Q magazine Winter 2020 by Shelford Girls' Grammar

WINTER 2020

QUAERITE | The Journal of Shelford Girls’ Grammar

New Shelford staff

A timely lesson amid a complex world 5

Motivated by an inspired past

Senior School Sport 20 Year 7 and 8 camps

Two sides of the one story ...

Student art and writing

Junior School

Shelfordians on the COVID frontline

History repeats 6

Remote learning

Shelfordian news

Class of 2019 10

Shelford history

Contents

26 A most extraordinary time

Our ELC

Principal’s welcome

Adjusting to COVID-19

Principal’s welcome

I feel personally, a strong sense of the history of Shelford, of the women who have gone before me and the challenges that they have faced. I am encouraged by their presence in the photos that adorn the walls of the School and I feel that I am walking in their well-trodden pathway. This School has weathered strong and stormy weather in the past and will continue to do so.

Katrina Brennan Principal Our wonderful students have shown independence. They have seen the value of their strong relationships and resilience.

As the COVID-19 pandemic reverberated through the community, we helped Shelford family businesses by advertising through our social media and school community networks, and along with generous donations from some of our Shelfordians we were able to assist individual families with fee relief.

Cover photo: Principal Katrina Brennan pictured with Shelford’s Co-Captains Lucy McConville and Jodi Pang.

Our wonderful students have shown independence. They have seen the value of their strong relationships and resilience. Our dedicated and inspiring teachers have adopted new technology, incorporated different teaching strategies and been able to respond in a flexible way, to a completely new mode of living and working. Our hard working professional services staff have put the students and our community at the centre of all that they do. Our families’ support and care has enabled us to work together to ensure student wellbeing and learning.

Our alumni are an impressive group of extraordinary women; many are managing the COVID crisis in various parts of the world and they have reached out to each other to help their schoolmates through these difficult times. They have sought engagement with the School and their connections here. It is at times of crisis that a community like Shelford is at its best and that we all feel a part of a greater whole.

various activities and events online and the social media ‘Iso Hopscotch Challenge’ contributed to a continuing sense of community and connection. Students and families could continue to access a range of support.

I began 2020 with nerves, hopes and excitement, as the newly appointed, eleventh Principal of Shelford. I was humbled by the opportunity and optimistic about the year ahead. I anticipated settling in to the community. I looked forward to the reunions and events that would allow me to meet students, families and alumni. I anticipated the key activities, competitions and performances.

Our teachers and students were upskilled on Microsoft Teams, the new Learning Management System (LMS) was tested and guidelines for remote learning formulated. Year 7–10 attended virtual classrooms for each timetabled lesson and in Foundation to Year 6 the students enjoyed a mixture of synchronous, virtual learning opportunities with teachers and classes, combined with asynchronous learning through resource packs and activities on the Learning Management

Yet, this was not to be. From late January, the COVID-19 outbreak has been the dominant force in our lives. Firstly, we managed the return of our international students. This grew to a larger issue when foreign travel by staff, students and families, to a number of countries, became a focus heading towards the Term 1 break.

Through it all, we provided onsite supervision to the children of essential Returningworkers.

COVID-19 has affected every aspect of our operations and practices. Through it all, we have learnt to accept uncertainty. That change is inevitable. That we have to move swiftly but carefully. That difficult circumstances show you who people are.

WeSystem.streamed

to school during Term 2, again a little earlier than expected, also raised challenges as to how to best keep students, families and staff safe, and which activities could run. Procedures and processes to manage risks were Aformulated.keyfocus for us was regular communication with our wider community. We have been honest and open with all of our stakeholders about our decisionmaking processes, and transparent about what we are doing and our rationales for action. We have sought feedback at regular intervals and responded to it. We have not always had everyone agree with every decision we have made, but we have assured our community that we have their best interests at heart and that we have been working tirelessly to provide the safest opportunities possible.

We then had to plan for the coming pandemic. We knew that remote learning was more than a possibility and much more of a likelihood. Yet pivoting to the point where almost the entire school went to remote learning at the end of Term 1, was a remarkable and unprecedented situation to face.

‘I think there’s a real awareness of the need for girls’ education,’ Brennan says. ‘It’s not an old-fashioned, cloistered away from the world view of education, it’s quite the opposite. It’s about empowering, raising each other up and working together.

2 QUAERITE | Winter 2020

By Peter Hanlon

an epiphany, I knew it was the place I was meant to be. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy the law, I just wasn’t passionate about it. To be a good lawyer I had to pretend to be someone else, whereas in teaching I could be my whole authentic self and it seemed to work quite well with the job.’

This article appeared in an International Women’s Day feature, Inspiring Tomorrow’s Leaders, in The Age on 7 March 2020 page 7.

‘You sew those seeds, but you don’t always see them grow,’ Brennan says. ‘I can still see the girls they were, intelligent, insightful, down to earth girls. And now they’re incredible women. And they look after each other, they’re still in contact with their friends.’

‘Those strong women, particularly in the early years, who had that vision for girls’ education and really had to fight hard for the school to sustain itself at times, I walk in their footsteps. I take that responsibility very seriously – forging ahead with that same strong vision, pushing those barriers for girls and young women.’

Motivated by an inspired past

As lawyers, doctors, psychologists, businesswomen, advocates (former student Ashleigh Streeter-Jones was ACT Woman of the Year for her work in gender equality), they are showing today’s Shelford girls all that they can achieve. Brennan is especially warmed that an outstanding former student who could have taken her pick of career paths chose to be a teacher.

One that might have been very different. Brennan loved literature, but opted to study law and practised for five years, working with a federal tribunal, on secondment in the Ombudsman’s office, and in private practice in personal injury litigation. Chatting with friends who were teachers, a missed opportunity gnawed.

as Director of Staff and now Principal, has sparked regular reunions with alumni who were Year 7-9 girls when they first crossed paths, and are now women doing amazing things. Their care for each other, and pride in their old school, moves her.

‘Mrs Walter was an amazing teacher. She did yoga stretches with us, a bit of mindfulness, the things we do today which were quite innovative at the time,’ Brennan says.

That connection her cherished teachers encouraged has already come back to her in a most rewarding way. After starting her teaching career at Westbourne Grammar, she worked at Shelford as Director of Middle School before stints at Fintona and in regional Victoria. Her return to Shelford 18 months ago, initially

Brennan used an introductory presentation to her Shelford students to speak about the rapidly changing world, and how the school’s core values – of respect, creativity, integrity, passion – are more important than ever. Just as girls’ education is so vital, inspired by the sort of role models she feels blessed to have had as a student.

‘Women all around the world who are doing great things have often come from a girls’ school.’

‘She took my friends and I out to dinner with her family to a Chinese restaurant, which at the time was a really sophisticated thing to do. She got to know me as an individual, took a personal interest in me, which was quite seminal.’

Now she is the 11th Principal of Shelford Girls’ Grammar, and from her office in the historic Helenslea building where the Caulfield education institution began more than 120 years ago, she feels not so much a weight of responsibility as a humbling honour.

When Katrina Brennan was in Grade 4 at a Launceston Primary School, she was blessed to have a teacher whose approach to her young students has not only stayed with her, it’s greatly influenced where she finds herself today.

‘So I enrolled in a DipEd at Melbourne Uni, and my first teaching round was like

Later she was blessed to have a Year 12 teacher, Lorna Probst, who became a significant mentor and ‘one of the main reasons I wanted to be an English teacher’. Further down life’s road, after a career false start that was more detour than wrong turn, she took over from Probst as the Head of Senior School at Fintona Girls’ School. ‘It’s a funny old world,’ Brennan laughs.

What is your biggest lesson during the remote learning period?

Two sides of the one story ...

What is your role at Shelford?

I missed the interaction and the joy of being in the same room as staff and students. Through talking with my own network, my students, other staff and

What is your biggest lesson during the remote learning period?

How adaptable and resilient the Shelford community has shown themselves to be.

What did you do during the remote learning period?

Dan Belluz Deputy TeachingPrincipal,andLearning

joining webinars with people from all over the world I was able to find ways to connect and creatively problem solve via a screen.

Probably two things here. The first is that (as a community) we have risen to the challenge of teaching and learning online. Secondly, that we will not ignore the lessons we have learned and will look at how we can use some of the ideas to further improve our programs and structure.

How did the increasing risk of COVID impact your role at Shelford prior to remote learning?

That we did not shy away from difficult decisions and that we came together with a very new leadership team to provide a positive learning experience to our students and support our staff and families. In doing so, we have all discovered more about resilience and creativity than I would have thought possible.

How did the increasing risk of COVID impact your role at Shelford prior to remote learning?

One of our key goals was to ensure Shelford remained connected as a community. Education is a social profession and it was of great importance to maintain staff connectedness during this time.

With a shared focus on learning and wellbeing, there is nothing that the Shelford community can’t achieve together.

I am responsible for ensuring that Shelford develops as a vibrant professional learning community where all staff are supported to meet the standards and requirements of their roles. This involves working collaboratively with Dan to ensure we can implement the best teaching practice. I also teach a Year 11 Psychology class.

From a teaching perspective, I did not have a full class of students physically present in my classroom, so I had to create connections with these students to ensure they had access to class materials and was able to begin to develop relationships with them Operationally,remotely.I

What message would you like to send to the broader Shelford community at this time?

I am responsible for the academic programs as well as developing the technological platforms used in delivering programs, providing feedback and engaging families from Foundation to Year 12. I work closely with both the Deputy Principal, Staff and Operations and the pastoral team to ensure our programs will reflect the needs and interests of our students. Every day brings something a little different, whether it be a question from a staff member on how we can support the learning of individual students, to building design elements to support teaching and learning in the future at Shelford.

What are you most proud of from this period of time?

What is your role at Shelford?

What was your biggest challenge during the remote learning period?

I think the biggest challenge was the unknown. Becoming comfortable with holding ideas and decisions very loosely and being able to make changes with little to no notice. Dealing with this level of uncertainty and knowing that the decisions we were making would impact not only on the teaching and learning programs, but the health and wellbeing of our community was difficult to manage.

Karen Whelan Deputy Principal, Staff and Operations

What are you most proud of from this period of time?

What was your biggest challenge during the remote learning period?

met regularly with the Executive Team and all other key staff members to ensure we were able to keep abreast of the latest government advice and guidelines. I also worked to develop guidelines to transition all our staff safely and effectively to a remote learning environment.

This was quite easily the most challenging situation I have experienced in my career thus far. Within a matter of weeks, we had to train staff and students on using our Learning Management System (LMS) for a practical online application of distance learning – whilst also developing new policy and delivering our curriculum in a meaningful and managed way.

Trusting one’s instinct, experience and the facts. Collaboration with colleagues and the Executive Team, but also colleagues at other schools (sharing) and around the world. I think we have all learned to share and listen.

What message would you like to send to the broader Shelford community at this time?

Our Deputy Principals Karen Whelan and Dan Belluz reflect on the impact of COVID-19 on their roles within the School.

When nothing is certain, anything is possible. The pandemic provided us with an amazing opportunity to reflect on our current practices and reimagine what the future holds for Shelford!

It was important to us that we were still able to offer our staff opportunities to continue their own learning during this time by participating in professional learning that focused on working in a remote learning environment, building their own professional learning networks and learning from others in the education profession that were either ahead of us in lockdown or in the same situation.

16 March Victoria declares a state of emergency.

20 January Chinese authorities confirm the virus can spread from person-to-person, with coronavirus added as a listed human disease under the Biosecurity Act of 2015.

The Prime Minister (PM) announces tough new restrictions on social distancing across the country in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus.

7 March Global cases hit 100,000.

11 March The WHO declares coronavirus a global pandemic.

Australian citizens are only allowed to leave their houses to work or study, shop for essential items, care for vulnerable family members, or exercise. Those who can work from home must work from home.

7 January Chinese authorities confirm they have identified 2019-nCoV.

23 March Shelford moves to remote learning operations, with all teachers and students working from home.

Shelford asks all students returning from China to self-isolate for two weeks after returning to Australia, prior to starting the new school year.

29 January Australia records seven confirmed cases.

Remote learning

5 February Australia announces a 14-day ban for non-citizens arriving from China.

31 January The World Health Organisation (WHO) declares a public health emergency of international concern over the global outbreak of coronavirus.

17 March A human biosecurity emergency is declared in Australia as the national death toll rises to six.

Global death toll breaks 20,000.

December February JanuaryMarch

12 December First case of novel coronavirus is detected in Wuhan, China. It is not disclosed for several weeks.

9 January A 61-year-old man from Wuhan is the world’s first death linked to the virus.

22 March Global death toll climbs past 11,000.

25 March Weddings, funerals and birthday celebrations are heavily restricted and Australians are banned from travelling overseas in wide-ranging new restrictions announced by PM.

4 QUAERITE | Winter 2020

25 January The first case of coronavirus in Australia is confirmed – a man from Wuhan travelled to Melbourne on 19 January.

11 February The World Health Organisation names the coronavirus, COVID-19. The global death toll passes 1000.

1 March A Perth man becomes Australia’s first fatality.

The school ran virtual challenges to get the students up and active, from something as simple as making a parent a cup of tea to something more strenuous such as going for a bike ride. The wellbeing team touched base with every family at the school individually, while staff collaborated with each other, working through the first-term holidays and sharing resources constantly.

By Portia Conyers-East

‘We can’t wait to have everyone back on school soil,’ says Brennan. ‘Our families, students and staff all love being together on campus. We are aware it is going to be different, but this time has reminded us of the strength of community and why working together is so important.

9 July After a second wave of confirmed COVID-19 cases, Melbourne returns to Stage 3 social restrictions.

‘In the long-term, there is the potential to retain these longer class breaks. Why do we need to rush from class to class? If we have longer breaks, the students will arrive at their next class calm, with clearer minds and ready to learn.’

Longer breaks were also introduced between each class, which allowed the girls to get up and stretch or go for a short walk. It brought an epiphany, of sorts.

From their discussions with overseas educators, Shelford recognised that maintaining the wellbeing of the school community was paramount. So, they kept in mind the wellbeing of all – teachers, students and even families.

Over 15 million cases of COVID-19 are confirmed globally, with the death toll surpassing 600,000.

‘We are learning from what has happened and adapting to it,’ says Brennan. ‘We reached out across our teachers’ network and collaborated with schools from Europe and Hong Kong – who were a few weeks ahead of us – to see how they managed remote education.

12 April Easter services are livestreamed across the nation as the holiday is celebrated in isolation for the first time in Australia’s history.

‘We have decided to keep these longer breaks once the students start returning to the classroom,’ adds Brennan. ‘In the interim, we will need extra time to sanitise classrooms and for personal hygiene levels to be maintained.

For more than 122 years, Shelford Girls’ Grammar School in Caulfield has been educating girls and young women. In more recent years, the small school has been preparing students for a global world, with its constant and fast-paced change and growing interconnectivity.

26 May Foundation to Year 2 and Year 10 to Year 12 students return to onsite learning at Shelford.

1 June Social restrictions ease in Victoria with social gatherings and community sport allowed, with restricted numbers.

4 April Australia’s death toll hits 30. Globally coronavirus cases surpass 1 million.

A timely lesson amid a complex world

11 April The global death toll surpasses 100,000.

15 April Coronavirus cases around the world surpass 2 million.

‘More than ever, our students need to be able to adapt, innovate and problemsolve,’ explains Shelford’s Principal, Katrina Brennan. ‘Our girls are going to be living in a world of environmental and economic challenges … so they need to expect the unexpected and work within changing Theparadigms.’current global pandemic is not exactly what Shelford’s educators explicitly had in mind when they sought to prepare their students for a complex, global world. Nevertheless, a period of remote learning has provided beneficial lessons which the school plans to take back into face-to-face classroom teaching.

April May June July COVID-19 timeline

9 June Students from Years 3 to 9 return to onsite learning at Shelford.

This article appeared in the Independent School Guide, The Sunday Age, 24 May 2020 page 14.

25 April Anzac Day is commemorated with a simultaneous Dawn Service across the nation, from people’s homes, for the first time in Australia’s history.

13 July Students from Foundation to Year 9 return to remote learning, students from Year 10–12 attend school onsite at 23Shelford.July

‘We have recognised the importance of being flexible and have acknowledged things may change some more … and that is okay, because we are prepared for change, and our students are learning to be, too.’

‘We knew being online for a whole school day was going to be tiring for both students and teachers, so we had to make some changes to our normal day-to-day Toprogramming.’helpreduce screen time, Shelford’s teaching body created ‘no new content’ days for their Senior School students (Years 7–12), in which the girls would instead spend the day doing independent study. The primary school followed a similar structure, with students being given less virtual class work and more individually focused tasks.

Joan Rackham (Butler) started in Prep at Little Shelford in 1933 and remembers having to stay home for several weeks in 1937 due to the polio outbreak. She said if there were cases in certain areas, everyone in those areas had to stay home for a while. Joan went on to complete her secondary education at Shelford and was School Captain and Dux in 1945.

Joan recovered and competed in national as well as university fencing competitions. Upon completion of her science degree, she became a microbiologist. Joan says, ‘I worked at the Women’s Hospital in Melbourne, until 1955 when I was married, mainly isolating and identifying bacteria in samples of infections, and testing them against the new antibiotics. After several years I ended up as a lecturer in science at the Institute of Early Childhood at SheKew.’encourages girls interested in maths and science to pursue their interest as she says, ‘I think that there is a wonderful scope of careers for girls in the future in science.’

Our thanks and congratulations are due to the Staff for their untiring work in making the Correspondence Classes function so satisfactorily. We must also thank the parents for their help and co-operation during this trying time. Divinity Classes were carried on by Canon Peatt and the Rev. A. G. Mee, and examination results were satisfactory. All sporting events during third term were cancelled. The Cock House for the year was Langley.

6 QUAERITE | Winter 2020

Because of the epidemic, we were not able to hold our Speech Night in the St Kilda Town Hall; however, on the last day of the term a very pleasant time was spent. The School Council entertained all the scholars with ice cream, and the prizes were distributed by Canon Peatt at a special assembly.

The first term of 1938 opened with the epidemic still raging in our midst, but the majority of upper middle school and senior girls returned, and as the epidemic waned the lower school girls returned gradually. We now have practically our full complement of pupils, and are glad to be working once more under normal conditions.

Despite the fact that the latter half of 1937 was very disorganised, highly satisfactory results were obtained at the Public Examinations. We congratulate Mary Marsden on gaining an exhibition for Trinity College (Janet Clarke Hall), as well as a free place at the University.

The move to remote learning was not a first for Shelford. During the polio epidemic of 1937 the School shut its doors and sent students home to the safety of correspondence classes.

Joan Rackham (Butler, 1945) School Captain and Dux

Polio was still circulating in the community and Joan ended up contracting the illness in the second year of her science degree at the University of Melbourne while training for a university fencing competition. She didn’t have to go to hospital but remembers being at home feeling very unwell. She recalls, ‘I was lucky when I got polio – I was very fit. My mother was a nurse and I was allowed to stay home quarantined (a bit like today) doing many exercises but no splints or braces.’

She remembers the School closed for a term and all school work and assignments were sent home to be completed then collected from students’ homes by staff or volunteers each week. She says, ‘we were confined to our houses and gardens and couldn’t even play with our neighbours next door. We would wear wooden clothes pegs on our noses to stop the germs. I had a wonderful time playing games outside with my older sister, Margaret. My sister, Joy worked in the city and when one of her work colleagues contracted polio and died, our mother fumigated our house with Hersulphur.’advice for everyone living through the COVID-19 pandemic is to ‘do as you’re told’ and she believes that ‘distancing between people is a great idea’.

Anne Warrell (nee Chamberlin) was nine years old and in Year 4 at Shelford when the polio epidemic hit Victoria in 1937.

School report from Quaerite magazine, July 1938

Memories from Anne Warrell (Chamberlin, 1942)

History repeats

We said good-bye to Canon and Mrs Peatt late in March, and welcomed Canon and Mrs Langley home from their holiday overseas. We are now looking forward to a happy and successful time during the remaining portion of this year.

Bargaining is our way of finding a less painful way out of a situation but also maintaining the illusion that we still have control. We are not ready yet to face reality so we try to find a compromise.

• ‘I don’t like what the Government is telling me. I’m bored and I’m having some friends over.’

Despair

• ‘This will all be over by June. I’ll be safe until then, and then we can go back to normal.’

• ‘This whole thing is so exaggerated. What a media beat up.’

COVID-19another.’hasasked us to pivot, adjust, and surrender but there has also been a lot of grief with this change. Please, allow yourself some anger, denial, bargaining, and a bit of despair. Go ahead and grieve. You have earned it. We all have. Look for acceptance as WE CAN DO THIS!

COVID-19 acceptance sounds like:

Bargaining

• ‘The world is going to change, but maybe when we are on the other side of this, we will be more compassionate to one

• ‘We will never have sport ever again.’

• ‘It’s OK to spend time with friends as long as they wash their hands.’

• ‘It’s the same as the flu. People get the flu every year and hardly anyone dies.’

• ‘I’ll be fine as long as I stay away from sick people.’

Often in the service of self-preservation, we can deny or reject physical and emotional pain. Denial is the intellectual and emotional rejection of something that is clear and obvious.

• ‘Just because I can’t live like I use to doesn’t mean my life has to stop. I can work from home, and I can still connect with my friends and family via phone and the internet.’

An article by School psychologist Jacqui Green, that originally appeared in the Shelford staff wellbeing newsletter (Edition 3, 11 May 2020)

Despair arises when reality fully sinks in. We feel hopelessness, disempowered and all is COVID-19lost.

COVID-19 bargaining sounds like:

5. WhenAcceptanceweapply the stages of grief framework to understand our experience of COVID-19 we gain an insight into our collective reactions to the pandemic.

COVID-19 anger sounds like:

• ‘I can’t control coronavirus, but I can do my part by staying at home, washing my hands and thinking positively.’

The grieving process was first conceptualised by Dr Elisabeth KüblerRoss in 1969 as having five stages. Later in her life, Dr Kübler-Ross revised her theories to acknowledge these stages are fluid, not fixed. This meaning, the five stages of grief might or might not occur in the order presented below. KüblerRoss proposed that some people may experience variations of the same stage multiple times, while some may skip a stage (or stages) altogether. However, as a general rule, these are the five common stages of grief:

Acceptance

1. Denial

COVID-19 denial sounds like:

Anger can sometimes help us feel a sense of control over the uncontrollable including our own fears. This can look like blaming others, being hostile and refusing to comply with rules.

2. Anger 3. Bargaining 4. Despair

• ‘I’m not old, so I’ll be fine.’

• ‘This is all China’s fault.’

Anger

despair sounds like:

Today we are adjusting. We are all experiencing differing states of adjustment due to COVID-19 and along with this is an individual and collective sense of grief. We are grieving the year that Therewasn’t.areplenty of memes circulating about 2020 and the year that needs to be restarted. This illustrates our collective sense that we are longing for our sport, our gatherings for celebrations, weddings, children in the classroom, fitness classes etc. The list is extensive and personal to each and every one of us.

• ‘This epidemic is the new normal. I can say goodbye to my hopes and dreams.’

Anger can feel empowering.

Acceptance occurs when we finally acknowledge the facts. We surrender to the facts and accept them whatever those facts might be. When we reach acceptance, we can stop denying and resisting reality, and we can start dealing with what has happened and what is happening, as effectively as we can.

Adjusting to COVID-19

Denial

COVID-19 has asked us to pivot, adjust, and surrender but there has also been a lot of grief with this change. Please, allow yourself some anger, denial, bargaining, and a bit of despair.

Deputy Principal, Staff and Operations

New Shelford staff

of English, Head of Year and Head of Debating. She has also taught at Haileybury College where she was also Head of English and prior to this, worked in a variety of schools. Rachel is an outstanding Senior English teacher, who has been on the VCAA English text selection panel, has contributed to and written NEAP Smart Study Guides and trial examinations and has contributed to other publications such as VATE’s (Victorian Association of Teachers of English) Inside Stories, Jacaranda textbooks and The Age. Rachel has presented at VCE English conferences for teachers and students.

Julie Devine Head of LOTE

Year 9 and 10 English and Year 9 Q teacher

Karen comes to us most recently from MLC, where she has worked in staffing and as a Psychology teacher. Karen has a Masters in hasLeadershipEducationalandexperience in diverse schools – in country Victoria, London and in Melbourne – including Scotch College and Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School. She has a significant depth of knowledge in relation to girls’ education both through her professional experience and as a mother of two daughters.

Karen has passionand8strategieslearningofthethinkingoncompletedjustaPhDhowreflectivepromotesdevelopmentself-regulatedinYearMathematics,hasaforcurriculum

Rachel Kafka

Year 9 Coordinator, Humanities, and History teacher

She has a Masters of andBachelorUniversityfromTeachingMelbourneandaofMediaCommunication.

8 QUAERITE | Winter 2020

Jacinta Chambers

Year 11 Coordinator, Senior English teacher

Jacinta has been the recipient of the Gandel Holocaust Scholarship for Australian educators, where she travelled to Israel to study for three weeks. She has been an acting Director of Learning and Wellbeing and attended World Challenge trips to Vietnam and Morocco.

and pedagogy

in Mathematics. She has worked for over ten years at Killester College as a Maths Learning Leader. An expert in Further Maths, she is a textbook writer, has been an examination assessor and more recently, an examination panel member. Karen has a Masters in School Leadership (in numeracy education) and is a thoughtful and warm teacher, who will affect the teaching and learning of Mathematics at Shelford in a very positive manner.

Julie has been the Head of Languages at Star of the Sea College and is an experienced Japanese.teacherwell-renownedandofSheis a VCAA assessor, was on the new Study Design review panel and the review panel for Japanese in the Australian Curriculum. Julie is a regular presenter

Jacinta previouslyhasworked at Peninsula Grammar where she was the Head of Humanities.

at the Japanese Language Teachers Association of Victoria annual conference and has spoken at interstate and global conferences. In addition to teaching Japanese, Julie has a double major in French and Japanese, and is looking forward to contributing to the teaching of French in the school and to leading the LOTE faculty.

Rachel most recently taught at Leibler Yavneh, where she has had a number of leadership roles, often holding more than one position at a time, including Co-Head of Senior Years 10–12, VCE Coordinator, Head

Karen McMullen Head of Mathematics Years 7–10

Madeleine Couloumbe

Year 11 English and Year 12 Literature Madeleine was the Head of English at Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar and is a presenter and guest lecturer at Monash University Faculty of Education. She has presented at the AssociationVictorianofTeachers of English (VATE) State conferences. Madeleine is on the VCAA VCE Literature text advisory panel and is a VCE Literature examiner. Her past positions have included roles at Scotch College, Wesley College and Presbyterian Ladies’ College (PLC). She has also previously worked at the J Paul Getty Trust in Los Angeles. Madeleine is completing postgraduate study and research at Monash University on the teaching of writing. She has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in comparative literature from Sarah Lawrence College in New York.

Julia Lloyd Bruin

Julia has a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in English and History. She has worked at Fintona Girls’ School since 2016 as an English and Literature teacher and a Year 9 Coordinator. Julia is a pragmatic, engaging, funny and warm teacher who has excellent relationships with colleagues, students and families alike. She has experience at Senior English but also enjoys teaching lower year levels, where you can have fun and ignite students’ passions for reading and writing.

Karen Whelan

education, Ilse’s broad skills include a love of English and writing, with training in VCOP and the Big Write. Coming to Shelford midway through Term 1, we are gratefulincrediblyforIsle’sinterpersonal skills and work ethic. Within weeks of joining our staff, Ilse supported her class through the transition to remote learning with excellent student outcomes.

Camilla comes to us with over ten years’ experience as an early childhood teacher, Studleywasrecentleader.educationalsupervisornominatedandHermostpositionasDirectorofParkKindergarten

Year 7–9 Mathematics teacher

Simone is Shelfordiana (1998) and most recently taught at Brighton Grammar School. She has a wealth of experience in both Junior and Senior teaching.SchoolShe has held a position coordinating community service at Brighton Grammar. Simone has a passion for visual arts, creativity and establishing positive relationships with her students, and she will make a strong impression and impact on our students’ visual arts education.

Yuchen Huang

Grammar School for ten years, teaching all the Mathematics VCE subjects, working in enrichment, support, and holding coordination and leadership roles. He has previously worked at Sacred Heart Girls College Oakleigh where he was the Head of Mathematics.

Ilse comes to us from Korowa Anglican Girls’ School, with a Bachelor of Early Childhood and Primary Teaching. A caring teacher with a passion for girls’

Matt McLellan Senior School Mathematics teacher (including VCE Maths Methods)

Year 7–9 Science teacher

Camilla McInerney

Deon Weingarten Mathematics teacher

Wei-Yi qualificationspostgraduatehas in Mathematics, ten years’ andCranbourne,CollegeAlkiramathematicsteachingexperienceatSecondaryinwasatGrimwade House last year

teaching Chinese in the Junior School. Wei-Yi’s gentle and calm demeanour and her approachable and enthusiastic attitude will assist our students to feel confident and capable in their Maths studies.

Junior School Art teacher

Kathryn (Kath) Lucas Drama Coordinator Kath Shelfordjoinedlast year as a forandayear.timeisdelightedcovertemporaryandwearethatshejoiningusinafull-capacitythisKathhasbeenprofessionalactorhasworkedmanyyearsatthe

Wei-Yi Wang

Deon has a degree from ininrangeHeSecondaryatforhasUniversityMonashandbeenworkingtenyearsMcKinnonCollege.hasabroadofinterestseducationandlife–heisverywell

Simone Lewis

Year 6 teacher

Yuchen has a Science degree and a Masters of AlongsideUniversity.atofbeenUniversity.fromEducationMelbourneShehasthedirectoratheatregroupMelbourneherpassion for teaching

Matt has a Bachelor of Science, a Bachelor workedrecently,Education.aEngineeringAerospaceaEngineering,ofBachelorofandBachelorofMostMattatBrighton

National Theatre Drama School. She previously worked coordinating Drama at St Michael’s Grammar and we feel very fortunate that someone with Kath’s background, experience and passion for her craft, has joined Shelford.

Deon is a gentle, warm, funny and kind teacher who will fit in to Shelford as both an excellent teacher and wonderful colleague.

travelled and has worked volunteering in India, Israel and Laos, has worked as a disability support worker and has studied social work.

Science to girls, borne from her own experiences in an all girls’ school environment and her love of the subject, Yuchen is looking forward to assisting with performing arts this year. Yuchen is a passionate and enthusiastic educator; her energy, thoughtfulness and warmth will assist students to engage with her positively in their Science classes.

Ilse Johansen

3-year-old Kindergarten teacher

and she has a postgraduate Diploma of Education (Early Childhood) as well as a Bachelor of Arts.

Bands’ Festival after months of practising and hard work. Half of the band was composed of Year 12 girls who had been playing music together in Concert Band since Year 7, so it was brilliant to win Gold for the first time and in our last year of school too! The second memory was when the Shelford Track and Field team came first at GSV athletics, for the first time in around 20 years. The best part about both of these successes and my time at Shelford was the camaraderie and friendships that I experienced with girls from all year levels.

I am doing a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne. Before COVID19 set in and the campus was closed, I really enjoyed going into university and walking around to all my classes.

What do you like most about your course?

10 QUAERITE | Winter 2020

Your favourite Shelford memory?

Bachelor of Film and Television, Swinburne University of Technology

Olivia Kulesza Bachelor of Science, University of Melbourne

There are too many to choose from! The big standouts for me both happened during Year 12. The first was when Senior Concert Band won Gold at the Victorian

Elyssa Triskelidis

I am currently studying a Bachelor of Business/Marketing (applied) degree at RMIT. Due to the conditions of isolation, online university has its challenges. Being a first-year student, missing out on the years’ experience and opportunities has been disappointing, however, I am making the most of online study by video chatting with other students and my teachers to engage as much as possible. The subject I most enjoy is Marketing Principles as it has many elements of design and creativity to it.

and Television at Swinburne University of Technology. What I enjoy most about my course is studying Production Techniques because I have access to film equipment including professional cameras which I can use to shoot my own films. I love that I have the opportunity to collaborate with other creative students who share my passion for filmmaking to produce short films.

Bachelor of Business/Marketing (applied), RMIT University

Where are they now?

Anja Bantick

What do you like best about your course?

Class of 2019 22 11 3 3 1 1

I was always bumping into people that I knew from Shelford, as well as the new friends that I had made from the Science Students’ Society and my classes. Even though we all had vastly different timetables, there was always someone around to meet up with and have lunch together. My classes themselves are really interesting – my Geology class is the best!

I have so many incredible memories from Shelford, I absolutely loved being involved in House Performing Arts, school musical ensembles and performing in the 2018 school musical Beauty and the Beast.

What do you like best about your course?

Being at Shelford since Year 3, I have many fond memories. From House swimming carnivals and athletic days, Year 11 and 12 formals, and being a part of the House Performing Arts every year, especially when I was the House Dance Captain for Blundell. Another fond memory was auditioning for Top Class Dance to present a jazz performance for the VCE season of excellence 2019. My performance received a high score for VCE VET Dance subject which contributed to my mark for the 2019 year. Perhaps best of all though is the honour of becoming a Shelfordian and making lifelong friends.

Your favourite Shelford memory?

I’m studying a Bachelor of Communication (Advertising) and my favourite thing about my course is the creative aspect mixed with strategy. I really enjoy learning how to alter an advertisement for the specific target audience. It has definitely been harder doing university online, especially tutorials as you don’t have that face-toface learning, however, I’m still finding my course really interesting and engaging despite the social adjustments.

I am currently studying a Bachelor of Film

My favourite Shelford memory would be Aths day and GSV sports because I love all of the House spirit and how involved everyone gets in the school events. I personally loved playing GSV netball and badminton and have some fun memories from those games. Another favourite memory was creating great relationships with my friends and teachers who were always there whenever I needed help or had any questions.

Stephanie Leong Bachelor of Communication (Advertising), RMIT

Your favourite Shelford memory?

VCE Awards recognise the outstanding results of individual students in Victoria. We are

Alyssa Davies – Studio Arts

Premier’s VCE Awards

The Premier’s extremely

Rachel Lendon – Global Politics Congratulations to these Shelfordians and also to Ms Deb Pettigrew and Ms Claire Taylor, their talented teachers. Arts communicationandBusinessandcommerceDesignSciencesHealthHospitalityMusicand creative arts coursesdegreeinenrolledStudentssingle coursesdegreeinenrolledStudentsdouble 53 13 Course areas being studied

•

proud to announce two students from the Class of 2019 who achieved this honour:

In early March, Jenaya from Yarn Strong Sista visited our four-year-old ELC classes to conduct an indigenous education session with our students. Spending time talking about Aboriginal culture and the Aboriginal Flag, the students also participated in a craft session. Encouraging the children to learn more about indigenous perspectives, this session also connected to their growing knowledge of sustainable practices.

Our Early Learning Centre is closing at the end of the 2020

A much-loved and valued educational facility since 1995, hundreds of children have passed through the Toddler Room and 3- and 4-year old kindergarten classrooms in the 25 years since. Espousing the Emilia Reggio educational philosophy, the ELC has been continually staffed by dedicated and accomplished educators, who have created stimulating and engaging educational programs and provided the highest level of care for our youngest students.

‘With low enrolment numbers and a significant financial loss projected for 2021 and beyond, the Board was left with no alternative but to close the Centre. This decision is purely based on financial viability and is not reflective of the quality of service delivery in the ELC. The Board has responsibility for the whole school and the ongoing subsidy of the ELC could not continue at the expense of services to our students in the Junior and Senior Schools’, said Ms Zena Helman, Chair of the Board of Governors.

Our ELC

As the seasons began to change in Term 1, ELC Solomon witnessed some wonderful storms across the city. Following the children’s interest in the weather they began investigating different types of weather systems and soon became fascinated by tornados. They were particularly captivated by their sheer strength; how they swirl and spin around at great speeds collecting everything in their paths. From here a collaborative art work was born, named ‘Dangerous Storm’ inspired by their ideas of what it would look like if a mighty tornado struck.

We understand this news is significant to many families in our community, particularly those with a connection to our ELC, and thank you for your ongoing support and understanding during this time.

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Children need to experience a wide variety of hands-on experiences with nature and issues of environment, sustainability and connection are taken into consideration when choosing largescale projects for study. We also see nurturing children’s connection to the natural world as another way of honouring the traditional owners of our Country.

In ELC Denton the focus has been on materials, their properties and recycling. Working with materials like socks, corks and cardboard, our students are encouraged to choose the materials they are going to use to create artworks carefully, plan and to return to their work many times, ensuring that materials are used to their maximum benefit.

Sustainability and indigenous culture

This decision to close the ELC is not one that has been made lightly.

Student art and writing

I am writing this letter so you can look back on Term 2 of Grade 6 and remember how different it was to what you were Rememberexpecting. how excited you were about staying home and doing remote Itschooling?isVERYdifferent to what you thought.

Not just people saying “i love you”, but physical love.

Now we have adapted and are no longer reliant on the warmth of arms around us, Or on the smiles from kind strangers on the Nowstreet.there is no life on the street, and the cold faces watching from dark windows don’t smile.

So the girl sat on her white bed, surrounded by white walls and suffocated by white masks, And she yearned for freedom. Year 9

Watching the sunset from afar but never truly immersing yourself in the warm rays of pure Observinglight.the seasons change through thick windows that always remain closed. The pain in your heart yearns for human interaction but is never indulged.

Mothers kissing daughters, fathers embracing sons, children playing with Actionscousins. that were taken for granted three weeks ago.

Anonymous

You have learnt a lot of things. You can use technology better than your parents. You have found lots of new recipes which you can make on your own without any help. You have even found the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe.

You begin to miss the times when embracing loved ones wasn’t dangerous, And shopping for groceries wasn’t a Humansluxury. need love to survive.

Asher Kirkilis, Year 6

I hope you enjoyed looking back on this Term.

Dear Asher,

I know you are excited to go back to school and see your friends.

Being indoors gives you a different perspective on the world.

A letter to myself

You can see the oak trees swaying but never feel the icy breeze on your skin.

A poem for freedom

Lots of screen time has been tiring and you are very happy to get outside and paint especially when it is sunny and nice.

Your highlights have been going for walks with your family. Making Dad walk on the sand even when he didn’t want to. Going to the park and helping Zoe with her hopscotch challenge. Sewing the heart for year 12 was good fun and has started a new passion.

In the creek

Rosie Davies, Year 9

Shavasana

Coronavirus panic buyer’s fever

The elderly are being bowled Who started this craze?

Move my head side to side Roll my shoulders back Lift from the sternum

In Coles, Woolies and Aldi’s People are nabbing Frozen goods, toilet roll Hand sanitizer and soap

Dig, dig, dig into the ground

The beast of the forest

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A fluffed-up tail with fiery hairs

A red shape hunts acorns in the trees

Student art and writing

Nina Fraid, Year 9

Panic, fevered grabbing

Breathe the deepest breath BowExhaleHoldmy head

Palms come to kiss Raise my hands to the third eye (ToBreathecentre yourself)

Shred fish

Then into his hollow crawls

Dad yelling in a daze Of his journey through the day He went to five different shops When will it stop?

Just a forest with no Beast of the woods

He’s sleeping till spring grows

RestCalmmy eyes

No tracks in the snow

Brown-furred body

Tiny claws with pearly black eyes

The fevered grabbing…

Cover it up now Don’t tell them, no sound

Powerful teeth

Remote reflectionlearning

Ali Fraser, Year 8

So far, for my second term of Year 8 I have been remote learning due to the current global pandemic COVID-19. It’s been interesting to say the least – filled with some boredom and procrastinating. To have experienced this once in a lifetime, unknown time has made me realise how much I take for granted daily. Throughout these last few months, I would have done anything to go back to Shelford, have the early morning GSV starts and see all my friends each day, which I really didn’t think too much of before. I have also really appreciated going to a school with a very functional online learning platform. Although I haven’t enjoyed online school nearly as much as going to Hood Crescent each day, I’ve still had almost the same opportunities, and have been able to have face to face talks with my teachers. Staying mainly in isolation has also allowed time for an assortment of activities for me to do, such as some Fortnite with my brother, too many walks in the park to remember, cuddling with my dog, painting, as well as baking sugary messes. Overall, this COVID-19 experience has been a memorable one; I hope I will not have to go through it again anytime soon. For now, I’m happy and grateful as ever to be returning to Shelford and getting this rollercoaster of a year – 2020, back on track.

On the bright side global warmings nonAndexistentiso is just like a huge vacation

To sum it I up I basically have nothing to do If I can’t even go to the pool then my whole life is through

2020 truly is the worst year ever I wish that bats just would die off for forever JK they are amazing apart from the disease

This is a rap about isolation About a bunch of dull time in hibernation We are stuck at home and there’s no Everyoneescaping believing Trump’s false Everyaccusationsonesaying “It’s just the flu!”

Just remember don’t eat them if they got fleas

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Abbie Halliday-Morris, Year 6

Student art and writing

The isolation anthem

Then why is now bleach a good medication

People going crazy the entire population Is freaking out until we get a vaccination

Inclusion/exclusion

Skip, jump, vault. Cartwheel, jump, finish. Skip, jump, vault. Cartwheel, jump, finish. I flipped and twirled, moonlight centered on me like a spotlight. Spinning and vaulting, dancing across the rooftops. I glanced up at the moon, which was glowing, nestled among the clouds. Shining and beautiful and... white. Painfully, blaringly white. I turned away from the orb, shutting my eyes. I couldn’t bear to even look at the colour. White was an easy shade to find, ever since the majority of the people in Cape Town had been kicked out by the allwhite government. Everywhere I looked, there was someone in a fancy dress or suit, with piercing yet dull eyes, skin as blank as parchment paper. Gone were the people with the warm smiles and the bright laughs, like Mr. Arno, the local drug store orner, and Mandla, the crazy storyteller. The people who I had been happy with, who had loved and supported and believed in me. Gone, kicked out, every shred of pride and dignity ripped away from them. It made me mad thinking about the abuse we had suffered, the honor of our ancestors that had been ripped from us. All because of the virus called apartheid. I hissed in pain as I smashed my shin against one of the corrugated, tin covers on our roof, rage consuming me for a moment. As I dropped into a crouch, blinking tears from my eyes, I could see the building of the gymnastics club, shining in the moonlight.

Anonymous

The club, where those perfect girls with the bobbing pig-tails and too-bright smiles twirled and danced, exactly how I did. I had dreamt infinitely about being one of them. How I would be accepted into the club with smiles and polite greetings, instead of being kicked like a pig. How I would be able to twirl and dance to the music with friends cheering me on, instead of being laughed at and disgraced. How, maybe, just maybe, my talent as a gymnast would be recognised, and I would perform in elite tournaments, travelling over the world, meeting new people and proving that I am strong, I succeeded. But reality slapped me in the face every time I woke up to the sounds of shattering windows and crying children. A little, black nobody from some tiny part of Cape Town would never be able to walk into a white-run building, let alone compete in a gymnastics competition. Sometimes, when the taunts got too loud and the punches hurt harder, ideas of rebelling filled my head. But I knew that those thoughts were foolish and naive. If I even attempted to rebel, they would hurt Mama and Papa, more than they already had. Drawn back to the pain in my leg, I looked down to see two shiny trails of blood running down my dark skin. With a sigh, I tore myself away from my spotlight of moonshine, gently stepping down the stairs, kneeling down on the floor of our gritty kitchen, preparing to patch my wounds, just like I had done every other night before.

Cape Town, 1973, 10:52 PM.

Where is Mrs Ewert?

During April our Year 3 and 4 students reflected on the notion of gratitude. Alongside sharing something they are grateful for each morning in their class meetings, they designed a ‘gratitude jar’ to collect daily reflections through the remote learning period. As part of this study, the students also wrote letters of gratitude to people working in essential services through the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you would like to support the Foundation, sign up to Connor’s Run or play the Birdbrain trivia game visit https://rcdfoundation.org/

At the start of May, Mrs Ewert set 6B a challenge. Sending her students a Bitmoji of herself, she asked the girls to take her on an adventure. In one week, Mrs Ewert practiced ballet, played on the monkey bars, cooked dinner and even stopped by Shelford to poke her nose through the gate! Phew. What a week!

Junior School

The Junior School had the pleasure of welcoming Shelfordian Niesha Happell (2017) to speak at assembly for International Women’s Day. A champion swimmer during her school years and for the Melbourne Vicentre Swimming Club (MVC), Niesha has a number of Senior School swimming records that remain in her name. Alongside coaching squads at MVC (that included two current Shelford students), Niesha has coached Shelford’s GSV swimming team for the last two years. Niesha is currently studying a Bachelor of Communications and Media degree. With insights into training as a female athlete in a male world, Niesha has also found herself in a gender-minority as she works towards her aspiration of becoming a sports journalist. Speaking to the students about the importance of authenticity and living her adult life through our Shelford values, Niesha reflected on how being female has never inhibited her from dreaming big and working hard to reach her goals.

Our Junior School went ‘grey’ in May. Stepping away from technology to give their bodies and brains a break from remote learning for a Pop-Up day of fun, the girls undertook a series of creative and wellbeing pursuits to raise awareness of the Robert Connor Dawes Foundation.

International Women’s Day in the Junior School

18 QUAERITE | Winter 2020

Go Grey in May

Lego Masters

The Junior School students participated in their very own Lego Masters competition during the remote learning period. With animals, household products and outer space tackled, it was tough to judge a winner when the entries were so good!

Practicing gratitude

On 5 February members of the Sustainability Team from Glen Eira City Council, came to talk to members of staff and the Senior School Environment Committee about Shelford’s efforts towards environmental sustainability and our long-term plan to become carbon neutral. At the meeting, Tahlia Reisacher (Year 12) and Martha Stamatopoulos (Year 10) shared their passion for the environment and presented their studentled drink bottle and coffee keep-cup initiative to the group.

Senior School

‘I wish you all wisdom for the decisions ahead, energy for the actions you will take, clarity for the problems you will encounter, laughter for the trials that await and commitment for the endurance you will require. This year will have times of struggle but you will also create memories and friendships and develop passions and interests that will last for your lifetime. Take the time to enjoy your classmates, to appreciate your teachers and to make the most of the opportunity you have to finish your schooling in a community that holds you at its centre and cares for each of you as the unique and wonderful individuals you are.’ Principal, Ms Katrina Brennan

On Thursday 12 March, our Unit 1 Legal Studies classes visited the Supreme and County Courts, where students engaged with a Supreme and County Court judge to discuss court processes, procedures and statistics.

International Women’s Day

The Senior School was fortunate to be visited by Dr Andrea Hinwood for International Women’s Day. Andrea is Victoria’s first female Chief Environmental Scientist. An accomplished scientist with specialist expertise in environmental exposures and human health, her role is to give the EPA advice to reduce the harmful effects of pollution and waste. She also gives advice to senior decision makers, including EPA’s leadership team, the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change and Victoria’s Chief Health SpeakingOfficer.

Eye witnesses

The students viewed a Supreme Plea Hearing where an accused person pleaded guilty and in the words of the judge ‘showed extreme remorse in apologising for the crime, and demonstrated behaviour rarely seen in the Supreme Court’. They then had the opportunity to view the examination in chief of a vulnerable witness via CCTV in the County Court. This was a valuable learning experience and one that will form the basis of many class discussions throughout their Unit 1–4 course.

Year 12 Induction Service, 25 February

Going green

to our students about the pathway to her current ‘dream job’, Andrea reflected on her passion for the environment and science and how that spark motivates her professionally. Without ever having had a female role model, Andrea is aware she is a female-pioneer in her field. Driven by the belief we have a real opportunity to alter the conversation about the environment into positive terms, Andrea plans to continue working to drive positive change.

‘Congratulations to all our Year 12 students and their parents, for today is a culmination of many days of schooling that have passed. It is also a chance to look ahead at what is to come and confirm your intention to lead, to be strong, to aspire and inspire, and to be kind, to yourself and to others.

Lloyd: 2710 points | Langley: 2070 points

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Junior swimming: Long live Lloyd!

In a thrilling afternoon of swimming, Lloyd took the 2020 Junior School House Swimming Carnival trophy for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Congratulations to the 83 Junior School students who participated in the SYDSA Virtual Cross Country event during the remote learning period and ran a total of 220km!

Our Senior School students put in an equivalent effort in the GSV Virtual Cross Country Championship event and ran a combined 183km. It was great to see so many students improve their times from the preliminary run to the championship Arun.special mention to Thanya Vijayakumar Year 8 who placed 16th and Molly Reiger Year 9 who placed 3rd in their age groups. This is an outstanding effort.

Virtual Cross Country

Lloyd wins the inaugural Shelford House Competition

Thomas: 1720 points | Blundell: 1455 points

Sport Senior Blundellswimming:takesthe pool

With just under 500 submissions from Foundation to Year 12, Shelford girls made multiple cups of tea, unpacked dishwashers, vaccuumed, danced, ran, rode, cartwheeled and walked their way through two weeks in May, in an effort to support their House. In the Senior School, the most popular task was 30+ minute walk, run or bike ride with a family member (30 pts) and in the Junior School the most popular task was a full workout (40 pts). With a total of 7,955 points earned over two weeks, it’s fair to say the girls kept moving during the remote learning period.

On Friday 8 March, our Senior School students travelled to MSAC to compete in the House Swimming and Diving Carnival. Despite tough competition from Langley, Thomas and Lloyd, Blundell broke through to take the 2020 trophy.

Congratulations must also go to every member of the Junior School who swam their hearts out and cheered for their friends, irrespective of what House they were in. The Shelford spirit is certainly alive and well amongst our youngest school students.

The Shelford Parents’ Association (SPA) welcome drinks

Year 7 and 8 camps

Thank you to the 200 people who celebrated the start of the new school year with drinks in The Hood on Friday 31 January. It was a wonderful evening with significant Acheer.big

thank you must also go to SPA for hosting this friendly event, even through oppressive heat conditions.

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Aside from having Thomas House named after her, Miss Thomas also created a number of traditions at Shelford during her tenure. The first was a whole-school

A leader through adversity: Miss Ada Mary Thomas (1885–1949) Shelford Principal 1922–1944

At the beginning of 1922, Shelford was transferred from Dora Blundell to St Mary’s Church, and Canon Langley appointed Ada to the position of Principal. Without teaching qualifications, but with experience working as a teacher, Miss Thomas quickly developed a reputation for high standards in teaching and learning. Shelford grew from 58 pupils to 268 in 1927. The number would grow again in the years to follow.

Moving back to be with her family after retirement, Miss Thomas died in 1949 and is buried at Beechworth Cemetery.

Having led the School for 22 years, Ada Thomas is Shelford’s longest serving BornPrincipal.inKiewa, Victoria to Thomas Vivian Thomas (1859–1947) and Mary Nichol (1861–1921), Ada’s family were graziers of Cornish descent. Ada’s father worked in the same farming circles as Dora Blundell’s brother in-law Samuel Penrose Jessop (married to Florence Blundell) and we believe this is how Ada became connected to our school. Moving to Melbourne to work at Shelford after the death of her mother, Miss Thomas’s legacy at Shelford is a significant one.

Shelford history

suffering from breast cancer and mourning the death of her sister Daisy, Miss Thomas retired from her position as Principal. Leading the School through the Depression, World War II, the polio epidemic of 1937 which closed the School for six months, and growing enrolments to 450, Miss Thomas left Shelford in a much stronger position than when she started.

celebration of her birthday each year on 19 June. This often involved a trip to the theatre with the Old Grammarians, with supper afterwards at a restaurant in the city. The other was the highly anticipated Prefects Weekend held around November each year, where Miss Thomas would take the prefects away to the Dandenong Ranges or to Frankston for a weekend of adventure. Students’ memories also include Miss Thomas sitting in the same seat, in the same pew, at the back of St Mary’s Church during weekly service on Tuesday and having to submit the names of male partners to Miss Thomas for approval prior to the School Dance. We also know that Miss Thomas was superstitious and did not like the colour Ingreen.1944,

TheHouse.bulk of my work with the AEC was running educational programs, which school closures and concerns over border restrictions quickly reduced. Shortly after, I was transferred from my position with the AEC to join an Australian Public Service (APS) wide emergency taskforce at Services Australia in Canberra. I was trained, alongside 1200 others from all areas of the public service, to process the huge amount of Jobseeker claims lodged by Australians who need income support due to COVID-19. Currently a typical day involves driving 30 minutes to work (pretty much the longest commute possible in Canberra), spending the day working through claims, battling technical difficulties and keeping up with the legislative changes. I feel very privileged to be in a position to help those affected by COVID-19 get the help they need. Finalising and approving a claim is very I’mrewarding.definitely not an expert in handling crises like this one and am still working it

Shelfordians on the COVID frontline

As the COVID-19 crisis unfolded, we spoke to five Shelfordians who have been working on the frontline to fight the pandemic.

International Relations and Politics student and Service Officer at Services Australia emergency taskforce, Canberra

all out myself, so I’ll just share what has helped me so far. Throw away the goals you made in the first days of quarantine and try to ignore concerns over lost productivity. Practice self-compassion above all else and lean into what makes you feel good about your day.

When I joined Ambulance Victoria in 2001, you did not need a degree to be employed. I was hired as a student paramedic which meant I had three years of study and working with a clinical instructor until I became a qualified paramedic. Two years later I did further study to become a Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance Paramedic (MICA Paramedic). After five years of MICA, I took off to the Middle East for two years and worked in a helicopter in Qatar for their royal family. I returned to Melbourne (and Ambulance Victoria) in October 2012 where I continued my career – becoming a MICA single responder and a clinical instructor. Last year I became a MICA Team Manager. Alongside managing my own team of MICA paramedics, I spend half my time on the road treating patients.

has impacted our work quite a bit. We still respond to all cases that need an ambulance however we wear more personal protective equipment (PPE). When we attend a patient, we may be dressed in a full Tyvek suit or a gown as well as gloves, glasses and surgical masks. We will often ask questions before we enter a house to ascertain if anyone inside may have COVID-19. Despite COVID-19, we still do our job and treat patients while taking them to an appropriate hospital.

My advice to the Shelford community would be, if you are able to stay at home please do. We also need to look out for the vulnerable people in our communities – the chronically unwell, those with

Practice self-compassion above all else and lean into what makes you feel good about your day.

Amanda Kaighin (1992) Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance Paramedic Team Manager

Working in the ambulance is different every day – sometimes we see very few patients and other days we just don’t

stop. Being a MICA Paramedic means we tend to be dispatched to the sicker patients who require a higher level of care. No two days are quite the same.

I am about to graduate from a double degree of Bachelor of International Relations/Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics at The Australian National University. Throughout university I have undertaken casual work in hospitality and as a research assistant to a Professor. I started working with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) at the end of last year as an educator at Old Parliament

Kayla Chivers (2014)

Throw away the goals you made in the first days of quarantine and try to ignore concerns over lost productivity.

There are honestly so many rewarding aspects to my job! I was able to catch up with a patient who was clinically dead when I first met them, and was successfully resuscitated and has returned to living with their family. We followed up on a premature baby we delivered who weighed 900 grams. She is now four years old, going to kinder and is perfectly well. These jobs and others make my work worthwhile, however, whenever we have the ability to be able to help someone and make them feel better – that is COVID-19rewarding.

In regards to the hospital, the wards are currently under ‘crisis conditions’ and there is not a single facet of the dayto-day that isn’t affected by COVID-19. I have nothing but admiration for the doctors, nurses and Allied Health clinicians who are thinking on their feet and adapting daily to ensure patients still receive quality treatment. It has been challenging but nonetheless extremely valuable to be learning in hospitals in these times.

Every day I get to the ward early for rounds and then try to get as many ‘jobs’ done as I can. Currently in my geriatrics placement, this usually means mental state exams, taking bloods, histories, some physical examination, consulting with Allied Health – it’s a specialty that requires diverse skills. Then in the afternoon I go to the HealthDirect office and look through what’s happened throughout the day regarding COVID-19 – media releases, state policy changes, new information regarding the virus from the World Health Organisation, everything that’s happened since the morning. Then we set about updating the information and resources we have – this includes the National Coronavirus Helpline, a national web-based Symptom Checker, and resources for health professionals working with COVID-19 cases. Then I go home and try to review what I learned from my patients in the morning!

I received a Fellowship of the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists in 2015 for clinical excellence. I may be remembered as being quiet at school, but my experiences at Shelford taught me this does not prevent a person from becoming an effective, influential and resilient leader.

Shelfordians on the COVID frontline

some positive impacts in a system where there has been a huge need for help, and for a population facing a lot of confusion. Thankfully, the University of Sydney decided to keep us in hospitals, so even though I’ve been a little busier than planned, my work with HealthDirect has also enabled me to communicate information and resources to my patients who have questions about COVID-19.

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Mietta Kyrios (2009)

When COVID-19 first became an issue in Australia, there was talk that medical students would be pulled from placements and it made me reflect on what I’d like to look back and say I did in this time. I definitely didn’t want to be sitting at home. My work with HealthDirect has enabled me to make

Katie Young (1989) Clinical Lead Speech and Language Pathologist (Therapist) SLP in Derby, UK

I have nothing but admiration for the doctors, nurses and allied health clinicians who are thinking on their feet and adapting daily to ensure patients still receive quality treatment. It has been challenging but nonetheless extremely valuable to be learning in hospitals in these times.

I am studying medicine at the University of Sydney and completing my clinical training at Westmead Hospital. I always wanted to work in health but envisioned myself as more of an academic than a clinician – I actually dropped Chemistry in Year 12 because I thought ‘I definitely don’t want to be a doctor’. I guess it just shows you have to keep an open mind when you start university and your early career! I think I landed on medicine because it’s like a career passport, the skills are universal and wherever I go now with my work I will be able to help people in a real and tangible way.

Medical student and COVID-19 Clinical Support Coordinator at HealthDirect

I work as a Clinical Lead Speech and Language Pathologist (Therapist) SLP in Derby UK. I have specialised in voice disorders including professional and performance voice, head and neck (ENT and maxillofacial) cancer rehabilitation and tracheostomy. I am an autonomous allied heath professional, responsible for assessment, diagnosis, treatment and management planning within a multiprofessional team. I am very fortunate professionally to be in a challenging and immensely enjoyable professional role.

Completing a Bachelor of Applied Science with an honour’s thesis in voice disorders at La Trobe University, I knew after my first lecture I wanted to specialise in voice disorders. I first worked for the Education Department and treated both children and teachers and then moved to the UK and worked in acute specialist care in large UK hospitals with patients who had airway problems, swallowing disorders, injury and surgery. When I started at the Royal Derby, I had found a busy position to develop and run the specialist Voice Clinic, Head & Neck SLP service and tracheostomy care. I have also been advising and writing policy documents for the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists in London. I am very fortunate to now run a voice clinic with an international reputation and teach with my surgical colleagues as leaders in our field and also teach undergraduate medical students.

SLP was not a profession I considered till I was looking at my university options. It offered me a vocational career path that included several of my interests in English, Science and Music. I decided I wanted to enable another person the ability to be heard. Communication is a basic human right and enables us to enjoy and partake in many other human rights.

medical conditions that make them more susceptible and the elderly. Simply checking in on our neighbours can make a huge difference to them. Also, find different ways to stay in touch with family and friends, keep exercising and stay as healthy as you can.

Morag Young (1989)

The period of COVID-19 has been a challenge of planning, endurance and exceptional caution in our practice. We lost one of our consultant colleagues in ENT early on in the pandemic due to COVID-19. It is quite stressful and mentally fatiguing. A large part of my case load are vulnerable neck breathers who require aerosol generating procedures as part of their routine care. I have restructured my team’s delivery of service and we have very strict procedures for seeing our patients including how we walk our patients in and out of our department. Much of our voice therapy is delivered remotely by video links but head and neck cancer work is ongoing. I am unable to do several invasive assessments with nasendoscopy due to infection risk, making our daily work more difficult. We work in full PPE with all its challenges. Some of the shortages have meant we receive homemade hoods and scrubs from the Women’s Institute but I have not resorted to ski goggles yet. Derby falls into a region that has one of the highest infection rates outside of London. I have been upskilled to work beyond my role as a precaution when we did not know at the start of the pandemic how much of our workforce in the hospital may become ill.

Alice Baker and Eleanor Shaw Gender Equity Fellow and Head of the Cardiovascular Endocrinology Laboratory at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute

I would like to advise the Shelford community to wash your hands, wash your shoes and do not walk in them into your house. It is imperative to self-isolate if you have any chance of being in contact with someone who is unwell or if you are unwell. It will make a very significant difference over the coming months. Stay well, it is an awful illness at its worst.

Early on in the SARS-Cov2 pandemic (COVID-19) researchers around the world identified a protein called ACE2 as the receptor on the surface of cells to which the virus attached and can then gain entry to the cell using the normal cell machinery that recycles cell-surface proteins. (the virus that was responsible for the ‘SARS’ epidemic in 2002 used the same ACE2mechanism!)isperipherally linked to my work because it is part of a biological

I am a medical research scientist who studied biomedical science with an honours year of research followed by a PhD. I have recently moved my laboratory from the Hudson Institute of Medical Research (Clayton) to the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute (Prahran) where I am the current Alice Baker and Eleanor Shaw Gender Equity Fellow.

Many researchers are interested in SARSCov2/COVID-19, not just the ones who work on viruses and new immunisations.

In a small number of patients, COVID-19 can cause damage to the lungs, heart, kidneys and other tissues that may cause long-lasting health issues. So, some researchers are looking at ways to help those patients recover with as little damage as possible.

While my group is not involved in these big international studies, we are able to investigate how ACE2 is regulated in samples from heart failure patients and experimental models in which the medical research has been changed in some way. This will hopefully contribute to what we know about SARS-Cov2 infections in patients with heart disease. Our goal is to generate information about the specific effects of these drugs that will assist doctors looking after patients in the long term, especially those patients with lasting organ damage from COVID-19 disease.

I was fortunate to be invited to write a detailed review article with two colleagues, one from Melbourne and one in Edinburgh, discussing how steroid hormones (estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, thyroid hormones etc.) can impact SARS-Cov2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19 symptoms. This was exciting but a lot of hard work because new data for COVID-19 were being published every day. There will be a lot of research continuing on this topic to try and answer questions about why some people have worse disease than others (men are more severely affected than women for example) and how to best treat patients in the future. Watch out for the excellent work being done by Australian scientists. There is a lot of research underway!

system that regulates blood pressure by controlling the hormones that are important for fluid balance (in the kidney, i.e. how much you wee), blood vessel contraction and a few other functions. ACE2 is considered to be the ‘good’ part of this system because it produces hormones that act to reduce blood pressure. Common medications for high blood pressure are known to increase ACE2 levels in the body which caused a lot of concern early on that people taking these medications were at higher risk of infection or more likely to progress to severe disease.

In the meantime, keep washing your hands regularly with soap (hand sanitiser helps when you don’t have access to soap and water), and always practice good hygiene if you cough or sneeze. The efforts to stop the spread of SARS-Cov2 has dramatically reduced the number of cases of the flu and other illnesses, which is good news too.

Brittany received her PhD in Human Genetics from Monash University and will begin a post-doctoral position at the University of Cambridge after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Angelique has been working as a psychologist for the past 20 years. She currently practices at Body to Balance in Rowville and New Pathways in Collins Street, Melbourne.

Keryn works as a financial advisor in Melbourne. Her business, Your Life & Money Matters ( yourlifeandmoneymatters.com.au/https://www. )

Shelfordian news

Beth is currently working as a lawyer in London for an international law firm.

Alexandrea has been selected to represent Australia in dance and will travel to the US to compete in the World’s Cheer and Dance Competition.

Beth Griffith Clarke (2008)

Juliet’s debut picture book Grace’s Mystery Seed was released last year. It was shortlisted for the 2019 Speech Pathology book award. This story was inspired after attending Bryce Courtenay’s final masterclass. She has written four young adult novels and a new picture book is hitting bookshops at the end of this year or early 2021. Juliet is currently writing her fifth young adult book and a women’s contemporary fiction novel.

Olivia has been working in the film industry for the past 20 years. She has worked on films as Head of Department – Hair & Make-Up Design and in the past ten years she has been doing both costume design and hair and make-up design, special effects and the rest.

Kate Vale (1989)

26 QUAERITE | Winter 2020

Kate has built a career in the technology sector. After leaving Shelford she studied Business at Monash University. In 1998 she immersed herself in the digital world and was lucky enough to land a job at Google in 2002 as their Country Manager. She grew the business to close to 2,000 employees and then moved to Spotify as Managing Director and first employee of the Australian business. In 2016 she relocated to Los Angeles with her husband and two children, initially with Spotify and now she is Managing Director, North America of a music licensing company called Epidemic Sound.

Juliet Sampson

Angelique Park (1988)

Sakina Haque (1996) welcomed daughter Inaya on 26 July 2019 in the UK, making her a dual citizen of Australia and Britain.

Keryn Batsilas (Salter, 2000)

Helen runs networking events for women with engaging speakers. Offering opportunities for women to connect and share ideas and support each other, she has over 150 women in her private Facebook group: ‘Helen’s Networking Group’

Brittany Croft (2010)

Helen Merry (Mourtzios, 1993)

Olivia Still (1989)

Juliet (Sammut,Sampson1999)

Recently she has been mainly focused on TV commercials as both a hair and makeup and costume designer/stylist.

focuses on helping women, couples and families in their 20s, 30s and 40s achieve financial freedom now and into the future. Keryn is offering Shelfordians a 10% discount on her advice services.

Shelfordians at work

GeorgieBabiesAmott-Stewart (2004)

welcomed daughter Edie on 27 April 2020. (Pictured left.)

Alexandrea Pantos (2018)

Courtney Biggs (2009) has been living and working in New York for the past four years. She became engaged to her partner Andrew Nathanson on 17 April 2020 when he proposed on the Brooklyn Bridge (which of course was uncharacteristically empty) overlooking the Manhattan skyline. Selfies were the only option for photos under the COVID-19 circumstances!

Jess Sleep (2009) married Christopher Randall on 4 October 2019. Among the bridal party were her sister Eva Lasky (Sleep, 2004) and Alex Hardisty (2009).

(1995) married Mark Fatharly on 28 March 2020 at St George’s Cathedral in Perth. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, they had to abide by strict social distancing rules and were only allowed five people in total, that being the Reverend, two witnesses, Amy and her husband. It was not what they had initially planned, but it was a very special day nonetheless.

AmyandEngagementsmarriagesCoghill

To discuss how you can support Shelford students please contact Kate Higgins in the Community Relations office on 9524 7464 or khiggins@shelford.vic.edu.auemail

with a group of Shelford women he travelled to and from school with each day on the 693 bus. Darron would like to organise a 693 reunion and is keen to reconnect with a number of old friends, including a Shelford girl he called Bruno. Darron can be contacted on email dstutt6669@ outlook.com

The obituary for Sue Clarke (1964), in the last edition of Quaerite, noted that her sister Ann was also deceased. This is incorrect and the editor would like to publicly apologise to Ann, her family and friends for this error.

28 QUAERITE | Winter 2020

We wouldGrammarian,aDarroncontactedrecentlyhavebeenbyStuttard,Caulfieldwholiketoreconnect

Once a Shelford girl, always a Shelfordian ...

Seeking information

A group of our Shelfordians from the Classes of 1944 and 1945 have been regularly getting together since leaving school over 70 years ago. Many of them have been friends since primary school at Shelford and over the past 12 months they have been celebrating their 90th birthdays together.

Shelford Community Relations

Shelfordian news

Email: collection.receivingWeTelephone:khiggins@shelford.vic.edu.au95247467arealsoalwaysinterestedindonationstoourarchive

Thank you to the Shelfordians who have generously contributed to the School’s bursary appeal.

Are there any Shelfordians who caught the 693 bus to Glen Waverley around 1984?

Kate Higgins

A Shelford education is something many Shelfordians are grateful for. By assisting current students to continue their education at Shelford through scholarships or bursaries, Shelfordians make an investment in young women who will make positive differences to society in the future.

Any alumni who are interested in organising an event or connecting with one of our regional or interstate Branches are invited to contact:

Apology

All gifts go directly towards Shelford’s efforts to support families of current students experiencing financial hardship at this difficult time.

Like most Shelfordians, the Class of 1988 are spread all over Australia and dotted around the world. Their 30-year reunion in 2018 at the School was such good fun that none of them wanted the night to end. So they decided to have an annual four day catch up somewhere in Australia, each March, thereafter. In 2019 they gathered in Hobart, in 2020 it was Adelaide, and in 2021 it will be Sydney.

The Class of 1969 held their annual reunion in March just before the COVID-19 restrictions. Two people came who had not been since the ‘70s, Fiona Telford (Ross) from Queensland and Bronwyn Halls.

Thank you!

many stories of Nona’s days at Shelford. We also have many photos of Nona as a fairy in a school play, as a basketballer, as a prefect and as Captain and Dux of the School. She once won an embroidery prize which still embarrassed her as her mother was one of the judges. However, from the tapestries and

Carol’s sister Sue (1969) was also a student at Carol’sShelford.friends of many years will sadly miss her – Meredith Jubb (Jones), Elizabeth Dent (Fowler), Sue Cliff (Beasley), Lesley Van de Velde (Hanstein), Elizabeth Ruth (Coghill), Wendy Du Guesclin (Miller). Sue Clarke (dec) was also in their group of lifelong friends.

NonaValeWilson (Lloyd, 1938)

Margaret died on 4 March 2020, in Baltimore, MD, USA at the age of 76.

Born in Melbourne, Margaret attended the University of Melbourne and then the 3SA Radio Training School. She worked as an announcer at Radio Australia before moving to the United States in 1979, where she worked as morning announcer and program director for WSHU in Fairfield, CT. In 1994, Margaret earned a degree in pastoral counselling from Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine. She was ordained in the Companions of St Thomas and focused her ministry on bereavement and end-of-life issues. Widow of William Denvil, she leaves sons Alasdair and James, daughter-in-law Deborah Hazlett, granddaughters Eliza and Rosslyn, sister Barbara Ballenden (Yorston, 1963), and a host of loved ones around the globe.

by Erica Place (1961), in consultation with Pam Dalrymple (Criswick, 1964)

Jill was born at Shepparton, Victoria on 10 July 1927, the daughter of JL Gordon Welshman and his wife Margaret. After the deaths of her parents, Jill lived with her Aunt and Uncle, Muriel and Harold Criswick, as one of the family from a very young age until her marriage in 1951. Following her older cousin Nancie Criswick to Shelford, Jill spent most of her school days there from about nine years of age. She was a Probationary Prefect in 1943 and a Prefect in 1944. In that year she was also Sports Captain of Langley, and a member of the School Tennis team. During her school days Jill also joined the Girl Guides. Jill left Shelford in 1944 aged Sometime17.

Carol Baxter (Laurence, 1964)

Pamela passed away in late February 2020. She is missed by all of her 1969 classmates.

Pamela Maidment and Marj Haycroft

Nona Wilson

Marjorie passed away peacefully in Colac on 31 January 2020 aged 95 years.

It was inevitable that Nona attend Shelford. She started in 1926 at the age of five. Her father was a member of the Vestry of St Mary’s Church with Canon Langley. Maurice had been instrumental in ensuring that in 1921 when Shelford was about to close, after the retirement of Miss Blundell, that the School be associated with the Church and financially be able to Wecontinue.nowhave

A lot of her leisure time was spent travelling widely around Australia.

Pamela Lynette Maidment (Lake, 1969)

embroideries that she left to us, the prize was well deserved.

a life of such length contains many triumphs and many setbacks, Jill always continued on, making a success of whatever she undertook, using her abilities, taking part in the activities available to her with enthusiasm, and making new friends ‘as long as life doth last’.

working, although she still contributed to the community in many valued ways.

I am proud that Nona was my mother. She was intelligent, warm, caring and lived by her truth to her Anglican faith. I can’t remember her ever saying an unpleasant word about anyone. These were qualities that she inherited from her family and were very much reinforced by the school that Shelford was and continues to be. by Sally Lloyd Bourne

after her marriage Jill and her husband, Russell Mee, whose trade was motor body building, established a factory building bus bodies, and later started a bus line, Mee’s, which is still active in the Ivanhoe, Rosanna, Macleod area. Jill managed the administrative side of these businesses until she suffered a stroke in 1971, making her unable to continue

Jill’s final years were spent in aged care at Baptcare’s Strathalan Community, Macleod where she resided from mid2011 until her death on 1 April 2020 in her 93rd Althoughyear.

Marjorie attended Shelford from 1938 to 1939 achieving her Intermediate Certificate. A keen sportswoman, she was a member of the 1938 athletics team and the 1938–39 basketball teams. She was in Thomas house. Vale Marj.

Margaret Sutherland Denvil (Yorston, 1961), School Captain and Dux of School

Marjorie Emma Haycroft (Stevenson, 1939)

School Captain and Dux of School 3 July 1921–28 December 2019

Jill Mee (Welshman, 1944)

You would think that not much would come as a surprise when you are 96, but for my mother Nona Wilson (Lloyd) one thing certainly did. In 2018, researching for Shelford’s 120th Anniversary, Brigid Steele contacted me to see if I had any information about my grandfather Maurice Lloyd who Lloyd House was named after. I think that Brigid was amazed to learn that Maurice’s daughter Nona at 96 was still alive, making her the oldest living Shelfordian. Nona was certainly thrilled and delighted that Brigid and Shelford were interested in her. This led to a warm and very special reconnection with the School. From this, Nona began to reminisce more about her days at Shelford and we as a family were able to learn more about her and her father.

One community. Countless opportunities.