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ACADEMIC
INDOOROOPILLY 2021 RESULTS PETER MACDONALD
Director of Teaching & Learning Innovation
F
or the second year in a row, we experienced learning with a difference. The whole school experienced 'At Home Learning' again which was a good opportunity for us to implement what we had learnt from our experience in 2020. Teachers and students very quickly adapted to the unsettling set of circumstances surrounding the Indooroopilly campus. I find myself in the same situation as I was the year earlier; I am proud of the way our students, parents and teachers all worked together to make the best out of a difficult time. Now, some months on from the 'At Home Learning' experience, we are able to reflect on the excellent results achieved by our students. There is no doubt that the community-wide investment and team approach by all has enabled our students to be so academically successful in 2021. Our Year 12 2021 QCAA and International Baccalaureate (IB) students achieved outstanding ATAR results last year. In fact, the results of the 2021 cohort are the strongest we have seen since prior to 2008. Some highlights include: • 19% of our Year 12 students achieved an ATAR of 96 and above; • 41% achieved an ATAR of 90 and above; • 79% achieved an ATAR of 75 and above; and • 95% achieved an ATAR of 60 and above. In previous years we have invited our Academic Scholars back for assembly to recognise their wonderful achievements. Unfortunately, this year the ceremony had to be postponed. Scholars were still provided the opportunity, albeit in small groups, to come to the Academic Hub to brand the walls with their name. This year we welcomed 48 Scholars back. In some respects, the restrictions imposed by the pandemic were a blessing. I had no idea how we would fit 48 Scholars and their families all in the Academic Hub at once. This is a problem I am very happy to work through
Plus Ultra | June 2022
every year! It was wonderful this year to have smaller groups, accompanied by their teachers and parents, come back to realise a goal that the students had been striving to achieve for a number of years. Our IB students were rewarded with outstanding results in 2021. Our fourth perfect score since 2008 was awarded to Grace Sun and nine students received a Diploma score of 43. Another highlight from this year’s cohort was Rio Otake’s perfect score for her Geography Extended Essay. We are extremely proud of the way all of our IB cohort performed. Much of these achievements can equally be attributed to individual hard work and the dedication of the whole group to support each other. This hard work extends to the efforts of Mrs Ros Midgley and Mrs Sarah Thompson. It is clear to see that strong relationships develop between Mrs Midgley and each IB student. Mrs Midgley dedicates a huge amount of time to the IB students to ensure individualised care and attention is provided at precisely the right time. Mrs Thompson assisted Mrs Midgley to run the IB program during 2021 and together they made a wonderfully organised, professional and supportive team. Mrs Susannah Treschman stepped into the new role of IB Core Coordinator in 2021. Mrs Treschman provided significant support to all involved in the IB program. The work she did with staff and students in 2021 positively contributed to the outstanding results of the cohort. 2021 provided us with the second opportunity to run the new QCAA Senior curriculum and assessment system. As you can determine from the cohort’s end of year results, they have managed the challenges of the system extremely well. At the beginning of the year the Curriculum Leaders reviewed the 2020 student results and developed a plan for 2021. The actions as a result of this planning have assisted with the excellent results. Our students continue to attract
