2020 Annual Review

A Connected Community

MRS EMMA LOWRY DEAN OF STUDENTS

This year has been like no other—a year during which life for everyone has changed. The girls and young women of BGGS have been creative and resilient in responding to changing routines, the move to remote learning and the disappointment of some cancelled sporting seasons, musical performances and milestone events.

While it would have been easy to lament the year that ‘wasn’t’, Grammar girls instead developed a new sense of appreciation for their educational experience and facilitated a connectedness that inspired the BGGS community. At Brisbane Girls Grammar School, our community has remained committed to an important and shared goal for more than 145 years—providing girls with a broad, liberal education that equips them to contribute to their world, in full and rewarding ways. Throughout 2020, this united purpose was visible in the smaller, everyday moments at Girls Grammar, as much as it was during larger School events and activities. The importance of inclusion was not underestimated this year. We know that wellbeing and learning outcomes of young people are enhanced when they feel connected to others and experience safe, trusting, and authentic relationships. Inclusion—one of the five elements identified by the Australian Education Council as a pillar of the Student Wellbeing Framework—is also an essential factor to ensuring that school communities promote student wellbeing (Education Services Australia, 2018).

The framework emphasises that schools must foster an inclusive culture that values diversity, and positive and respectful relationships. Moreover, it highlights the importance of students building and sustaining connectedness. This year our Student Council and Year 12 cohort led by example, displaying attributes of selflessness and togetherness to ensure the inclusive BGGS environment was maintained while girls learned remotely. We witnessed House dress-up days on Zoom, online exercise workouts, creative manifestations and a passion series dedicated to showcasing the diverse interests and talents of students. A sense of belonging, while always important in educational settings, was paramount during remote learning. With the need for social distancing and learning from home, it took a more focused intention and new strategies to support students’ sense of belonging. Young people who feel they belong at school report a greater overall sense of psychological wellbeing and feel happier than young people without this sense of belonging (Bizumic, Reynolds, Turner, Bromhead, & Subasic, 2009). Sanches, Colon and Esparza (2005) found that a sense of school belonging significantly increased academic self-efficacy, motivation and effort.

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Brisbane Girls Grammar School Annual Review 2020