31 minute read
A new model for teacher training
St Cuthbert’s welcomes the University of Waikato School-Based Teacher Trainee Programme
Rob Griffiths, Head of Faculty: Languages is the mentor managing our four trainee teachers. He explains what the SchoolBased Teacher Trainee Programme is all about.
LEFT TO RIGHT:
Briar Lawry, Tom Rutledge, Elly Wang, Rob Griffiths. I am thrilled to be a part of the School-Based Teacher Trainee Programme, which was devised by a group of 12 Auckland Principals in partnership with the University of Waikato with our College Principal Justine, a key driver of this with her previous experience as a senior lecturer at the former Auckland College of Education. The programme, conceived in Level 4 Lockdown last year, was born out of a desire to attract high quality individuals into the teaching profession while supporting them through their training and ultimately retaining them at their school.
The Trainee Programme is also predicated on quite a different model to traditional teacher training which is based primarily at a university for theoretical learning and then in schools for short blocks of professional experience. This programme essentially reverses the model so that the trainees are based primarily within a school for the entire year, experiencing the classroom and working alongside a teacher from the first day. It is essentially like an apprenticeship model, based on the belief that the best learning happens within the teaching and classroom environment.
During the year, the trainees complete online work through the University of Waikato, which provides a theoretical basis to underpin their practical experiences within the classroom.
They are considered to be a staff member and so attend meetings, participate in co-curricular activities, accompany students on trips, and so on. Most importantly, they can develop a more profound relationship with a few classes over an entire year which is not possible in the practicum block placements of the traditional teacher training programme.
There was huge interest in the programme from a wide range of people from all different backgrounds and rich life experiences. Within the programme across the Auckland schools, there is a former Air New Zealand aircraft engineer, someone who served in the Swiss Army, someone with a background in the New Zealand media industry and others with fascinating subject combinations such as Te Reo M ori, Modern Dance, Music and Chemistry, among others. There was a shortlisting process followed by interviews and final selection. This again, completely different from regular teacher training programmes whereby trainees are allocated to schools at random.
We were particularly impressed by our trainees’ motivation for entering the profession, especially when it might have involved a courageous career change. We were also impressed by their life experiences and professional backgrounds before choosing to pursue a career in secondary school teaching. We feel that this will give an added perspective to their teaching and provide another dimension to their classroom as well as enrichening the lives of our own students. The trainees will initially shadow a teacher and observe their classes while being involved behind the scenes with lesson planning and conversations about effective pedagogy.
St Cuthbert’s has four trainees this year: Louise Fisher, Briar Lawry, Elly Wang and Tom Rutledge. We are very excited to have them as a part of our school community. Let’s meet them…
Briar Lawry
Briar is based in the English Department with Head of English, Amber Lloyd and Head of Writing, Ros Ali. As an Old Girl, she is really enjoying being back at St Cuthbert’s. Here are her thoughts:
“As an Old Girl, it’s been a real privilege to come back to St Cuthbert’s in this capacity. So many things, and so many people are familiar, but there is also so much that is exciting and new. I always assumed that teaching was something I would end up doing, but I’m really glad that I went out and had a fair bit of other life experience before taking the plunge, as my working life todate has proven an invaluable foundation.
“Aside from a few years dabbling in Communications and Content Marketing, my work has always been in and around the book industry here in Aotearoa – as a bookseller, a reviewer, an editor, a writer, a national book awards judge... among other things. Taking the opportunity to begin my teaching career in a school with such a strong English department and specialist writing programme, to boot, was a no-brainer.
“I know how formative some of my teachers were in encouraging my skill and passions, and, it’s my hope that with time, I can be that teacher for my students and help them find their voice and a life-long love of literature.”
Elly Wang
Elly is working in our Languages Faculty teaching Chinese. She works closely with Head of Chinese, Sylvia Chen. Elly is really enjoying teaching at St Cuthbert’s, and shared the following:
“Tēnā koutou, Nǐ hăo, Hi everyone. I was a qualified Mandarin teacher in China and graduated with a master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Auckland in 2016.
I have had two roles since last year at St Cuthbert’s. My Chinese language assistant role has involved assisting the classroom teacher to enhance the delivery of the curriculum in order to improve student achievement in learning the Chinese language. For example, I will work with small groups of students to provide extension or consolidation of their learning. Also, I currently hold Limited Authority to Teach which allows me to teach two Year 9 Chinese classes independently.
For me, becoming a qualified teacher is not about gaining a teaching qualification. It is about making a personal commitment to a nation, to a community, to family and to individual learners. There is a lot of benefit in this programme which sees training teachers complete their studies remotely while being fully immersed in a school environment. I am very grateful to work in the Faculty of Languages at St Cuthbert’s, and really appreciate having the opportunity to be part of the Programme. “
Tom Rutledge
Tom is a committed teacher with more than 20 years in the tertiary sector before changing tack to teach in schools. He is enjoying working with Rob Griffiths, Head of Languages. Tom says:
“I’ve had a career change of sorts – I’d been in the UK for 20 years, working mostly at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, teaching English and Latin literature with a particular focus on Medieval and Renaissance literature. So, I have been committed to teaching for a long time. I love working with young people, encouraging and sharing their discoveries; I love the openness and humour with which they’re willing to take on new things. I love Latin and am deeply committed to giving others the chance to discover the joys of the language and its literature.
“I’ve really enjoyed my start at the College – the Languages Faculty has been exceptionally warm and welcoming and it’s lovely to have the company of so many others who are committed to the value of language-learning. They have a lot of fun together and have been extremely generous in sharing their knowledge and experience with me. The girls in the Latin classes and in the Tutor Group I’ve joined, have been great – bright, engaged, quick to learn and quick to laugh, which, it seems to me, is a pretty good mix in any classroom.”
Living together, working together, holidaying together and carpooling – the sibling bond is clear between our wonderful St Cuthbert’s Year 1 teacher and Years 0–3 Dean, Emily Fisher, and her delightful sister, Louise Fisher.
Emily and Louise Fisher have found themselves embarking on a new chapter in 2021. This is partly due to COVID-19, as it was in the 2020 Level 4 lockdown that Louise started pondering a career change. Louise has worked as a pharmacist for the past three years. She says, “I enjoyed the work but eventually I missed the interaction with people as I spent my days dispensing medications. By the time I reached my third year, the role had become repetitive, so I have decided to become a Senior School Chemistry teacher instead!”
Louise is now studying a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching at Waikato University and has joined the School-based Teacher Trainee Programme. She will be based at St Cuthbert’s for most of the school year as well as experiencing one other school as part of the scheme.
While it is undeniably courageous to make a career change, it is not surprising Louise has set her sights on education as according to her sister, Emily, they come from a long line of educators.
Laughs Emily, “Education runs in the family. Mum is a primary school teacher and our grandmother on Dad’s side, and we have several aunties and a cousin teaching from early childhood age right through to Senior School.”
In fact, it was sister Emily who heard about the School-Based Teacher Trainee Programme and St Cuthbert’s involvement and alerted Louise to the opportunity.
Louise is so far loving her time and will be working closely with mentors Ian Torrie and Tom Curtis in the Science Faculty. “It’s amazing to be part of a school and encounter all the facets from time in different classrooms to faculty meetings. It’s a really great opportunity to get practical experience.
What I like is that all the teachers are willing to share their ideas and collaborate. It’s really cool to see different ways of teaching – some through stories and fun, others use amazing explanations and all have their own way of delivering content. This is great to observe.”
Emily agrees. When she trained to be a teacher, time in an actual school classroom was limited and she felt a little under prepared on her first few days teaching.
“What’s so great is that Louise is here for most of the school year and she can follow classes through and see how the whole year runs and what it is like to implement a classroom programme. She can also experience staff planning, parent-teacher interviews and more.”
For Emily, teaching has always been the only career for her – she briefly flirted with the idea
Education is in the blood for our teaching sisters
of being a lawyer but all her friends reminded her that she is a born teacher. Emily used to spend time helping in her Mum’s primary school classroom as a high school student.
For Emily, she is passionate about the early years. She says, “Our Junior School is somewhere really special with the most amazing teachers I have ever worked with and I feel lucky every day.”
“We all work hard because we have so much passion for building the foundation of education for our students. The girls love learning. Recently one of my girls was sent home because she wasn’t well, and she was beside herself at the thought of missing school.” Louise has relocated to Auckland to take up this placement and is now living with her sister. They also recently hiked the Abel Tasman together and love outdoor pursuits as they hail from the Rotorua Lake District and spent their childhood outdoors and on the water. They say they have always been close and followed a similar path in life.
“It has been great to have Emily around,” says Louise. “In the beginning, we carpooled and it’s helpful to ask all my questions about getting around the Epsom campus and finding out who is who. But we don’t really see each other all that often on campus as we are working in different parts of the College.” Louise concludes, “I am already enjoying my time here so much. So far, I have spent time in several different classes of different year levels and subjects. I have nearly worked out where things are on the campus too. I am thrilled to have been chosen for this role and to continue on this journey and learn all that I can from the amazing staff here.”
We wish you both all the best in your time here at St Cuthbert’s!
Emily Fisher
St Cuthbert’s Leads the way in Science Education
Over the past five years, St Cuthbert’s has taken a leadership role amongst New Zealand independent schools with its innovative approach to Science education.
St Cuthbert’s specialist Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Science teachers teach Science in dedicated Science laboratories, to girls in Years 5 and 6 in the Junior School, and Year 7 and 8 in the Senior School.
These classes set us apart from other schools in that they are led by Senior School teachers and allow our girls to experience Science in hands-on laboratory sessions, and develop their love of Science from an early age.
Providing dedicated subject teachers, in dedicated laboratories, has helped to shape our students’ understanding and passion for Science and the world around them and open them up to a world of possibilities from a much earlier age, in what has been traditionally a male-dominated arena.
Stimulating young brains
The teachers are big believers in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) and when it comes to the Sciences, they are a strong advocates for the role of science, scientific process and scientific thought being taught at earlier year levels.
Tom Curtis, Head of Faculty, Science, explains that the reasoning, critical thinking, investigation that are required for Science education are much like a language. It uses and stimulates a different part of the brain and is integral for brain development. Younger students have an open mindset and are more willing to take risks and explore ideas without being limited by the social context that comes with the fear of failure. This open mindset, enthusiasm to keep asking why, willingness to explore a theory and get it wrong and then get back up and do it again, builds resilience in our girls and prepares them well for future learning. Classes are held in specialist labs where they are inspired by display areas filled with models, posters and displays of the Seniors’ work. This is an important element as it allows the girls to experience a real laboratory and to do what they call, ‘proper science’. After receiving the more formal ‘lesson’ and instruction from their teacher, where they are introduced to the concepts which they have a chance to discuss, the girls move to the lab stations to undertake the practical element of the class.
Working in groups of three, the energy levels are high, and the excitement is visible as the girls burst into each practical with enthusiasm. Group size has been intentionally limited to three to ensure each girl has the opportunity to voice her opinion and ideas.
Our girls and teachers all say that the time they have together flies! The lessons are filled with chatter and they never run out of things to talk about or discover.
There are no limits to learning
At Years 5, 6 and 7, social context does not influence behaviour in class and when faced with a problem or challenge, our girls are willing to try and fail and move forward. As students move into Years 8 and 9, it has been wellrecognised that they become more socially aware, which they translate into a hesitancy
to take risks in class due to a concern of what their peers may think of them. At this point in the educational process, students also start focussing on how they will be assessed and what they need to know, rather than delving further and truly questioning what they are working on.
Taking all these factors into consideration, Tom, saw the opportunity to stimulate a deeper passion for Science in our girls at the Year 5 – 7 levels through the engagement with specialist Science teachers.
“We aim to feed the girls’ desire to know how and why things work, to feed that enquiry, and help them explore scientific concepts really well,” said Tom.
Tom worked with the entire Science faculty to map a curriculum from Years 5 – 13 in order to ensure the units of work were developmentally appropriate. They planned and developed key concepts and topics for each year level, establishing learning objectives for each teaching year, and for each department – Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science.
Although we simply call it ‘Science’ in the Junior School, these girls are learning concepts from each of the Science streams. A unique opportunity for both our girls and our teachers.
The excitement amongst our teaching team was inspiring! They had the opportunity to design a curriculum for Years 5 and 6, which would essentially front-end the girls’ learning across their entire school years.
The team looked at girls in Year 13 and said, “How can I implement changes from Year 5 onwards which will help them get there with the best mindset, foundations and experiences? We aim to feed the girls’ desire to know how and why things work, to feed that enquiry, and help them explore scientific concepts really well”.
Now that our girls have been exposed to Science teaching across Years 5 – 7 it will help them step up to achieve more at a later Senior School level as they have been exposed to the same philosophies and techniques, just with a different level of complexity. This gradual ‘step up’ to Senior Science and mapped sequential learning, supports our girls’ ability to adapt to the transitions at each year level and set them up for future learning. The introduction to Science in both the Junior School and Year 7, is expected to have a flow-on effect with many of our girls following through with Science across Years 9 – 13. By Year 10, every girl will have a solid basis to choose their specialty subjects for NCEA or IB (should they wish to). The potential for extraordinary learning is huge!”
Be a part of our journey to Carbon Zero
In November of 2019, before we knew how COVID-19 would shakeup our lives, a goal of being a Carbon Zero school community was formed in the St Cuthbert’s Global Citizenship Strategic Plan.
This is no small feat and must be completed with the complete buy-in of the College community. However, this didn’t stop us from taking on this vital challenge in response to the increasing demand from our students, our parent community, peers, board and staff – asking and expecting a climate-responsible way of operating our College. After all, climate change is a critical long-term issue, one that will affect the great-grandchildren (and beyond) of today’s students.
We are proud to say our journey has started to achieve Carbon Zero status by 2030; the year set for the United Nations Development Goals to be achieved.
There are many benefits of being Carbon Zero including student, community and staff engagement; strengthened relationships with local and international organisations; living sustainably; and participating in the local community for the greater good.
A project of this magnitude takes guidance and so we have enlisted the help of Toit Envirocare, this partnership came from a meeting Libby Giles, Head of Global Citizenship, had at the UN Climate Change Conference (#COP25) in Madrid in December 2019.
To begin, St Cuthbert’s has become the first school in New Zealand to partner with Toit on a Carbon Zero journey. Our operations team is now working alongside the experts at Toit to assess the school’s carbon footprint (based on 2019 school year) and develop a bespoke action plan.
How can our St Cuthbert’s community get involved? We are engaging staff, students and parents to harness the passion that is required to help us achieve such an important target. We were so proud to hear the participation from our students, in particular, at our recent Carbon Zero taskforce meeting, and have opportunities over the coming months for our parents and wider community to jump onboard, too.
This is more than just an action plan, this is a promise for College’s families now and in the future that our College’s goals and values will always consider the impact we are having on our precious planet. Let’s achieve this important milestone together!
1) 2020
St Cuthbert’s is the first school to partner with Toitū
2) 2021
A school and community task force is formed
3) 2022
The carbon reduction action plan is threaded through every relevant project in the school
4) 2023 – 2029
Work continues to measure, reduce, and achieve emission-reducing projects.
5) 2030 Target
St Cuthbert’s – the first Carbon Zero school in New Zealand!
What is Toitū’s role in this project?
• They provide carbon expertise and knowledge. Toitū has worked with thousands of organisations including the University of
Auckland, the University of Canterbury and the
University of Bristol to name a few.
• Toitū provide us with cloud-based carbon software tool which allows us to measure and manage the St Cuthbert’s carbon inventory.
• By working with Toitū we do so with confidence that our carbon credentials are robust and in line with the United
Nations goals.
How can I get involved?
• We would love your help, and it doesn’t have to be big as we are running a huge variety of planet-conscious projects across our school.
• Simply drop an email to libby.giles@stcuthberts.school.nz and she will add you to our welcoming group of positive change makers
• Join us at our first Parent Symposium in June, we look forward to seeing you soon!
Social Sciences
Get ready to ditch perceptions of leather elbow patches!
Abandon all stereotypes of leather elbow patches and hours of rote learning – Social Sciences is one of the most important subjects a student could wish to be a part of, and this St Cuthbert’s Faculty is challenging girls to help drive all of us into a better tomorrow.
Mary Robinson, Head of Faculty: Social Sciences, may have been at St Cuthbert’s for 21 years but she’s more like a 21-yearold in our opinion! Her continual challenging of convention, passion to drive empathy and understanding from students, and pride in her incredible teachers, is a lifeforce behind the Social Sciences Faculty.
One of the challenges of teaching Social Sciences is that it comprises subjects which are dissimilar to each other: Geography, History and Social Studies; and, in addition, Environmental Systems is taught at IB level. St Cuthbert’s Social Sciences teachers cover more than one subject and they are impressive in the way they can switch between such deep individual subjects at the ring of a bell. One period they’ll be teaching biodiversity on the West Coast of New Zealand to Year 8s, the next they are examining the structure of the South Korean Government with Year 12s. Mary admits, “for our teachers the broadness of the subjects, and the rapid switching between them is challenging….but it’s that challenge which brings the joy, enthusiasm and desire to light a fire of interest in our students’ minds”.
Those 30-something and over are likely to have memories of stuffy teachers, in stuffier rooms, teaching a list of dates and places you were pressured to remember in order to pass - it was all about the where and when. Yet, to Mary and her team, it’s the ‘but why?’ which is vital, and that is what our St Cuthbert’s Social Sciences Faculty had in mind when they determined to turn the teaching of History, Geography and Social Studies on its head.
“History gives us the gift of reflection as, without looking back and developing a rich understanding of why events happen, we can’t develop empathy or hope to affect changes for
the future. By understanding the viewpoints and feelings of those who took part in historic events, so we can all better understand humanity”. This is complementary to the subject Social Studies in which Mary says “as teachers we strive to give students a sense of the world they are living in, from there we can show them how it is changing so they can better play their part in tomorrow’s world”. Gone are the days of Geography being a case of memorising cities and countries, as to this faculty, getting students to think, not rote learn, is a nonnegotiable outcome. “We need our students to ask us, themselves and each other “what if?” and “how might people feel or be affected if….”.
In 2019, Mary and her team developed a framework to centre all of their teaching – be it History, Geography or Social Studies. That framework was adaptable by age and developmental stage, allowing the faculty to create strong foundations from Year 7 and build on those to delve into challenging and more mature conversations around tough subjects. Mary says “from Year 7 we wanted all of our students to have a sense of belonging to Auckland, regardless of their point of origin, be it recently or generations ago. In Year 8 it’s broadened to reflect New Zealand; by Year 9 the focus is on Australasia, Asia and the Pacific; extending in Year 10 and beyond to take a Global perspective, but we always ask our students to relate it back to their home, for example in History in Year 12 we would ask “Why was the Holocaust relevant to New Zealand?” or in Geography at this level we would question “How does a volcanic eruption in the Caribbean possibly relate to New Zealand?” By creating a sense of belonging through all the subjects, the Social Sciences Faculty has formed a real connection between the student and the subject, a nice by-product of which reflects a sense of community, a passion to take care of their little piece of the world, as well as greater retention of the information as they feel more invested.”
When asked about where studying Social Sciences takes a student Mary responds with a wry smile “where doesn’t it”! Traditionally, History has been a strong subject to develop writing and leads into Journalism and Law. Geography is not only a favourite of those who wish to study environmental issues it has also been proven to be the catalyst for students moving into Medicine,, after all, by learning about the ‘rich and poor’ and the affect that healthcare has, many girls feel compassion and compulsion to practise Medicine in order to redress the societal balance. Becoming a Social Scientist is increasingly popular, perhaps because it means one is a part of solving some of our biggest issues, Cyber Security, Energy Sources, Climate Change and Criminology, to name but a few.
So this Faculty has challenged convention, secured the right resources and classrooms to inspire our girls and created a strategic framework for teaching – is this what makes the difference we asked Mary? She doesn’t miss a breath when she replies, “It’s our fabulous teachers. They are motivated, hardworking, bringing a huge array of complementary skills to the team; each of them is fascinating to be around and we each come from such different backgrounds which provides an endless source of organic, living examples to teach from. We are a truly collaborative team which is why when we challenged the convention to decide how best to teach our girls we weren’t afraid to look at what we did, what we’d like to do, the best place to do it and what resources we needed.”
Mary is clearly incredibly proud of her teaching staff, and so I asked her “what makes your team a happy team, especially when they are working under the constant change of subject teaching?”. “Quite simple”, Mary replies, “We know how to have fun! We have breakfasts together, scone Fridays, share stories and our love of the world with each other but in a fun and relaxed environment. The energy we generate between us becomes obvious in our teaching of the girls. And the buzz we get from seeing that spark of curiosity turn into a student-led interest group is just so satisfying.”
We can’t wait to see where our girls studying Social Sciences are going in their future, and feel grateful that this faculty has challenged them every step of the way to ask the questions which may just well protect our tomorrows.
Welcome to our newest girls
The College has been abuzz with excited new students in Term 1. We asked a few students to share with us their early experiences of joining our community.
Sofia de Court Long has joined Year 4 this year, her mum, Amy de Court, is an Old Girl (peer year 1999)
Q: How are you finding
St Cuthbert’s?
I like the teachers here, my teacher is Miss Wells; she is really nice. All the girls are kind and I have made so many new friends like Mclane, Molly, Charlotte, Hannah and Chloe. Some of them are new like me, and everyone is kind. One exciting thing happened; Ms Oldman left a note and some gummy bears for me in my letterbox during lockdown to say she was glad I joined St Cuthbert’s and well done on my online learning. I think she did this for all the new girls.
Q: What are you liking?
There are nice girls here and fun work in the classroom. I am part of the choir, The Junior Blackwatch Singers. This school goes to Year 13 so I am glad I get to stay here. It is cool because my mum came here and we are in the same house; Iona. I like the art too; we have made bees and koru art. We sketched with pencils and then painted over the top.
Q: What are you finding different at St Cuthbert’s to your old school?
It’s a bit bigger here but there are fewer people in the classrooms which I like. No boys is definitely better. I enjoy having different having teachers for things like Music and PE.
Q: How was your recent
Year 4 camp?
We went to Camp Adair. I loved the Confidence Course; it involves mud and a mud slide! We went for one night and two days. At my old school, you couldn’t go to camp until Year 6.
Q: Getting to school – I hear you catch the bus.
Tell me about it.
I like the bus, and I catch it every morning. My friend McLane catches it too and Isabel is my bus buddy from Year 12 and she walks me up to the bus as she lives on my street. I might be a bus buddy when I get older.
Q: Hi Sabrina, pleasure to meet you. How are you finding St
Cuthbert’s?
I absolutely love St Cuthbert’s. I feel like I’m at home, like I’m welcomed and that I am free to be myself.
Q: I hear you are Class Captain – congratulations! How does that feel?
The feeling of being chosen to be Class Captain was unreal, I didn’t believe it at first. It was scary, but I eased in.
The size of the College and the buzzing energy is completely different to my old school. St Cuthbert’s has amazing learning facilities and the care you receive is just incredible!
One of my favourite moments of the year was Orienteering! I loved making new friends and all the mystery, excitement, and adventure there was to it.
Q: What do you most enjoy at
St Cuthbert’s?
I really enjoy the Sport here. Whenever I see an upcoming opportunity to do a Sport I will definitely sign up! I love new things to try, and I get to meet girls outside of my class.
Changing schools was very difficult for me, I don’t normally love the idea of big changes but this one was easy. Although I still do at times miss my old friends, I have made so many wonderful new ones.
What are you looking forward to?
I am definitely excited about my newest sport, Water Polo. I need more training, but I can’t wait to learn all the tips and tricks. I also can’t wait to get back into Netball!
Paige Baker has joined St Cuthbert’s in Year 9
Q: I hope you are enjoying your first year at St Cuthbert’s!
How are you finding it?
There are things I’m enjoying and things I find challenging. I definitely enjoy having a better tuck shop! I’m also enjoying moving from class to class and getting to do new subjects like Science and Business Studies.
Yes, very different! I came from a co-ed school with over one thousand students in just Years 7 and 8 so St Cuth’s feels smaller student wise. I also quite like having seven subjects a day but for a shorter amount of time, rather than four, for longer periods of time.
Yes, I’ve met a lot of great girls. Changing schools when you don’t know anyone there is a testing situation. It’s a pro and a con, meeting new people is exciting, but also quite challenging.
A highlight for me was Athletics Day. It was awesome to see all the Houses dressed up and supporting one another. It was also really cool to have athletics at Mount Smart Stadium. Another highlight was becoming a part of the St Cuthbert’s dance group, ‘The Company’.
Q: How are you finding all the specialist subjects/different teachers etc.?
I’m really enjoying this. It was great to be able to choose the specialist subjects I take this year and I like having a variety of teachers because everyone has different teaching styles and skills to offer.
What are you looking forward to?
I can’t wait for Kahunui in Year 10; it’s an experience that you don’t really get to do anywhere else. I’m looking forward to the challenge.
Celebrating House Flowers
Each year our school Houses have the chance to express themselves creatively and have fun during House Flowers. This year’s theme chosen by the House Prefects was ‘Celebration’.
The teams comprised eight Year 13 students from each House including the House Prefect, House Leader and an appointed Creative Director.
Girls had four hours to complete their stunning arrangements. They were then given the opportunity to talk to the judges about their design, followed by the final announcements of category winners and overall winners.
1st: Lindisfarne 2nd: Kelso 3rd: York
The competition was judged by Director of Development Holly Palmer and Old Girl Charlotte Jackson (peer year 2013).
Holly says the winning design, Lindisfarne, was chosen due to it is very impactful concept as well as strong execution. She says, “The girls spoke to us about their concept of putting down the mask that you wear and letting the light from behind come through. Their design was all about being yourself and celebrating who you are, and this was a really meaningful message, especially in COVID times, when we may wear a physical as well as a metaphorical mask.”
Most effective use of
colour: Dunblane Most original display: Durham
Most visually stunning –
Wow factor: York Best response to theme: Iona
Best Form, Balance and
Proportion: Lindisfarne
Most skill and innovative use of materials:
Kelso Best Team Presentation: Melrose
Kelso (2nd place) York (3rd place)
