Upon Reflection 2015

THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING JOURNEYS OF WENONA STAFF

Issue 1 :: 2015

WELCOME

‘The Parallel School’… a learning continuum At Wenona we see the professional development of all staff as pivotal to the education, wellbeing and learning of our students. We run a ‘Parallel School’, where our teachers are encouraged to be life long learners, engaged in their own passionate educational pursuits that not only see them grow personally and professionally but bring immeasurable good to their students, peers and entire Wenona community.

In 2014, we launched the Wenona Improvement Cycle, a system that furthers the professional development of all academic staff by receiving annual 360 degree feedback and developing a structured goal-oriented professional learning plan that guides their learning throughout the year.

Our staff continue to invest in their own formal academic qualifications, with many engaging in postgraduate studies at the Masters, EdD, and PhD levels. Research is often shaped by their experiences at Wenona, and in turn the school benefits greatly through the depth of their learning and increased expertise.

In the second year of our Fellowship program, we have now seen four staff travel across the globe to South Africa, China, Japan and the UK to immerse themselves in developing communities, archaeological digs, remote villages and urban sub cultures in order to gain a level of insight into their respective fields that only comes with ‘real life’ experience. In 2014 we launched our seeding grants, with ‘great’ ideas being nurtured for staff across the globe.

Back home, we had many staff present at Australian conferences, sharing their expertise beyond our community. Wenona staff are often considered experts in their fields and it is with a great deal of pride that we celebrate their achievements and contributions to the field of education.

At school we engaged in many professional learning activities as part of our staff professional development program, including learning from guest speakers such as Dr Linda Sax from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and Dr Tracey Heubner from San Francisco Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning. Our staff also enjoyed the opportunity to lead professional learning, both in our Kindergarten to Year 12 Staff Meetings and at our Professional Development days.

mindset’ links the girls in our care with the teachers that guide their learning across the school.

It is this ‘Parallel School’ that we celebrate in this inaugural edition of ‘Upon Reflection’, a journal that chronicles and celebrates the professional learning and achievements of Wenona educators.

DR BRIONY SCOTT Principal

To be one of the leading girls schools in the world we all need to commit to our own professional growth, and engage in our own education with a strong belief that we can all improve through learning. This embodiment of the ‘growth Upon Reflection | Issue 1, 2015

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FROM THE DEAN OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

Professional Studies – From strength to strength For any learner, whether teacher or student, the effectiveness of any formative assessment process depends on the learner being able to answer three questions, ‘Where am I going?’, ‘How am I doing?’ and ‘Where to next?’

Helen Timperley and John Hattie, 2007

Igniting the flame in 2014

At Wenona, we believe that a school, by its very nature, is only as good as the calibre of its staff. Their abilities, passions, hopes and expectations drive the very essence of what we do and where we are going. We are dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and we continue to develop structures, procedures and opportunities to ensure all staff are motivated to strive to be the best they can be on a professional level within this vibrant learning community.

The ‘Professional Learning Framework’, gives a shape and foundation to all of the key strategies that support professional learning and performance development across the School.

Much of the work in this ‘Parallel School’ has been undertaken over many years and is the confluence of many voices, opinions and ideas that contribute to the professional learning culture at Wenona.

This inaugural edition of ‘Upon Reflection’ celebrates the professional commitment to learning of all Wenona staff. Within these pages, it isn’t possible to recognise everything that has been achieved by every staff member across the year but what we hope ‘Upon Reflection’ will do is provide a snapshot of the passion, dedication and energy that flows through the people we are proud to call our colleagues.

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Breathing life into the strategic plan and moving forward with key strategic priorities has characterised 2014.

Professional Learning Framework Throughout 2014 a group of teachers worked closely on investigating models of best practice in terms of professional development across the globe. Looking at all education sectors, we considered academic research, government accreditation and registration policies and practices,

PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

‘The Parallel School’… a learning continuum.

along with other professional organisations, we began the process of developing a framework.

The framework has the ‘professional’ at its centre, with ‘values and beliefs’, ‘mindset’, ‘teacher as learner’ and ‘professional identity’ – representing the core aspirations of all Wenona staff.

These core aspirations are what we look for when we recruit and what we work towards developing as one’s career progresses across the school.

In short, they are both the dispositions we look for and the outcomes of our professional growth.

Recognising that teachers engage in professional learning and inquiry, by assuming a myriad of stances we looked towards ensuring that our framework recognised the dexterity of our educators.

These stances are: Engage and Grow – that all Wenona educators engage in professional learning beyond the school.

Collaborate and Learn – that through collaboration with our colleagues we learn and grow from shared practice.

Reflect and Refine – without a commitment to reflecting on our practice from a strong evidence base, we cannot refine our practice. Central to the work of all staff is this commitment to grow and be the best we can be.

Registration, Accreditation and Compliance – increasingly, all teachers are needing to engage with registration and accreditation processes. These processes are evolving and with solid in-school support, this can be a positive experience of growth for all.

Without professional learning and indeed exploring new practices and confronting new ideas, we would stagnate as professionals. The outer rim of the framework recognises that this learning is continuous.

The next stages of developing the framework includes further descriptions of the stances and dispositions, along with graphical illustrations of professional learning practices that inform all that we do as professionals.

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PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

Wenona Improvement Cycle To be the best we can be and to enable us to refine our gifts as educators we need a process, a set of tools and ongoing professional inquiry that strives to make us all better educators.

Following a long process a team of teachers K-12 launched the Wenona Improvement Cycle in Term 2, 2014, representing an attempt to develop a Performance and Development Framework that complements the work of key accreditation bodies across the nation. It was a fascinating process as we had for the previous year investigated many models from schools, other industries and scholarly research into the field.

The many divergent experiences and ideas within the working party helped shape the initial cycle and its implementation in 2014.

At Wenona we foster a culture of ongoing commitment to professional learning and development for all staff. It is “our aim to attract intelligent, inspiring and motivating teachers, who are able to refine their gifts and to pursue their passion and love of learning”.

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This is a school with an unashamedly high performance culture, both for staff and students, however we recognise that there are many journeys and paths that a teacher’s career may take.

To enable this the School “developed a comprehensive ‘Performance and Development Framework’ that includes classroom observation, 360° surveys, goal setting and targeted professional learning”.

The Wenona Improvement Cycle supports and encourages our academic staff to be “critical thinkers who are adaptable, flexible and proactive” and “life long learners turning Wenona from an ‘organisation for learning into a learning organisation’”.

The cycle is supported by a culture of developing relational trust and a strong leadership team committed to leading learning across the School.

There is a strong belief that all teachers can and should improve their practice if they are supported, encouraged and continually developed throughout their careers.

We know that the quality of our staff and their expertise has a direct link to student learning outcomes and are committed to improving ourselves to ensure the highest standards across the school.

“All studies show that more effective teachers lead to better student outcomes. Conservative estimates suggest that students with a highly effective teacher (at the 90th percentile) learn in half a year what takes those with a less effective teacher (at the 10th percentile) a full year. A student with a teacher at the 75th percentile of effectiveness will achieve in three-quarters of a year what a student with a teacher at the 25th percentile will achieve in a full year. These effects are cumulative: the achievement of students with effective teachers three years in a row will be 49 percentile points higher than that of students with less effective teachers.

Differences in teacher effectiveness account for a large proportion of the differences in student outcomes – far larger than the differences between schools. Outside of family background

PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

From top: Michele Brennan (Head of Visual Arts) graphically recording the 2015 Leadership Conference; Members of the Leadership Team working together in furthering their understanding of leadership

“This is a school with an unashamedly high performance culture, however we recognise that there are many journeys and paths that a teacher’s career may take.” teacher effectiveness is the largest single factor influencing student outcomes.”

(Ben Jensen and Julian Reichl, Grattan Institute submission to AITSL) Like all initiatives at Wenona, there is a strong evidence base that informs the cycle and associated processes, however as per any school-based initiative there is a need and desire to seek ongoing feedback as part of the evaluation cycle.

Goals and Intentions The goals and intentions of the Wenona Improvement Cycle are to: Develop teaching staff that are known for their professional commitment, marked by a responsibility to their own learning and consistent professional growth;

Support a staff culture that is positive, dynamic and inspiring; Encourage and foster individual responsibility for professional development that is informed by goal setting, reflection and evidence of student and teacher learning; Complement the Wenona Professional Learning Framework and the Effective Teaching Cycle to encourage reflective practice, performance development, teacher accreditation and a coherent approach to professional learning and inquiry; Commit all teaching staff to professional development with an improvement focus; Provide annual feedback for teachers on their practice in the classroom; Provide an opportunity for all staff to engage in performance and development conversations

that guide teachers to recognise strengths in their practice and identify areas that require development; Facilitate a culture of classroom observation that informs our teaching practices and recognises staff expertise across the school; Develop targeted professional learning opportunities that are central to a teacher’s learning plan and goals for the academic year; Enable teachers to identify and interrogate evidence and artifacts of learning that will provide evidence of improvement and facilitate an annual performance conversation with their Head of Department or Stage Coordinator.

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PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

guiding the development of a comprehensive professional learning plan that includes goals, ongoing reflection and inquiry into practice with an annual review of their learning discussed through a growth coaching conversation with their Head of Department or Stage Coordinator.

This year, we are refining the process and looking at developing further tools to support teachers on developing an awareness of their performance and how they can improve through targeted professional inquiry and learning.

Effective Teaching Cycle As we entered the inaugural Wenona Improvement Cycle, we discovered there was a need to ‘tease out’ the craft of the teacher and to arrive at a comprehensive picture of what the foundations of effective and excellent teaching look like across Wenona.

The cycle seeks to explore the foundations of effective teaching, provide guidance on what practices would be evident in a highly effective teacher’s classroom and how they

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relate to the AITSL – National Professional Teaching Standards.

In summary, we wanted a common language that could be used to guide performance development and improvement across the school.

is offered as a guide to reflect on our practice, as a basis for performance and development conversations with our peers, to inform classroom observations and to develop our annual professional learning plans.

Educators have learned the value of a common vocabulary to describe teaching Charlotte Danielson

Leadership Development

Engaging with Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for Teaching, we worked with teachers to develop a set of aspirational practices that would align with all of the teaching standards and ready our school for changes to Teacher Accreditation planned for 2017 and beyond.

As we begin to implement the cycle and engage with the process it is hoped that the Effective Teaching Cycle reflects agreed aspirations for effective teaching at Wenona. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list as all teachers develop along a continuum of development throughout their career. The Effective Teaching Cycle

Wenona over the last few years has strategically invested in developing a Leadership Team that understands the pivotal role that all leaders play in a model of distributed leadership, with all leaders contributing to the stewardship of the school now and into the future.

“...popularity of distributed leadership as a desirable approach to leadership practice in schools... Justifications for the optimistic consequences associated with this approach to leadership invoke democratic values, shared expertise and the commitment that arises from participation in decision making…”

Leithwood We started with equipping all members of the leadership team with the skills to engage in Growth Coaching to develop their teams and have performance

PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

conversations. In subsequent years ‘top up sessions’ and opportunities to practice are offered to the leadership team.

Furthering our focus on performance development, we engaged with the University of Auckland and their Centre for Educational Leadership, to develop our ability to lead and support colleagues by completing the practical growth coaching model and routines, with the work of Viviane Robinson we engaged with the Open to Learning Conversation Model to further our foundations in working as a leader and developing relational trust in order to authentically develop others.

These foundations were complemented by our ongoing work on the power of instructional leadership, through our work with Hattie and the Visible Learning team to actually inform our understanding as to what effective teaching looks like and what is it that we need to coach and develop in terms of teacher expertise that makes a difference to student outcomes. Throughout our foundational work, many engaged in data analysis, feedback observations and student surveys to develop our own ‘snapshot’ of where we are as a school and what we need to emphasise for further school improvement into the future.

Moving forward we are now engaging in developing a more pronounced understanding of who we are as leaders and then using the foundational skills outlined above to strategically engage our teams and develop a compelling environment where all teachers thrive.

Wenona’s focus on leadership development seeks to empower all staff to lead and develop, knowing that as one’s leadership capacity increases, the school moves forward in its mission to be one of the leading girls’ schools in the world.

A Focus on Professional Learning for all staff The School’s focus on professional learning is not limited to cycles and leadership positions, all staff irrespective of where they are on their journey engage in professional learning, both at the school and outside in the broader educational community.

Whether it be through compliance training, staff professional learning

events or faculty / team inquiry based approaches we are guided by the principles of effective professional learning as outlined by Helen Timperley.

Timperley in her ongoing work in what constitutes effective professional learning identified the following features of effective professional learning: That professional learning is based on worthwhile content – this relates to professional learning that ‘makes the difference’ and is proven to have an impact on student learning outcomes; That it focuses on valued student outcomes – this becomes a ‘driver’ for professional learning and inquiry for teachers and collaborative teams of teachers; It needs to ensure there is an integration of knowledge and skills; There needs to be a deep assessment for professional inquiry – with teachers being equipped to identify the pedagogy necessary to meet student learning outcomes and then identify requisite teacher professional learning to assist in being able to use the required pedagogy; There needs to be multiple opportunities to learn; Needs to challenge current assumptions and introduce new knowledge and skills, that is often dissonant to prior understanding;

Should engage in collegial and collaboration between teachers, working together in terms of professional inquiry; Requires active leadership to promote expectation and encourage engagement; Needs to maintain momentum ensuring that all teachers are engaged in the inquiry cycle.

(UNESCO, International Bureau of Education, Education Practice Series, Teacher Professional Learning and Development, Timperley, 2008) What is clear as you peruse these pages, is that it isn’t always the organised or planned for experience that can be the greatest or most significant step in one’s professional journey – it can be the quiet moment of professional reading, the conversation and engagement with a colleague over shared practice or the insights gained from postgraduate study that forms our professional identity and shapes our career.

To make Wenona a stepping-stone for all staff on their individual journey, it is evident that we all need to have the support and confidence to take the first unsteady step and strive to be the best we can be in our field of expertise.

MARK STAKER Dean of Professional Studies

MARK STAKER is our Dean of Professional Studies – a role he loves as it enables him to work with teachers on their development and learning to be the best they can be for the students at Wenona. As part of the role, Mark works alongside the teaching and support staff, in areas of accreditation, performance development through the Wenona Improvement Cycle, recruitment, professional learning and leadership development.

As a member of the Senior Executive, Mark enjoys the challenges and learning experiences that are afforded school leaders in any given day.

He is also a History and English teacher having taught in Australian and UK schools for over 20 years. Mark has marked HSC and been a Senior Marker and Judge for the HSC for over 10 years and has extensive teaching experience across all courses, in both independent and public schools.

Mark has a Bachelor of Education (English/ History) from Sydney University, Master of Arts (English and Education) from Macquarie University, Master of Communications from The University of New South Wales and is currently completing a Master of Instructional Leadership at Melbourne University.

Prior to returning to Wenona as Dean of Professional Studies, Mark was Director of Teaching and Learning at Ascham School. In previous roles at Wenona, Mark was Director of Teaching and Learning K-12 and Head of English. Prior to joining Wenona, Mark worked in public education in both classroom teaching and leadership roles across Sydney.

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SEEDING GRANTS

Hawaii International Education Conference DR DIANNE LANGAN, MUSIC TEACHER

In January this year, I was privileged to present a paper at the Hawaii International Education Conference in Honolulu. The conference provided opportunities for cross-disciplinary educators from across the globe to interact and share their unique experiences.

With more than 1325 participants from over 34 countries, research ranged from early childhood to postgraduate education, and included topics such as curriculum, research and development, special education, music education and teacher training. Papers covered STEM, ICT, The Flipped Classroom, Indigenous Education, Differentiating the Curriculum and Online Learning.

The paper I presented was an extension of my doctoral research and provided detailed insights into links between music education and music therapy. To apply this research in a practical setting I also shared an assessment tool for use in music education classrooms.

In addition to the conference, I visited several education and music sites in Hawaii, which expanded my understanding of

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music education from an American perspective. Punahou was one such school that had many similarities to Wenona, with beautiful grounds and a music program astonishingly like our own. I was entertained by the Punahou Intermediate Band, who performed a rendition of the Australian folksong ‘Botany Bay’.

I returned to Australia energised by new ideas and with the knowledge that Wenona is maintaining and following current international trends in education.

I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to represent Wenona on the international research stage and have continued to do so through an international journal publication and the presentation of a teacher training seminar for Teacher Training Australia (TTA) in March 2015.

SEEDING GRANT – INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION

ABSTRACT: ‘MUSIC EDUCATION MEETS MUSIC THERAPY: AN ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION’ This paper presents a music therapy assessment tool (Langan, 2009, 2012) which offers a learning innovation across the disciplines of music education, special education and music therapy. It draws on doctoral research (Langan, 2009; Langan, Thesis 2012) which explored the relationship between music education and music therapy and investigated their shared content.

The research objectives included the production of an assessment tool which would facilitate music therapy in education settings. The methodology used in the research included clinical music therapy, teacher questionnaires, music therapist surveys and interviews.

The results were analysed and informed the development of the assessment tool which relied on existing educational objectives and

specifically designed music therapy objectives.

The research outcomes included the production of a practical assessment tool applicable in education and special education settings which is being applied by music therapists internationally. The tool facilitates integration and understanding of music therapy in the education setting.

The most significant outcome is that it provides educators and therapists with an evaluation tool which supports the process of compliance and accountability for music therapy in education.

DR DIANNE LANGAN has worked as a music educator and therapist for over 25 years. Her qualifications include international registration as a Music Therapist, a Master (Honors) in Education, an A.mus.A in piano performance, and a PhD. Dianne has received a number of awards and scholarships, locally and internationally, in recognition of her passion and commitment to music education and therapy.

In this way, it achieves clarity regarding the similarities and differences between music educators and music therapists, while acknowledging and respecting the contributions of each in their respective disciplines. Clips of music therapy will be included in the presentation which provides an opportunity for participants to encounter music therapy in action in a special education classroom.

The paper defines music therapy, the methods used, the boundaries and overlaps with music education, articulating the shared skills and content areas.

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SEEDING GRANTS

Boston EdTech iPad Summit PDHPE TEACHER STEVE KAPSALIS In November last year, I attended the EdTech iPad Summit in Boston and visited various schools in Vermont and Weston, Massachusetts, USA. This was an eye-opening experience as I was able to collaborate and share experiences with teachers from all over the United States.

The seeding grant provided me the opportunity to explore the successes that many teachers and schools in the United States have had with the implementation and use of iPads.

The purpose of the trip was to be exposed to and learn from leaders who use iPads successfully in 1:1 environments; to understand the current pedagogical approaches and ideas; and to visit schools to witness and understand the implementation process, as well as collaborating on teaching and learning ideas.

EdTech Teacher iPad Summit Listening to key note speakers Dr Heidi Hayes Jacobs and Greg Kulowiec and attending the numerous workshops made me ask myself a series of questions which has had the effect of shaping my teaching practices for the future: How do I prepare our learners for their future?

What vision do I have for the iPad in teaching and learning?

What percentage of the my classroom experience is created by the students?

How are students sharing their work?

Are we inspiring our students to want to learn more?

How can I help teachers build a vision through the use of iPads?

Photos: Steve Kapsalis interviewing students at Weston High School, Massachusetts, USA to bring EdTech insights to Wenona.

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SEEDING GRANT - EDTECH

STEVE KAPSALIS teaches Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) at Wenona and is passionate about the implementation of technology in teaching and learning. He has presented workshops on behalf of the Association of Independent Schools (AIS) and the NSW PDHPE Association.

I was very impressed with Burlington’s ‘student help desk’ team where students are selected and timetabled to support other students and staff with the use of the iPad in the classroom. They help with trouble-shooting and provide ideas on how apps can be used. They also work on their own individual projects (which count towards university entrance). Many of them have had internships with companies and have presented at conferences.

School Visits Burlington High School was the first school in Massachusetts to implement 1:1 iPad devices. Academically, the school performs very well with 100 per cent pass rate on the state examination and 95 per cent of graduates going on to college. I asked the school’s Superintendent for Learning, Patrick Larkin, why the school introduced a 1:1 iPad device program when things were already going so well? The school felt it was not doing enough by simply helping students perform well on tests. Teachers wanted to adapt their teaching methods to an increasingly

digital world in order to help their students better prepare for real life.

When the students were surveyed, a large proportion were more excited to attend class every day after the introduction of the iPads. Teachers also felt that the level of engagement and discussion had increased dramatically with richer and deeper conversations taking place. I think this raises an important question for us: Can we do more to encourage Wenona students to express themselves in their own ways while still meeting the learning outcomes expected of them?

Overall, the seeding grant has provided me with invaluable experiences and an opportunity to witness first hand how iPads can be successfully implemented into a whole school setting. I have been exposed to fantastic learning experiences that I will use to present to the Wenona teaching staff and the wider community.

UponReflection Reflection| |Issue Winter 1, 2015 Upon

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FELLOWSHIPS

Co-designing in Johannesburg A Fellowship in South Africa taught Design and Technology teacher Noosha Jalili the importance of involving the target audience in the design process, especially those who rarely have a say.

As a teacher of Design and Technology I am driven by the power in transferring knowledge to my students so that they can improve the world they live in through the discipline of design.

Although design can offer solutions to everyday problems, it is far too often used to serve only the top 10 per cent of society. Designers often neglect using their skills to address problems in lower socio-economic communities, but rather design products that are not necessarily needed. This limits the capabilities of the discipline and the teaching experience.

My fellowship to Johannesburg, South Africa, involved four weeks of co-designing with a local community to design and develop a sustainable permaculture garden. I also presented at the Cumulus Conference: ‘ Design with the Other 90%: Changing the World by Design’, which was hosted by Greenside Design Center (GDC) and the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA) at the University of Johannesburg.

It explored the concept that people’s needs are better met when they are involved in an equal and reciprocal relationship with professionals and others working together to get things done. This is the underlying principle of co-designing. To be involved in such an experience as a teacher allowed me to

From Top: Hands on in Johannesburg; A visit to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy; Learning the importance of involving the end users in the design process.

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CO-DESIGNING – SOUTH AFRICA

Left & Above: Understanding the real needs of Johannesburg’s people meant involving them in the design process.

At present, co-designing at the secondary level is presented to Stage 6 students who are undertaking their Major Design Project (MDP). The nature of the MDP means that co-designing is a feasible option. At a Stage 5 level however, my experiences of Johannesburg are presented as a theoretical case study in order for them to see the value of working with your target market as well as understanding the social responsibilities of designers.

holistically think about the capabilities of design and the bigger picture. Working with the local community enabled me to recognise how valuable the involvement of the target market is. Without them, the design would not be successful on many fronts. Input from the target market throughout the process, combined with the knowledge of design professionals, ensured success was achieved.

Liaising with local students, tertiary professionals, the target market and international students from Denmark, Finland, Austria, and the USA, also allowed exchanges and relationships to be formed.

The conference was a fantastic platform to engage in discussion with tertiary design professionals across the globe to see what each of us is doing differently in teaching the discipline of design. The fundamental notion that emerged was this principle of

co-designing with a target market but at a secondary education level it still poses some challenges. School aged students are still developing their fundamental design skills so the end product may have design flaws that need to be overcome before it can fulfil the needs of the target market in the real world. Funding and time constraints can also limit outcomes.

This Fellowship has given me a refreshed passion for teaching and learning in my Key Learning Area (KLA), including problem solving, critical thinking and creative thinking. It also has allowed me to engage with colleagues and the professional relationships formed with networks internationally has allowed my knowledge to broaden past the realms of Australia. Being able to actively immerse myself within a design situation rarely occurs as a teacher. Often teachers only teach students about design situations and facilitate the students’ process rather than their own. I’m very thankful for the opportunity to immerse myself in such an experience as the benefits have gone a long way.

NOOSHA JALILI is our Acting Year 9 Coordinator and former Head of School House. She is an accomplished teacher of Technology and Applied Studies (TAS) and has a Master’s degree in Design from the UNSW College of Fine Arts. Ms Jalili is an experienced HSC marker.

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FELLOWSHIPS

Ancient intricacy in Japan Katie Waud’s Fellowship journey took her to the far reaches of Japan where she discovered the special rewards that come from quiet focus on the intricate crafts of this ancient culture.

Japanese textiles and design are very close to my heart and I have always been intrigued by the intricate, labour intensive techniques and methodical processes of their crafts and their patient, dedicated approach to them.

The core study component of my Fellowship was a 10 day intensive Textile Art course focusing on Indigo and natural dyeing ‘Shibori’ and ‘Katazome’ techniques, multiple hand embroidery techniques, traditional screen printing, pulling silk yarn from a cocoon and traditional loom weaving.

This was complemented with school, gallery and museum visits in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.

My journey started in Tokyo, where I spent a day with my former student Wenonian Sakurako Suzuki (2013) who gave me a crash course in Japanese culture and language.

I then set out on my own, catching a train across the beautiful Japanese countryside to the village of Finjo around 2.5 hrs outside Tokyo. I was met by seven women from around the world who had also come to experience the intensive workshop. Our host was 50 year old Canadian Bryan Whithouse, who had spent the last 30 years in Japan studying and mastering traditional Japanese textiles with his partner Hero, a Japanese/Brazilian who was a master of the Japanese art of flowering arranging known as ‘Ikebana’.

We spent our days mastering new techniques under the watchful eye of Bryan who was a hard task master to say the least! We worked all day while we shared stories about our experiences and lives. There were a few days when we only left the home to take the household’s two dogs (rescued from the Fukushima Tsunami) on morning and afternoon walks.

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From top: Learning how to operate a traditional Japanese Jacquard loom; Sitting with a group of like-minded students from around the world, stitching Shibori patterns late at night in Finjo, Japan.

CREATIVE ARTS – JAPAN

Left: Hand stitching Shibori patterns into place. Above: The end result, after the fabric has been stitched and dyed in Indigo dye.

It was an intimate glimpse into the nature of a gentle, patient Japanese community that forms its bonds through quiet, intimate gatherings and a shared dedication to ancient artforms. This feeling was intensified when I met Ogata Sun, a 96 year old local women who taught us to make fresh traditional udon noodles and, in the afternoons, stitched complex traditional Shibori patterns with no glasses; just needle and thread. To observe a lady of her vintage so active and involved in her life was inspirational.

Part two of my trip included several key exhibitions such as the ‘Andy Warhol Retrospective’, highlighting the Japanese obsession with all things American, and a visit to the ‘Future Beauty exhibition: 30 years of Japanese Fashion’ which explored the innovative Japanese fashion designers who have

revolutionised the fashion world with an entirely new aesthetic.

My newly acquired skills and techniques have been shared with the Wenona school community to enrich the creative teaching process and bring a global experience to the classroom.

Since returning from Japan I have

developed teaching programs for Stage 4 and 5 Textiles & Design courses, held a Wenona staff Indigo dyeing workshop, and, at the Technology Educators Association annual conference, held an all day workshop for Technology teachers based on the traditional techniques learnt in Japan.

This journey showed me how a modern culture can embrace the new while still holding on to the old. Japanese people respect, practice and pass on their ancient skills and craftsmanship yet lead the way in new tehniques and aesthetics. It will help me encourage Wenona students to understand and respect tradition as part of their own creative journeys.

KATIE WAUD is our Director of Creative Arts and Textiles and Design Teacher. She holds a Bachelor of Education majoring in Design and Textiles Design and is currently completing a Master of Art and Design Education. In 2014 she received the Professional Teachers Council NSW Outstanding Professional Service Award.

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FELLOWSHIPS

London calling...

My two subject areas, Drama and English, for me are fundamentally about stories. They are about listening to people, hearing what they have to say, finding our own voice and sharing the stories that need to be heard; sometimes our own, sometimes others. They are about passing on truth and understanding and doing it in a way that is beautiful. Drama particularly is an experiential subject that enables students to creatively explore themselves, their contexts and their communities (both immediate and global) and it develops skills in empathy and understanding as students put themselves into the shoes and worlds of others. The voice that is developed and used in theatre is active and powerful. It is a deep passion of mine and led me to pursue drama education as the focus for my fellowship. My desire was to examine outstanding drama education from different countries, with the specific concentration on how drama can be used to promote these ideas in the Wenona Vision - summarised in the term “global citizenship” - and to empower students to proactively serve their community.

My proposal was to study Educational Theatre through New York University (NYU) as part of its Global Programs.

The course I undertook, ‘Drama and Youth’, ran for three weeks in London and was based at ‘NYUL’ – the London campus of NYU. I lived in college accommodation in Bloomsbury in the

From top: The famous Globe Theatre, London, UK. Shakespeare’s grave, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK. Bonding with Masters students from New York University.

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DRAMA – LONDON

Clockwise from left: Shakespeare’s house, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK. Drama Workshop, London.

Set of ‘Matilda The Musical’, in London’s West End theatre district.

West End and undertook 12 credit points within NYU’s Masters program. The course was an incredible opportunity and I was privileged to work with some leaders of educational theatre in the UK (and from all over the world!) in contexts such as specialised workshops at Rose Bruford College, the Globe theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, pre and post-show experiences at a variety of theatres, and the National Drama conference held at Greenwich University where I met and heard from many celebrities of the Drama teaching world.

I studied alongside 12 Masters students from NYU – a diverse group of talented individuals, all involved in the program for different reasons and hailing from backgrounds such as theatre for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities, community theatre (in prisons and with the homeless), high school teaching, drama therapy and theatre for young adults through the New Victory Theatre in New York.

These links and relationships were one of the highlights of the trip and enriched my teaching as well as enriched me as an individual. I continue relationships with these new friends and we are discussing ways to disseminate our experience in a shared way.

This fellowship experience has had significant impact on me as an educator and learner. We have integrated new strategies into our Drama teaching here at Wenona and developed new ways

of responding to theatre experiences.

I am now half way through a Master of Arts (Research) where I am investigating the use of innovative Drama practice as a way of developing critical hope in young people. I have partnered with the Australian Theatre for Young People and developed an ensemble program with students in Years 10 to 12 from all over Sydney. This ensemble will produce a performance and my thesis will discuss the impact of this process on the way these students perceive their role in the world. I understand this notion of “critical hope” as a central aim of drama pedagogy: the kind of hope that arises when students “can appraise the world and learn to be participants in the world as it changes, not as passengers but as drivers [… an] informed optimism that helps students to understand the world through their minds, bodies and emotions” (Anderson 2012: 150-151).

RACHEL MANCHESTER has taught English and Drama for nine years in a variety of schools in NSW. She has also coordinated Debating for the last three years. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Education from UNSW and is completing a Master of Arts (Research) in Performance Studies at the University of Sydney.

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FELLOWSHIPS

Above: In the Shanghai ‘Old Town’.

Left: With inspiring Yangguanzhai Field School Director, Dr Ye Wa.

teach and experience life in China.

Christine took me to see some of the projects the company is involved in around Beijing and the time I spent at the Bethel Children’s Home for visually impaired students was both heartbreaking and inspiring.

Digging up China After years of teaching archaeological theory, Ancient History teacher Debra Clarke finally found herself knee deep in the real thing last year when she travelled to China to join her first archaeological dig.

Asia has always held great interest for me and the opportunity to pursue a fellowship in China fulfilled a long held ambition of mine to join a real archaeological dig. I also wanted 22

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to develop a more comprehensive knowledge of both modern and ancient Chinese history along with an increased cultural engagement with China as a key country in Australia’s destiny.

My journey began with a few days in Beijing where I caught up with Wenonian Christine Wong (2000).

Christine’s family arranges cultural immersion opportunities for students from around the world who volunteer,

From Beijing, I travelled to Xian to join the Yangguanzhai Field School for two weeks. The school is a joint University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)/ Shaanxi Provincial Archaeological Institute/Xibei University Archaeological project. The first week involved a series of lectures at Xibei University and visits to local museums where I learned more about Chinese archaeology.

I also attended a private tour of the famous ‘Terracotta Army’ archaeological site with Field School Director, Dr Ye Wa. The sheer scale of this royal burial site took my breath away. To think that thousands of life sized warriors, horses and chariots could remain entombed since 210 BCE and be discovered by farmers in the 1970s is incredible!

ARCHAEOLOGY – CHINA

Clockwise top left: On the dig with fellow archaeologist Matthew Fox; Skeletons from Banpo archaeological site, Xi’an, China; The famous Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China.

After that I was very ready for my week long adventure on an active dig. I rode to the site each day on a bicycle and did whatever job I was asked to do by my enthusiastic mentor, Dr Ye Wa. Every day we were digging up artefacts from the Bronze Age; remnants of a civilisation that ended thousands of years ago and I was struck to think that small parts of these civilisations were left behind for us to find. The days were long and hot but hugely fulfilling. Dr Ye Wa was a force to be reckoned with; constantly interpreting the soil deposits and pointing them out to me. I just couldn’t see it but did my best to pretend!

Learning about her family history during the Cultural Revolution, and her career as a female archaeologist in a male dominated field was incredibly inspiring.

China is a cacophony of sights, sounds and smells. It hits you from the moment you step off the plane. The heat was intense and made the smells of food and daily life so much more concentrated. The country is both highly

organised and spectacularly chaotic.

So many people, so much happening; it could be overwhelming at times.

I wanted to make the most of the four weeks so felt guilty having too much down time but it proved exhausting at times. The language was also a challenge and I was reliant on others to interpret, guide and essentially look after me. For a control freak this was a little tough but I learned that I can still meet the challenge of this kind of experience; I was pleased that I was able to keep up with younger students and at times had more resilience.

The experience has consolidated my love of Asian history and fuelled a desire to learn more about China; particularly, its modern history. The country seems to have a very clear idea about its ancient history and is proud of the longevity and progress of China over time. The narrative surrounding more recent times, since the revolution, is less clear. I would really like to explore this in more depth.

I’m not sure about doing another dig. I think I’m an historian at heart rather than an archaeologist. Visiting archaeological sites and viewing artefacts is definitely something that I am always happy to do – especially when they have already been dug up!

DEBRA CLARKE is our Acting Head of History and has over 20 years teaching experience along with many years in the banking industry. She has worked at Wenona for 11 years and is passionate about bringing history to life for Wenona students. She holds a Bachelor of Arts PG Dip Ed.

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FEATURE

Fractured REFLECTIONS In the early hours of Saturday 4th of September 2010 the boarding house of St Margaret’s College in Canterbury, New Zealand was woken from its slumber with a horrifying jolt. What followed was a nightmare Wenona’s new Head of Boarding Suzanne Newton will never forget.

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LEADERSHIP IN A CRISIS – RESILIENCE IN ACTION

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was living in the staff boarding cottage with my husband Justin and four little children. It was about 4am in the morning and all of a sudden there was a deafening sound and this terrible shaking. At first I thought a car had crashed into the house or a train had derailed, but as my sleep haze cleared, I came to the shocking realisation that we were in the middle of an earthquake. My first thoughts were for my kids and I ran to their rooms to make sure they were OK. Incredibly, the two little ones were still asleep but the oldest one thought aliens had landed. As Justin cuddled him and his younger brother, my thoughts turned to the 140 girls sleeping in the boarding house just 20 metres away.

I ran out the back door to the evacuation area where the boarders and other boarding staff were gathering. The quake had only lasted about 40 seconds but all

the alarms in the boarding house were going off and it sounded like every alarm in the city had joined in. The girls were in total shock but they knew the emergency drill and were all helping each other out of the buildings. We were soon joined by our Principal and her husband who lived on the other side of campus.

Within minutes we had done a roll call to make sure every boarder was accounted for but as we comforted the terrified girls, I was suddenly aware that all eyes were looking at me for cues on how to respond. What became apparent, as the frost started to bite, was that we needed to find shelter and we needed to start making decisions.

It was below freezing and some of the girls had no shoes on but we had no way of knowing how stable the buildings were. I had to decide whether to keep the students out in the cold or

enter one of the buildings which had the potential to affect the many lives I was responsible for.

Coming from a nursing profession I was accustomed to making decisions based on information and data. To find myself being forced to make decisions about which way to go, which buildings to enter, which course of action to take with very little information was stretching my comfort zone to say the least.

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LEADERSHIP IN A CRISIS – RESILIENCE IN ACTION

“In the stillness of our slumber we felt at least 30 aftershocks that night. It was an eerie feeling of dread...”

Nevertheless, I had to act and after a consultation with the staff, I made the decision to gather in the common room until dawn. To our relief, the electricity was still on but the telephone reception was out so we spent the next hour or so comforting the girls and watching the news unfold on the television. We figured the epicentre would be Wellington as it had a reputation for earth moving events but when we realised it had hit our orderly, safe, conservative hometown of Christchurch, we were in complete shock.

The girls became increasingly worried about their families but we tried to keep them calm and encouraged them not to jump to conclusions. We were acutely aware of their need to look to us for cues on how to react and I was proud of the way our staff kept it together under such traumatic circumstances.

As soon as it became light enough, we went back out to the lawn and took some of the furniture with us. By this time some parents had started to arrive to collect their children and we had to come up with an impromptu process for collection sign off. Some parents understandably wanted to take their friends’ children with them but this was almost impossible to navigate without contact with all parents. We made some very confronting decisions that day 26

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but they had to be made to ensure the wellbeing of our charges.

At 8.30am a large aftershock hit and a chimney in one of the neighbouring buildings collapsed. We were all terrified but once again we had to model our behaviour. We explained to the students that aftershocks were normal but what we didn’t know was how strong they would be. That day was one of the longest days of my life but by mid afternoon all the girls had returned to their parents and we could turn our heads to our family’s needs.

Justin and I made the difficult decision to return to our cottage despite a number of cracks in the plaster and sizable gap between our bedroom floor and the foundations. We went to bed that night exhausted, traumatised and waiting for the next aftershock. And we didn’t have long to wait. In the stillness of our slumber we felt at least 30 aftershocks that night. It was an eerie feeling of dread that we would learn to go to bed with for many months to come.

Despite the tremors, we lulled ourselves into a sense of security that the worst of it was over and, like most people, we went back to our lives as best we could. I busied myself with working out a

plan for reopening as soon as possible.

There was no sewer, water or power in some areas. Some of the buildings were condemned but others were deemed safe so we reopened the school, albeit scarred, one week later.

At that point I didn’t think I’d ever have to face something like the night of September 4, 2010 again but my instincts told me that I needed to do something to ensure I would never be caught out in the cold with no shelter or supplies outside the school buildings again. I immediately invested in some large marquees, and a survival/support supply store including blankets, water, wheelie bins.

Little did I know that it wouldn’t be long before I would need to use them. It was February 22 2011, just four months after the initial quake. My mother and I were dropping my third child to kindy and as we walked into the school with a baby on my hip and my three year old holding my hand, an aftershock hit with such force that we all fell to the ground. Even in the broad light of day I could feel that it was much bigger than the other aftershocks but I had no idea just how devastating it had been.

We raced back to my car and made our way to my older son’s primary school but

LEADERSHIP IN A CRISIS – RESILIENCE IN ACTION

Clockwise from far left: Student tributes adorn the devastated school; The school bell was saved; Reduced to rubble as the rebuild commences; Fractured but not broken as teamwork continues on and off the court; A telling symbol of the struggle to maintain crucial bonds amid the devastation.

point where I found Justin and my daughter with the boarders and other staff. This time I was prepared. We put up the marquees and sheltered the boarders safely until their parents came to retrieve them once again.

as we drove, the magnitude of what had just occurred unfolded before our eyes.

Beautiful old buildings had collapsed in a smokey haze of dust, the oval of the local high school had completely liquefied in a strange phenomenon that occurs during earthquakes, chimneys had fallen in, huge cracks had formed in the roads and our peaceful, beautiful city, already on its knees, was rocked to it very foundations.

I pulled up at my son’s primary school to see another parent running to the oval where the school had evacuated the children so I was able to get to my son easily but I knew my daughter

was still at her school and Justin was at home. When I arrived home I found the back door kicked out where Justin had fought his way out of the now devastated house. As I stared at my bookcases lying across the floor and the contents of my kitchen strewn across the room, I couldn’t help but get a flash of what might have been had I been at home with my children. I didn’t realise it then but we would never enter that home again. It would later be demolished with most of our worldly possessions inside.

Shocked beyond belief I immediately headed to the day school evacuation

We then headed slowly to my brother’s house through a town that now resembled a war zone. The roads were grid locked as people tried desperately to get out of the city but we eventually made it and spent three days with my brother’s family without power, sewerage or water. What we did have was a radio and we would turn it on every couple of hours to gauge the extent of the damage. We couldn’t believe what we were hearing; 185 lives had been lost; people had been trapped in their offices or their houses; some were injured beyond belief, others had lost their entire family. Then I heard the name of my best friend from nursing school. She had been killed when a building fell on her car. I was completely devastated.

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LEADERSHIP IN A CRISIS – RESILIENCE IN ACTION

That night, we slept with our children and suffered through countless aftershocks together, not knowing if the next one was going to take us with it.

Miraculously, the dawn eventually came once again and we did the only thing we could do; we dusted ourselves off and started making plans. We moved into my parents’ holiday house outside the city while our beloved school was again closed down for assessment.

This time the damage was far more extensive. Many of the buildings had to be demolished and it would take weeks before services were restored.

Thankfully, our lovely old historic boarding house was able to be saved but it would take 12 months to restore.

Thanks to the quick thinking of our school bursar and excellent management skills of our Principal, we acquired the sole use of a motel complex next to the school for the entire year and were able to reopen the school within a month.

From Top: The historic St Margaret’s College Boarding House was saved; Other iconic buildings were not so lucky.

Opposite Page: The rebuilding continues; Boarders wait for their parents on the school’s lawn after the earthquake.

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It was now scarred beyond recognition but we felt it was important for our students to return to school to bring some stability, familiarly and normality to their lives. That’s not to say it was an easy transition back to school life for everyone. I remember being in our dining room with my Principal at a parent

LEADERSHIP IN A CRISIS – RESILIENCE IN ACTION

“The earthquake took a lot from me and it took everything from some people but it gave me something too...” meeting to welcome our boarders back when a large aftershock hit, revealing the underlying emotion of the adults at this very intense time. The aftershocks continued and there were many months of settling girls back to sleep each night but slowly we became functional again.

I want to say that things returned to normal over the next two years but I don’t think I will ever be able to say that for my beloved Christchuch. The city it once was is no longer and while it will eventually be repaired, renewed and reopened, it will never be the same again.

The earthquake took a lot from me and took everything from some people but it gave me something too. It taught me a great deal, much of which is hard to express. We are all vulnerable and we are capable of more than we think. I have greatly increased my capacity to function in uncertainty. It has also helped me truly appreciate the magnitude of the responsibility that boarder parents bestow on us when they enlist us to care for their children. Being able to provide comfort and certainty for others,

even when you are faced with your own discomfort and uncertainty, is not only possible, but possible to do very well.

I was fortunate to be working under a Principal who was quick to respond and seize the opportunity this event exposed, allowing appropriate expressions of emotion to take place, enabling the community building, and renewing the physical campus to secure the future of the school.

It was a difficult decision to leave the St Margaret’s school community and

the city where so many bonds were forged in the face of disaster. However, the earthquake has exposed in me a drive to push to areas outside my comfort zone; to be comfortable with uncertainty, as this is where opportunity for personal growth lies. We’ve now moved our family to sunny Sydney, I have begun an exciting new career at Wenona and have recently begun a Master in Business Administration. I’m not sure I would have taken these steps so soon had it not been for this truly life altering event.

SUZANNE NEWTON is our Head of Boarding. She holds a Diploma in Comprehensive Nursing and has 11 years’ experience in boarding. In 2014, Suzanne was presented with the New Zealand Independent Schools Excellence Award for her stewardship of the St Margaret’s College Boarding community during the Canterbury earthquake.

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GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT

Darwin’s whisper Biology teacher Alison Warton ventured out of her classroom to the shores of the Galapagos Islands where she found Darwin’s whisper waiting in the waves...

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PERSONAL JOURNEY – GALAPAGOS

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s I stepped off the boat in the heart of the Galapagos archipelago, the theories I’d spent my entire life exploring, embracing and teaching suddenly came alive and I was transported into the world of Mr Charles Darwin.

Up close and personal with 150 year old friends.

This was the place that, in 1835, sparked Darwin’s most famous theory of evolution by natural selection which still stands as a unifying concept within the senior Biology curriculum. Stepping into this world fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine and what I saw there will stay with me forever.

The isolation of the Galapagos has led to the evolution of unusual species that cannot be found elsewhere in the world. The islands provide a rich source of examples for Biology students of the struggles and survival of species undergoing evolutionary change. I spent a week visiting different islands, and a typical day usually involved two land visits with guided nature walks and snorkelling to get closer to marine life (such as playful sea lions).

The aptly named ‘Blue-foo ted Boob ie’.

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Godzilla’s cousin, and my favourite Darwinian, the Marine Iguana.

One of my personal favourites is the Marine Iguana, which is the only lizard in the world that ventures into the ocean. It can remain submerged for 10 to 20 minutes as it feeds on algae growing on rocks, and I managed to see this on a snorkelling trip. They may look fierce but they are gentle herbivores. Spotting one tightly gripping a rock underwater as it munched on algae was an exciting moment on one of my snorkelling trips.

Not only is this a rare sight for tourists, but many of my fellow travellers missed out as they were busy swimming after sea turtles.

Other animals that I saw during my visit include the Galapagos Giant Tortoise.

Sitting beside these ancient creatures, some up to 150 years old, is a humbling experience to say the least. Waved Albatross (with their elaborate courtship ritual of dancing and tapping their beaks together), the Galapagos Penguin (the 32

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to their rfectly suited pe so e ar s tury. fellow ell over a ce n w r Handsome old fo d n ou ar that they stay environment only penguin species found on the equator), Blue-footed boobies, sea turtles mating in water just metres from the beach, Galapagos Hawks eating freshly caught crabs, hundreds of Sea lions, and of course the iconic “Darwin’s finches” (each of which have specialised beaks well suited to obtaining different foods).

It was an incredible trip, and when I wasn’t feeling like Charles Darwin, I felt like I had morphed into David Attenborough!

My visit to the Galapagos has given me new insight into Darwin’s experiences and thought processes as he developed his theory. Observing first-hand the species he described, and noting the variations in species living on different islands has given me ideas of case studies that I can use with my classes.

Although intended as a break from my studies, this holiday has enriched my own understanding of the power of evolution and has fanned the flames of my own passion for Biology.

PERSONAL JOURNEY – GALAPAGOS

Above: Galapagos Hawk enjoying his seafood buffet.

Left: Sea Lions cuddle on the beach.

For me, one of the most valuable aspects of studying has been the structured opportunities to reflect on my teaching practice. In most units this occurs through blogs, learning portfolios or discussion forums that form a component of the unit assessment. I find that in the busy school day there is little time to engage in deep reflection, to move beyond brief considerations of “what worked”.

However, being required to evaluate what I do and why, and make connections between research literature and my daily teaching practice, has ensured a direct benefit of my university studies.

Alison is also completing a Master of Education at Macquarie University and has topped her class in three of the five units she has completed so far: “Until I had seen a colleague enjoying her university course I hadn’t seriously considered returning to study myself. Inspired by her experiences, I successfully applied for a scholarship through Macquarie University for a Postgraduate Certificate and haven’t looked back. I have found it an incredibly rewarding experience, both personally and professionally.

ALISON WARTON is our Assistant Head of Science. An experienced Science teacher, she has been a HSC marker on numerous occasions. After receiving a scholarship from Macquarie University, she is currently completing a Master of Education, majoring in ICT in Education. Ms Warton is published in Science Education News ( journal of STANSW).

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GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT

In Search Holy Grail? of the

Dean of Academic Studies Nicole Archard stepped out of her comfort zone into a war zone in pursuit of an ancient area of study that challenged her in more ways than one.

The Western Wall, Jerusal em, Israel.

I

n 2014 I decided that it would be a good idea to challenge myself in an area of learning where (to be honest) my knowledge was minimal. Hence, I started my Master of Theological Studies through the Australian Catholic University (ACU).

I think as teachers it is good to place ourselves in the same learning situations that we expect of our students and leave our comfort zone of understanding in pursuit of greater knowledge.

Above: Ruins of the ancient city of Petra, Jordan.

Opposite: Qubbat al-Sakhrah (Dome of the Rock).

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After recovering from the realisation that I was way out of my depth (other students in my course include Catholic priests), I have been surprised by how much I am enjoying the course. My thinking has been extended and challenged, as has my vocabulary – I now walk around with a pocket glossary of theological and philosophical terms, and I have

PERSONAL JOURNEY – THEOLOGY TRAIL

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been surprised by how much I am actually using this knowledge (and new vocabulary) in the English classroom, particularly with extension students.

As part of this program of study, I recently travelled with a group of academics and students from the ACU to Jordan, Israel, and Palestine to study Biblical archaeological sites. Biblical archaeology is in itself a contentious issue and has caused much debate between theologians, archaeologists, and academics. During this study tour I spent time in controversial areas such as the West Bank and the Golan Heights (where I was incidentally photographed by either an Israeli or Syrian drone) as well as visiting sites of political and religious contention such as the Western Wall and Qubbat al-Sakhrah (Dome of the Rock).

I am now researching the politicisation of archaeological evidence in the formation of national identity, including the rights to ownership of land. I am intensely interested in the current situation unfolding in the Middle East and my visit to this region has given me a deeper understanding of the depth of this conflict from historical, national, political, and religious perspectives.

In particular, I found visiting and researching the archaeological site of Jericho interesting in relation to the study of Israel’s national identity. Jericho, located in the West Bank, is said to be the location of the oldest man made structure in the world. The archaeological remains of Jericho date from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Age which is approximately 8000 BCE (3000 years older than the pyramids of Egypt). The remains of this city mark the human transition from nomadic to community life. Jericho is also famous as the location of the Old Testament narrative where Joshua captured the city after the Israelite army marched around the city walls blowing trumpets until the walls collapsed.

Archaeologists have been debating evidence from this site to both support and contest this Biblical event in relation to the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. The ability to archaeologically support the date of the falling of Jericho’s walls by Joshua is of importance in substantiating rightful ownership of land by the State of Israel in the present day. Of interest, when in Jericho I twice came into contact with the Palestinian President 36

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Catholic Priest on Sea of Galilee, Israel.

e West , located in th ho ic er J at s n BCE. R ui ate back to 8000 d e, in st le Pa k, Ban

PERSONAL JOURNEY – THEOLOGY TRAIL

Indiana Jones’ ‘Temple of Doom’, otherwise known as Al Khazneh or The Treasury at Petra, Jordon.

, Holy Sepulchre Church of the em, Israel. al us Jer

Dividing w all betwee n West Bank and Israel .

Mahmoud Abbas’s motorcade. Abbas was in Jericho on this particular day rallying support as he had just applied for Palestine’s membership to the International Criminal Court in order to pursue war crimes against Israel. It was intriguing to see how the politicisation of this ancient site was played out before me in the current context. The question of who has rightful ownership of the West Bank, Palestine or Israel, is a well documented point of contention.

And as for my current experience of further study... while the workload can be a challenge to manage, my view is that postgraduate study should be about the joy of learning and I have certainly found this to be the case in my pursuit of this current degree.

This degree is about understanding our humanity in terms of an ancient past and I am thoroughly loving being challenged in terms of theological and philosophical

thinking. In saying that, I am due to finish my degree at the end of Semester 1, 2015 and I am certainly looking forward to having a little rest from study after this date!

DR NICOLE ARCHARD: (BA DipEd, MA, MEdLead, PhD) Bachelor of Arts, Diploma of Education (Ancient History and English Literature) Master of Arts (Children’s Literature and Creative Writing) Master of Educational Leadership Doctor of Philosophy (gender, girls’ education, and women and leadership).

Dr Archard has presented at national and international conferences on the topics of gender, women and leadership, and girls’ education. She has also published extensively including refereed academic journals in Australia, the UK, and the US as well as several book chapters. Nicole was the recipient of a research grant from Macquarie University resulting in her presenting at the International Gender and Education Conference at Exeter University, England and studying girls’ schools located in the UK. Nicole also received the Excellence in Research Award for the Faculty of Human Sciences for her PhD studies.

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GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT

Postcard from Japan When Wenona history teacher David Van Tol moved his career and family to Japan in 2013 he knew things would be a little different but he had no idea just how different teaching and life could be in another country.

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POSTCARD – JAPAN

With my wife Lara and daughters Clare and Alice at Fushimi Inari shrine, Kyoto.

Fukuoka Inte rnational

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’d been at Wenona for eight years before leaving in 2013 to begin my two year contract in Japan. In that time I had developed very much into a ‘Wenona teacher’, used to the pace and style of our school. It was a great thing in many ways but I wanted to see how education was done differently elsewhere. What I hadn’t really considered was how I’d need to adapt to the fundamental changes in my setting. I wrongly assumed that what had worked for me in North Sydney would also work in Fukuoka, Japan. In hindsight it was like a javelin thrower thinking they’d be good at darts.

I’ve also come to see teaching as more of an art than science, since no

School Middle School camp at Imajuku.

two students, classes, year groups, or schools are ever the same. Changing all of these things overnight forced me to re-evaluate what I was doing on a grand scale. At Fukuoka International School (FIS) I was confronted with challenges I’d never had to face before and they extended well beyond the classroom to include the city, country and culture in which I found myself.

The International School setting An international school is not simply one with “international” above its front door, although there are thousands of these.

What made FIS truly international was that it celebrated diversity and valued internationalism.

At the school’s UN Day this year, 27 nationalities were represented. The largest groups were the Japanese, followed by the Koreans and Americans.

However, many students at FIS are also ‘third-culture kids’, who, if you were to ask them where they’re from, probably couldn’t tell you. This is because their parents are from different cultural backgrounds and they may have been raised in a third culture. Others had parents whose careers had taken them abroad for quite long periods of time.

The Japanese setting Although an international school, FIS was by no means remote from the education system of its host country.

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of students cleaning the classroom each afternoon, although I’m told that in Japanese schools they also have to clean the toilets!

pressure. For students who find learning difficult and whose families can afford the fees, international schools in Japan can offer something of a haven.

Interestingly, most of my Japanese colleagues and friends had opted out of the Japanese education system.

Their primary reason was that it left their children very little time for a life beyond school. Rote learning is not uncommon and those who’d come from Japanese schools told me its not unusual for students to fall asleep in class. This is generally tolerated and seems not to be considered offensive, provided the context is right. Among secondary students, ‘heavy eyes’ is partly explained by a collective fear from their parents that they will fall behind if they don’t ‘do extra’.

On more than one occasion I have seen a packed juku (cram school) in full operation as late as 10pm on a Saturday night! A lot of teenagers simply can’t cope with this

The Fukuoka Setting With 1.4 million people, Fukuoka is the largest city on Japan’s second major island, Kyushu. It has been ranked the world’s 10th most livable city (the same list had Sydney at 11). It is in fact closer to Seoul than Tokyo, so FIS attracts many Korean families who prefer an English-medium education for their children. Since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami many Japanese families from the northeast have moved to Fukuoka which, by comparison, has only has very minor seismic activity. Despite an aging population and critically low birth rate in Japan, families with kids can be seen everywhere in Fukuoka. Fukuoka is also the Asian headquarters of UN Habitat, and many of its employees

Grade 8 Humanities debating the future of nuclear energy in Japan

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POSTCARD – JAPAN

Cherry blossom picnic time ‘hinami’ in Fukuoka’s Ohori Park

‘Prom’, coordinating the Yearbook, being the official school photographer, and offering a general helping hand to move furniture, set up for assemblies, or drive students to their after-school activities.

FIS is also an IB World School, meaning it offers two of the three IB programs; the Primary Years Program (PYP) in K-5, and the Diploma Program in 11 and 12. I was employed to teach DP History but in my second year added Theory of Knowledge (TOK). TOK is a subject like no other I’ve ever taught, as it essentially asks students to justify their knowledge with the central question of ‘how do we know?’. TOK is often called the ‘cement that holds the Diploma Program together’ since its focus on metacognition is applicable to all learning, not just that which takes place in schools. Any teacher of an IB course is required to have formal training provided by the IB. This saw me travel to Bangkok and Delhi for workshops, which I found to be among the best professional development courses I’ve ever attended.

Interestingly, both workshops were run by experienced teachers of the subject.

The Wenona Setting

Clare and Alice wi th two ‘Maiko’, appr entice Giesha send their children to FIS. Other expats include professional base ballers and rugby players on contract in Fukuoka, diplomats, and business people.

The FIS Setting FIS is a small school with an enrolment of around 210 from pre-K to Grade 12. These numbers fluctuate seasonally as families are always coming and going mid year, especially Koreans, whose work contracts often expire before the start of their school year in March. As a small school, the budget was very tight and I found myself in charge of co-curricular activities I’d never imagined, such as the Grade 12

As teachers, we are in many ways the products of our educational and cultural settings, but my experience in Japan has taught me not to be limited or defined by this. My brief time in international schools has also taught me that to be truly international is to value diversity and be open to new perspectives. This is what ‘international-mindedness’ is and in this sense, Wenona can also claim to be international. The opportunity to ‘see how it’s done differently’ is one that I would encourage any teacher to take, in whatever form that opportunity presents itself. It’s certainly made me a lot more receptive to the changes in my setting, be they of my own choosing or not.

DAVID VAN TOL taught Modern History at Wenona for eight years.

He has authored/co-authored a number of History textbooks, marked HSC papers and judged HSC marking. He lectures for the NSW History Teacher’s Association HSC Preparation Days at Sydney University. Since 2013, David has taught IB Diploma History and Theory of Knowledge at Fukuoka International School, Japan. David will return to Wenona in July 2015.

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PURE REFLECTION TRANSITIONS

From Wenona to Wenona VISUAL ARTS TEACHER ELLIE WATERHOUSE When Ellie Waterhouse graduated from Wenona in 2002, she had no idea that her professional journey would lead her back to where it all began but she couldn’t be happier to be “home”.

I think I somehow always knew I was going to teach one day even though it wasn’t front of mind when I left school. I decided to do a Bachelor of Business with a major in Marketing because I had an interest in creative design and communications and it opened a lot of doors for me in terms of travel and the interesting people I met along the way.

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I worked in Costa Rica, Canada and the United Arab Emirates for a few years in a variety of different roles and as interesting and varied as they were, I wasn’t sure the corporate world was going to fulfill my needs for a career. I come from a family of artists, architects and teachers and after a few years in business, I found myself evaluating my need for a deeper sense of creativity and expression.

I became a gallery manager at the Works on Paper Gallery for Olsen Irwin in Woollahra. Working closely with a group of talented, established artists and a team of highly intelligent and creative individuals helped me

to gain an authentic proficiency and knowledge of the art world. They also inspired me to pursue my own art practice which was extremely fulfiling.

I developed a passion for painting, photography and ceramics, curated exhibitions and even won an art prize or two. It was at this stage when I felt that I really understood what it meant to be an artist, the challenges you face in creating and the role art plays in contributing to our culture here in Australia. I also realised that I wanted to share my knowledge and skills with other young artists and, in particular, with children and decided to pursue a Fine Arts with Education degree. My

TRANSITIONS

earlier work experience combined with my own art practice gave me the confidence to be able to migrate these skills to the art room.

were born to change the future of a global society. I feel I can help these girls leave Wenona with something more than just a certificate.

Now, here I am, back where it all began and I couldn’t be more content or excited to be here. Not only am I now working alongside some of the teachers who inspired and taught me when I was a student here, but I am able to give back to the school that contributed to who I am today and share my knowledge and experience with a new generation of Wenonians.

I am intrigued by the idea of helping to create “Renaissance Women” who

Watching Year 9 girls meet iconic Australian artist John Olsen to witness him painting a nine metre long canvas in Bowral on an excursion last year was a precious moment of and one I will never forget. I plan to expand Wenona’s network in the arts to give students more diverse opportunities to connect with our vibrant Australian arts community.

I now realise that in becoming a teacher I have become a lifelong

learner. As I continue my learning journey I look forward to sharing my personal wisdom collected along the way with some incredibly inspiring young women.

ELLIE WATERHOUSE has diverse industry experience which will complement her role as Visual Arts teacher at Wenona. She holds a Bachelor of Art Education (Honours, Deans List) from the College of Fine Arts (UNSW) and a Bachelor of Business, (Marketing and Spanish) from the University of Technology, Sydney.

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TRANSITIONS

Memoirs of ‘Hogwarts’ (aka Eton) HEAD OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES ROSIE STEVENSON I’m often asked what working at Eton was like and I never really know how to respond as I’m sure whatever I say will disappoint; because really, it is just another school. Yes, it is the school where all the Royals go, but unfortunately not during my time. My only claims to fame are meeting Bear Grylls and family, having a chance encounter with Vivien Westwood and living in a school boarding house where an Antony Gormley sculpture stood outside my room.

Though seriously, I loved my time at Eton and it really was a quirky place.

Working in a school that was founded in 1440 meant that history and tradition was everywhere and I think that is what makes Eton such a magical but strange place. The school actually takes up the majority of the village so it was a little like living and working in a purpose built bubble. The village main road runs through the centre of the town, dividing the original buildings and chapel from the rest of the school and boarding houses. All 1300 students are boarders, living between 25 boarding houses that are run by a House Master and a Dame.

Each house has 50 boys, unless they are in College where there are 70.

College is the original part of the school founded for 70 poor boys in the 15th century who were given free education and would then attend Kings College, Cambridge. Now, College students are often those who are on prestigious music or academic scholarships and referred to as KSs (Kings Scholars) or Collegers. These boys wear academic gowns as part of their uniform, dine in College Hall (which literally is like Hogwarts) and the Captain of the College is technically allowed to own and tether a goat on College Field if he so desires. Yes, these are the rules! These boys have the prestige of writing KS after their name which is a great honour. Other boys throughout the school may add initials after their names depending on their academic achievements. OS (Oppidan Scholar) are for those who did well in their entrance exams, or are exceptionally bright, but who do not require any 44

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financial help to attend Eton. There are also MS (Music Scholar) and ME (Music Exhibitionist) students. Boys’ surnames are often followed by ma, mi, min etc. depending on who is the oldest within the family presently at Eton. It can be quite confusing but all the information is in a handy little book called ‘Fixtures’ and no boy goes anywhere without it.

All boys wear tails and a waistcoat as their uniform, meaning they are always a great attraction for tourists. Even staff wear a traditional morning suit and academic gown every day, so yes, it really is Hogwarts.

Eton has two main libraries and a museum. College Library holds the most amazing collection of antiquarian books, maps and ephemera including a 1450s Gutenberg Bible while the Natural History Museum owns an original page from Charles Darwin’s ‘On the Origins of Species.’ But School Library is where all the fun was had. The beautiful domed building was opened in 1908 and based on the Radcliffe Camera building at Oxford University. The neo-classical building had eight interior pillars that boys found hilarious to hide behind and jump out from when I walked past, and it happened daily without fail. The Library was viewed as the central point of the school and was always busy with both classes and boys revising, reading or just hanging out on the sofas.

When I arrived in 2010 we set about making the space more welcoming and responsive to the ever changing information needs of the community. It was out with the individual study corrals and in with collaborative spaces and lots of comfy sofas. We took the coffee machine out of the staff room and put it in the library for boys to use and quite often a boy would be found snuggled under a blanket on a bean bag with hot chocolate in hand reading.

The Library collection at Eton was very good with at least 60,000 resources in the main library and many more in the Music, Maths and Classics libraries.

I was tasked with assessing and improving the collection to ensure it

was reflective of the current curriculum, but also had resources that boys wanted to read. This was a long but fun process and by the time I left Eton in 2014 the collection (both physical and digital) was fantastic. The Library team of four very funny ladies were forever coming up with new ideas for events, competitions and ways of encouraging boys to engage with the library. No task was too big that is for sure!

What I miss about Eton the most is the funny Eton language that I had adopted. Teachers are referred to as a Master or Beak (this is slang now used colloquially), daily staff meetings are called Chambers, but Chambers is also when boys return to their boarding houses for elevenses (morning tea), I was referred to as Ma’am, a class was called a Div., pastoral care was called Tutor and held in teachers’ houses and each playing field had a special name; Mes Potts, Agars, Penny Field, the list goes on.

There were also some wonderfully strange events that I would never see anywhere else; like 50 beagle dogs out for their daily run, picnics with Harrods hampers for 4th of June celebrations that was never held on 4th June, flower covered boater hats being warn during the summer and religious services being delivered from the roof of the school Chapel at dawn. If a Beak did not turn up to class on time students were allowed to ‘do a run’ where they could leave.

School singing competitions were called House Shouts and tickets to the school plays were gold dust that could fetch quite a price on the black market. There is even a yearly dinner celebration where the Provost and guests raise their glasses to the bridge (yes, the bridge) leading to Luxmoore Gardens.

But at Wenona I am now, which has its own idiosyncrasies to cherish. I now know dance moves to One Direction songs (something I thought I’d never need to know), brought the Shelfie to the Library and am enjoying the challenge of ensuring our libraries are as engaging as our students expect them to be.

ETON MEMORIES

ROSIE STEVENSON is a passionate librarian who has completed both Bachelor and Master degrees in library science and management, working both nationally and internationally. Prior to joining the Wenona staff, Rosie was the Deputy Librarian at Eton College, UK and was the lead consultant on the development of the London School of Excellence Library in 2013-2014.

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ENGAGE & GROW

Master of Education (Student Wellbeing) DEAN OF STUDENTS BETH OAKLEY 2015 marks the final year of my Masters program. One half of the Masters of Education in Student Wellbeing provides opportunities to examine National and International Educational Policies related to the health and welfare of young people.

The other subject areas focus on relationship skills in the ‘helping setting’ with students, colleagues, community and in leadership.

In each of my post graduate courses of study over the last four years, the most rewarding aspect had been the practical application of the principles and theories of wellbeing. Interestingly, my current studies draw together some of the most valuable aspects of my two previous courses, (Graduate Certificate Pastoral Counselling and a Grad Cert in Adolescent Health and Welfare), examining models of therapy in counselling, current research into student wellbeing and the efficacy of pastoral care programs.

One of the most practical and valuable courses I studied involved four residentials each year with Charles Sturt University. Guided by practicing psychologists, we worked intensively in triads, much like the ‘leadership coaching’ model, as client, therapist and observer. Working together over several years, these became close connections and rich learning experiences.

Some of this work is being extended through the Masters program with assessments in conflict management and leading change projects.

While my previous studies have been through a distance education mode, with online forums, the practical nature of part of this course requires face to face teaching and engagement with other students. NSW does not offer an equivalent to the University of Melbourne program, 46

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therefore this Masters is offered in three different forms of study; day lectures, evening lectures, and weekend intensives (10 times a year) for teaches in rural Victorian schools and interstate teachers like me! (The payoff for red eye flights and studying all weekend... Melbourne shops stay open till 7pm on Saturday night, and the Italian food is fabulous! ) Below is a summary of the core subjects in the Masters of Education – Student Wellbeing, University of Melbourne Graduate School of Education Student Wellbeing : Current Approaches A study of the historical, social and political context within which student wellbeing is understood; and the concepts, theories and evidence-bases directing approaches to promoting wellbeing in school settings. On completion of this subject students should be able to: articulate an informed understanding of current debates, theory, research and frameworks that guide approaches to promoting student wellbeing in school settings; identify the relationship between student engagement and student wellbeing outcomes; critically reflect upon personal and organisational practices in the promotion of student wellbeing.

Relationships skills for Educators 1 A study of the educator’s role in the promotion of student wellbeing; and student support issues, controversies and role boundaries; research on effective helping; a psycho-educational model of helping for educators; interpersonal communication and counselling - goals, assumptions and critique; personal values and professional accountability in helping in educational settings; selected psychological theories relevant to helping in educational settings. On completion of this subject students should be able to: participate in an informed way in debate about the educator’s role in the promotion of student wellbeing;

demonstrate understanding of the theories, research and values underlying helping models used in education; demonstrate increased intentionality and effectiveness in the use of interpersonal and counselling skills appropriate for educational settings; demonstrate competence in a specific psycho-educational model of helping with a critical competence in a specific psycho-educational model of helping with a critical awareness of appropriate ethical practice and role boundaries for educators.

Linking School and Community A study of contemporary theories and models of school-home, schoolcommunity partnerships and crosssectoral practice; critical perspectives on concept of community.

On completion of this subject students should be able to: demonstrate a critical understanding of contemporary theories on the development of school-community partnership; understand and analyse the research on the impact of parent engagement to identify appropriate practices for improving parent participation in their own setting; establish effective and coordinated cross sectoral community partnerships to enhance student wellbeing and learning in educational settings .

Relationship for Educators 2 The application of the advanced skills, of a psycho-educational model of helping, to goal-setting, strategy development and implementation in a range of educational contexts and interactions; a study of the educational applications of cognitive rational emotive and solution focused counselling approaches; applying the process of critical reflection to the educators’ practice in the promotion of wellbeing. On completion of this subject students should be able to:

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demonstrate the effective use of advanced helping skills related to goal-setting and strategy development and implementation in a range of educational interactions; critically evaluate the relevance and efficacy of selected models of helping for educational practice; demonstrate a commitment to ethical professional practice and critical reflection on the effectiveness of interventions and relationships with students, parents and colleagues.

on student wellbeing and learning outcomes; Identify how theories and models of change can be strategically applied to school improvement processes to enhance student wellbeing and learning; Recommend processes to improve organisational health based on an understanding of the concept of leadership and organisational health and its relationship to student and teacher wellbeing.

Leading Change for Student Wellbeing A study of leadership and change theories and models to enable effective advocacy for, and leadership of, initiatives in student wellbeing; a study of the impact of organisational factors (structure, policy and culture) on student wellbeing, organisational health and student and teacher wellbeing. On completion of this subject students should be able to: Critically analyse the impact of organisational structures, policies, processes and culture and curriculum

Interpersonal and Group processes A study of theory and skills relevant to managing complex and challenging interactions in educational settings; research on effective conflict management models and skills and applications to formal and informal negotiation and problem solving; a study of group dynamics and group processes applicable to leading participatory approaches to curriculum development and education tasks.

Applied exercises are used to enhance skills in leading collaborative and

inclusive approaches to wellbeing.

On completion of this subject students should be able to: demonstrate a critical awareness of the theory and practice of constructive conflict management and selectively apply a range of assertion and conflict management skills to negotiation and collaboration in a variety of student wellbeing contexts; demonstrate a critical awareness of the theory and practice of group dynamics and plan strategies to ensure the effective functioning of groups.

BETH OAKLEY is Dean of Students and currently holds: Bachelor of Education (Humanities English / Geography) Diploma of Teaching Diploma Biblical Studies Graduate Certificate Pastoral Counselling Graduate Certificate Adolescent Health and Welfare

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ENGAGE & GROW

Master of Research MATHEMATICS TEACHER JUSTIN NEWELL I fell in to teaching almost by accident, having wanted for a long time to become a pilot (I still harbor hopes of learning to fly). My dream saw me undertake a BSc in Maths and Economics but during my time at University I became attracted to education and working in schools.

Over time, I came to realise that whilst I love and enjoy teaching Mathematics, my true passion is pastoral care and the wellbeing of young people.

I have held a number of leadership roles in the UK and Australia, all with a focus on wellbeing, and my experiences have led me to consider how effectively schools develop the skills and expertise of pastoral leaders.

My MEd from the University of Sydney concentrated on leadership and management, and I now want to delve deeper into pastoral care leadership.

This interest has led me to undertake a Master of Research at Macquarie University, hopefully leading to a PhD in the next few years. My research also informed a presentation I gave to the 2014 AHISA conference on Leading, Learning and Caring, held on the Gold Coast last August.

My presentation was entitled ‘The evolving role of pastoral care leaders in our schools – how do we develop their skill set in preparation for the future?’

It considered the vital role schools play in promoting the development and wellbeing of young people. While this is not a new idea (John Dewey way back in 1909 suggested that ‘instruction in character and instruction in academics must be intertwined’), it is generally recognised that schools now play an increasingly important role in wellbeing and that the role of pastoral care leaders has become increasingly 48

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complex. Having looked at various definitions of wellbeing, and after discussing the meaning of the terms ‘wellbeing’ and ‘pastoral care’, I then considered the skills needed for pastoral care leaders to effectively support the young people in their care.

Most research on leadership in schools focuses on Principals, perhaps rightly so given their obvious role in leading schools. More recently, and based on

ENGAGE & GROW

JUSTIN NEWELL is our Year 12 Coordinator and a highly accomplished teacher of Mathematics. He holds both a BSc (hons) in Mathematics and a MEd in Leadership and Management. Mr Newall has held a number of leadership positions at various schools and presented at conferences on Leadership and Pastoral Care.

the view that middle leaders are key to affecting school improvement, there has been a shift to studying the work of middle leaders in schools. Much of this research, however, considers the work of Heads of Department, or middle leaders with responsibility for academic areas in schools, with very little work carried out into pastoral care leaders, such as Heads of Year and Heads of House. My presentation highlighted desirable personal qualities,

such as emotional self awareness and self control, and suggested skills and development needs (data analysis, time management, functions and systems, and holding teams to account) that are important. I concluded with questions that delegates could consider in their schools with a view to improving the support offered to pastoral care leaders.

Presenting to over 100 delegates was initially daunting, but ultimately

very fulfilling. It was good to receive feedback afterwards and to meet with delegates from around Australia and New Zealand who shared similar interests to me. I am most grateful to Mark Staker for his encouragement and support – without his prompting earlier last year I would not have thought of presenting at such a large conference, or developed the ideas which have led to my current study at Macquarie.

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ENGAGE & GROW

Global Citizenship Research Project ENGLISH AND DRAMA TEACHER RACHEL MANCHESTER Following her 2013 Fellowship to study Educational Theatre through the London campus of New York University, Rachel Manchester enrolled in a Master of Arts (Research) to investigate the use of innovative Drama practice in developing ‘critical hope’ and ‘global citizenship’ in young people.

Following is a background extract from her research proposal.

‘Global Citizenship’ has been widely promoted by educational theorists and advocacy groups as an ethos that needs to be nurtured in young people, through their formal schooling and engagement with the experiences of people and organisations beyond the school community. The term is increasingly found in curriculum planning and vision statements to describe the kind of student attributes schools seek to develop. While there are no ‘cut-and-dried’ definitions of global citizenship, the influential NGO, Oxfam, captures much of what the term encompasses in their vision of a global citizen as someone who “is aware of the wider world, has a sense of their own role as a world citizen, respects and values diversity, has an understanding of how the world works, is outraged by social injustice, participates in the community at a range of levels, is willing to act to make the world a more equitable and sustainable place, and takes responsibility for their actions.” (Oxfam 2015) As this description suggests, and as many of the case study materials on the OXFAM website attest, the idea of global citizenship can be readily attached to issues such as climate change, poverty, food security, abuse of human rights, war, the treatment of asylum-seekers and so on. Not surprisingly, teachers are sometimes unsure about how to approach these issues with their students. The sheer scale of the problems one might end up discussing could easily leave students feeling overwhelmed and disempowered, rather than seeing themselves as potential agents for change. It is also possible, despite good intentions, for a teacher to breed boredom or resentment, rather than a sense of civic responsibility. The call to participate in finding solutions to global challenges can easily be received as a topdown imposition: ‘I am telling you that you must become more interested in these weighty issues (even if they sometimes seem remote from your own personal experience)’.

Despite the prominence given to the idea of global citizenship in curriculum documents and vision statements, there has been little consideration of how best to teach it. Recently however, a number of scholars in the field of drama education have proposed that drama, both as a subject in its own right and as a teaching method that can be used in subjects and settings beyond the drama classroom, is well suited to the task of educating students for global citizenship (Anderson and Donelan 2009; Neelands 2009; Nicholson 2011). Saxton and Miller (2009) argue that this potential stems from the imaginative stimulus and the high 50

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degree of reflexivity involved in drama: “when taught effectively, [drama] offers opportunities for students to project themselves safely into fictional worlds that challenge, interrogate and demand their engaged and committed attention. It is beneath the lines, in the subtext, that ambiguities, assumptions, perspectives, attitudes and biases are made evident, and our own inner voices can be expressed, explored and reflected upon” (2009: 37).

This position echoes closely what Roslyn Arnold (2009) has described as the goal of “transformational learning”. For Arnold, drama and other arts-based pedagogies work towards this goal by fostering in students a kind of “empathic intelligence […] a way of using various intelligences and sensitivities to engage effectively with others” (Arnold 2005: 19). Crucially, she adds that this empathetic experience requires prolonged aesthetic engagement, as well as the opportunity for students to reflect on their experiences in an energised environment. Writing more specifically of drama-based pedagogies, Michael Anderson elaborates: “At its heart, drama education is providing access to an aesthetic way of knowing that goes beyond the mind/body or process/product dichotomies. Rather the strength of drama learning is that it is a ‘joined up’ pedagogy that allows young people to engage more of themselves in a potentially deeper learning experience” (Anderson 2012: 14).

Anderson goes on to argue that, notwithstanding the increasing utility of digital technologies in education, students still need opportunities to explore the world and negotiate relationships in very face-to-face, immediate ways: “Drama has the capacity […] to connect young people with a growing understanding of how they may act morally, ethically, sustainably and democratically in an ever-changing world.” (Anderson 2012: 15). Harking back to the seminal work of Paulo Freire, Anderson invokes the notion of “critical hope” as a central aim of drama pedagogy: the kind of hope that arises when students “can appraise the world and learn to be participants in the world as it changes, not as passengers but as drivers [… an] informed optimism that helps students to understand the world through their minds, bodies and emotions” (Anderson 2012: 150-151). This idea of “critical hope” arguably sits at the heart of the value system that animates the discourse of “global citizenship” referred to above in the quotations from Oxfam and, along with Arnold’s notion of empathic intelligence, it provides a conceptual anchor for the research project.

Notwithstanding the many positive appraisals of drama as a potential enabling pedagogy for the fostering of critical hope, this research project also starts from a more cautious assessment of the particular methods and drama practices that have thus far been invoked as likely ‘carriers’ for global citizenship discourse.

Simply put, some of the canonical forms that characterise drama education as currently practised in high schools - approaches such as ‘playbuilding’, ‘process drama’, ‘playback’ or ‘forum theatre’ - are predicated on a relatively uncomplicated and under theorised notion of how empathy works in young people

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(or, indeed, adults). In other words, drama educators are often too quick to assume that empathy will arise as a natural consequence of asking students to impersonate a (real or fictional) character in a more or less naturalistic scenario, offering (it is hoped) a more or less transparent view of what it might be like to ‘walk around in someone else’s shoes for a while’.

With specific reference to a documentary theatre technique known as ‘headphone verbatim’ (see Brown 2010 for details), this research project explores the possibility that empathic intelligence and critical hope might be better fostered through a process of slowing down and complicating the ‘natural’ instincts of student actors. Rather than encouraging students to apply conventional Stanislavskian techniques (where the goal is to minimise any apparent gap between the actor’s social self and the role to be played, where the actor seeks to fully embody a character and ‘own’ the part, etc.), the process of creating a ‘headphone verbatim’ theatre piece emphasises deep listening skills and invites a constant alertness - on the part of both performers and audience - to the gaps between one’s own lived experience and the experience of the (real-life) person whose words are being presented onstage. In a Brechtian manner, headphone verbatim thus opens up a space for respectful acknowledgement of social/ cultural differences, rather than the kind of ‘assimilationist’ logic that often accompanies more conventional, naturalistic modes of theatrical representation. The research will describe and analyse students’ experiences of working with headphone verbatim techniques in order to advance the argument that this mode of documentary theatre practice has particular relevance in the context of education for global citizenship.

REFERENCES Anderson, Michael. 2012. Masterclass in Drama Education: Transforming Teaching and Learning.

London: Continuum.

Anderson, Michael and Kate Donelan. 2009.

“Drama in Schools: Meeting the Research Challenges of the Twenty-First Century.” Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance. 14 (2): 165-171.

Anderson, Michael and Linden Wilkinson. 2007.

“A Resurgence of Verbatim Theatre: Authenticity, Empathy and Transformation.” Australasian Drama Studies 50 (April): 153-169.

Arnold, Roslyn. 2005. Empathic Intelligence: Teaching, Learning, Relating. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press.

Brown, Paul (ed). 2010. Verbatim: Staging Memory and Community. Sydney: Currency Press.

Neelands, Jonothan. 2009. “Acting Together: Ensemble as a Democratic Process in Art and Life.” Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance. 14 (2): 173-189.

Nicholson, Helen. 2011. Theatre, Education and Performance. Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.

Oxfam. 2015. “Oxfam Education: Global Citizenship.”

Online Resource. Available at: www.oxfam.org.uk/ education/global-citizenship. (Last accessed 2 February 2015) Saxton, Julianna and Carole Miller. 2009. “Drama: Bridging the Conversations between Our Inner Selves and the Outside World.” English in Australia 44 (2): 35-42.

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ENGAGE & GROW

Legal Studies SOCIAL SCIENCE TEACHER NATASHA ISBEL By actively participating in the professional development opportunities offered by the NSW Legal Studies Association (LSA), I have been able to both share and enrich my teaching knowledge and expertise with other legal studies teachers and school students.

Involvement in the broader professional community has also enabled me to enhance my students’ learning by ensuring that I can set them learning goals which are both innovative and consistent with best teaching practice.

The wide range of professional development activities I participate in with the LSA include: Presenting to colleagues about the design and implementation of high quality teaching and learning programs to enable them to enhance their students’ learning opportunities: I have presented at the state-wide annual teachers conference and conferences specifically for teachers new to teaching legal studies.

Presenting to students on Syllabus content at state-wide HSC Revision Student Lectures: Membership of the LSA Exam Committee which is responsible for setting both Preliminary and HSC Legal Studies exams used state-wide in many schools.

Publishing an in-depth study guide for students analysing the differences in legal jurisdictions around the world with the assistance of the former DPP Nicholas Cowdery and Belinda Hawkins, author of Every Parents Nightmare.

Regularly publishing in state-wide professional journals: In-depth studentbased teaching programs for teachers to use which focus on literacy and the use of contemporary examples to engage students in the teaching of key legal concepts e.g. Thomas Kelly and Simon Gittany criminal trials, Anti-Association legislation and defamation via social media.

NATASHA ISBEL has been a Social Sciences (Legal Studies) Teacher with Wenona for 2.5 years following a career as a corporate solicitor for major law firms in Sydney, Brisbane and London. She holds a Bachelor of Law (Hons), Bachelor of Commerce and Masters of Teaching.

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ENGAGE & GROW

Master of Arts (Modern History) DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY AND SERVICE LEARNING KATE SEALE This semester I will have completed a Masters of Arts (Modern History) at Macquarie University.

Motivated initially by a desired to support my teaching of Year 12 Extension History by extending my skills and understanding of modern historiography, the course has led me into fields of History for which I had previously little appreciation.

Studying Modern Historiography, the Historiography of the 1960s, Australian Historiography and the approaches intrinsic to World History, Big History and Public History have been fascinating. As well as supporting my senior teaching, it has enabled me to introduce specific elements of these innovative fields into Year 9 and 10 Elective History, including teaching David Christian’s ‘Big History’ to Year 10 Elective History students in 2013. It has been rewarding to help broaden students’ understanding of the role ‘History’ and historians play in shaping public identity, in our understanding and awareness of the past and, consequently, in the posing and answering of questions and dilemmas in the present.

For the final research component of the Masters I have been fortunate to focus on an area that draws together many of my professional and personal interests. I am exploring the life and work of Dr Lorna Hodgkinson, founder of the Sunshine Homes in Greenwich in 1924. She had an extraordinary and, at times, controversial life, and, in 1922, was the first woman to graduate with a doctorate from Harvard University.

Falling foul of the educational and welfare establishments upon returning to NSW, she embarked on her own mission to reform the education of children with special educational needs. This study has taken me to the interface of gender, special education and mental health reform; to the early years of professional psychology, and to the eugenics and the Theosophy movements in Australia in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It’s going to be challenging keeping to the word limit!

KATE SEALE is our Director of Community and Service Learning and teaches Senior and Extension History. She has led three Modern History Service Learning tours to Indochina where students studied the Modern History of Vietnam and Cambodia and built houses for victims of Agent Orange. Kate holds a Bachelor of Arts (History and Fine Arts) Diploma of Education and Diploma of General Nursing.

She has also completed studies in Special Education and Educational Management in London.

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ENGAGE & GROW

JENNIFER PRICE is an experienced Science and Physics teacher. She holds a Bachelor of Education and gained the Science Prize for outstanding academic achievement at graduation. She did further study in Maths and Physics at Macquarie University.

Advanced Pedagogy SCIENCE TEACHER JENNIFER PRICE I had been a teacher for over 30 years when I came to Wenona and have had a keen interested in pedagogy for most of my career.

In that time I taught Chemistry and Physics at Catherine McAuley Girls High School, Westmead for 10 years and led a young and enthusiastic Science department as Science Coordinator for six years. I then taught Chemistry and Physics at Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College, North Sydney for 11 years.

It was during this time that I developed interests in different pedagogies and was inspired by the work of international education consultant Carolyn Coil into ways of differentiating the curriculum as well as the use of Howard Gardner’s trailblazing theories into ‘Multiple Intelligences’.

While I was at Monte, I gained a scholarship to learn about Gifted and 54

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Talented education and to integrate extension activities in the school’s Science programs. I was also involved in the Mercy Action Group which was a student group that worked to raise awareness and take action on social justice issues, such as fair trade in clothing sweat shops and cocoa in the chocolate industry. In addition, I assisted in numerous Women’s Day Breakfasts where students from other schools were invited to a breakfast with guest speakers on a range of women’s issues.

I’m currently studying a Postgraduate Diploma of Education Studies at Macquarie University which is both challenging and fulfiling in so many ways. I have completed ‘Assessment Issues’ in which I focussed on Assessment for Learning and ‘Advanced Pedagogy’ where I learned about Project-based Learning.

I have implemented several Assessment for Learning strategies in my classes and been very pleased to see students’ attitudes and performance improve as they gain a better understanding of the success criteria and make use of feedback.

I have also developed my questioning techniques to be more open-ended and to accept a variety of responses rather than just ‘the right answer’ to encourage participation by a broader range of students.

I am currently exploring the possibility of trialling Project-Based Learning.

As a first step, I plan to visit a school in Western Sydney to see PBL in action and see how it works and if it increases engagement.

ENGAGE & GROW

Master of Arts (Modern History) SOCIAL SCIENCE TEACHER DAVID GOOLEY In 2012 I enrolled in a Master of Arts (Modern History) at Macquarie University.

My motivations for doing so were three-fold.

Firstly, as a teacher, I believe in the value of life-long learning and I have found that the intellectual stimulation gained from the study has fed into all areas of my teaching practice and enhanced my engagement with the subject matter I teach. Secondly, I have a particular passion for Modern History and so wanted to pursue an interest that took me beyond the demands and requirements of my teaching job. Thirdly, on a more pragmatic level, I have found that the readings and debates I have engaged in during the Masters course have fed nicely into my teaching of Senior History. For example, a unit I undertook on the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany proved to be an invaluable source of readings and ideas for my teaching of the topic to my HSC classes. Further, the units undertaken on trends in Modern Historiography have given me greater confidence to pursue a long held ambition to teach History Extension at the HSC level.

While post graduate study has required me to hone my time management skills in juggling study with work commitments, I wholeheartedly recommend it to any teacher who wishes to refine their professional practice.

DAVID GOOLEY is an accomplished teacher of Legal Studies and Modern History with 14 years’ experience.

He studied Arts/Law at the Australian National University and is currently undertaking a Master in Modern History through Macquarie University.

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ENGAGE & GROW

Diploma in Psychology HEAD OF EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES AMANDA O’NEIL Psychology has long been an area of deep interest for me, particularly as it relates to education. The work of Piaget, Vygotsky, Kohlberg, Csikszentmihalyi and other big names in developmental, learning, social and emotional psychology have influenced my practice and contributed to my continuous quest to find ways to reach all students.

Exposed to alternative schooling options during undergraduate studies, I remember vividly a claim that the regular schooling system works well for approximately 70 per cent of students.

The remaining 30 per cent worried me and I wondered how it might be possible to make a difference for these kids, at least in my own classroom.

Gifted students, especially gifted underachievers and creatively gifted students who struggle to fit in, became an area of great interest. As I read and learned more about how they operate and what they need in order to be successful people and learners, the social emotional aspect of their profiles became a focus. Recognising giftedness 56

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that is complicated by a language barrier or learning difficulty provided a further challenge.

The brain is so incredibly complex.

The more I learn about it, the more amazed I am that brain development actually does run smoothly so much of the time! Teaching students who were experiencing learning difficulties over the course of my career inspired the need to find out so much more about potential barriers to learning, interventions that facilitate success and neuroplasticity.

By now, I was referring to and liaising with psychologists on a regular basis.

My international teaching experiences involved teaching English as an additional language. I was intrigued by the psychology of language learning and the brain, the critical nature of first language learning in additional language acquisition and the different methods of processing language as a learner of or in an additional language.

I completed a Bachelor of Education in Educational Psychology and later a

Master of Education in Gifted Education.

My ultimate plan to combine these two areas of passion in doctoral studies has led to this current pursuit.

Every aspect of my learning in psychology fascinates me - behavioural neuroscience, cognition, perception, memory, attention, emotion, language, reasoning - there are so many ways in which learning can be impacted. In my current role there is no end to the value of understanding possible contributors to learning obstacles, or discovering new ways in which it might be possible to forge different pathways to learning for every student.

AMANDA O’NEIL is Head of Educational Support Services. She has enjoyed a diverse teaching career, teaching toddlers through to adults, both nationally and internationally (UK, Ireland, Japan and China) over the past 22 years. She has a Diploma of Teaching (Primary), Bachelor of Education (in Educational Psychology), International TEFL Certificate and Master of Gifted Education.

ENGAGE & GROW

Master of Instructional Leadership HEAD OF TEACHING AND LEARNING (MIDDLE SCHOOL) ROB MARCHETTO I am enjoying the challenge of studying a Master of Instructional Leadership at the University of Melbourne. I chose to study and learn from world leading experts in their field such as Professors John Hattie, Stephen Dinham, Patrick Griffin and Lea Waters. Through the Masters, I am able to continue my learning and professional development towards the areas of leading, teaching and learning, and implementing essential strategies to support and drive student learning.

The course provides a strong research evidence base for understanding student and teacher learning and how instructional leadership can create the conditions for this to occur. This course aligns with the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership National Professional Standard for Principals.

The course is enabling me to become a more impactful teacher leader. I believe that the course is equipping me and will help me to further improve outcomes for students.

The course stresses links between leadership and student outcomes, leadership for student feedback, and formative evaluation of our teaching and student data analysis.

It focuses on the links between enhancing students and teacher’s self-efficacy. I am undertaking this postgraduate study in order to learn more so that I can help teachers to teach and students’ to learn to the best of their ability.

ROB MARCHETTO is our new Head of Teaching (Middle School) and Geography teacher. He has also taught Business Studies and Commerce. Most recently he was Head of Department at St Aloysius’ College and prior to that, a Mentor of Teaching and Learning at Shore School.

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ENGAGE & GROW

Master of Education EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH TEACHER SARAH MCILVEEN’S GRADUATE ADDRESS Graduation ceremonies represent ongoing commitment to life-long learning and are the culmination of hard work and dedication. But that is not the only reason that today is so great. Today is a wonderful day because everyone here, graduating with new knowledge and new skills, will have an impact on our society.

Degrees empower us to work in careers that influence and inspire communities.

Education empowers individuals, and that is a great and wonderful thing.

For many of us, graduating today represents the culmination of years of learning which may have been in the lecture theatres, classrooms, libraries or pubs of the Macquarie campus. No doubt, for many, and I include myself in this category, this learning might also have looked at little bit like middle-of-the-night sessions with the laptop frantically trying to coordinate disparate thoughts into a coherent response.

For most of us, studying will not have been a solitary pursuit. We have worked closely with other students and learned

from the challenges we set each other.

We’ve developed healthy competition and benefitted from seeing the different perspectives of our peers. We have built academic support networks and indeed, made life-long friends.

We must also consider the importance of our parents, partners, children and friends who have supported us in our academic lives, encouraging us, keeping us fed and sane, and sometimes, if your experience has been anything like mine, putting up with our late-night rages and ongoing computer issues.

On this day of ‘completion’ as it were, we must acknowledge the critical role played by the inspirational educators who have guided us through our work. Thank you to the teachers and staff who have made it ok for us to pursue (sometimes single-mindedly) our interests in learning. Thank you for encouraging us to look at the bigger picture and consider how to think about and achieve a ‘better world’. Thank you for encouraging our quirky intellectual pursuits and fostering our learning.

SARAH McILVEEN is an English Teacher who has recently completed a Masters in Education from Macquarie University and was awarded the Graham Hermann Memorial Prize for the Master of Education and Work program at the completion of this degree.

Sarah is continuing her studies at Macquarie, having recently embarked on a PhD in Education investigating issues relating to curriculum change.

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I remember the first day of my Bachelor of Teaching in 2005 when the lecturer showed a clip of ‘Dead Poet’s Society’ and asked who had been inspired to become a teacher because of ‘Mr Keating’. Initially this question was met with guffaws but then, gradually, hands began going up around the room as people recognised that while it might not have been the actual Mr Keating who inspired us to become teachers, it was an inspirational teacher or individual who had led us down this path, towards careers and industries where making a difference is the key.

So, with that in mind, the challenge that we each take away today, to fields where we will be shaping, motivating and influencing people in a variety of different roles, is to continue this trend and work to inspire and engage others with the joys of learning and education.

Today is a wonderful day. And tomorrow, as we continue on our quests for knowledge and learning both in our careers and in further education, those will be wonderful days too.

ENGAGE & GROW

JAKE LITTLE is a new mathematics teacher at Wenona. He graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) and Bachelor of Education and won the University of Sydney Medal for his work on an honours project.

Sydney University Medal MATHEMATICS TEACHER JAKE LITTLE At the end of 2014 I graduated from The University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Science (major: pure Mathematics) and a Bachelor of Education (Secondary: Mathematics). In July 2013, I began an honours project that involved an investigation into the factors that supported or inhibited secondary mathematics pre-service teachers’ implementation of problem-solving tasks during professional experience.

An interest for this topic stemmed from the findings of current research that showed the importance of problem-solving tasks for student learning, and the focus of problem solving in the new Australian Mathematics Curriculum. However, from my experience there was a gap between the theory presented in university preparation programs and the reality of classroom practice.

As the professional experience has been documented as being highly influential to future teaching, it was my aim to investigate what was inhibiting pre-service teachers to use problem-solving tasks, and to explore what could be done to further support them.

Through a combination of interviews and questionnaires with pre-service

mathematics teachers, the results showed that many pre-service teachers found the implementation of problem-solving tasks to be difficult.

The cooperating teacher was the most influential factor for why many preservice teachers did not implement problem-solving tasks, with many encouraging pre-service teachers to teach only through traditional methods.

Many pre-service teachers were encouraged to avoid problem-solving tasks, especially if their class were ‘low-ability’, as numerous cooperating teachers believed that problem-solving tasks were only for high ability students.

My research recommended that teacher education programs should develop a network of appropriately qualified teachers who would encourage pre-service teachers to implement problem-solving tasks. Also, it was recommended that cooperating teachers should attend professional development before assisting pre-service teachers so that they understand the goals of the university program, and have the requisite skills and knowledge to support the implementation of problem-solving tasks in learning mathematics.

For this research project, I was awarded honours class 1 and The University Medal, which is awarded by the University Senate. The Mathematical Association of NSW also recognised the contribution of this project to Mathematics Education, and I was awarded the Association’s student teacher prize in 2014.

This year, I have been fortunate to gain a position as a Mathematics Teacher at Wenona School. I have a passion for engaging girls in Mathematics and Science, and have enjoyed making Mathematics relevant, exciting and challenging for the girls this term. It has been a (very!) busy start to my career, however, I have enjoyed implementing evidencebased practices in my classroom, and I look forward to working with Wenona School in the development of the STEM centre.

I plan to begin my PhD in the near future to build on what I have learnt both at University and at Wenona, as I believe that completing higherdegree research into Mathematics education will assist the girls to thrive and engage in Mathematics at Wenona.

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COLLABORATE AND LEARN

Educational Philosophy JUNIOR SCHOOL TEACHER CAROLYN MARTIN As an educator I have developed an understanding of resilience, and as a director of a children’s charity I have been involved in initiating innovation and change in the medical arena. Combining the two sits well with my personal philosophy that the environment is a social construct and a child’s ability to interact positively within it influences outcomes for themselves, their peers and the adults who support and influence them.

Looking to the whole child and adopting a strengths based approach in my teaching, I choose to work collaboratively with my colleagues, students and families. In order to maximise the learning potential for my students I have drawn on the exceptional resources in staff, students and all members of the Wenona community.

In an attempt to create an environment that enriches learning and allows each

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COLLABORATE AND LEARN

Left: Wenona’s Senior School Mentoring program in action. Senior students mentor students from Junior School.

child to thrive, I developed the Senior School Mentoring Program and was fortunate to be selected to present on the program at the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA) ‘Leading, Learning and Caring’ Pastoral Care Leadership Conference.

Understanding the importance of play for social and emotional development as well as for the physical and creative development of each student provides a window through which we can view a child’s perspective and scaffold their capacity as learners. I have particularly enjoyed finding, revising and refining the balance between instruction and exploration in my teaching practice. I presented my philosophy on Creativity and Pedagogy to Wenona staff following my attendance at ‘The Creativity Project’ conference run by Sydney based art school and creative education facilitation company, Big Fat Smile.

I am also inspired by the “100 Languages” and “Environment as the Third Teacher” philosophies of the ‘Reggio Emilia’ approach to primary school education. Developed by Italian teacher Loris Malaguzzi and the parents of the villages around Reggio Emilia in Italy after World War II, the philosophy was born out of the idea that after such a great and destructive event like WWII, children were in need of a new

CAROLYN MARTIN teaches Year 4 at Wenona Junior School and has represented Wenona at the IPSHA K-2 Teachers Umbrella Group. She is a mentor to new teachers as well as undergraduates and has undergone self-reflection and analysis through the Wenona Improvement Cycle.

way of learning. The assumption was that people form their own personality during early years of development and, moreover, that children are endowed with “a hundred languages”.

The aim of this approach is teaching how to make them useful in everyday life.

The program is based on the principles of respect, responsibility, and community through exploration and discovery in a supportive and enriching environment based on the interests of the children through a self-guided curriculum.

I have been invited to present to Wenona staff and members of the North West Sydney RE-Search Group, an initiative of Reggio Emilia Australia, on the image of the child through multiple perspectives and multiple lenses.

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Winston Churchill Memorial Trust BUSINESS MANAGER ANDREW LEAKE For several years I have served as a selector for an inspiring fellowship program run by an organisation known as the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust (WCMT).

The idea was conceived when the Duke of Edinburgh reportedly asked Sir Winston Churchill about the type of memorial he would like the world to remember him by. Sir Winston is said to have suggested something akin to the Rhodes Scholarships, but available to all people. This led to the concept of travelling Fellowships that would give ordinary people the chance to travel, exchange ideas, learn, and contribute to society. The Australian arm of the Trust started with a nationwide appeal on the death of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965.

It raised 2,206,000 Pounds ($4,412,000) and Sir Winston’s legacy was born.

Since then over 3,800 Australians have become Winston Churchill Fellows. Their projects have been diverse, innovative, and show an extraordinary drive for excellence. They have included: A study of hand skills and the CAD/CAM in education Establishment of a liver cell bank Neighbourhood Watch and Crime Stoppers Occupational health and safety on farms Strategies to prevent credit card fraud Study of baroque music Childhood obesity People trafficking and criminal gangs Domestic violence support programs ‘At risk’ and underage adolescent programs Palliative care and nursing training For the last few years, I have been Co-Chair of the NSW selection committee, which means reviewing nearly 300 applications annually and chairing a selection process that awards 25 Fellows per year.

ANDREW LEAKE is an experienced senior executive with expertise in corporate governance, finance, strategic planning, board operations, risk management and NFPs. He holds a Bachelor of Economics degree and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Corporate Governance. He is a Fellow and NSW Councillor of the Governance Institute Australia and a member of Chartered Accountants Australia.

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The Fellowships are open to all Australians, irrespective of age or qualifications. They entail a fully funded study tour of between four and eight weeks to conduct research in their chosen field that extends beyond what is available in Australia. The subjects are limitless provided a benefit to Australia is evident and a willingness to share the research findings with the Australian community is displayed.

A WCMT Fellowship is often a life-changing event for successful applicants and I commend it to you as an opportunity to travel overseas, expand and to improve Australia.

COLLABORATE AND LEARN

Educate Plus and the power of the database DIRECTOR OF ENROLMENTS BELINDA STONEHAM I’ve worked in many areas of the education world, from teaching and boarding to marketing, administration and enrolments. I first became interested in the power of database analysis when I was working as both the enrolments and marketing person at Brigidine College.

I realised that there is a science to the enrolments business and that the database is much more that just a record keeping tool.

It stores a wealth of information that can be analysed to track and predict enrolments, as well as assist with strategic marketing and advertising.

I joined Educate Plus in 2008. This is a not-for-profit membership organisation of advancement and development for professionals working in the education sector. Since 2010 I have presented at Educate Plus special interest groups, workshops and conferences on the power of databases.

These presentations explain what information you actually have on your stakeholders in your database, how you find it, how you report on it and who you report to.

More recently, I have become very interested in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) as it applies to school enrolment offices, and have presented to other school Registrars on this topic. Having worked with the database engineer at a previous school to implement a tailor-made CRM system, I am keen to share the knowledge and streamline communications between school enrolment offices and parents.

Last month I joined the Educate Plus NSW/ACT Committee and am coordinating a Special Interest Group for enrolments colleagues later this year.

BELINDA STONEHAM has been Wenona’s Director of Enrolments since 2013, having enjoyed a long and varied career in the Education sector as a Geography and Science teacher in Sydney and the UK, a Registrar at Redlands and Brigidine College, and a Senior Administration Officer in the School of Education, Notre Dame University.

Environmental Science RECEPTIONIST ELDETTE VAN DER WALT I am currently in my second year of a Bachelor of Environmental Science program majoring in Climatology. It involves the study of the Earth’s climate system, including the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere (frozen water), land surface and biosphere. My focus is on issues such as climate change, the ‘El Niño’ - Southern Oscillation, drought, flood, tropical cyclones, and interactions with human society.

I have always been passionate about the environmental sciences so my course is also my hobby. I am particularly interested in how climate change affects weather. I have a fondness for thunderstorms and enjoy photographing them. I also read synoptic charts for fun and the Bureau of Meteorology website is my favourite! I do find it frustrating when people deny climate change despite the data collected by thousands of scientists.

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NEW TO TEACHING

Jacky Pei MATHEMATICS TEACHER After five years of sitting through lectures on theories of education and doing readings on effective pedagogy in an undergraduate degree, I don’t think I could have felt more enthusiastic to go into a classroom and start doing the “real thing” than I did when I arrived at Wenona in January this year.

I chose teaching as a profession because I want to help encourage and inspire students to have a real passion for mathematics and the sciences.

We are currently living in a world where technology underpins so much innovation, and to think that we, as teachers, are at the forefront of inspiring the next generation of scientists, inventors and innovators makes this an extraordinary job.

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Besides teaching senior mathematics, I have become involved in the STEM Maker Club.

Wenona’s strong focus on the STEM fields is exceptional due to the large number of clubs, activities and competitions that it offers to support STEM learning. In the Maker Club, students explore Maker culture, a technology-based extension of DIY culture, using Intel Galileo Development Boards to make programmable objects.

I am learning just as much as the students are, if not more, as we learn to code and program using Arduino software in a project-based approach. Clubs like this help equip students with powerful skills that allows them to think with technology

and at the same time learn valuable skills for use in the STEM fields.

From what I’ve seen so far, something remarkable about this school is that the STEM teachers are not afraid to give ideas for different clubs a go. They are not afraid to start new clubs to give students the opportunity to discover interest in an area, because even one student joining one of the new clubs is a student engaged. They recognise and appreciate that it is very much a learning process for the teachers as well, as they prepare students for “jobs that might not even exist yet”.

NEW TO TEACHING

Louise Tsikrikas MATHEMATICS TEACHER Teaching is a profession that I have aspired to be involved in for a long period of time. This aspiration stems from a few inspiring teachers throughout my own schooling as well as my desire to help students reach their goals and full potential.

I am passionate about helping students engage in life-long learning, and I believe that teachers have the opportunity to assist students, regardless of their background, to realise their unique and individual potential, and experience success in their lives through learning.

At Wenona, I have been fortunate enough to teach kind, caring and passionate young women who have made coming to work every day a great pleasure. I have also had copious amounts of support from the Wenona staff, particularly within my faculty, which has made my transition to teaching manageable and enjoyable.

Wenona also supports my professional development which is a high priority of mine as I believe it will allow for further improvement in my teaching practice.

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NEW TO TEACHING

Claire Ramshaw JUNIOR SCHOOL TEACHER (2015) I had a wonderful school experience and always admired the sheer dedication and passion of my teachers. I loved that school was a place where people came together to learn, explore and challenge one another. It was from this point on that I knew I wanted to be a part of such a community, I wanted to be a teacher.

However, I ignored these dreams and commenced a Bachelor of Business. After a semester I knew I was in the wrong career and I transferred into a Bachelor of Arts with Bachelor of Education (Primary).

Commencing my role as Kindergarten teacher at Wenona has been a great thrill for me. Teaching Kindergarten allows me to share my excitement and love of learning with girls who are in their very first stages of school life. It is exciting to think that I can be a positive role model and have an impact on these girls’ lives. I hope to equip them with skills and knowledge that they can carry them through their school years and well beyond. I love coming to work each day knowing that I can offer these girls a challenging and stimulating environment to thrive within. The girls are always inspiring me and encouraging me to be a better teacher through their questioning, humour and creativity. It is reassuring to be working with many incredible teachers who share their wealth of knowledge and experience with me, and who make me feel like a valued staff member here at Wenona.

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NEW TO TEACHING

Henry Halley HISTORY TEACHER (2015) I never knew what I wanted to be when I ‘grew up’. My friends knew- accountant, engineer, soundtechnician, geophysicist. But me? I constantly changed my mind - cycling though all the professions that sound exciting and adventurous to young boys - policeman, astronaut, paleontologist (thanks Jurassic Park), truck driver, army officer or race car driver. No single idea lasted more than a year.

Nothing had changed by Year 12. I still didn’t know what I wanted to be, even though I had ‘grown up’.

However, one thing I did know was that I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my parents and grandparents, and go to the University of Sydney. I chose to do an Arts Degree, majoring in Archaeology. It was something I had always found interesting, but didn’t know a huge deal about. After completing my undergraduate degree and undertaking two more years of aimless soul searching I finally listened to a small voice that had been in my head for some time. “Why not try teaching?”... I applied for a Master of Secondary Teaching that night.

Fast-forward three years and I couldn’t be happier. Working at a great school in a great faculty with great students. Teaching is unlike any other profession I’ve sampled since leaving school. It is rewarding, exasperating, entertaining, ever-changing, exhausting and stimulating, often in the same day.

I’ve never looked back (except when I’m teaching history).

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NEW TO TEACHING

Dylan Shatter JUNIOR SCHOOL TEACHER (2015) I came to teaching a little later than most. My background was in law but I realised something was missing for me. I suddenly thought of teaching and recalled wonderful memories of my male Year 5 and Year 6 teachers. I also reflected on the great rapport I seemed to have with children. This led me to investigate the teaching profession. I went back to my old primary school in Dublin, Ireland and met up with the Headmaster, who used to be my Year 6 classroom teacher. I sat in his classroom to observe and then teach and I knew straight away I had a passion for teaching. Six months after I arrived in Sydney I began my Masters of Primary Teaching at Australian Catholic University.

I qualified in July 2013 and have been teaching ever since.

I have now been teaching for almost two years. I have been exposed to many different types of classroom environments through my time as a casual teacher and experienced the joy of watching my students grow as a full time teacher. I have loved my time at Wenona and have particularly enjoyed getting to know the girls and providing engaging lessons to facilitate their learning. It is a privilege to be teaching at Wenona and I am looking forward to a fantastic Term 2.

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NEW TO TEACHING

Ilana Krigstein JUNIOR SCHOOL TEACHER (2015) Initially what drew me to becoming a primary school teacher was my family.

I have grown up surrounded by teachers and they instilled their passion for teaching in me.

Being a school teacher allows you to interact with children, help them grow and develop academically, socially and emotionally, foster a love of learning and create a stepping stone for the rest of their lives. It is these aspects of teaching that I am drawn to, and this feeling has only been strengthened throughout my time at Wenona.

Teaching is by no means an easy career. It is challenging, thought provoking, and requires a dedication that goes above and beyond the classroom. I believe this is a dedication that I share with my fellow Wenona colleagues.

Through their support and mentoring I have been able to settle here with ease and have come to value the importance of community and teamwork. I am passionate about girls’ education and hope to inspire my students to reach their personal best.

I feel honoured and privileged to teach at Wenona and to be surrounded by a team of dedicated and talented teachers that provide an outstanding, global education for the girls in our care.

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TEACHING FELLOWS

This year, Wenona, in partnership with the University of Sydney, has launched a new teaching scholarship program for students in their final year of the Master of Teaching and Bachelor of Education programs.

This model allows students to work at Wenona for a set time each week (usually 1 to 1.5 days) in targeted areas to develop as pre-service teachers and to complete their internship in second semester at the school.

Ashvin Ashok TEACHING FELLOW SCHOLARSHIP The final year of a teacher education degree is a very important one. As you start to complete the final units to satisfy degree requirements and work on your honours project, you start to reflect on how prepared you are to step into the shoes of a teacher. To me, the Wenona Teacher Education Scholarship is an important bridging link between my final year of university education and full time teaching.

I was awarded the inaugural Wenona Teacher Education Scholarship for secondary mathematics late last year. This has allowed me to engage in professional learning by participating in the school’s activities on a regular basis. In the first six weeks, I have observed various classes and offered assistance to students, and also participated in the Year 7 camp. I have also had an opportunity to teach a few lessons, which has helped me to gain a better understanding of the students, and presented me with opportunities to trial different approaches for engaging students.

As a prospective mathematics teacher, I am concerned about issues related to enrolments in mathematics during senior secondary years. There is evidence to suggest that while mathematics enrolments have increased in recent years, there has been a decline in the number of students pursuing higher level of mathematics courses that involve a calculus component. I am interested in Wenona’s approach 70

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to addressing this issue through its establishment of a STEM centre and fostering student participation in STEM based activities. It presents students with a lens to see the broader themes and connections in science-based disciplines, rather than seeing them as separate subject areas.

I am currently working on an honours research project, investigating Year 11 students’ reasons for studying Mathematics General courses within New South Wales. To me, this investigation is a positive approach to consider the declining mathematics enrolments in high school settings. Instead of considering why students are avoiding higher levels of mathematics, I am choosing to focus on the lower level courses so that I can appreciate the factors that attract students in these courses and whether they can be replicated in higher level courses. I am hoping that my research will be timely and would inform the writing of the new Stage 6 Mathematics syllabuses.

In relation to teaching, an important goal for the future is to develop my understanding of student welfare at a whole school level. To me, it is futile to think of oneself as an individual subject teacher when you work with students that have diverse needs and skills. By working full time for a few years and gaining experience in school settings, I am also hoping to pursue further study in education, in the form of a PhD or a Masters degree, in an area of interest.

TEACHING FELLOWS

Laura Monk TEACHING FELLOW SCHOLARSHIP This scholarship provides me with the opportunity to experience school life in a manner that is not ordinarily available to university students. Throughout 2015, my final year of a Bachelor of Education (Primary) at the University of Sydney, I will be spending one day a week at Wenona, supporting and observing teachers in their classrooms and taking on certain teaching responsibilities. I applied for this scholarship in order to develop my professional knowledge by observing quality teaching practices, to advance my own personal expertise as a teacher and to have the opportunity to contribute to school life in a meaningful way as I complete my studies.

Already, this scholarship has allowed me to enjoy a unique set of experiences within this vibrant school.

I was fortunate to spend two weeks working as a Teacher’s Aide in Woodstock, which was an excellent introduction to life at Wenona. I then moved over to Hooke House, where I am currently enjoying the opportunity to spend time in classrooms of all junior year groups and have observed teaching in a variety of subject areas. The expert knowledge and skills of the staff here at Wenona is immediately obvious to me, as they engage their students in meaningful, relevant and exciting learning tasks. I look forward to continuing to learn and grow in my own knowledge as a result of this opportunity throughout the coming months, as well as possibly demonstrating some of the skills I am developing through my own studies.

My teaching philosophy is based on the assumption that all children are unique individuals who have endless possibilities of what they can achieve ahead of them. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to support and guide them to recognise their strengths, passions and dreams, and to provide meaningful, engaging and relevant learning experiences that will assist them to meet these goals. I want to be able to inspire, motivate and engage my students, and to instill in them a love of learning, a belief in themselves and a pride in their achievements.

However, ultimately, I would like to assume a leadership position within a school. Previous school experiences have shown me the absolute importance of having a staff body that embodies a positive attitude and an unlimited belief in their students. To have the opportunity to inspire, motivate and engage the staff, as well as the students, to achieve their potential, is one that I would relish.

I am enormously thankful for the opportunity that Wenona is providing for me through this scholarship program. To be actively involved in such an exciting, dynamic and thriving school as I complete my studies is the ideal way to begin my teaching career.

I look forward to the wonderful experiences I know I will have in the coming year, and hope that I can share my knowledge and passions with the school community.

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TALENTED TUTORS

PAUL TAYLOR , CELLO

JOSEPHINE ALLAN, PIANO

Peripatetic Performance At Wenona we have an incredibly talented group of over 35 peripatetic Performing Arts tutors who happen to be some of Australia’s most accomplished artists. We have music tutors currently performing with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra as well as chamber groups that hold concerts all over Sydney. Many have performed across the country and overseas with some traveling with international tours as players or conductors. Our dance tutors have performed for music videos and stadium events, and one has just finished performing in the spectacular ‘Aida’ as part of the Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour series. The tutors spend many hours practising their craft and working to discover, develop, and nurture the talents of our Wenona girls, inspiring them to pursue their own artistic dreams and performance careers. W ​ e are very fortunate to have such a dedicated and professional group of peripatetic staff at Wenona and we continue to recruit the best. The scope of their amazing talents was showcased at the inaugural Wenona Peripatetic Tutors’ Concert held at the Independent Theatre in March 2014 and we look forward to enjoying more performances in future.

AMY RICHARDSON, VOICE 72

Upon Reflection | Issue 1, 2015

CATHERINE BORCHOK, VOICE

PERIPATETIC STAFF

DAVID KOZAK, GUITAR

ELLA BRINCH, VIOLA

COLDEN ANDERSON, CLARINET

JAMES CALLAGHAN, DRUMS/PERCUSSSION

ANTHONY PASQUILL, PIANO

ANDREW YULE, EUPHONIUM

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Wenona School Ltd ABN 83 000 250 304 CRICOS 02275A 176 Walker Street, North Sydney NSW 2060 T 02 9955 3000 F 02 9959 4460 E wenona@wenona.nsw.edu.au www.wenona.nsw.edu.au