Grammar Gazette- Issue 2, 2022

From the Chair Celebrating our purposeful and engaged BGGS community

Ms Julie McKay Chair of the Board of Trustees

It is hard to pick a favourite season—each one brings its own unique characteristics and challenges that we either treasure and celebrate, or grit our teeth and work through, knowing that the next spell will be here all too soon. So too, it is difficult to choose a favourite School term for the very same reasons. However, I think that Term 4 has a special feeling of joy and exuberance. This feeling is reflected in the blossoming Jacarandas that accompany the farewell to our Year 12 students and the uplifting experience of Speech Day.

it will reinforce that for which we have stood since 1875—ensuring the provision of an exemplary broad liberal education for young women Underpinning these actions is a shared belief in the importance of community Our BGGS community is united in its support of our students and through the parent support groups, on the sidelines of sport or at special performances, and social gatherings, we have been reminded of how important that support has been through the last three years of this pandemic I extend my sincere thanks to our volunteers for everything they do The 70th Anniversary of the P&F this year was an opportunity to acknowledge their important work through the years In recognition of this significant milestone, a bronze bust of the Roman goddess, Minerva (page 28), was gifted to Girls Grammar P&F Association President, Dr Cate Campbell, celebrates the many contributions that this organisation has made to the School community (page 32), and President of the Fathers Group, Mr Hayden Wells, takes us behind the curtain to reveal what the group aims to achieve each year, and the importance of any, and all, contributions that support the School (page 33) As 2022 draws to a close, I wish you all a happy and restful holiday season and look forward to strengthening our Girls Grammar community even further in 2023 ■

At its core, Term 4 radiates community spirit , so it is fitting that our theme for this issue of Gazette is Purposeful Community Engagement—the goal of which is to maintain not only a strong community but a purposeful one In addition to creating a School community that shares a belief in the importance of educating women, and values the finest traditions and aspirations in education, we also want our students, teachers, parents, and alumnae to continue to be actively engaged in our community as well This can be by volunteering our time, through philanthropic efforts, by celebrating our successes, and by speaking positively of the School and the impacts a BGGS education can have on a girl’s life, and through them, the lives of many others While often used in relation to a geographic location, the first records of the word ‘community’ come from around 1325, from the Latin word, ‘commūnitās’, meaning ‘joint ownership or use’. Our community, our ‘joint ownership’ of the belief in a broad, liberal education for young women, has been at the forefront of BGGS for more than 147 years As the School approaches its 150th anniversary, we will be unveiling the next evolution of the School’s Strategic Design to see us through to this important milestone and beyond This document will articulate our priorities for the next four years, and guide significant School projects including master-planning work, environmental sustainability efforts, and the School’s Reconciliation Action Plan At its core, however,

above Ms Julie McKay speaking at the P&F Association's 70th anniversary celebration

Gazette

Brisbane Girls Grammar School

02

Issue 2, 2022