Extended Leadership Team Introductions
Heads of Faculty
Heath & Science
Jen Gibbons - gibbj@staff.mta.qld.edu.au
I am excited to continue my journey at Mount Alvernia College, as Head of Faculty Health and Science. These are two area of which I am very passionate. My [primary goal in 2024 is to ignite passion for Science and Health Physical Education among our students, unravelling the intricacies and wonder inherent in these subjects. My focus extends beyond mere theatrical knowledge, aiming to instil an appreciation of the real-world applications of science and the importance of an active lifestyle and making healthy choices all the while fostering a culture of innovation and critical thinking.
This academic year will mark a significant milestone for our Health and Science departments as we welcome new staff to our team and implement the new Queensland Curriculum for Science and Health Physical education across both Francis and Clare schools. Our pedagogical strategy revolves around incorporating teaching practices that not only deepen students' understanding of key concepts but also substantially enhance their literacy and numeracy skills. For our senior science and Physical Education cohorts, our dedication persists in utilizing impactful teaching methodologies, coupled with rigorous skill development in our Internal Assessments, all geared towards optimizing student achievements.
I extend valuable advice to our students this year: to build strong foundations through focus on understanding the fundamental concepts and principles. Embrace curiosity, by asking questions, seeking answer and don’t be afraid to explore beyond what’s covered in class. Curiosity fuels a passion for learning and discovery. Finally, actively engage in class discussions, laboratory experiment and group activities. Health and Science is not just about memorising information; it’s about applying knowledge and developing critical thinking skills.
Humanities & Commerce
Amanda Bopf - bopfa@staff.mta.qld.edu.au
My name is Amanda Bopf and I am the Head of Faculty – Humanities and Commerce. In 2025, I will celebrate 40 years in Education, most of them teaching at Mt A. In my years at the College, I have often been asked why I stayed in one place for so long. My response is simple. Mt A has been many different schools over the years I have taught here: it began as a small school with a strong physical presence of religious sisters and grew to a large school with many staff, but still with the ever-present spiritual guidance of the Missionary Franciscan Sisters. The physical space has blossomed from small and modest facilities to a world class - aesthetically and intellectually stimulating and environmentally friendly campus.
My aim for 2024 is to encourage all students to see the value of a humanities and/or business education. My advice to students looking to succeed in Humanities and Commerce is to preview units and assessments in advance, read widely, and review content and skills regularly. The skills you develop in Humanities and Commerce subjects are transferrable across subjects, prepare students for tertiary study and are skills for life!
Languages & Literacy
Elizabeth Sims - simse@staff.mta.qld.edu.au
My name is Liz Sims. I have worked as an educator both in Queensland and internationally for 10 years. My aim for 2024 is to continue to develop and enhance the literacy programs within Mount Alvernia, ensuring alignment from 7-12 in order to continue to improve students’ literacy outcomes. I work with an amazing team of educators who are committed to providing a high challenge, high support environment where students can develop the literacy skills they need to be successful learners.
One valuable piece of advice that I would offer students who wish to improve and succeed in their language and literacy studies is: embrace the feedback that teachers provide with a growth mindset. Feedback is an excellent opportunity for learning and improvement. Remember that learning is a process, and feedback is a tool that can help that process along. Lastly, don’t hesitate to seek support from the amazing teaching resources that we have here at Mount Alvernia. Collaboration and partnership are the best tools that you have at your disposal to make the most of your learning.
Mathematics & Numeracy
Katrin King - kingk@staff.mta.qld.edu.au
I am delighted to continue my journey at Mount Alvernia College, having joined this community last year with over a decade of teaching experience in Mathematics. My aim is to inspire and empower our young women by showcasing the beauty and complexity of mathematics. I also want to encourage them to explore its real-world applications and endless potential for innovation and problem-solving.
This academic year marks a significant milestone for our Mathematics Department as we roll out the new Australian Curriculum for Mathematics across Years 7 to 9. Our strategic approach is centred on implementing pedagogical practices that deepen students' understanding of mathematical concepts and significantly enhance their numeracy skills. For our Senior Mathematics cohorts, we remain committed to employing high-impact teaching strategies coupled with rigorous quality assurance processes in our Internal Assessments to maximise student achievements.
My advice for our students this year is to embrace your mistakes. Making mistakes is a powerful learning tool. Reflecting on a mistake encourages you to think more deeply and critically about the content and to address any misconceptions you previously held. Each mistake compels you to venture beyond your comfort zone and is a stepping stone towards mastering the content. Let’s look forward to a year of growth, discovery, and success in mathematics!
Religious Education
Sophie Harrison - harrs@staff.mta.qld.edu.au
I’m Sophie Harrison, the Head of Faculty for Religious Education. Since joining the community in 2020 I have had the pleasure of teaching across several faculties, participating in extra-curricular activities, and building strong and intentional partnerships with families at the College. This year, in my second year as a member of the Extended Leadership Team, I am looking forward to consolidating and continuing to refine the rich Religious Education offered which has a unique Franciscan flavour here at Mount Alvernia.
In particular, the new Religion and Ethics senior syllabus and continued refinement of essential units in the junior space are a priority, which will hopefully continue to revitalise the students’ empathy and understanding of religion as a vehicle for change in their own lives and the lives of others in our local and global communities. Together with the team of RE teachers, I am looking forward to the great things ahead in 2024!
Technologies
Nicole Bradford - bradn@staff.mta.qld.edu.au
My name is Nicole Bradford, and I am the Head of The Arts and Technologies. I am a past student and am very passionate about creative thinking. There is much research to support the benefits of creative thinking in our world today, especially its positive impact on wellbeing. What a wonderful time to be studying subjects in The Arts and Technologies!
There are a myriad of skills and processes taught within our classes. Students are encouraged to be playful and imaginative; at times encouraged to slow down and observe; to experiment with ideas; engage in design thinking; develop innovative solutions to problems; justify choices; reflect, analyse, critique and evaluate their decisions; think like a change agent; consider sustainable practices and the environmental and economic impact of decisions; take risks in a safe environment; and learn how to work collaboratively with peers.
I am proud to lead a committed team of teaching staff who are excited to deliver our programs in 2024. A focus area across our faculty is to equip students with the skills to evaluate their work independently.
All the best for an enjoyable and successful 2024!
Vocational Education
Lauren Cowburn - cowbl@staff.mta.qld.edu.au
My name is Lauren Cowburn, and I am the Head of Faculty – Vocational Education. I am a past student of Mount Alvernia and am passionate about creating diverse pathways for young people once they leave school. I have completed a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Human Resource Management, a Diploma of Business, Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and Masters of Secondary Teaching, majoring in Humanities, Business, Economics, Legal Studies.
My aim for 2024 and beyond is to encourage all students to consider studying a Certificate or Diploma course to gain real-world skills and knowledge that will set them up in the future. We offer a wide range of VET qualifications that include Business, Hospitality, Fitness, Workplace Skills, Crime and Justice, Early Childhood Education, which enables all students to follow their passions. The possibilities are endless.
Head of Library & Digital Services
Helen Stower - stowh@staff.mta.qld.edu.au
Working with students as a library specialist is an absolute privilege and I am fortunate to the Library and Digital Services at Mount Alvernia College. This position is largely responsible for the Mount Alvernia iCentre that provides wonderful services for the college community. The focus of my work is literacy in many forms including reading & writing, information literacy, digital literacy, and media literacy.
One of the most exciting initiatives of the Mount Alvernia College iCentre is the Literacy Society. The Literacy Society provides our community the opportunity to broaden their knowledge about topics of local and global significance, through events, workshops, networks and conversations with authors, innovators, entrepreneurs, and change makers. I am especially excited about our upcoming International Women’s Day High Tea with guest presenters from Missing Perspectives.
A simple message I have for students who wish to be savvy consumers and creators of information is to question everything and always seek to verify the source of information you are interacting with.
Head of Sport
Charmaine Ferguson - fergc@staff.mta.qld.edu.au
My whole life has been based around sport. Either playing, officiating, or administering it. I have been fortunate to work in State sporting organisations, and the past 17 years in a Head of Sport roles at Lourdes Hill College, Stuartholme School and Mount Alvernia College.
My passion is to educate adolescent woman to become physically literate, while providing them with a diverse range of sporting experiences. I thrive on the potential to make a difference in the holistic educational experience and to make an impact through sport, in their formative years.
My goal is to create an educational environment which encourages students to become lifelong participants of sport and actively seek a healthy lifestyle for themselves.
Coming into my second year at MTA I am eager to build on the momentum of our successes in 2023.
"Champions keep playing until they get it right." - Billie Jean King
Charmaine Ferguson - fergc@staff.mta.qld.edu.au
Head of Student Engagement & Activities
Claire Hatchman - hatcc@staff.mta.qld.edu.au
What a year Mount Alvernia students had in 2024! To name a few things, we participated and won International Finals in Tournament of Minds, won State Competitions for Public Speaking, made Finals rounds for Debating, experienced our first Chess competitions and even performed in a Musical! This year, we are back bigger and better and my role as Head of Student Engagement and Activities will ensure that our students have access to different opportunities to extend them beyond the classroom.
Participating in Co-Curriculars is sometimes a scary thing for students but at Mount Alvernia, our aim is to create an environment where we ensure our students are prepared and supported along their journey by our dedicated staff. My goal for 2024 is to continue these successes and create global citizens who are industrious, curious and who will become changemakers in our world.
As my mother always says, “You only get out what you put in!”
Head of Digital Pedagogy and Innovation
Jane Martens - martj@staff.mta.qld.edu.au
My name is Jane Martens. Having joined the College in 2022, my journey has been an exciting blend of exploring and implementing emerging technologies for the betterment of our students’ learning and our College processes. I am committed to fostering educational experiences that expand students' horizons and embrace innovation. In the past year, we witnessed the successful integration of the MyMtA Learning Management System, a transformative tool providing transparency and accessibility to teaching and learning resources. As we venture into 2024, we continue to champion the use of MyMtA to enhance students’ learning experiences in alignment with our commitment to effective, meaningful, and cutting-edge education.
This year, our focus also turns to the applications of artificial intelligence (AI), where incredible opportunities await. Embracing AI within our Teaching and Learning Framework is set to enhance our High Impact Teaching and Learning Strategies, enabling students to delve into key content through AI-supported learning, providing avenues to preview and review materials. Furthermore, AI will play a pivotal role in facilitating timely feedback and engaging students in routine practice, dialogue, discussion, debate, and questioning. AI-driven insights provide personalised learning pathways, ensuring that each student receives tailored guidance based on their individual needs and pace of learning.
We are also proud to introduce the Digital Literacy Passport, an online repository of information and courses designed to elevate our students' digital and information literacy. In a world where technology is ever evolving, cultivating digital and information literacy is crucial.
I am dedicated to empowering our students to not only navigate the digital landscape but also leverage emerging technologies as a valuable tool for improved learning outcomes.
Head of Technology and Systems
Bill Fisher - fishw@staff.mta.qld.edu.au
"change is the only constant in life." (Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher).
Being an older person, I have been fortunate to be living through society’s technological changes. When I attended high school, my technological experiences ranged from the phasing out of slide rules to the introduction of scientific calculators. I even wrote basic programs on cards which had to be shipped off to Queensland University to be run and you had to wait over a week to get the results. Patience is a virtue and how life has changed because of technology. Over the years, my technological life was there for every new innovation, so I have been fortunate to experience and value the developments that have been made and see how they have affected schools.
I started working at Mount Alvernia College on January 25th, 1990. People sometimes ask me why I have stayed here for so long: my usual reply is “it may be the same place, but every few years I am challenged with a new role and the College is constantly evolving which makes it interesting and the people are nice!” My role is to make sure all the various technological parts of the College systems work together so people can achieve their educational goals. It is certainly a diverse area with many problems; fortunately, I like to solve problems.
Technology can be daunting for some, and wherever possible we try to help people become confident and ethical users of the technology that they encounter or will encounter over their lives.