2020 School Magazine

T he Ecumenical Coffee Brigade (ECB) aims to advocate for and support members of the Brisbane community experiencing homelessness. ECB relies on the generosity of volunteers and two mornings each term this year, ECB invited BGGS Year 12 students to volunteer their time to make fresh sandwiches at the Spring Hill ECB kitchen. The sandwiches were then distributed to members of the community throughout Brisbane. The ECB morning sessions generated an overwhelming amount of interest from Year 12 girls and there was never a shortage of students willing to volunteer their time to be involved. This hands-on experience was a great way for girls to make a real difference in supporting our local community. In Term 1, ECB also held a food drive and the BGGS community collected a large amount of non-perishable items to donate. Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time or donated to ECB this year. Your support and generosity has made a real difference to the lives of those experiencing THE ECUMENICAL COFFEE BRIGADE E stablished in 2010, the BGGS Save the Children service group aims to raise awareness and funds for leading humanitarian organisatione, Save the Children. Although 2020 has been such a tumultuous year, our girls’ spirit for service has not been dampened but instead, been ignited—in the form of new ideas for socially- distanced initiatives and fortnightly Zoom meetings. While spreading virtual love—through sharing videos of our girls reading picture books or teaching origami—we explored topical issues, concerning children’s wellbeing, on a local and international scale. Upon the end of remote learning, our service group engaged in many fundraisers, including our annual Exam Block Survival Packs, Zooper Dooper stalls and Pamper Hamper raffle, which all focused on elevating school solidarity and promoting Save the Children’s 2020 vision. While abundant in unprecedented challenges, this year has also been bountiful in ideas and passion, and we are incredibly grateful to our teachers, Ms Anderson and Ms Scruby, and to our Save the Children sisters, for their unfading love, support and dedication to a cause so close to our hearts. Stephanie Burgess (11E) and Amy Doan (12M) STUDENT LEADERS 2020 SAVE THE CHILDREN

P ay It Forward is an arts and crafts club for Year 7 students that is held every Friday lunch during the term. Not only is Pay it Forward a way to unleash your inner creativity, but it is a fantastic way to meet new girls from other Houses. In Term 1, before the COVID-19 pandemic, girls enjoyed making Mother’s Day cards. Later in the year, Pay It Forward girls created beautiful envelopes to hold hand-made fragrant soaps. These envelopes were then placed in care packages organised through the Second Chance service group. Pay It Forward is a great club to be a part of—it allows girls to ‘re-live their childhood’ with access to all the arts and craft materials of your dreams. Sophie Martin (7M) PAY IT FORWARD T he Second Chance Committee at BGGS strives to raise awareness of women and children experiencing homelessness in Brisbane, and raise funds to help support organisations such as Zig Zag Young Women’s Resource Centre, Bahloo Women’s Youth Shelter Association, and Cherished Women’s Cancer Foundation. This year, the Second Chance Committee hosted a Valentine’s Day bake stall, a hot chocolate stall, Homelessness Awareness Week activities—including an interactive art installation, the International Women’s Day sausage sizzle, and the annual Second Chance Christmas giving tree. Additionally, Second Chance participated in the All in Blue Donation drive, donating requested items, vouchers, colouring books, and clothing to our supported organisations. Being part of Second Chance has allowed members to gain a greater understanding surrounding the critical issues faced by women experiencing homelessness and provide support to such an important cause. Josephine Clough (12L), Abigail Lui (12O), Bridget Morton (12B) and Eva Seet (12B) SECOND CHANCE COMMITTEE

homelessness in Brisbane. Sophie Peters-Grieve (12W) ECB COORDINATOR

Y ear 11 and 12 students had the opportunity to participate in the reading club at Brisbane Central State School (BCSS) this year. The Program is a peer-to-peer reading support group that pairs older students from BGGS with a young reader from BCSS to help improve their reading skills. For an hour once a week, Grammar girls attended BCSS to read and listen to the younger students. BGGS students were able to see their readers improve throughout the program and enjoyed the connection with younger students. We have gained so much from the experience. It seems evident that having a willing older buddy to prompt and guide you through the early reading stages, will no doubt have a positive outcome. We have all thoroughly enjoyed our discussions and reading with the students from BCSS. Thank you to Mrs Forbes and the teachers at BCSS for organising such a rewarding experience, we are all very grateful to have had such a wonderful opportunity. Abigail King (11R) BRISBANE CENTRAL STATE SCHOOL HOMEWORK CLUB

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