1982 BGGS Magazine

1981

A number of full time staff members were welcomed at the beginning of th e year, including Ms Helen Yeates to English; Mrs Patricia Bradley t o Mathematics ; Mr Trevor Steele to German and Miss Deborah Keeley t o Phys ical Education. Through the year we welcomed Mr Greg Geise to Mathematics; Mrs Keys to Science; Mr Howell to Speech and Drama ; and Mrs Fo rd to Art. Several part-time teachers have also been employed in the sch ool throughout the year, particul ar ly in the MathsjScience area. The boarding schoo l, and indeed the school, was saddened when Mrs Joan Best resigned in October, 1981. Mrs Best came in October, 1977 and quickly adjusted to life in th e boa rding schoo l. Her warm a nd pleasant nature helped to make the boardi ng school a home and she was much appreciated by many parents and girls. She will long oe remembered by ma ny people for her contribution not only to the boarders but a lso to the musical ac tivities . We are pleased that we have not lost her altogether a nd that she continues to come when needed to help Miss Hebden with the choir. Her family, and in particular her husband , were very generous in letting us have Mrs Best for so long and I am sure they are now most grate ful that they have her on a full time basis. At the end o f this year, we say farewell to another long standing member of staff, Mrs Wilma Torney, who is retiring from teachi ng. Mrs Torney has played a n important part in school life not only in the Mathematics Department but also with her involvement with the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Because of he r help and encouragement, many girls have achieved their Bronze Awards, with still others going on to grea ter hei ghts achieving their Silver and Gold Awards. Mrs Torney has also taken an active interest in the Rotary Study girl contests held each year and has encouraged many girls to app ly for American Field Scholarships. We wish her well in the future . Mrs Judith Smerdon, who has been my secretary for the past eighteen months , will also be leaving at the end of the year to have some time to herself. I have greatly appreciated her efficiency and support during her time with us and for the calming inOuence she has had on me. Judith has filled a very difficult position very well, and I am sure we will all miss her. Other staff leav ing have contributed much to th e development of the school in the short time that some of them have been assoc iated with us and we are grateful for their contributions. During the past four years, offerings to the girls have been increased and the number of staff members has risen from 40 in 1977 to 61 in 1981. New academic subjects include Health and Physical Education, Speech and Drama, Accounting, Computing, and the Study of Religion . In 1982 we intend to add yet another subject in the junior school where an altern at ive will be available to students in Year 9 who find the study of a pure language difficult. This subject has been developed by Miss Paterson and will be called "Multicultural Background". Its aim is to give students a broad understanding of other cultures and some knowledge of general language in the European and Asian areas. With the help of the Parents' a nd Friends' Association, typing will also be available to girls from the beginning of next year. Groups o f fifteen will be catered for using the sight and sound method . The course involves twenty lessons of one hour each and shortly M r Rowell will travel to Perth

to be trained in the use of this facility which will be housed in the Language Laboratory. Even though changes within the school are so readily observable, some misconceptions about the school have arisen . One in particular concerns my attitude to girls who, on reaching Junior Certificate level, have not attained a generally satisfactory standard of at least twenty semester points in five subjects. It is my policy to counsel both girls and parents in this category towards the middle of the year so that they realise the implications of achieving a poor Junior Certificate. This is done to help the girls, not to discourage them nor to make them feel that I do not want other than high achievers in the school. I believe that every girl who is accepted into this school has a right to be given an education that will help her develop to her maximum potential: otherwise, we have no right to accept her. With the help of Mrs Lynch we have at times devised special courses for girls having difficulties. After this, however, it is up to the individual girl to make the very best of what we have tried to do for her. In today's competitive society, it will not help anyone to gain a poor Junior Certificate and then automatically pass on to Year II to obtain, often, even poorer results. I believe it is necessary to bring this home to young people today and I feel strongly that there are not enough barriers built into our educational system to make the students realise how important it is always to try thei r utmost. It is much better to help students facing this difficult reality to achieve a better Junior by repeating the year, or to give them work experience that may, possibly, open new alternatives to them. To this end, ten girls did enter the workforce this year for one week so that they could det ermine whether they would like to leave school and begin careers or return to school and make an extra effort to achieve the better grades that could lead them on to even broader alternatives in the future. I would like to think that every girl who leaves this school at any level is employable, but this will be so only if all girls realise that nothing is achieved without hard work. 5