Grammar Gazette- Issue 1, 2012

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The Dean of Student Transition is a newly created senior executive role responsible for managing the introduction of new students at all Year levels, and in particular Year 7 and Year 8 in 2015. Ms Sarah McGarry brings a wealth of experience in student care and curriculum across both primary and secondary schooling contexts to this key leadership role. Here she writes about the notion of transition, and provides an insight into the preparations underway for the introduction of Year 7.

Change, in one form or another, is inevitable, as

Queensland into line with most other Australian states. This move has significant positive implications for families moving interstate, and better positions Queensland students in terms of the Australian Curriculum. Most importantly, however, this move provides Brisbane Girls Grammar School with the opportunity to respond most appropriately to the learning needs of early adolescents. School founder Sir Charles Lilley’s vision to provide girls with the same educational opportunities as their brothers was far ahead of its time, and the way in which we introduce Year 7, 140 years later in 2015, will be consistent with the School’s long tradition of demonstrating initiative, adaptability and educational leadership. This is not the first time our School has embraced a change of this sort. When the School first opened in 1875, the ages of the forty pupils ranged from 12 to 20 years. In 1934, the Upper Sixth Form was confirmed, offering girls an extra year at the end of their schooling journey, preparing them for the transition to university. In 1964, for the first time, Year 8 students commenced their secondary schooling and became known as Form II. Much is made of the break from primary to secondary school as a transition of some significance and some potential danger for students. Divergence of opinion exists as to what form of structural sequence is most appropriate for students

life is never about maintaining stasis. Change evokes a range of emotions, from anxiety, uncertainty and fear to optimism, hope and excitement. Our individual and collective beliefs and attitudes towards change vary. Sometimes change is

optional, sometimes it is externally imposed, and periods of transition provide opportunities for us to develop our individual and collective identity and explore new territory. So it is for all of us, the entire School community, in this new chapter in our history. We have adopted a considered, collaborative approach to take full advantage of the opportunities presented by such a process of change.

In June 2010, then Premier Anna Bligh announced that Year 7 would move to secondary school in 2015, bringing

9 Grammar Gazette Autumn 2012