ANNUAL REPORT 2020
ANNUAL REPORT 2020 This is the forty-eighth Annual Report of the School and the fifth report of Mr Adam Heath as Headmaster.
Planning Committee • Associate Prof Robyn Pierce (Chair) • Mr Geoff Ryan (Deputy Chair) • Dr Shantini Deutscher • Dr David Mackay • Mr Ewen Nevett
The School is a company limited by guarantee, with the Bishop of Ballarat, The Right Reverend Garry Weatherill, as President, and twenty other Members drawn from different constituencies within the Grammar community.
Co-opted Members
Board of Directors The governing body of the School is a board of nine Directors. The Board meets eight times per year, as does the Finance Committee. Each of the other ongoing Committees meets at least once per term – Planning, Nominations and Audit and Governance.
Responsibilities of the Board Now operating a learning enterprise for approximately 1,750 students and over 400 staff and managing a business with an annual turnover exceeding $46 million, the Board has significant responsibility. It has been fortunate to have specialist expertise from different corporate and professional sectors and experience of governance in a range of entities.
We have much cause to be grateful for Directors’ generous commitment of time, and for the expertise which they bring. The School expresses particular gratitude to Chair, Dr Shantini Deutscher, and Deputy Chair, Mr Tim Hovey, for their enormous commitment to the School as well as their interest in and commitment to so many of the School’s activities. We have a full complement on the Board of Directors over 2020 and membership of the Board is as follows: Chair of the Board Dr Shantini Deutscher The Headmaster and the Business Manager, Mr Peter O’Dwyer, attend meetings of the Board and each of the following Committees: Finance Committee • Mr Tim Hovey (Chair) • Mr Ewen Nevett (Deputy Chair) • Dr Shantini Deutscher • Associate Professor Robyn Pierce • Mr Alan Swanson
Co-opted Members • • •
Mr Cameron Moore Mr Phillip Mann Mr James Coghlan
Ex officio
Finance Manager, Head of Senior School Audit & Governance Committee • Dr David Mackay (Chair) • Mr Geoff Ryan (Deputy Chair) • Mrs Georgia Yanner • Mr Alan Swanson
Dr Maryann Brown
Ex officio
Director of Admissions, Head of Senior School
We acknowledge the invaluable contribution made to the development of Grammar and the provision of scholarships and bursaries by the Ballarat Grammar Foundation. Major Capital Projects • The Dining Hall was fully refurbished with a new servery area allowing quicker serving time and dining area fully carpeted. • Two more rooms in Dart House were fully refurbished. • Two staff bathrooms in the Cleaver Wing were refurbished to ensure suitable adult facilities to meet Child Safe Standards. • The School constructed a new staff office and additional learning space in the upstairs Year 7 area of the Queen’s Wing to accommodate the 2021 Year 7 cohort. • The Admissions area and ICT Services area were fully refurbished. • The rowing shed pontoons, adjoining the front deck, were re-clad due to rotting timber. • Work on the additional three classrooms in the Heinz Centre commenced early September for completion by mid-2021. • Construction of the new Junior School reception building was completed. • An area in the Science Centre was converted to a learning studio for Year 12 VCAL students and a house purchased by the Ballarat Grammar Foundation on Rossio Grove was updated to accommodate Year 10 and 11 VCAL classes. • Common Rooms and central areas of the Centennial building were carpeted, enhancing the acoustics of the building. • Plans were drawn and approved for the 5/6C building to commence building by May 2021.
Ex officio
Finance Manager
PAGE 1
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
SIGNIFICANT FEATURES OF THE YEAR The year started with great positivity, and tremendous heart was drawn from the strong VCE results from the 2020 cohort and the overall positive wellbeing indicators of the student cohort. There were some very high achievers in our VCE 2020 cohort: • Two students with an ATAR of 99 and above with a top score of 99.9. • 17 students (9%) with an ATAR of 95 or above. • 23% of the student cohort with an ATAR of 90 or above • 39% of the student cohort with an ATAR of 80 or above • Over 90% of students achieved an ATAR that allowed them to access their first or second preference at university. • Two students entered trade-based apprenticeships and a further two students entered traineeships. The University destination statistic for the 2020 Year 12s is interesting, with a large increase in those selecting Deakin University, and a slight increase in enrolments at the University of Melbourne: Monash University of Melbourne La Trobe RMIT Deakin Federation Swinburne ACU Victoria University Other Institutes
16% 21% 7% 8% 30% 2% 2% 11% 0% 3%
Course destination data reflects an increase in interest in science-related studies and a reduction of interest in the studies of health: Science Arts, Psychology, Social Sciences Health Commerce, Economics, Business Creative & Visual Arts Education Engineering Agriculture & Environment IT Law and Criminology Architecture and Building
17% 15% 21% 10% 5% 6% 10% 3% 1% 8% 4%
The COVID-19 pandemic and resultant periods of Learning at Home caused tremendous disruptions for all schools in Victoria. We were fortunate to have exceptional support from our community as we navigated the numerous restrictions to provide the highest levels of pastoral care for our students, as well as a number of seamless transitions into and out of Learning at Home, to provide extraordinary learning experiences and pastoral care for our students under the circumstances. All staff made an exceptional contribution to the community throughout the year. Teaching staff worked tirelessly to support students and provided care and support for their wellbeing from afar by meeting with them every morning for a pastoral care session. Lessons were offered synchronously and asynchronously, to balance online instructional time with the
need for students to work to apply learning at their own pace, as well as needing to have time away from screens. Administrative and support staff worked tirelessly, from the cleaners undertaking approximately 30% additional hours to fulfill COVID cleaning requirements, to the finance team who recast the budget on four separate occasions throughout the year. The compliance team also deserve great credit for its continual recrafting of our COVID safe policies throughout the year. The School’s learning management system, which had been adopted 24 months previously, proved invaluable throughout Learning at Home, allowing for the seamless provision of learning resources, as well as offering an essential communication platform. Our boarding community faced possibly the greatest number of challenges, with a return to School often threatened by differing State border restrictions. In addition to this, the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) stipulated the need to reduce the occupancy rates in boarding premises by 50%, requiring the establishment of the Sovereign Hill boarding campus. Enormous praise must be afforded to Mr Chris Van Styn and the boarding team for managing to sustain the strong sense of community amongst our boarding ‘family’ throughout the many challenges of 2020. Those students whose parents were involved in an essential area of work, or those students for whom it was difficult to work at home (due to the need for support in areas such as learning disabilities or as a result of poor internet connection), were able to join the School’s care and supervision program, provided each school day during the periods of Learning at Home. The Board and leadership team of the School worked tirelessly to make difficult decisions, typically in the absence of adequate information, about how to approach each stage of the pandemic. Our gratitude is once again extended to Board Chair, Dr Shantini Deutscher, and Deputy Chair, Mr Tim Hovey, for their steadfast support of the School. Students in the CEEd were able to continue with their learning largely undisrupted throughout 2020. The staff in the CEEd should also be recognised for the reassurance and stability that they provided for our youngest learners in the School, in addition to the usual outstanding care and extraordinary learning opportunities provided. The move to remote learning during COVID-19 in 2020 changed the direction of our Wellbeing Program at Ballarat Grammar. The restrictions and disruptions to learning impacted our students. Our ability to use daily attendance data enabled us to identify students who were languishing quickly. Students had wellbeing ' check-in ' points with the routine established during these periods of Learning at Home, in the Middle School and Senior School. The teaching of wellbeing skills that is part of the pastoral care sessions helped to foster growth through adversity and assist in times of crisis. As with all things, individuals responded differently, and many students emerged more resilient due to positively managing the adversity faced. To support our students and parents, ‘Our Village’ was created on NEXUS. This is a hub of support, connections, and resources to enable all members of our community to come together. The
PAGE 2
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
strength of the Ballarat Grammar community has always been the trusted relationships, and these were affirmed during this time. The School’s ongoing journey of compliance with the Child Safe Standards continued unabated in 2020. This remains as a standing item on the agenda of all Leadership and Board meetings, ensuring regular updates on progress. Total School enrolment stands at 1,755 with approximately one third of these students receiving some form of scholarship, bursary or rebate. The School has been committed to supporting the education and attainment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in secondary schooling for some time and to this end has offered tuition and boarding scholarships to many local and non-local Indigenous students. We currently have 17 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students enrolled across the School. We continue to have a strong partnership with the communities of Kalumburu (WA) and Timber Creek (NT). We endeavour to build a holistic program that supports local and non-local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. This program will strive to enrich the lives of all students and families with greater knowledge, respect, and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages, whilst establishing culturally safe practices throughout our community. With boarding enrolments of 227 students from across Australia and a small number of international students, we are the second largest boarding community in Victoria. Our boarding community and its wholesome country values continues to be at the heart of the positive culture of our School. With approximately 250 students sitting scholarship testing, it has again proved popular and an indicator of strong enrolment trends. Scholarships continue to be a significant contributor to maintaining the diversity of our community. City Cite continues to provide outstanding experiential learning opportunities for our Year 9 students for three weeks in Term 4. In 2020, due to COVID-19 restrictions, we needed to change the program to operate from Ballarat, however, some wonderful elements from the Melbourne City Cite program were included as part of the experience.
As our Year 11 and 12 students worked tirelessly to manage their studies online, the Young Grammar Gurus program was introduced. Over 180, students who left Ballarat Grammar less than five years ago, volunteered their time to mentor one of our Year 11 or 12 students. It was an incredible act of service by our past students. Our Guardians embraced the challenges of 2020, and the two significant lockdowns, by supporting our School community, and broader community, in a range of initiatives. Once again, we assisted the Salvation Army, this time by raising funds through the “Digital Doorknock” for the annual Red Shield Appeal. Funds raised at the Valentine’s Day concert were donated to the Anglican Parish of Croajingalong in Mallacoota, Gippsland; this helped to support their reflective garden project as part of their bushfire recovery program. Contributions were also made to Anglicare Ballarat, through a food drive. Funds raised at the Spirit Week Guardian Auction were donated to the Beyond Blue Foundation, to support adolescent mental health initiatives. The Guardians also provided numerous online challenges to keep spirits high during periods of online learning. These included a cooking challenge from home, an air guitar competition and numerous other light-hearted and enjoyable activities to keep our community positively focussed during the numerous challenging periods. Service involvement continues to be not only a requirement for all students but at the heart of the ethos of the School. Our students understand and value their involvement in the more than 180 community partnerships locally, nationally and internationally. Recipients of the 2020 VCE Premier’s Awards were Ruby Green for Further Mathematics and Finley Japp for English. The Awards ceremony was postponed for 2020. The following students were invited to participate in the 2020 VCE Season of Excellence which includes Top Class, Top Arts and Top Design concerts and exhibitions in Melbourne. • Ellie Litras -Top Class Dance • Marcus Govan – Top Class Music • Marcus Bedford – Top Arts • Luke DeBuhr – Top Design • Zoe Thomas – Top Design • Ryan Anderson – Top Design
Literacy and numeracy initiatives have been continuing in the Middle School, with the Hochman literacy method continuing to be deployed to improve students’ core literacy skills. The Maths Essentials program has also been introduced into Year 7, with a very successful trial currently being reviewed and the likely result being this program’s introduction to Year 8 in the future.
House spirit was flourishing at the carnivals and events that we were permitted to hold, including house swimming, a much revised version of Chorals and an athletics event for Year 12s, with the rest of the School as enthusiastic spectators. The House system remains at the heart of the School’s approach to pastoral care and wellbeing, with class teachers, homeroom teachers and mentors offering extraordinary levels of care and support for our students.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sixteen students’ exchanges scheduled for the year became three, with the Term 1 exchange to Columbia being the sole outbound international exchange for 2020. Three students travelled to Borneo on a service trip in December 2019.
Sport continues to be a vibrant and challenging co-curricular option for our students with high levels of participation across the more than 30 different sport offerings at the School. Despite numerous disruptions, many sports were still offered across the year and the School enjoyed impressive successes.
Despite several phases of Learning at Home, five Year 10 students hosted an international Round Square Zoom collaboration on life lessons learnt in lockdown during 2020. Our students also participated in a Community Care Day in Term 3 raising funds for Uniting Care, Anglicare, the Salvation Army and Headspace.
A notable achievement that occurred in Term 1 was the success of the Swimming team taking out the ICCES overall title and the BAS Girls’ Championship. Our rowers also enjoyed a very successful season, with the Boys 1st crew taking out the much-coveted Head of the Lake title and clinched the overall boy’s premiership.
PAGE 3
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
Some of the highlights that Grammar students have enjoyed: • BAS Swimming – Girls’ Championship • BAS Cricket - 2-Day 1st XI Senior Boys’ Premiership (shared), T20 1st XI Senior Boys’ Championship and Year 8 Boys’ Championship • BAS Lawn Bowls - Open A Grade Runners-Up • BAS Tennis - Senior Boys’ A Grade and B Grade – Premiership (shared), Senior B Grade Girls’ Championship, McNeil Cup – Senior Boys’ Championship • BAS Volleyball - Senior A Grade Boys – Premiership (shared) and Junior B Grade Girls’ Championship Outdoor and environmental education continue to form a crucial part of Ballarat Grammar’s approach to holistic education, offering students in Years 3 – 12 a wide array of unique learning experiences. CURRENT LIFE GOVERNORS (Listed in order of appointment) Mrs Dawn Macdonald Mr Barry Smith OAM Mrs Lorraine Bell Mr John Miller Ms Jo Watson Mr Bob Bath OAM Mr Alf Hancock Mrs Topsy Nevett OAM Mr Lindsay Evans The Hon Robert Knowles AO Mr Graeme Eyres Mr David Fawell Deceased Life Governors The Hon Bill Borthwick AM Mr Wallace Cochran Mr Peter Heinz OAM Mr Norman Must Mr Geoffrey Petch Mr Geoffrey Richards Mrs Alison Rucco Mrs Jessie Scott MBE Mr Norman Stevens Miss Kit Williamson
2020 Actual Income Other Income 14.2% State Grants 4.9%
Private Income 49.9%
Commonwealth Grants 30.9%
2020 Actual Expenditure Finance 9.8%
General Admin 16.1%
Salaries/OnCosts 51.5%
Operations 10.2% Boarding 5.7% Tuition 6.7%
2021 Budget Income Other Income State Grants 0.8% 5.1%
Commonwealth Grants 33.5%
Private Income 60.6%
2021 Budget Expenditure Finance 9.6% General Admin 12.5%
Operations 11.8%
Salaries/OnCosts 51.7%
Boarding 6.4% Tuition 8.0%
PAGE 4
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
SCHOOL PERFORMANCE INFORMATION FOR YEAR ENDING 31 DECEMBER 2020 BALLARAT GRAMMAR Learning to Thrive; Engaged in the World Our regional Anglican school fosters: • academic aspiration • trust • opportunity and engagement • optimism and resilience • social and environmental justice within the search for faith and meaning. The Essence of Ballarat Grammar
Grampians to the Alps; they are active in service to the local community in myriad ways, and in action for social justice. The ethos of service is at the core of the Round Square, an international fraternity of over two hundred schools, committed to working together for a better world. This fundamental commitment involves students in many ongoing service projects, both locally and globally, from working with disadvantaged youth in Wendouree West to building school facilities in earthquake devastated villages in the Himalayas or offering English lessons in Timor Leste. Term-long exchanges to Round Square schools in eighteen countries, and service-based conferences, for example, in Southeast Asia and Africa, foster international understanding through friendship and service. Helping others through service enriches students’ lives by building positive connections with their communities and helps them to find meaning and fulfilment. It introduces them to the fundamental need to make a positive and ongoing contribution to their community.
Ballarat Grammar aspires to create a positive future whilst drawing on the proud traditions of the School dating back to 1876, when Queen’s College was established. In 1910 the Anglican Diocese founded Ballarat Grammar School, and in 1973 these schools combined to form Ballarat and Queen’s Anglican Grammar School. The co-educational school, known as “Ballarat Grammar”, educates about 1755 students from early childhood to Year 12, with the campus based on 16 hectares of parklike grounds north of Lake Wendouree. More than 225 boarders live on campus, in five familyoriented boarding houses. Boarders are predominantly country students from all States, with a small number of overseas students.
Round Square membership also requires a commitment to action on behalf of the natural environment. From the earliest days, Ballarat Grammar has had a strong connection with the land. This is expressed most obviously today in a thriving Agriculture and Horticulture program based at the Mount Rowan farm, and also in the environmental underpinnings of the Year 9 program, housed in a centre with its own wetland on the main campus. The School’s commitment to environmental improvement is apparent in expanding rooftop photovoltaic arrays to over 250kW, with a wind turbine mounted on the Centennial building
The earliest learners, from age six months, are in childcare in the Centre for Early Education (CEEd) which offers programs, based on the Reggio Emilia philosophy, for three- and four-year-old children. The CEEd also has a strong focus on Positive Education and provides extraordinary experiential learning through its Bush Kinder programs.
Year 9 students venture to explore the City of Melbourne, spending three weeks at the School’s City Cite campus, usually living in Melbourne for that experience. One measure of the value of that experience is that thirty other schools send their classes to City Cite for programs run by Ballarat Grammar.
The Junior School is authorised as an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, delivering the Primary Years Program (PYP). This offers the Australian Curriculum in an internationally renowned framework. Year 4 classes operate for most of their week in a purpose-built Agricultural and Environmental Learning Centre, The Stephen and Sue Higgs Centre, on the School’s 50-hectare farm at Mount Rowan, 3 km north of the Wendouree Campus.
The outstanding facilities of the Wendouree campus support learning in many forms: modern classroom facilities are designed to facilitate collaborative learning; the Wendouree Centre for Performing Arts enriches school life but also catalyses community engagement. Such facilities strengthen the arm of our most important resource, a talented and committed team of teaching professionals. The generous provision of physical resources also speaks of the generosity of spirit of the School’s community. In this spirit, Grammar welcomes students from many backgrounds, from Ballarat, across Victoria, from all States and from overseas: students from regional and remote communities; students of different faith backgrounds; students from refugee and indigenous communities; exchange students from around the world.
The enriching breadth of student involvement expands as students move into the Senior School, where programs lead towards a choice of over 40 VCE studies and a VCAL stream, with excellence in outcomes illustrated by numerous Premier’s Awards. Throughout the School, academic aspiration is fostered within a framework which nurtures holistic personal growth, in a researchbased, structured wellbeing program and students being offered an extraordinary range of co-curricular and service activities. This is founded in positive relationships between and among students and staff, a distinctive feature of the School being the warm, respectful, and trusting relationships which characterise its community. These in turn reflect the Christian values at the heart of Ballarat Grammar, expressed in the Anglican tradition of openness and inclusivity, in ways which invite students to search for meaning.
Surveys show that students leave Grammar with high levels of confidence about their future. Following expert career guidance, they progress to many and varied destinations, emboldened by strong and abiding relationships formed at school. Equally, Grammar looks to its future as an exemplary regional school, providing exceptional value not only to its members but also to the wider community.
An ambience of ambition and encouragement supports students as they explore diverse talents and range widely. Learning is enriched by partnerships, most importantly with parents, who work closely with the School to sustain young peoples’ development. Students compete in more than thirty different sports; they perform and exhibit at the highest level in different visual and manual, musical and theatrical arts; they take on outdoors challenge from the
Student Characteristics Around 1,755 students attended Ballarat Grammar in 2020, commencing in our childcare, kindergarten and reception programs in our Centre for Early Education (CEEd), through the Junior School (Prep - Year 6) and Senior School (Years 7 - 12).
KEY STUDENT OUTCOMES
PAGE 5
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
Our 225-plus boarding students, between Years 7 – 12, board at Grammar in five boarding houses. The majority of boarding students come from regional areas of Victoria and New South Wales, with a small percentage being international students. Our close relationship with indigenous communities in Kalumburu in WA and Timber Creek in NT continues. However, due to COVID-19 we postponed the Kalumburu and Timber Creek enrolments. This decision was supported by the Department of Education, Northern Territory Government. Below is the statistics for the 2020 student home languages. These statistics are for both Junior and Senior Schools and excludes CEEd. Language
Students
Afrikaans Albanian Amharic (Ethiopian) Australian Indigenous Language Cantonese English Only Ewe Farsi Fijian French German Greek Hindi Indonesia Japanese Korean Malayalam Mandarin Marathi Nepalese Nuer Papua New Guinea Languages Pashto Urdu Persian Punjabi Russian Serbian Spanish Telugu Thai Vietnamese Grand Total
4 2 2 3 1 1511 2 1 1 1 1 4 10 1 2 4 2 16 2 1 2 1 2 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 3 1589
Senior School Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10
96.90% 95.83% 96.12% 95.58%
In the compulsory years of schooling (to age 17 as of 2012 in Victoria), Ballarat Grammar is accountable for students’ attendance. A roll is taken of student attendance every class during Periods 1 to 5 and any absences are followed up by administrative staff with parents. Furthermore, given the sequence of our carefully planned learning activities, it is important for students to be in attendance throughout the year, unless illness occurs, or a serious family matter takes precedence. If there appears to be a need for a student to be absent for reasons other than these, parents are expected to seek permission for absence from the Head of Senior School, the Head of Middle School or the Head of Junior School. In these situations, students would obtain work from their teachers so as to keep up with the curriculum. The Ballarat Grammar NEXUS online learning management system and the netbook program in the Senior and Middle School allow all students to access their work and communicate with teachers from beyond the School. Benchmark Results: NAPLAN Due to the restrictions required due to COVID-19, NAPLAN did not run in 2020. Secondary School Outcomes In VCE, achievement in each of the Studies is assessed on a scale of 0 - 50 with the state average study score being 30. In 2020, our average study score was 31.9. In 2020, 90.7% of VCE students achieved an ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Ranking) above 50, while 23% achieved an ATAR above 90. Results in the core Maths and English studies continue with positive differential between expected Study Scores and actual VCAA Study Scores attained. Students continue to achieve ‘perfect’ study scores of 50 in a variety of subjects, including, in the past three years, Further Mathematics (3), Legal Studies, English (4) and Chemistry. Our five highest ATARs were 99.90, 99.50, 98.75, 99.2 and 98.10. 100% of our students sitting the VCE satisfied the VCE requirements. Post School Destinations The On Track Data 2020 Report for the 2020 Year 12 cohort is expected to be available through VTAC and VASS in July 2021. When this report is available, this information will be updated.
Student Attendance The average attendance rate was 97.9% over Years 1 to 10. The attendance rate by year level is as follows: Junior School Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6
98.83% 98.94% 99.20% 98.98% 98.81% 99.45%
PAGE 6
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
SATISFACTION
STAFF QUALIFICATIONS
Parent, Teacher and Student Satisfaction
Headmaster Mr Adam Heath BA, Dip. Ed., MSL, MACE Head of Senior School Mrs C J Shaw BEd (Ballarat) GradDipEdAdmin (Melb) MEd (Melb) GAICD Head of Middle School Mr C W Beechey BA(Sc) (Deakin) DipEd (Melb) MEd (Deakin) Head of Junior School Mr M C Warwick BTeach BEd (La Trobe) Assistant Head – Administration Mrs S Hinchliffe DipTeach (MIHE) BEd (UWS) Assistant Head – Teaching, Learning and Innovation Ms B G Cuthbert BDrama/Arts (VCA) BA (Hons) (Tas) BTeach (Prim & Sec)(Deakin) MEd (Deakin) Assistant Head – Wellbeing and Pastoral Care Mrs S L Warwick BEd MHealthSc (UB) DipArts (Res Care)(ACU) Chaplain Reverend Dr Timothy Gaden BA (Hons) UniMelb, BD (Hons) MCD, PhD Monash, MALT Deakin Business Manager Mr P O‘Dwyer BB CA ASBA GAICD Director of Admissions Mr B H Pipkorn BBus (BCAE) CA GradDipEd (Sec)(ACU) CertRelEd (ACU) GradDipMSMaths (ACU) Director of Boarding Mr C R Van Styn BEd (Hons)(Ballarat) GradCert Counselling (Monash) Director of Care Dr M Rayner BSc Hons (VU), PhD (Swinburne), MAPS Director of City Cite Mr H M Leather BSc (Melb) DipEd(Melb) MProfAcc (Deakin) MACE Director of Curriculum Mr J Lee BA (Joint Hons), University of Liverpool PGCE, University of Sheffield Director of Development Mr T Polkinghorne Director of WCPA Mrs S Hyde Director of Finance Ms A Axen BComm (Ballarat) ASA (CPA) Director of Leadership and Service, Co-ordinator Middle School Learning Ms A F Ryan BSc (Melb) GradDipEd (ACU) GradDipRE (ACU) Director of Music Mr A S Dale BEd (Music)(MSC) Director of Risk, Compliance and Culture Ms L Moneghetti LLB MEd GDLegalTraining Director of Sport Mr DA Rossato BAppSc (PE) Director of Staff Mr G S Wilkins GradDipEd (Ballarat) BA (VIT) Daily Program Manager Ms L Gunn BEd (Prim)(Flinders) BEd (Sec)(Launceston) Head of Innovation and Learning Technology Mr D Hofler BAppSc (Computing) Monash
Extensive consultation with students, staff and parents was undertaken throughout 2020 as we navigated the COVID-19 pandemic as a community. We were very encouraged to receive considerable affirming feedback from our families on the School’s navigation of the various challenges of 2020. Enrolments continue in record numbers for the Centre for Early Education, Junior School and for both day and boarding placements in the Senior School. The School continues to rely on word of mouth, giving a simple practical measure of an atmosphere of parental satisfaction. Regular informal assessments indicate high levels of satisfaction from Grammar staff and parents. As with all institutions, there is room to improve; however, the overall picture is very positive.
AGE RANGE OF STAFF
TEACHING STAFF EXPERIENCE
Teaching Staff Mr T Adams BA (Melb) Dip Ed (Melb) Mrs N Adlington BEd (Prim) (FU) Ms M Ainley BA (Writing and Literature) (Deakin), DipEd (Deakin) Mr A Akm BSc, M.Sc, PhD, PG DipEd (VIT) Mr R Allitt BSc (Melbourne) DipEd (La Trobe) Mrs T Andrews BA Bus (Admin) Dip Ed (Prim) Mr F Apostoli BArch (Deakin), Grad Dip Ed (Federation), Grad Cert Math (CSU) M Ed (Federation) Mrs J Ashman – BEd (Secondary) (Monash) Mr R A Bade BSc (Melb) DipEd (Melb) GradDipEdAdmin (Melb) Mr L Barber BEd (Primary and Secondary) (La Trobe) Mr Andrew Barker DipTeach BEd (ACU) Mrs S Barlow BMus (Melb), Grad Dip Ed (Monash), MEd (Melb), Cert IV Training and Assessment (IVET) Mr A J Beech BEng (Hons) PGCE Mrs C L Bell BMus (Monash) GradDipEd (Monash) GradCertArtsHistoryEd (Monash) CertIVMIS (Ausmusic) Mrs A Bentley BArts/Teaching, Postgrad Dip Ed Studies (Student Welfare), MEd (Spec Ed Needs) Mrs A Binion BEd (Primary) (ACU) MEd (Melb) Mrs K A Bishop DipTeach (BCAE) BEd (Prim)(BCAE) Reading Recovery (ACU)
PAGE 7
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
Mrs P Bissinella BEd (ACU) DipTeach Miss A S Boyd BTeach (Secondary)(Deakin) BArts (Dance)(Deakin) Mrs K Brady BA (Melb) GradDipEd (ACU) Mrs L Bramble Miss K Brusamarello BEd (Ballarat) Mrs B Buckingham BA Visual Arts – Graphic Design/Multimedia (Ballarat) Grad Dip Ed – Visual Arts (Melb) Miss E Burnham BA (Ballarat) BTeach (Prim)(Ballarat) Mrs M A Cahir BEd (ACU) MEd (Melb) Mr J Castles BScAPP GradDipEd PostGradDip in Career Development Mrs J Y Chadderton BA (Hons)(UEA) PGDipArabic (Durham) PGCEd (London) RSATeach EFL (UEA) Mr A Conquest BA Dip Ed MA English (QUT) Ms A Coote BEd (PE) Miss M A Cornell-Smith BEd (Prim) (ACU) Ms Z Cornell-Smith BEd (Prim)(ACU) Mr S Cox Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science (Ballarat) Grad DipEd (Ballarat). Ms C Clare BA (Sc) Grad DipEd Ms J M Craven BA (UB) PGCE (Cambridge) Mrs S A Cuff BPrimEd (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University) Mr B Curran BEd (Ballarat) Ms L M Curran BA (Sc) (Ballarat) DipEd(ACU) Mr P Curry BEd (Melb) MEd (Deakin) Grad Dip Writing (Vic Uni) Grad Dip App Sci (Melb) Ms S Davidson BABus (CSU) GradDip T&L (CDU) Mr M B Dickinson DipTeach (Prim) BEd (Monash) GradDipEdAdmin (Melb) GradDipIT (Systems Admin)(Swinburne) MEd Studies (Ballarat) Cert IV Training and Assessment Cert III Agriculture Mrs A Dillon BA (Hons) (Melb) BMus (ACU) Grad Dip Ed (Melb) Ms S Dix BEd (Physical Education) Mrs S Doust BA (Creative Arts) DipTeach Mr M J Downes BSocSc (Deakin) GradDipEd (Sec) (Ballarat) Ms M C Dunley BA(LIS) (Canberra) MB (RMIT) Mrs N A Dunne BA(VisArt) (Ballarat) GradDipEd Mrs D J Eldridge DipHum&SocSc (Ballarat) GradDipEd (Sec)(Ballarat) Mr M J Elshaug BEd (Ballarat) Mrs S Fields Dr A T Ford BVSc (Melb) GradDipEd (Ballarat) Ms S M Garner BA (Hons) DipEd (Melb) MEd (Deakin) MHist (UNE) Mr R S Grant BAppSc GradDipEd (University of Canberra) Mr R G Gray DipAppSc (Ballarat) DipEd (Toorak) Mr D R Hardy BAppSc (Riverina) DipTeach (Mercer House ATTI) GradDipComp (Deakin) MACS Ms K Hart BSc (Nutrition) Latrobe GDipEd (Sec) (Ballarat) MEd (Student Wellbeing) (Melb) Ms L Harty BEd (EC&Primary) (ACU) Miss H A Hazledine BA (Ballarat) BEd (ACU) RegRAD(London)LicAssAICDAdvTeachDipABS Miss S K Healy BEquineSc (CSU) GradDipEd (Ballarat) Ms P M Herington BEd (Ballarat) GradDipComp (Ballarat) Mr J Hocking Grad. Dip. Ed. (Secondary) (Monash), BEng (Civil) (Hons) BA (Melb) Mr S J Hopkins BA (Ed )(Deakin) BEd (Ballarat) Mrs A Humble BEd (Hons), GradDipOutdoorEd (Ballarat) Mr R F Hurley DipArts (Fine) (Ballarat) DipEd (Ballarat) Mr C Jones BAppSc (FU Ballarat) Grad Dip Ed (Physical Education) (Melbourne) MAppSc (Ballarat) MEd (QUT) Mrs C L Kelly BA (Ed) (Deakin) GradDipEd (Ballarat) Mr R J Klopak BEd (Manitoba) Mrs M Krause BSc (Melb) Dip Ed (Melb) BEd (LaTrobe Bendigo) Mr N Lambert DipEd, BA (Arts), Honours (English Literature), PostGradDip (French and Arts), PhD (Literature) Ms S Lakerink BA (Maths) (FU Ballarat) Mr N A Lanyon BA (Melb) DipEd (Melb)
Mrs F J Latrobe BAppSc GradDipEd (Monash) GradCertComp (Deakin) Mrs L J Layton BVisArts (Ballarat) DipEd (Ballarat) Mrs E Le Marshall BEd (P-10) (Ballarat) Mr B K Leonard BDes (RMIT) GradDipEd (Latrobe) CertIVWT&A Mr C R Lewis BA (UB) DipEd (Prim)(Monash) Ms G Lillie BA (Ed) (Ballarat) Ms B M Linahan BSc (Monash) Grad Dip Ed (Sec) (Ballarat) Ms C M Lisle DipTeach (Gippsland) BEd (ACU) Mr D Marriott BA (OE) DipEd (La Trobe) Ms C McDonnell BA (Deakin) BEd (Deakin) Ms T McGowan BEd BA (Science) Mr A McKnight BA (Deakin) BEd (Deakin) Mrs V McNabb GradDipEd (Secondary) (FU) DipFP (Deakin) BSc (UWA) Ms R M Menhennet BEd DipEd (Ballarat) Mrs K F Miller BEd (Melb) DipLang/Lit (Paris) Miss R Montgomery BEnvScience (Wildlife and Conservation Biology) Deakin University, Master of Teaching (Primary) (Melb) Mr C Morcombe Bachelor of Education (Ballarat) Miss A C Murdoch BA (Melb) BTeach (Melb) Mrs S Murdoch BComm (Melb) BArts (Melb) MTeach (Monash) Mrs P Nankervis BEd (Ballarat) Mr D Nevins BBus (Swinburne) Dip Ed (La Trobe) Ms D O’Donnell BA, QTS (UK) Ms L O’Keefe BEd (P-6) (FU Ballarat) Ms D E Oliver BEd (Sec) (VicCollege) Mr B Olver BSc (Monash) Grad Dip Ed (Sec) (Melb) Mr M J O’Neill DipEd (Ballarat) BA Bus (Management) Mrs A Paci Mrs D Parkins BEd(Sec)(Melb) Mr B G Peace BEd (Physical Education) (Ballarat) Mrs C S Peace BEd (Physical Education) (Ballarat) Ms L Permezel BA (Melb) DipEd (Hawthorn) MA (UNSW) GradCertPlaywriting (NIDA) Ms R Pilven BVisArts and BBus Monash MTeach (Secondary) (FU) Mr A G Pitson BEd (MSC) GradDipEdAdmin (Deakin) DipResSchServ (Qld) Mrs M Polkinghorne DipEd (Early Childhood) Melbourne, Grad Dip (Primary) (Ballarat) Mrs T Poole BSc (Hon)(Monash) Grad Dip Ed (Sec) (Ballarat) Mr L N Pougnault BA BEd (Murdoch) Mr I P Riethoff BEd (Tas) Ms D Robertson BA DipEd (Monash) MEd Careers (ACU) CertIV TESOL (Holmesglen) Mr C Robson LTCL, BMus (Monash), GradDipPMus (University of Tasmania) Mr K Romanis BA (Hons) (USYD) DipEd GradCert RE (ACU) Ms E Rooney BSc (Hons) (MMU, UK) PGCE (MMU, UK) Mrs E D Sabellico BA (CSU) DipEd (La Trobe) Mr S Salimpour BDesign (UB) MSc (Astronomy/Astrophysics) (Swinburne) DipEd (Melb), MTeach (Physics/Art Education) (Melb) Ms S Sebastian BMusic (Australian Institute of Music) AdDip Sound Production (Melbourne Polytechnic) DipMus (MWT) CertIV Training and Assessment (MWT) Ms S Sedgwick BA (Ballarat) GradDipEd (Vic College) Ms L D Sharp BEd (UB) Mr A W Shaw BCom (RMIT) GradDipEd (Ballarat) Mr B Sheridan BAcc (CQU) GradDipEd(Prim) (La Trobe) Ms M Shillington BA (Sc) (Ballarat) GradDipEd (Aquinas) Mrs D A Simmons BAppSc (Ballarat) GradDipEd (Sec) (ACU) Mr J P Simmons BAppSc (Ballarat) GradDipEd (Sec) (ACU) Mrs R L Smith BEd (Melb) Mrs S Smith
PAGE 8
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
Mr M T Stowe BEd (Ballarat) GradDipResSchServ (Qld) GradCert MYMathematics (ACU) Mr R G Sullivan DipTeach (Ballarat) GradDipHealth (Ballarat) Mrs D R Tesoriero BA (Ballarat) GradDipEd (ACU) MCouselling (ACU) Ms K J Theodore AdCertLabTech AssDipAppSc (LabTech) (Ballarat) BAppSc GradDipEd (Sec) (Monash) GradCert MYMathematics (ACU) MEd Student Wellbeing (Melb) Reverend Canon P D Treloar BA (Sydney) BTheol (MCD) GradDipEd (ACU) GradDipMentalHealth (Monash) MPsychCouns (UB) Mrs H Trotter BEd (Hons) Southampton Uni, UK Mrs N C van Berkel BEd (ACU) Ms K R Ward BEd(Ballarat) MEd (ACU) Mr A C R Watson DipAD (Vic) DipEd (Melb) GradDipAdolHealth (Melb) Ms J White BA (VisArt) GDEd (UB) Mrs F L Whitehouse BA (ACU) BTeach (ACU) Mrs J M Williams BA (Hons) (Melb) BA (Hons) UNEDipEd (Melb) GradDipLibrarianship (RMIT) CertFreeJourn (ACJ) GradCertHRM (Bathurst) Ms K L Williams BEd (UB) Ms R B Williams BAppSc (RMIT), GradDipEd (Sec) (Ballarat), MEd (US) Mr M Williamson MEd (Wellbeing) (ACU Melbourne) Mr J Wilson B Exercise Science & Human Movement (VU Footscray) GradTeach (Primary) (Fed Uni) Ms H O Wise BA (Hons) (Melb) DipEd (Monash) Mrs K Withers BMus (Qld Conservatorium) BEd (Deakin Uni) Mr S W Woodrow BA (RMIT) DipEd (Prim)(UB) Trista Wright Mrs B Wu BSc (Beijing) DipEd (La Trobe) MEd (Deakin) Mrs K Zaal DipEd BA (Monash) Mrs G N Zala DipTeach (Prim) (Ballarat) GradDipTeach-Librarianship (Ballarat) AISTD (London) Centre for Early Education Director - Mrs K Naylor BaAppSc (Disability Studies) (Deakin), DipCommServices (Childcare) (Swinburne), Grad DipEd (Early Childhood) (RMIT) Assistant Director/Educational Leader - Ms T Abbott BEd (Ballarat) GradCertECEd (Murdoch) Reception and Kindergarten Teaching Staff Mrs L Baker Dip Teach (Early Childhood) BEd (EC) (Melb), MAPP (Melb) Mr J Betts Grad DipEd (Early Childhood) (RMIT) Miss B Davis BSc (Monash), Grad DipEd (Early Years) (RMIT) Mrs A Devlin BEd (Early Childhood & Primary) (ACU) Ms M Forrest BEd (Early Childhood & Primary) (Ballarat) Mrs A Hickmott DipChildServices (Ballarat) BEd (Early Childhood & Primary) (FU) Mrs M Hooper DipChildServices (Ballarat) BEd (Early Childhood & Prim) (FU) Mrs N Ivey BBus (LaTrobe), Grad DipEd (Early Childhood) (Victoria University) Miss O Kent BEd (Early Childhood & Primary) (ACU) Mrs K Singleton BEd (Early Childhood) (Swinburne) Mrs S Wilson BA(Acting) (Ballarat) GradDipEd (Early Childhood) Reception and Kindergarten Associates Mrs J Askari DipChildServices (FedUni) Miss B Davis BSc (Monash), Grad DipEd (Early Years) (RMIT) Mrs L Di Giovanni DipCommServices (Childcare) (Ballarat) Mrs A Hickmott DipChildServices (Ballarat), B.Ed. (Early Childhood & Primary) (FU) Mrs L James DipChildServices (FedUni) Mrs E Kuhle DipChildServices Miss V Stewart CertIIIChildServices
Miss V Stokes DipChildServices Mrs C Street BA (Psych) (Monash), B.Ed (Primary) (Melbourne), CertIIIChild Services (Aust. Academy, Sydney) Mrs A Swan BEd (Early Childhood & Primary)(ACU) Mrs F Vandermost DipCommServices (Childcare) (Gordon) Infant & Toddler and Aftercare Lead Educators and Associates Mrs K Beggs DipTeach (Early Childhood) (Institute of Early Childhood Development) Miss R Bye DipChildServices Mrs T Dalton DipChildServices (Ballarat) Miss J Harris CertIIIChildServices Miss Ellen Hogbin CertIIIChildServices, DipChildServices Mrs L James DipChildServices (FedUni) Miss E Jedwab DipChildServices (Holmesglen) Miss B Mahoney DipChildServices Miss L Morcombe DipChildServices (Early Education and Care) (Ballarat) Mrs E Northcott DipChildServices (Ballarat) – Parental Leave Miss Emily Quinlan DipChildServices (FedUni) Miss A Sculley DipChildServices (Ballarat) Miss D Sharp CertIIIChildServices Miss E Spiteri DipChildServices Mrs V Sporton CertIIIChildServices Miss B Spratling CertIIIChildServices Miss G Taylor DipChildServices – Parental Leave Mrs F Vandermost DipCommServices (Childcare) (Gordon) Miss M Vranesic DipCommServices Administrative & Ancillary Staff Mrs Melissa Polkinghorne (CEEd Administrator) Mrs Gail Reeve (CEEd Chef) Ms Ivy Clark (CEEd Cleaner) Ms C Millar (CEEd Cleaner) Mr Michael Zala (CEEd Cleaner) Rowing Mr S Pullin Ms K Lanyon Ms Z Nevett Boarding House Assistants Ms S Adamson, Mrs T Beechey, Ms A Coote, Mr R Brehaut, Mr M Drain, Mr T Eaton, Mrs R Marquand, Mrs J Sharry, Ms G Hearn, Mr T Gribble, Mr F Gribble, Mr D Watson, Ms S Grills, Mrs D Hanlon, Mr D Hocking, Mr A Hocking, Ms A Humble, Ms A Laursen Habel, Ms S Laursen Habel, Mr A Litris, Ms A Mauderer, Ms F Murray, Ms Z Nevett, Mr N Patrikeos, Mr J Petrie, Mrs P Reinehr, Mr A Van Styn. Instrumental Music, Voice and Speech Art Mr L G Askew BMus GradDipEd GradCertRE (ACU) Cert IV WT&A Ms C Bennett AMusA Estill Voice Training Levels 1 and 2 Mrs K Both DipTeach (PrimSACAE) Mrs S Brown BMus BTeach (Melb) Mr Francis Chataway Mr H Dale Miss I Dale BMus (Monash) Estill Voice Training Levels 1 and 2 Mr B Deenick BA (Monash) DipEd (La Trobe) Mr M Evans-Barker Mrs S Goodbourn BMus (Melb), GradDipEd (Melb) Mr I Govan AMusA CEO Teaching Registration CAA REIV Mrs K Govan BA (Music) (VCA) DipEd (Melb) Ms J Heley BMus BA AMusA Mrs A Ho BMus (Hon) Ms A Ives BA (Scottish Music Piping) Royal Conservatoire (Scotland)
PAGE 9
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
Ms M Jess BA AMusA NCAS Level 1 EFA Dressage Judge Ms B Johnson Mr B Jones Mr H Joyce Ms G Kennelly BSc (Hons) (Scotland) Mrs M Kriss BAMus MMus (PT) GradDipEd (LaTrobe) Mr D Lawless Ms L McKenna BVisArts Mr C Meddings BAMusPerf (VCA) Mrs N Meddings BMus (Melb) Miss A Meerbach BA PerfArts (Ballarat), LTCL (Trinity College) Mrs J Nice Miss G Parry BMus (Melb) AMusA LMusA IDBF IRO G1 Mrs P Powell CEd (Manchester) LGSM Ms W Rechenberg MPVA (CSU) DipArt (Music) (VCA) AMusA Mr C Robson , LTCL, BMus(Monash), GradDipPMus (UTas) Ms S Savy DipArts (Ballarat University) Mrs C Schuler AMusA DipMus PerfCert GradDip Ed(Sec) Cert IV W&A Mr B Sozanski BA (Music,French) (Sydney) DipEd (Double Music) (Sydney) Associate Trinity College London (Piano tuition) Board Member VMTA Mr W Stewart BMus (Hons) (UWA), DipEd (Wollongong), APRA Full Writer Member (APRA), AMusA (French Horn) (AMEB) Mr M Westlake Mr G Williams MA ModMusEd&CreatCertEd Mrs K Withers BMus (QLD), BEd (Deakin) Administrative & Ancillary Staff Mrs I Blobal AdvCertOffAdmin Cert III FinancialServices Mrs B Brehaut DipBus, CertIVT&A Ms S Clifford Dip Bus Mngt/ Cert IV Frontline Mngt Mrs N Connors DipBusAdmin, CertIVT&A Ms J Coote AssDegree (Training and Assessment) Ballarat, AssDegree (Social Science) ACU, AdDip (Hospitality Management) Ballarat Mrs R Dagar-Clare CertIIIFinancial Services, CertIIIRetailMgmt Ms A Dwyer Ms S Eaton BAppSc Ballarat Mrs N Faulkner Mrs L Pearce Mrs L Robertson CertIIIFinancial Services, Mrs C Hay Ms Z Hocking Mrs J Hume CertIIIIT Mrs J Huntley DipBus(HR), AdvDipMgt(HR) Mr M Lenton BBus(Finance) Swinburne, ASA (CPA) Ms K Mahar Mrs N Mason BComm (Accounting/Law) Ballarat Ms L McCracken Mrs H McIntosh Mrs J Norman DipAppSci (Ag) VCAH Mrs M Polkinghorne Mrs C Prendergast AdvDipMgt CertIVBusAdmin Mrs M Pullin BA (Melb) MA (RMIT) ASDA (AMEB) Miss J Rodda BComp (Ballarat) Mrs F Ryall BPsych (Ballarat), DipHRMgt (Ballarat) MAHRI (Member Australian HR Institute) Mrs L Schorbuck Mrs D Squire Ms D Stephen DipFinMkt (SIA), CertMktg Swinburne Mrs L Sutton Mrs T Varnis Mrs G White CertIVFoodTech, CertOH&S Mrs M Williams
Wendouree Centre for Performing Arts Mrs Sue Hyde (Centre Manager) Ms C Heenan Mr A Rivett Cleaning, Catering & Operations Operations Manager Mr W Dunn CertIVOHS Mr T van Eekelen, Mr P Van Styn, Mr N Morcombe, Mr B Van Styn, Mr R Van Styn, Mr B Wallis, Mr N Bassett, Mr D White, Mr A Gibson, Mr J Hoskin, Mr M Hay, Mr I Bilston, Mr R Allen, Mr T Pierce, Roderick (Rod) Baxter, Justine Berg, Peter Bogert, Janice Carroll, Joshua Davis, Kerry Ellingham, Shane Gray, Deborah Gaylor, Stuart Gibbs, Terry Hoare, Rob Knowles, Yusron Sons, Louise Robertson, Michael Wilson, Andrea Weston, Vicky Benson, Brian Madden, Daniel Van Styn, Colleen Millar, George Golder, Marlene McKaw, Garry Williams, Shane Daly, Andrew Mallett, William Brown, Lachlan Warwick, Mick Zala, Ange Litris, David Cuff, Marita Williams Dining Hall - Canteen Mr A Secker (LAPG) - Chef ICT Mr M Blackman Ms Tayla Curran Mr T Eaton Mr N C Hargreaves DipIT (Ballarat) DipInterNW (Ballarat) CertIVIT CCNA BIT (Ballarat) Mr S P McDonnell CertIVTech (CCTAFE) VIDCAM operation (ASF&TV) Mr J D Mills DipIT (Ballarat) Mr A Swendson Health Centre Staff Mrs J Fullerton BN Child (UoS, UK) Paediatric RN Mrs B Ludbrook RN (Ballarat) RPN (Royal Children’s) CertIV (TAE)(MGB) GradCertAnaphylaxisMgtTraining Mrs D Pitson RN(Prince Henry’s) Midwifery (Box Hill) GradCertOnc&PalliativeCare Mrs M J Wilson RN (Royal Melbourne Hospital) RM (Ballarat) Grad Cert Allergy & Anaphylaxis Management (University Of South Australia) Dr M Rayner, BSc (VU) Hons(VU), PhD (Swinburne), MAPS. Mr M P Davis BA (Fed Uni) GDipPsych (Monash) MPsych (Monash) Ms L Dean BA BSocial Sciences (Pyschology) DipEd MPsych School Shop Mrs N Kulinski Mrs B O’Dwyer Archives Mrs N Squire BSc (Melb) TSTC Dr R Squire DipFor (Cres) BScFor (Melb) MScFor (Melb) PhD (Melb) (Botany) Teacher Assistants Ms Laura Brown Cert III General Education Cert Ed Support (Monash) Dip of Auslan Mrs S Doust BEd, BA, LPAB Law Sydney University, Diploma of Accounting, CertIII&IVFitPerTraining Cert1111&IV WT&A, DipPolicingPublicSafety Ms T Harris LISTD (London) CICB Licentiate CBA – CICB (Life Member) Mrs J Lacy DipChild Services, DipCounselling (Estrada College) DipChildren's Services CertIIIChildren's Services, CertProfessional Learning engagement, CertI Integration support, CertII advanced skills in integration support, CertIII Literacy and Numeracy Integration support, Cert in Key Word Signing
PAGE 10
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
Mrs A Pougnault Ms J Powell CertIIIEdSupport Mrs F Preston Mrs S Rinaldi CertIIIEdSupport Ms T Shillito CertIIIEdSupport Ms M Strugnell Mrs J Treloar AdvCertHospStud (WAC) CertIntDes (RMIT) Mrs K Widdison CertIIIEdSupport CertIVA&WT DipArts (VCA) Mrs Kim Forbes – BA, DipEd, CertIV(TAE), CertIIIBusiness Library Mrs H Barton AdvDipLib/InfoServices (Ballarat) Mrs G McMullin BAppSc (OT) GradDipErg Science Ms A Howse CertAppSc (AnimalTech) (Footscray IT) CertIVBus CertTextileTech (Melb) Mrs M Polkinghorne Art Ms M Cruise Mr R Hetherington SUMTechTeach Ms M Briody Physical Education/Sport Mr L Cassidy Mr J Pritchard Mt Rowan Farm Mr R Mills Cert 3 Ed Support BAgSci (Oneolgy) Gap Assistants Toby Haines, Wigan (Wales, UK) Georgie O’Connor, Hayhoe (UK) Harry Foord, Dart (UK) Jessi Everson, Woodbridge (South Africa-SA) Abi Turner, Larritt (UK) Graduate Gap Assistants Ella Singleton, Woodbridge (UK) Caitlin Fourie, Hayhoe (SA) Ben Sugden, Dart (Scotland, UK) Anati Gxumisa, Larritt (SA) Alex Webber, Wigan (Wales, UK) Marvin Vitorino, Wigan (Germany) Languages Dr Alastair Hurst BA (Hons) (UNSW) DipEd (UNSW) M ès L (Paris) DU (Montpellier) Ms Meihui (Charlie) Zhang BA (University of Jinan) Staff on Leave during 2020 Rebecca Fisher (Term 2-4) Mrs J Fullerton (Parental Leave) Mrs S Gorman (Parental Leave) Mrs S Healey (Parental leave) Mrs A Humble (Parental Leave) Mrs F Latrobe Mrs Paula Bissinella (Term 3 and 4) Relieving Staff during 2020 Natalie Readhead Julie Davies (Term 2-4) Ava Kennedy (Term 3 and 4)
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING Our 2020 professional learning journey began in January with a focus on wellbeing with psychologist and coach, Sharee Johnson, who shared with staff strategies to promote mindfulness as an effective way to bring sustained change and focus to one’s professional and private life. We had no idea how fortuitous Sharee’s work with us would become. Professor Eleanor Huntington introduced us to her ideas about ‘Engineering the Future’, in particular the future that our students will be embarking on in STEM and related fields. In addition to these sessions, academic staff enjoyed a presentation from academic data-guru, Selena Fisk, author of Leading Data-Informed Change in Schools, as she supported us in our Professional Growth Program (PGP) action research projects. Drawing on the work with Glen Pearsall, Selena introduced staff to strategies for gathering, triangulating and analysing data. It was planned that during our Monday professional learning sessions, educators would collaborate on their action research projects, collect student data to understand the impacts of their teaching and would then share the outcomes of the action research projects during the Term 3 staff day. Due to the impact of COVID-19 and remote learning in Term 2 and Term 3, our PGP projects and professional learning took an unexpected pivot from the intentions established in January. As we embraced the challenges and opportunities of Learning at Home, our focus turned to synchronous and asynchronous learning. Professional learning focussed on adopting practices to support the wellbeing, and hence the best possible learning strategies, for our students. The Learning at Home model was developed and, within days, all teaching and teaching support staff across BG were skilled in the platforms which would become our lifeline with students during the next six months; Screencast-o-matic for the recording of screencasts for pre-recorded instructional lessons; Zoom for video conferencing with students, classes and breakout rooms; Teams as a collaborative space for teachers and students; See-Saw for student folios and teacher feedback (Junior School) and our online platform, Nexus. We found ways to adapt the curriculum, strip out content and focus on core learning while delivering studentcentred pastoral care. 2020 can now be regarded as the most sustained period of innovation, experimentation and problem solving from educators who found new ways of delivering content, re-evaluating what and why we taught and reimagining assessment and reporting. Brianne Cuthbert – Assistant Head, Teaching Learning and Innovation
CURRICULUM In 2020 the Curriculum Innovation and Assessment Committee (CIAC) continued its work in curriculum development and design. Membership of the CIAC (Curriculum Innovation and Assessment Committee) The CIAC is comprised of the Chairs of Faculties Ms Sue Sedgwick, Chair of Art & Design; Mr Alan Pitson, Chair of Commerce; Mrs Kate Brady, Chair of English; Ms Hannah Wise, Chair of Humanities; Mr Frank Apostoli, Head of ICT; Ms Yvonne Chatterton, Chair of LOTE; Mrs Delwyn Oliver, Chair of Mathematics; Mr Andrew Dale, Chair of
PAGE 11
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
Performing Arts; Ms Shenai Dix, Chair of Physical Education and Health; Mr Keith Romanis, Chair of Religion, Philosophy and Ethics; Mrs Laura Bramble, Chair of Science; Ms Priscilla Herington, Futures Coordinator/Applied Learning Coordinator; Ms Adele Ryan, Coordinator of Middle School Learning. Advisors to CIAC: Ms Melissa Dunley, Senior Librarian; and Mr Darren Hofler, Head of Innovation and Learning Technologies. Members of the CIAC meet fortnightly to discuss curriculum development, assessment and reporting matters. PAT Online Testing 2020 marks five years of Ballarat Grammar recording PAT data and staff have been able to use this information to assist in the development of numeracy and literacy strategies to assist learning and teaching across the School. Our Mathematics and English Faculty staff members have addressed this longitudinal information and have developed strategies to address our curricula, looking for ways to improve practice. From 2021, we anticipate running two windows of PAT testing – at the start and the end of the academic year – in order to map student progress across the year. Middle and Senior School Subject Selections Documentation that relates to Subject Selections has been viewed through Nexus this year. Due to the circumstances of COVID-19, information sessions were conducted via live stream. These were extremely successful, not just because families could watch them from the comfort of their own home, but because they offered equal access to both day student and boarding student families. Chairs of Faculty put together subject information videos alongside curriculum information, allowing students to consider the whole range of subject offerings and to make truly informed decisions. Web Preferences, the web-based subject selection app, is housed in Nexus, hence providing a single-point access for all subject selections. Nexus Reporting Nexus has been used for school communications for the last three years. In 2020, all staff in the Middle and Senior Schools have entered all summative assessment grades, as well as summative and formative feedback, into Nexus. Parents and students can see assessment results, uploaded by faculty staff, which is timely and specific. Based on the teachings of Professor John Hattie of the Melbourne University Research Institute, feedback aims to provide an indication of what the student has achieved as well as “next steps” for improvement. This change in culture has been incredibly useful for staff and has provided for powerful conversations between staff and students. Online Learning Due to COVID-19, the School had to quickly transition to an online learning program for the duration of the lockdown periods. Faculties across the Middle and Senior Schools put together an outstanding educational experience for our students, which consisted of a diverse range of lesson types: live lessons conducted via Zoom, screencasts for self-paced learning, and structured independent study. In addition, the Middle School launched a unique learning experience for students across Years 7-9 called the Mind, Body and Soul Project. Two afternoons per week were set aside for students to explore a project of their own choice, with guided mentoring from teaching staff. The robust nature of Learning at Home allowed students to not only make excellent progress during online learning, but also make the transition back into face-to-face lessons with
relative ease. Our faculties are now embedding the most successful aspects of online learning to improve the curriculum for 2021. John Lee – Director of Curriculum
CHAPEL OF ST MARK Every week in term-time, six Chapel Services are held; two Junior School, three Senior School and one Boarders’ Service. Increasingly these services are student-led, as groups of students (the Round Square Committee, Guardians, Middle School leaders, the weekly Bible study group and more) meet with the Chaplaincy team to develop worship events on themes and social issues of their choosing. This year we were fortunate to have help in leading our services from a number of local clergy, especially the Revds Graham Reynold and Ryan Austin-Eames and from school staff, including Ms Tanya Poole, Ms Laura Bramble, Mr Keith Romanis and others, who provided a variety of worship styles and voices. These helpers gave visible expression to the diversity and inclusiveness of the School’s Anglican ethos, and we are very grateful to them for their input and their help. All of our services are enriched by the dedication and talents of our organist, Mr Leigh Askew, to whom thanks are also due. The Revd Dr Timothy Gaden - Senior Chaplain
WELLBEING The importance of solid foundations is never more evident than in times of trial. 2020 was a challenging year with the global spread of COVID-19 resulting in periods of lockdown for schools and communities. At Ballarat Grammar, the foundations of Positive Education and Whole School Wellbeing, built over many years, meant our staff and students were able to draw on existing skills and knowledge to face the challenges. As our immediate world seemed to shrink, the focus on Wellbeing at Ballarat Grammar expanded. We moved from supporting an embedded Positive Education program across the whole school to enhance wellbeing of our students and staff, to sharing the knowledge and expertise we have built through our wellbeing journey across our wider community of past students, parents, friends and families. Our expertise in Wellbeing and Positive Education was evident in all areas of our broader community over the year from modifications to the online curriculum to include Positive Education and Wellbeing education for students, to psychological self-care, parenting and mental health videos and information for our whole community. The essential work of providing targeted support our most vulnerable students, staff and families was never more evident than during the isolation periods of 2020. We continued to provide individual wellbeing support across our school as well as contributing expert advice to external organisations (including Royal Children’s Hospital and Parenting Research Centre) for webinars and resources on child, adolescent and parent wellbeing during co-vid. The benefits of a whole-school focus on Wellbeing over many years has never been more evident, not only in the way staff and
PAGE 12
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
students were able to draw on their existing skills and knowledge to support themselves, but also in the way the key elements of our or Wellbeing program, such as gratitude, compassion and kindness, quickly became the focus and we looked outwards to help others rather than inwards. In a year full of worries, frustrations and disappointments, the Ballarat Grammar community was able to ride the waves of emotion, adjust to the changes, focus on making the best of what was within our control, and look outward to give to others. While our expertise in Positive Education and Wellbeing served us all well in 2020, we are also conscious of not being complacent. There is much that continues to be reviewed, researched, reflected upon and developed, as we seek to provide the best environment for all in our community to flourish. Dr Meredith Rayner – Director of Care
BOARDING 2020 came with many challenges for our boarders and their families. What once appeared to be unshakeable and immovable, very quickly changed, and with it, a strange new existence emerged as the year unfolded. Our boarding houses fell quiet, school grounds were left untouched, and the exodus of boarders back to their families in the depths of March signalled a new reality, and along with it, many unknowns. The well-worn path past the Director of Boarding office window, featuring a procession of boarders peering in to see what was occurring, that signalled the arrival of breakfast or dinner, was no more. And for the first time we contemplated a boarding community from afar, with some of our boarding ‘houses’ stretching from the lush pastures of Victoria's South West, through remote plains of New South Wales, and to the far reaches of the Northern Territory. And whilst the school day for some commenced after morning chores on the farm, for others, Period 1 emerged in early hours of the morning; the time difference between Hong Kong and Australia was not very forgiving. What became very apparent from those within our community, was the resilience and determination to remain connected, while distance and pandemic prevented us gathering together. Zoom sessions with mentors become a light-hearted opportunity to step away and ‘be’ together. Time apart could have been the great disrupter of community and cohesiveness, but thankfully the opposite became apparent. Momentum was established, and whilst challenges certainly were faced, those daily Zoom muster sessions along with weeks punctuated by House meetings and activities became so very vital as an antidote to isolation. Before long, a return became possible, first for Year 11 and 12 students, with the prospect of community billeting or commuting the only possible solution for Year 7-10 students. School families threw open the doors to our boarders, for which we were very thankful and fortunate. As we approached Term 3, our Year 7 and 8 cohorts returned to campus, and Year 9 and 10 cohorts ventured a little further, to take up residence at Sovereign Hill’s accommodation. The students expressed gratitude and optimism at being able to return, albeit in slightly different conditions to normal. This momentum however was short-lived with the news that came on one fateful Sunday in August; we would all be sent back into lockdown, and our community was again separated by distance as we returned to Learning at Home for a second time. After learning
through our experiences in the first lockdown, we were armed with the knowledge of these experiences, and used these to further develop the virtual engagement of our community. A focus on personal wellbeing and connection with family allowed for a gentler pace as we embarked on Learning at Home again. As Term 4 approached, also came the news heralding a return; first for our Year 11 and 12 cohorts, and soon followed by the remainder of our boarders. There was a different feeling this second time around. It felt that we were here now for the long haul, to live out and experience a complete, final term together before our senior boarders concluded their time with us. We are very thankful that during the time the students were away from campus, our Operations Team was able to complete the restoration and renovation of the Memorial Dining Hall. What initially commenced as a servery upgrade, quickly progressed to a full refurbishment, as it became clear that the lockdown would continue for some time. In many ways, this upgrade ensured that we were well-placed for a COVID-safe return for our students, as the restrictions significantly changed how food and catering services needed to be delivered. These COVID restrictions made operating a residential boarding facility quite challenging. I am very thankful for the support provided to our community, with a particular mention for our team of staff, who worked in an environment with ever-changing restrictions which often felt counter-intuitive. Our team managed this exceptionally well; at all times they were able to balance the requirements of operating in a pandemic, with the need to ensure the health and wellbeing of our students. At times, we had interstate boarders who were not able to return home and were unsure of when they could return home. Likewise, in a world that increasingly advocated for the safety of isolation, living and working in a residential community brought with it some anxiety. Our successful navigation to a COVID ‘normal’ reality can be largely attributed to the work of the boarding staff team, under the leadership of the Boarding Heads and Assistant Heads of House. We reflect on the work of our Year 12 boarders throughout 2020 with immense pride. So much was thrown at them, but with all this adversity, they reflected back the 'gold dust' that ultimately kept our community together in this incredible year. In many ways, from those who are newest in our community in 2020, to those who are our longest-serving members, we have all learned something about boarding and the special place that it holds within us. All of these special people have kept our community together this year and have laid the foundations of our future together. We are genuinely excited for 2021, not only to have our boarders back on campus together, but to witness the gold dust that we discovered during 2020, being further spread throughout our community as we step into the new year together. Mr Chris Van Styn – Director of Boarding
CAREERS After sadly farewelling Careers Practitioner Kristy Ward, who took on the role of Year 9 Coordinator, we welcomed the return of Old Grammarian and past Head of Hayhoe House, Jill Coote. Jill’s experience at Federation University TAFE made her a valuable addition to the Careers team. A recipient of an ISV scholarship, Jill completed a Graduate Certificate in Careers Development in 2020. Jill joined Karin Miller (Head of Careers) and Donna Stephen (Academic and Careers Administrator).
PAGE 13
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
In 2020, the Careers Centre continued to support students through the dynamic and changing world of careers. Grammar students were assisted to apply for special consideration, scholarships, medical school, other course applications and accommodation, to gain an apprenticeship or employment. In February, 16 senior students attended the Australian Defence Force Careers Expo at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. The Careers Centre hosted the iCanMED UCAT (Undergraduate Medical Admission Test) preparation session. Nineteen Year 11 and 12 Grammar students attended, joined by students from local schools. Information sessions from University of Melbourne residential colleges Newman and St Hilda’s, were successfully held on the Careers Centre big screen. Professional development sessions, and regular Ballarat Careers Education Network (BCEN)meetings ensured Grammar students had the most up-to-date information. With work experience not possible due to COVID-19 restrictions, a new software resource, ‘The Careers Department’, enabled Year 10 and 11 students to complete a wide range of virtual work experience placements with valuable feedback provided on completion of set tasks. In addition to numerous informal careers and subject selection chats, more senior student interviews than usual were scheduled both face to face, then via Zoom, during Terms 2 and 3. The Year 10 students, in their Janus classes, undertook Morrisby careers profiling and we were lucky to have Tyson Day from Arrive and Thrive guide students through unpacking their individual reports and making the most of the information gleaned. Some 2020 activities were delivered via Zoom due to COVID-19 restrictions, including VTAC and ATAR information, and a session with futurist Kieran Murrihy on the changing world of work. Inperson presenters in Term 4 included Interview Skills coach, James Lynch, preparing students for Mock Job Interviews, while Dale Coutts gave a lively presentation on personal branding. We were delighted to run Mock Job Interviews face to face, with twenty guest interviewers able to join us.
SENIOR LIBRARY AND JUNIOR INQUIRY CENTRE 2020 looked very different for the Senior Library and the Junior Inquiry Centre. Lockdown happened very quickly, but we were able to immediately ensure that our students and families were well-stocked with as many books as our students could carry out of campus! Additionally, both facilities offered a successful ‘Click and Collect’ option where families were able to collect books from school in an COVID-safe manner. This program proved popular with our day students and we also provided our Boarding families with books via the post, ensuring they had the same level of access to our collections. Our libraries lent out an estimated 37,000 loans! This is indicative of the value and support from our staff, students and families, with a strong commitment to a reading culture at Ballarat Grammar. Our students utilised the E and Audiobook platforms, which are easily accessible from Nexus or an easy-to-use mobile app. 2020 also launched the Instagram site @BGLibraries, to offer a social media presence to our community. It has been well-received, providing a diverse and eclectic range of resources. We are grateful that our libraries are so valued and have an important place in our academic curriculum. Melissa Dunley – Head of Library Gwen McMullin – Learning Resources Manager
HEALTH CENTRE
Many past students offered assistance to Year 12 students through the concept of an Old Grammarian (OG) Guru program, where young OGs were matched with current students, providing them with subject and career assistance based on their recent experience. The overwhelming response from our Old Grammarians enabled the program to be extended to Year 11 students.
The Ballarat Grammar Health Centre is a busy service providing holistic care for the Grammar community across the CEEd, Junior School, Mt Rowan Campus, Senior School, Boarding houses and staff. The provision of first aid, health promotion, medical care and student/ staff well-being remain the core objective of the Health Centre. The Centre is staffed by part-time Registered Nurses; Jess Fullerton (absent on maternity leave for Semester 1, covered by Gretel Johns), Brenda Ludbrook, Debra Pitson and Mandy Wilson. The Nurses continue to work closely in conjunction with the school’s three part-time Psychologists; Matt Davis, Larelle Dean and Meredith Rayner.
Old Grammarians rallied again to participate in a careers Q&A panel, giving Year 11 students a much-needed boost in their career planning. The Year 11 Careers Fair came together quickly once we were able to have visitors on campus, with a number of university representatives participating.
In 2020, the Health Centre attended to 10,151 presentations of both students (n=9,961) and staff (n=190). This was an increase of 2868 presentations from the previous year. This was a challenging year putting health and wellbeing at the forefront of the community’s mind as we faced COVID-19.
Senior students enthusiastically embraced opportunities to upskill, undertaking White Card, RSA and First Aid training. Recent Victorian Government Annual On Track 2020 survey results comparing Ballarat Grammar with other Victorian schools affirmed that our students are very well serviced in Careers!
The Health Centre’s responsibilities significant increased as expected due the global pandemic. Achievements include:
Karin Miller - Head of Department, Careers
•
Managing student medical conditions across the Junior, Middle and Senior School including the management and action plans for 48 Anaphylaxic students, 3 Diabetic students, 169 Asthmatic students to comply with the Department of Education requirements. We also manage a significant number of students with allergies and other complexed medical and emotional needs.
PAGE 14
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
•
• • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • • •
•
Commencing 24/7 medical support, being on-call for boarding students over two campuses, Sovereign Hill and the main Boarding precinct, for students unwell with COVID-like symptoms having to be nursed in isolation within the Health Centre until collected by a parent. Performing daily health checks and temperature checks for students attending school through State lockdowns including CEEd, Junior and Middle/Senior School. Conducting Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) education and providing support for cleaning and operation staff Performing onsite asymptomatic COVID-19 testing for all boarders on their return to face-to-face learning in Term 3 Organising and facilitating ongoing symptomatic COVID-19 testing for GAP students and boarders Following PPE and isolation practices for day and boarding students presenting with COVID-like symptoms Making changes to processes to incorporate COVID safe practices Initiating contact with DHHS to assess Ballarat Grammar’s COVID practices for a Boarding School, with positive results Extending the Health Centre upstairs to increase capacity; The Health Centre now has 8 beds and an additional 4 ‘quick turnaround’ chairs for minor ailments Created a casual bank of Nursing staff – introducing 3 more Nurses to the team Implemented 19 new Health policies Organised and facilitated vaccines for students and staffboth for those on the Victorian School Schedule and additional Influenza vaccines. Facilitating boarder’s attendance to doctor’s appointments and referral to health professionals and medical specialists Attending and being active members of: Students on the Radar in Junior and Senior School OHS Committee Outbreak management team Staff wellbeing team Victorian School Nurses Association – virtual meeting each term Australian Boarding School Association – virtual meetings with Boarding School Nurses across country Improving our medical filing processes, including scanning all student medical files, past and present, moving to a paperless system Contacting all parents to update all students’ medical details. An additional 2 new AEDs were purchased for the Rowing Shed and the Junior School. The school now has a total of 6 AEDs across our 2 campuses. Providing health promotion/education for students including: Sex Education support for Year 9 Assisting Year 8 Health Classes, facilitating hands on training for students on CPR and Party First Aid. Hand hygiene demonstrations to boarders Maintaining professional development with our Nurses attending: Compulsory first aid updates of HTLAID003 & HTLAID001 Brenda Ludbrook and Debra Pitson attending ‘Diabetic Education’ through Ballarat Base Hospital and Diabetes Victoria. Mandy Wilson, Brenda Ludbrook, Debra Pitson and Gretel Johns attending ‘Approaching Pornography with Teenagers’ Jess Fullerton attending ‘Supporting Boarders in Sex Education and Pornography’
-
Jess Fullerton completed the Department of Health’s ‘Infection Control for COVID-19’, Department of Education’s ‘Infection Control in Schools and Early Learning’, and the University of Melbourne’s ‘Communicating COVID’ course.
Jess Fullerton - Health Centre Manager
ADMISSIONS Despite interruptions to normal enrolment processes during the 2020 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, enrolment interest across all areas remained very positive. The School has seen an increase in enrolments to 1755 students at the end of 2020 from 1700 students in 2019. The CEEd, Junior School and Middle/Senior Schools all showed increased student numbers from 2019 levels. Boarding enrolments also remained strong, with an increase over the previous year. At year end, CEEd enrolments were 159, Junior School 519 and Middle/Senior School 1077 students. Significant points of note: •
The impressive programs offered at the CEEd continue to be a significant point of interest to families. Continued growth is evident in the number of CEEd 4YO students enrolling in Prep in the Junior School; the Early Acceptance Program for future Prep places has proven to be very popular.
•
Strong levels of interest in the Junior School reflect the continuing impact of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme and the unique learning opportunities of the Year 4 program at the Mount Rowan Farm Campus. Waiting lists are now common at Years 4,5 and 6.
•
Middle/Senior School enrolments remain strong, with student numbers increasing by 37 to 1077. This includes 227 boarders. An additional Year 8 class was added to accommodate growth in boarding numbers.
•
The School remains highly regarded amongst country families across Western Victoria, the South West, Wimmera/Mallee, North Central Victoria and Southern NSW. Interest from these regions for boarding places is particularly strong.
•
Government restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated new approaches to inquiry and enrolment processes. The Admissions Team ‘pivoted’ to replace Open Days, School Tours and Information Events with online virtual Tours and Open Day videos and interviews. This ensured a consistent and active focus on capturing the enrolment interest from both local families and those relocating to Ballarat. Enrolment interest across all areas remained very positive.
Interest in a Ballarat Grammar education continues to be very strong and the School is excited about the strength of its future enrolments. Bruce Pipkorn – Director, Admissions
PAGE 15
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
ARCHIVES
CENTRE FOR EARLY EDUCATION
Staffing Nola and Ross Squire continued as the Archivists, working from home from March with occasional visits to the School. Database access from home enabled cataloguing and research to continue.
Program enrolments In 2020, the CEEd offered early childhood education and care programs for 183 children from 155 families. Kindergarten and Reception program enrolments were strong, and the Infant and Toddler Programs were fully utilised with an extensive waiting list. The extended care programs (Before Care, Aftercare and Holiday Club) were increasingly sought-after with all programs running at capacity (all aside from those during the first lockdown due to COVID-19 in April/May). We observed strong interest in our programs throughout the year, but a decrease in application for enrolments received, particularly during the height of the pandemic. 134 new applications for enrolment (current at 2/12/2020) were processed, a decrease of 21 applications from 2019. A CEEd Virtual Tour was developed to provide prospective families with a sample of our programs whilst not being allowed to visit on-site during 2020.
Butler Archives Centre (BAC) and the John H.D. Roberts Museum This integrated facility continues to function well. Student Involvement It has not been possible to involve classes during the year because of the extraordinary circumstances. Our policy is to support student involvement wherever possible. Accommodation for the Collection The storage space above the Health Centre was vacated and the substantial number of documents, etc. was relocated to a suitable space at 15 Rossio Grove. Requests and Service Diverse requests, about six each month, continue, often requiring substantial research, documentation and interaction, e.g. preparation of a valid list of Honorary Old Grammarians, rowing history research, research and significant time checking and ensuring accuracy for the lists of School Captains, recipients of Dux of School Awards, and Kostas Rind Awardees for new Honour Boards. Provision of administrative support continues to be important, for example, the preparation of concise statements for the planned Life Governors’ Book. Communications and Development Offices We have worked closely with Marnie Pullin, Travis Polkinghorne and Claire Hay, researching, supplying photographs and material, writing, editing and proof reading for Boomalacka and numerous other communications pieces and publications. Donations Numerous items of significance continue to be received. Cataloguing More than 200 catalogue sheets, many of which cover multiple items under one number, have been completed. Displays Significant displays were prepared and mounted in the Museum prior to the fourth Gala Reunion for the 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2010 peer year groups, scheduled for 3 October, but postponed until 2021. Capital expenditure In December GRACE Records Management commenced the digitisation of School Magazines, Boomalackas, Annual Reports, Histories and School Rolls. In addition to preservation, the ability to search these documents will save a significant amount of time for the archivists and others.
CEEd Overarching Goals As a team this year we turned our collective gaze to the following goals: • To reset our personal and professional narrative through selfreflection, self-awareness and self-care, and • To use the notions of professional identity and reflective practice to guide the content of our whole-CEEd Staff Meetings. Little did we know when setting these goals that we would encounter a year that would see the whole world having to re-set personal and professional narratives through necessity. CEEd Staffing 39 educators were employed at the CEEd in 2020. This number included full-time, part-time, and casual relief educators and educators on Parental Leave. Staff Professional Learning Our annual CEEd staff day scheduled for Saturday 18 April at the Mercure Ballarat had to be cancelled due to COVID-19. Whole CEEd Staff Meetings, collaborative meetings and department meetings were conducted successfully via Zoom and the development of a CEEd Staff Work Box on the Nexus CEEd Staff Page offered a plethora of early childhood articles, blog posts, podcasts and webinars for staff to access throughout the year. Parent Teacher Conversations Our mid-year Parent Teacher conversations and November interviews for new families took place via Zoom, rather than faceto-face. Technology that had previously sat unexplored in the background came to the fore during this time. Platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams allowed educators the opportunity to meet collaboratively with their co-educators, in Department groups and as a whole staff; to connect and communicate with children and families as well as tapping into the wider School community, during this period of uncertainty, adversity and disconnection. Dual Learning Program Although the CEEd remained open for children and families during both lockdowns, we experienced a significant reduction in attendance in March and April. We offered a Dual Learning Program providing both onsite, face-to-face learning and ‘Learning at Home’ in an online environment, concurrently. ‘Learning at Home Packs’ were developed with a range of activities to keep children engaged while at home and complemented the Dual Learning Program.
PAGE 16
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
Educators delivered a Morning Message, a daily activity, Midday Mindfulness and an Afternoon Message, in line with our CEEd Philosophy. Educators were rostered to take part in both online and onsite learning to ensure that there were common threads across both modes of delivery. Bush Kinder and Bushlings Our Bush Kinder and Bushlings Programs were permitted by the Department of Education and Training in the different stages of lockdown and were able to remain in operation. Whilst we are all aware of the significant and far-reaching benefits of play in nature, it became a haven and space that fortified the physical and mental health and wellbeing of children and staff throughout the 2020 year. Throughout 2020, through what has been an overwhelmingly negative experience and a detour from all that we once took for granted, at the CEEd we have become stronger, more connected, and in tune with ourselves and one another. Koren Naylor – Director, Centre for Early Education
JUNIOR SCHOOL It was a joy to start the school year with our existing students and families and as always, to welcome new students and families to the Grammar community. Our newest students in the Prep classes settled in beautifully, evidence that the transition program continues to work very well. During 2020 the Junior School was on the path to enable some of the recommendations from our 2019 IB PYP review and implement the Enhanced PYP. Unfortunately, as for every area of the School, and life in general, COVID-19 had other ideas on how the year would progress. A massive change was required to our teaching and learning programs. Learning at Home was tough for everyone, and continually evolving the program in response to feedback and trying to meet the needs of all families was a delicate balancing act. We were proud that we were able to ‘pivot’ and managed to undertake many things such as the Production, Art Exhibition, a variety of learning experiences, camps, and Year 6 Graduation in new and different ways. The culmination of the PYP, the PYP Exhibition, was held on a virtual platform, with every Year 6 student creating their own website to showcase their learning. It is important that we recognise that many have missed out on significant rites of passage throughout the year. However, we worked hard to provide and celebrate the most important things, by using our strengths of grit, perseverance, and hope. We look forward to continuing to work with our community in 2021 and continue strengthening the relationships between students, parents and staff. We welcomed new teaching staff member Chris Vaughan (Year 6) and throughout the year had exciting baby arrivals for Mrs Sally Gorman and Mrs Melissa Cornell-Smith. Thank you to Mrs Julie Davies, Lani Sharp and Yvonne Jeganathan who covered these leave positions. Mrs Paula Bissinella took up a leadership role at the Catholic Education Office and we welcomed Ms Ava Kennedy to the Prep team. We also farewelled Mr Bradley Sheridan and Ms Melinda Harty at the end of the year. We thank them for the work they have done in the Prep area over the last few years.
We are thankful to all who dug deep and stuck together to make 2020 the year that it was in the Junior School and for all the opportunities that were available to the students. Mr Mark Warwick – Head of Junior School
MIDDLE SCHOOL Middle School students embraced the theme “Be the Change” which was an apt description of what was required from our Middle School community in 2020. We often talk about grit, character, resilience and perseverance with our students and these traits were all tested for the duration of 2020. It was our strong sense of connection and our now maturing Middle School culture, combined with our willingness to be adaptive, flexible and responsive that enabled us to make positive progress collectively in the face of ever-changing winds. It is with enormous pride that we can all look back on what was achieved and the numerous initiatives that were implemented at short notice that will forever change our educational landscape. The power of NEXUS as our learning management tool came to the fore during the periods of ‘Learning @ Home’. It provided stability and reliability when it came to student-teacher communication about learning programs and this legacy will be long-lasting. This, combined with more formative extended learning tasks and less focus on summative learning tasks, enabled students to learn at their own level and at their own pace, using teachers as the guide on the side to assist them with their learning. We used screencasts to great effect to convey essential explicit knowledge and enabled students to use household resources to supplement learning materials provided online. Middle School students benefited from shortened classes and periods of collapsed curriculum which opened opportunities for them to focus on their spirituality, health and wellbeing and creative passion pursuits in a program called ‘Mind, Body and Soul’. In this program, they were coached by a staff member in small groups as they developed and pursued personal goals in each of their important domains. The student feedback that we regularly sought was overwhelmingly positive and affirmed that whilst not being able to attend school in person, we made a great success of the periods of ‘Learning @ Home’. Student wellbeing during this time at home was always our primary concern and we attended to this in regular homeroom and mentor meetings, online chapel services, Middle School Assemblies, Combined Assemblies and Level Assemblies. Student involvement in these events was always a critical element and our Middle School Leaders were always central to this. When students were required to return to school, our students did so with good grace, respect for each other and our environment. While face masks, respectful distancing, hand sanitising, increased ventilation and managed traffic flow became daily norms, the joy of being back together was palpable and made all members of our community grateful for the opportunities we are afforded. Our focus on impacting members in the broader community was also modified to suit the environment in which we found ourselves. We had Middle School students developing lasting pen-pal relationships with the elderly in nursing homes, a reading program in the Junior School, appeals for Anglicare and gratitude letter writing sessions resulting in positivity being spread throughout the community. Many of these community minded activities were
PAGE 17
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
student activated and our association with Crazy Ideas College and the Ballarat Tech School was formative in the development of these opportunities. When we were able, we continued with our regular service events and activities such as Eat Up, Days for Girls and AAA sport. All of these programs require ongoing staff support and I would like to acknowledge the efforts of all staff in enabling students to impact their community.
would see us segue into online teaching and learning within weeks of our first initial planning meeting.
Our music program continued to thrive through online lessons and whilst Year 7 students did not get the full IMP experience, they still produced a remarkable concert in the final weeks of the school year. We also saw the production of ‘The Red Door’ and student ideations come to life through such electives as Innov8. Chorals, whilst being performed and recorded in the WCPA, as opposed to in front of our regular roaring crowd, was a source of major excitement and joy for every member of each House.
When the Victorian Government announced the first lockdown, the Ballarat Grammar Learning at Home program was ready to roll out, and we continued using it to deliver our teaching and learning program for nearly 12 weeks during 2020.
Sport was played intermittently due to restrictions, but when it wasn’t on, students fully engaged in the House Challenges that saw students’ exercise tallies combined into House tallies, as part of the modified House Cup competition. Students also participated in backyard sleep outs and other creative competitions that engaged us and brought us together as a community. In the final few weeks of the year, we took the bold step to ensure that every Middle School child would attend a school camp. We achieved this, with Year 7, 8 and 9 students all participating in an adventure that earlier in the year never looked possible. This was a critical experience as it consolidated friendships and relationships in preparation for 2021 whilst also giving students an all important break away from screens. 2020 culminated in us farewelling the first batch of students who traversed through the entire Middle School. They were the founding group of Year 7 students in 2019 that entered the newly formed Middle School and they left it as a place where students extend, challenge, support and help each other to grow through the complexities of adolescence, together. What we are most proud of is the development of the Middle School culture. Middle School students at Ballarat Grammar are challenged to lead, to serve and to persist. We have learnt much about ourselves and our community and will be all the better for the resilience that we have developed through the twists and turns that 2020 presented. I wish to thank the staff for their tireless work, their unrelenting commitment to support each child on their educational journey and their willingness to extend, challenge and work with students to overcome life’s challenges on their journey to adulthood. The support, care and kindness that has been extended by our parent body has been warmly received and, whilst we have spent time apart, in many ways we are closer than ever before. Mr Chris Beechey – Head of Middle School
SENIOR SCHOOL 2020 broke the mould. Our Guardians attempted to capture the zeitgeist of this auspicious year with the theme, ‘2020 Vision’ but little did they know the twists and turns our community would experience due to the global pandemic. In March, as case numbers began to grow, we began to plan with Chairs of Faculty and the IT team our response to COVID, which
In April, as case numbers increased, our teaching teams were trained to use the new platforms which would facilitate the delivery of online content: Screencast-o-matic, Zoom and Teams. Before the first lockdown, we launched a trial of Learning at Home.
Learning at Home was evidence of the ingenuity and resourcefulness of our academic and technical staff and the resilience of our students. Our teachers provided outstanding pastoral support for students who were physically distant and missing the social aspect of school. Despite the uncertainty, our students continued to achieve outstanding academic results even though the GAT and the VCAA examinations were rescheduled a number of times. Our staff worked to ensure all students had a sense of purpose, connection and identity whether we were at school or Learning at Home. Assistant Heads, Ms Brianne Cuthbert, Mrs Sandra Warwick and Mrs Sue Hinchliffe provided outstanding support and ingenuity in their areas of focus. Mr John Lee, Director of Curriculum, provided excellent advice to faculties as we revised assessment and reporting schedules. ‘Pivot’ became a much-used catchphrase as we re-configured to livestreamed assemblies, video-conferenced Parent Teacher Student Interviews and livestreamed Subject Selection Parent Information sessions and House Dinners. In a year full of changes, our boarding community experienced one of the biggest pivots as we housed our Year 9 and 10 boarding students off-campus into the accommodation at Sovereign Hill to allow for density limits and restrictions. Mr Chris Van Styn and Mrs Jill Coote achieved the impossible with our satellite boarding campus at Sovereign Hill and we are indebted to them for their leadership of this initiative which enabled nearly all our boarders to return. Opportunities for service, outdoor education, sport and performance were limited due to density restrictions and we could only look forward to increased opportunities in 2021, but Ms Adele Ryan in her role as Leadership and Service Co-ordinator managed to still provide students with rewarding opportunities. The impact of restrictions and lockdown took its toll on student morale and so the Grammar Guru mentoring program was born. The program paired a Year 12 student with a recent OG graduate who would offer mentoring on life challenges and/or subject specific tutoring. The Grammar Gurus were like older siblings, who offered support, advice or just a friendly face over Zoom for our senior students. The program was so successful we opened it up to Year 11 students. Thinking outside the box became second nature to us as Mr Andrew Dale, Director of Music, had to provide a solution to the challenge of teaching woodwind, brass and bagpipe students in a way that was COVID safe. We pitched gazebo style tents outside the WCPA and lessons and ensembles occurred al fresco. However, we were not able to resolve all challenges. The Senior School Production – ‘Mary Poppins’, directed by Mr Callan Lewis was
PAGE 18
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
cast and had just begun rehearsals when the first of the three lockdowns we experienced in 2020 was announced. Despite a skilled and talented cast and crew, we were never able to bring the production to life completely and perform in front of an audience. The production joined a collection of other events that were cancelled as we were unable to navigate the rolling restrictions and density limits. The Round Square events, such as the Round Square Dance, Round Square International Conference, Round Square Exchanges and the Round Square Big Build were all cancelled. Planned service trips to Timor Leste, which would have given students the chance to travel and step out of their comfort zone were also cancelled. Despite the disappointment, students faced the adversity and uncertainty together – working with each other or working with their teachers to enjoy the events we could host. There’s a connectedness and understanding in our senior students that links their learning to life, even when it was over the Zoom screen or through livestreamed events. One of our School Captains encapsulated the character of the Grammar learner during this year that broke the mould, when she said, in her Presentation Night speech; “This year we learnt that it does not matter if our goals become a little bit muddled and hazy, or if our direction changes halfway through the course we had planned. We are students that are made of that tough stuff. We adapt to the circumstances and trust in the people who have experience. Be so proud of what you have made of this year and the way that we relied on, and lifted each other up to get to this point, together. Everything you need is in your character and the relationships you have forged. You are all made of such kindness, integrity, strength and compassion. You know that it is never about the titles and achievements, image or success. That embroidery you once wore on your blazer compares little to the smile you shared with that shy Year 7. Some of you will have tallied number of times you crossed the stage, but that will never liken to the way you recognized your privilege and used it to help others in the community.” - Kate Hawker School Co-Captain 2020 Mrs Christine Shaw - Head of Senior School (Term 1-3) Ms Brianne Cuthbert – Head of Senior School (Acting-T4)
ROUND SQUARE We had been building towards hosting a Round Square International Conference at Grammar in 2020, but by March it was becoming clear that this was to be a very different year, and so it proved. Sixteen exchanges for the year became three, with Indi Berberich’s Term 1 exchange to Columbia being our sole outbound international exchange for the year. Her return journey, as South American borders closed behind her, was not the most relaxing, but Indi nonetheless had a fabulous time in Bogota. We will fully re-engage with our partner schools across the globe when international travel swings back open, to resume these life-changing exchange experiences for our Grammar students. Sophie Tan, Alexander Unmack, Ellie Litras and Austin Eaton had a wonderful time on their Borneo service trip in December 2019, and we also look forward to these worthwhile opportunities opening up again in the future. Still, Round Square jumped across to Zoom, and in spite of several phases of Learning at Home, we had five Year 10 students who hosted an international Zoom collaboration about life lessons learnt in lockdown in 2020. Kate Anderson, Bryce Wolstenholme, Claudia Gedye, Georgiana Gray and Keylah Walker did an outstanding job leading this collaborative online discussion. Our students also did a
terrific job with the Community Care Day at the end of Term 3, allowing us to make generous donations to UnitingCare, Anglicare, the Salvation Army and Headspace at a time of need within the greater Ballarat community. Round Square’s commitment to service of others and looking ‘outward’ has never been more important as we all look ahead to the challenges of 2021 and beyond in our everchanging world. Tim Adams - Round Square Co-ordinator International Exchange Co-ordinator
FACULTIES ART AND DESIGN Gabrielle Lillie returned from parental leave in Term 3 Mairin Briody appointed as Art Assistant (.2) Extra Curricular • Delivery of materials to students during Learning at Home • Afternoon and evening studio sessions for VCE students in all terms • House Art Competition • VCE Art and Design exhibition, Beckworth Centre, supported by virtual exhibition online • Screen printing support for Junior School Production • Progressive hanging of artworks throughout the School • Collaboration with RP&E Year 10 students for their Contemporary Ethical Questions task • Support of Chinese faculty, mask making • Art and Design Intensives, Year 11 Upskill Day • ‘Hope’ Lockdown art competition Shortlisted for Top Designs (Melbourne Museum) Reuben Rasmussen (Systems Engineering) Emily Baker (Visual Communication Design) Kira Dawson (Product Design) Shortlisted for Top Arts (National Gallery of Victoria) Charlotte Hopkins (Art – Textiles) NextGen at the Ballarat Gallery Jemma McPherson Max Procaccino Scarlett Burmeister Audrey Wilson Charlotte Hopkins Johanna Wilson Kate Hawker Staff Professional Learning Natalie Dunne • VCE State Reviewer (Coursework) Rob Hurley • Adobe Creative Educator Level 1 Alan Beech • Commenced Masters of Education (Leadership and Management) University of Melbourne • Professional Certificate (The science of Learning) University of Melbourne (The science of Learning)
PAGE 19
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
Sue Sedgwick • Ballarat Gallery Teacher’s Exhibition, exhibitor • Finalist, Swan Hill Regional Gallery Print and Drawing prize • Panel member, VCAA VCE Art study review • VCCA VCE Art exam assessor Gabrielle Lillie • Zart Nurturing Creativity Conference • Zart Art Ken Done vs The Fauves Professional Learning Ruby Pilven • Middle Years Learning Leader • Exhibition: The Golden Pantomime at The Art Gallery of Ballarat • Guest presenter, The Ceramics School Ceramics Congress Korea • Joint exhibition, Encounters, at Skepsi Gallery in Melbourne • Collaboration with Boob Club Melbourne, supporting women with breast cancer Melanie Buckingham • Illustration and design course with Lilla Rogers • Attended online: Pictoplasma Conference and festival of contemporary character design and art. Lauren Layton • Ballarat Gallery Teacher’s Exhibition, exhibitor • Artist in Residence, Provincial Hotel Ballarat Mairin Briody • Exhibition: SIGNAL at The Art Gallery of Ballarat • Creative Victoria Education partnership: Mount Pleasant Primary school Madeleine Cruise • Exhibition: The Golden Pantomime at The Art Gallery of Ballarat • Works displayed at Provincial Hotel in Ballarat
COMMERCE The staffing of Commerce subjects has included Adam Shaw, Susie Murdoch, Denise Parkins, Bruce Pipkorn and Alan Pitson along with the addition of Brendan Gilbert in 2020. Brendan joined us to teach the elective Start Up:Start Now which was introduced at Year 9. The purpose of this elective was to provide this year level with a subject which will help build student knowledge and skills of entrepreneurship and financial literacy. This year, given the interruptions to ‘normal’ schooling, has required our staff to adopt a range of additional practices and strategies to maintain student engagement to facilitate Learning at Home. During these times of uncertainty for students, the resilience and optimism displayed by the Commerce staff has underpinned the achievements and continued focus of our students. Throughout the year our team has continued to focus professional learning on literacy development and feedback. We have also explored and shared feedback practices which facilitate student ownership over their learning. Across all year levels, we have mandated student work to be written in exercise books rather than in their notebooks. This has assisted students to have their work more organised and accessible and for handwriting skills to be practised. Across all subjects, staff members have taken every opportunity to embed current affairs and topical examples in their teaching. Student numbers across the faculty have remained very strong and with a relatively equal gender balance. Students have participated in the Australian Schools’ Sharemarket Game and the Commonwealth Bank Plan Your Enterprise Competition.
Commerce Awards: Year 12: Max Mizzi Year 11: Ruby Riordan ASX Schools’ Sharemarket Game: Xanda Stewart Alan Pitson – Chair of Faculty, Commerce
ENGLISH Staffing We welcomed a number of new staff members to the English faculty in 2020, Ms Michelle Ainley and Mr Nathanael Lambert to the Senior English team as well as Mr Andrew Conquest and Mr Lachlan Barber in the Middle Years. We also welcomed back Ms Kate Brusamarello who took on a Middle Years’ teaching and pastoral role. We wish Mrs Sue Hinchliffe well as she sets out for year of wellearned leave. And we also farewell and thank Ms Michelle Ainley for her contributions in her short time with us and wish her well for a return to teaching closer to home. Teaching and learning The faculty focus through the year supported in part through the PGP program, was centred on the explicit teaching of vocabulary as a means to improve both reading comprehension and writing. To this end we have seen a small team of Year 7 teachers make the most of exclusive blocks of time to focus on the development of specific word banks and specific practices, led by the expertise of Assistant Head of English, Sally Smith. Despite its disruptive and extraordinary nature, the 2020 year offered several opportunities. We developed an increased level of consistency and shared practice across year levels, as part of navigating the online learning platform. In addition, teachers became more adept at harnessing a range of technological platforms to augment teaching practice including screencasts, the myriad functions of Zoom, as well as new and time-saving methods of delivering timely, formative feedback to students via the School’s online learning platform, NEXUS. We all noted that, in spite of these advancements, nothing can replace real-time, face-toface contact, to aid the learning progression of all students. In the Middle Years, staff were led by the work of Alice Humble for the first semester, and then Kristy Ward in Semester 2 in their roles as Middle Years’ Learning leaders. The implementation of the Middle Years Learning model PREPARE, was a focus of the curriculum development for our Middle Years students. Staff at these year levels proved themselves both flexible and innovative in adapting learning plans to cater for the specific educational and wellbeing needs of their students during online learning. Our VCE teachers continued to work tirelessly to support students who were particularly vulnerable and often anxious throughout the uncertainties that the year presented. The ‘steady ship’ that is the Senior English team was up to the task. Keeping as much regular routine and expectation as possible was important; for example, the continuation of the additional Saturday Trial exam in Term 3 – in 2020 completed remotely and uploaded online, gave students an opportunity to receive external marker feedback which helped to promote practice in the lead up to the subsequent Trial Exam. Additionally, pre-recorded revision lectures were offered for students’ revision purposes. Throughout the year before school masterclass sessions were run on a Tuesday and Friday morning and taken up by an increasing number of dedicated students. VCE staff continued their commitment to best practice through their
PAGE 20
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
role as VCAA markers in both English Language and mainstream English. Debating and Public Speaking VCAA Plain English Speaking Awards – In June of 2020, Year 12 student Finley Japp and Year 11 student Tom McKenzie competed in the finals of the Plain English Speaking Awards. This year, like so much of our lives, the competition was conducted online. We congratulated both boys for their commitment to the public speaking program of the School despite the circumstances. Evatt Voice of Youth – Twelve Ballarat Grammar students competed in the Evatt Voice of Youth Online Competition. UN Young Leaders Summit – Nine Ballarat Grammar Students participated in the online Young Leaders Summit. Grammar Speaks Out – As a number of external public speaking competitions were cancelled in 2020, we held an internal Middle Years’ Speaking competition. Students presented a five minute prepared speech followed by a two minute impromptu. A small but enthusiastic number took up the opportunity. Kate Brady – Chair of Faculty, English
HUMANITIES 2020 proved to be a time where we had to adapt and change in a myriad of ways. We entered the year confident in the gains we had made in 2019 in the use of Project Based Learning and embedding the Writing Revolution across many of our classes. This had provided a great opportunity to reflect on what we were doing well and also realise that sometimes less is more – slowing down and focusing more on skills than content was really important and across the faculty were starting to find our groove. Then COVID-19 hit and we were thrown into the unknown work of lockdown life. Zooms, screencasts and handing over some of the autonomy we usually had in our classroom all felt weird and made us extremely vulnerable as teacher. But we need not have worried – when life send you unexpectedly challenges, often you are given the opportunity to develop and change in ways that you didn’t expect. We felt lucky that our units of work were engaging and diverse, so when we had to pivot to ensure that we could continue to deliver our high-quality curriculum – and we became more collaborative, more creative and more appreciative of the range of talents of our students. We were so proud of the way in which the department were able to take existing resources and reshape the way our lessons took place in the virtual world. We were so proud of our students who adapted to learning from home and made the most of this in order to keep engaged in their world. The number one thing we learnt was how to be more creative – when the students were at home there was so much more flexibility than the regular classroom. Teachers took advantage of this to develop new approaches to student centered learning and agency. Year 7 students continued their study of Emperor Qin via screencasts and making maps from ingredients in their kitchen pantry. Year 8 students took to their backyard, making videos of landforms and landscapes from garden beds and sandpits. Our Senior School students gained greater independence, setting up study groups and working at their own pace to produce thought provoking written pieces that were a reflection of the new pace of their day.
We learnt how to collaborate more effectively, to allow students more agency in choosing how to approach a task and remembered just how much the Humanities is essential for every student to feel connected to the world and what is going on in it. When we returned to school, the department made a concerted effort to ensure the lessons we learnt from the lockdown were not lost, and look forward to continuing to be a dynamic and creative group that work together beautifully to make student learning the best it can be. Hannah Wise – Chair of Faculty, Humanities
LANGUAGES The Languages Faculty staff members are to be commended on their dedication and professionalism which was highlighted so well throughout 2020. Teachers found innovative ways to engage students from home during the lockdowns. The Learning at Home period provided the opportunity for students to explore more of the cultural aspects of language learning. • • •
• • • •
•
• •
• •
•
French students in Year 9 prepared chocolate mousse using a recipe in French, photographing the results. French students in Year 8 used foods from the pantry to study partitive articles. Middle School Chinese students engaged in cultural projects. Year 7 and 8 students worked on three projects; one focusing on travelling in China, one on the Beijing Opera where they had to research the history of the Beijing Opera and one focusing on Confucius where they had to consider his philosophy and sayings. Former student Chris Milne visited the Year 9 Chinese class in Term 1 to talk about his experiences in China. Middle School Latin students engaged in the building of 3D models of the Pharos. Year 7 Latin students made masks from classical theatre and studied Roman Cursive script. Unit 3/4 French students continued to receive speaking tuition with our French tutor, Dr Alastair Hurst, throughout the year. This was in person when possible or delivered online during lockdowns. Unit 3/4 French students experienced the Matinée du Français session, provided by the Association of French Teachers in Victoria to prepare for the VCE French examination, as an online resource this year. Year 8 French students celebrated Bastille Day at school, experiencing French activities, games and food. Latin students competed in the Classical Association of Victoria Latin Reading Competition, which was this year held online. Ashwin Rajagopalan was awarded second place in the Year 12 competition. Year 12 Latin students experienced their “Schools’ Night” online this year, with presentations from the Chief Examiner and staff from the University of Melbourne. Mr Graham Watts, an Old Grammarian and former Latin teacher at Ballarat Grammar returned to the School to speak to Unit 3/4 Latin students about their preparation for the VCE examination. Recipients of the 2020 Language Faculty Prizes are Ashwin Rajagopalan (12), Callum Luttrell (11) and Anvi Khairnar (11).
PAGE 21
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
Staff • We welcomed the Revd Dr Timothy Gaden to our Faculty this year as Unit 1/2 Latin teacher. • We bade farewell to Ms Kristiana Withers, Year 8 French teacher, who has left the School to take up a teaching post at Damascus College. • We were fortunate to have our Chinese assistant, Ms Charlie Zhang, who worked with students in person when possible and worked with students online to develop their spoken Chinese. Ms Zhang has now returned to China. • Mrs Nancy Wu, Senior Chinese Teacher, attended several conferences online. Yvonne Chadderton – Chair of Faculty, Languages
MATHEMATICS
OUTDOOR EDUCATION The year that delivered new and unfounded challenges on a global scale was one that demanded staff, students, and the entire community of Ballarat Grammar to adapt to a dynamic and often unpredictable working environment. In the field of Outdoor Education, where programs require annual bookings and months of prior planning and preparation, the great unknown of lockdown periods made the facilitation of our Program difficult. We were forced to cancel a number of camps and trips, including the Year 9 Glenelg River Journey, Year 10 Alpine Camp, and the ever-popular Explorations Week due to Government restrictions that were in place at the time. It was equally disappointing that the inaugural Year 9 Extended Journey, a new 15-day program, was also cancelled in 2020.
2020 was a year like no other yet the Maths Faculty continued as strong and resilient as ever.
Our Year 7 students did manage to complete their first camp at Jungai in the Rubicon Valley, proving a valuable introductory experience for them at the commencement to the school year.
Staff The big gain was with the increased use of technology. Maths staff upskilled on the uses and applications that were possible through our learning management system, Nexus. In preparation for each of the Learning @ Home periods the staff supported each other with patient, caring and knowledgeable instruction related to the technology that would improve the teaching and learning. This included video conferencing, screen casting, Nexus applications, design and implementation of units of work as well as shared responsibility for planning.
With inevitable lockdowns and cancellations on the cards, the innovation of the ‘Backyard Campsite’, a program designed to promote social connectedness amongst our entire community, was implemented with great success. This brought together families from all corners of the School, sharing their backyard camping experiences on social media. The Journey to Country was another initiative designed to again foster social connectedness but also promote physical activity and extend students’ learning of Indigenous culture and coutry as we completed a virtual journey to our friends in Timber Creek and Kulumbaru.
Students Students in the Middle Years were, on the whole, were engaged, willing and enthusiastic. They enjoyed working on activities such as: • The Cube House in Year 7 where students managed to improvise to find 5 blocks and various ideas in which to apply isometric drawing skills. • PowerPoint presentations to demonstrate understanding of Transformation, Similarity and Congruency in Year 8. • The Measurement Project in Year 9.
It was with tremendous excitement that the green light was given for Outdoor Education programs to return for Term 4 2020. This required a frenetic block of planning and changes to programs, however, with a cohesive approach, our Year 8 Murray River and Year 7 Wongai programs were facilitated with great success. Due to social distancing regulations, students on the Year 8 Murray River program were required to adapt from group raft paddling to canoeing in pairs. Having cancelled the Year 9 Glenelg River Journey in Term 2, it was exciting that Cave Hill Creek, a local residential camp near Beaufort, were able to accommodate our Year 9 students and staff for a short but intense, three-day Outdoor Education experience, providing a welcome experience for our Year 9 students in 2020.
The Senior School students were eager and focussed on what was required for them to learn at their best rate while at home. Some students did struggle to maintain their focus and it was a welcome relief to return to Learning at School in Term 4. Students in Years 10, 11 and 12 undertook examinations at the end of Term 4. Unit 3 and 4 VCE Maths subjects had all of Term 4 to prepare for the final examinations and the students were heavily invested in their own revision. They attended sessions before and after school, welcomed specially prepared sets of questions on specific areas of the course and many students accessed the extra help that was available. Although the interruptions to face-to-face learning meant that staples of our program, like the Australian Maths Competition and the Melbourne University Competition could not run as normal, other opportunities arose. Universities offered innovative programs, teachers became more creative and students experienced personal growth like no other year. Delwyn Oliver – Head of Department, Mathematics
Ballarat Grammar’s Outdoor Education programs do not operate without a dedicated approach from teaching and auxiliary staff, who attend and guide our young students through these exciting, yet challenging activities. Staff that attend our programs are to be commended for sacrificing time away from home and from their classes to support these wonderful, character-building experiences. David Marriott – Outdoor Education Co-ordinator
HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION 2020 was certainly a challenging year for all and it forced the Health and Physical Education faculty to re-think and re-develop curriculum that could be accessed throughout the home learning period.
PAGE 22
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
The Mind, Body & Soul project was established within the Middle School. There was a lot of success and personal growth that came from this project; something that our students really valued as they were given the opportunity to choose a pathway and to demonstrate a level of agency. Our Senior School staff and students did a tremendous job navigating this difficult period and after a year of pivoting back and forth, were able to feel a great sense of accomplishment once reaching the finish line. Our appreciation and thanks is extended to all who were involved in ensuring that our VCE students were provided such wonderful learning opportunities given the circumstances. We also welcomed new staff members James Castles (teaching) and Jason Pritchard (PE Assistant) to our faculty. Health and Physical Education Awards: Year 11 – Claire Booth Year 12 – Phoebe Sheehan Shenai Dix – Chair of Faculty, Health and Physical Education
PERFORMING ARTS – MUSIC, DANCE, DRAMA AND THEATRE STUDIES 2020 has been both remarkable and unremarkable for the Performing Arts Faculty. The COVID-19 pandemic restrictions impacted our faculty significantly due to the fact that ensembles and choiere unable to rehearse and perform together for much of the year. Concerts, Music Camps, Festivals, and competitions didn’t occur for the safety of performers, staff and audiences. Our combined Middle and Senior School Production, Mary Poppins, did not proceed after shaping up to be one of our strongest Productions. Students and staff were extremely disappointed at the cancellation of these events, given the many hours of rehearsals that had already taken place. Performance opportunities were modified as the year progressed, with events such as Acoustic Night being live-streamed. Music for our online ANZAC Day Memorial Service was pre-recorded and received wonderful feedback from the wider School community. Eight online concerts were released throughout the year, featuring solo and group musicians, speech and drama students and dancers. All these opportunities provided our Junior, Middle and Senior School students with performance goals throughout the Learning from Home period, whilst also engaging some parents more than in previous years. I am incredibly thankful to our wonderful music and performing arts staff members for their inspiration and hard work, adapting to online teaching for much of the year. Our Music Captains, Lucas Burke and Abbey Miller, along with our ensemble leaders, continued to support their peers in the best possible way, providing strong leadership alongside their VCE peers. Congratulations to Cooper Harwood and Tayla Strybosch who were short-listed to audition for the VCAA Season of Excellence Music Concerts and also to Ben Goldsbrough and William Laursen-Habel who were selected to audition for the Top Class Drama and Theatre Studies performances. William was selected to perform in Top
Class. This reflects the hard work and excellence achieved in these subjects by each of these students. We farewell Kristiana Withers (Choral Director) and Jacinta Heley (Theory Teacher) and thank them both for their terrific contribution to the School and wish them well in their intended pursuits. Andrew Dale – Chair of Faculty, Performing Arts
RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY AND ETHICS 2020 presented the Faculty with opportunities to demonstrate our flexibility, creativity and perseverance! As conditions and restrictions changed around us the Faculty worked exceptionally well to continue to support and challenge our students. The Year 7 Chapel Project went online with students creating a range of models and then filming themselves presenting their Chapels. Year 8 students were challenged to speak to their families whilst in lockdown for the “Ask a Christian” project where students explore the lived experience of Christians in their lives. Year 9 students were guided through a program of inquiry regarding the arguments for and against the existence of God, independently working on articles, webpages and videos in the first week and then joining together for a Zoom call in the subsequent week to discuss their findings. This was so successful that we are looking forward to implementing it in-person in 2021. The Year 10 students continued their studies in VCE Unit 2 Religion & Society making full use of the NEXUS Learning Management System with self-marking quizzes, easy access to files, videos and a range of other resources to support their learning. Supplemented with Zoom calls, the staff and students worked well to make all the different iterations of learning that we experienced in 2020. Faculty members are to be congratulated for their full embrace of a range of technologies, especially the work on Unit Pages through NEXUS that will be of great value in the years to come. Staff have migrated a range of resources and information onto this system that can be easily accessed and modified. Ms Fiona Whitehouse continues to provide great leadership in implementing the Writing Revolution strategies across Years 7-10. Mrs Jo Ashman has shepherded the Year 7 program and joined Mrs Danielle Tesoriero in producing excellent experiences for the Year 8 students. Rev Dr Timothy Gaden has completed his Master of Education, along with teaching Year 10 and Middle School students and providing excellent guidance for the whole Faculty, I am proud to have worked with these wonderful educators throughout 2020 and the challenges and opportunities that COVID-19 has brought. One outstanding experience of 2020 was the introduction of the Mind, Body and Soul Challenge into Years 7 and 8 during the Learning at Home period. This trans-disciplinary program featured teachers from RP&E, Health, PE and Digi-tech mentoring small groups of students focussing on their wellbeing, physical exercise regimen and completion of a Mastery Goal. This program was incredibly successful and we were able to celebrate this success with a Middle School Outdoor Chapel where students shared reflections on their Mastery Goal, the Year 8 Rock band played and the Chaplain led us in prayers of thanksgiving, sorrow and petition asking God’s guidance for all those around the world impacted by the pandemic and for those working hard in such difficult circumstances.
PAGE 23
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
The support of the wider Ballarat Grammar community was deeply appreciated by all members of the Faculty throughout 2020 with colleagues supporting us with their good humour, technological prowess, genuine concern for our welfare and pedagogical guidance. Parents, Old Grammarians and members of the Ballarat Anglican Diocese all contributed to a very successful 2020 in some very trying times. Keith Romanis – Chair of Faculty, Religion Philosophy and Ethics
SCIENCE Staffing At the start of 2020, we farewelled Saeed Salimpour. Saeed taught Physics at BGS for three years and he leaves with our best wishes! We warmly welcomed Bianca Weyers, Melita Shillington and Akm Azad to the Science Faculty in 2020. Bianca taught Years 11 and 12 Environmental Science, Year 10 Science and Junior Maths, while Melita taught Years 8 and 9 Science, as well as Global Connections. Azad taught Years 11 and 12 Physics and the Year 8 elective, Exploring the Cosmos and Rocketry. Teaching and Learning For the Science Faculty, as for many, 2020 was a year of innovation. While the year brought many challenges, the unique and valuable learning experiences will not be forgotten quickly. During the Learning at Home periods, our teachers were creative in their approach to teaching, designing many new and exciting activities for our students to complete at home. The Year 7 students built and tested their own parachutes and catapults, Year 8 students simulated the rock cycle with chocolate, while Year 9 students conducted their own ‘kitchen science’ experiments at home while investigating the pH of various household items. In the senior classes we saw activities such as cell model making, stopmotion videos about mitosis and meiosis, and household waste audits for Environmental Science. On returning to school, staff members in the Science faculty were quick to reflect and include new practices in their programs which were found to be beneficial during the Learning at Home period. Mount Rowan Farm Early in 2020, the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) filmed a series of support videos for the new Agricultural and Horticultural Studies study design. VCAA spent an afternoon filming sequences for the series at our Mount Rowan campus. Well done to Matt Dickinson and the team for being recognised through this process as a model facility for VCE Agricultural and Horticultural Studies program! National Youth Science Forum Alexander Unmack (Year 12) attended the prestigious 2020 National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) in Canberra at the beginning of the year and was invited to the NYSF Staff Leadership program the following year. Five Year 11 students, Brody Goossens, Ebony Lampard, Jarred Nunn, Hannah Ryan and Catherine Zhao, were invited to attend the 2021 National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) during the summer break. Laura Bramble – Chair of Faculty, Science
COMMUNITY BALLARAT GRAMMAR FOUNDATION President – Mr Phillip Mann Senior Vice President – Mr G R Eyres Junior Vice President – Mrs P Coghlan Mr L G Evans, Mr K R Cook, Mrs A Gaunt, Mr C McIntosh, Mr G I Millar, Mr M C Warwick, Mr C Moore Company Secretary – Mr P G Hunt The Ballarat Grammar Foundation retains as its primary role the preservation and development of the services, property and facilities of the School by providing funds which bridge the gap between income from fees and government grants and expenditure within the operating budget of the School. The Foundation achieves this by prudent management of its investments and through the pursuance of donations, corporate support, gifts and bequests to underpin its work. Now in its 39th year of operation, the Foundation has played a critical role in ensuring the ongoing stability of Ballarat Grammar. Never has this been more critical than this year through the COVID19 pandemic. This would not be possible without the continuing high level of support from parents of the School, past students, staff and friends. The Annual Giving Program remains a primary source of Foundation fundraising. However, due to COVID-19, it was decided not to run a formal giving campaign this year. Despite this decision, many donors elected to support the Foundation and contribute towards the Ballarat Grammar Foundation Scholarship Fund. This high level of support is again gratefully acknowledged. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and through the encouragement of School families, a Ballarat Grammar Community Fund was established to support families and students to remain at the School through very difficult times. Families were offered a Fee Discount in Terms Two and Three while students were Learning at Home and they were given the option to opt out of the discount and direct their rebate to the Ballarat Grammar Community Fund. In total we had 107 families and 7 members of the wider Ballarat Grammar community donate to either the Community or Endowment Funds. Of these donors, 30 families and 2 supporters donated in both Terms 2 and 3. To all donors and supporters we extend our grateful thanks. A large proportion of current School families contributed to the Building Fund whilst a number of friends of the School committed to pledges, gave generous gifts or advised of bequests which have been made in the School’s favour. This support is greatly appreciated. The Director of Development, Mr Travis Polkinghorne, has led the Development Office throughout the year with valuable assistance from Mrs Claire Hay. The Foundation continues to be active in its support of past students and the wider Ballarat Grammar community. Unfortunately, with this year being like no other, we were unable to hold the 2 Year, 5 Year and Gala Reunions. We also had to cancel the Sydney, Queensland and 50+ Luncheons. We were however able to hold a virtual 50+ Headmaster’s Morning Tea which was well attended by over 30 Old Grammarians.
PAGE 24
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
The Foundation records its appreciation of the insightful leadership brought to Foundation matters by our Headmaster, Mr Adam Heath, in what has been a challenging year and we look forward to a long and beneficial relationship as we continue to meet our goals.
Administration staff for their outstanding efforts and forbearance during such a difficult year. We also sent a special message to our Year 12 students, the “COVID Legends” who are now our newest Old Grammarians, extending our support and best wishes.
The care that people have shown for one another throughout 2020 has been extraordinary and I am proud to be part of a School community that is filled with such kindness and consideration. Our sense of community spirit has certainly come to the fore during these difficult times. Whilst some of our School families may still require ongoing support into the future, it is tremendously reassuring to know that we have come together as a community to help each other in such unprecedented times.
We partnered with the Rotary Club of Wendouree, the School’s official Rotary partner in sponsoring 5 of our Year 11 students to attend the National Youth Science Forum. NYSF usually involves students attending a 10-day science program in early January either in Canberra, Brisbane or Adelaide. This year they were restricted to online attendance, but plans are afoot to make up during the year with face-to-face sessions with some of Australia’s leading scientists, including two Nobel Prize winners. NYSF is a lifechanging program and we look forward to hearing from our attendees in the future.
The Ballarat Grammar Foundation again offers its sincere thanks and appreciation to all those who have been able to support the School in 2020.
BALLARAT AND QUEEN’S OLD GRAMMARIANS’ ASSOCIATION The 20/21 BQOGA year has been extraordinary to say the least! As with the rest of the Nation, we, and the School, have had to navigate uncharted waters, and I am pleased to report, in spite of the many challenges which have come our way, we have managed our way through, and we are looking to the future with confidence. This is due greatly to the wonderful people who comprise the Committee of the BQOGA. We met for the vast majority of the year by Zoom, and such was the commitment, we had almost 100% attendance, this, with most of our annual projects on hold! So we look forward to the next year in reviving our annual projects, the Heritage football matches, the Careers Expo involvement, faceto-face Reunions, the 50+ Luncheon, commencing our Careers and Mentoring Breakfasts, the OGs Gurus and other involvement with Old Grammarians and the School. One such involvement will be the ongoing young Old Grammarians Guru project, where recent OGs (under 5 years out volunteered their time to Year 12 students as mentors and tutors and also shared their life experiences after school. This project, an initiative of the School, and taken up by the OGs, has proven to be outstandingly successful. We’ve had great feedback on how relevant and useful such real-time, real-life experience helped our Year 12s during COVID-19. We presented all 165 Gurus with Certificates of Service, co-signed by the School and the BQOGA. We look forward to extending this project to our Year 12s on an ongoing OG basis. Ballarat Grammar Connect has gone from strength to strength thanks to the wonderful work of Travis Polkinghorne and Claire Hay of the Development office and, there will be more on this format in the year ahead. We thank them for their help and support throughout the year, which is always forthcoming with enthusiasm and sound judgement. To Claire who is moving from the School, we extend our very best wishes for the future. In spite of all of the challenges we have faced this year, we have been able to partner with the School to support the School community. We’ve extended messages of encouragement and appreciation to our Board, Management, Teaching, Grounds and
We look forward to commencing our Careers and Mentoring Breakfasts where a panel of OGs will address Year 11 and 12 students with real-life experience in fields our students may be contemplating. We are hopeful of commencing in May 2021. OGs Committee members Jill Coote, Sophie Grills, Tom Hunt, Zoe Nevett, and 18 other recent OGs conducted a Careers Pathways morning for Year 11 students in November. This involved presenting their study/career paths, including both Technical and University fields of study and work. There was wonderful feedback from parents and friends alike. In spite of COVID-19, I am delighted to report the Committee has finished the year looking to the future. We have had great assistance from the Headmaster and the Board and we will embrace the coming year with the words of Churchill “success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts…” It has been an honour and privilege to lead the BQOGA once again, and I extend my very best wishes to the incoming President and Committee. Serva Fidem John Taylor ’67 – President, Ballarat and Queen’s Old Grammarians’ Association
FRIENDS OF BALLARAT GRAMMAR In the wake of a hugely positive and successful 2019, we embarked on 2020 with anticipation, big plans and a great team. The first event of the year was the ‘Welcome Back Morning Tea’ held in the foyer of the WCPA where a large number of new and returning parents gathered on the first day of school. In line with previous years, we continued to promote Friends of Ballarat Grammar gatherings and give parents the opportunity to engage with others and be fully apprised of new and existing developments across all areas of the School. Our first gathering, and what would be our only gathering, at the beginning of March, focussed on the Round Square International Conference scheduled to be held at Ballarat Grammar in September 2020. We thank Sue Hinchliffe and Tim Adams for their comprehensive and enthusiastic presentation as we looked forward to hosting over 500 international visitors to Ballarat Grammar.
PAGE 25
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
Our Year 7 Parents’ Dinner event was again wonderfully successful and enthusiastically received. Thank you to all FOBG volunteers, Old Grammarians and boarding students who gave up their time to help on the evening along with chef Adam Secker and his team for a delicious meal. We also thank Chris Van Styn for accommodating us and making other dinner arrangements for our boarding students so that we could take over the Dining Hall. Then the year came to a screeching halt. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and in line with government restrictions, all events and gatherings for the remainder of the 2020 year had to be cancelled. We thank Claire Hay for her wonderful support and the work she undertakes on behalf of ‘Friends’ behind the scenes. She is always willing to help and goes above and beyond to support all we do. We also extend our thanks and appreciation to Mr Adam Heath, Ms Christine Shaw, Mr Chris Beechey and Mr Mark Warwick, not only for their impeccable leadership but for their overwhelming support and their willingness to openly engage with us. And in what can only be described as a crazy year of unexpected challenges, we give special thanks to the Grammar teaching staff for their commitment to learning and for encouraging and caring for our students under such tough circumstances. Last but certainly not least, to the management committee, Vice President Virginnia Robson, Treasurer Keah Otto, and general members Gretel Johns, Lea-anne Dolan, Verity Trigg, Cathy CarusoRobinson, Sally Feldmann, Liz French, Linda Barry and Maree Parish, THANK YOU. Whilst 2020 was not the year we thought it would be, don’t look back on what we have lost. Look forward, move on, for life is not meant to be travelled backwards and we have great things to achieve in 2021.
STAFF ASSOCIATION The Staff Association of Ballarat Grammar aims to contribute support in a significant way to making Ballarat Grammar an outstanding place to work. It endeavours to do this by: • Encouraging and supporting each other in times of need • Supporting groups within our community who are in need • Organising social events across all areas of the School • Continuing to work with the Administration and Governance of the School in a partnership that fosters goodwill. In 2020, staff contributions assisted our ongoing sponsorship of students in Starehe Boys Centre and School in Kenya, The School of Saint Jude in Tanzania and Thai Water Projects, as well as making contributions to students and staff at Ballarat Grammar to support their endeavours and opportunities where necessary. The Staff Association raises money through a coffee program, where staff member and coffee roaster, Mr Marcus Downes, of Charisma Coffee, provides coffee beans sourced from East Timor for the staff coffee machines. All proceeds go towards supporting Ballarat Friends of Ainaro Community Committee (BFACC), and their work in East Timor. In 2020, we ran many of our Friday Morning Teas online, which enabled our strong connection as Ballarat Grammar staff members to remain as such. Jason Simmons – President, Staff Association
Sue Lembo – President
CITY CITE
THE VIKINGS ROWING CLUB
In 2020, once again we had school bookings for the full 40 weeks of the school year up until mid-December. Various other organisations had booked to use the facility, including several workshops for GATEWAYS holiday programs, GradReady and a United Nations Youth Association conference and for meetings.
2020 has been a great year for the Vikings Rowing Club. On the eve of Head of the Lake in 2020, we were excited to hold an official launch of the Mezzanine floor of the John Ross-Perrier Watersports Centre where Old Grammarians and former rowers celebrated with a row and a gathering. As host of Head of the Lake in 2020 and 2021 seasons, for the event in 2020 we organised catering and merchandise for the Regatta, resulting in significant funds raised for the club. We also hosted the Head of Schoolboys Regatta, where we were the sole caterer for the event, also enabling a great fundraising effort. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the annual Rowing Dinner scheduled for March was postponed. It was then modified so it could continue within COVID-19 density limits later in the year. It was a wonderful presentation evening for our Senior Rowers, which was livestreamed to all Rowing families – and a testament to the strength and resilience of the Vikings Rowing Club. We are looking forward to continuing to assist the School’s Rowing Program through each Rowing Camp with catering and general support, shed breakfasts during the season, and multiple support activities on Regatta days. Garry Trotter – President, Vikings Rowing Club Committee
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, from the middle of March bookings were postponed or cancelled through to Term 4. In Term 4 we organised a revised program for Ballarat Grammar that was based and facilitated in Ballarat. The intention was to use many of the presenters normally used in Melbourne and source some Ballarat organisations. We also planned a revised program for Genazzano FCJ for late Term 4. One interesting event was an online program for Gippsland Grammar. In early Term 3 the staff put together a program that was delivered via Zoom to the Year 9 cohort at Gippsland Grammar. The students interacted with a number of presenters and had the opportunity to ask questions. In the second week groups of students worked on a topic looking at “Diversity” and presented to their peers and staff. The online models used, we hope, will have lasting potential in the future and a variety of contexts. Despite not having students for much of the year, we have continued to review our teaching materials to keep them up-todate and make them more attractive to appeal to the students and meet curriculum objectives. We have continued to look at innovation in the way that we present and the way that we expect students to report back to us and to their parents. Schools and
PAGE 26
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
organisations that were booked at City Cite in 2020 included the following: Avila College Auburn High School Ballarat Grammar Year 9 Ballarat Grammar Year 8 Ballarat Grammar reunions Berwick Grammar Braybrook College Distance Education Victoria GATEWAYS Geelong College Geelong Lutheran College Genazzano FCJ Gippsland Grammar Hamilton College Huntingtower Kingswood College Korowa Girls School Year9 Korowa Girls School Year 9 Maffra Secondary College Mt Scopus Memorial College Newhaven College Orchard Church Oxley College Plenty Valley Christian College Sacré Coeur St Andrew’s Grammar St Margaret’s School Woodleigh School United Nations Youth Association Xavier (Burke Hall) Xavier (Kostka Hall) It has been a great advantage to have a dedicated and talented staff with Andrew Barker, Claire Walter, Trista Wright and several very competent sessional staff. With the advent of COVID-19 the staff needed to pivot. Andrew and Trista spent the majority of time from Term 2 onwards in Ballarat at Ballarat Grammar looking after the in-school care program for students that had to be at school. Claire Walter and I worked reduced hours working on developing curriculum initiatives and administrative tasks to be enable an efficient restart. The enthusiasm of our staff and their preparedness to be flexible has been of great value. Harry Leather – Director of City Cite
SPORT After the usual busy start to the school year in terms of both House and Interschool sport, everything came to a sudden halt with COVID-19 bringing an end to what most of us would refer to as normal day to day life. The sudden shut down that occurred at the end of Term 1, meant that all BAS sports being played were unable to contest grand finals, so premierships were shared. Fortunately for all our swimmers, both the BAS and ICCES competitions were completed, but we then lost all other carnivals for the year. Much of the year was then spent waiting and planning for the return to school and what sport, if any, could then take place. Multiple
options were devised and rejigged, with the hope that at the end of lockdown 1, students would be able to return to some form of competition, whether that be an internal school based one or the resumption of the BAS interschool competitions. With students back at school for the start of Term 3 and outdoor sport permissible for U18’s, plans were in place for football and netball competitions which had been postponed from Term 2. Then lockdown 2 hit and once again, all school sport was lost. The return to school in Term 4 saw our students given the opportunity to immerse themselves in school-based competitions. Students were given the option of playing basketball, badminton, netball, tennis and football, while sailing and rowing programs were in full swing operating out of the John Ross-Perrier Watersports Centre. In Term 4, the Senior BAS cricket competition was back up and running, which the 1st XI dominated and some one-off matches of football and netball were organised for the Senior students, so that the departing Year 12 students had the chance to finish in a positive way. Notable achievements that occurred in Term 1 was the success of the Swim team taking out the ICCES Overall title and the BAS Girls’ Championship. Our rowers also enjoyed a very successful season, with the Boys 1st crew taking out the much-coveted Head of the Lake title, helping Ballarat Grammar win the overall Boy’s Rowing Premiership. INTERSCHOOL COMPETITION CRICKET • BAS 2-Day 1st XI Senior Boys – shared premiership • BAS T20 1st XI Senior Boys Champions • BAS Year 8 Boys Champions LAWN BOWLS • BAS Open A Grade Runners-Up ROWING • Boys Combined Aggregate Head of the Lake Champions • Senior Boys Division 1 – Head of the Lake Champions Felix Oliver (stroke) Sam Crothers-Bade (3), Jack Bond (2), Oliver Meakin (bow) and Harriet Jones (cox) • Senior Boys Division 2 – Head of the Lake Champions William Ussher (stroke), Nick Butler (3), Oscar Lawson (2), Stuart Unwin (bow) and Oliver Warwick (cox). • Senior Boys Division 4 – Head of the Lake Champions Hamish Hall (stroke), Frasier Southee (3), Lachlan Sim (2), Lachlan Maxted (bow) and Jeremy Aked (cox) • Year 10 Boys Division 1 – Head of the Lake Champions Hugh Bond (stroke), Dan Mizzeni (3), George Follett (2), Will Clarke (bow) and Ashlyn Hall (cox). • Year 9 Girls Division 2 – Head of the Lake Champions • Charlotte Miles (stroke), Aleesha Walker (3), Sarah Hanmer (2), Ella Gleeson (bow) and Poppy Kingdom-Pearce (cox). SWIMMING • BAS Girls' Champions • ICCES Overall Team Champions o Amy Bregazzi (Year 8 Girls’) Individual Champion o Zachary Meakin (Year 10 Boys’) Individual Champion o Jonas Paar (Senior Boys’) Individual Champion
PAGE 27
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
TENNIS • • • • •
BAS Senior A Grade Boys’ – shared premiership BAS Senior B Grade Boys’ – shared premiership BAS Senior B Grade Girls’ Champions BAS McNeil Cup – James O’Sullivan – Senior Boys’ Champion BAS Rob Benoit Cup – Charlie Alcock – Junior Boys’ Runner-Up
VOLLEYBALL • BAS Senior A Grade Boys’ – shared premiership • BAS Junior B Grade Girls’ Champions HOUSE COMPETITIONS 2020 ATHLETICS RESULTS RECORD BREAKERS Boys 15 & U 3000m Boys 15 & U 800m Walk
Isaac Rossato Fraser Saunder
2020 AQUATICS CARNIVAL RESULTS PLACE COMBINED 1ST ROBIN/CUTHBERT 2ND SMITH/MANIFOLD 3RD NEVETT/MACPHERSON 4TH DART/WOODBRIDGE 5TH BUTLER/KROME 6TH WIGAN/HAYHOE
PTS 1503 1498 1437 1428 1411 1325
HOUSE AQUATICS RECORD BREAKERS Girls 13 & U 50m Freestyle Amy Bregazzi Girls 16 & U 50m Freestyle Keylah Walker Boys 16 & U 50m Breaststroke Jonas Paar Boys 21 & U 50m Breaststroke Bryce Henwood
1st 2nd 3rd Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Year 12
The Max Stowe 200m Individual Medley Shield Zachary Meakin (Robin) Jonas Paar (Butler) Oliver Meakin (Robin)
GIRLS MANIFOLD CUTHBERT MACPHERSON WOODBRIDGE KROME HAYHOE
30.41s 28.13s 33.02s 33.16s
1st 2nd 3rd
9:33.24s 3:21.87s PTS 677 650 625 589 588 535
PLACE 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH 5TH 6TH
Smith Butler BOYS ROBIN SMITH NEVETT BUTLER DART WIGAN
PTS 664 644 620 616 608 605
Manifold Macpherson Butler Nevett The Priscilla Herington 200m Individual Medley Shield Charlotte Bodey (Macpherson) Amy Bregazzi (Manifold) Lila Paar (Krome)
SWIMMING AGE CHAMPIONS Spencer Bodey - Smith Amelie Reddick - Manifold Amy Bregazzi - Manifiold Giles Peters - Smith Dayne Schnyder - Robin Lily Jordan - Manifold Zachary Meakin – Robin Charlotte Bodey – Macpherson Jonas Paar – Butler Zara Sadhai – Cuthbert Sam Crothers-Bade – Butler Bella Geue – Hayhoe
2020 ICCES RECORD BREAKERS Girls U16 A 4x50m Freestyle Relay: Boys Senior B 4x50m Freestyle Relay: Girls Inter B 4x50m Freestyle Relay:
2:05.72s 1:54.83s 2:14.64s
Charlotte Bodey, Abbie Peck, Stephanie Millikan & Keylah Walker Angus Bade, Hamish Warwick, Matt Jones & Bryce Henwood Amber McClure, Lucia Clarke, Eleanor Ussher & Winnie Heagney
2020 BAS RECORD BREAKERS Girls U16 A 4x50m Freestyle Relay: Boys Senior B 4x50m Freestyle Relay: Girls Inter B 4x50m Freestyle Relay:
2:05.72s 1:54.83s 2:14.64s
Charlotte Bodey, Abbie Peck, Stephanie Millikan & Keylah Walker Angus Bade, Hamish Warwick, Matt Jones & Bryce Henwood Amber McClure, Lucia Clarke, Eleanor Ussher & Winnie Heagney
PAGE 28
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
2020 SCHOOL RECORD BREAKERS Girls U14 50m Freestyle Girls U16 50m Freestyle Girls U16 50m Butterfly Girls U16 100m Freestyle Boys U17 50m Breaststroke Boys U17 50m Freestyle Girls U21 50m Backstroke
Amy Bregazzi Keylah Walker Keylah Walker Keylah Walker Jonas Paar Jonas Paar Catherine Cornish
Girls U14 4x50m Freestyle Relay: Girls U15 4x50m Freestyle Relay: Girls U16 4x50m Freestyle Relay: Girls U21 4x50m Freestyle Relay: Girls U14 4x50m Medley Relay: Girls U16 4x50m Medley Relay:
2:06.00s 2:06.57s 2:05.72s 2:209.13s 2:21.85s 2:18.84s
Jazmin Vincent-Durow, Lila Paar, Amy Bregazzi and Skye Laube Anna Swanton, Lily Jordan, Olivia Moll and Charlotte Miles Charlotte Bodey, Stephanie Millikan, Abbie Peck and Keylah Walker Catherine Cornish, Bella Geue, Tiana Parnell and Febey McClure Jazmin Vincent-Durow, Lila Paar, Amy Bregazzi and Mackenna Naylor Charlotte Bodey, Lily Jordan, Anna Swanton and Keylah Walker
Girls U21 4x50m Medley Relay: Boys U21 4x50m Freestyle Relay: Boys U21 4x50m Medley Relay:
2:21.12s 1:47.97s 2:02.50s
Catherine Cornish, Bella Geue, Stephanie Millikan and Febey McClure Jonas Paar, Heath Johns, Oliver Meakin and Sam Crothers-Bade. Jonas Paar, Bryce Henwood, Oliver Meakin and Heath Johns.
SPORT CAPTAINS Captains of Boats Captain Girls’ Swimming Captain Boys’ Swimming Captain Senior Boys’ Tennis Captain Senior Girls’ Tennis Captain Senior Boys’ Volleyball Captain Boys’ First XI Cricket Captain Girls’ Cricket
Sam Crothers-Bade & Harriet Jones Catherine Cornish & Bella Geue Oliver Meakin & Jonas Paar Angus Stewart & Charlie Bryant Ruby Halvy Tom Nevinson & Liam Warmington Liam Wood Taylah Ingram
29.95s 28.60s 30.57s 1.05.10s 33.45s 26.38s 34.46s
COACHES AWARDS R G Gray Award for Rowing Sam Crothers-Bade & Harriet Jones Mary Heseltine Award for Tennis Ruby Halvy G J Watts Perpetual Cup for Service in Tennis Alex Craven R G Bath Award for Swimming Oliver Meakin & Catherine Cornish Tom Devine Cricket Coaches Award Liam Wood & Jackson Sleep Horace Nevett Memorial Cricket Award (Ballarat Grammar Best & Fairest Senior Boys Cricket) - Oliver Mahncke Coaches Award for Boys’ Volleyball Dojiok Dojiok Coaches Award for Girls’ Cricket Maggie Caris
PAGE 29