Grammar Gazette-Issue 1, 2021

Life-wide Learning

Sisters in support Girls Grammar announces 2021 School Charity

Jillian Campbell (12O) Sierra Reza (12H) 2021 Service Captains

In November 2020, Zoe McElwaine (8G), Ruby Galligan (9R) and Kathryn Petersen (9O) took part in the Queensland Association of Mathematics Teachers (QAMT) State Finals Competition, and placed joint third overall.

Clubs and Societies

In addition to enhancing technical and personal skills, the School’s co-curricular Clubs and Activities allow girls to experience the joy of connecting with like-minded peers More than 30 groups meet throughout the year during lunchtimes or outside of school hours, to participate in opportunities such as science or maths competitions, calligraphy or art creation, creative writing, astronomy, songwriting, robotics, and entrepreneurship, among others Many of the School’s clubs and activities have a community focus and challenge girls to develop skills in leadership, maturity, complex reasoning, and responsibility

'The experience of the QAMT competition definitely stretched me mathematically. I also learned that cooperation is the most important aspect of any team competition. We all had our strengths, so we worked together to utilise our abilities, allowing us to do very well. ' —Zoe McElwaine (8G)

Share the Dignity is an Australian charity based in Brisbane that aims to make a practical difference to women and girls experiencing homelessness, fleeing domestic violence, or facing other forms of hardship by giving them access to sanitary items.

While not a co-curricular activity, Outdoor Education is an integral component of the School’s curriculum and approach to life-wide learning, designed to develop and strengthen student’s personal capacity, social capabilities and understanding of the natural world Held at the School’s Marrapatta Memorial Outdoor Education Centre, near Imbil in Queensland, ‘camp’ encourages girls to work together as they set up camp sites, prepare meals, and are immersed in activities These experiences encourage students to participate, think critically, make decisions, demonstrate responsibility and engage meaningfully with the people around them Outdoor Education Debating

All funds raised through Student Council initiatives are donated to the School charity In Term 1, Student Council organised face painting and badges for Valentine's Day and Blue Day As well as raising money, we are also planning to facilitate a student forum with Share the Dignity, coordinate a drive for sanitary items and assist with the ‘It’s in the Bag’ campaign to pack bags of essentials for teenagers, new mothers and older women It is easy to feel overwhelmed by what is happening in the world—to feel powerless in the face of injustice and hardship in our communities Service at Girls Grammar provides us with tangible ways to contribute and make a real difference to those in need. ■

At the end of last year, as part of our Leadership program, the Year 11 cohort collected sanitary items that we delivered to the Share the Dignity headquarters at Sandgate After hearing more about their work with girls our age, Indigenous women, and refugees, we felt we needed to do more Now that we are in Year 12, we are proud to have partnered with Share the Dignity as our School charity for 2021 We were particularly moved by the organisation's focus onproviding dignity for girls and women Period poverty is increasingly recognised as a serious issue in Australia This year's Young Australian of the Year, Isobel Marshall, has said, ‘Periods should not be a barrier to education They should not cause shame, and menstrual products should be accessible and affordable. They are not a luxury or a choice '

The ability to express one’s ideas logically and persuasively are wonderful skills for Girls Grammar students to learn and highly valued within the school environment Debating is a popular activity and the School community enjoy watching burgeoning debaters grow in confidence, improve their critical-thinking skills, and develop the ability to work as part of a team to achieve shared goals For those who commit to debate, it offers a lifetime of benefits and many of our alumnae debaters credit skills learnt at Girls Grammar for their ability to step into leadership roles

Through small moments across sport, music, clubs and activities, many Grammar girls would not realise they are crafting a journey of discovery—they simply know they are making the most of their talents outside the classroom But at every opportunity, Girls Grammar aims to prepare girls to develop themselves for their future and enable them to see and draw upon the whole of their life as a resource for learning ■

above right Georgia Mackay (9E), Caitlin Holmes (9O) and Lucinda Isbel (9H) celebrating Blue Day above left Service Captains, Sierra Reza (12H) and Jillian Campbell (12O), with Director of Service, Mrs Lynne Mungomery

Gazette

Gazette

Brisbane Girls Grammar School

Brisbane Girls Grammar School

06

Issue 1, 2021

07

Issue 1, 2021