2023 Annual Review

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

MS JACINDA EULER WELSH PRINCIPAL

Throughout 2023, Brisbane Girls Grammar School has honoured the School’s aspiration: to enrich the lives of our students through learning, inspiring them to go on to enrich the lives of others.

This aim goes beyond the delivery of academic content and development of skills, to encouraging students to be inquisitive and adventurous, always open to learning from, and through, all of life’s experiences. It is this purpose that drives the unrelenting passion of our teachers and professional staff, and unites our community of families, alumnae and supporters. While our NAPLAN and ATAR results were again exceptional in 2023, these outcomes are only one important aspect of the much richer, more nuanced discovery through learning that our students undertake while at our School. In each Faculty, students are encouraged to engage beyond the curriculum, and follow their curiosity as far as possible. In Service, our students had direct input into the launch of our Reconciliation Action Plan—an initiative that will continue to ensure reconciliation is embodied and pursued in the classroom and throughout the School. Clubs and Activities nurtured the interests of our students and resulted in well deserved rewards, including a championship for our Mooting team, and medals aplenty at Science and Maths competitions. Our Gala Concert allowed girls’ musical talents to shine and were shaped by inspirational contributors—Australia’s leading didgeridoo player, composer and 2023 Queensland Australian of the Year, William Barton, who performed with the girls, and internationally renowned composer, Brian Balmages, who prepared them for the concert. And the compositions of inspiring women musicians at our International Women’s Day Concert, performed by our musicians, were a point

of particular pride. Our sporting teams celebrated significant milestones and successes, including 50 years of Water Polo at BGGS. During Term 2, I visited schools and universities across Europe and the UK and attended a fabulous reunion of Grammar Women in London. The connections between BGGS and global institutions remind us that while the world is vast, so are the experiences of our Grammar community. Our alumnae engaged with the School in so many diverse ways including through mentoring, coaching, and events, and the School hosted a record number of reunions after the pandemic delayed some celebrations. We know a shared Girls Grammar experience creates bonds that last decades, and these events allowed many in our community to sustain their connection to each other and the School. With 2023 behind us, we look forward, knowing that the next few years hold significant milestones for the School. In 2024, we will celebrate 125 Years of the Old Girls Association, one of the oldest associations of its kind in Australia. We also move closer to the School’s sesquicentenary, and planning and preparations are in full swing to mark 150 years of Brisbane Girls Grammar School in 2025. We look forward to an important evolution in the history of our School, when we welcome students and families to Years 5 and 6 in 2026. Each of us adds our own strength, talent and unique energy to Brisbane Girls Grammar School, and I thank our staff, students, families, and alumnae for their continued belief in empowering girls and young women through a broad, liberal education that has stood the test of time.

BRISBANE GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL ANNUAL REVIEW 2023

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