrives in the young, a key ingredient for a thriving society.

Melbourne cognitive neuroscientist and founder of Colourtation Brain Science Dr Stan Rodski also agrees that engagement with making and the processes of creativity creates states of mindfulness and are far reaching when managing stress related issues. This sentiment was endorsed by outgoing senior student Sarah Wilson;

“I want to take what is in my head and represent it in physical forms. I wanted to create my own personal 3-dimensional maps of escape and confinement that I so often feel when not working creatively.

I can be totally in the moment and block all else out.”

The myriad benefits of creative study and improved making environments will enmesh, within the St Aidan’s community, a sense of inventiveness and inspire students both actively and passively. Opportunities to develop originality and imagination should be central to any school’s learning program.

Greater cognitive flexibility, motivation and openness to experience are associated with creative achievement and high functioning, reflective individuals who are emotionally prepared and able to accept and make change.

Gaye Brown PAR - Visual Art

Innovation + DesignHUB

The

Outgoing senior student and aspiring architect to be Bronte Scott, who understands the link between motivation and fulfillment, exemplifies this idea; “Despite the hours involved in making time consuming artworks, it never feels like work – it is forever enjoyable. When people began seriously asking ‘What do you want to do with your life’, I looked for something that meant I would never have to work a day in my life. And architecture seemed to be the perfect fit as it can turn the ability to have something that begins as an idea in my head turn into something hundreds of people could experience and potentially enhance their lives.” The rewarding experience of engaging in the creative process and realising innovative outcomes can continually inspire and drive students to challenge themselves in identifying and pursuing a goal.

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the arts - YEAR 12

Makenzie Donald Kahlea Hughes

Miranda Everett

Joanna Garcia

Katelyn Walker 12

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Brittany Donnell

Alexandra Nissen Wiis

the arts - YEAR 12

Gabrielle Jarrett Claudia Auschra

A selection of Year 12 artworks where students have explored representations of women, and psychological or domestic space Bronte Scott

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junior school - DISCOVER BRIGHT SPARKS

discover bright s 14

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junior school - DISCOVER BRIGHT SPARKS

The Bright Sparks Science and Technology Showcase was once again held in August and saw students from Kindergarten to Year 6 come together to share the wonderful work being done in class. This day provided students an opportunity to be the experts and demonstrate what they had learned in class about the wonders of science, ICT, engineering and technology.

Guests and students were able to engage in a variety of interactive and informative displays. Our wonderful Kindy students became astronauts for the afternoon and shared their knowledge, Prep showed how to program Bee Bots, Year 1&2 informed guests about mysterious mixtures and the cycle of life, Year 3 shared their findings in relation to the properties of lip gloss, Year 4 explored physics using balloon car races and how science can solve crimes, Year 5 used rockets to demonstrate the trajectory relationship of launch angle and distance, Year 6 used ice cream making to model chemical reactions, and a dynamic display sharing the exciting coding and Makerspace program offered at St Aidan’s was also exhibited by the Library staff and students.

The event was well attended and included friends, families and also invited guests from QUT’s Engineering and Education Faculty.

This year, we were fortunate enough to welcome Olivia Hutchinson as guest speaker at the Bright Sparks afternoon.

Olivia received a Dean’s Scholarship for Engineering at Queensland University of Technology where she studies Mechanical Engineering. She was able to inspire students with a description of the work and opportunities that the study of Science has afforded her.

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t h e a r t s - STAG E DA N C E

STAGE

continues to impress St Aidan’s dance troupe, STAGE, has had another strong season, which included a third at the Brisbane Performing Arts Challenge (BPAC) for Legally Blonde, third place at Brisbane Eisteddfod for Military and numerous ‘highly’ and ‘very highly commended’ at the same Eisteddfods.

Coach, Lauren McKean, a valuable addition to the troupe this year, choreographed four unique and progressive dances for the team.

Two jazz - Military and Legally Blonde, one contemporary - Hunger Games and one lyrical - Vintage Girls.

For the first time, the Year 7’s joined STAGE, bringing a great energy and motivation to the team. A new role of “costume designer” was created this year, with the designs a great addition to the performances, as noted in many competition adjudicators comments. The STAGE support group were once again integral to the success of the team, organising working bees, eisteddfods and fund raising, without their support, STAGE would not be the success it is today.

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the arts - GRANDE CONCERT

GRANDE concert 2015

In October the St Aidan’s Music Department and Music Support Group presented The Grande Concert. The afternoon was a great success, and a true showcase of the depth and breadth of our extracurricular musical endeavours.

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extra curricular - WRITERS’ FESTIVAL/ READERS’ CUP

Writers’ Festival All students who competed in the Year 7 – 9 Readers’ Cup competitions attended the schools’ day at the Brisbane Writers’ Festival at the State Library of Queensland. Students were entertained by the authors Alice Pung, Emily Rodda and Brenton Mckenna. Two of our students, Georgina Whittle and Kate Riethmuller chaired sessions, introducing and thanking the authors. The day was a wonderful experience for all.

Readers’ Cup This year there was a record number of participants in Interschool Readers Cup and Kids’ Lit competitions. Forty eight students in Years 7 to 12 took part, competing against other schools in the Brisbane West region.

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e x t r a c u r r i c u l a r - D E B AT I N G / P U B L I C S P E A K I N G

The Great

D E B AT E

This year was a very successful year for St Aidan’s debaters; with two teams making it into the finals, team 11.1 in the Quarter Finals, and 9.2 in the Semi Finals. This was also the first year of Year 7 debating, and our four talented teams have made an exciting start on their journey as debaters.

The Great Debate was a wild success, as our villainous team, consisting of the Joker (Genevieve Vuong), Cruella de Vil (Lucy Macdonald), Maleficent (Bella Farrah) and Scar (Carolyn Cormack) smashed those BBC heroes in a screaming victory.

Lion’s Youth of the Year Three of St Aidan’s best Public Speakers gave outstanding performances in the Lions Youth of the Year competition held in February. Rebecca Black, Genevieve Vuong and Paris Irwin delivered impressive persuasive speeches on a number of moral and social topics to engage and entertain the members of the Darra/Oxley Lions Club. A panel of Lions Club members judged students’ performances in an interview, a seven minute speech, and number of impromptu

responses on a range of political, economic and ethical questions.

Selection for the regional winner took place over two days.

15 students from local schools provided strong competition in all fields and the participants were well informed, keen public speakers. Rebecca Black and Genevieve Vuong each received an honourable mention for their excellent overall performances.

Paris Irwin won The Best Public Speaker Award for the region.

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sport - FENCING

Alicia soars towards Olympic dream Alicia Kwag (2015) started fencing at the age of 6, with a simple goal, to become more confident, she said “I was so shy and my parents thought it would help give me some confidence, I wasn’t very keen at first but Mum said I only had to do it for 6 months”. Fast forward 10 years and she’s got the ultimate goal of getting Australia back into the Olympic fencing arena, after we failed to qualify anyone for the 2012 London Olympics.

Alicia is already a success story, ranked as the top fencer in women’s foil, but her ultimate goal of competing at next year’s Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games is still ahead of her. She says “right now I am on a very advantageous track to qualify for the qualification championships for the Rio Olympics.” She has a very clear list of competitions and goals for the next 6 months, “to qualify for the Olympic qualifiers which will be held in China, I must have the most points from World Championships or designated world cups out of all the women’s foilists in Australia to be selected to go to the qualifiers.

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points from world championships or world cups, the women’s foilist who is ranked first in the Open women’s foil ranking in Australia will be selected to go. However, I am currently the only Australian women’s foilist that has international points from World Championships, which puts me in the hot seat for the Olympic Qualifiers next year. Then to qualify for the actual Olympic Games, I must go to the Asian Zone qualifiers in China next year and place in the top 3 at the end of the day to go to Rio.” This year Alicia competed in the Senior (all ages) World Fencing Championships in mid-July, and finished with a top 64 (45th) result out of 109 people. This result has so

far been the highest place that any Australian women’s foilist has made at the Senior World Championships.

Alicia will finish the year, ranked first place in all competition categories she qualified for, which are: Open, Under 23, Under 20 and Under 17. We are so proud of all that Alicia has achieved already and are so excited to follow her Olympic journey in 2016

sport - EQUESTRIAN

Equestrian Equestrian is one of the few sports at St Aidan’s where the season runs for the entire year, requiring the utmost dedication and commitment from all members. Once again, St Aidan’s has achieved phenomenal results in 2015, with a number of girls representing at a state and national level.

The St Aidan’s Equestrian team competes in Interschool Queensland competitions which are conducted throughout the year by schools, clubs & EA groups. Interschool Queensland has six disciplines: Dressage, Showman, Show Horse, Jumping, Eventing & Combined Training.

Riders compete both individually and as part of the school team. Interschool competitions are fun and cater for riders of all levels including walk-trot dressage for beginner riders through to National level competition. Interschool aims to promote equitation, education and equestrian sport in school programs within Queensland and to encourage the development of discipline, character, sportsmanship, teamwork and a sense of achievement in Interschool riders in Queensland.

St Aidan’s Equestrian team are looking for new riders, of any level. Beginner riders are welcome, we offer a fun and supportive environment for riders to grow and develop their skills with horses. St Aidan’s also holds an equestrian camps for our team members at the start of each year - all new riders are welcome to attend this camp.

For more information about joining the team please contact: Andy McGregor-Lowndes Head of Senior School Sport E: A.McGregor-Lowndes@staidans.qld.edu.au

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sport - SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR

We congratulate our 2015

Sportswoman of the Year Madeleine Attlee

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•

QGSSSA Cross Country

•

QGSSSA Athletics

•

Open Touch Football

•

St Aidan’s Schools Knockout Team - National Champions

•

Represented Queensland at the Australian Secondary Schools Athletics Championships Gold 400m (Queensland Record), 5th 200m, Gold Swedish Relay Team

•

Represented Queensland at the Australian Junior Athletics Championships Silver 400m (U18)

•

Queensland Athletics A-Squad (Recognition Squad for Top 8 in Australia)

•

Queensland Athletics Talent Target Program (High Performance Pathway)

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Australian U17 Development Squad

•

Represented Australia at the 2015 Youth Commonwealth Games in Samoa 5th in the Final of the 400m, Silver Medal 4x100m Relay

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sport - SPORTSTEAM OF THE YEAR

Junior Sportswoman of the Year Tayla Behr •

QGSSSA Touch Football

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Interhouse Cross Country Age Champion (fastest runner in the school)

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QGSSSA Cross Country Age Champion

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Interhouse Athletics Age Champion

•

QGSSSA Athletics

•

Member of St Aidan’s Queensland All Schools Cross Country Relay Championships winning team

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Metropolitan West Cross Country, Athletics and Triathlon

•

2015 Qld Cross Country Club Championships - 1st Place

•

Represented Queensland at Australian Junior Athletics Championships (10th 1500m)

•

Represented Queensland at National Secondary Schools Cross Country Championships (8th)

•

Queensland Athletics Q-Squad (Talent ID Recognition Squad)

Team of the Year OPEN GYMNASTICS Joanna Gale, Abbey Scott, Jamie Tromp, Olivia Doherty and Samantha Watkin Coach: Kirsten Cole

Co-ordinator: Ms Crome

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Premiers QGSSSA Artistic Gymnastics Open Division

•

breaking Moreton Bay College’s 16 consecutive years winning streak

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Team placed first on Bars, Beam & Floor

•

Had the highest scoring individual gymnast in the Open competition (Abbey Scott)

Pierre de Coubertin Award We congratulate Rachel Mills who has received the coveted Pierre de Coubertin Award.

This prestigious award recognises secondary school students who demonstrate values which are consistent with the Olympic Movement through participation in sporting activities .

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s p o r t - S E N I O R AT H L E T I C S

2015 Del Mellafont Percentage Cup champions After the historic 2014 St Aidan’s Athletics season, the squad for 2015 picked up where they left off and once again put forward a season to remember. After being crowned the 2014 Del Mellafont Percentage Cup champions we have again returned this trophy to our cabinet for another year with an incredibly dominant performance.

With a High Performance program in place, a huge increase in participation and the return of our high quality coaching team, the 2015 Athletics team rose to the challenge and new found expectations.

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s p o r t - S E N I O R AT H L E T I C S

Our largest ever squad of 93 athletes produced a staggering 45 Top 3 finishes including 13 1st places, 20 2nd places and 12 3rd places. An even greater statistic was the ability of every team member to contribute with 80 of a possible 122 events placing in the Top 5 and this enabled St Aidan’s to increase its Percentage Cup win from 8% in 2014 to over 25% in 2015.

From the amazing leadership of our Captains Erin Sundstrom and Madi Trainor, to the meteoric rise of our 14 Year Age group, to the dominate display in the Sprint events or the surprise performances from our 12 Year Age group – the day and season was full of a highlight reel too long to list.

“This year was further validation that what we have built and are still building in terms of our Athletics Program at St Aidan’s is working. The girls love being a part of this sport. The opportunity to build friendships, better yourself and be a part of a positive team environment is something very special and hopefully here to stay for many more years to come.” Head Coach and Director of Athletics Development Mr Russ said.

“Last year I referred to this new standard that we have set at St Aidan’s and the challenges this would present in 2015 to emulate. Not only did the girls meet this, they far exceeded them and I am incredibly excited to see what the future holds.”

He said.

2015 •

•

Fast Facts

2015 Del Mellafont Percentage

•

Cup Champions and 4th in the

Australia at the Commonwealth

Aggregate Cup

Youth Games in Samoa and Katie Colebourne at the Oceania

First time in school history St Aidan’s

Championships in Cairns

is the current QGSSSA Athletics Percentage Cup Champions and

•

Current Australian Knockout Athletics Champions (December 2014) and

champions

defending this title in Melbourne December 9th.

11 athletes scored 20+ points with •

Back to back titles as QLD’s Fastest

with 3 individual A event victories (30

School winning the State Secondary

points) and a share in 10 points from

Schools 4 x 100m Championship

a 2nd place in the 16yrs A relay

•

QLD Secondary Schools Athletics

The big improvers our 14 years team

Championships – 4 x Gold, 1 x

– placed 8th in 2014 as 13yrs with

Bronze, 11 x Top 8 Performances

99.5 points and improved to 3rd overall in 2015 with 127 points.

•

•

Andrews Cup Athletics Percentage

Katie Colebourne topping this list

•

Madeleine Attlee competed for

•

Met West Athletics Championships 22 Gold, 6 Silver, 13 Bronze, 4 x Met

3 podium finishes across the 6 age

West Records, 19 Athletes qualified to

groups (14 – 3rd, 15 – 3rd, 16 – 2nd)

compete at the 2015 QLD All Schools

which was an improvement from 2014

Championships in October

and all teams placed inside the Top 6 in their divisions

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j u n i o r s p o r t - AT H L E T I C S

ath le

Junior School 26

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The 2015 Andrews Cup Athletics Season was one of the most successful in recent history with our budding champions of the track and field winning the Percentage Cup and placing 6th overall in the Aggregate Cup.

j u n i o r s p o r t - AT H L E T I C S

tics

With a young enthusiastic group leading the charge at training throughout the year the team was incredibly well prepared and this showed in our results on the day. The team was led by our amazing 8 year olds who placed 3rd overall in their age group with Isabelle Palmer crowned the 8 years 80m, 100m, 200m and Long Jump Champion – a

very rare feat for one athlete to win all 4 events! Led by an inspiring and encouraging group of 11 and 12 year olds our squad was able to pull off a surprise victory in the Percentage Cup on the back of a truly spirited team effort. “Winning the Percentage Cup at Andrews Cup was such an exciting moment for the girls. Their spirit towards the

sport and desire to compete for the school was special to watch throughout the year and on the day. To hold the Percentage Cup in both Junior and Senior School for Athletics doesn’t happen too often and something the school should be very proud of” said Head Coach and Director of Athletic Development, Jayden Russ. huddle I december 2015 27

c o m m u n i t y - W H I T E R I B B O N DAY

Home stay

enough is enough A couple of St Aidan’s girls were invited to attend the White Ribbon Day breakfast on 25 November 2015, co-hosted by the Premier of Queensland Annastacia Palaszczuk and The Honourable Quentin Bryce. The breakfast included a panel discussion featuring Darren Lockyer, Lance Hockridge, Edward Mosby and Magistrate Colin Strofield. They provided the girls with insight into the horrors of domestic violence towards women in Australia including the extreme statistics and the commonness of it in our society.

Art Instalation by Year 10 students 28

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They learnt that approximately one woman is killed nearly every week due to domestic violence in Australia and this number is far from decreasing. They also learnt that gender inequality is at the heart of the problem as the stereotypical idea of men being superior

to women is still prevalent. This can be seen in a work environment as well as everyday situations.

Lance Hockridge said that “women are addicted to the hope that things will change” but in reality it won’t. The change that needs to happen is a cultural and generational change that must start today, not tomorrow.

It is promising that new initiatives are being enforced and there is hope that this will encourage change for women now and in future generations, because “enough is enough”!

Thank you to Ms Kathryn McMillan (1980) for her contribution by speaking with our Year 9 and 10 students. Ms McMillan QC is on the Committee of the Premier’s Domestic and Family Violence Implementation Council.

community - HIGH TEA / BLUE STOCKING WEEK

High Tea

with Jacqueline Harvey

Bestselling author, Jacqueline Harvey, visited St Aidan’s on 8 August for High Tea, delighting her young fans with colourful readings from the well-known Alice-Miranda and Clementine Rose books, as well as signing copies for elated recipients. The proceeds from the event were donated to DymocksChildren’s Charities, a literacy support program for Primary School students, encouraging students to cultivate a love for books and read every day “just because they want to”.

Blue Stocking Week Blue Stocking Week each year promotes women’s access to education, particularly tertiary education. As a girls’ school this seems like a great idea for us to get behind too, as we raise awareness of the lack of educational opportunities available to girls around the world.

Girls and women make up two-thirds of the world’s illiterate people, and most of the world’s out-of-school youth.

Anam Cara, under the guidance of sacristans Bronte and Genevieve, decided to paint the school blue and make blue stockings part of the uniform for one week. In buying and wearing our Blue Stockings we raised money to support the Bunda Girls Secondary School in Tanzania, which aims to change the statistics and give more girls a secondary education and a better future.

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junior school - TEACHER LIBRARIAN OF THE YEAR

teacher librarian of the year Literacy and environmental sustainability have been at the forefront of favourite teacher librarian Megan Daley’s ongoing commitment to the St Aidan’s community.

Megan has worked at St Aidan’s as a

award in the community category, alongside

teacher librarian and coordinator of Earth

Head of Junior School, Louise McGuire

Angles for the past ten years. Her incredible

and Principal of Getting to Sustainability,

work for the Junior School’s Environmental

Ngaire McGraw. The award recognises the

Club - Earth Angels, has seen St Aidan’s join

achievements of Queensland communities,

a handful of schools across Queensland to

schools, individuals, businesses and

achieve a four star rating or above, under

industries in adopting sustainable business

the Cleaner Greener Schools accreditation

practices. In 2015, the Junior School Library

program of Keep Australia Beautiful.

won the ALIA ‘Australia’s Favourite School

In 2014, Megan was honoured to accept the Premier’s ClimateSmart Sustainability 30

huddle I december 2015

Library’ award and Megan also won the QSLA ‘Queensland Teacher Librarian of the Year award.

junior school

In 2014, Megan was honoured to accept the Premier’s ClimateSmart Sustainability

- AWARDS

Highest Score

award in the community category, alongside

in Queensland

Head of Junior School, Louise McGuire

Regan Saayman (Year 2) -

and Principal of Getting to Sustainability, Ngaire McGraw. The award recognises the achievements of Queensland communities,

UNSW Medal for the highest score in Queensland for the ICAS English test.

schools, individuals, businesses and industries in adopting sustainable business practices. In 2015, the Junior School Library won the ALIA ‘Australia’s Favourite School Library’ award and Megan also won the QSLA ‘Queensland Teacher Librarian of the Year award.

Her positive impact on the school is obvious in the Junior School’s thriving vegetable garden, composting system and worm farm. The student-led club meets once a week during lunchtimes to work on actionorientated campaigns regarding issues they are concerned about. The girls often work alongside the Senior School Global Shields girls, giving them the chance to learn about teamwork and to understand how our actions impact on the earth.

During her decade at our school, Megan has also been Branch President of Queensland, and National Vice President for The Children’s Book Council of Australia. She is also on the judging panel of the Queensland Literary Awards, is a sessional academic at Queensland University of Technology, frequently writes for parenting website,

Ear th Angels have been awarded a Cleaner Greener School award, presented by the Lord Mayor of Brisbane

“KidSpot”, and has her own blog with a cult following, “Children’s Books Daily”, a place where those who treasure children’s books and reading with children, can be a part of a community.

Safe to say, Megan doesn’t sleep much.

She truly is one very busy and much loved part of our school community. Her passion and ongoing commitment to literacy and environmental sustainability continues to grow through her nurturing of St Aidan’s students.

‘Champions of Show’ in the RNA Education on Show Competition. huddle I december 2015 31

c o m m u n i t y - H O M E STAY FA M I L I E S

Homestay rewarding families Helen and Gary Brodie didn’t anticipate

end of 2016. Helen said “the program has

and the variety of extra-curricular activities

the impact that hosting a student would

been incredibly rewarding for our family,

offered, increasing international interest.

have on them and their daughter, Siobhan,

opening all of our eyes to other cultures

when they first started their journey.

and giving us the opportunity to share our

Candice joined their family in January

Australian culture and way of living”. The

of 2015, from the Shandong Province in

support offered at St Aidan’s has also been

China, transforming Siobhan from an only

invaluable and instrumental in the success

child to a sister overnight.

of the relationships, Helen noting that

With Candice and Siobhan both in Year 11 and studying some of the same subjects, they have developed a sisterly bond that until now, neither had experienced before.

They often help each other with their school work and Siobhan has helped Candice settle in to her new life in Brisbane. They share some of the same friends but Candice has also made friends outside of Siobhan’s friendship group, through her classes and extra-curricular activities.

This is the first time that Helen and Gary have hosted a homestay student but they say that the program has been gratifying for both parties and they would consider doing it again, after Candice leaves them at the 32

huddle I december 2015

“without the St Aidan’s homestay program support, the experience could have been tedious, but they have really made it easy and knowing that there is someone at the other end of the phone willing to listen to any concerns or answer our questions gave us peace of mind”. Candice agreed, saying “Staying with the Brodie family has been a great experience, they are like a second family to me now”. Candice plans to stay with the Brodie’s until the end of her

The demand from abroad has become even higher than expected in the past 12 months and consequentially, we have been able to increase the English requirements for entry to St Aidan’s, making it easier on our teachers, with girls entering next year obtaining higher levels of reading, writing and speaking English. Mrs Karen Spiller noted that “many industries in Australia are reaping great benefit from globalisation and education is not excluded from this.

We are experiencing great change with the globalisation of the industry and it’s important that St Aidan’s stay abreast of this transformation and embrace the benefits of having a global approach to education.”

schooling at St Aidan’s, she will complete

St Aidan’s are currently recruiting

Year 12 alongside Siobhan in 2016.

homestay families for 2016, if you’re

With homestay being a relatively new program at St Aidan’s, the early success of our international student program is attributed to our strong academic results

interested in finding out more please contact our international office: P: +61 7 3373 5999

community - YEAR 6 EUCHARIST

YEAR 6 EUCHARIST

huddle I december 2015 33

c o m m u n i t y - S TA F F U P D AT E

Staff

Karen Spiller appointed as C h ai r o f AH ISA The Australian Heads of Independent Schools Association (AHISA) appointed our Principal, Mrs Karen Spiller, as the Chair of their association in October of 2015. Karen will assume this role for two years.

AHISA is a professional association for Principals of independent schools across Australia, with 420 Independent School Heads represented, the community comprises of over 426,000 students and 55,000 staff and has the support of hundreds of thousands of parents who choose to send their children to Independent Schools across Australia.

All schools whose principals belong to AHISA are concerned with maintaining high standards of professional practice. They encourage the holistic development of young people, focusing on the development of the body, mind and spirit. Many of these schools are innovative, particularly in the area of the use of technology in education, and seriously address the changes in teaching and learning which come with a modern world.

34

•

Rev. Gillian Moses spent two weeks at the United Nations representing the Australian Anglican Church at the Commission for the Status of Women and was invited to be keynote speaker at the National Anglican Schools Conference in Canberra.

•

Mrs Megan Daley (Junior School Librarian) was commended for her work in advocacy for school libraries from Queensland School Library Association and awarded the Queensland Teacher-Librarian of the Year Award.

•

Four St Aidan’s staff have Doctorates and 22 have completed their Masters, with a further four currently studying for their Masters qualifications.

•

Ms Riordan (Deputy Principal) and Mrs Wickham (Dean of Studies), have been accepted into a Deputy Principal Leadership Colloquium and have been afforded significant scholarships within this program.

•

Dr James Cuskelly (Head of Music), Creative Arts and Design Studies) was elected as the President of the International Kodaly Society.

•

Mrs Wickham (Dean of Studies), was a finalist in the Queensland College of Teachers for an Excellence Leadership in Teaching and Learning Award.

•

Carla Trott (Music Teacher) was awarded a scholarship from the International Kodaly Society.

•

Ms Laura Cooke (Assistant Head of English) and Ms Jacqueline Rutter (Teacher of English) presented a paper at the English Teachers’ Association of Queensland National Conference on “Boosting Brainpower through Multisensory Teaching”, showcasing their innovative work.

•

Mrs Sylvia Hicks (Head of Sciences) presented at the 2nd Informa STEM Education Conference (STEM Education Conference A decade of development – STEM education for 2025), the title of the paper was “How can we entice girls into STEM Education?”

•

Mrs Jenny Crome received the 2015 Staff Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and Mrs Sandra Parsons the Staff Award for Service to the School Community.

•

Mrs Sylvia Hicks and Dr Ela Martin had their article published “Making the Aspiring Women in Science Conference a more effective vehicle for motivating and inspiring girls to continue with a career in Science, Technology, Mathematics and Engineering (STEM)”, in the Australian Journal of Middle Schooling.

•

Mrs Tracey Jeanes-Fraser was appointed by Netball Queensland as Head Coach of 21U Queensland Women’s Netball Team and also Assistant Coach of Queensland Fusion Netball Team (Feeder Team to the Firebirds). Tracey has also appointed by Netball Queensland for 2016/2017 as Head Coach of 17U Queensland Netball Team.

•

Jayden Russ has been appointed as the Queensland Athletics Target Talent Program State Coach (Distance) and Queensland Athletics Heat Team Manager and Coach.

huddle I december 2015

c o m m u n i t y - M R G E R R Y K AY

St Aidan’s vivacious and muchloved drama teacher, Mr Gerry Kay, experienced a once in a lifetime opportunity in Term 3, working in a school in a remote Indigenous Community.

St Aidan’s was delighted to support a

Queensland rainforest and perhaps the best

and involvement in this exchange.

request from Djarragun College for Schools to provide experienced teachers to give some of their expertise and to mentor their staff. As such Mr Gerry Kay was provided with four weeks release time to be at Djarragun.

In Term 3, Mr Kay had the unique opportunity of mentoring teachers at Djarragun College to help achieve stronger academic outcomes for a school exclusively made up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student body, of which 20 per

Unique opportunity

cent are boarders. Djarragun College is a co-educational and non-denominational day and boarding school located in Gordonvale, 20kms south of Cairns. The college is a distinctive Far North Queensland school.

experience of all, participating in the singing of traditional songs of the Islander students.

The Djarragun College program shares the Cape York Institute’s vision for children

While working at Djarragun College, Mr Kay

to achieve their full potential, talent and

was immersed in school life, living in the

creativity and have the confidence and

boarding house and spending much of his

capacity for hard work so they can orbit

spare time getting to know the students

between two worlds and enjoy the best of

through the clubs and culture program. He

both. Mr Kay melded into this method of

described the boarding house as being a

teaching and mentoring easily, his wealth of

thrilling experience unlike any teaching job

experience, fresh energy, humour and new

he’s had before. The living arrangements

ideas providing encouragement and support

allowed him for the first time to immerse

to Djarragun’s existing staff and students.

himself with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students ranging in age from 13-18.

He was able to get to know the children on a different level, with highlights including taking students to local swimming holes at the foot of the ranges; Indigenous art shows; somehow finding himself conducting the school choir in a public performance; being taught how to catch eels; driving the different girls and boys AFL teams to games; bushwalking in the magnificent North

Mr Kay’s invaluable experience at Djarragun College allowed him to return to Brisbane with a new found appreciation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the struggles they have to adapt to an education system which at times is both challenging and confronting. He is hoping to adapt some of his learning experiences at Djarragun to help our girls here at St Aidan’s.

We acknowledge Mr Kay for his commitment

huddle I december 2015 35

community - BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS

Blessing of the Animals

Blessing of the Animals We come, with fins, feathers, scales, fur and skin, mindful that, as part of God’s creation, we wish the best for one another. Within this faith community we express this in prayer, and through blessing as we pass God’s blessing amongst ourselves and our animals.

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huddle I december 2015

community - BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS

huddle I december 2015 37

community - PARENTS AND FRIENDS

Thank you from us to you The P&F has been very active during the

Of course, our regular school dances

year with various activities. We started the

held in each term raised the P&F nearly

Women in Business Conference, lunch

year with our annual Trivia Night in February

$39,000. Attendance at all dances has

for Seniors, International Women’s Day

which was successful on so many fronts

been tremendous and the number of parent

caps, and the Seniors’ breakfast;

and a fun and entertaining night that was

volunteers has been fabulous.

thoroughly enjoyed by all. The participation across the parent and school community was as strong as ever and we are proud to report that the event raised a total of $9000. This event has now become a

The Junior School Obstacle-athon, tea

•

•

for the Junior School.

$8,500 to the purchase of 6 new marquees; and

towels, Father/Daughter Disco and the Melbourne Cup lunch also raised $13,500

$2,000 towards the St Aidan’s Aspiring

•

$50,000 to the St Aidan’s Foundation for ongoing capital works.

permanent annual fixture on the calendar.

And we can’t forget to thank our staff and

To all our volunteers and various support

So please note in your diaries –

volunteers in our core service areas of the

groups who have worked so hard to achieve

tuckshop, uniform shop and textbook hire.

such fantastic results this year: a big thank

They have done a fantastic job all year, in all

you. Remember, all the work that we do is

these areas, and for your assistance we are

aimed at making St Aidan’s the best it can

truly grateful.

be for your daughters and we hope that, with

SAVE THE DATE

Trivia Night Saturday 27 February 2016

Because of your collective contributions and efforts, the P&F has been able to make the following donations: •

$2,000 to the Junior School for Reader’s Cup books;

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huddle I december 2015

your help, we can continue to support the school in this endeavour.

We will be holding the P&F welcome and thank you drinks immediately preceeding our AGM on Wednesday 24 February 2016.

community - COUNCIL

Early 2015 saw the end result of the extensive planning, hard work, dedication and commitment from staff, donors, parents and suppliers, which has gone into the refurbishment of The Archer and Templeton Science and Technology Centre, with the official re-opening on 15 March.

The Archer and Templeton Science and Technology Centre is a wonderful facility for research, collaborative learning and an interactive science program for Junior School students led by Dr Ela Martin. Thank you to everyone who donated funds to make this project possible. It has already and will continue to have a significant impact on the educational experience of our students.

Changing of the guards

This year we farewelled two Council members, former chair of School Council Professor Neil Dempster and Helen Thomas.

Helen served on Council for the maximum term of 9 years and Neil for 6 years.

I thank them both for their significant contribution to the governance of the School. We also welcomed two new Council members, Annika Launay and Annette McMullan. Annika Launay (Lewington) is an Old Girl (2002), co-owner of a Communications Company (pdpr), with a background in business management and marketing and a strong focus in the field of communications, hospitality and event management. Annika was a member of the St Aidan’s Foundation before joining School Council in May. Annette McMullan joined School Council in June and has a Bachelor of Nursing and a Bachelor of Laws. Annette is Chief Legal Counsel, Legal and Governance Branch, System Support Services at Queensland Health and brings significant risk management experience to School Council.

Ms Gillian Brown Chair - School Council

huddle I december 2015 39

a l u m n i - K AT I E S T E N Z E L

A Night at the Opera with Katie Stenzel

Since graduating in 2004, Katie Stenzel has realised huge success in her career as an Opera Singer, recently being offered the principal role of Rosina in Opera Queensland’s 2016 mainstage and touring production of The Barber of Seville.

Katie’s musical journey began with her involvement in the St Aidan’s music program, performing in the school choir, band and musical, igniting her passion for the creative industries.

After graduation in 2004, Katie began to pursue a career in music performance completing a Bachelor of Music at Queensland University of Technology, and Masters of Music Studies at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. Since then, 40

huddle I december 2015

armed with her dynamic, coloratura soprano voice, Katie has risen through the ranks of Opera Queensland, featuring in some of the company’s leading operatic events.

Katie’s professional credits include excerpts in the roles of Yum-Yum from The Mikado and Cunegonde from Candide for Opera Queensland’s season launches (2012 and 2015) and then covering those roles in the subsequent productions. She has also been a principal concert artist for Opera Queensland during 2015. She created the role of Loretta for the recording of Peter Rankine and Rod Ainsworth’s new work, The Crushing: A Gothic Opera. Katie has also performed in Sydney, singing in the Opera Australia Chorus for the 2013 production of Carmen on Sydney Harbour and on

the international stage with The Seven Sopranos.

In 2012 Katie was honoured as a featured artist for the New Taipei City Drama Festival in Taiwan, singing a variety of repertoire including pieces from Candide, Gianni Schicchi and West Side Story.

St Aidan’s have enjoyed watching Katie grow within her creative field and excitedly look forward to seeing her perform in her debut role as Rosina in next year’s operatic production, The Barber of Seville. You can see Katie as Rosina at QPAC Brisbane on Tuesday 12 July at 6.30pm, Tuesday 19 July at 6:30pm, Thursday 21 July at 7.30pm or Saturday 23 July at 7.30pm.

Katie Stenzel performing at Opera Queensland’s Cloud Song in 2015. Image by Stephanie Do Rozario.

alumni - HELEN SUMMERS

Rural Optometry Helen Summers St Aidan’s Old Girl, Helen Summers has moved from one success to another in her tireless work as an Optometrist and Humanitarian, recently being recognised as a State Finalist in the Australian of the Year Awards for 2016.

Helen’s incredible story began as a young graduate optometrist in Kenya where she witnessed the impact poor vision and preventable blindness has on the endless cycle of poverty. Not only can poor vision affect a child’s ability to learn, it can also have a huge impact on their future employment and increase the likelihood of sustained poverty. Helen brought her newfound passion and understanding home to Australia, with the dream of establishing her own practice in Darwin, to pursue outreach work in Australia’s most remote communities.

Helen Summers Optometrist was launched in 1998, in Darwin, a business striving to provide the very best in eye care for patients of all ages, across all distances.

Using second-hand equipment Helen was soon able to establish eight outreach clinics from Katherine to Kakadu, and from Nhulunbuy to Arnhem Land, spanning an incredible 1,500 km across the top end.

As a Chair and Director of many visionrelated national and international organisations, Helen still finds time to continue her important work in Optometry.

Helen undertakes comprehensive eye examinations, manages diabetic vision care and glaucoma, and provides visual perceptual and neuro-optometry services for children and adults with reading difficulties and autism. She has a strong interest in neuro-optometry conditions and indigenous health, Helen has created a generous resource for ready-made glasses, disused frames and low-cost eyewear for people living in remote Indigenous communities or suffering from economic hardship.

St Aidan’s is very proud to have Helen as a member of the school community.

We continue to support Helen in her determination to make a real difference in optometry care in Australia and wish her all the best in her ever-expanding business.

huddle I december 2015 41

community - CAROLINE AMY ALUMNI AWARD

Caroline Amy Alumni Award LUCY STRICKLAND

Alumni Awards

1990 Humanitarian Aid Worker

For the past 13 years, humanitarian aid worker Lucy Strickland has assisted organisations such as CARE International, Oxfam and UNHCR, providing aid and assistance to children and communities.

It’s a job that has taken her to more than 20 countries, through the conflict zones of South Sudan and Northern Iraq, and natural disaster recovery in Haiti after the earthquake and Ethiopia after drought.

Lucy has also been recognised recently as a State Finalist in the Australian of the Year Awards for 2016.

She is fluent in Vietnamese and Khmer, and proficient in French, Spanish and Arabic.

Following her years at St Aidan’s, Lucy completed a BA in Languages and Applied Linguistics through the University of Queensland, a Masters in Humanitarian and Development Practice in the UK and Certifications in Humanitarian Security and in English as a Second Language.

“I help to set up safe and protective spaces in which children, who are often completely traumatised through the often horrific experiences they’ve had to endure, are fed, have access to play, learning, clean water, psychosocial support and a network of peers which often serves as an important lifeline of support for these children,” says Lucy.

“I do my work in complete collaboration with affected communities - although it’s important to ensure these people have access to their basic needs - it’s as important to help facilitate their recovery as quickly as possible. This is not a 9-5 job - it’s all consuming and it’s hard to ever leave.”

Attending St Aidan’s from Years 7 to 12, Lucy attributes her confidence in her chosen career path to freedom to pursue her sense of self during school.

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huddle I december 2015

“St Aidan’s is a school that was never just about boosting its academic profile or its reputation in sport. It tried to encourage a much more holistic understanding and appreciation of its students, that went way beyond pockets on a blazer or trophies on a shelf.

“At school, I knew I loved language, had a thirst for travel, and to some degree was resisting convention. There’s nothing wrong with convention, however for me I was searching for something ‘other’. I didn’t understand the world of INGOs, or humanitarianism at the time. It took a few years to understand what it meant, and what it looked like in practice.

“My advice to current students is to live fearlessly - because you can do it - but to also consider those around you, be kind, enable others, don’t squash them or assume they know nothing.”

community - DISTINGUISHED YOUNG ALUMNUS (UNDER 30)

Alumni Awards

Distinguished Young Alumnus (under 30)

Ms Sophie Clark 2008 Human Rights Advocate

Sophie Clarke graduated in 2008 as the Vice School Captain, a Prefect and with exceptional academic results, it was evident to most she had a very bright future ahead of her. Since leaving St Aidan’s she has been studying a dual degree of a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Peace and Conflict Studies and International Relations, at The University of Queensland. She recently sat her final exam and is due to graduate in the middle of December.

While studying, Sophie has had the opportunity to complete internships all over the world. In 2012 she travelled to Ghana and completed a human rights internship in the capital city, Accra, where the main project involved establishing a legal aid desk in the largest slum in the city, to provide access to justice for all.

In 2014 she spent six months living in Cape Town and undertook two separate internships during her time there, first working as a legal intern for a refugee and asylum seeker advocacy centre, ARESTA, where her duties included completing research on refugee and immigration issues, writing submissions to the government regarding changes in the law and advocating for refugee rights.

She then interned at the University of the Western Cape Legal Aid Clinic where she observed and assisted with client consultations, and at the beginning of 2015 Sophie spent six weeks in Perth at the Native Title Representative Body, YMAC, where she completed an Aurora Internship, working in the area of native title law. Sophie has also had the opportunity to make an impact a little closer to home, intermittently doing some research work for a barrister and doing volunteer work in Brisbane through organisations such as Queensland Advocacy Incorporated and the Manning Street Project.

Sophie attributes pursuing her unique career path to a lot of influences from her time at St Aidan’s, saying “St Aidan’s has had a great influence on the work I have done since finishing school. The nurturing and empowering environment at school gave me the confidence to pursue a career in an area I was passionate about, although it was not the most conventional path to follow and certainly has had its challenges. Particularly in my senior years I gained a great appreciation for community work by becoming involved the various volunteer and community service projects St Aidan’s facilitates.”

She also notes that particular subjects and an inspiring teacher contributed to her interests and her tertiary study choices, “Mrs Burvill-Shaw ignited my enthusiasm for modern history, which motivated me to major in Peace and Conflict Studies and International Relations in my Arts degree. The combination of these factors cultivated my desire to use the skills and knowledge I have had the opportunity to acquire through schooling and university to assist those that are less fortunate than myself.”

Sophie will be working as a judge’s associate in the Supreme Court of Queensland starting in 2016 and also plans to complete her Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice so she can be admitted as a legal practitioner by the end of 2016.

We asked Sophie what her best advice would be for pursuing your dreams, she said “I would advise students to continuously challenge themselves as it is the best way to grow and learn. I would encourage them to jump at any opportunity that presents itself because you just never know where it may take you, and often unexpected experiences are the ones that end up being the most rewarding.”

huddle I december 2015 43

a c a d e m i c - Y E A R 1 2 L A ST DAY

c o n g r atul at i o n s

44

huddle I december 2015

a c a d e m i c - Y E A R 1 2 L A ST DAY

huddle I december 2015 45

archives - BUILDING THE LIVING BRIDGE

Rubbing Shoulders with the Royal Family With HRH Prince Charles and Camilla Duchess of Cornwall’s recent visit to Australia, our thoughts turned to St Aidan’s and royal visits to Brisbane, so, we delved into the Archives to see what royal memorabilia St Aidan’s has.

from

The Archives

1954 In the 1954 Speech Night Report, Sister Lois recalled the visit of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh as the highlight of the year, with all of St Aidan’s completely smitten with “royal fever”. The whole school went to Park Road, Milton, to farewell the royal party on the morning of their departure from Brisbane.

1958

ABOVE: 1977 Sarah Henderson presenting flowers to Queen Elizabeth II

BELOW: Sisters SSA attending the cathedral service for Queen Elizabeth II. St Aidan’s girls also joined other school children in forming the “living walls” of the proposed building.

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huddle I december 2015

During her 1958 tour, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother visited Brisbane with the Royal cavalcade driving through Corinda.

The Recorder reports “There had been some reluctance, officially, to allow the royal car to slow down or stop as it passed through Corinda, but a well-placed phalanx of St Aidan’s girls achieved just that by surging forward at the right moment. Security motorcycles and uniformed police could only brake frantically as the School Captain, Delaune Pollard (Prangley 1958), at the front of this wave of enthusiasm, presented a bouquet of roses to a startled Royal who had thoughtfully rolled down the windows.”

Delaune recalls, “The whole event was orchestrated by Sister Moira who was the headmistress in 1958.” She remembers giving a deep curtsy with a wide smile on my face. “Through the back window of the car the Queen Mother graciously received the roses I handed her. All the St Aidan’s girls standing behind me were so excited cheering and waving as the car drove away.”

1977 In March, 1977, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth visited Brisbane, St Aidan’s was incredibly honoured that one of our girls, Sarah Henderson (1981) was chosen to present the Queen with her bouquet at the reception at Cloudland and some girls also performed as part of the Queensland Youth Orchestra. Tracy Spencer (School Captain 1977) and Melissa Carlisle (Vice-Captain 1977) represented the school at the Royal Garden Party for young people on the same day.

alumni - BUILDING A LIVING BRIDGE

How well do you know St Aidan’s?

1982 Commonwealth Games Ceremony

Royal Visit 1954

1. What is Mrs Hartland’s Christian name?

2. What year was the Junior School opened in its current position?

1954 Royal civic reception Lesley Pearce Invitation

Memories of a night-long camp out to see the Queen Jan Hurwood Leather, 1952) left and Jan Griffin (Smiles, 1954) reminisce about their adventure with Claire Evans (Smiles, 1947) - camping out overnight at Brisbane’s Eagle Farm Airport to get a good look at the Queen Elizabeth’s arrival in 1954. Their picture was recaptured on the front page of the The Courier Mail in 1993.

1946 Royal visit of Duke and Duchess of Gloucester to Western Queensland, including Thargomindah.

Ruth Robinson (Jellett, 1953) is in white dress

3. What was the first Tuckshop called by the students? And how often did they have tuckshop?

4. What is the oldest building on the school grounds today?

5. What year did Hartland House begin?

6. What year did Mrs Spiller become Principal?

Answers are on page 49.

Donations

Thankyou

Don’t judge a book by its cover

Thank you to the following people for their kind donations to our Archives:

The first school prospectus, with changes made to make it applicable for later years, was found by Old Girl Vicki Morley (Henderson 1979) when shopping at a second hand book store. Inside the book was also an invitation to the first speech day.

•

Courtney Phelps (2007)

•

Kathy Wells (1979)

•

Ann Boyle (Crawford 1961)

huddle I december 2015 47

archives - BUILDING THE LIVING BRIDGE

Alumni News Engagements

Births

Vale

Ellie Slater (2007) engaged to Josh Kersevani 12 August

Celia Cahill (1989) welcomed her second granddaughter, Indianna, on 19 August

Mrs Shirley Gregson

Rebekah Boyle (2013) engaged to Alexander Bickerton 17 October

Rosie Sanders (Lowes 2005) welcomed a baby girl Edith Anne 30 November

Marriages Danielle Thomas (1997) married Daniel Harris on 11 June Carmen Shields (2002) married Christopher Cavallaro on 21 August

Amy Pinkerton (2009) married Madison Powell on 11 September, she had her sisters Eve (2011) and Alice (2007) as her bridesmaids.

Genevieve Apted (2005) married Adam McNicol on 12 September Eliza Wilkinson-Packman (2005) married Nick Borsht on 12 September Michelle Hoyer (2007) married Brett Kronk on 18 September Deborah Stephenson (2003) married Christopher Kelly on 18 September Brittany Downes (2005) married Tom Croagh on 3 October

Birthdays Special congratulations to Edwina Maher (Smith 1941) and Shirley Lynch (Bratchford 1942) who have turned 90 this year.

Edwina Maher (Smith, 1941) with friend, Sharen Keating (1973) celebrated special birthdays this year.

Vale Jan Pettigrew (1974) passed away 29 November 2014 Sister June Ruth June (Merritt 1944) passed away on 20 July Val Ward (Thomas 1945) passed away on 5 August Diana Boydell (Drysdale 1940) passed away 20 October Shirley Gregson (Boyd 1951) passed away 7 August

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(Boyd 1951)

At the end of Term One 1994 Mrs Shirley Gregson retired from teaching after a career spanning forty years, thirty-one of which were at St Aidan’s.

Mrs Gregson was on Old Girl, Vice School Captain and Nightingale House Captain in her senior year. Her Primary schooling was at St Michael’s, Clayfield, which was the first school started by the Sisters.

Mrs Gregson taught commercial subjects and was House Mistress of Nightingale during her time here. No doubt her typing students still sit with excellent posture and wrists raised as they touch type.

All who know Mrs Gregson appreciate her fierce and devoted loyalty to the Sisters and St Aidan’s. She touched the lives of the hundreds of girls who have passed through her care and they will remember, with great affection, her firm manner which masked her melting, marshmallow heart.

alumni - BUILDING A LIVING BRIDGE

Alumni News Where are they now Kate Geries (Lenz 1996), old girl and past teacher (German from 2004-2007), finished teaching at St Aidan’s in 2007, completing her full-time MBA at QUT in 2010 whilst setting up a law firm in Brisbane with her father. Kate then moved to southern Germany in May 2011 and soon settled down in the beautiful old town of Augsburg, located about an hour from Munich. She took on a double role at Airbus Helicopters as HR Business Partner/Executive Assistant to the General Manager and HR Director. In 2013 she married on Lake Constance and lives happily in Germany with her husband.

Also in Germany, Davina Goldammer (1997), opened an ice cream business in Munich last year and in August was rated as one of the top 10 ice cream shops in Germany by TripAdvisor!

Jane Munro (2003) has been appointed as a Research Officer for the Health Care in Danger Project at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Lauren Williams (2012) is one of only five students commencing an Honours degree at QUT in Medical Imaging.

Congratulations to our 2016 Student Leaders who are daughters of Old Girls Prefects: Siobhan Brodie daughter of Helen Brodie (Kahlert 1979), Georgina Hazenburg daughter of Suzanne Hazenberg (Hymus 1982), Millicent Morrison-Davies daughter of Judith Morrison (1979).

Congratulations to Lucy Strickland and Helen Summers Lucy Strickland (1990) won the Pride of Australia Medal in the Inspiration Category.

Sacristan: Eleanor Pokarier daughter of Kathryn McMillan (1980).

Music Captains: Paris Irwin daughter of Rhonda DavidsonIrwin (Davidson 1977) and Sarah Rodgers daughter of Kathryn Rodgers (Davies 1981).

House Captains: Brittany Cheadle daughter of Simone Cheadle (Brady 1985), Emma Stubbs daughter of Elizabeth Stubbs (Bowley 1981), Isabelle Pugh daughter of Kylie Pugh (Davies 1984) and Jemima Walker daughter of Annabel Walker (Ahrens 1987)

This year we nominated two past students for Australian of the Year.

Both girls became finalists in their respective states. Helen Summers (Luxton 1978) below, in the Northern Territory and Lucy Strickland (1990) above, in Queensland.

How well do you know St Aidan’s Answers (from page 49) 1. Christine or Christina ; 2. 1998; 3. Jaffa, monthly; 4. Mecca; 5. 1967; 6. 2000

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archives - BUILDING THE LIVING BRIDGE

40 Year Reunion Wednesday 9 March

Thursday 17 March

50 YEAR

LAW/ BUSINESS Breakfast

Thursday 21 April Architecture/ Engineering, Building and Town Planning

Thursday 5 May

Wednesday 11 May

Saturday 4 June

Ascension Day

Creative Industries

20 YEAR

Reunion

Breakfast

Reunion

“A record crowd turned up for the class of 1975 40-year reunion this year and a wonderful time was had by all as we caught up on lives, jobs and families. Our baby-boomer year of 1958 births was always the cohort where extra classes had to be added to cope with our numbers so we were a larger group than past years but it was terrific to see such a large proportion there after all these years. There was much reminiscing over the course of a delicious lunch after which a tour of the school provided a great opportunity to see how it has grown and progressed since the old days.”

Breakfast

30 Year Reunion Saturday 11 June

Sunday 31 July

LONDON

Tuesday 2 August

40 YEAR

Health

Reunion

Reunion

Breakfast

Saturday 6 August

Saturday 13 August

Friday 14 October

Canberra

Sydney

Young Old Girls

Reunion

Reunion

Reunion

Saturday 22 October

MELBOURNE Reunion

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Alumni Reunion Dates 2016

It has been 30 years since the class of ‘85 graduated from St Aidan’s. Wow how time flies! It proved a little challenging trying to track everyone down as the cohort are now scattered all over the globe.

Twenty-six old girls met at Hotel Next in October for a wonderful evening of fun, laughter and reminiscing. There were many memories shared of our years at St Aidan’s. It was great to reconnect again and see so many familiar faces.

Young Old Girls’ Reunion Friday 16 October saw over 100 Young Old Girls (2005-2014) gather together at Fridays for Drinks. Teachers including Gerry Kay, Betty Yanardasis, Jennie Robinson and Di Cameron joined us.

Hope to see you all again on 14 October 2016.

alumni - BUILDING A LIVING BRIDGE

40 Year Reunion

40 Year Reunion

Melbourne Reunion

Melbourne Reunion

Young Old Girls’

reunions 30 Year Reunion

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vale - SISTER JUNE RUTH

Sister June Ruth “I am the resurrection and the life,” says the Lord.

“Those who believe in me, even though they die, yet will they live.”

(John 11.25)

St Aidan’s is saddened to inform our community of the passing of Sister June Ruth SSA - Sister of the Society of the Sacred Advent.

As an Old Girl, graduating in 1944, Sister June Ruth has a had a long and special connection with St Aidan’s.

Born in 1927, Sister June Ruth SSA spent most of her childhood in Roma, before relocating to Brisbane in 1943. Entering St Aidan’s at the age of 15 to complete her senior years of schooling, Sr June-Ruth would talk fondly of her gratitude to Mrs Hartland for accepting her into the School.

It was a big change for Sister June Ruth, who had previously been one of only three students enrolled in Year 11-12 at Roma State School.

Evidence of Australia’s involvement in World War II was everywhere in Brisbane, and she travelled from Milton to school in trains “packed with Yanks”, closely supervised by Mrs Hartland in the third carriage.

After completing Year 12, Sister June Ruth began her nursing training at St Martin’s Hospital, before moving to Ipswich in 1946. She married a young police officer in 1948, and spent the next 30 years living in many parts of Queensland as he was posted to different towns, eventually settling in Toowoomba, where her son Robert was born.

While there, Sister June Ruth took a “temporary” job at Toowoomba Prep, which led into a three year role as a boarding house mistress.

Sister June Ruth maintained her connection with the Society of the Sacred Advent over the years, and in the early 1980s completed a series of retreats at Community House in Ascot. Attracted by the sense of belonging, peace and tranquillity offered by the Sisterhood, she approached Sister Chaseley and applied to join in 1983. Sister June Ruth was first professed on 16 August 1987, and undertook life profession on 6 August 1990.

A Member of the School Council 1999- 2012, Sister June Ruth remained a warm, friendly and welcoming presence at the School.

Most recently, St Aidan’s was able to celebrate Sister June Ruth’s 70 year reunion at last year’s Ascension Day. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mother Eunice, the Sisters and Sister June Ruth’s family.

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vale “Give rest, O Christ, to your servant with your saints, where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting.”

faith - the last word

One of the chief tasks of an Anglican school like ours is Christian formation: the shaping and education of young women according to Christian values.

It was certainly one of the chief aims of the Sisters in setting up the school, and it remains one of their interests in respect of the work of St Aidan’s. They hope to convey the treasure of faith in Jesus to those girls in their care, in the belief that faith contributes to life.

The task of Christian formation is more challenging when Christianity is seen as an irrelevance or an anachronism in a world of science. Yet we know that Christian values still add richness to a life and encourage us to live well together. The teachings of Jesus were all about how we live together, guided by the belief that we are made in the image and likeness of God. Knowing God is therefore essential to knowing ourselves.

Christian formation happens through the Religious and Values Education program, and through the worship life of the school, but not exclusively or primarily. Most formation happens in the ordinary living of life: how we rub up against each other, how we sort out our conflicts, how we love, how we care. It is in the way we give feedback, address behavioural issues, and mark successes and failures.

Sometimes the way we do things looks quite different from the values we espouse and claim to live by. In such cases we rely on the prophets among us to call us as a community back to the gospel and the way of love. I would like to think that St Aidan’s is in the business of educating prophets who hold us all accountable, who speak truth, and who remind us of what is truly important in life.

In the lead up to Christmas, the church celebrates its prophets, such as John the Baptist and Isaiah. We too celebrate the work of the prophets among us who point to God and show us the way to live.

The Reverend Gillian Moses Chaplain

St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School 11 Ruthven Street Corinda Qld 4075 T: 61 7 3373 5999 E: school@staidans.qld.edu.au www.staidans.qld.edu.au A School of the Society of the Sacred Advent