2022 Annual Review

From the Chair

MS JULIE McKAY (2000) CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The final year of Brisbane Girls Grammar School’s Strategic Design 2020-2022 was a time of reflection, collaboration and planning for the next iteration of a Girls Grammar education.

With a finish line (of sorts) in sight for the COVID-19 pandemic, we revisited the aims and aspirations that were outlined in a pre-pandemic era—have the goal posts changed due to this once-in-a-lifetime disruption? Or, like the aspirations and traditions we have held since 1875, are they sufficiently perennial and able to guide us through to the School’s 150-year anniversary, and beyond? Despite commencing 2022 with a new set of challenges in the form of flooding, conflict breaking out in Ukraine, and shifting rules and restrictions relating to the pandemic, by the end of the year, things felt markedly ‘normal’. People made plans, families took overseas vacations, and crowds, yes crowds of Australians welcomed the new year with a sense of renewed optimism. Throughout the year the aspirations outlined in the Strategic Design 2020-2022 were well and truly embraced and supported by the entire Girls Grammar community. Grammar girls eagerly seized opportunities in the classroom, on the playing fields and in concert halls, and our dedicated teachers facilitated deep learning and critical thinking across these varied environments, encouraging students to examine the world with fresh eyes and challenge the status quo. Again, our academic results across the Australian National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) and the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) were outstanding—reflecting the guidance of our expert teachers and, of course, the girls’ genuine embodiment of Nil Sine Labore . The year also brought us to the 70th anniversary of the Parents and Friends Association (P&F), commemorated with a new addition to the campus—a striking bronze bust of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Gazing out from just inside the School gates, Minerva is an accomplished

all-rounder who epitomises the spirit of Grammar girls, and the legacy and long-held and much-treasured traditions of the School. A second Giving Day event was held in August, and it exceeded all expectations—raising more than $750 000 in 24 hours. We were incredibly thankful to our triple-matching donors, including the P&F Association, Old Girls Association, the Board of Trustees, BGGS Staff and individual supporters. This generosity has allowed for the establishment of a new means-tested bursary, in perpetuity, the Parents & Friends Association Bursary . Underpinned by the School’s Guiding Principle of Stewardship and Sustainability , and following on from goals set the year prior, the School further developed an environmental sustainability plan with ambitious targets that will be unveiled in 2023. In conjunction with these steps, Girls Grammar is also developing the framework for a Reconciliation Action Plan to sustainably and strategically take meaningful action to advance reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Looking forward to the year ahead, an important focus of the Board of Trustees in 2023 will be completing a major master-planning exercise for the School, which will assist us to plan our major projects for the future. I take this opportunity to acknowledge the Board’s deep gratitude to Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler Welsh, for her unwavering commitment to the School’s vision, and leadership of the School’s exceptional staff. My thanks, as always, goes to my fellow Trustees for their steadfast support, commitment, and guidance throughout the year. We will embrace wisdom, optimism, and integrity in all that we do and all that we pass on to Brisbane Girls Grammar School students in 2023.

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Brisbane Girls Grammar School Annual Review 2022