2005 School Magazine

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Educational Resources & Initiatives

Mathematics

Metamorphosis: Just another year in the library

A school without a library is like a person with a closed mind. If no one has said this, they should have. This School has always been keenly aware of the crucial role of the library in providing open access to a treasure house of information and knowledge. With the library entrance returned to the Lilley wing, it is as if we have opened the doors not only to the School but also to the world who look in literally, and virtually through open library catalogue access on the website. Why have these enhancements of the library facilities taken place? They are an acknowledgment of the intrinsic role the library, as a concept and as a reality, plays in the culture of this School. It is filled with busy, active and engaged learners from 7.00am until 5.00pm and provides a catalogue of resources twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. What have the current students gained in this latest version? They have gained improved silence, space and security. The new glass door in the silent area has impressed on users the special nature of this space and keeps out noise from student movement. It is a precious oasis of calm with the services of a reference librarian to assist with the rigours of complex, extended searching.

The main library wing feels as if it has been extended

with more spaces to read, to find resources, and to discuss. The new stacks for the non-fiction collection afford an expansion of capacity, improved signage, ease of access, and enhanced depth of specific topics within the collection as the curriculum has developed. Glass walls and door have converted the annexe near the Old Girls’ stained glass window into an ideal venue for small classes, group work and meetings. This air-conditioned space has lovely light and is furnished with an original 1956 library table and chairs. This room has been named after Estelle Burke, a past student from the 1940s whose husband, after her death, gave a substantial donation to the School she loved so much. In this age where information appears to be “Googlised” and packaged, the Beanland Memorial Library and its staff have striven to provide a supportive, rich environment that balances old and new technologies and information acquisition and knowledge management so users develop the skills and the confidence to face the challenges of the future.

Learning maths

2005 has been an extremely busy year for our girls who have extended and involved themselves in a host of rewarding mathematical activities. With a great range of competitions in which to demonstrate their problem-solving aptitude, record numbers of girls took up these challenges. The Teams Challenge held in March was a most popular event with six teams entering, three of which gained a place. Entering in competitions such as these opens up a world of opportunity for students to challenge and better themselves in Mathematics. As one Year 10 student recently commented, “Very little beats that sense of satisfaction that comes when you finally solve a problem that seemed really difficult when you first encountered it!”

Learning Mathematics at Brisbane Girls Grammar School is an exciting and rewarding activity with many opportunities for students to experience mathematics in a variety of real world and practical activities using technology and “hands on” activities. The girls taking Mathematics C spent a day at Dreamworld investigating a range of aspects of Mechanics and Dynamics, and students studying Mathematics A have become au fait with a range of real-life applications such as budgeting, designing