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St Aidan's Blueprint St Aidan's

Blueprint

VOLUME 3 JANUARY 2022

CONTENTS

F r o m t h e P r i n c i p a l

E t h o s 6 From the Chair of Council

A c a d e m i c R e s u l t s

E n g l i s h 1 2 S c i e n c e 1 4 M a t h e m a t i c s 1 6 Creative Ar ts & Design

M u s i c 2 2 S o c i o - C u l t u r a l 2 4 S e n i o r S p o r t 2 6 J u n i o r S c h o o l 2 8 Inspiring Profssionals

J u n i o r S p o r t 3 2 G o v e r a n c e 3 4

B l uep r i n t I St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

Our focus at St Aidan’s is to develop and promote

AUTHENTIC, CARING, CONNECTED, CONFIDENT and CREATIVE women who value reason, imagination, truth, compassion and responsibility.

From the Principal Just like an architect’s building plans, or a designer’s conceptualisation of ideas, this edition of the Blueprint contains the record of information that is needed to build or make something. When we build a strong foundation, we are positioned to face the future with confidence. At St Aidan’s, we build excellence in education, ensuring that each individual is nurtured and shaped by the values of Christian faith and that she has the opportunity to reach her aspirational potential. The Blueprint provides the space for our school leaders to share the on-going work, the building of our school, mapped against our school’s vision, values and the strategic intentions. St Aidan’s focus is to develop and promote authentic, caring, confident, creative and connected women who value reason, imagination, truth, compassion and responsibility. The values of the Society of the Sacred Advent; humility, courage, compassion, resilience, faithfulness and whole-heartedness inform our daily school life. It is my hope that you will recognise these learner attributes, values and beliefs, woven into the stories and reports contained within the Blueprint, each year. We experienced another year in which we managed the stop, start, go-again, unpredictability of looming lockdowns and COVID closures. What has been achieved at St Aidan’s, this year, in challenging conditions to say the least, has been extraordinary. Students and teachers have had to be agile to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances and to then be flexible to shift at short notice when those circumstances changed again suddenly. We needed to be proactive, yet grounded. We had to find stability and certainty for the good of our community and to always have our eye on the continuity of learning for our students and the wellbeing of all. We continue to shine the spotlight on excellence, innovation and above all, commitment to girls’ education.

B l uep r i n t I St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

As this year draws to a close, we acknowledge our hard-working and resilient senior cohort of students. Our young women have steadfastly met the demands of the new ATAR system, completed external examinations in all of their General Subjects, and all the while demonstrating authentic leadership in uncertain times. Each step of the way our senior leaders helped us accept the changing landscape of living with COVID-19. Leaders in our school, in every year of St Aidan’s history enrich and enable others; they help ‘build’ an environment in which compassion and courage shape all our learning. They lead with strength and responsibility to make a positive impact in this community, and to make a difference more broadly to society. As you read the reports, stories, and acknowledgements, which form this year’s Blueprint, I am confident that you will share our School’s positive outlook for the future. Ms Toni Riordan Principal BEd, MEd (Leadership), FACEL, MACE, GAICD, FIML

ETHOS

B l uep r i n t I St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

The end of any year brings with it mixed

living, while compassion, especially for the most

emotions. St Aidan’s has experienced a year

vulnerable in our midst, is at the heart of all

for confirming the importance of our identity.

decision-making. We have needed courage and

As the school has responded to the challenges of the year, we have done so from an

resilience in spades, and the community has provided them at every turn.

understanding of our story and our past. This

Wholeheartedness, the valuing of all the

knowledge has enabled us to respond with

aspects of our shared life from the most

confidence in the Ethos of the school as a

mundane to the most glorious, helps us to give

living and thriving reality.

our best to all that we do, while faithfulness to the good news of Jesus Christ is the gold thread

We have drawn strength from the values of

that runs through every other aspect of life

the Society of the Sacred Advent: humility,

at school.

compassion, courage, resilience, faithfulness and wholeheartedness. As we have wrestled with significant changes to teaching and learning, come to grips with a new senior assessment system and overlaid that all with our ongoing response to the pandemic, it would be easy to feel overwhelmed. Yet when we intentionally reflect on our responses, we can trace the values of the SSA underpinning our decisions, often quite subconsciously. This

What could have been a year of struggle, then, turned out to be a year of wonders. Staff and students alike can look back on a year where we stepped out of our comfort zones and flew, just as we were ‘born’ to do. We were more creative, more independent, more adaptive and more flexible. We solved problems, built and nurtured relationships, and all the while we had fun.

is a sign of integration of values, of walking

Our faith reminds us that this is the pattern of

the walk.

resurrection which bursts forth at unexpected

The ending of a year is not only a time for reflection on what has been, but an opportunity to look ahead and imagine what lies ahead. These days there is a tendency to be a little more apprehensive about looking too far

moments. When we expect to struggle, we thrive, and when we expect death we find life, not scraped together and barely breathing, but abundant, joyous, full and overflowing. This is the image and promise we hold onto as

forward. The Ethos of the SSA stands us in good

we close out another remarkable year.

stead going forward. Humility reminds us of the

Reverend Gillian Moses Chaplain

importance of simplicity in our planning and

BA, LLB (Hons), BTh (Hons)

From the Chair of Council

It’s always wonderful to sit down at the end of a year and reflect on the outstanding achievements of all St Aidan’s students and staff over the last twelve months. This time last year we were sharing a sense of relief that one of the most unusual and challenging years in recent memory was coming to an end. I think we also expected that the end of the year would somehow bring with it the end of some of the turbulence of COVID-19. Unfortunately, a pandemic doesn’t operate on the same calendar as we do. The manner in which the school community is still dealing with the fallout of the coronavirus is in itself worthy of congratulations. I was astounded this time last year by the way the St Aidan’s community had endured such an uncertain time, and the fact that we are still doing so is even more impressive. 2020 may have been the year that COVID hit us, but 2021 was the year we dealt with it - and are still dealing with it. The resilience that both staff and students have demonstrated fills me with great pride and is the core reason St Aidan’s is in the position we are in today. I would like to congratulate Ms Riordan and the Senior Leadership Team on their ability to come together into such a cohesive, productive unit even under the looming uncertainty that threatened to overshadow 2021. This team, formed of a balance of new and continuing St Aidan’s staff, represents the very best of education thinking and leadership. Their teamwork and synergy are a wonderful example for the rest of the St Aidan’s community. It was wonderful to see Ms Riordan acknowledged for her outstanding leadership this year with the ACEL Queensland Fellowship Award for Excellence in Educational Leadership. It is my great pleasure to see School Council membership continuously rejuvenating and refreshing itself with a view to a broad range of skill sets and representation of our community. I would like to welcome two new members to the council, Reece Walker is a current parent, with a background in law, and Simon Petie is a junior school parent with Risk and Crisis Management skills. Likewise, the Foundation has undergone some changes this year. This renewed team positions the Foundation exceptionally well for the forthcoming Fly High for Ambiwerra campaign. The Fly High campaign will contribute to funding for the new sporting facilities at Ambiwerra, beginning a large-scale overhaul of various St Aidan’s facilities. As we near the centenary year of the school, it’s safe to say that, between sporting, cultural and educational projects, St Aidan’s will not the look same in a decade.

B l uep r i n t I St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

What excites me most about these projects is that unlike most large, ambitious undertakings, this one will feature a number of components that will finish while many of our students are still at the school. By the time some of our current students are in their senior years, they will be leading what could feel like an entirely different school, and I can’t wait to see the new heights they will reach as a result. The Society of the Sacred Advent (SSA) has had a year of some sadness, with the passing of Mother Eunice, but equally a year of hope and transition as the SSA move to a sustainable future. Mother Eunice was elected Mother Superior in 1982, a role that she fulfilled with gentleness, compassion, humility, faith, courage and entrepreneurship – much of what we have come to think of as the values of the SSA. Her great act of leadership was the SSA Schools Trust – to ensure that even when the SSA had to withdraw from the hands-on governance of St Margaret’s and St Aidan’s, the Trust would ensure that the schools would continue to live out the ethos and philosophy of the Sisters, independent from outside interference. This act of foresight and courage has meant that the future of the schools is secure and has allowed the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent to continue to play a formative role in the cultures of the schools. The SSA has formed a transitional chapter, which allows for new types of membership of the Order, who will not necessarily be professed Sisters. Our Chaplain Rev Gillian and Rev’d Jan Crombie have joined the transitional chapter to help envisage its future, and I have the utmost faith in their vision and commitment to their pursuit. Throughout the second half of this year, we have been encouraged by the investment of community time to assist us in planning for the future of St Aidan’s through our Strategic Direction consultation. We are looking forward to the final publication of our Strategic Direction early in 2022, which will inform the strategic pillars the school will be focusing on over the next 3-5 years. Mr Stephen Green Chair of Council BE Civil (Uni NSW)

2021 Graduands Arrive at Achievement Station

Throughout the year, the graduands of 2021 have celebrated each stage of their journey with anecdotal reference to a ‘station’ which has highlighted the key moments of their time together. Now, having arrived at the end of thirteen years of schooling, the 2021 graduands have reached their final station - Achievement Station. While the new QCE system produced the first round of ATARs at the end of 2020, our 2021 graduands were the first to complete all three internal assessments. These three internal assessments combined with one external assessment to calculate their Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR). Academic achievement for the graduands of St Aidan’s was celebrated through their completion of QCAA General and Applied subjects, as well as vocational qualifications including the Diploma of Business and Certificate I, II or III courses. Each of these achievements contribute towards the students QCE and build their portfolio of knowledge and skills for future endeavours. The ATAR provides one mechanism for students to enter tertiary courses and is provided as a notional percentile rank, with a high of 99.95 representing performance in the top .05% of students in the state. Increments of .05 separating ATARs result in a finer grained measure of student achievement. For the graduating class of 2021, a key focus was remaining focused on the three internal assessments so that they were able achieve as many subject marks as possible prior to the external assessment. For Maths and Science subjects, internal assessment marks were worth 50% of the overall subject result. For all other subjects, the internal assessments contributed 75% to the subject result. Our teachers drew on all of the learnings from the first year of the QCE system implementation to expertly prepare the students for the internal, mock and external assessments. The St Aidan’s teachers continue to be involved in the QCAA quality assurance processes of Endorsement, and cohort Externalwas assessment marking 97% of St Confirmation Aidan’s senior ATAR eligible.Actual and writing. Thisperformance involvement with QCAA ensures that we are constantly building may be higher, as the small number of expertise to provide a quality academic program for the students. students who did not release data to the school have

been included as having achieved below 80.

Mrs Jo Butterworth Dean of Studies BSc (App-HMSEd), MACEL

B l uep r i n t I St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

Academic Achievement Our 2021 Year 12 students are to be congratulated on their remarkable achievement. Their results reflect the hard work and dedication of the 2021 cohort and the quality and professionalism of the teaching staff and educational experience offered at St Aidan’s.

ATAR Results

These ATAR results show St Aidan’s continues to be one of the top performing independent schools in Queensland.

ATAR

94.9

ATAR

MEDIAN

of 99 or HIGHER

of 98 or HIGHER

MEDIAN

ATAR

The ATAR of the middle student.

ATAR of 95 or HIGHER

8.5% 20.5% 46% 100% of students achieved a QCE

(Queensland Certificate of Education)

25%

of students received a VET qualification of a Certificate II, III . or Diploma

ATAR of 90 or HIGHER

71% 2 students achieved

100%

subject results

in Mathematical Methods and Visual Art

Data Consent - Australian Tertiary Admission Ranks (ATAR) are calculated and released by the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC). The decision for students to share their ATAR result with their schools is optional and St Aidan’s only has access to the individual ATARs of our Year 12 students where consent has been granted by those students when registering in the ATAR Portal. The St Aidan’s class of 2021 was a cohort of 87 students, 83 were ATAR eligible and 82 consented to their results being shared with the school.

English

B l uep r i n t I St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

The goal of our Junior English program is to provide a strategic development of literacy skills and learner dispositions, but more importantly to instil a love of English in these important early years of senior school. This year we have increased our focus on identity and culture in literary texts, in particular engaging with diverse voices. The Year 7s analysed poetry written by a range of poets from around the world. The focus for the Year 8 short story unit was the way diverse poets represent place, home and belonging in their poetry which, in turn, was used as a springboard to short stories written in our student’s voice. The Year 7s again welcomed author, Tristan Bancks, to speak about his novel Detention, a story of empathy, resilience and courage. The annual Poetry Graffiti competition complemented our work in both the Year 7 narrative and Year 7 poetry units with diversity as its focus. Our Year 8 curriculum was re-written with the inclusion of a monologue task based on Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest. The Year 8 girls enthusiastically engaged with this unit which provides a firm foundation for the study of monologue in the senior years. The Year 9s completed their first block analytical exam on George Orwell’s Animal Farm and demonstrated their creativity once again in the Poetry Film Festival – a showcase of their insights into some big questions they face in their lives today. The wide-reading program continues to expand the girls’ reading experiences and foster that love of reading so crucial for enjoyment and success in English. The senior English and Literature curriculum, once again, provided students with the opportunity to engage in a range of texts and genres to strengthen their critical thinking skills and capacity to articulate their perspectives with precision, logic and creativity. The senior English students presented persuasive speeches on social issues that have been part of the collective dialogue in Australia over the last twelve months, such as Covid

vaccinations; the impact of mandated lockdowns and the negative consequences of the dominance of social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook in our society. They have also studied a range of texts from Romeo and Juliet and To Kill A Mockingbird in Year 10 to Jasper Jones and Persepolis in Year 11, culminating with Never Let Me Go and 1984 in Year 12. In Literature, students had many in-depth and complex conversations resulting from their analysis of texts such as Persuasion, Twelfth Night, Frankenstein, Black Medea, The White Tiger, King Lear and The Poisonwood Bible. The curriculum also gives them the opportunity to write their own independent narrative, on any topic of their choosing, in Year 12. It was a real pleasure to read the writing of our most senior Literature students, who critically and emotionally engaged with themes such as guilt, greed, human folly, courage, resistance and hope. Finally, our Essential English students explored both written and visual representations of social media for their Common Internal Assessment task, studied the novel What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume, reflecting on representations of adolescents in popular culture, and viewed the Australian film Ladies In Black, using this as a springboard for their own narrative based on an Australian woman who they believe has had a significant impact on society. In closing, we would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Amelia Perry, in Year 9, who achieved a highly commended award for her short story The Arrival, that she entered into the Independent Education Union Literary Competition. Mrs Samantha Doig Head of Faculty BEd, BArts

Science

B l uep r i n t I St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

Science instils a sense of intrigue in people of all ages. Students are naturally curious and at St Aidan’s they are encouraged to form questions based both on the knowledge they already have and the insight they wish to gain in the future. The continued growth in participation of students in the Science electives, demonstrates their willingness to expand their scientific knowledge and normalises their involvement in STEM based subjects and activities. In Physical Sciences, students were challenged to design, develop and construct a table centrepiece, a desk ornament or hung piece with integrated lighting. In addition, a cross-curricular project involved designing and building puppets for the St Aidan’s Year 9 drama performance. In addition, the multidisciplinary Cognitive Science subject combines the fields of psychology, neuroscience and forensic science. Students have been able to investigate how perception, memory and learning are determined by the brain; examine how their behaviour in society is influenced by media, whilst examining technologies associated with forensics and using these to solve a crime scene. The weekly Marie Curie Club (MC2) invites all senior students to explore science concepts through hands on activities such as making kombucha, vegan Scoby leather (a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), lava lamps and egg free meringues. Requiring just a curious mind, these fun lunchtime activities promote understanding of both simple and complex scientific phenomena. In Physical Education students begin their journey as lifelong, active participants in physical and recreational activities, becoming well-informed, ‘health promoting’ decision makers. Students analyse their own and other’s movement performances, ultimately developing movement competence. They continue to explore personal, social and community health issues to develop the knowledge and skills required to make appropriate and informed decisions about their own health and others. In doing so, students develop the knowledge, attitude, fundamental skills and confidence needed to begin and maintain a healthy physically active lifestyle. Mrs Sylvia Hicks Head of Faculty BSc, GradDipT (Secondary), MEd

Mathematics

B l uep r i n t I St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

In 2021, students and staff have continued to embrace the new Queensland senior syllabus and everything it offers. While the introduction of external exams was intimidating to begin with, a department-wide focus on spaced practice and interleaving has ensured that students beat the “curve of forgetting” and completed Year 12 fully prepared to meet the challenge that the external exam brings. The proof was in the pudding, with our girls achieving fantastic results. The new syllabus has also introduced problem-solving and modelling tasks and this year our students’ tasks focused on creation and prediction.

Creation When it comes to creativity in school, mathematics is often overlooked. However, true mathematics is an act of creation itself, and our students through the problem-solving and modelling tasks had many chances to flex their creative muscles. Year 10 Mathematical Methods students used their knowledge of quadratic functions to design and model a cable car system connecting St Aidan’s to Ambiwerra. The focus was on fun for our 11 Mathematical Methods students, as they designed a go-kart racetrack, using calculus techniques and technology to ensure the track flowed smoothly from start to finish. Year 7 and 9 students both got busy in the kitchen, using their mathematical knowledge to determine the best ways to feed the hungry hordes. Prediction It was Mark Twain who said, “Prediction is difficult - particularly when it involves the future”, and while it’s true that prediction is difficult, it is certainly made easier when you have mathematics and statistics to guide you. It was all fun and games in Year 8, as our students used statistics to try to predict the outcomes of future sports competitions based on a team’s past performance. Year 11 Specialist Mathematics students were also in the prediction game, using United Nations data to predict the future population distributions of countries and propose solutions to the economic problems an aging population poses. Mr Joel Speranza Head of Faculty

BEd (Business and Mathematics)

Creative Arts and Design

B l uep r i n t I St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

Creative Arts and Design Studies continue to promote developmental pathways though specially determined sequential curriculum and extracurricular opportunities. As our subjects are both content and process-based, students constantly engage with the notion that problems and tasks have more than a singular solution or answer. It is important that we allow our students to celebrate the multiple ways of seeing, interpreting and responding to their world. Our three-semester units across Years 9 and 10 in Technologies, Visual Art, Drama and Music have been highly valued and impactful in allowing us to see the significance in planning around successive stages of adolescent girls; this in turn fosters greater development of skills that are invaluable across all disciplines. In Visual Art this year a notable range of research themes and inquiry approaches across all levels have enriched the traditional scope of study and experience. We employed Dr Donna Marcus, a special-effects artist as well as apiarists to add to our programme. They provided rich stimulus to our students allowing them to see others’ artmaking practices and the way ideas can be interrogated and represented. The introduction of textiles units this year allowed students to see its place in mass culture as well as the way it is reinventing itself as a legitimate artform. It also provides a platform for students to look at 21st century issues of sustainability, landfill and our throw-away culture. An exploration of E-Textiles in Year 8 Technologies has also broadened student exposure to this art form. Due to Covid restrictions Glow went online this year in a new format showcasing work from Kindy to Year 12. Once again visual art students enjoyed success in the QIEU art and design competition and Year 12 in the Creative Generation Awards.

Year 9 Technologies students were involved in a crosscurricular project designing and prototyping puppets for the Year 9 Drama production. They also participated in a workshop on puppet prototyping with Dead Puppets’ Society. Our Australian Space Design Team were crowned as world champions at the International Space Settlement Design Competition. We had six teams of students between years 5 and 10 enter the 2021 Techgirls Competition. This is an Australia-wide tech entrepreneurship competition in which teams work with mentors to develop apps that address real-world problems aligned with UN sustainable development goals. Our Year 5/7 team received a highly commended awarded while our Year 10 team were announced Queensland Winners. In Drama this year, several new units of work were developed to challenge the skills and talents of our students. Year eight students worked with new scripts from Brisbane playwright Maxine Mellor and experimented with cinematic techniques to enhance their performances. Year nine students undertaking the Children’s Theatre unit engaged in a cross-curricular project with the Design and Physical Sciences classes to create laser-cut puppets as part of their performance to engage young audiences. They also participated in workshops with Dead Puppet Society to learn how to manipulate and bring puppets to life. Our year eleven and twelve classes continued working through the senior syllabus to produce outstanding work which reflected their creativity and insight Mrs Gaye Brown Head of Faculty DipArtT, BArtEd

Curriculum Music

B l uep r i n t I St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

Curriculum music has continued to flourish this year with students engaged in a multi-faceted approach to music learning. Strong emphasis on development of musicianship skills through instruction based around Kodály methodology has provided a solid musical foundation for apprentice musicians. Everyday music (Kindy – Year 3) has offered our youngest students the exclusive chance to embed musical skills at the age when most receptive. The year 4 students participated in a co-curricular band program with each girl learning a band instrument by applying previously learned curriculum knowledge to allow for a seamless transition to instrumental music. With increased numbers in Year 8 music, class vocal and instrumental ensembles featured prominently allowing for collaborative musical problem solving in an Australian music context. Units based around Musical Theatre, Protest in Popular Song and Jazz have also allowed girls to explore their talents in these field. Senior music and music extension students applied cognitions developed over many years of music study to express unique musical identities. They have achieved excellence in musical performance, composition and analysis which continues to be the fundamental goal of the music program at St Aidan’s. Mrs Sue Figliano Head of Music

B Mus (Hons 1), A Mus, GradDipEd (Secondary), M Mus St.

Extracurricular Music

B l uep r i n t I St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

St Aidan’s music shone in 2021 and contributed greatly to the fabric of the school through Gala Concerts, assemblies, award ceremonies, Performing Arts Recitals, Open Mornings, Glow Online, school and family chapel services, Mother Emma Service and Mother Eunice’s Funeral. The biggest highlight was a return to being able to perform for a live audience. The first of which was at City Hall at the Academic Awards Ceremony in week 3 of the year. Symphonic Winds, Chorale, Four Seasons Quartet and Paganini Strings performed iconic works with great confidence after a year of limited performing. The girls did not let their time away from the stage effect their ability to perform on a large concert hall stage. Throughout the year, there has been an increased participation of musicians willing to perform hymns at assemblies, school chapels and family services. The piano students and small chamber groups have provided much of the music for these services all year, building their own skill sets that will be transferrable to services in their own church communities. Assembly has also been a forum this year to showcase the student’s talent with vocalists, percussion ensemble, pianists and string players performing solos in front of their peers with great support from the student body. In Term 3, following on from the lockdown disruption students involved in Chorale, Ensemble Volar and Back-Beat Band all got an opportunity for a recording session with a

professional recording sonologist. This took place in the CHC and the girls took this new experience in their stride, doing a few takes of their songs that was then woven together in a recording studio. This was done in conjunction with a video recording company to capture visuals that was then put together and showcased at Aidan’s Celebrates early in Term 4. The newly revived Back-Beat Band was a hit this year with junior and senior students coming together to perform more Jazz/Pop repertoire within this ensemble. Consisting of students from Years 6-12 it was wonderful to see the mentoring opportunities in rehearsal each week from the Senior Students towards the junior girls. This has set up a wonderful foundation for this ensemble and I am sure in 2022 this group will continue to grow in numbers and stature. All three strands of music: choir, strings and band at St Aidan’s grew this year with increased participation across all ensembles. These students have shown weekly dedication to rehearsals, all performances and the resilience to continue to flourish whilst dealing with health restrictions. The girls are to be congratulated on their efforts and standard of performances in all performance formats: solo playing, chamber music and large ensembles. Ms Shannon Tobin Head of Performance

BMus, MMus (Res), MMus(Perf), Grad Dip Teaching

Socio-Cultural

B l uep r i n t I St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

The business, history, geography, and language teachers provided a variety of learning activities, both online and in the classroom, to engage students in an academically rigorous curriculum. In Business, students developed essential financial literacy skills, including ways to manage consumer and financial risk. Year 9 developed their enterprise skills and entrepreneurial mindset by exploring a range of business environments and ideas. In addition, the ASX share market game facilitated students producing a recommended portfolio for future investment. Year 11 and 12 Accounting students demonstrated their skills in solving authentic accounting problems. Year 11 Economics students learned how the Australian economy was impacted by COVID. Year 12 students successfully competed in the University of Queensland Economics Competition. Geography students were involved in a variety of learning activities to gain deeper geographical knowledge of their local area, and problems in other countries. Year 7 Geography classes participated in class role play to suggest how the Murray Darling River could be managed for the future. This activity was part of the unit ‘Water in Our World’. As part of their studies of ‘Landforms and Landscapes’ in Term 1, the Year 8A and 8B Geography classes travelled to Mt Tamborine. Junior History students experienced an archaeological dig, explored the mysteries of Ancient Egypt and the rise of the Chinese Empire. In Years 8 and 9 the wonders of the Industrial Revolution were followed by the age of exploration and culminated in the conflict and tragedy of the Great War. Meanwhile, Senior historians surveyed the great revolutions of the world: America, France, Russia and China, followed the rise of the Nazi Party and the battle against fascism in WWII. The Cold War was the focus of the last part of the year and the Year 12 students approached their final exam on the Vietnam War with justified confidence in the knowledge and skills they had acquired.

LANGUAGES Year 7A and 10 Chinese students participated in the annual Buddha Birthday Celebration held in Chung Tian Temple. Both groups had the hands-on opportunity to learn more about Chinese arts, crafts and culture activities. Both groups had the opportunity to learn more about Buddhism, meditation, traditional Chinese tea ceremony, and practiced Chinese calligraphy. Year 7B and 8 students went on a Chinese lunch and enjoyed learning Chinese dining etiquette. Students across all grades also participated in the annual Education Perfect competition which has made learning more fun and enjoyable. French students had the opportunity to experience French culture – particularly the food. Students in Years 10 to 12 enjoyed a delightful meal at local French restaurant, Boucher, with a menu of French classics such as cheese soufflé, snails and tarte tatin. Students in Years 7 to 9 enjoyed warm French pastries to celebrate the end of their exams, while, in the Junior School, students rehearsed and presented short French-language plays. Each week, Junior and Senior students attended Wasabi Club and Sensei Says Clubs and continued to learn about different cultural aspects of Japan, including the wearing of the yukata/ kimono, writing calligraphy, and playing traditional Japanese games. The Junior school students are working incredibly hard to learn the hiragana characters. Japanese language students achieved high standards in the annual online Education Perfect World Championships, with two students in Year 7, Serena Shi and Yolanda Wang, achieved an Elite Award. Mrs Marcia Forness Head of Faculty

BA, DipT, MEd (Teaching and Learning), MEd (Guidance Counselling)

Senior School Sport

B l uep r i n t I St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

2021 saw another challenging year in Senior Sport at St Aidan’s, with multiple cancellations of fixtures and continued restrictions taking place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these hurdles, all students have shown resilience and determination, and should be congratulated on their commitment and enthusiasm towards their sporting endeavours. St Aidan’s has seen great sporting success over the year, including many victories as well as participation records in both

Core Sport

Aggregate Cup Place

Percentage Cup Place

Event Wins

Top 3 Places

Athletics

5th

1st

Cross Country

4th

1st

Swimming

9th

6th

Team Sport

Teams

Premierships

Top 3 Places

Artistic Gymnastics

Badminton

interschool and club competitions.

St Aidan’s Indigenous Jersey Round 9 of QGSSSA Autumn fixtures coincided with National Reconciliation Week, and to recognise this significant event, members of St Aidan’s RAP Working Group designed the first ever St Aidan’s Indigenous Jersey. This student led initiative celebrates the richness of our St Aidan’s community. The jerseys were proudly worn by our Open Basketball, Soccer and Touch teams against Brisbane State High School.

Queensland All Schools Touch Football This year, our Open Touch team travelled to the Gold Coast Performance Centre to compete at the 2021 Queensland All School Touch Football Tournament. The St Aidan’s team consisted of girls from Year 8-11 and competed in a division of 57 teams. The girls played 10 games over the three days and at no stage did they go behind in a match, defeating All Hallows’ School 5-2 in the Final. It is the first time in the 39 history of the tournament that a QGSSSA School has won the Open Division. The girls played with skill, determination and humility and evidences the progression of the Touch program at St Aidan’s. Mr Andy McGregor-Lowndes Head of Senior School Sport BEd (Secondary)

Team Sport Results

Basketball

Cricket

Hockey

Netball

Rowing

Soccer

Tennis

Touch Football

Volleyball

No Premierships were awarded for QGSSSA Winter Fixtures due to COVID-19. Team finished top of the ladder at the end of the season.

Premiership Teams

Open Cricket

8A Touch Football 7B Touch Football 9B Netball* Open Tennis*

Junior School

Enriching Environment

B l uep r i n t I St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

In addition to the learnings that take place at school, another important dimension to learning and achieving success are the girls’ achievements beyond the classroom. Outdoor education contributes some of the building blocks for social understanding and an awareness of giving and contributing. Outdoor education is uniquely placed to address the general capabilities and cross curriculum priorities of the Australian Curriculum, in particular personal and social capability, critical and creative thinking, ethical understanding, Aboriginal perspectives of land and country and sustainability.

Regarded as a harmonious, creative and collaborative way of communicating within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, the inclusion of a yarning circle in 2022 in the Junior School playground is an exciting addition. It is expected that this environment will provide a stimulating outdoor learning space to enrich and promote the shared knowledge of groups and build on existing relationships in a respectful and meaningful way. At camp, girls learn a great deal about community by forming and working in teams, making decisions for the good of the team and the communal group. This includes solving problems in groups, even for the simplest everyday tasks. Our camps are also preparation for community by helping girls develop greater self-confidence and a focus on teammates, instructors and teachers, and the broader social fabric to whom they belong or might be familiar with. Camps provide opportunities for students to understand more about the natural environment by experiencing natural landscapes at first hand. They gradually understand biological complexity, the need to care for environments in an informed manner, and to respect the challenges of the Australian bush and seashore. Camps are also undoubtedly all about making informed and wise choices when operating out of one’s comfort zone. This year, students enjoyed a variety of outdoor education opportunities:

Prep – Prep Late Night saw the girls experience a camp-like night of fun. They collected badges by completing tasks such as: making lanterns, torchlight hunt, cooking, team parachute games, putting on pyjamas and cleaning teeth, sharing stories by the “campfire” and then resting in their tents. Year 1 – Late Night enabled the students to experience the excitement of Wonderland. They raced to fill up teapots and found secret keys before following a white rabbit down a dark tunnel. In preparation for the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, hats were created and teacups decorated. Year 2 – The theme of ‘all things fluro’ was highlighted at the Year 2 Late Night. Outdoor play, indoor physical activities and fluro art were enjoyed by the girls. They worked in teams to solve unusual ‘Minute to Win it’ challenges and created a firework art piece to take home. Year 3 – Our Year 3 students travelled to Camp Kindilan and the focus at the camp was to encourage the girls to try new tasks and make new friends. Team initiatives, possum glider and canoeing enabled the girls to spend time in the great outdoors and participate in traditional camp activities. Year 4 – Year 4 embraced all things outdoors at Maroochy Waterfront camp and learned how to work in a team. navigating their way around the grounds of the Maroochy Waterfront completing a series of complex stages involving obstacles, physical, cryptic, and academic challenges. Year 5 – The Outdoor Education Centre that the Year 5 students visited was at Mt Tamborine. Students participated in a range of nature inspired activities including archery, nature workshop and bush skills. A highlight for the girls was creating fire and making damper. Year 6 – Our Year 6 Leaders faced new challenges while attending camp at Moreton Island. They were encouraged to step out of their comfort zone in a number of physical activities ranging from night kayaking, sand tobogganing and team building skills. Mr Steve Baker Assistant Head of Junior School BEd (Primary)

Junior School

Inspiring Professionals

B l uep r i n t I St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

St Aidan’s seeks to Support and develop staff to be reflective practitioners and to model life-long learning. Many of the Junior School staff are experts in various fields of interest and bring their passions and skills to the classroom. Junior School staff are supported in their academic endeavours and have opportunities to work with our Dean of Innovation and Engagement, Karen Madden, who assists staff with research and can provide access to university partnerships that ultimately benefits the students and other staff at St Aidan’s. Percentage of Junior School staff who have a Masters Degree or currently enrolled in a Masters Degree course: •

Leadership Team 100%

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Classroom Teachers 50%

In addition, 20% of classroom teachers are nationally recognised as a Highly Accomplished, Lead Teachers or are in the process of accreditation. Ms Catherine Grant, Year 5 teacher, is a recognised Highly Accomplished teacher and is currently undertaking her accreditation for Lead Teacher, the highest nationally recognised accreditation for classroom teachers. Catherine was nominated for the Queensland TeachX Awards in 2021 for her continued focus on building effective networks with universities, parents and experts in the field of online safety. Catherine worked on a research project with Griffith University focusing on ‘NanoTribes’ (small groups of girls) and their use of social media. Catherine also works with colleagues to evaluate student feedback, assessment and data and she models exemplary teaching including a focus on critical thinking and problem solving in Mathematics.

Each year, St Aidan’s acknowledges outstanding staff in our Annual Staff Awards. This year, Year 2 teacher, Mrs Kirby Egan received the Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning for her work on leading the Junior School through new projects including a Thinking Curriculum, a rich extension program and identification of gifted and talented students for mentoring and supporting staff. Kirby also successfully completed her Highly Accomplished Teacher Accreditation through Independent Schools Queensland in 2021. Mrs Jackie Child, our Technology Coordinator, regularly presents at school summits and conferences. She recently published an article in STEM Ed Magazine which highlighted ways that educators can excite and engage primary students in building a passion for STEM by tinkering, playing and making. Jackie discussed the importance of creating an environment for students to engage with STEM from an early age, and integrating STEM principles across the curriculum and offering clubs and events like ‘Coding & Robotics’ and Inter-house Robotics Competition. These are just some of the ways in Jackie engages the students at St Aidan’s. Miss Caitlin Clarke, Year 2 teacher and Mrs Bess Sellars, SWAN Coordinator, have been instrumental in the field of Early Years Literacy and have initiated a new Framework which will provide staff with research based best practices in the areas of spelling and reading. They are currently working on a scope and sequence for Early Years teachers and have supported staff by in servicing them on new programs which will being in 2022. Mrs Kelly Swan

Head of Junior School BCI (Med and Comn), MEd (MYS)

Junior School Sport

As we look back on the 2021 St Aidan’s Junior School Sport Program, professional baseballer and footballer Bo Jackson’s quote “Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there”, embodies the spirit, the belief and the dedication that has swept over the Junior School. With students from Prep to Year 6 immersed in a broad range of Interhouse, Eastern Taipans District, Metro Meets, Walter Taylor Bridge and Andrews Cup competitions, the foundations of sportsmanship, active participation, wellbeing, teamwork, success, and resilience have been demonstrated. Faced once again with the uncertainty of what the sporting environment may look like due to COVID-19, our St Aidan’s girls stayed true to Jackson’s intent by producing impressive achievements both individually and in team sport. Within St Aidan’s pinnacle sporting competition, ‘The Andrews Cup’, our teams recorded outstanding results across a number of the disciplines: two particular moments stood out. In Cross Country, our relay team consisting of Zoe Bristow, Amelie Boyd and Aurelia Boyd performed outstandingly to win the Noel McBride 3 x 1km Relay isidiaectem Cup. In Athletics, team of Amelie Escidunt. Itiumet, conem quoourquiatem exerBoyd, Aurelia Boyd, Fifi Cottell and Ruby Koundakjian won the Sue Pavish 4 eped eadendumquatiis remporecerum. Mutvoluptursix 100m Circular Relay Cup. On an individual level, we saw three of our girls, numquo corecupta cusam nis voluptauia dolunducilis Eloise McLellan (Swimming), Gracie Behm (Equestrian) and Tamika Donald militia que minte lanis denis dolo verum. (Equestrian) named as members of their respective Queensland sports. While the world around them continued to be challenged in unexpected ways, our St Aidan’s Junior School girls continued to stare down the 2021 sporting season’s adversity head on. No obstacle was too great. In fact, it was the fuel that stoked the fire of passion, willingness and want in our girls to train harder, compete more fiercely and embrace opportunities enthusiastically. With optimism entrenched within them, our Junior School students are commended for all they have achieved as individuals, as a school and as a community. In a year of challenges, their dedication, resilience and eagerness shone, and their appetite soared. Congratulations, Team Junior School! Mrs Tracey Jeanes-Fraser Head of Junior Sport and Physical Education BEd (Secondary), High Performance Coaching Accreditation - Netball Australia

B l uep r i n t I St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

Junior School Sport Highlights Andrews Cup Athletics

Andrews Cup Swimming

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Aggregate Cup – 3rd Place

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Sue Pavish Cup Relay – 1st Place (new record)

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Andrews Cup Tennis (Invitational)

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12 Years Age Group – 1st Place

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10 Years Age Group – 3rd Place

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A Division – 1st Place

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8 Years Age Group – 3rd Place

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C Division – 2nd Place

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D Division – 2nd Place

Andrews Cup Basketball •

A Division – 3rd Place

Andrews Cup Cricket •

A Division – 3rd Place

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B Division – 2nd Place

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C Division – 2nd Place

Andrews Cup Cross Country •

Aggregate Cup – 2nd Place

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Percentage Cup – 3rd Place

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Noel McBride Cup – 1st Place

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10 Years Age – 2nd Place

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8 Years Age – 3rd Place

Andrews Cup Gymnastics •

D2 Division – 1st Place

12 Years – 1st Place

Andrews Cup Touch Football •

A Division – 3rd Place

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B Division – 1st Place

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C Division – 2nd Place

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Junior A – 1st Place

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Junior B – 2nd Place

South East Queensland Regional Equestrian Championship • Junior Aggregate Cup – 1st Place Interhouse Champions •

Athletics – Austen

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Ball Games – Austen

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Swimming – Austen

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Cross Country – Cavell

Andrews Cup Netball •

A Division – 3rd Place

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Junior A – 1st Place

SCHOOL FOUNDERS

Governance and Leadership

Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent SCHOOL COUNCIL Mr Stephen Green (Chair), BE Civil (Uni NSW) Ms Rachael Cronin, BCom, LLB, MBA Mr Scott Douglas, BUrbDev(ProEc), BEcon, GAICD Dr Chelsea Ho, MD, BMedSci The Rev’d Michael Stalley, DipAppliedSc – Pod, BTh, GradDipMin (Distinction)

Mr Reece Walker, LLB, GradDipAppFin, FFin, GAICD Ms Toni Riordan, BEd, MEd (Leadership), GAICD, FACEL, MACE, FIML (ex-officio)

Ms Holly O’Sullivan Williams, BA (Drama), BEd (Secondary), MEd (Research), MEd (Leadership and Management), MACE, FACEL (ex-officio) Mrs Toni Williams (Company Secretary), ), BBus (Accounting), BBus (Information Systems), GAICD, GIA Affiliated (ex-officio)

B l uep r i n t I St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

ST AIDAN’S FOUNDATION Mrs Rachel Condos-Fields (Chair), GAICD, AdvDip (Japanese), AdvDip (International Bus), GradDip Finance

Mrs Rebecca Brice, BCom Mr Craig Lennon, CAANZ, AICD, GradDipGovInst, FINISIA Mrs Susan McDonald, BA DipEd Mr Patrick O’Connor, BA, LLB, Chartered Institute of Secretaries, JP Ms Toni Riordan, BEd, MEd (Leadership), FACEL, MACE, GAICD, FIML Mrs Leah Saul (Company Secretary), BComm, CA, Dip Mgmt Mrs Cecile Wake, LLB (Hons), BEcon Mrs Kim Wiegand, BBus P&F ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVES Ms Verity McGregor (President), Dip Bus (PR), Dip Prof Writing & Editing Ms Kate Thomas (Vice President), BEd (Secondary) Ms Tara Fitzsimmons (Joint Secretary), B Health Sciences, Grad Dip of Midwifery, Cert IV Accounting

Ms Tanya Angus (Joint Secretary), B Com, Grad Dip of Project Mgmt Mr Reuben Saayman (Treasurer), B Com, B Com (Hons), CA EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP TEAM Ms Toni Riordan, BEd, MEd (Leadership), FACEL, MACE, GAICD, FIML Reverend Gillian Moses, BA, LLB (Hons), BTh (Hons) Ms Holly O’Sullivan Williams, BA (Drama), BEd (Secondary), MEd (Research), MEd (Leadership and Management), MACE, FACEL

Mrs Joanne Butterworth, BSc (App-HMSEd) Mrs Meg Bishop, BEd (Science), MEnv (Hons) Ms Karen Madden, BTeach, GradDipEd (RE), MEd (Leadership) Ms Jennie Robinson, DipT, BEd, MEd (Guidance and Counselling) Mrs Kelly Swan, BCI (Med and Comn), MEd (MYS), MEdSt (Learning Support), MACEL

Anglican Girls’ School

St Aidan’s

AUTHENTIC CARING CONFIDENT CREATIVE CONNECTED

St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School 11 Ruthven St, Corinda Qld 4075 Australia P +61 7 3373 5999 E reception@staidans.qld.edu.au www.staidans.qld.edu.au A School of the Society of the Sacred Advent ABN 71079817981 CRICOS Provider Number 01194k