Department News

The Drama Department

"An actor is a bridge between the human soul and the audience. But a theatre department? That is a home. It is a place where mistakes are just steps toward discovery, where laughter echoes loudest in the dressing rooms, and where we become a family. The curtain may fall, but the bond remains." 

Stella Adler (Classic Masterclass Philosophy)

We bid farewell to our Year 12’s who have completed their final written examination for Drama, and welcome our 2027 Drama Year 12 cohort who are enthusiastically diving into practical lessons on their HSC content and beginning work on their Individual Projects. This term, students start the foundational building blocks for their major works and will need to be actively planning and working on their projects at home and in senior seminar conferencing time. They have a lot to choose from too! From a performance monologue, to the writing focused theatre reviews, research project or portfolio, to the array of design; set, costume, programs and more. 

In other news, our Stage 5 Drama class completed their first ever marked monologues. What a huge accomplishment! Being in Year 9 or 10, able to perform openly and vulnerably as a character in front of others transfers into confidence in other areas of life; sharing opinions in a considered and conscientious manner and after acting a little crazy on stage, public speaking with ease becomes a breeze. Well done girls!

To end the year we have an exciting new initiative; Junior Drama Club, where Senior student mentors will direct Year 7 and 8 students in an enjoyable array of Drama Games leading into a scripted performance. Drama Club runs Tuesday afternoons and offers performance and skill-based games in a relaxed and fun manner. We are grateful to our Senior Students sharing their time and creative passions - truly making this department an inclusive and supportive space. Drama continues to be a subject building student autonomy, creativity, organisation and collaboration. 

Tayla Whiteman

Teacher in charge of Drama

The Science Department

2026 STEM MAD:

Congratulations to our talented Year 9 girls, Gemma, Sejuti, Eili and Emmalyn, who recently took home an impressive 3rd place in NSW at this year's STEM MAD competition! 

Their incredible achievement has earned them a well-deserved spot at the National finals, which will be held at Randwick Racecourse. The team impressed the judges with a brilliant, eco-friendly innovation: a sustainable ink made entirely from chlorophyll.

Taking their green vision a step further, the girls pitched the brilliant idea of extracting this chlorophyll from invasive species, such as the prickly pear cactus. By doing this, their project doesn't just create a sustainable art and writing product, it actively helps manage an environmental problem.

We wish our Year 9 STEM stars the best of luck at Nationals. We are so proud of your hard work and ingenuity.

Mr James Green

Year 12 Physics:

On June 24th, our HSC Physics students stepped out of the classroom and into the laboratory at the University's Physics Kickstart Workshop.

Guided by Mrs Amber Dommel, students Evelyn, Ava, Abbey, Genevieve and Madeline had the exciting opportunity to get hands-on with specialised university equipment. Together, they conducted advanced experiments and experienced live demonstrations of key syllabus concepts that simply aren't possible within a standard classroom setup.

It was inspiring to watch the group collaborate so enthusiastically; testing theories, analysing results and bringing complex physics concepts to life. Experiences like these not only deepen our students' understanding of the HSC curriculum but also give them a genuine taste of university-level science.

Well done to Evelyn, Ava, Abbey, Genevieve and Madeline for representing our school with such curiosity and academic drive!

Mrs Amber Dommel

Year 7 Zoo Excursion:

On August 28th, our Year 7 students visited Taronga Zoo for a science workshop. Spending time in the Zoo's Habitat Classrooms, the students got to observe animals up close and learn about the physical features that help them survive. They practiced scientific classification by comparing different animal body parts, learning how to group species based on what they look like and how they are related. Afterward, the students had the chance to explore the rest of the zoo grounds and enjoyed the sunny day out.

Mr Harrison Barko

2026 HSC Examinations:

As our Year 12 cohort embarks on their HSC examinations, the entire school community extends its warmest wishes and support. Throughout their senior studies, these students have demonstrated remarkable dedication, resilience and an unwavering work ethic. We are immensely proud of the focus and maturity they have shown in preparing for these final milestones and we look forward to seeing all their hard work come to fruition. We wish them every success as they strive to reach their full potential!

Ann Brownlee

Head of Science

The Visual Arts Department

 “The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.” 

Francis Bacon

Year 7 Visual Arts: Perspective Drawings and Etchings

Over the course of Term 3, Year 7 students examined a sense of perspective conveyed within landscape artworks. Students developed skills in one-point and two-point perspective drawing of locations around the Brigidine College campus, The Randwick Spot and students' home, street and local area. At times, this has been challenging for students as they navigate training their hand-eye coordination while drawing what they can see, verses, what they brain remembers, using reference images and plein air (outdoor) drawing to assist in capturing accurate representations of each location.

Throughout Term 4, Year 7 will select one of their perspective drawings to transfer onto an etching and use printmaking techniques to achieve a series of black and white printed artworks.

Year 8 Visual Arts: Ceramic Creatures

Year 8 students have completed the construction of their ceramic creatures over the course of Term 3 and are using their time in Term 4 to apply paint and resolve their final sculpture artwork. Students are using a dry brushing technique to layer and apply acrylic paint to their work with some additional metallic details to accentuate key features and textures in their designs. The completion of these artworks will result in a menagerie of hybrid creatures, inspired by animal, plant and human elements. 

Year 10 Visual Arts: Stop Motion Films

Our elective art students in 10 Visual Arts have revisited photography and camera craft, taking their practical skills, once again behind the lens. Students have engaged in planning, photographing and compiling images into a stop motion film sequence as a form of video art. Year 10 have creatively planned unique narratives for their video and undertaken an immense effort in preparing props and drawings for their stop motion film. 

We look forward to viewing their videos in class and hope that this assessment may mark the beginning journey of a future videographer or director in our midst!

Year 9/10 Visual Arts: Western Inspired Landscapes

Our visual arts students are embarking on an exciting new creative project: crafting their own landscape paintings using canvas and water-soluble oil paints. Drawing inspiration from traditional Western painters, students will bring unique scenes to life while exploring classical techniques. Key aspects of this project include applying Western compositional elements like perspective, foreground, middleground and background, working from reference photos of their chosen locations, and channeling researched artists to inform their personal style and painting methods. Students will master layering and blending techniques unique to oil painting over extended working sessions while exploring dynamic vantage points and subjects, ranging from Sydney Harbour and the Australian outback to urban vistas.

Mr Adam Gant

Stage 6 Visual Arts:

Term 4 often marks a significant time period in our school calendar with the charging of the guard for Year 12 students. As one year 12 cohort concludes their educational journey (Class of 2026), another group transitions from Year 11 to Year 12 (Class of 2027) and begin to embark on their own journey navigating the challenge of HSC studies and Major Works. 

Under the guidance and support of Mr Adam Gant, we wish to congratulate our Graduating 2026 Year 12 class and their production of highly creative and individual Major Works for the HSC. We have no doubt that your hard work and dedication has paid off. 

Please stay tuned for communications regarding the return and collection of your work from the College in the upcoming weeks.

Our new Year 12 class are driving full steam ahead into their Body of Work journey. Students are currently exploring their interests and ideas, as well as inspiration from influential artists and experimenting with media and materials as they plan for and reflect upon their major work development and future progression. It is only the beginning, but we are excited to see the creativity evolve over the course of their final year at school.

Save the Date:

On Friday 27th November, the Visual Arts Department and Music Department are hosting their end of year showcases. Year 7-11 Artworks from 2026 will be on display in a studio exhibition of works hosted within our very own Visual Arts classrooms, followed by the Music concert in Cullen Hall. Additional details will be available shortly via our College social media accounts and Compass communications. We look forward to celebrating our students' wonderful creativity and artistic talents for 2026!

Melissa Nutter

Head of Visual Arts

The English Department

Farewell Year 12!

Congratulations to the Class of 2026 who completed their HSC exams! We are very proud of all the work you have done throughout your time at the College and wish you every success with your results, your future endeavours and encourage you to keep reading throughout your lives. 

Shakespeare Alive:

More than 400 years after his death, William Shakespeare remains a central figure in classrooms around the world. While students may initially question the relevance of studying plays written in a different era, Shakespeare's enduring presence in schools is no accident. 

Despite the challenges of language and context, our students come to the study of Shakespeare with courage and curiosity. This term, Brigidine experienced Shakespeare beyond the printed page through performances from Bell Shakespeare’s Players’ performances to Year 7, 8 and 10. Bell Shakespeare commented on how engaged our students were and made such wonderful audiences. 

Our Year 7's were introduced to the Wonderful World of Will. Some of them even got to play a starring role. Below are some Year 7 responses to the performance:

Rachel - I thoroughly enjoyed the acting, each character felt like a whole different person which is really commendable. My favourite moment was when Queen Elizabeth made an entrance, she really commanded the space in body language and speech. This performance was engaging because there were a variety of language, voices and everyone felt like they were the characters themselves. 

Arden - I enjoyed their interactions with everyone and how they communicated with the audience. I also enjoyed how they also included the audience in the performance. I really enjoyed the moment when I got to play a queen in Hamlet and I got to die. It was fun that they included people from the audience. 

Amelia - I enjoyed how it moved fast so it stayed entertaining the whole time. My favourite part of the performance was every time Queen Elizabeth came out because she was so funny and extravagant. The group of actors were really funny and just really amazing and was a great way to start the day.

Nell - I enjoyed how the actors portrayed these roles while also telling us a bit about how to understand Shakespeare but in a funny way. One of my fave parts of the performance was when Queen Elizabeth keep yelling “Waggle Dagger” with a bell and tottered out onto the stage. The changing of costumes was really cool and how they did it really quickly. The performers were all so funny and I had a great time watching this performance

Year 8 were treated to the tale of Romeo and Juliet’s tragic love story. 

Jaya - It was an interesting and engaging experience that was overall really enjoyable to watch. I now more deeply understand what Shakespeare is trying to express in Romeo and Juliet, as I can now associate expression and movement to Shakespeare’s important lines. The moments when they switched between characters, and went out of their role to be overly expressive and dramatic was really fun.

Maeve - The performance was well executed and the actors knew how to keep the audience hooked. I learned how to understand the Shakespearean language and why the dialogue is used in different scenes. My favourite part of the performance was the prologue.

Sara - The actors truly embodied their characters. This play is very helpful by providing us with an excellent example of how the play can be acted out and giving great inspiration for future performances. I enjoyed how they broke the fourth wall in between scenes. It made the performance very engaging and immersive. 

The tragic story of Macbeth’s decline from noble warrior to crazed tyrant was the focus of Macbeth: The Rehearsal where the allure of power was made vividly clear. Again, highlights for Year 10 included moments where students became involved in the show. 

Lulu - it was engaging and gave good perspectives and a visual dimension to interpret the play. I learnt how Lady Macbeth was a real driver for Macbeth's change in morality, becoming manipulative to confuse Macbeth's noble conscience. Overall, the actors were very passionate and developed the characters very well.

Zoe - I think it was really enjoyable as they interacted with the audience and used a lot of humour. In doing so, they made us feel like we were a part of the play, rather than it simply being play and an audience. It helped me appreciate the way Shakespeare has complex characters and they are human, they have flaws. Amos' (the actor’s) immersion into playing Macbeth, especially where you could see him go from smug and not caring to fearful, like Macbeth, was really powerful.

Lucy - It taught me while also being entertaining and humourous. It revealed to me more about how individual characters reacted to certain situations more clearly, like when Macbeth kept walking away when trying to talk to Lady Macbeth. 

Rebecca - It was engaging. I thought it would be just a run through of the play but they made it much more engaging and funny. The storyline is clearer for me now and the actors saying the quotes out loud helped with memorising. The relationship between the actors was funny and I loved their enthusiasm. 

Book Club News:

Book Club at Brigidine College is a fortnightly meeting at recess in which students and teachers are able to bond over a shared love of books and storytelling. It is a tight-knit community filled with laughter, friendship and of course, reading. Often meetings involve discussions about recent reads, opinionated book reviews and games our Book Club organiser, Ms Chaloner, has kindly made for us. 

Last term, we celebrated book week, an annual national event presented by the Children’s Book Council of Australia which ran from August 22nd to August 28th, with the theme ‘Symphony of Stories’. The Book Club group and the English department worked together to create fun activities for students to complete throughout the duration of the week to encourage reading such as Snuggle Up with a Book, a Book in a Box diorama contest, a Pastoral Care Book Quiz, write a book in a day competition, and the annual BCR Book Club Bakesale which were introduced in the video Book Club filmed that featured our new library. Book Club’s annual bakesale was fairytale themed and ended up raising over $900 for books in our school library. All products sold were hand-made by the members of bookclub, ranging from flower garden cupcakes to fairy dust brownies and the girls behind the counter thoroughly enjoyed the experience. 

The most notable and recent development in Book Club this year was the novels the English department kindly purchased for the members by year group. Year 7 are reading ‘Of Flame and Fury' by Mikayla Bridge, Year 8 are reading ‘Six of Crows’ by Leigh Bardugo, Year 9 are reading ‘They Both Die at the End’ by Adam Silvera, and Year 10 are reading ‘Red Queen’ by Victoria Aveyard. On behalf of Book Club, we would like to thank the English department for sourcing these novels for us, we are sure to enjoy them!

For the next few weeks before the year ends, we will be reading these new books, sharing our recommendations with other members, and just continuing to maintain our fun, bookish community that is the Brigidine College Book Club.

Jessica T 

Year 9 Book Club Member

Book Week:

This year as part of Book Week celebrations, students were given the opportunity to design a little “Book Nook” where they created a diorama of the world from their favourite stories. We were amazed by the creativity of the entries and it was a difficult task to choose our winners because of the creativity shown by entrants. This is the first year we have run this competition but look forward to running it again and seeing the amazing tiny worlds of some big stories.

Congratulations to the winners!

• Tiffany A
• Gemma P
• Hannah T
• Isabella Z
• Tallow L
• Charli H
• Katia H
• Jasmine C
• Alyssa S

Writing Success:

Congratulations to Emily W in Year 9 for making the shortlist for the Lionel Bowen Prize for her verse piece ‘Inexplicable’. Emily is in the Top 3 for the 12-15 year old age group and the winners will be announced later in November. Congratulations Emily and good luck!

What We’re Reading:

For those looking for some reading inspiration, here’s what’s on the shelf of some members of our Department.

Mrs Hennessey

Ms Harper

Ms Raskopoulos

Ms Needham

Ms Whiteman

Ms Rose

Gratitude:

As a department, we are very proud of Mrs Hennessy’s promotion to Director of Learning and Innovation in the College. Whilst we are sad to lose her as our leader, we are delighted that she will still form an instrumental part of our team. We thank her for everything she has done for the Department and students, and will continue to be inspired by her passion for English and learning. Congratulations Mrs Hennessy!

Ms Lisa Needham

Acting Assistant Head of Department

Ms Clare Rose

Acting Head of English

The PDHPE Department

Years 7-10 PDHPE:

Term 4 is proving to be a busy and productive period for all students across Years 7 to 10 as they complete their end-of-year PDHPE exams. Alongside these formal assessments, theory lessons have shifted focus toward exploring key contemporary health issues, such as celebrating diversity in Australia, maintaining healthy and active lifestyles and understanding the risks associated with dangerous behaviours, allowing students to apply their knowledge to critical real world contexts.

In practical PE lessons, our Years 7–9 students have taken a splash with the return of our Aquatics Program. Utilising the high quality indoor and outdoor facilities at the Gunyama Park Aquatic and Recreation Centre in Zetland, our PE staff are delivering practical sessions designed to boost general fitness and build aquatic confidence. It has been wonderful to see the girls enjoying themselves in the pool; a great way to stay active and beat the heat as we end the year.

Meanwhile, our Year 10 cohort is celebrating a major milestone as they finish their final term of compulsory physical education. Travelling by bus to the Heffron Centre for their PE lessons in Term 4, they are wrapping up their junior PDHPE experience with a variety of engaging team sports before moving into their senior study pathways.

9 PASS 200 Hour Elective:

Our Year 9 200-Hour cohort has enjoyed a truly dynamic Semester 2, tackling a range of challenging sports across varied environments. Following a successful Term 3 mastering the fast paced demands of Water Polo at the UNSW Aquatic Centre, students have now traded the pool for the open ocean. At Bondi Beach, they are tackling the surf to test their core stability, balance and endurance in dynamic coastal conditions. To finish the term, the group is looking forward to heading over to Coogee Beach for a series of beach volleyball sessions.

10 PASS 200-Hour & 9/10 100-Hour Electives:

This semester, our 9/10 PASS 100-Hour electives and 10 PASS 200-Hour elective students took learning out of the classroom and onto the main quad for an engaging practical task within the 'Enhancing Performance' unit. Using slow-motion video analysis tools, students filmed one another executing a 100m crouch start. The goal was to explore how modern sports technology can immediately enhance technique and performance. 

By comparing their initial acceleration phase side-by-side with professional footage of world-class sprinters like Usain Bolt, students were able to visually break down joint angles, explosive power and body positioning. Armed with this instant visual feedback, they recorded a second attempt to implement immediate, real-time adjustments. This interactive activity clearly demonstrated to students how accessible technology can be leveraged as a powerful tool for athletic development and skill refinement.

In their practical sessions, our Years 9/10 PASS students successfully wrapped up their Term 3 acrobatics assessment and have now transitioned into a new fitness unit at UNSW. Through this program, they are actively participating in a dynamic mix of boxing, strength training, and High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) sessions at university facilities.

Year 11 HMS and CAFS:

Our Year 11 students have officially commenced their first term of Year 12 coursework across both Health and Movement Science and Community and Family Studies. As they step into this exciting next chapter of their senior schooling journey, they are already laying strong foundations for the year ahead. We wish them the best of luck as they prepare for their upcoming assessment block in Week 7.

Year 11 SLR:

Our Year 11 Sport, Lifestyle and Recreation (SLR) students have also officially kicked off their Year 12 coursework, diving straight into a hands-on First Aid and Sports Injuries module. Bringing their learning to life through practical scenarios, the students have been utilising mannequins to master essential CPR techniques and refine the DRSABCD emergency response protocol. It has been great to see them apply these vital life-saving skills as they begin this next stage of their senior studies.

Year 12 HMS AND CAFS:

We want to extend a big congratulations to our graduating Year 12 students, who have officially completed their HSC examinations in Community and Family Studies (CAFS) and Health and Movement Science (HMS). 

This year marks a momentous milestone for our department. Our HMS cohort led the way as our very first group to sit the HSC examination for the new Health and Movement Science syllabus. Pioneers of this newly introduced course, these students navigated uncharted territory with focus, adaptability and determination. We are immensely proud of both our CAFS and HMS cohorts for their hard work throughout their senior journey and we wish them every success as they step into their futures beyond school.

Vanessa Culhane

Head of PDHPE