Semper #45 Autumn 2014 - Ravenswood School for Girls

Transcription

Semper
www.ravenswood.nsw.edu.au
Issue 45/Autumn 2014
Contents
Dates
2014 TERM DATES
PROFILE/FAST FACTS
Semper
FEATURE
Ravenswood’s Guiding Principles—
Respect, Courage, Excellence and
Compassion, were introduced at the
beginning of the 2014 school year. Each
one of these principles is incorporated
into daily life at Ravenswood. Read
about our excellent Class of 2013
results, a huge range of experiences,
refurbishment of the Junior School, our
Performing Arts and Sports highlights.
Catch up on the news from the
Ravenswood Community as a whole.
4/ PRINCIPAL
6/ HSC AND IB RESULTS
Departments
14/PERFORMING ARTS
16/SPORT
18/CAMPS AND IMMERSION
PROGRAMMES
20/THE EVER-EVOLVING
JUNIOR SCHOOL
22/ARCHIVES
Monday 3 February to Friday 11 April
Term 2
Tuesday 29 April to Friday 20 June
Term 4Wednesday 8 October to
Wednesday 3 December
How long have you been
at Ravenswood?
2014 EVENTS
I started in 1993 in the Science
Department. I have had many roles
including teacher, Year Coordinator and
now Coordinator Operations. My role is
to keep the school running smoothly.
This is a very demanding job but the
best part of the day is still when I am in
the laboratory teaching my students.
Foundation AGM
10 June
Bye Bye Birdie
Senior Musical Opening
12 June
HSC/IB Music Recital
20 August
HSC Major Works
Exhibition Opening
20 August
Ravenswood Community
Showcase Concert (K-12)
26 August
Years 7-11 Annual Art
Exhibition
27–29 August
IB Visual Arts
Exhibition Opening
9 September
What has changed at Ravenswood?
There have been many changes over
the years: Building projects including
the Centenary Centre and the Mabel
Fidler Building. I am very excited
about the new Science project,
providing Science with a dedicated
area, up-to-date laboratories, stateof-the-art facilities and even a
break-out area for outside work.
Mrs Judith Read
The new online payment button
allows parents to make payments in
one easy step. Excursion information
and Consent forms can also be
found on the Parent Portal.
The introduction of Ravenswood
buses from Harbord/Mona Vale and
Lane Cove/Castle Cove, is a great
initiative for parents and students.
The girls love their buses.
Girls are now using Proximity ID
Cards, enabling them to make
cashless purchases from the café.
Ravenswood is a dynamic school
moving learning and education into
the 21st century and I am proud
to be a part of the community.
Junior School Dance Festival 14 September
Duke of Edinburgh Bronze
Qualifying Expedition
21–22 September
Duke of Edinburgh Silver
Qualifying Expedition
27–29 September
Festival of Speech
17–18 October
CONTACT
Henry Street, Gordon NSW 2072
Phone
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Community Relations,
Enrolments and Marketing, and Louise
James for proofreading this publication.
Profiles
10/YEAR 10 BEYOND THE
CLASSROOM
Term 1
Term 3Tuesday 15 July to
Friday 19 September
As well as teaching Science, Mrs
Judith Read is Ravenswood’s
Coordinator Operations, coordinating
the school calendar, timetables and
classroom allocation, no mean feat!
The Parent Portal: Being able to book
Parent/Teacher Student Conference
times is a great step forward.
WHAT’S INSIDE
Up Front
MRS JUDITH READ,
OPERATIONS COORDINATOR
23/COMMUNITY
26/BEYOND RAVENSWOOD
Editor
Jacqueline Sherlock, Communications
Administrator
27/REUNIONS
Design
IT&P Advertising
28/ON A PERSONAL NOTE
Layout
Equilibrium Design
30/WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Photography
Anthony Khoury, Blue Murder Studios,
Ravenswood staff and students
+61 2 9498 9898
Facsimile +61 2 9498 9999
Email [email protected]
Print Post Approved
CRICOS Provider Number 02306K
Cover Image
The new Junior School play equipment
Printer
Contact & Clarendon
ISSUE No. 45
ISSN 1037-1583
Autumn 2014
We hope you enjoy this edition of Semper ad meliora. For the latest news and events at Ravenswood go to www.ravenswood.nsw.edu.au
2 Semper Autumn 2014
3
Semper Autumn 2014
Principal
Principal
Principal
The New Guiding Principles | The Guiding Principals and IB Learner Profile
statements and nine core values. From
this process it was recommended that
the phrase Foundations for the Future
be replaced with the school’s excellent
existing motto, Always towards better
things. In addition it was felt that the
number of values should be no more than
four and that more meaningful links should
be created between the values and all
aspects of school life and culture.
In mid-2011 student focus group discussions
were conducted in Tutor Groups and in the
Junior School. Years 1, 3, 7, 8 and 12 were
asked:
What does it mean to be a Ravenswood
Girl? The responses were tabulated and
high frequency words included: confident,
happy, courageous, inquisitive, community,
respectful, participation, friendly,
choice, caring, pride, giving, opportunity,
welcoming and independence.
The pastoral care focus group feedback
and review recommendations in 2011–2012
identified the need for review and
refinement of the school’s values.
In 2011 the school undertook the Evaluating
Excellence in Schools review facilitated by
the Association of Independent Schools
NSW, and the Final Report and Action Plan
recommended for future development:
the Guiding Principles and to encourage
engagement with them. Anecdotes, ‘myths
and legends’ from staff and students are
being gathered to highlight the meaning
of the principles in the context of the
school. These will support the preparation
of statements to support each Guiding
Principle.
Student activities in Mentor Groups
and classrooms are being held to help
with understanding why each principle
is important and to personalise their
experience of the principles.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
I
n 2014 we are introducing our
newly-framed Guiding Principles
to the Ravenswood community
of students, staff and parents. There
are four principles: Respect, Courage,
Excellence and Compassion.
A carefully planned programme of activities
is now underway to generate awareness of
Throughout Term 1, one principle per
fortnight provided the basis for reflection
and discussion in Middle and Senior School
Chapel, classrooms and Assemblies. Girls
have contributed ideas about each of the
principles via the lunchtime graffiti wall
in the Undercroft Café and the Junior
School students have embraced this form
of expression with enthusiasm. Across the
year our younger students will focus on one
principle per term.
Our aim is to consistently reinforce the
principles with visual cues for each, the
use of the Guiding Principles circle and the
embedding of the principles in all school
communications and activities.
WHY NEW GUIDING
PRINCIPLES
The Ravenswood Strategic Plan 2011—2015
has four key objectives, the first being
to ‘Strengthen and consistently apply
our values and operating principles.’
The agreed strategy to achieve this was
to ‘Review and align purpose and value
statements to increase their impact on the
ethos of the school.’
DEVELOPMENT
OF THE GUIDING
PRINCIPLES
A working group was formed in early
2011 to begin the process of review and
consultation about the seven school
Embed the language of the school core
values into daily practice and conversations
to ensure all staff can articulate and be
active role models in delivering consistent
messages to stakeholders. Embed an
affirmation of our shared commitment
to the school motto, ‘Always towards
better things’.
In 2013 at the School Leadership Retreat,
our guest facilitator, Frank Crawford
emphasised the importance of values and
guiding principles in growth, development,
change and innovation.
This concept was described as the ‘Golden
Thread’ that continuously links strategic
themes and objectives with priorities,
action, behaviour and outcomes. It was
agreed that in order for Ravenswood
to remain on its path of continuous
improvement and innovation, the values
and guiding principles must be clarified,
embedded and become a living entity in
the fabric of the school.
Feedback from staff and students was
positive; however, further consultation
affirmed that there were too many values
(so they lose meaning and importance),
and the language was described as too
high-level and abstract to be meaningful
as guiding principles. There was also
agreement that although each guiding
principle must be easily articulated and
understood by a single word, it must have
an accompanying ‘meaning’ statement to
create clarity of thought and consistency of
language.
In addition each guiding principle should
have a symbol to create a visual cue and
connection and most importantly, they
should accurately and succinctly articulate
what the ‘meaning’ of Ravenswood is, in
the context of all stakeholders including
students, staff, parents, alumni and other
community stakeholders.
The School Council ratified the final four
guiding principles as Respect, Courage,
Excellence and Compassion in June 2013.
Discussion with key stakeholders took
place in the latter part of 2013 in the form
of a student-led ‘Values Forum’ run by
current Prefects with involvement from SRC
representatives and student volunteers.
THE GUIDING
PRINCIPLES AND THE
IB LEARNER PROFILE
The International Baccalaureate (IB)
Organisation defines the IB Learner Profile
as its mission statement translated into
a set of learning outcomes for the 21st
century. As an IB World School, the IB
Learner Profile underpins not only the
IB Diploma Programme but also is the
foundation for the Ravenswood Learning
Framework, which expresses the aims
for our students across all levels of the
school. The attributes of the IB Learner
Profile have been mapped to the Guiding
Principles to ensure alignment and clarity.
The work of embedding the four principles:
Respect, Courage, Excellence and
Compassion will continue throughout this
year and beyond.
I wish to acknowledge Mrs Cheryl Bailey,
Head of Junior School, Mrs Sarah Bate,
HR Manager and Mrs Terrie Jones, Head
of Teaching and Learning in leading this
important work.
Ms Vicki Steer
Principal
Guiding Principles and the IB Learner
• Principled
• Thinkers
• Knowledgeable
• Communicators
• Open-minded
• Knowledgeable
• Reflective
• Risk-takers
• Caring
• Reflective
• Principled
• Communicators
• Principled
• Caring
• Balanced
• Open-minded
• Inquirers
Log on to the Ravenswood Portal at www.ravenswood.nsw.edu.au to keep informed
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Semper Autumn 2014
HSC and IB Results
HSC and IB Results
HSC and IB Results
ATAR / UAC RANKINGS
After analysing the IB and HSC results, we estimate that our students in 2013 received an
ATAR/UAC rank as follows:
Class of 2013 | IB Diploma Programme Examinations | HSC Examinations | Future Directions
RAVENSWOOD’S
CLASS OF 2013
O
ur 2013 cohort attained
outstanding results at all
levels of ability in the Higher
School Certificate and International
Baccalaureate Diploma examinations.
As a non-selective school our students
consistently attain excellent academic
results. The school is proud of the
girls’ outstanding achievements; a
just reward for their commitment and
strong work ethic.
INTERNATIONAL
BACCALAUREATE
(IB) DIPLOMA
PROGRAMME
EXAMINATIONS
In 2013, 22 girls from Ravenswood sat
for the International Baccalaureate
(IB) Diploma Programme examinations.
The acknowledged benchmark for high
achievement in the IB is a score of 40 or
IB DIPLOMA HIGHLIGHTS
The average IB Score for students
awarded Diplomas was 36 (ATAR 94.30)
60%
60% of those students earned scores
receiving a UAC rank greater than 90
95%
95% of graduates achieved
a UAC rank of more than 80
45%
45% of candidates received Grade 7
(the maximum score for an individual subject)
in at least one subject
40% received Grade A in either their
Extended Essay or Theory of Knowledge.
higher with the maximum possible score
being 45. Students who take the IB Diploma
in NSW receive a Universities Admissions
Centre (UAC) rank in which the IB score
is converted to a rank which, like the
Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR),
has an incremental scale from 0–99.95.
The highest scoring student of the IB,
Katherine Chork, achieved the excellent
score of 44 (UAC rank 99.80). Four other
girls recorded a score above 40: Alexandra
Farrell, Sarah Khoo, Lotte Wolff and
Leanne Yang.
THE HIGHER SCHOOL
CERTIFICATE
EXAMINATIONS
In 2013, 86 girls from Ravenswood
presented for assessment in NSW Higher
School Certificate courses. There were 32
courses studied at Ravenswood.
Our highest scoring HSC student was
Jemimah Cooper who scored an ATAR
of 99.70.
Each year the office of the NSW Board
of Studies identifies students who have
achieved all-round excellence in the HSC.
These are students who appear on the
Distinguished Achievers List for courses
totalling a minimum of 10 units. Seven
students were successful in being placed
on the HSC All-Round Achievers List: Laura
Borkman, Jemimah Cooper, Amanda
Cuffe, Heather Moore, Madeline Owens,
Alexandra Sennitt and Samantha Tauber.
Four students were placed in the top
positions in the State in courses: Jemimah
Cooper 5th place in Legal Studies; Amanda
Cuffe 4th place in Community and Family
Studies; Alexandra Sennitt 2nd place in
Biology; and Samantha Tauber 7th place in
Ancient History.
The NSW Board of Studies identified
60 Ravenswood girls as ‘Distinguished
Achievers’. These girls achieved a mark
of 90 or more out of 100 in a 2 unit
course or a mark of 45 or more out of 50
in an Extension course. In the published
Distinguished Achievers list, Ravenswood
girls featured 157 times out of a total of
571 examinations sat, showing 32.64%
of our students attained results in the
highest band. With 40 mentions on the
Distinguished Achievers List in Mathematics,
General Mathematics, Mathematics
Extension 1 and Mathematics Extension 2,
42% of our girls’ results were in the highest
band. This placed Ravenswood as the
highest ranked Independent Girls School in
the State for Mathematics. In English, 21
mentions on the Distinguished Achievers
List in English (Advanced), English as a
Second Language, English Extension 1 and
English Extension 2 meant that 20% of our
girls’ results were in the highest band.
Outstanding performances in HSC Music and
HSC Drama are showcased through ENCORE
and OnSTAGE respectively. Kathryn
Duckworth (voice), Rieko Makita (piano),
Tiffany Tang (violin), Melody van der
Wallen (violin and composition), and Julia
Zhong (cello) were nominated for ENCORE.
Hannah Kozicki’s Director’s Portfolio was
nominated for OnSTAGE.
History Extension student Lia Chen
received full marks for her History
Extension Major Project, a 2500 word essay.
She received a Certificate of Excellence
from the History Teachers’ Association
in acknowledgement of her outstanding
achievement.
A readily available measure of student
performance in Year 12 is student
distribution in ranks for the Australian
Tertiary Admission Ranks/UAC rank. This
measure gives an indication of access
available to university places. It reflects
the combined achievements of HSC and IB
students and the academic achievement
of students in the subjects that they
undertake in their final years at school.
Schools in NSW do not receive notification
from the Universities Admissions Centre
(UAC) of students’ ATARs. The school
relies on advice from HSC students and
8% attained a rank of
99 or above
33% ranked 95
or above;
commissions an analysis of results to
estimate all students’ ATAR outcomes. IB
Diploma students’ scores are converted
using the UAC rank.
Ms Madeline Walker
Head of Senior School
FUTURE DIRECTIONS:
YEAR 12 2013
Students from Year 12 2013 have embarked
on various pathways for study in 2014.
The undergraduate tertiary courses they
are pursuing include Actuarial Studies,
Arts, Commerce, Communications, Design,
Education, Exercise and Sport, International
Relations, Law, Medical Science, Medicine,
Nursing and Science, to name a few. The
universities they are attending include
ANU, Charles Sturt University, Macquarie
University, The Australian Catholic
University, The University of Canberra,
The University of Sydney, UNSW, UTS and
several others interstate and overseas.
54% ranked 90
or above; and
79% ranked 80
or above.
Several students were successful in
gaining highly competitive and prestigious
university scholarships. These include
Katherine Chork who was awarded the
UNSW Academic Achievers Award to
study Combined Law, Bernalee Viljoen
who gained a Macquarie Partners School
Leadership Scholarship and Bernice Chen
who won a UNSW Computing Leadership
Award. Rachael Gibson and Madeline
Owens were also awarded scholarships
to study at The University of Sydney and
Eleanor Rutter was awarded a PACE
scholarship at Macquarie University. Soriah
MacLean was awarded a cadetship from
PricewaterhouseCoopers whilst she studies
B Commerce in Professional Accounting at
Macquarie University.
Ms Meg Hall
Careers Counsellor
HERE IS A SAMPLE OF THE
VARIOUS INTERESTS AND
PATHWAYS OF YEAR 12
STUDENTS OF 2013:
Chloe Tutt has
diverse interests
in Psychology and
Law so she chose a
B Psychology (Hons)
combined with a
B Laws at Macquarie
University.
Kathryn Phillips
wanted to study
Psychology,
Languages and
Linguistics.
She found that
Macquarie
University’s B Arts
(in Psychology)
offered her a first step in a career in
this area.
Computing Science
was a definite choice
for Bernice Chen
having participated
in several student
programmes and
networking groups
whilst at school.
Bernice will study
a combined
B Commerce with B Science (Computer
Science) at UNSW.
Stephanie
Pasquali’s interest
in Mathematics and
Business Studies was
the reason she
chose to study a
B Commerce with
B Actuarial Studies
at UNSW.
1
2
1 Katherine Chork | 2 Bernalee Viljoen
Log on to the Ravenswood Portal at www.ravenswood.nsw.edu.au to keep informed
7
Semper Autumn 2014
ENCORE and OnSTAGE
Mathematics
ENCORE and
OnSTAGE
Mathematics
Highest-ranked NSW independent girls’ school
CLASS OF 2013
RESULTS
Outstanding Results
R
avenswood provides students
with an environment to strive
for and achieve excellence. Our
girls belong to a school that values
diversity, teamwork, resilience and
courage, qualities which consistently
lead students to outperform
expectations.
2
1
3
4
5
1 Melody van der Wallen | 2 Kathryn Duckworth | 3 Rieko Makita | 4 Tiffany Tang | 5 Julia Zhong
EXCELLENCE AND
COURAGE
R
avenswood HSC Music and
Drama students have once
again outperformed many
of their NSW counterparts, to be
nominated for the renowned ENCORE
and OnSTAGE showcases.
Our extraordinary results in Performing
Arts in 2013 saw all five of the HSC Music
cohort achieving nominations for ENCORE.
‘It was an extraordinary year, with an
exceptionally talented group,’ said HSC
Music Teacher Mr Dean MacRae.
ENCORE is a programme that recognises
outstanding achievement in instrumental,
performance or music composition by
students from the HSC Music examinations.
The ENCORE concert is held annually at
the Sydney Opera House and every year a
selection of the highest achieving students
in NSW is nominated as possible contenders
for the showcase.
Melody van der Wallen, Ravenswood
Captain Performing Arts 2013 was one of
this year’s nominees. ‘Being nominated
for ENCORE for Performance in Violin
and Composition was unexpected, yet
rewarding,’ said Melody. ‘It was great
knowing that others liked my style of
composing too.’
Along with Melody, Kathryn Duckworth
was nominated for voice, Rieko Makita
for piano, Tiffany Tang for violin and Julia
Zhong for cello.
Kathryn Duckworth recorded a cover
version of John Legend’s All of Me in
March. To listen, go to www.youtube.com/
watch?v=fB4WJ06x01A.
‘I practised on average two hours a day.
On days closer to assessments it would
increase to four to six hours,’ revealed
Julia. ‘I never expected that I would
receive a nomination. I guess from that
experience I can say that as long as you
persevere and really put the work into
something, the results can surprise you.’
OnSTAGE is an exhibition of exemplary
group and individual performances and
projects by HSC Drama students. Only
exceptional individual projects are
exhibited in OnSTAGE, which is held at the
Seymour Centre in Sydney.
Hannah Kozicki was selected for her
Director’s Folio of Eugene Ionesco’s
Rhinoceros. This year Hannah was the only
student in NSW to have their Director’s
Folio chosen for the exhibition.
‘When I found out that I was selected for
OnSTAGE, I first thought it was a letter
from the Board of Studies telling me that
I had somehow messed up one of my
papers,’ said Hannah. ‘To my disbelief it
was a letter announcing my selection into
OnSTAGE. Surprisingly it was difficult to
hold back the tears, as all my hard work
and sacrifices had been worth it.’
Hannah says that the incredible experience
of working on Rhinoceros taught her the
power of motivation and hard work. ‘The
more work you put into it the greater the
return is,’ said Hannah. ‘I was able to work
with amazing people such as Director
Damien Ryan, Mr Bird, Drama Coordinator
and my lovely sister Rachael to workshop
ideas and themes. It was the first time in
my life I truly learnt the power of making
yourself vulnerable to ask for help.’
It has been well publicised that our 2013
HSC cohort produced another proud set
of results. Most notably, we achieved the
highest rank for an independent girls’
school in NSW for Mathematics, with an
impressive 42% of our girls’ scoring results
in the highest band.
Mathematics is often seen as a difficult
area of study. And yet, as a non-selective
school, Ravenswood students have
embraced Mathematics, and the majority
of students demonstrate outstanding levels
of mathematical understanding.
An incredible 83% of students achieved
a band 5 or 6 score in Mathematics
(2 Unit), and 76% of General Mathematics
participants achieved a band 5 or 6.
Compare these to the State average results
of a 49% and a 21% band 5 or 6 score
respectively and the strength of the
Ravenswood Maths cohort and teaching
resources shine through.
preparation for the university transition
that many will take’, says Mrs Humphreys.
Mrs Hayley Humphreys, Head of
Mathematics, says that the Department
has become more focused on targeted
teaching, so that the performance gap
between students can reduce.
Our Mathematics Department works as
a team to share teaching resources and
approaches to difficult concepts, something
that is reflected back in the quality of
learning reached by students.
‘Our teachers are incredibly dedicated
to helping students reach the greatest
understanding possible. An example of this
is after school help now offered by the
Department twice a week, to girls outside
of their normal classes.’
Mathematics has an important relationship
between a student’s ability to prioritise
commitments or compartmentalise
problems, as it enables the practice of
analytical and critical thinking learned in
their formative mathematics classes.
After school help can be accessed by any
mathematics student from both Middle and
Senior School. Sessions provide girls with
the opportunity to chase up any queries
arising from class or homework schedules,
and is an initiative similarly offered across
many academic departments in the school.
Ravenswood takes a holistic approach
toward excellence that values personal
as well as academic development and
recognises the mutually beneficial
relationship between the two.
A stronger mathematical capacity among
students is not only promising for their
academic results, it fosters a practical set
of skills that translates productively across
many other demands of life.
‘Our teaching staff stresses focus on a
deeper understanding of mathematics
problems, because it fosters an analytical
and enquiring mind. This allows students to
become more resourceful and skilful in
A strong Mathematics Department, of
course, promises strong academic results
from each mathematic cohort but it also
assists our girls to be better equipped
with the rational set of skills necessary to
navigate their way through challenges in
high school and beyond.
Miss Samantha Wright
Class of 2010 (School Captain)
These outstanding results are testimony to
the dedicated teachers, supportive parents
and talented, hardworking students here at
Ravenswood.
Ms Bess Bosman
Marketing and Enrolments
1
2
1 Year 11 girls studied the very relevant topics of mobile phone plans and mobile phone bills | 2 Year 8 playing Expandominoes
Check out www.ravenswood.nsw.edu.au for the latest news and events happening at Ravenswood
9
Semper Autumn 2014
Year 10 Beyond the Classroom
Year 10 Beyond the Classroom
generated with how their business is
running, dependent on their decisions,”
says Mr Nader.
Year 10
On the cusp of adult life, ABW programmes
can have a tremendous impact in building
student confidence and skills needed
to negotiate the professional world. By
the same token, ABW teaches beyond
the skills indicative to business. It
experimentally develops the students’
sense of responsibility, confidence and
team building.
Imagine | ABW | 4 The Future
Mr Nader is constantly surprised with
what the students come up with. ‘Just
how creative they can be in terms of how
they think and design their products … it’s
beyond words. It’s absolutely amazing,’
he says.
1
2
3
1 Imagine—Whole Brain Thinking presentation by Rosemi Fitchett (Class of 2002) | 2 Imagine—Start Smart presentation by Charles Genest |
3 Imagine— Communication Workshop | 4 4 The Future—The survival cooking lesson included food hygiene and re-heating tips
BEYOND THE
CLASSROOM
C
hanging flat tyres, dressing
professionally for the
workplace and marketing
prototypes are not things you usually
associate with school. However, Year
10 students were able to experience
all of this and more through the 4 The
Future, Australian Business Week and
Imagine programmes.
Department and led by Mr Tony Nader,
Social Science Coordinator.
ABW is a week long programme during
which groups comprised of eight to ten
Ravenswood and Knox students create a
new product, prototyped and marketed
through a trade display for their business.
‘The kids absolutely love it,’ says Mr Nader.
‘They start off the week with little
knowledge in the area and what
you see on the Friday, is just a sea
of colour and creativity.’
Concurrently, the students also have a
hypothetical business to run. Given a set of
data, the boys and girls must make business
decisions together regarding production,
price, stock and consumer turnaround over
a hypothetical period of eight quarters
(two years).
Each group is assigned a mentor (an
adult in the business world), who gives
the group advice on how to improve and
commendations on well-planned and
successful decisions.
Upon their return to ‘school life’, students
are given feedback from their exams and
allocated groups based on their subject
choices for Year 11. In these groups they
are given a taste of what to expect in their
chosen subjects and the skills set needed
for their final two years at school.
Galmatic Garage, who came to teach the
girls hands-on car maintenance including
how to check oil and water and how to
change a tyre.
4 The Future, a new initiative and
brainchild of Year 10 Coordinator, Mrs
Pam Elliott was born out of her desire for
the girls to engage in some meaningful
activities and preparation for life outside
of school.
The Food and Textiles Technology staff
held a simple survival cooking lesson, Ms
Marion Delprado ran a sleep workshop and
relaxation session and Brent Sanders from
Winning Edge Strategies, spoke to the girls
about staying safe in social situations.
‘I surveyed the girls about life issues that
affected them and enlisted a team of
student helpers to survey students about
what life skills they would like to learn,’
says Mrs Elliott.
Finally Donna Mulhearn completed the
programme by speaking to the girls about
how the individual can make a difference,
based on sharing her experiences of being
part of the Human Shield Movement.
Canvassed by the girls’ feedback, 4 The
Future was born. Mrs Elliott’s programme
acknowledges that the future can be scary
for students. According to the surveys,
‘academic pressures and anxieties, even
trouble sleeping beset them,’ she says.
‘They also wanted to learn some practical
skills like cooking, car maintenance and
understanding insurance policies.’
Learning how to change a flat tyre or
having someone guide you on dressing
appropriately for an interview, are not
necessarily academic skills but practical
life lessons that will stay with Ravenswood
students well beyond the school gates.
Miss Millie Crawford
The next week was dedicated to a
whirlwind of activities with visits from
‘The decisions are entered into our
software programme and a report is
Towards the end of last year, Year 10 girls
were given the opportunity to stretch
their legs and work beyond the classroom,
participating in each of these programmes.
Imagine was implemented, designed and
run by Ms Meg Hall, Careers Counsellor
and based around preparation for careers.
With few of the girls having experienced
an interview or applying for a job in a
professional field, activities focused around
dressing for success, interview and resumé
writing skills and university visits. This
programme complimented the careers
programme which runs throughout the
school year.
5
Students then attended Australian Business
Week (ABW) at both the Knox Grammar
School and Ravenswood campuses. ABW
was largely facilitated by the Social Science
7
6
8
9
5 ABW—The planning stage of a new product | 6 ABW—The Planetech trade display | 7 ABW—Students were awarded their prizes by Dimity
McCredie, Head of Legal Affairs, and Carnival Cruises Australia | 8 4 The Future—a lesson from Galmatic Garage on car maintenance |
9 4 The Future—practical driving skills taught by an NRMA representative
4
11
Semper Autumn 2014
Middle School
Middle School
Middle School
Father/Daughter Retreat | Resourceful Adolescence Programme (RAP)
designed to create memories and foster
bonds between the girls and their dads.
Looking at this concept, there’s no denying
its promise for shared experience and
opportunity for special moments. But
a promising concept alone is not what
determines the success of an initiative.
Its success comes from the attitude,
willingness and altruistic action of
participants and as such, the success of the
newly introduced Father/Daughter Retreat
can be accredited to the fathers and
daughters who made the decision to invest
in the programme in the first place.
As part of the Pastoral Care Programme
at Ravenswood, Mrs Melinda Wilson, Year
7 Coordinator, initiated the camp for our
school community in 2013.
T
he transition to Middle
School and into the years
of adolescence are seldom
without challenge, uncertainty and
pockets of anxiety. Making new
friendships, responding to heightened
academic expectations and the
need to balance extra-curricular
commitments all require considerable
adjustment.
The Middle School is committed to aiding
girls through this transition as smoothly as
possible, initiating a number of programmes
designed to help students resolve their
adolescent challenges and concerns.
FATHER/DAUGHTER
RETREAT
The objective of the Middle School Father/
Daughter Retreat is a weekend away,
Middle School Father/Daughter Retreat
‘The camp is designed to be a relaxed
but focused experience’, says Mrs Wilson.
‘And the aim for making positive memories
together is that it provides something
precious that no one can take away
from you.’
This year, the programme was again
scheduled for the first weekend of the April
school holidays at the Tallong Campus, the
Outdoor Education, Conference and Retreat
Centre in the Southern Highlands in Wodi
Wodi country. The programme introduces
Resourceful Adolescence Programme (RAP)
fathers to a camping style characteristic
of Ravenswood, including activities such
as bush walking, mountain biking, water
rafting and a dad versus girls soccer game.
Rev Jon Humphries also attended the
camp, taking along his own daughter to
benefit from the experience. One of the
weekend’s highlights he spoke of was the
designated one-on-one time between
girls and their dads in the bush. In this
relaxed and neutral setting among the
trees, fathers and daughters were invited
to share the personal qualities they best
admired in one another. The mood of
this particular activity was perhaps more
sensitive than some of the other activities
but nonetheless one of the most valuable
sessions.
‘The camp is a mutually beneficial
experience—the girls get to see their
fathers in a less formal light and the
fathers have a chance to bond with their
girls during what can be a turbulent time
of change in their adolescent life’, says
Mrs Wilson.
Mr Hugh Turnbull, Geography teacher and
Year 11 Coordinator, took the opportunity
to experience the camp with the Middle
School girls and their fathers last year.
He described the weekend as truly special
and overwhelmingly touching. Although
Mr Turnbull is a father himself, he didn’t
have a daughter on the camp, which he
says allowed him to be one step removed
from the programme and observe the
reactions of the girls to their fathers in a
context different to the home.
‘It really was a weekend well appreciated
by all. Dads and girls getting to enjoy each
other’s company in a different capacity
really saw these two, perhaps otherwise
separate worlds, come together and
strengthen relationships’, says Mr Turnbull.
‘The dads came away changed because they
had seen the importance first-hand of simply
being a dad and how their daughter needs
them throughout her high school years.’
From all accounts, the benefits gained from
the quality time spent by all on the camp
were both unprecedented and unexpected.
As one father reflected, ‘We will now
all have lasting memories and stronger
friendships for it. That alone is an outcome
worth celebrating.’
RESOURCEFUL
ADOLESCENCE
PROGRAMME (RAP)
The Resourceful Adolescence Programme
(RAP), another initiative introduced
to Ravenswood by Mrs Wilson, is a
pastoral care programme born out of the
Queensland University of Technology.
For Ravenswood, RAP pivots around the
social and personal development of Year
7 girls.
Each Year 7 girl belongs to a Mentor class
led by their joint English/History teacher
who, considering the integrated English/
History programme, sees this group of
girls 12 times a fortnight. While Mentor
groups are designed to follow a pastoral
care agenda throughout the entire year,
the critical focus on the RAP takes place
in Term 1. During this term, every second
Mentor group meeting is dedicated to
focusing on tasks that provide a framework
for looking at how body clues, emotions
and self-talk influence behaviour.
Mrs Wilson says that the aim of the
programme is to develop ‘a practical
and productive mindset conducive of
resilience as they enter an age group of
constant change’.
Too often methods for dealing with
adolescent conflict resolution or problem
solving involve strategies that are too
foreign or advanced for the age group
in question. According to Mrs Wilson,
this is where the point of difference in
the RAP lies, as ‘it is aimed at building
upon the skills and strengths that the
students already have to empower them to
rationalise their own future challenges’.
‘The programme is an experiential,
resilience building programme designed to
promote positive coping abilities and the
maintenance of a sense of self in the face
of stressful and difficult circumstances’,
says Mrs Wilson.
13
Semper Autumn 2014
Performing Arts
Performing Arts
Performing Arts
K-2 Nativity: The Little Fir Tree | Dance | Choral Festival | The Celebration of the Gift of Music
arrangement and coordinated the
accompanying band. The genre was mainly
contemporary, which allowed students to
showcase their idols and interpret this in
their own way. Interspersed between the
competitions were performances from
a variety of vocal ensembles. It was a
pleasure to listen to the harmonious tones
of the Middle and Senior School girls and
be treated to intricate, finely polished
repertoire.
THE CELEBRATION OF
THE GIFT OF MUSIC
3
4
1
2
5
1 Mariam Nazha, Year 2 2013 | 2 Snowflakes (Kindy) and fir trees (Year 1) | 3 Years 5 and 6 Dance class warming up | 4 The Secondary Dance
Company | 5 The Secondary School Dance Festival Dress Rehearsal
K-2 NATIVITY: THE
LITTLE FIR TREE
The 2013 K-2 Nativity, The Little Fir Tree
details the story of a little fir tree which is
small and insignificant and feels hopeless
compared to the much bigger fir trees.
Eventually, the little fir tree is chosen
to be the Christmas tree at a children’s
hospital and the tree feels adored by the
children. This introduction then leads into
the Christian message of Christmas and
the story of Mary, Joseph and the birth of
Jesus. The Ravenswood performance gave
all girls in Kindergarten, Years 1 and 2 the
opportunity to sing, dance and accompany
a song, each using percussion instruments.
Parents, friends, family and the Golden
Girls (Old Girls who left Ravenswood 50
or more years ago) enjoyed the double
performance.
Ms Jenny Swanton
Music Teacher
DANCE
We have recently introduced two new
styles of dance as a trial for students in
Years 5 and 6, in the co-curricular Dance
Programme. We are building on the success
of the 2013 Dance Festival, which has
filtered through to increased enrolments in
the Dance Programme from Kindergarten
to Year 10.
At the commencement of 2014, students
in both Junior and Secondary Schools were
provided with an opportunity to audition
for their respective Dance Company. With
over 70 students auditioning across the
school, I would like to congratulate those
successful candidates. Both the Junior and
Secondary Dance Companies will represent
Ravenswood at a variety of showcases and
assist in providing extra entertainment at
Performing Arts events.
Recently, we appointed two new members
of staff. Amanda Whittaker and Allison
LaSaffre have experience developing cocurricular Dance programmes in Australia
and internationally. Allison and Amanda
will be an asset to our current programme,
focusing on the Junior School classes. I look
forward to working with them both.
We are investigating the option of Dance as
a curriculum subject in 2015 and hope to
provide more options for all Ravenswood
students from Kindergarten to Year 12.
Ms Ebony Keys
Dance Teacher
CHORAL
FESTIVAL 2013
The audience in the gymnasium
was treated to four engaging House
performances with wonderful direction
from the Music Captains, who tackled a
difficult task. Not only did the Captains
look amazing but they also conducted a
large vocal group, prepared the musical
6
‘This is the best Ravenswood music concert
we have ever been to’ was just one
comment I overheard at the conclusion of
The Celebration of the Gift of Music, which
took place on Tuesday 11 March. This event
showcased a bespoke Stuart Concert Grand
piano bequeathed to Ravenswood by Old
Girl Virginia Farley, Class of 1947.
Audience members had the option of
attending a master class given by the
well-renowned and Sydney-based pianist,
Gerard Willems AM, where a mixture of
three current elective Music students and
scholars were under the microscope. The
girls gave a performance of their chosen
piece, followed by a short 15-minute
workshop. Gerard’s inspirational approach
and anecdotal conversation gave each girl
something poignant to consider for further
practice.
7
The concert included each workshopped
piece, this time for a paying audience,
as well as a lively duo performance from
Old Girl Paula Lu (2011) and her playing
partner, Katerina Makarova.
Gerard was the last performer on stage and
pre-empted his performance by explaining
the mechanics and special sound the
beautiful Stuart piano produces. Gerard
truly brought the evening to a simply
stunning conclusion with a performance
of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, in its
entirety. This sublime interpretation was a
perfect prelude before a champagne and
cheese reception.
9
8
Mrs Heather Aird
Director Performing Arts
10
11
6 And, clap! | 7 Hands up! | 8 Year 9 Music Scholar Semin Park receives critic from Gerard
Willems | 9 Year 12 Music Scholar, Paula Geng | 10 Year 12 Academic Scholar Elizabeth
Wong, Year 12, benefitting from Gerard Willems advice | 11 Principal Vicki Steer with
Virginia Farley’s sons, Jeremy and Justin Bracken
15
Semper Autumn 2014
Sport
Sport
Sport
Rowing | Junior School Highlights
THE COURAGE TO
TRY SOMETHING
NEW
T
erm 1 marked the
commencement of rowing as
part of the curriculum-related
programme for sport. The inaugural
rowing class comprises 20 girls from
Years 10-12, who have a background
in a wide variety of sports.
The programme is run by Macquarie
University Rowing Club which provides all
the equipment and coaches, as well as
access to its pathway. Head Coach, Rob
Richards is assisted by Andy Roddick and
Laura Robertson. Rob has earned five
state and seven national titles, as well
as six World Cup medals and three World
Championship medals. He won a gold medal
at the 1997 World Championships in France
and a silver medal at the Sydney 2000
Olympics. Following Rob’s athletic career,
he transitioned from rower to coach in
2002. Rob has been involved in a number of
NSW State teams and the Ontario Women’s
Provincial team as Head Coach.
2
Laura Robertson is a Ravenswood Old Girl,
Class of 2003. While at school she rowed
at State and National Championships and
also represented the school at a number
of regattas, including the Schoolgirl Head
of the River, where she placed second,
and the Australian National Rowing
Championships in 2002 and 2003.
After leaving school Laura obtained
a Rowing scholarship to Macquarie
University to study a double degree;
Bachelor of Business Administration and
Bachelor of Arts - Psychology. She has
competed in a number of State teams at
various interstate regattas including the
Youth Cup, the Interstate Regatta at the
Australian Championships and the Youth
Olympics, finishing in the top three in many
events. The highlight was winning the
Championship Open Women’s Single Scull
at the Australian University Championships
and being awarded full University Blues.
At the twice-weekly sessions, the girls
learnt the basics. The first few sessions
concentrated on technique, moving the
boats around safely from the racks to the
pontoon and the water, while starting to
build aerobic fitness and technique on the
ergometers. As skills improved, teamwork
and timing have been a focus for the crews
to get their eights moving effectively on
the water.
The girls have shown great courage in
learning these new skills and have been
very excited as it has come together. There
have been smiles all round as the crews
have felt the power of the boats slicing
through the water.
1
3
This programme will be offered in Terms
1 and 4. For further information please
contact the Sports Office (02) 9498 9919.
Dr Michelle Nancarrow
Director Sport
4
5
7
8
6
Since leaving university, she has been
working in Human Resources and has spent
the last three years living in the UK, basing
her rowing at Imperial College, London.
JUNIOR SCHOOL
SPORT
9
Coach Laura Robertson, Ravenswood Old
Girl, Class of 2003
10
THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
RESPECT, COURAGE,
EXCELLENCE AND
COMPASSION ARE ALWAYS
EVIDENT IN JUNIOR
SCHOOL SPORT.
1 Year 4 girls were able to mix with Year 5 players in the Ravenswood Diamonds team for their first year of IPSHA Saturday morning
competition—Ariane McKenna, Isabelle Barratt, Annaliese Tanswell and Anna Duckworth, Year 5 | 2 Ava McLean, Year 4, showing
courage on the one metre diving board at the Junior School Diving Carnival | 3 The Ravenswood Swimming team with mascot Pablo
at the IPSHA Swimming Carnival | 4 Years 5 and 6 IPSHA Softball – The Flames smile confidently with their coach Stacey Vickman
after a successful game | 5 Junior School Diving Carnival – Years 3-6 diving competitors post carnival | 6 York and Windsor engage
in some spirited cheerleading at the Junior School Swimming Carnival | 7 Zoe MacMillan, Martine Mallyon, Vivienne Yang and
Danielle Fenech, Year 6, show off the Swimming House Shield | 8 Swimming Captain, Sarah Donnelley, Year 6, showing compassion by
giving Stuti Mukund, Year 3, a helping hand | 9 IPSHA Football – The Year 5 Green team | 10 IPSHA Football – The Year 5 Yellow team
absorbing a half-time tactic talk
Semper
17
Semper Autumn
Autumn 2014
2013 17
Camp and Immersion Programmes
Camp and Immersion Programmes
Putting the Guiding
Principles into Practice
Cambodia | Operation Bula! | Year 9 Camp
1
2
CAMP AND
IMMERSION
PROGRAMMES
‘I gained understanding, I gained
compassion, I gained perseverance and a
respect for those who persevere despite
their own circumstances’ Georgia Honey,
Year 12, Cambodian Immersion 2014
S
o often it is in the most
unassuming places that
we learn our most valuable
lessons. Observing the unity shared
among a Fijian church choir, for
instance, can teach the power of
solidarity. Likewise, the power of
courage can be seen in a young child
defending his classmate against a
schoolyard bully.
Education is not just about the lessons
taught alongside a textbook between
the hours of 9.00am–3.00pm. Education
is about those experiences that shape
our understanding of respect, courage,
excellence and compassion. It is this
understanding that inspires the continuous
development of the Camps and Global
Experience Programmes offered at
Ravenswood.
CAMBODIA
In December 2013, the fourth cohort of
Ravenswood and Knox Grammar School
students set foot in Cambodia to serve
in partnership with the Matesabroad
Foundation. Spending the majority of the
trip in Phnom Penh, the two teams of
students operated in pairs to lead tailored
English lessons across five slum community
schools. As well as group teaching, students
would often spend one-on-one time with
Khmer children to assist them with their
reading, an intimate connection, special for
the children and our girls alike.
‘Within a class, there were such different
levels of literacy and so students who
struggled would be lost behind children
who understood. The reading provided a
real chance for the kids to learn at their
own pace and at their own level’, says
Georgia Honey.
‘The connection that we managed to form
with these children in a brief ten minutes
(of reading) was embedded with such
joviality’, shares Bianca Farmakis, Year 12.
The programme is aimed to ‘take girls
outside of the classroom, experience life
in a developing country and give something
back to people who are less privileged than
themselves’, says Immersion Coordinator
and Deputy Principal, Mr David Garner.
The programme not only includes a focus
on social responsibility but on providing
an understanding of the cultural history of
Cambodia as a struggling sovereign nation
by visiting landmarks such as The Killing
Fields, S21 Prison and Angkor Wat.
With many Ravenswood girls coming from
families of relative privilege, such a trip
offers a humbling experience, confronting
girls with a very raw and often bleak insight
into the lives of those in marginalised
areas. Mr Garner says that while this sort
of an education may not suit everyone,
for those students who participate in the
Cambodia programme, the lessons learned
and experiences shared have consistently
had a positive effect on their appreciation
for compassion and respect.
Bianca Farmakis says, ‘I was awakened to
such a complex and mistreated nation that
welcomed me into its havoc and heartache
with love and joy and the hope for a
better day’.
Organising body, Matesabroad provides
instruction as to what teaching topics
our groups of students will cover during
their visit to the host Khmer schools.
Ravenswood operates the programme
biannually and for the next trip scheduled
in June 2014, the teaching themes will
focus on ‘opposites’ and ‘feelings’.
we, from a privileged background may
think they need’, says Mr Julian.
OPERATION BULA!
YEAR 9 CAMP
Ravenswood fosters its ongoing
relationship with teachers, families
and students of the beautiful, yet
disadvantaged, Tagaqe District School
on the southern coast of Fiji.
In February, busloads of Ravenswood girls
headed to Biloela in Moss Vale to endure a
week without toilets, showers and the other
comforts of home. The challenge of the Year
9 Wilderness Camp was yet again a success.
Led by Mr Robin Julian and Mrs Leana
Julian, the Operation Bula! programme
offers students of Years 11 and 12 the
opportunity to participate in a unique
service trip. Operating every second year,
Ravenswood takes a group of 20 girls to Fiji
to spend eight days teaching and working
in Tagaqe District School. Typical tasks
include leading lessons in Mathematics
or English, aiding staff in the physical
redevelopment of any school infrastructure
and educating students on topical issues
such as National Drug Week, which fell
during Ravenswood’s June 2013 visit.
The camp is designed to challenge girls and
push them beyond their comfort zone. ‘By
the end of the camp, we hope for students
to have developed a greater resilience and
be able to cope better with tough times’,
says Year 9 Coordinator, Mr Anton Kendall.
Mr Julian says in addition to being a
programme that teaches girls the value of
compassion and respect in an extraordinary
context, the fact that the programme is a
return trip, allows Ravenswood to develop
a strong rapport with the local community
and be a deeply embedded part of the
developmental progress for this Fijian school.
Mr Kendall says that supporting
objectives of the programme include
the accomplishment of independence,
the development of new skills, a greater
appreciation for family and peers and
for girls to have a sense that they have
achieved something.
The week is filled with initiative tasks,
teamwork problem solving and physical
activities such as hiking, canoeing and
mountain biking. The programme continues
to be a productive experience for all girls
and provides a taster experience for those
who choose to participate in the Duke of
Edinburgh Award or Cadets programmes.
3
‘Spending an entire week at the same
school gave me the opportunity to learn
every student’s name in my class, in
addition to understanding their own
personal circumstances and abilities’, says
Joy Zhang, Year 12.
The next scheduled Operation Bula! will
be in 2015 and as with previous years, the
aim of the trip will be twofold—foremost to
provide a service on an international scale
to a specific community in Fiji and secondly
to provide a cultural immersion experience
for the girls.
4
5
As Joy Zhang reflects, the programme
offers students a unique understanding
of the value of respect, compassion and
human nature, ‘Despite our superficial
differences such as race, money or
education, our internal ability to love and
give is the universal glue that binds us all
into one human race’.
‘In 2015, we will aim to prepare closely
with the school to focus our efforts even
more so on what the community of Tagaqe
District School actually needs, not on what
6
1–2 Cambodia | 3–4 Operation Bula! | 5-6 Year 9 Camp
19
Semper Autumn 2014
Junior School
Junior School
Weaving a Fine Web
New play equipment | Updated classrooms | Excellent academic results
THE EVER-EVOLVING
JUNIOR SCHOOL
A
strong, steel spider-web
emerges from an abandoned
pirate ship. The complex
webbing is not easy to conquer but
provides an ideal lookout for a pirate
guarding her leather-bound chest.
Wild white horses are thundering past
and a dragon is spitting out flames.
While you might expect to be reading a
children’s adventure novel, when the girls
jump aboard the Junior School’s newly
constructed play equipment, they are
living one.
The new structure, a parent initiative,
was generously donated by the RPA
(Ravenswood Parents’ Association) and
hosted acrobats, explorers
and spiders during Term 1,
before it was officially
opened at the Junior
School Picnic.
The girls have been captivated by their
imagination. Gabrielle Naumovski, Year 5,
observed the Kindergarten girls imagining
themselves as princesses having tea in their
castle and Jasmine Wilks, Year 5, compares
the structure to Tutankhamun’s tomb.
‘The refurbishments have enabled the girls
to relate the spaces to their learning,’ says
Mrs Bailey. ‘For example, soft furnishings
are used for reading and group activities,
and the cantilevered deck, which overlooks
our new lawn space Mrs Holly’s Garden, can
be used for Drama activities.’
‘Mr Garner had first go! The adults are just
as excited as the children,’ says Mrs Cheryl
Bailey, Head of Junior School.
The importance of play resonates
with Ravenswood’s four Guiding
Principles: Respect, Courage,
Excellence and Compassion.
Year 3 also led a Courage-themed Chapel
service and wrote and designed place
mats for their Father/Daughter breakfast.
‘The placemats explain why their Dads
are courageous and how they give their
daughters courage to do the things they
do,’ says Mrs Nolan.
Excellence resounds in the updated
classrooms, which were refurbished over
the Christmas break. New carpets, desks
and chairs are surrounded by innovative
designs such as ‘rooms within rooms’,
providing a contemporary and diverse
learning environment for the girls.
‘Now the equipment has been revealed
and used by the girls, it’s fantastic to see
them having so much fun crawling all over
the ropes and establishing their preferred
vantage points,’ says Mr David Garner,
Deputy Principal.
Dr David Whitebread from the University of
Cambridge recognises that play is becoming
increasingly acknowledged by researches
as contributing to intellectual achievement
and emotional wellbeing. ‘Play in all
its rich variety is one of the highest
achievements and serves a serious purpose
for children as well as adults,’ he says.
Mrs Kate Nolan, Year 3 teacher, has chosen
to explore Courage through Year 3’s
historical study into Aboriginal Australia as
well as chosen literature, imaginative writing
and their Bounce Back Programme, which
helps each girl overcome personal worries.
1
Ms Megan Murphy and Year 2 collaborated
on a short poem about the climbing frame,
including reflections of ‘feeling overjoyed’
but also ‘co-operating proudly’.
This notion of Respect, along with
Compassion, is evident every time students
enjoy the space. ‘It is a great idea to take
turns in Year Groups so the equipment
doesn’t get too crowded,’ says Annabelle
Evans, Year 6.
Furthermore the grassy space has
encouraged free play, building cubbies,
playing chess, picnicking, games of tip and
reading quietly under the space of a tree
(just to name a few).
The success of not only the Junior School’s
physical space but also academic results
in debating, writing competitions and
public speaking have also demonstrated
Excellence.
‘We will never forget the evening of the
ISDA finals clashing with last year’s Year
6 Musical Dear Edwina Junior. It required
sacrifice from our key debaters but in
hindsight the right decision was made as
the girls won the ISDA Finals!’ Says Ms
Georgia Galati, Junior School Debating
Coordinator.
‘Their dedication, success and their
personal growth has made us very proud,’
says Ms Galati.
Mrs Sharon Shapiro has overseen students
in numerous writing competitions, including
the Future Problem Solving Programme,
which saw Holland Touw from Year 6
(now Year 7) place second in the Scenario
Writing category. Holland is travelling to
Iowa in the USA in June to compete in the
finals.
Further, the Board of Studies Write-On
competition acknowledged Danielle
Fenech, Year 6, with a gold award (highest
award presented). Danielle also placed
second in the C J Denis Poetry Competition.
This is the fourth year that Ravenswood has
received gold for Stage 3 (Years 5 and 6) for
Write-On. ‘It’s amazing that the girls are
consistently showing that whatever they are
doing, it is so well structured and written,’
says Mrs Shapiro.
Mrs Shaprio, who additionally mentors
Senior Community Problem Solving, is
excited to see this group of young writers
apply their skills and adapt to the senior
competitions. ‘Once they enter Senior
School competitions they will find it hard to
believe how much physical change they can
actually bring,’ she says.
Acrobats and princesses are not the only
things invading the Junior School. ‘We
get to build, name and programme our
robots,’ says Kate Steinert, Year 6. The
girls from Class 6G have met the challenge
of designing and building their own robots
with K-6 ICT Integrator Mrs Janet Benecke
and their teacher Mr David Freeman.
‘As we work in groups to build the robots,
we have learnt new things together
about programming, engineering and
constructing. We’ve also shared ideas with
each other on how to improve them,’ says
Caitlin Hargraves, Year 6.
If you don’t step on a robot, or get
entangled in a game of hide-and-go-seek
during your visit to Ravenswood’s everevolving Junior School, then relish in the
fact that as a student, parent, teacher or
visitor (past, future or present), the school
welcomes you to swing from vines like
Charlotte Peet, Year 6, and explore the
castle’s many doors with Juliet Mallyon,
Year 5. If Mr Garner can be the pirate ship’s
inaugural captain, then all aboard!
Miss Millie Crawford
‘Rich, stimulating experiences within a
nurturing social context is a vital ingredient
in supporting healthy intellectual,
emotional and social development in young
children,’ says David Whitebread. ‘This is
the purpose and function of creative play,’
he says.
These Guiding Principles have been
carried successfully from the
playground to classroom
learning.
3
4
5
1 Part of the Graffiti Wall in the Junior School with students’ messages on the Guiding Principles | 2 The new playground equipment
was generously donated by the Ravenswood Parents’ Association | 3 Year 1 girls using laptops in a group activity | 4 The cantilevered
deck overlooking Mrs Holly’s Garden | 5 Students watch keenly to see if their robot will follow the line
2
21
Semper Autumn 2014
Archives
Community
Archives
New Council Members
The Ravenswood Prospectus
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
A
s the theme for this edition of
Semper is Guiding Principles,
it seemed appropriate to
research some past copies of the
Ravenswood Prospectus to gain an
insight into what have been the aims,
visions, mission statements and
indeed guiding principles upon which
Ravenswood was founded.
The earliest Prospectus held in the Archives
is from Mabel Fidler’s Ravenswood, dated
1913. The aim of the school; ‘is to provide a
sound education for girls, and to train their
powers of intelligence. Each pupil is given
individual attention and is encouraged to
cultivate thoroughness in work, and to love
learning for its own sake. The pupils are at
the same time trained in habits of courtesy
and refinement.’
By the 1930s the Prospectus stated; ‘The
aim of the School is to provide, along
modern lines, a thorough and liberal
education for girls … in an environment
Mrs Jolyn Karaolis AM, FACE | Dr Kate Kelso
conducive not only to mental and physical
development, but to a wholesome attitude
of mind, and to the encouragement of
those ideals which belong to the best type
of womanhood.’
During the 1940s and 1950s, apart from
providing; ‘thorough and liberal training …
The aim always is to promote the mental
and physical development of the girls, so
they may be equipped to contribute their
full share of service to society.’ (c1940
Prospectus). By the late 1960s reference
to providing; ‘a sound Christian education’
was a firmly established guiding principle.
The school aimed; ‘to promote the spiritual,
academic, social and physical development
of each pupil to her maximum capacity
and to provide, through the emphasis on
spiritual values, training in responsible
citizenship, unselfish community service
and respect for the opinion and beliefs of
others.’ (1968 Prospectus).
Principles of self-worth, willingness to
accept responsibility and leadership,
excellence and commitment; ‘and
personal values such as self-discipline,
loyalty, tolerance and compassion’ were
strongly stated throughout the 1980s.
(c1988 Prospectus). Along with these
firmly entrenched principles and the
vision; Foundations for the Future, the
1990s saw the principles of confidence,
resourcefulness, flexibility, guidance,
ingenuity, health, initiative, self-expression
and friendships added to the pages of the
Ravenswood Prospectus of the day.
Perhaps Ravenswood’s guiding principles
can be summed up in the statement
relating to the enduring school motto;
‘semper ad meliora—always towards better
things—affirms the School philosophy for all
members of the School community.’ (c1998
Prospectus)
(c = circa has been used when the
Prospectus spanned several years)
Mrs Kathy Switzer
School Archivist
2
1
3
4
1 Ruth Hirst (1908–1918) embodied the 1913 principles of love of learning and refinement | 2 The Senior Geography class in 1930
seems to have enjoyed a liberal education in an environment conducive to mental and physical development | 3 Incoming prefects
in 1989 show leadership and a willingness to accept responsibility as indeed have generations of Ravenswood prefects | 4 All the
guiding principles listed in the 1990s surely have been needed to survive annual camps as this 1999 Year 9 Camp shows
R
avenswood welcomed two
new Council members in
February this year. While
they have varying backgrounds they
are both passionate about education
and young people. We are delighted
to have two such experienced
individuals join Ravenswood and are
excited by the diverse knowledge
and experience they will bring to
Ravenswood’s Council.
MRS JOLYN KARAOLIS
AM, FACE
BA (Hons), MEd (Hons),
BPsych (Hons)
Originally from Tasmania, Jo studied
a double major in History Honours at
Melbourne University. After graduation, Jo
moved to Sydney to work as a researcher
for the Head of the Commonwealth Public
Service. After marrying, she began her
teaching career at Presbyterian Ladies’
College, Croydon and then moved to
SCEGGS, Darlinghurst. After having two
children and concentrating on her family
for nine years, Jo returned to SCEGGS
in 1978 where she became the Head of
History and Curriculum Coordinator. In
1988, Jo was appointed Headmistress at
St Catherine’s School, Waverley where she
remained for 13 years.
Between 1993 and 1997, Jo was the
Foundation Chair of the Academic
Committee of the Association of Heads
of Independent Schools (AHISA) NSW and
represented independent schools on the
NSW Board of Studies for nearly ten years.
In 1996, Jo was appointed Fellow of the
Australian College of Education, at which
time she was also a member of Council at
the University of New South Wales.
1
2
3
1 Jolyn Karaolis | 2 Kate Kelso | 3 Kate Kelso, School Vice-Captain 1997
pursuing further study. In 2003, she was
appointed Principal at St Lucy’s, Wahroonga
where she remained for ten years.
In 2004, Jo was awarded an Order of
Australia for her service to education, as
an innovator and administrator for her
work with AHISA, while at St Catherine’s.
In 2012, Jo was also awarded Principal of
the Year by the NSW Parents’ Council and
Ku-ring-gai Woman of the Year by then
Premier, Mr Barry O’Farrell.
Jo is excited to be serving on Ravenswood
School Council and is looking forward to the
contribution her unique knowledge of the
education sector will bring to the school.
DR KATE KELSO
BMed FRACGP
Kate is currently a practising GP in
North Sydney and a medical consultant
to Australian Doctor, a weekly news
publication for GPs. Kate enjoys the
diversity that general practice offers and
has a special interest in women’s and
children’s health and mental health. In her
publishing role, Kate writes regularly and is
involved in the editorial process.
Kate is a Ravenswood Old Girl, Class of 1997.
In addition to being School Vice-Captain,
Kate was jointly named Best All-Rounder
in 1997, having been involved in a variety
of sport, music, debating and leadership
activities at the school. Kate went on to
study medicine at Newcastle University,
graduating in 2002, and completed her
General Practice training in 2010.
One of Kate’s passions is promoting
wellbeing in young people. Kate believes
that providing a balanced education,
valuing each student for her unique
attributes, encouraging self-worth and
fostering lifelong education are vital to
promoting the development of engaged and
resilient young women.
Kate benefitted enormously from this
philosophy during her own education at
Ravenswood and is delighted to be involved
in the process of ensuring the same
opportunities continue to be available to
Ravenswood students of the future.
Ms Bess Bosman
Marketing and Enrolments
At the end of 2000, Jo left St Catherine’s
and did consultancy work for two years while
23
Semper Autumn 2014
Community and RPA
Community and RPA
The RPA has earmarked three projects for
2014:
1. Outdoor seating on the Rooftop
Terrace of the Mabel Fidler Building
2. Replacing the auditorium stage
Community
3. The installation of an electronic
visual display board facing onto the
Pacific Highway.
The Ravenswood Foundation | DBNO#9 | RPA and Community
O
ur community is blessed
with the engagement,
contribution and support of
the Ravenswood Parents’ Association,
the Ravenswood Foundation,
incorporating the Fidler Fellowship,
and the Ravenswood Old Girls’ Union.
At the start of 2014, each of these groups
planned their activities and events for the
year, affirmed their commitment to the
school community and agreed their level
of support and engagement for the year
ahead. Each member brings enthusiasm and
commitment to the Ravenswood community
and a wealth of knowledge, expertise,
dedication and leadership.
Late last year, the RPA held its annual
Christmas Lunch with market stalls and
the Fair. The school and ROGU held the
Golden Girls’ Luncheon for 111 alumni who
left Ravenswood 50 or more years ago. The
Golden Girls came together to share stories,
laugh with dear friends and remember their
time at Ravenswood. The Fidler Fellowship
hosted book launches and provided the
Class of 2013 with Valedictory Bibles and
funds from WOW! were once again donated
to English Department initiatives.
Early in Term 1 2014, the RPA and the
school co-hosted a Welcome Wine and
Cheese night for all parents and staff, the
Foundation began planning DBNO #9 (Dads’
Big Night Out) and helped host the New
Parents’ Dinner, and ROGU hosted the
Recent Leavers Cocktail party, welcoming
70 alumni from the Class of 2012. All of
these events were a great success.
Alumni reunions for 2014 are well underway
and 14 reunions have been planned so far.
Connecting and reminiscing with other
Ravenswood alumni is fun, brings back so
many memories and opens the door to a
whole new world of social and professional
connections.
Both the RPA and the Foundation have
made a commitment to financially support
projects within the school during 2014.
Some projects will have an immediate
impact and others will have a longer term
and lasting impact on the Ravenswood
community.
THE RAVENSWOOD
FOUNDATION
The Foundation’s Annual Giving appeal is
being launched in Term 2 and funds will be
allocated to the Building Fund, the Library
Fund and the Scholarship Fund.
One of the most exciting building
developments for Ravenswood is the new
Centre for Science that will inspire and
engage students in scientific exploration
and discovery and trigger active learning.
The facilities will include specialist
laboratories, break-out rooms and informal
learning spaces, displays, outdoor spaces
for learning and experiments, a flexible
demonstration room, preparation areas and
equipment storage facilities. The goal is to
provide the students with the best possible
resources in science so they confidently
know that their study of science can take
them further in this field, if they choose to
do so at the tertiary level.
DBNO#9 WITH
GUEST SPEAKERS
ROY AND HG
Dads’ Big Night Out has a long, illustrious
history at Ravenswood and has raised in
excess of $500,000 over 15 years. This
year, DBNO was on Friday 30 May at the
Kirribilli Club.
Funds raised will go towards developing
the exciting new Ravenswood Centre for
Science which will benefit our current and
future students for many years to come.
RPA AND
COMMUNITY
Junior School Play Equipment: The
first major project of the year was the
completion of the new Moduplay equipment
for the Junior School playground. After
careful research by the RPA Junior
School President, Cassandra Gordon, this
wonderful new and exciting item of play
equipment was installed, along with a
large, new, soft-fall area, at the start of
Term 1 for the enjoyment of all the girls
from Kindergarten to Year 6.
The RPA funds these projects through
profits from the Uniform Centre, the RPA
Fair, RPA K-6 and Years 7–12 fundraising
and friendraising initiatives, the RPA Sports
Lunch raffle, the RPA Christmas Lunch
market stalls and raffle and the $50 RPA
parent contribution.
RPA contribution: This year, Ravenswood
has facilitated a simple Online Payments
link on the school website. All parents are
encouraged to make their contribution
online and support the fundraising projects
which will benefit all the girls.
Community Relations is grateful for
the time, generosity and support of all
members of these associated groups
who contribute to making Ravenswood’s
community atmosphere so unique; as
recognised not just by the school, but by
the broader community.
Mrs Diana Morison
Community and Development Manager
RPA Golf Day at Killara Golf Club on
Thursday 11 September. More information
will be sent out closer to the event.
1
Meals Made With Love is an inspiring RPA
community project which has been helping
Ravenswood families for over ten years.
The RPA has a group of wonderful
volunteers who generously provide home
cooked frozen meals for families going
through a difficult time such as a serious
illness, death in the immediate family, new
separation/divorce etc.
2
3
This service to the school community, is
provided anonymously and contact is made
with the utmost discretion.
Last year Louise Owens, The Meals Made
With Love convenor, coordinated the
donation of over 200 home cooked meals.
The volunteers do not know who they are
cooking for and the families who receive
the meals do not know who cooked for
them. This anonymity is the key to the
success of the programme, which has since
been adopted by other schools. We recently
received this message:
‘I just wanted to write and say thank you
from the bottom of my heart for the meals
we have been given. We are all still just
managing to get through one day at a time
and the kindness of others is overwhelming.
Could you please pass on to the families
involved that it has made a huge difference
to us both practically and emotionally.’
5
4
6
1,2,3 The RPA Fair | 4 The Golden Girls Luncheon | 5 Ann Maxwell (Margaret Bowden) and Dorothy Logan (Bannigan), Class of 1956 |
6 The RPA Christmas Lunch
25
Semper Autumn 2014
Beyond Ravenswood
Beyond Ravenswood
Beyond Ravenswood
2014 REUNIONS CONTACTS AND DATES
10 YEAR (2004)
TBA
30 YEAR (1984)
Sat 2 Aug
Ravenswood Old Girls’ Union (ROGU) | Alumni | Reunions
40 YEAR (1974)
Sat 13 Sept
50 YEAR (1964)
Sat 30 Aug
www.trybooking.com/ETHX
Michelle (Shelly) Slater
[email protected]
Kimberley Steele
[email protected]
Sarah Beresford
[email protected]
Shelley Smith (Middleton)
[email protected]
Fiona Mackenzie (Deane)
[email protected]
Tina Emery
[email protected]
Louise Bosch
[email protected]
Pam Clancy
[email protected]
Jane Menck
[email protected]
53 YEAR (1961)
TBA
June Kirwan
[email protected]
60 YEAR (1954)
Wed 3 Sept
Jennifer Stevenson
(Huthnance)
[email protected]
60 YEAR (1955)
Wed 21 Oct 2015
Elizabeth de Ferranti
[email protected]
Robin Blackwell
[email protected]
Everyone is welcome to become involved in the Union and to support the following events:
CAREERSEARCH—A NETWORKING NIGHT Tuesday 3 June
1 | The 40 Year Reunion | 2 The 59 Year Reunion
RAVENSWOOD OLD
GIRLS’ UNION (ROGU)
W
elcome to all the girls
who have recently
become members of
the Ravenswood Old Girls’ Union, in
particular the Class of 2013. We are
delighted to welcome you and hope
that through the Union you will be
able to maintain contact with the
school and with your peers.
In November 2013, the ROGU Committee
assisted Jenny Wells to organise the Cake
Stall at the Ravenswood Fair. It was a very
successful day with many Old Girls offering
to help run the stall or dropping in to make
contact and show their support for ROGU.
Jenny also organised a cake decorating
competition and Mrs Judith White, former
Home Science teacher, kindly offered to
judge and award prizes to the winning
entrants. Our thanks go to Jenny and the
team of Old Girls who supported her,
including those who travelled from
the country.
At the Golden Girls’ Luncheon last
December, we welcomed some special
Old Girls—those who left school 50 years
ago. These women had a very enjoyable
luncheon and were delighted to be invited
back to see the changes that have taken
place at Ravenswood.
At our AGM, the existing Committee was
re-elected with the focus on updating our
constitution, continuing our support for the
school and alumni as well as encouraging
new members to become involved in the
Committee.
Our Committee members meet at school
once a term and we are keen to welcome
any Old Girls who are interested in joining.
The 2012 Leavers Reunion was held in
March. It was a very enjoyable evening
with approximately 60 girls catching up
with each other and sharing their news
about the past year and also their plans for
the future.
Plans are underway for many reunions to be
held during the year. I encourage everyone
to support these functions as they are
always enjoyable occasions where Old Girls
can catch up with friends and share their
memories. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Anne Nielsen (1972)
President, ROGU
ALUMNI
40 YEAR REUNION
CLASS OF 1973
The day of our 40 year reunion luncheon
arrived and it turned out to be a glorious day.
boat cruised along, we noticed the harbour
had a strange brown glow about it and we
spoke sadly about those who must have
been caught in the bush fires around the
country at that time.
However, we were in high spirits when
we walked up from the Watsons Bay ferry
terminal to the restaurant, Doyles on the
Beach, to greet our Ravenswood school
friends from the Class of 1973.
We were escorted to a private room
overlooking the sea. How fortunate are we
to be in such a picture perfect location.
It wasn’t long after that, others began
to arrive and we excitedly greeted one
another.
It has been 40 years, so it wasn’t always
obvious who we were speaking to initially!
Thankfully name tags were provided. Our
school friends arrived from Sydney, all
around Australia and from the United States.
After about 15 minutes of non-stop
chatting, we were all asked to be seated
so that the lunch could begin. Needless to
say, the continual flow of conversation did
not stop and in between the main meal
and dessert, we managed to stay quiet
for a few minutes while the waiters took
photographs.
ROGU MOTHER/DAUGHTER BREAKFAST Thursday 12 June
GOLDEN GIRLS’ LUNCHEON Thursday 27 November
We enjoyed dessert and then had a round
of interesting group questions, such as ‘who
had the largest number of grandchildren’.
This was easily won by Elizabeth Martin.
After much laughter, it was decided it was
only fitting that we ended the day with
singing Kindle the Flame. This was done
loudly, proudly and effortlessly and, as
required, ended with ‘so shall we, so shall
we, honour thy name’.
The day ended too soon for me, but I
was extremely happy to end it on such
a happy note.
Thank you all very much for attending our
reunion and making it such a wonderful day.
I look forward to sharing more laughter and
good times with you at the next reunion!
ALUMNI COMMEMORATIVE PAVERS
L
ining the walkways within the Old Girls’ Courtyard are
approximately 1400 pavers. Pavers may be inscribed in a variety
of ways—for example with either your family name or daughter’s
name and alumni year.
Donations of $500 or more to the Building Fund entitle the donor to an inscribed
Commemorative Paver. All donations are fully tax deductible.
The Pavers will be displayed randomly along the walkways in the Old Girls’
Courtyard. A sample of the Paver is on display in the Community Relations Office.
Please contact Mrs Diana Morison, Community and Development Manager on (02)
9498 9865 or email [email protected], if you would like more
information or wish to be sent an order form.
Carolyn Leo (Hammer)
59 YEAR REUNION
CLASS OF 1955
The Class of 1955 reunion was held on
Wednesday 2 April 2014 at the Killara Golf
Club and it was so successful that they have
already booked their 60 Year reunion next
year on 21 October 2015.
A few of us met at Circular Quay to enjoy
a ferry trip across to Watsons Bay. As the
Keep in touch via email at [email protected]
27
Semper Autumn 2014
On a Personal Note
On a Personal Note
Beyond Ravenswood
ON A PERSONAL NOTE
T
he goal of building the new
Ravenswood Centre for Science
is to provide the students with
the best possible resources in science,
so they confidently know that their
study of science can take them further
in this field, if they choose to do so at
the tertiary level. With this in mind,
let’s take a look at some of the many
Old Girls who have become leaders in
their chosen profession in the world
of science.
LORIGAN Shona (Florance, 1981) is
currently studying for a Masters of Wildlife
Management at Macquarie University.
Much of her work is a result of her Vice
President role with ORRCA, the volunteer
organisation licensed by National Parks in
NSW for the rescue of marine mammals
including whales, dolphins, seals and
dugongs.
BARNETT Jane (Pope, 1989) has nearly
20 years of experience in air quality
consulting. She began with Holmes Air
Sciences (now Pacific Environment) in
1995, after graduating from Macquarie
University with a Bachelor of Technology
in Atmospheric Science (BTech Hons).
Since then, she has worked on a wide
variety of projects including open cut
and underground mines, landfill sites,
sewage treatment plants, quarries, sand
mines, roadways, power stations, concrete
batching plants, composting operations and
recycling facilities, among others.
Jane also has experience in noise
modelling, meteorological and dust data
collection and preparation of emission
inventories. Her main area of expertise
is air dispersion modelling, to help
people work out ways they can reduce
their impact on the environment, with a
particular reference to air quality.
CORNWELL Dr Helen (1990) graduated
with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery at the
University of Adelaide in 1995 and went on
to complete a Master of Dental Science in
2000 from the University of Melbourne.
Helen became a Fellow of the Royal
Australasian College of Dental Surgeons
in 2000 and her speciality is Paediatric
Dentistry. Registration follows a master’s
degree, clinical doctorate or equivalent in
general dental training. Patients include
healthy children who have significant issues
with their teeth, including decay, too many
or too few teeth or poorly formed teeth
and jaws. It also allows Helen to work with
children with significant childhood illnesses,
such as heart anomalies, childhood cancers,
cystic fibrosis and other respiratory
diseases, as well as children with cleft lip
and or palate.
She also works in private practice, is a
visiting consultant to the John Hunter
Children’s Hospital and is a conjoint senior
lecturer at Newcastle University.
PARKER Shari (Collison, 1992) studied
Medicine at the University of NSW,
graduating with Honours from both Bachelor
of Medical Science in 1999 (after a year of
research in Geriatric Medicine) and Bachelor
of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery in 2000.
Shari then undertook specialist training in
Rehabilitation Medicine with the College
of Physicians, receiving the Australasian
Fellowship Clinical Prize in 2007.
Currently, she is Staff Specialist at St
Vincent’s Hospital and the Chair of
Rehabilitation Medicine at St Vincent’s
Private. Shari also is conjoint senior
lecturer at the Universities of NSW and
Notre Dame and Coordinator of Education
at the Royal Australasian College of
Physicians Rehabilitation Faculty.
MAN Joyce (1999), who completed her
Masters in Clinical Psychology in 2007
at UWS, has been working as a clinical
psychologist for the past seven years
at Ageing, Disability and Home Care,
Department of Family and Community
Services. She provides assessment and
psychological intervention to people of all
ages with intellectual disabilities, as well as
providing education and training to families
and staff members.
Joyce is currently studying for a PhD at
Macquarie University on an Australian
Postgraduate Award Scholarship and is
investigating ways to improve assessment
by psychologists of mental health concerns
in adults with intellectual disability.
HATCHER Prue (2005) completed Chemical
Engineering/Commerce majoring in
Finance in 2010 from the University of
Sydney with First Class Honours. The same
year she was granted an internship with
ExxonMobil in their Offshore Surveillance
team in Melbourne and completed a Thesis
in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Process
Optimisation.
Prue joined Evans & Peck, as an
Engineering Consultant and was seconded
to the $20 billion QGC LNG Coal Seam Gas
project in Brisbane. This interest in LNG
spurred her towards Engineering and as a
result she joined Shell Australia. Initially
she was placed in Downstream Supply and
Distribution, importing crude and finished
product into Australia and also took on the
financial reporting role. The combination
of roles exposed her to refinery operations,
the intricacies of the Australian supply
chain, contractor management and crisis
management.
Prue is moving to Perth as part of LNG’s
Central Engineering team and a large part
of the attraction is the opportunity to work
on Prelude, the first floating LNG vessel in
the world when it comes online in 2015,
operated by Shell.
Prue believes anything is truly possible if
you put your mind to it.
STREATFIELD Suzannah (2007) is currently
doing a PhD in Chemistry as part of a
co-tutelle scheme jointly supervised by
the ANU and the Université de Rennes 1
in France. She spends about 18 months in
1
2
5
3
4
France and the rest of the time in Canberra
at ANU. Her research involves looking at
designing molecules for nonlinear optical
applications, which in basic terms means
doing lots of reactions to make different
compounds, then putting them under a
laser to see what happens.
MORISON Rachel (2008) is in her second
year of a PhD in Forensic Chemistry at
UTS. Her research project, formulated
with the Australian Federal Police,
involves detecting environmental traces
(such as laundry detergents, paint and
metal) on fibres and is titled ‘Improving
the forensic value of textiles and fibres
through the holistic detection and analysis
of acquired characteristics due
to environmental factors’.
6
The aim is to find a new way to link a fibre
from a crime scene to a suspect. Through
the undergraduate degree, she is able to
work in Forensic Laboratories at both State
and Federal levels of policing, crime scene
investigation and commercial analytical labs.
UPTON Kylie (2008) is in her final year
of an Electrical Engineering/Commerce
degree. Her thesis is in the area of facial
processing and recognition for use in
advertisement. She plans to work in a
job that combines the problem solving of
engineering with real life situations. UNSW
encourages students to perform an industry
placement that she completed in Silicon
Valley in a start-up company which was a
very rewarding experience.
WALKER Alice (2008) has a Combined
Environmental Engineering and Science
degree, graduating with First Class
Honours. In 2013, she won The Civil and
Environmental Engineering Environmental
Discipline prize.
1 Shona Lorigan (Florance, 1981) (in the
red vest) | 2 Jane Barnett (Pope, 1989) | 3 Dr
Helen Cornwell (1990) | 4 Joyce Man (1999)
| 5 Rachel Morison (2008) and Suzannah
Streatfield (2007) both received First Class
Honours Degrees and PhD Scholarships |
6 Alice Walker (2008)
Keep in touch via the Alumni Facebook page www.facebook.com/ravenswoodschool
29
Semper Autumn 2014
Beyond Ravenswood
Beyond Ravenswood
Where are they now?
(PLEASE LET US KNOW
WHAT YOU ARE DOING TOO!)
Pam retrained as an English-as-a-secondlanguage teacher and taught with the Adult
Migrant Education Service for eight years.
In 1991, she headed up the AMES
curriculum development unit, and later the
vocational education and training division.
Judy Elliot (Cambage, 1948), Lynece
Middleton (Lacey, 1944) cousin and
Ravenswood sports mistress in the 1940s,
Val Burgess (Richards, 1948), Virginia
Chapman (Boyd, 1948)
BURGESS Valda (Richards, 1948)
celebrated her 80th birthday in September
2013. Family and two school friends from
the Class of 1948 joined her for lunch. Val’s
daughters and many Burgess nieces also
attended Ravenswood.
WOOD Diane (Tarrant,
1960) from Queensland
and Dr Pat Kinnahan
(Taylor, 1960) from
California, celebrated
their 70th birthdays,
visiting California,
Pat Kinnahan and
Diane Wood
Wyoming, Yellowstone,
New York and New England.
There were many highlights: one for Pat
was seeing Orlando Bloom in Romeo and
Juliet and for Di, seeing five fabulous
Vermeer paintings in the Metropolitan
Museum of Art and Cosi fan Tutte at the
Metropolitan Opera.
YOUNG Jennifer (Armstrong, 1961) is a
Visual Arts Tutor, working for Hornsby Kuring-gai Community College. She is married
with three adult children.
HAGAN Pam (Christie, 1969) completed
a degree in Earth Sciences at Macquarie
University in 1972. She began teaching
geography, then completed a diploma in
education and headed to Zambia with
Australian Volunteers Abroad.
After having two sons, further teaching
stints in Nigeria and Malaysia, and raising
rabbits on a farm in Britain, she settled
back in Australia in 1985.
In 2004 she headed up the flagship TAFE
Sydney Institute in Ultimo. In 2010 she
became Deputy Director-General in the
Department of Education and Communities
and in 2012 became the first managing
director of TAFE NSW.
Catherine Armitage, excerpt from The
Sydney Morning Herald, 31 August–
1 September 2013)
SHEPHERD Sally (Hawse, 1975) has moved
to Soldiers Point in Port Stephens, where
she is enjoying semi-retirement.
NICOL Celia (Dixon, 1984) has been
married to Ian for 27 years and they own
a business in Cronulla. They have three
children. Celia enjoys Yogalates and
walking.
WALSHAM Suzy (1991) became the first
woman to win five Empire State Building
Run-Up races in February 2014. She climbed
1576 steps in 11 minutes and 57 seconds
and broke her previous record.
KYLE Anita (1993), a Lyric Soprano,
received her LMusA in singing at the Sydney
Conservatorium. Anita studied music,
french and theatre at UNSW, as well as
summer schools in Austria.
Anita won the National Operatic Aria in
Canberra and the MTO German-Australian
Grant, a 12-month solo contract at the
Hessian State Theatre in Wiesbaden. Anita
also won the Elizabeth Todd Soprano Award
and Music Teachers Association of NSW
Vocal Scholarship, was a finalist in the
2MBS-FM Young Performer of the year, ABC
Young Performer Awards, and the Joan
Sutherland Scholarship.
In Germany, Anita performed solo roles in
Lulu, Carmen, Werther, Hansel and Gretel,
The Magic Flute, Orpheus and Eurydice, and
Bach’s Coffee Cantata.
Since returning to Australia, Anita has been
a guest artist with the Ku-ring-gai Male Choir,
and was a soloist in the Faure Requiem with
the Manly-Warringah Choir in 2014.
Anita works for the Australian Immigration
Department.
POELZL Nicole (Shears, 1994) has been
living in Kangaroo Valley for three years
with her husband, Gerald and two sons.
They opened their restaurant Bistro One46
in April 2012. They won the silver award in
the NSW South Coast Tourism Awards for
Excellence for Tourism Restaurant in August
2013 and were finalists in the Restaurant
Caterers Association Savour Gold Plate
Awards. They welcome any Old Girls or
current families to Bistro One46
www.bistro146.com.au.
TAM Amy (1998) was the recipient of the
Wallara Traveling Scholarship during her
graduate year at the VCA in Melbourne. This
financed a life-changing trip to the Antarctic
in 2002, in support of her art practice.
Those images are available as exhibition
prints and featured in a book titled Imagine
Antarctica: A conversation with the end of
the world. She moves between Sydney and
the US where she launched an independent
film company, Joyvolution Films. Her artist
website is www.libertegrace.com.
WONG Yasmine (2001) completed a
Bachelor of Design from the University of
NSW. She worked as a Graphic/Web Designer
in Sydney before moving to London.
LYONS Eleanor (2003) won first prize at
the world-renowned 9th International
Obraztsova Singing Competition in Russia,
the only non-Soviet bloc contestant to win.
Eleanor has performed at the Sydney Opera
House and with Opera Australia as a soloist
for OzOpera. She has also performed in
Russia, Italy, New Zealand and the UK.
When in Russia, she gave recitals, sang with
a full orchestra at the Bolshoi Theatre and
was invited to perform several times in the
St Petersburg Philharmonia.
KELLY Sharon
(2004) is
completing
a Master of
Shakespeare
in History at
University College
Anne and Sharon Kelly London. She is an
English and History
teacher and is volunteering at a hospital
school in London. Sharon’s teachers at
Ravenswood inspired her to become a
teacher. Her sister Anne Kelly (2007)
is living in Sydney. She completed her
Bachelor of Commerce at UNSW in 2010 and
has been working as a Marketing Manager
at Virgin Australia. Like her sister, Anne
loves to travel. The girls regularly meet in
South Africa, where they grew up before
moving to Australia.
HUMPHRIES Phoebe (2007) is in London
completing her double Masters Degree in
Performance (Voice) at the Guildhall School
of Music and Drama. She leaves for Cardiff
in July to commence an Opera course at the
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
BARNES Nicole (2012) spent a year
solo-backpacking. She began as an au
pair in New York, learnt to track and
hunt animals in South Africa (Nicole’s
country of birth), hiked the 800km of
the pilgrimage El Camino de Santiago in
Spain, ran with the bulls at San Fermin,
hitch-hiked from Belgium to France
and lived with Christian missionaries
for two months in Southern China.
Nicole has commenced her studies in
Journalism, Arabic and Philosophy at the
University of Sydney.
CORBETT Jasmine (2012)
is studying Medicine at UNSW
and plans to become a rural
GP specialising in General
Surgery and Obstetrics.
Jasmine, a Boarder, has
returned to the Residential College as a
Tutor. She became Miss Junee Showgirl in
October 2013 and was one of the winners
of the 2014 Zone 7 Showgirl Final. She sees
the Showgirl Competition as empowering
women and an opportunity to show passion
for your community and raise awareness of
the issues of living in rural areas.
IN FOND MEMORY
GARTRELL, Marjorie (Price, 1931) died
on 4 April 2013 at the age of 98. She was
one of Ravenswood’s Golden Girls and
although she hadn’t been able to take part
in activities for a while, she was involved
for many years. She sent both her girls to
Ravenswood with pride.
Léonie Keipert (Gartrell, 1968)
JACOBS Marjorie OA (1932), emeritus
professor of history at the University of
Sydney, inspired generations of her students
to pursue intellectual excellence. Her
career spanned four decades (1938 to 1980).
Born in August 1915, Marjorie attended
Ravenswood, then run by Mabel Fidler. She
graduated from the University of Sydney in
1936 with a BA, her masters in 1941, and
was appointed tenured lecturer in 1945.
For two years during the war, Marjorie was
seconded to the US Army, to work within
G2 Intelligence.
She was proud of her early pioneering
work in historical method. She went on to
expand the study of Asia over the three
decades until her retirement.
Marjorie was appointed associate professor
in 1967 and in 1969 appointed as the
University of Sydney’s first female professor
of history and second female professor.
From 1984 to 1997, Marjorie devoted her
time to the Royal Australian Historical
Society and in 1990, was awarded a
fellowship.
Marjorie encouraged female students and
was, as one publication noted, ‘willing to
give time and effort to help them reach her
standard’, ‘to dispense tea and sympathy
for the worried’ and on occasion to ‘testify
in court for those who fell foul of the law in
the days of the Vietnam Moratorium, or the
Springbok agitation’.
In 1989 Marjorie was made an Officer of the
Order of Australia.
Pam Spies, Diana Gower and Richard
Barnett, (excerpt from The Sydney Morning
Herald, 5–6 October 2013)
LOWCOCK Nherida (Swain, 1945) was
born in Manilla, NSW on
25 October 1927. Her
primary schooling was in
Manilla and her secondary
in Sydney. She was an
accomplished pianist.
Nherida worked in the Bank of NSW (now
Westpac) until her marriage to Harry
‘Boyce’ Lowcock in July 1951.
She lived in Toowoomba then Tamworth and
after her retirement helped at the Uniting
Church office. She lived alone with a series
of much-loved dogs.
She had a large group of faithful friends,
testimony to her many interests. She
was a loyal friend who never betrayed
a confidence. She belonged to my Chi
exercise group held in Tamworth’s Anzac
Park for over 25 years.
Nherida died on 3 October 2013. Her
friends miss her greatly.
Marlene Ford, a long-time friend
BROWN Barbara (Armstrong, 1945) was
born on 1 February 1930 and passed away
on 6 November 2006.
Barbara attended Ravenswood much
earlier than myself as there were 14 years
between us. She left school to attend
Business College.
Barbara travelled the world before and
after marrying Grahame and they had three
children. She played tennis, bush walked
and volunteered at her Anglican Church at
Terrey Hills.
She loved her Ravenswood days and was a
joy to all who knew her.
Jennifer Young (Armstrong, 1961),
Barbara’s Sister
FRIEND, Dorothy (Kingswall, 1953) passed
away in 2006, as notified by her brother,
Reverend Bob Friend.
GIBSON, Janine (Watson,
1969) passed away on
23 July 2013 after an 11
month battle with cancer.
My beautiful sister never
complained and fought to the very end.
Janine started at Ravenswood when she
was 13 and graduated Year 12 in 1969.
Janine lived life to the fullest and always
surrounded herself with many very special
friends and family.
In her younger years she was a very
successful horse rider and was also
passionate about art, winning First Prize at
the Royal Easter Show.
She attended teachers college and became
a primary school teacher. Janine married
Jim in 1980 and they had two beautiful
children. Janine loved travelling.
Janine’s caring nature and her love for
everything and everyone will not be
forgotten: She will always be in our hearts.
Deborah Thatcher (Watson, 1977), Janine’s
sister
Keep in touch via email at [email protected]
31
Semper Autumn 2014
Beyond Ravenswood
WEDDINGS
GULBIS, Liene (2004) married Berin
Delforce on Saturday 29 June 2013. The
wedding took place at Ombak Luwung
Beachfront Estate in Canggu, Bali. Corinne
Emmelhainz (2004) was Maid of Honour.
Lauren Dean (2004), Joanna Bridle (2004),
Stephanie Burnard (2004) and Jessica
Staniland (2004) attended.
HONE, Rebekah (2009) married James
Ratcliffe on Saturday 4 January 2014 at
St John’s Uniting Church in Wahroonga.
Rebekah and James exchanged marriage
vows before God, family and friends. They
were blessed with a beautiful summer’s
day for a lovely afternoon tea after the
ceremony. The day continued joyfully into
the evening with the reception being held
at Athol Hall in Mosman.
1 Maid of Honour Corinne Emmelhainz (2004), Lauren Dean (2004), Joanna Bridle (2004),
Bride Liene Delforce (Gulbis, 2004), Groom Berin Delforce, Stephanie Burnard (2004), Jessica
Staniland (2004) | 2 Rebekah Hone and James Ratcliffe | 3 Joanna Bara (2009), Rebekah Hone
(2009), Emily Heckendorf (2009), Maddy Riley (2009)
2
1
Henry Street, Gordon
NSW 2072 Australia
P +61 2 9498 9898 F +61 2 9498 9999
E [email protected]
3

Semper #45 Autumn 2014 - Ravenswood School for Girls

Transcription

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