2020 School Magazine

FOUNDATION DAY

O n Wednesday 11 March, Brisbane Girls Grammar School held its annual Foundation Day Assembly, celebrating 145 years since the School’s foundation in 1875. During the Assembly, BGGS alumna and Director-General of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr Beth Woods (1972) reflected on her time at the School. Dr Woods spoke of her career and the significant impact BGGS has had on her personal and professional development. Her address was inspiring and gave us a chance to think about the School’s long history and the many remarkable women who were educated at BGGS. Following the Assembly, Houses celebrated Foundation Day with a traditional blue and white frosted cake. BGGS Principal, Ms Euler, and Head Girls, Arwen Dias-Jayasinha (12G) and Abbey Grice (12E), led the celebrations with a cake-cutting ceremony outside the Main Building.

MINDFULNESS S ince 2015 a culture of mindfulness has been growing at BGGS. The School’s signature Mindfulness Program .b , The Mindfulness in Schools Project , is supported by evidence-based university research from the UK. Mindfulness Coordinator, Pincott leads a team of three other accredited .b instructors who teach Year 8 this highly regarded international course. Dr Taraporewalla, Mr Huppert and Ms Jones each bring lived experience, commitment and vigour to the teaching of this course. Student House and Year level assemblies and House Group meetings routinely begin with a focussing and relaxing practice. Students learn skills to enable them to navigate the busyness of school life. This challenging year also led to a variety of mindfulness practices being conducted virtually through Minerva, as well as in person on campus. Recordings and resources have been made available for students and staff to develop coping strategies to deal with discomfort and disruption of our regular routines. This Year 8 student’s reflection reveals the embedding of practices in the day-to-day lives of many of our students.

‘Hi Mr Pincott, I was extremely nervous for a Science exam and as I was waiting for the test to start I just sat there and closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. I felt calm afterwards and it helped me concentrate during the test. Since then, if I ever feel stressed or worried, I close my eyes and focus on slowing my breathing down.’ Year 8 student

42 | BRISBANE GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL 2020