huddle
St Aidan’s
JUNE I 2016
Editor Alice Tidmarsh Contributors Karen Spiller Ela Martin Sylvia Hicks Betty Yanardasis James Cuskelly Carla Trott Antoni Bonetti Jayden Russ Kate Atkin Michele Grant Jackie Child Megan Daley Claire Rush Sue Russell Wendy Biggs Rev Gillian Moses
Design Annie Fanning Photography Tahlia Stehbens Heather Fitzpatrick Karen Spiller Gordana Pilgrim Annie Fanning
contents Senior School Academic Arts Sport
2 8 10
Junior School Faith 16 Academics 17 Sport 24
Disclaimer The Editors have gone to great efforts to ensure the accuracy of the information compiled in this publication but can accept no responsibility 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.
Community
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Alumni
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the first word March this year was a most significant month in the history of St Aidan’s and the Sisters’ Schools. Mother Eunice and Sisters Gillian and Sandra decided to move from their home adjacent to St Margaret’s (having moved three years ago from Community House) to go to independent living accommodation at Symes Grove at Taigum. The Sisters made a courageous decision but it was one that was very sad for us all at St Aidan’s. For the first time in both St Margaret’s and St Aidan’s history, there will no longer be any Sisters on site and around Community House on a daily basis. Together with my colleague at St Margaret’s, I am cognisant of the importance of ensuring that the Sisters’ philosophy of education continues and that their legacy is cherished and honoured in both their schools. Therefore, it is timely to remind us all what the Sisters’ philosophy is - it is, of course, based on religious studies but it was also never narrowly academic although academic achievement was always encouraged. The Sisters actively sought ‘to educate the whole personality, physical, mental, and spiritual so the girls may live to their fullest capacity.’ The Sisters’ spirituality is part of the fabric of our school. It is seen, not just in our Chapel and our Religious Education and Values classes (formally Divinity Classes) and the ringing of the Angelus, but also in our school values and the expectations we have of our students. The Sisters’ spirituality is unique and observers have identified six key characteristics:
Incarnational Faith
Holistic Education
Compassion for those less fortunate
Courageous Hard Work
Adaption to New Challenges
Karen Spiller PRINCIPAL
Humility St Aidan’s will continue into this next phase of its history to educate with the Sisters’ philosophy and values at the forefront of the school experience. It is what sets us apart from other schools; it is our difference and we are proud to be a school of the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent. I hope you enjoy this edition of the Huddle where we capture the essence of the Sisters’ spirituality by showcasing some of the activities of our School.
Karen Spiller
MBA, MEdAdmin, BA, BEdSt, FACE, FAIM, FACEL, FAHRI, FAICD, FCEOI Fellow of Bond University
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academic - ACHIEVEMENT
42
%
of our 2015 Senior students achieved an OP between 1-5 and 96% achieved an OP between 1-15.
Academic Achievement Congratulations to our senior year of 2015
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academic - ACHIEVEMENT
Tertiary Destinations of our 2015 School Leavers Congratulations to
100% of total applicants received an offer from QTAC in the January round
14% Society and Culture
Grace Anderson
(e.g. Law, Economics, Psychology, Sport & Recreation)
Rebecca Black Shelly Chae
13%
Carolyn Cormack Isabella Farrah Julika Goetz Jessica Gralton
Management and Commerce
2% Education
(e.g. Early Childhood, Primary, Secondary)
(e.g. Hospitality Management, Banking & Finance)
Jessica Hawula Sarah Hills Kahlea Hughes
38%
Gabrielle Jarrett
Health
Emma Joslin Hannah Leong Sophie Lim
(e.g. Pharmacy, Veterinary Science, Naturopathy, Speech Pathology)
Jenny Lu
22%
Area of Study
Creative Arts
(e.g. Music, Graphic Design, Communication and Media Studies)
2%
Architecture and Building
5%
Lucy Macdonald
Natural and Physical Sciences
Natalie Malins
4%
(e.g. Mathematics, Physics, Laboratory Technology)
Laura McBurnie Sienna McInnes-Smith
(e.g. Urban & Regional Planning, Interior Design)
Engineering
(e.g. Chemical, Automotive, Civil, Aerospace, Biomedical, Surveying)
Morgan Richards Georgina Robertson
42.35 % of our students achieved an OP 1-5
Bronte Scott Laura Sharkey Roberta Tapping Rhoda Thornton
OP Results 2015
Queensland Core Skills Test Results 2015
Skyler Trivett OP 1
12.94%
OP 1-2
21.18%
OP 1-3
29.41%
OP 1-5
42.35%
Isabella Wilkinson-McIntyre
OP 1-10
77.65%
Ella Wilson
OP 1-15
96.47%
Genevieve Vuong Emily White Makenzie Wilde
Sarah Wilson Manli Xiong Angela Yang Lily Zeng Kexin (Maggie) Zhang
St Aidan’s
St Aidan’s
A B C D E
35% 40% 21% 4% 0%
(State) 15.8% 30.3% 36.01% 17.8% 0.1%
Tertiary Institution Destinations Institution The University of Queensland (UQ) Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Griffith University Other Universities TAFE
2015 (%) 40% 34% 10% 13% 3%
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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
STOP THE PRESS
The Pawsout team have been sponsored by Technology One to attend the Technovation World Pitch Event in San Francisco in July.
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Pawsout Impresses at Google HQ After their triumphant win in the Tech Girl Superhero competition, St Aidan’s Pawsout team; Georgia Brown, Robyn Conradie, Jessica Miller and Emmaline Monteith; were invited to the Google Headquarters in Sydney for an International Women’s Day celebration. After a very early flight, they made their way to Google HQ, where they walked around Darling Harbour and shared a delicious lunch in the Google cafeteria with Google employees. After lunch, they attended a Tech Girls Movement event, in honour of International Women’s Day, learning about future plans for STEM in Australia. They were also given the opportunity to present Pawsout to politicians, the media and Google employees. This was a great networking opportunity and many new ideas were gathered for the future development of Pawsout. The girls said “it was really exciting to see the number of people who were interested in our idea and excited for our app’s progress”. Overall, it was a very successful day and an extraordinary opportunity.
St Aidan’s patron - CHERYL PARKYN
P
atron of St Aidan’s This year we have decided to introduce a new award or manner of recognising someone who has made a huge commitment to our school. We will do this by appointing someone as Patron of the School from time to time. The role of the Patron is to join us as an honoured member of our School Community at special events and to be a role model for us all. A Patron relates back to the Latin word Patronus – a protector, defender or advocate; in the St Aidan’s context it is someone who has demonstrated lengthy and sustained commitment to the school. During late medieval times a patron was someone who advanced a cause – perhaps an artist or an institution. Both the Ancient,
Medieval and Modern definitions of the word suit this year’s Patron who has advanced the St Aidan’s cause at every opportunity. I am delighted to announce that our inaugural 2016 Patron, is Mrs. Cheryl Parkyn. Mrs. Parkyn has left a legacy in this school as a result of her involvement and her dedication to serve the school community. Cheryl started with us in 1996 and for many years as our Registrar, she has been the face of the school for new and prospective families; welcoming thousands of people to our school. The manner of her doing so has been a role model for us all through her gracious and generous manner and her warmth and care. I commend her commitment to us all.
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academics - ASPIRING WOMEN IN SCIENCE CONFERENCE 2016
Aspiring Women in Science Conference The fourth Aspiring Women in Science conference, was a resounding success with 170 participants from 25 different school schools attending from locations as far south as Sydney. Distinguished Professor Judith Clements opened the conference and documented her career in cancer research. The Saturday Keynote address was presented by Professor Leonie Callaway, who examined the challenges and highlights faced by women in medicine. Students were able to choose from a series of concurrent sessions and hear the inspirational stories of twenty female scientists working in the field of Science, Engineering and Mathematics. Further opportunities were provided for students to discuss career options with groups such as UQ Women in Engineering, Engineers without Borders, Aurecon, and software provider GBST. Sarah Ayles from UQ Engagement provided an insight into life at University whilst providing answers to the myriad of questions from students. We were fortunate to have five past students (Kate Baumann, Aimee Hanson, Ellen Hockings, Meg Russell and Eloise Stephenson) share their considerable achievements since leaving St Aidan’s. With role modelling being the key catalyst for women when choosing a career paths, this conference continues to demonstrate St Aidan’s commitment to broadening our students’ world perspectives in STEM.
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academics - ASPIRING WOMEN IN SCIENCE CONFERENCE 2016
girls changing the
face of science
Robogal team member with Alice Baumann and Casey Wright
KEYNOTE SPEAKER - Distinguished Professor Judith Clements AC
KEYNOTE SPEAKER - Professor Leonie Callaway
Johanna and Brittany Vidler
Lieutenant Colonel Amanda Johnston
Stephanie Crawley (speaker) and the UQ Women in Engineering team.
The UQ Robogal team
GUEST SPEAKER - D?????????????? Graham Perrett - MP for Moreton, Professor Leonie Callaway.
Robogal team with Gemma Rowell and other students from Queensland schools.
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arts - NEW ZEALAND MUSIC TOUR
St Aidan’s hits the high notes In the first week of the Easter holidays 30 students and 4 teachers from St Aidan’s embarked on a Music Tour to New Zealand. This tour was both challenging and stimulating but all returned with a deep sense of achievement and a renewed understanding of the role and power of music in society. Students from St Aidan’s were given the opportunity to work with students from three different high schools on a collaborative music project and to perform for students in four different school contexts. The chance to work with outstanding music groups in New Zealand was very challenging and our girls demonstrated sustained focus, discipline and effort. Through these various performances, students were also able to gain insight into the rich cultural experience of students like themselves in a range of educational settings in New Zealand. Our partner schools in New Zealand– St Cuthbert’s College, Westlake Girls and Westlake Boys High Schools–are renowned for their musical prowess, and working collaboratively with these musicians was a wonderfully enriching activity for St Aidan’s students. The students of Volar Ensembles-Choir, String Quartet and Harp, with their teachers Dr James Cuskelly, Antoni Bonetti and Carla Trott worked intensively and over an extended period of time to ensure that a very high standard of music was performed. The reaction of the audience at performances is a testament to the high quality of their work. Another particularly moving moment for the students was the opportunity to visit the very heart of the Anglican Diocese of Auckland, the Holy Trinity Cathedral.
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Students were given permission to perform in the middle of the grand space and singing two pieces with religious text reinforced the connection between the purpose and context of much sacred music. The tour was very demanding and students were required to demonstrate high levels of commitment and focus to cope with the intensity of rehearsals and performances. This inaugural tour has been a wonderful opportunity both musically and culturally for our girls. We are honoured to have been able to establish such deeply respectful and mutual relationships and we look forward to future opportunities to make music together. By Dr James Cuskelly, Antoni Bonetti, Carla Trott and Betty Yanardasis
arts - NEW ZEALAND MUSIC TOUR
Congratulations to all performers who participated in the Senior School Gala Concert. This was a wonderful afternoon and a great chance for our new Chamber Groups to have a chance to perform. It was also an opportunity to hear some of the numbers from Share, Tag, Like and was great to see the girls enjoying these performances again!
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sport - QGSSSA SWIMMING
Sw im m ing Q G SSSA
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sport - QGSSSA SWIMMING
Congratulations to our QGSSSA swim team for the significant improvement in overall results this year. A number of changes have been made to the swimming program this season, which has seen a significant shift in the culture of swimming at St Aidan’s. The team was the best prepared they have been in many years and set out to achieve some very specific goals. The team looked great in their new competition togs and they approached the meet with confidence. The spirit was fantastic and the girls enjoyed tremendous support from their peers, staff and parents. This year the team placed 5th (50%) in The Sheena Dyson Percentage Cup which is our highest place in the Percentage Cup since 2009 when they also placed 5th (45.01%). Our percentage score of 50% was our highest in the last 10 years. Congratulations to all team members for this outstanding result and we are sure this will continue to improve over the next few years. Congratulations also to the 12 year old A & B 4 x 100m relay teams who came 2nd and 3rd and the 12 year old girls who gained a 5th position outright.
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s p o r t - AT H L E T I C S
Joan comes home 12
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s p o r t - AT H L E T I C S
St Aidan’s wins the Joan Benson Percentage Cup at the QGSSSA Cross Country 2016. huddle I june 2016 13
sport - CROSS COUNTRY
Fast Facts Top Individual Athletes •
1st - Tayla Behr
•
2nd - Dakota Farrell-Thomas
•
2nd - Shellbee Welsh
•
4th - Yasmin Doherty
•
6th - Stella Gracey
•
6th - Kate Riethmuller
•
7th - Nina Brown
•
9th - Hayley Walker
Tayla Behr ran a scintillating 10:13 for the 3km course which made her the 4th fastest time for the day and the only race she wouldn’t have won is the 16 years event! Our newcomers the 12 Years team put 3 athletes in the Top 6 – Dakota FarrellThomas (2nd), Yasmin Doherty (4th) & Stella Gracey (6th). This is the first time St Aidan’s has ever had 3 athletes finish in the Top 6 at QGSSSA. The 13 Years team had their 5 athletes finish in the Top 22 which was the best performance of the day for St Aidan’s. St Aidan’s finished 8.5 points ahead of 4th place MBC and won the Percentage cup by nearly 3% (seems like a small number but this is a HUGE margin of victory).
Joan comes home In 2014 St Aidan’s won the Joan Benson Percentage Cup at the QGSSSA Cross Country for the first time ever, in 2015 we marginally missed out, with a 2nd place in the Percentage Cup. So at the start of the 2016 season, the campaign to “Bring Joan Home” began, with all girls enthusiastically committing to the mammoth task at hand! The entire team’s commitment and dedication paid off on Saturday 13 May when they were once again crowned the winners of the Joan Benson Percentage Cup. The team also improved from 7th place overall in 2015 to 3rd place overall in 2016. What makes the overall achievement even more impressive is that we are the second smallest school competing in the event with only 63 athletes.
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We return even stronger in 2017: from our Top 20 times on the day, only one athlete will not be back next year and we’ll be aiming to bring Joan home in consecutive years for the first time ever!
s p o r t - AT H L E T I C S
Fastest School in QLD! In a dominating display of sprinting the St Aidan’s team consisting of Khameela Noendeng, Madeleine Attlee, Sachini Godamunne and Katie Colebourne have once again been crowned the Fastest School in QLD. Competing in the 3rd running of the “Fastest School in QLD” event, St Aidan’s has firmly established itself as the premier sprinting school in QLD with decisive victories 3 years on the trot. This is a great testament to the Athletics program within the school and the
culture that is driven by the hard work of our athletes. In 2014 our girls claimed the inaugural title in a time of 50.01 seconds ahead of BSHS and we have since seen the team improve to win the 2015 championship in 49.27 and 2016 in 48.73 seconds. The 2016 winning time of 48.73 would shatter all current QGSSSA 4 x 100m records and would also have won the Victorian edition of this event by over 1 second. We look forward to following the success of these girls in 2016 and eagerly await our next crop of sprinting stars to go for 4-in-a-row!
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spor t - GYMNASTICS
Premiership winners 2016 was yet another successful year for St Aidan’s Gymnastics, with a team of 35 dedicated girls competing across the season, led by Coordinator, Mrs Crome, and Coach, Kirsten. 2016 will go down in history as the first year ever that St Aidan’s have entered at least one team in every division.
From left to right – Jamie Tromp, Joanna Gale, Olivia Doherty, Samantha Watkins, Abby Scott 16
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spor t - GYMNASTICS
The team and individual results were outstanding yet again and have set the bar high for the 2017 season. Overall team results: • Open – Premiers • A Grade – Runner up Premiers (by a mere 0.3 points) • B Grade – Premiers • C and Di Grade – 4th • Dii Grade – 5th • 7i and 7ii – 7th Olivia Doherty, Samantha Watkin, Abby Scott, Caitlyn Bowell, Mackenzie Bowell, Lara Kirwood, Lilly Van Gilst and Avalon Ormiston and achieved a top three places on a piece of apparatus. We also had a number of girls achieve a top three placing overall in their division: • Samantha Watkin 3rd Overall in Open • Olivia Doherty 2nd Overall in Open • Caitlyn Bowell 1st Overall in A Grade • Avalon Ormiston 2nd Overall in D Division.
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junior school - MESSY CHURCH
time to get messy The K-2 Family Messy Church service in February was a great start to the year. Built around the theme of
“There’s no place like home”,
the service involved lots of singing, storytelling, prayers and of course, messy crafts.
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junior school - MESSY CHURCH
The concept behind Messy Church is that “making things together – even simply making a mess together … is reflecting the God who creates and recreates and gives us the chance to be more fully human as we mirror God’s actions”. These are the words of Lucy Moore and Jane Leadbetter, members of the team that developed Messy Church in the Church of England. This means that the craft activities are real church alongside the singing and praying and listening to Bible stories. Indeed it turns out that the craft, including the sequins and glitter on the floor, might just be the most spiritual part of the whole evening! In February’s Messy Church the children made paper bag houses and paper doll families, and helped us to make a decorate a prayer village complete with T Rex. The houses and families were placed upon the altar for the chapel part of the service, to assure the children that what they make and do – and by extension who they are – also belongs in church and before God. The prayer village was then populated with prayer houses made by the kindy and prep students who are too young still to read their prayers aloud. Then the students and their families sang about the wise man who built his house upon the rock, and the foolish man who built his house upon the sand. They heard the story of Rosie the hen who walked trustingly through the dangers of the farmyard before making it safely back home. They heard how Jesus taught that building our house on a foundation of love makes a home safe and secure for all who live there. We will hold other Messy Church events throughout the school year to celebrate Christmas and Easter. Parents are most welcome to join us for these services and take part with their children in mirroring God by getting their hands into the stuff of life and being messy.
Gillian Moses
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a d a y i n t h e l i f e - K AT E AT K I N
A day in the life of Kate Atkin Kate was the St Aidan’s School Captain, Athletics Captain and Duke of Edinburgh Student Coordinator in 1999. After graduating from St Aidan’s, Kate took a gap year, working in a boarding school in Dover, UK. She then obtained a Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) in 2005 at UQ, completing the final component of her studies while working full time for Macquarie Bank. She remained at Macquarie Bank until 2012 when spinal surgery and six weeks in hospital forced Kate to reconsider her career and gave her the push to pursue a career in teaching. Upon graduation from a Graduate Diploma in Education in 2013, Kate worked at The Gap State High, moving to St Aidan’s Term 4 that same year.
“St Aidan’s was always my ultimate
goal, why would I want to work anywhere else? St Aidan’s has given my sisters and me so much, I hope to be able to give a little bit of that back”. Kate is also a current parent, with Louisa in Year 4 and Jennifer in Year 1 at St Aidan’s. Away from school Kate enjoys camping, Pilates, running, reading and spending time with her husband (Nick), two daughters (Jennifer and Louisa), two dogs (Milo and Oscar) and friends.
5.00am – Wake up
8:30am to 3:20pm – School Time
4:00pm – After School Activities
To ensure the household is ready to leave on time I generally I wake up at 5am to get ready, pack lunches, do some household jobs, get the girls ready and if time check emails and try and cross something off the to-do list for the day.
On any given day I teach a range of subjects from Maths, Business and RVE to PE along with pastoral care responsibilities for the delightful 8D girls. Our days are non-stop, not only with the lessons themselves, but any spare time is taken up with meetings, planning lessons, writing assessment, marking quizzes or study books (girls, doing regular revision and SMART study is invaluable!), I also spend time organising or following up various aspects of touch and netball. Break times are usually filled with a quick check of emails, getting ready for the next lesson, playground duty or assisting girls or other staff members.
Afternoons are usually a fine balance of timing with the girls sporting activities, homework, music practice and dinner. The days Nick is home early to help (or even in the country) makes the evening a little easier.
My girls regularly have early morning sport or music commitments, on these days I will try and check in with coaches of the sports I coordinate to see how their teams are travelling or head to school early to get set up for the day. The Maths Department run a Mathematics Assistance Program as an extra way to support our girls. I take a session before school on Wednesday mornings.
8:15am – Staff Briefing Every morning at 8.15am we have a staff briefing in the staffroom.
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3:20pm – School Finishes After class finishes I will duck across the road to collect Louisa and Jennifer and they patiently wait for me to pack up. Some days we may head to Ambiwerra to check in on training or to collect balls for a fixture the next day. Other days the girls may need to be extra patient, while we have a staff or department meeting. My amazing Mum will help me with the girls where she can.
The girls are in bed by 8pm and that allows me time to do some household tasks, lesson planning for the following days and also respond to emails. I usually don’t get to bed before 11pm as I am also studying my Masters and have a couple of assignments on the go.
junior academic - JACKIE CHILD
g Codin rs e t t a M From Rally Car Driver to Teacher Librarian Teacher Librarian, Jackie Child, admits she is “a bit of a fiddler and a fixer”. This trait started early in her teaching career in England when she took up rally driving for Fiat and enjoyed stripping down engines and reassembling them. This is the motivation and love of learning that Jackie is now bringing to St Aidan’s and turning our Junior School Library into a unique and forward-thinking learning environment. Shortly after introducing the successful Makerspace program, together with fellow Teacher Librarian Megan Daly, Jackie is now teaching coding in the library. Makerspace is a place where people meet and use materials to develop creative projects and promote play, exploration and collaborate learning. Jackie became hooked on the Makerspace concept after she made a mini-robot at a seminar with a 3D printed case, a coin battery and wire. Now she is implementing coding – the language of computers into the library and with good reason. “Computers and digital technology are at the centre of every industry so it makes so much sense that we need to teach children the codes that make the world run.” Jackie says coding develops many skills that students use in everyday life. Learning, she says,
is a process not a product, and teaches students computational thinking – breaking down problems into smaller pieces to teach persistence and perseverance. The girls at St Aidan’s have already begun coding through interactive ‘lift the flap’ books, learning binary numbers by making bracelets and have written coding programmes to design a new droid for the Star Wars series. Jackie believes that this ‘new literacy’ will enable St Aidan’s students not only to use digital technology but to create programming solutions for the future. Jackie was excited to report “the girls love their time in the library and they are really embracing all the new programs that we have here. Girls aren’t naturally risk takers but these new systems are teaching them to break things down, take them apart and put them back together.” huddle I june 2016 21
junior academic - READERS’ CUP
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junior academic - READERS’ CUP
Readers’ Cup competitions are held annually in the Junior Library, they promote and challenge students to read widely, work collaboratively in a team and continue developing a love of reading. This year our girls demonstrated how reading is awesome, exciting, at times relaxing but can be competitive too! Over 110 students gathered to showcase their extraordinary knowledge of six, prescribed texts they had read. With some beautiful picture books like: ‘Animalia’ and ‘Any Questions?’ and popular fiction like ‘The Anti-Princess Club’ students were able to recall some interesting details about events, characters, images and language of the books they studied. The competition was tough as the teams had only 30 seconds per question to recall the answers to some challenging questions. The girls once again got into the spirit of the evening by creatively dressing, inspired by their team names such as: ‘Unpretty’ Princesses, #goldengangsters, Shooting Stars and the crew from Winnie the Pooh! Trophies and book packs were awarded to the winning teams. Plenty of bonus prizes were snaffled up by excited participants, including our enthusiastic parent supporters who enjoyed the challenge of using their own devices to answer literature quizzes on a gamebased platform called “Kahoot!” Two top teams in Year 6 will now compete at regional level with the possibility of competing at state finals.
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junior sport - ANDREWS CUP TENNIS
ANDREWS
CUP TENNIS Congratulations to our Andrews Cup Tennis Teams who competed at the University of Queensland Tennis Centre at St Lucia in March. Our Open A Team won the Premiership, the B Team placed third.
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junior sport - INTERHOUSE SWIMMING
JUNIOR interhouse swimming
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junior school
- EASTER BONNET PARADE
MUSIC EVERY
DAY
Music at St Aidan’s is delivered in a sequential and developmental classroom program from Kindergarten through to Year 12. A unique feature of Classroom Music at St Aidan’s is the Every Day Music Program which encompasses Kindergarten to Year 3 as well as the elective program in Years 7 and 8.
EASTER
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bonnet
P A R A D E
j u n i o r s c h o o l - M U S I C E V E R Y DAY
Every Day Music is included as core learning throughout the Junior School, with Kindergarten through to Year 3 receive 20 minutes of music with expert music specialists every day. The program is designed to foster a love of music, engage students in authentic music making experiences, promote meaningful learning, provide support for and engender confidence in students and aid in the development on students’ own physical, emotional and intellectual capacities within music. The music program is designed to equip ever student with a minimum set of skills and understand such that they are able to engaged with music in a personal and significant manner for life.
Students in the classroom program are involved in performing music through singing, playing and moving, reading and writing music, creating music, and aurally and visually analysing music. Dr James Cuskelly is the head of the music faculty and delivers the classroom Every Day Music program in Kindergarten and Year 1 (pictured with Year 1). James has a very broad base in education, having taught in Kindergarten, pre-school, primary and secondary classrooms as well as in tertiary institutions. His passion for music, and his ability to enthuse and bring about effective learning in students across all ages or abilities, is internationally recognized. He is frequently asked as guest presenter and keynote speaker.
James is committed to teacher training in music education, is considered a global leader in music education and directs internationally recognized programs. He runs a variety of accredited teacher training programs including the Summer School Music Program (Brisbane) and The Australian KodĂĄly Certificate programs in Malaysia, Perth and New Zealand.
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c o m m u n i t y - I N T E R N AT I O N A L W O M E N ’ S D AY L U N C H
International Women’s Day The annual International Women’s Day breakfast for students in Years 6 and 10 and their female family friends was another great success and was enjoyed by all. St Aidan’s also hosted a lunch for members of the broader community including other girls’ schools in Brisbane and this event also raises money for Second Chance - an independent non-profit organisation with an unwavering commitment to solving female homelessness. Thank you and congratulations to the 315 school community members who joined together for the annual International Women’s Day Fun Run event on Sunday. Thank you to Sasha Paulin and Isobel Taylor (Interact President and Vice President), our Interact Board and teachers Mrs Kristen Lewis and Ms Rebecca Sullivan for organisation of the team St Aidan’s. For the fourth year in a row we won the trophy for the largest school team and also took out the largest fundraising school team. Well done to all. Thank you to all involved in organising these important events.
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c o m m u n i t y - I N T E R N AT I O N A L W O M E N ’ S D AY F U N R U N
International Women’s Day fun run
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c o m m u n i t y - A N Z AC DAY 2 016
‘‘
Educational
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.
EXCELLENCE
‘‘
Laurence Binyon
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.
ANZAC Day is the day on which we remember all Australians who served and died in war and on operational service. The spirit of ANZAC, with its qualities of courage, mateship, and sacrifice, continues to have meaning and relevance for our nation and our smaller school community. Many of our students, their families and staff commemorated the 101st anniversary of the Gallipoli landing at the Corinda dawn service and also marched at the Graceville service.
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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!
c o m m u n i t y - A N Z AC DAY 2 016
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c o m m u n i t y - B L E S S I N G O F T H E B O AT S
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c o m m u n i t y - B L E S S I N G O F T H E B O AT S
blessing of the boats The annual and much anticipated blessing of the boats was held on Saturday 7 May, marking the launch of the rowing season. Officiated by Reverend Gillian Moses, this traditional, long-standing event celebrates the start of the season, as well as giving new rowers and their families an opportunity to tour the rowing sheds and meet the coaches and other rowing families.
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community - PARENTS AND FRIENDS
Night of Trivia The P&F has again been very active throughout Semester 1, with a number of fundraising activities. We started the year with a Trivia Night in February which had tremendous participation across the parent and school community and nearly $10k raised. This event has definitely become a permanent annual fixture on the calendar that everyone looks forward to!
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community - PARENTS AND FRIENDS
We also launched an initiative for 2016 - the St Aidan’s Cookbook. This would be the first school cookbook published since 1979, other than a small one which was done by some girls studying Business in 2004. The cookbook will be a significant, high quality production and will be representative of the tastes of our school community as they lovingly create food for family and friends and for special events. We hope that through your recipe contributions, we will be able to have this cookbook ready for sale in Term 4. Of course, we held our regular school dances in both Terms 1 and 2 and this event continues to be a tremendous fundraiser attracting capacity attendance. We have raised over $18,000 from the 2 dances held so far.
SAV E T H E DAT E
Melbourne Cup 2016
Because of your collective contributions and efforts, the P&F has been able to donate $13,000 towards the shade structure recently completed in the Junior School.
LUNCHEON
A big thank you to all our volunteers and various support groups who have worked so hard to achieve such fantastic results in Semester 1.
A P & F Association event for the St Aidan’s community
Tuesday 1 Nov ember MO R E I N FO R MAT I O N C O MI N G S O O N
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archives - THE SISTERS OF THE SOCIET Y OF THE SACRED ADVENT
S The
ociety of the Sacred Advent
The work of the Sisters of the Sacred
The Sisters’ educational philosophy, based
It is on this foundation St Aidan’s and
Advent (SSA) began in Brisbane in 1892
on religious principles and never narrowly
St Margaret’s are built – a living tradition
with the arrival of its founder, Sister
academic, also actively sought to educate
incarnated every day in the lives of young
Caroline Amy Balquy, who had been
“the whole personality, physical, mental
women and the communities of which they
professed in the Anglican community of
and spiritual that the girls may live to their
are a part. It is on this foundation that young
John the Baptist, Clewer England. She
fullest capacity”.
women from these school communities are being formed as part of a constructive
intended to establish a boarding school for girls, noting that in order to “have
This philosophy informed each of the SSA
change in our society: today and in a future
a progressive and tolerant community,
schools - St Margaret’s (established in
filled with possibilities. Both schools have
educated women are a pre-requisite”.
1895) and St Aidan’s (established in 1929),
helped develop women who have taken on
both which remain SSA schools. The Sisters
the Sisters’ philosophy, endeavouring to
Education in Queensland in the nineteenth
also established St Michael’s in Brisbane,
make a change in our world.
century was a two-tier system, with schools
St Catherine’s in Warwick, St Anne’s in
run by government and by the churches.
Townsville, St Gabriel’s in Charters Towers,
SSA’s enduring educational vision of
By 1860 the first Anglican Archbishop, Dr
St Mary’s in Herberton and All Saints Hostel
educating young women as one of the best
Tufnell, had arrived in time to observe the
in Charleville, together with Tufnell Home for
gifts we as a society can give them for an
abolition of financial aid to church schools
Children and St Martin’s Hospital.
empowered future that contributes to the common good is as true now as it was in the
and restricted religious education in state schools. The church’s response was to
The Sisters’ spirituality has been observed
early 1900s. It is with same vision the Sisters
establish a network of church schools
and can be described in six ways,
established The Trust in 2004 to continue
throughout the Diocese. Canon Stone Wigg
incarnational faith, holistic education,
their vision for their schools, St Aidan’s and
in 1895 clearly defined the church’s attitude
compassion for those less fortunate,
St Margaret’s, and to continue their living
“while most anxious to extend the schools,
courageous hard work, adaption to new
traditions for future generations.
we are determined not to open them unless
challenges and humility.
the teaching offered is of the very best”. 36
huddle I june 2016
alumni - THE SISTERS OF THE SOCIET Y OF THE SACRED ADVENT
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a l u m n i - A S C E N S I O N DAY
Ascension day
Ascension Day at St Aidan’s has been celebrated since the very early days. These celebrations have taken the form of Sports Days and School Picnics. In the 1930s and 1940s Ascension Day Sports were held in May, generally on a Thursday afternoon and often competing with the rainy weather. These were fun, happy afternoons with ball games, relays, individual events including novelty games such as potato sack race, and egg and spoon races.
to commemorate the day, at Redcliffe, Brookfield, MacLean’s Bridge and Seventeen Mile Rocks. A lot of organisation went into the preparations, for example in the 1930s it was quite an adventure to get to Redcliffe, with all the girls required to catch the train from Corinda to the City and then board the SS Koopa boat to travel down the river to their picnic at Redcliffe beach. In later years, buses were organised to transport the girls to and from the picnics.
In the Evening a Fancy Dress Ball was held for both the Juniors and Seniors. Over the years, school picnics have also been held
On Thursday 5 May we celebrated once again, commemorating the day with a picnic lunch, a fashion parade of uniforms from the
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30s, 40s and 50s and an official assembly. We were very excited to welcome the 60 and 70 year reunions and welcome a number of girls from various other years, including two of our day one girls, Betty Davies (Park) and Helen Barrett AM (both commenced their schooling at St Aidan’s on 4 February 1929, the day the school opened). We also had three generations join us from the Morrison family; Mrs Roberta Morrison (Darke, 1955); her daughter, Judith Morrison (1979) and her granddaughter, Millie Morrison-Davies (current Year 12 student).
a l u m n i - A S C E N S I O N DAY
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alumni - BUILDING A LIVING BRIDGE
Alumni Reunions So far this year we have held our 50, 60 and 70 year reunions. March 7 saw the girls from 1966 come together for morning tea at School. The girls and boys from Kindy visited, holding their everyday music class in front of the ladies. Towards the end of the lesson the ladies joined in and were amazed at the musical abilities of our youngest St Aidan’s students. The ladies from 1946 and 1956 joined us on Ascension Day. The class of 1956 enjoyed their picnic lunch, assembly and then had afternoon tea with the Principal.
50 60
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year Reunion Class of 1966
year Reunion Class of 1956
alumni - BUILDING A LIVING BRIDGE
Alumni News Law and Business Breakfast 2016 17 March saw old girls working and studying in Law and Business meet at Hotel Jen for a networking breakfast. This was our first breakfast for the year, we are holding a larger alumni networking breakfast later in the year. Save the date - 2 August. RIGHT - Victoria Apted (2007), Zoe Rathus (1975) and Anne-Marie Rice (1991) BOTTOM RIGHT - Siobhan Brodie (2016), Helen Brodie nee Kahlert (1979), Shannon Woodrow nee Stacey (1989) and Margaret Jolly nee Fellows (1979)
Please join us for
St Aidan’s
alumni
BREAKFAST 2016
Save the date
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
St Aidan’s Alumni Networking Breakfast 2 August – Hotel Jen
Our Alumni Breakfast is the perfect opportunity for you to meet with other past students working or studying in similar industries, and provides an opportunity to
congratulations network with other St Aidan’s girls you may not have seen for a long time!
Our intention is to have tables for each professional area, e.g. engineering, architecture, creative industries, business and health, to name a few.
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alumni - BUILDING A LIVING BRIDGE
Alumni News Engagements
Births
Georgia Griffin (2007) engaged to Jose Ausejo in December 2015.
Nadia Aurisch (2000) welcomed twins in May.
Sam Geldard (2008) engaged to Nick Godfrey in January 2016.
Amy Powell (Pinkerton, 2009) and husband Madison welcomed baby, Jack Garde Powell, in April 2016.
Francesca Mcleod (2009) engaged to Tony Reid in February 2016.
Marriages Anna Henderson (2003) married Ryan Molloy on 30 April. Her bridesmaids were Eliza Henderson (2005), Prue Henderson (2009), Katie George (2003) and Kat Aston (2003). Ellen Armstrong (2004) married Andrew Woodgate in May. Her bridesmaids included Eliza Lewis (2004), Steph Croagh (2004), Rachel Bentley (Armstrong 2001) and Libby Armstrong (2006). Ellie Slater (2007) married Josh Kervsevani on 3rd April 2016 at Boomerang Farm Mudgeeraba. Her bridesmaids included Victoria Munro (2007), Lizzie Jackson (2007), Micky Griffin (2007) and Emma Dalla-Costa (2007).
Vale Judith Chapman (1942) passed away 6 December 2015. Gillian Williams (Mitchell 1966/1967) passed away December 2015. Donald Hoare passed away on 20 April 2016. Joy Mansey (staff 1966-1983), passed away on the 20th February 2016, at the age of 91. Joy helped many girls while she was Secretary to the Headmistress and Bursar at St Aidan’s.
We were thrilled to welcome Lucy Strickland (1990) (Caroline Amy Alumni Award winner 2015) to present the Honours Assembly Awards to our high achieving 2015 students. Lucy presenting Roberta Tapping (2015) with her Honours Award.
Eloise Stephenson (2007), Kate Baumann (2008), Aimee Hanson (2010), Ellen Hockings (2009) and Meg Russell (2009), who are all pursuing careers in the Sciences, presented at the Aspiring Women in Science Conference in April.
Ellie Slater (2007) 42
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alumni
alumni - BUILDING A LIVING BRIDGE
Where are they now
Reunion Dates Saturday 1 July
Sue Näther (Brennan 1981)
London
I can clearly recall Miss Trotter
Reunion
entering my classroom in 1978 asking if any of the class would like a pen friend, particularly those studying a language. I was learning German and thought it would be
Sunday 31 July
good for my language skills, and fun to have a friend in Germany to
40 Year
write to. IYS or International Youth Service was a service putting pen friends together around the world. My first preference was for a German girl to
Reunion
write to. I received the name of a German boy, Christian Naether aged 16, and in November 1978 I wrote him the first letter. Fast forward 38 years and today, I am sitting at my desk in the small mountain farming village of Sankt Katharinen, Germany as Mrs Susan Naether. Christian and I continued to write over the years. We met when we were both married in January 1992 in Germany with our respective partners. Almost two years later, Christian visited me in Adelaide, him divorced, me with a 10 month old
Saturday 6 August
Canberra Reunion
baby girl (now 23 and my son is 19). Although in the pursuing years we did not meet again for some time, we kept in touch with gifts, postcards, letters, then emails and Facebook, until in April of 2014 in my new role as X-ray Product Manager with Siemens Healthcare (I became a radiographer after school) I came to Germany for product training and Chris and I met together again. Both single again, and the crush of a 15 year old girl and 16 year old boy turned into something more. We married in a 600 year old town hall in Linz am Rhein in October 2015 and I moved here in December 2015. Thank you
Saturday 13 August
Sydney Reunion
Frau Pryor for your excellent grounding in the German language and pronunciation, and thank you Miss Trotter and IYS for changing the course of my life.
Eloise Bankowski (2009) is Princess Aurora (the sleeping beauty) at the new Disneyland in Shanghai. Ellie moved to Shanghai and was thrilled to subsequently be offered an additional role as Rapunzel. Shanghai Disneyland is opening on June 16.
Friday 14 October
Young Old Girls Reunion
St Aidan’s is now on LinkedIn
When you update your profile, don’t forget to add St Aidan’s to your education. In the ‘Add Education’ section, go to the ‘School’ section and start typing St Aidan’s, and we will appear in the drop down box. Simply add the dates you were at St Aidan’s and any other information you would like.
Saturday 22 October
Melbourne Reunion
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alumni - FROM THE ARCHIVES
From the Archives
Fifth Form 1956
Back Row: A Evans, S Poulter, J Wilson, A Handicott, J Bettridge, W Hutton, P Fitzpatrick, C Sanders Middle Row: D Prangley, F Symons, A Wiley, M Dedman, J Campbell, K Effimoh, C Craig, P Lalor Front Row: S Cramond, A Cox, D Hodgson, K Kemp, H White, J Stephenson
If you have news you would like to share in the next edition of the Huddle, please let us know: huddle@staidans.qld.edu.au
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faith - the last word
Most of us know only too well how fast the pace of modern life is. We know how every day fills up with obligation. We know how expectations pile upon us like falling bricks. We know how easily we succumb to the notion that if we are not busy, we are not worthy. Important people have appointments. Successful people have things to do. There is always something more: another class, another job, another worthwhile activity to take on. The aspect of life that slips unnoticed between the pages of the full diary is that which is hardest to value: stillness. We have so little stillness and silence in an average day that most of us have forgotten what to do with it. Even the nights are not always still; I often find that my brain seizes on bedtime as a chance to finally process all that has happened in a day, and refuses to turn off so I can get some sleep. That is usually a sign to me to slow down! Stillness and silence make us nervous. They force us to ask ourselves what else we could do with this time, or when will we get all those other things done. Yet the secret to stillness is not to squeeze it in as one more thing to achieve in a busy day, but to have stillness instead of activity, or instead of busyness. When did you last sit with a cup of tea or a glass of wine and just be? When did you simply watch the trees, listen for the birds, be mesmerised by candlelight or be soothed by the movement of water? When did you last make an appointment to spend time with yourself? Making time for silence and stillness is a way to create sacred space in our lives. This is the space where the self grows and develops. Far from being one more task to shoehorn into a day, being still – just being - is arguably the most important job we have. The Reverend Gillian Moses Chaplain
St Aidan’s St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School P r e p t o Ye a r 1 2 w i t h c o - e d K i n d e r g a r t e n
C o r i n d a • Q L D • A U S T R A L I A A School of the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent
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