Term 2, Week 6, 2023 2 June 2023

The offer of this position came to me out of nowhere. I know the Board Chair, Dr Amanda Bell AM (she was my Principal in Brisbane and I remained friends with her as she took up the position of principal of Women’s College at Sydney University).  I knew the board at Queenwood had been working with recruiters to try find someone to replace Dr Elizabeth Stone who was appointed last year as the first female Principal to Winchester College, a 640 year old boys’ boarding school in the UK. 

I also know Elizabeth reasonably well and planned to visit her and her new School when I am on sabbatical later in the year. Elizabeth is a Rhodes Scholar having undertaken a Master’s Degree at Oxford. So, now that the paperwork is signed, the dust settled and the announcements are out, I am busy developing a heightened onset of impostor syndrome, (a familiar feeling for many women) not just for the context I am currently in, but for the one I am going to – double impostor syndrome! And I am also busy getting very sad at what I am leaving – beautiful Strathcona.

I have surprised myself by accepting this role. I had planned to enjoy the fruition of our centenary planning and conclude my time here at the end of 2024. While my husband has always been adventurous and up for all kinds of challenges and work in far flung places, ever since I was young travelling Europe and Asia alone or with friends, I have tended to focus on my family and the job I was in – there was challenge and change enough in that. 

I was at Brisbane Girls Grammar for 25 years and somehow ended up as Deputy, mostly following a path in leadership roles in student care. The Board there asked me to apply for the Principal position when it was vacated, but I refused as I had worked very closely with the Principal and held the Acting Principal position there. I knew full well the complexity and sheer hard, unrelenting grind of headships in schools and I had decided I could do without it. But then life changed, perhaps I changed, and somehow, destiny led me to Melbourne as Principal of Strathcona. Nine fulfilling and happy years followed in this beautiful School and community.  My plan was to complete a ten-year tenure and then step aside to allow the School to have new energy in leadership and vision to take it to the next level in its history.

I have asked myself why I would disrupt my rather nice, if work-heavy life, to take on the risk of running another school, again, in another highly competitive environment. I have moments when I think I am quite mad. But I find I am curious to explore what another girls’ school culture of learning and growing is like and the idea of being able to use my experience, hopefully, to contribute to the development of another school, is appealing. I know the Brisbane context inside out and now I understand, at least the eastern suburbs of Melbourne environment, if not the broader girls’ Melbourne girls’ school context. I think that will be fascinating. I suppose the North Shore Harbour scenario will have similarities and differences with the Queensland and Victorian settings. Queenwood has some specific things they want of me mostly around strategic planning, talent and leadership development, preparing for the School’s centenary in 2025, master planning and building a philanthropic program, much like what I have been dedicated to doing here at Strathcona as well as leading in teaching and learning and wellbeing programs. 

As our Board Chair stated in her letter, I have been preparing my senior staff for my absence in Term 4 and they had already been shadowing and sharing aspects of their portfolios so that they would be ready to seamlessly transition on my departure: Tracy Herft (Deputy Principal) as Acting Principal, Amber Sowden (Dean of Students) as Acting Deputy Principal and Megan Boyd (a Head of House) as Acting Dean of Students. The School has a lot of staff capacity in the wellbeing area and a number of staff willing and able to step up to Head of House and Year Level Co-Ordinator. Kara Baxter, our new Dean of Teaching and Learning, has worked in a previous school as a deputy so there is capacity there too. Tracy has attended board meetings for several years; she understands governance and shortly will be undertaking the AICD course. Amber will be attending board meetings next term, with Tracy and Jack Palumbo, our Business Manager, so there will be a good partnership of board directors and key senior leaders. The Senior Leadership Team is very strong and works exceptionally well together, complementing each other’s strengths and supporting each other in working through the challenges that are part of senior leadership roles.

I believe the School is safe hands as the transition slowly occurs and the board goes about the important task of the recruitment of the next Strathcona Principal who will lead in its 100th year and onwards. I will make the most of my last precious days in this beautiful School which I have been privileged to lead.

In other news, I appreciate that many of you have been closely following the recent decision by the state government to eliminate the payroll tax exemption for independent and Catholic schools in Victoria. This unexpected tax burden, set to take effect in July 2024 without any prior notice or consultation, has raised significant concerns among school communities. Today, I had the opportunity to attend a meeting organized by Independent Schools Victoria (ISV), where leaders from independent schools gathered to discuss the potential implications of this tax.

While we await further details from the Victorian Government, we will work closely with the board to thoroughly assess the potential consequences this tax may have for Strathcona. Our unwavering commitment to providing an exceptional educational environment for our students and staff remains steadfast. We will continue to keep our families informed as we gather more information regarding this concerning and evolving situation.

Marise McConaghy

The highlight of the afternoon was when our talented students gathered together with their peers to participate in a watercolor painting activity. Their impressive work reflected the beauty of the Tay Creggan grounds. Their artistic creations will serve as a lovely reminder of their time at Tay Creggan. 

Jess Mitton

Head of Arnold House

Over 60 students from a wide range of Victorian schools, along with families and teachers, came to our senior campus to compete in junior and senior heats, with the winners of each heat progressing to the section semi-finals.  Strathcona had eight junior and three senior students compete, after weeks of preparation and practice, and they were outstanding! The growth the girls have shown and the positive approach they have taken in supporting each other in this important learning opportunity is so impressive. We couldn’t be more proud! 

Congratulations to: Rachel, Sarah, Amy, Sharon, Isla, Olivia, Emily, Ella, Julia, Mila and Sophie for their hard work and representation of our school. Special mention to Amy, who won her heat and came runner-up in the senior semi-final, and Olivia, who won her junior heat and the junior semi-final. Liv will be progressing to the State finals in June. 

Hosted by Korowa Anglican Girls School, this event showcased exceptional talent.  Representing Strathcona, Remi, Esther and Celia delivered impressive performances that left a lasting impression. Their speeches were filled with passion, courage, and reflected their dedication and hard work. They should be immensely proud of their efforts! 

The competition was fierce, with students from Scotch, Korowa, Ashwood, Camberwell Girls, and Caufield Grammar going head-to-head. However, Remi's exceptional presentation propelled her to claim the overall second spot. As she eloquently delivered her powerful speech on the theme 'The Overture in Silence,' there was not a dry eye in the room. The judges faced an arduous task as they deliberated over the exceptional performances on display that night.

Hats off to these three outstanding students from Strathcona, your dedication and hard work have undoubtedly set a high bar for future competitions. Well done!

Hannah Peace

Overseas Student Coordinator

We opened the Acknowledgement of Country, then Mrs Costello shared the history of reconciliation and its roots in a day of prayer.

After an introduction from School Captain, Audrey, Issues and Actions Leader, Sophie, read Mrs Brenda McCoy’s account of the ELC’s reconciliation journey from 2020 to the present. We saw wonderful images of the children completing projects, such as sharing their understanding of Bunjul the creator and Wurundjeri seasons, as well as a video of the Acknowledgement of Country written in three-year-old Banksia group. 

Our Junior School captains, Maya and Jemima, followed this with an account of reconciliation projects in the Junior School, including the Year 3 and 4 visit to the Botanical Gardens to learn about indigenous plants, making paint with ochre and how to draw significant symbols. They also reflected on the importance of incorporating Wominjeka into daily greetings at the Junior School, to celebrate indigenous culture. Again, there were beautiful images of Reconciliation projects at the Junior School, assembled by Ms Eleni Kyritsis. Then Zoe and Coco from Year 7 discussed the reasons they decided to join the Reconciliation Action Plan Committee.

Finally, our Issues and Actions Leader, Sophie, gave an account of the progress of Strathcona’s Reconciliation Action plan, which is reproduced in full below. Thank you to all who participated in the assembly, including musical performers, Eleanor on piano, and the Vocal ensemble. Here is Sophie’s speech:

Up in the Senior School, we run our Reconciliation Action Plan Committee around 2-3 times each term. Our meetings involve students from 7-12, staff members, both teaching and non-teaching, and across the ELC, Junior, and Senior School, as well as members from the wider school community. This committee was first started last year, through the efforts of last year’s Issues and Actions Leader Emily, and Ms Fields. This year, as the Issues and Actions Leader, I have taken on Emily’s role within the committee, with the assistance of Ms Roberts. Key members of our committee include Ms McCoy from the ELC, Meg, one of our school captains, Nicole, a Strathcona parent who has previous experience with RAPs, and many more. We also have Aboriginal Elders Aunty Julienne Axford and Aunty Gail Smith who we have been consulting with and will continue to meet with to complete this RAP.
 
We have also received input from all of you. Last year you may remember filling in a survey responding to our Strathcona Vision Statement. This is a key part of our RAP, printed within the brochure, and we have responded to the feedback we received from this. A large proportion of the feedback received related to education about the RAP, so hopefully this assembly, and future presentations can do just that.
 
A brief overview to how the RAP process works is as follows: We complete our RAP process through a website called Narragunnawali, meaning alive, and coming together, in Ngunnawal (Nanawol) language, the language of the Ngunnawal people of Canberra. This website is a project of Reconciliation Australia, that outlines the actions needed to be taken to fulfill a Reconciliation Action Plan. As stated on the Narragunnawali website, “A Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) is a formal commitment to reconciliation. It documents how your school or early learning service will strengthen relationships, respect and opportunities in the classroom, around the school and with the community.”

The RAP includes frameworks of Relationships, Respect, and Opportunities, all seen within the classroom, around the school, and within a wider community. It includes 14 required actions we must fulfill, with an additional 26 actions that we can also fulfill. This year, we aim to fulfill the 14 required actions, and as we continue on our RAP journey, we hope the future committees can add on additional actions. The RAP is something that must be continually worked on, as it needs to be renewed each year, holding each school accountable for meaningful change.

We are around halfway to completing our first RAP, and these are some of the accomplishments we’ve made so far:

- We have created a Strathcona Acknowledgement of Country, which is now seen up around our school, in many classrooms, and has also made its way down to Tay Creggan, our Year 9 campus. 

- We have been able to implement Acknowledgements of Country at each Assembly and other meetings.

- We have purchased the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags, as seen behind me, which as displayed in assemblies, and are seen in the reception area.

- We have a map of the Traditional Custodian Boundaries, the map showing the language and nation groups of Indigenous Australia. 

- We hope to get this framed soon and hung up so this can be seen by the community. We are able to hold these meaningful assemblies and have library displays with the updated Indigenous book collection. 

And we are currently during curriculum reviews and embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures within the ELC, Junior School, Tay Creggan, and 7-10 curriculum. The VCE curriculums in the recent study designs have also been doing this. 

Our Reconciliation future looks like this:

- We hope to have the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags flying at Tay Creggan on flagpoles.

- We hope to have our first RAP published early next year, with a launch at Tay Creggan. We also plan to have Aboriginal Elder David Tourier to do a smoking ceremony for our launch. 

- And of course, the renewal of this Reconciliation Action Plan each year.
 
Thank you so much to everyone here and within the wider community who has helped us on our Reconciliation journey so far, and I look forward to seeing this action plan develop further.

Sophie, Issues and Actions Leader

Penny Roberts, Director of Library and Research

We pray for reconciliation in our world. Help us to understand one another and find forgiveness in our hearts. Let us see that we are all connected, regardless of our differences. Guide us to make peace with those we have hurt and with those who have hurt us.  

May love and kindness be our guide, and may reconciliation heal the wounds that divide us. Remind us that reconciliation starts within ourselves, as we examine our own biases and prejudices. 

Give us the courage to confront injustice and promote understanding. May reconciliation bring about transformation, not only in our personal lives but also in our communities and the world at large.  

God, we humbly seek your guidance as we wholeheartedly embrace the theme of reconciliation week this year: "Be a voice for generations." May our voices carry the echoes of compassion, understanding, and love, inspiring lasting change in our world. 

Zoe and Junru

As students completed their reflections this week, we spoke a lot about what they had learned. The answers ranged from having a greater understanding of themselves, their team mates, to being more grateful for warm beds and home cooked (by someone else) meals. The majority of Tay Creggan students did enjoy Camp, for those who did not, they were proud that they had completed the journey. This immersive experience allowed teams to strengthen their bonds, develop resilience, and embrace the beauty of nature - without phones and the distractions of everyday life. We hope that you heard about the highs and lows and that the smell lessons remain with for the journey beyond TC.

Congratulations to Olivia C who won her section of the Rostrum Voice of Youth Public Speaking competition. She will go on to represent Strathcona at the State final.

Our Year 9 Italian students participated in the Dante Aligheri Poetry competition today at Melbourne University and included a Brunetti visit to ensure a full Italian experience. We have been impressed with the dedication the group has shown to learn their poems for recitation.

With exams upon us next week, students' minds have been quickly directed to study and revision. Developing the right mindsets and study habits in Year 9 has numerous benefits for our students, as we teach them explicit revision techniques and ask them to plan for success.

Best wishes,

Karyn 

Re-acquainting with old faces, but equally as important meeting many new dads, over a bowl of pasta and a few wines made for the perfect event to showcase the “Strathcona Community”.

Lucky seat prizes, door prizes and impromptu games made for a fun event and ensured the competitive juices were flowing when required. Judging by the constant banter and laughter all evening a great night was had by all. Sincere thanks to the Strathcona Fathers’ Committee for hosting this event, led by James McDonald, Chris Howell, Patrick Un and Soon Lim. 

Stay tuned for upcoming functions and events as we are always open to Strathcona dads joining in the fun and festivities.

Joanne Wilson

Director of School and Community Relations

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• Snapshot of Federation University Australia in 2023

Please click here for the full edition of Career News.

Joanna Buckley

Head of Careers and Partnerships