Department News

The Science Department

Dear Parents and Guardians,

It has been wonderful to see students settling into their Science classes with enthusiasm and focus. There is plenty of engaging learning taking place across all year groups.

We are delighted to welcome Ms O’Leary to the Science Department this year replacing Ms Robson. We also warmly acknowledge our returning team members: Ms Cosgrove, Ms Kelly and Ms Dommel. We are looking forward to another year of fostering curiosity, critical thinking and a love of learning in Science.

Our Year 7 students have only just returned from camp and have transitioned smoothly into classroom routines. Over the coming weeks, they will begin exploring the Nature of Science. This unit introduces students to how scientific knowledge is developed and tested, while building essential skills such as planning investigations, working safely in laboratories, recording observations, and analysing evidence. It provides an important foundation for their high school Science journey.

Year 8 have begun their study of energy. Students are exploring different forms of energy, energy transformations, and the ways energy is transferred within systems. Through practical investigations and real-world examples, they are developing a deeper understanding of how energy underpins many processes in everyday life.

Year 9 are moving into their electricity unit, where they will investigate electric circuits, voltage, current, and resistance. Hands-on experiments will allow students to build and test circuits while strengthening their problem-solving skills and conceptual understanding of how electricity operates in the world around them.

Year 10 are currently studying Physics with a focus on velocity and acceleration. Students are analysing motion, interpreting graphs, and applying mathematical relationships to describe and predict movement. This unit supports the development of strong analytical skills and provides valuable preparation for senior Science courses.

We are also pleased to share that STEM Club will be starting back soon. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to extend their learning, collaborate on innovative challenges, and further explore their interests in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. More details will be shared shortly.

Thank you for your ongoing support of Science at Brigidine College. We look forward to an exciting term of curiosity, investigation and discovery.

Amy Commane

Head of Science

The Drama Department

It has been a productive start to the term for the Drama department. Students across all year levels have jumped straight into their practical work and the department is currently buzzing with activity as several major projects begin to take shape. We also enthusiastically welcome the newest teacher to our department, Miss Sophia Lapi, who has the Stage 5 Years 9 & 10 elective. 

In Class

Our elective Drama classes from Years 9-12 have all started the year, diving into both acting and the written analysis of their work. 

• Year 9/10: Students are currently working on improvisation, acting skills and preparing to study Melodrama; building up to ensemble work. 
• Year 11: Students are starting with the building blocks of improvisation including the dramatic elements,  vocabulary and moving into self-devised group ensemble work. 
• Year 12: Students are moving onto their second unit, Women in Theatre; as well as continuous work on their Individual Projects which will be assessed later this term. 

Excursions

Our senior Drama classes saw ONstage on Thursday 12th February, exposing them to high performing major works for the Individual Project in the areas of video drama, monologue performance, set design, costume design, theatre view and more! Additionally, they witnessed the colossal Group Project, an 8-12 minute performance of original theatre entirely self-devised by HSC group performers. The students later analysed these works in class, with plans to take inspiration from these works for their own assessment. Year 12 had a full day of excursion as they also travelled to The Wharf, visiting Sydney Theatre Company for a staged reading of their prescribed texts. This informs their written essays and was a highly entertaining and valuable experience for the class! 

Eisteddfod Season

We are also gearing up for the upcoming Sydney Catholic Schools Eisteddfod, where students prepare their individual and small-group pieces for competition.

Participating in these events is a valuable way for students to build confidence and receive external feedback on their performance skills. If a student is interested in competing in any soloist sessions for speech, poetry, monologue, dance, or music please visit the online program. Parents are to register for solo acts. 

Shrek: The Musical Rehearsals

Rehearsals for this year’s production, Shrek: The Musical are now officially in full swing. Our Leads, Chorus and Dance Ensemble are meeting every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:00pm to 5:00pm. It’s been great to see the different groups collaborating and watching the larger ensemble numbers start to come together. The energy in the rehearsals is positive and the progress made in just a few weeks is encouraging.

It is shaping up to be a busy but rewarding term for everyone involved in the department. Thank you to the students for their continued commitment and to the parents for supporting those late-afternoon rehearsal pickups.

Tayla Whiteman

Teacher in Charge of Drama

The Visual Arts Department

The Visual Arts studios have returned to life as students settle into their creative spaces for the new year. We welcome our Year 7 cohort, who have commenced their first Visual Arts lessons last week. Your teachers look forward to seeing this initial engagement translate into a productive year studying Visual Arts.

Years 8 through to 11 have begun unpacking their first units of study, focusing on the conceptual foundations and technical skills required for their upcoming practical works and art studies. 

Year 8 has commenced a unit on ‘Hybrid Creatures,’ utilising AI tools to generate imaginative beings. Soon they will move into gathering references of human, animal and plant elements to inform the arrangement of creature collage. 

In Stage 5, Year 9 Visual Arts students are exploring nature in art as a primary source of inspiration and are beginning to prepare designs for ceramic construction. 

Year 10 has stepped into the role of a photographer, investigating how perspective, lighting, framing, and camera settings can transform ordinary objects into extraordinary compositions. 

Similarly, the composite Year 9 and 10 Photography elective has begun to develop their technical skills, focusing on the foundational skills in camera craft and use of the elements of art necessary to capture an engaging image. 

In Stage 6, Year 11 are unpacking the significance of symbolism in Memento Mori style artworks and exploring still life as a subject matter. Students have investigated the material qualities of drawing media, experimenting with different media and techniques in the making of a mini artwork. 

Our Year 12 students have returned with a dedicated focus on their HSC Bodies of Work (Major Work), resuming the sustained effort required for this significant aspect of their HSC course. 

Finally, congratulations to Kristiane Riviera of Year 12 (2025) for the selection of her Visual Arts Body of Work to be featured in ARTEXPRESS. This is an outstanding achievement and testament to her efforts last year. Kristiane’s ceramic artworks will be on display in Wagga Wagga Art Gallery from 23 May to 26 July and at Western Plains Cultural Centre, Dubbo from 15 August to 4 October. 

Melissa Nutter

Head of Visual Arts

The English Department

"Teaching should be such that what is offered is perceived as a valuable gift and not as hard duty. Never regard study as duty but as the enviable opportunity to learn, to know the liberating influence of beauty in the realm of the spirit for your own personal joy and to the profit of the community to which your later work belongs."

Albert Einstein

Welcome Back to English!

The year has begun with a calm but focused energy across our English classrooms. Students have quickly settled back into the habits of reading, writing, and discussion, reconnecting with the kinds of thinking that English invites - questioning ideas, exploring perspectives and lots of reading of course! The early weeks of term are always valuable. They allow students to re-establish their confidence, reacquaint themselves with the expectations of the subject and gradually rebuild the rhythm of sustained thinking and writing.

We are looking forward to getting our hands messy with lots of great reads this year, not just in the classroom but also for pleasure. Watch this space!

Book Club

Book Club brings together enthusiastic readers from Years 7 to 10 who enjoy sharing and discussing their love of books. Alongside lively literary conversations, the group has also become known for its impressive baking talents. During Book Week last year, Book Club ran a highly successful Harry Potter themed bake sale, raising funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation; followed by a festive end-of-year celebration.

Book Club meets every two weeks and provides a wonderful opportunity for students to connect with like minded peers, form friendships and celebrate reading in a relaxed and welcoming environment.

The Big Sister Program

The Big Sister Program has commenced this week and offers valuable benefits for both participants and tutors. Students seeking additional support can strengthen their skills; while tutors gain the rewarding experience of building supportive relationships with younger students. Explaining concepts and strategies also allows tutors to deepen and consolidate their own understanding.

The program supports learning in both English and Mathematics, and is an excellent way for students to access academic assistance within the school environment.

Writing Competitions

The English Department is always delighted to celebrate students who share their creative talents through writing competitions. We strongly encourage students to engage with the Writing Competitions Board, which is regularly updated with upcoming opportunities.

Participating in competitions allows students to challenge themselves, refine their writing, and experience the authentic pleasure of writing for a real audience.

Pedagogy Spotlight in English

Why Are Students Being Pre-Tested?

As students commence new units of work this term, the English Department has been intentionally incorporating short pre-testing activities at the beginning of many lessons. These brief quizzes, prediction tasks and diagnostic questions are designed to support students as they encounter new ideas, concepts and texts.

Pre-testing is not used for marks or formal assessment. Rather, it functions as a learning strategy that helps prepare students for new learning.

Research and classroom experience suggest several valuable benefits:

• Activating prior knowledge: Beginning a unit often means engaging with unfamiliar content. Pre-testing encourages students to draw on what they already know, creating stronger connections to new material.
• Stimulating curiosity and engagement: Attempting questions before instruction promotes intellectual curiosity. When students recognise gaps or uncertainties, they become more attentive and invested in the lesson.
• Focusing attention on key ideas: Pre-tests help signal the central concepts of a unit, guiding students toward the most important knowledge and skills.
• Strengthening understanding and memory: Early exposure to ideas, even when responses are tentative enhances retention when concepts are later explored in depth.
• Encouraging reflective learning habits: Students gain greater awareness of their own understanding, fostering metacognitive skills essential for academic growth.

Natalia Hennessy

Head of English

The PDHPE Department

The PDHPE department is excited for the year ahead. We are fortunate to have a dedicated and experienced PDHPE team who bring enthusiasm and expertise to delivering engaging and meaningful learning for our students: Mrs Kate Elder, Mrs Kathy Mazzeri, Mrs Jen Kehati, Mrs Jodie Gordon, Ms Maeve Hurley, Ms Nikki McWhirter and Ms Kathy Phetrasi.

Senior Courses

Celebrating the achievements of our 2025 HSC students is a proud moment for the PDHPE department. Their outstanding success reflects the commitment and perseverance of our Year 12 students, supported by the consistent guidance of our PDHPE staff (some of whom have taught them since Year 7).

In PDHPE, 16 of the 43 students achieved a Band 6 and another 16 achieved a Band 5 — an impressive 74% of students at Band 5 or 6. This placed the BCR cohort first in Sydney Catholic Schools for PDHPE. A huge congratulations to our 2025 PDHPE cohort!

Our Community and Family Studies students also performed exceptionally well. Out of 35 students, 79% achieved a Band 5 or 6, with 10 earning a Band 6 and 18 receiving a Band 5. This also placed the BCR Year 12 CAFS cohort first in Sydney Catholic Schools. We are extremely proud of these outstanding results. Well done, girls!

Years 7-10 PDHPE

Term One is off to a dynamic start as our Years 7–10 PDHPE students explore a range of health topics and begin engaging with their practical assessments.

Year 7

Year 7 students are currently studying Managing Safety and Risk, where they explore positive and negative risk-taking while learning essential first aid principles, including DRSABCD. They are also developing strategies to keep themselves safe in water and road environments.

In practical lessons, students are beginning their volleyball unit, refining the fundamental skills of the serve, dig, set, and spike as they prepare for their Term One assessment.

Year 8

Under the theme Positive Choices, Year 8 students are learning about drug use, with a focus on alcohol and cannabis. They are building essential help-seeking and decision‑making skills to support safe and informed choices.

This year, Year 8 students are participating in the Lifesaving program for their practical lessons. Using the excellent facilities at Gunyama Park Aquatic Centre, students have been developing key survival skills, including survival strokes, swimming whilst wearing clothing, confidently using a personal flotation device, and performing the correct method for an accompanied rescue.

Year 9

Year 9 are engaged in the unit It Couldn’t Happen to Me, examining the impacts of drug use on individuals and the wider community. Students explore the consequences of illicit drugs and develop protective behaviours for real‑life scenarios.

In practical lessons, students are strengthening their water safety and rescue skills in the Lifesaving Program. Through realistic rescue simulations, they are learning tow and accompanied rescue techniques; along with underwater searches, stride entries, and a survival sequence scenario. 

Year 10

As part of the Risky Business unit, Year 10 students are learning personal safety strategies relevant to their age group. Topics include sexting, party safety, drink spiking and road safety risks such as speeding and driver fatigue.

In practical lessons, students are developing their soccer skills of passing, trapping, dribbling, and shooting - while building strategic understanding of the game ahead of their practical assessment.

A key focus of our practical programs is fostering a genuine enjoyment of movement while developing skills that support lifelong participation in physical activity. We love seeing students so engaged, challenged and enthusiastic about their learning in Term One.

Years 9 and 10 Electives - Physical Activity and Sports Studies (PASS)

In Year 9 PASS (200‑Hour), students are exploring the body systems and the role of energy in physical activity; with a focus on the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, and respiratory systems. In practical sessions, the girls are preparing to deliver a team sport coaching session to their peers. 

In our combined 9/10 PASS class, students are deeply involved in their study of physical fitness. Through practical application, they are exploring fitness components and methods of training. Year 10 PASS students are now preparing to design and lead a fitness session as part of their upcoming assessment. We wish them all the best with their presentations.

Year 11 and 12

Our Year 11 students have made an impressive start as they step into the dynamic world of Health and Movement Science (HMS) and Community and Family Studies (CAFS), exploring new concepts with curiosity and enthusiasm.

Year 12 HMS and CAFS students have settled into their final year with dedication, preparing diligently for their first Year 12 assessment block in Week 8. We wish them all the best as they work to maintain a positive balance between academic challenge and personal wellbeing.

We are also excited to offer Sport, Leisure and Recreation (SLR) for the first time as a Year 11–12 pathway. Our first Year 12 SLR class has embraced the course with enthusiasm, engaging in practical experiences that build both skill and confidence. We look forward to watching this subject continue to grow within the PDHPE curriculum.

Representative Dance

Our Representative Dance Team has begun the year with great momentum and spirit, launching into rehearsals for the 2026 season. Their first routine is already looking spectacular, showcasing technical skill, creativity, and teamwork. We are eagerly anticipating their Hip Hop and Jazz performances as they prepare for the Sydney Catholic Schools Dance Eisteddfod in May. It promises to be an exciting and inspiring year for our talented dancers!

Vanessa Culhane

Head of PDHPE