Department News

The Drama Department

“The theatre is a spiritual and social X-ray of its time. The theatre was created to tell people the truth about life and the social situation.” - Stella Adler

The Drama Department has been a hive of activity and creativity, with our students achieving remarkable successes and dedicating themselves to various projects. Read on to see some highlights below. 

Eisteddfod Excellence

Our students showcased their incredible talent at the Sydney Catholic Schools Eisteddfod earlier in Term 2, where the self-devised group work of the Year 8, Year 9 and Year 10 groups earned well-deserved recognition. Year 8 were awarded Second Place, and Year 10 were Highly Commended. This unique process empowers students to take on the roles of writers, directors, and performers, building a piece of theatre from the ground up. Their originality and collaborative spirit were a true testament to the creative powerhouse within our department. This experience not only celebrated their performance skills but also highlighted their ability to work as a cohesive, dedicated team.

The Thrill of TheatreSports

The competitive energy of TheatreSports (improvised Drama games) has been abuzz this year! Our senior students competed with quick wit and skill, representing the school with distinction; and our intermediate group pushed all the way through to the Semi Finals!  Now, the spotlight is turning to our Stage 4 students. They're currently immersed in Theatre Sports training during Thursday sports sessions, with some talented students preparing to compete later this year. It's fantastic to see the next generation of improvisational talent developing their skills and confidence.

Drama Club's Dedicated Collaboration

Behind the scenes, the Drama Club has been hard at work. Their latest project has been a monumental effort: sorting, cataloguing, and organising a massive collection of costumes we've recently rediscovered. This huge task required incredible teamwork and dedication. The club's meticulous work ensures that these costumes are ready to be used in future productions, and we can’t wait to see the creative possibilities they unlock for our students on stage! Ms Whiteman is very thankful for their help!

Stage 5 Drama... 2026

In the recent Year 8 information evening students and their parents had the opportunity to discuss selecting Drama as a Stage 5 elective. We had a great turnout and were able to speak with many families about the curriculum, which is built on the core principles of making, performing, and appreciating theatre. It was a wonderful opportunity to share our passion for the subject and highlight the valuable skills students gain, from critical thinking to creative expression. If there are any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact Ms Tayla Whiteman.

Year 12 Major works & HSC practical exam

Our Year 12 students performed beautifully at their trial performance evening, delivering powerful and moving pieces for a packed audience of family, friends, and staff. It was a culmination of their hard work and passion throughout the year. We are immensely proud of their performances and want to extend our warmest wishes as they head into their final performance and practical assessment in a few short weeks. 

Coming Up in Semester Two

• Drama Club: The club will be re-announced shortly with the goal of working towards a scripted play being performed in Term 4. Rehearsals will continue Tuesday afternoons as usual.
• TheatreSports: Stage 4 students have had the opportunity to express interest in TheatreSports, some Year 7 and 8 students are partaking with the opportunity potentially for further student intake in Term 4. 

Tayla Whiteman

Teacher-In-Charge Drama

The PDHPE Department

While PDHPE is often associated with physical activity, movement and sport, it is equally important to explore the broader dimensions of health and wellbeing. At Brigidine College, our PDHPE program is designed to empower students with knowledge and skills that support their physical, mental, emotional, and social health. This term, our theory lessons have delved into a range of meaningful and relevant topics that help our students become informed, resilient, and health-conscious young women.

Year 7 – Eat Right, Live Strong

Our Year 7 students are discovering how health is shaped by personal choices and external influences. Through the Eat Right, Live Strong unit, they are learning to navigate nutritional guidelines, evaluate food choices for both health and sustainability and critically assess media messages around body image. Students are also investigating how consumer protection agencies safeguard young people from misleading health products—a vital skill in today’s digital world.

Year 8 – R U OK?

Mental health takes centre stage in Year 8’s R U OK? unit. Students are exploring the importance of belonging, connection, and emotional support. They are learning how to cope with loss and grief, manage stress, and challenge misconceptions about mental health. This unit encourages empathy, resilience, and awareness; while also guiding students to access reliable mental health resources and support services.

Year 9 – Women’s Health

Year 9 students are engaging in powerful discussions around women’s health. This unit examines how societal norms, stereotypes, and media influence young women’s wellbeing. Students are analysing risk-taking behaviours and their consequences, while also evaluating how marketing strategies shape health decisions. It is a thought-provoking unit that encourages critical thinking and self-awareness.

Year 10 – First Aid

In Year 10, students are gaining life-saving skills through our First Aid unit. From CPR and resuscitation procedures to managing sports injuries and responding to emergency situations, they are developing both confidence and competence in handling real-life health scenarios. This hands-on unit allows students to apply practical knowledge in meaningful ways, equipping them with valuable skills they can carry into everyday life.

Year 9 200-Hour PASS and Stage 5 100-Hour PASS  Elective – Participating with Safety

Our PASS elective students are diving into safety and risk management in physical activity. They are learning to identify potential risk within environments and apply injury management strategies - including CPR practice on mannequins. In practical lessons, students are participating in Water Polo at the UNSW Aquatic Centre during their practical lessons. Here they are developing skills in passing, catching, dribbling, shooting for goal and gameplay. This high-energy sport also boosts cardiovascular and muscular endurance, making it a fantastic challenge and assessment opportunity.

Year 10 PASS Elective – Issues in Physical Activity and Sport

This term, Year 10 PASS students are investigating ethical and legal issues in sport. From performance-enhancing drugs to the impact of technology on fairness in competition, students are analysing real world case studies and exploring how these issues affect athletes, spectators, and society. It’s a dynamic unit that encourages debate, ethical reasoning and critical analysis.

In addition to their theory work, our 10 PASS students are about to begin a practical unit on Acrobatics, which will be their Term 3 practical assessment. For many students, this will be a new experience that challenges them to step outside their comfort zone. The unit will focus on developing coordination, balance, and strength through individual acrobatic sequences. It’s a valuable opportunity for our elective students to try something different and build confidence in a supportive environment.

Year 11 – Health and Movement Science

Our senior students are embracing the new Health and Movement Science syllabus with curiosity and a strong sense of purpose. They have begun their Collaborative Investigation project, working in teams to explore health and movement topics. This module fosters leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving, while encouraging students to think critically and creatively about health related challenges. It’s wonderful to see them developing informed perspectives and collaborative skills that will serve them well beyond the classroom.

Year 12 – PDHPE and Community & Family Studies

Our Year 12 students are currently undertaking their Trial Examinations. We know they have worked incredibly hard and are well prepared. We wish them all the very best as they demonstrate their knowledge and understanding in PDHPE and Community & Family Studies examinations.  As they continue through this important phase, we encourage them to maintain balance, look after their wellbeing, and stay confident in their abilities.

Vanessa Culhane

Head of PDHPE

The Science Department

Welcome back to Term 3! We hope you had a restful break and that the new term is off to a great start. We’re excited to share that Week 4 is National Science Week 2025. The students have been participating in a fantastic range of activities to inspire curiosity, creativity and scientific thinking in all year levels here at Brigidine.

Each morning has started with a quick Science Riddle to get students thinking and they are competing in their PC groups for this. Lunchtime activities include events like the Science Spelling Bee, Paper Plane Competition, Build a Bridge Challenge, and the always-popular Science Show at the end of the week. There are plenty of prizes up for grabs including Yo-Chi vouchers, science-themed goody bags, and sweet treats. We encourage everyone to participate!

Students in Years 7-10 also have the opportunity to compete in the 2025 Education Perfect Championship, which runs throughout Week 4. Students will have some time in class to compete, however they are welcome to continue earning points from home as well. Students can check the scoreboard on the Education Perfect platform to see who is on top! 

Looking ahead, Year 11 Chemistry students can also look forward to an excursion to UNSW in Week 5. 

Science Week is always a highlight of the year, and we hope it sparks new interests and celebrates the value of scientific thinking in everyday life. Thank you for your ongoing support, and we look forward to an exciting and energising Term 3. 

Amy Commane

Head of Science

The Visual Arts Department

“The day is an empty canvas, 

the shapes and colours are yours to choose.”

- Alex Noble

The Visual Arts Department is excited to embark on the artmaking journey with our new Semester Two Stage 4 classes and enthusiastically welcome back our Stage 5 and Stage 6 students. We wish our Year 12 students luck with the submission of their Major Work at the end of the month as they finish off the final details and resolutions of their outstanding artworks. The Major Work has been a 12 month journey for our students and every Body of Work is unique and highly reflective of our students' interests, talents and outstanding creativity. We are looking forward to celebrating their achievements at the Annual HSC Senior Showcase on Wednesday 27th August 2025.

Last semester we signed off in style with a successful CAPA Showcase that celebrated the wonderful achievements of our Semester One Year 7 and 8 Visual Arts students. The girls' artworks looked beautiful and demonstrated their extraordinary efforts and engagement in the Visual Arts course over Terms 1 and 2. Congratulations Year 7 and 8 on your beautiful artmaking and good luck as you explore the wonders of Music for Semester Two.

CAPA Showcase Semester 1

This semester Year 7 and 8 will begin exploring their local environment and animals in art respectively. Year 9 and 10 continue to extend upon their artmaking skills across a variety of mediums in both our Visual Arts and Photographic & Digital Media courses. Students in Year 10 Visual Arts, as well as Years 9 and 10 Photography classes are becoming increasingly proficient using digital cameras to capture their world through a lens. Through this practice students are encouraged to consider a range of camera craft elements when framing a unique composition and perspective that engages the audience with the local landscape and portraiture. Inspired by Western Landscape painters, Year 9 Visual Arts have selected reference landscape images for development into a painting composition using oil paints on canvas. Year 11 have undertaken exploration of the figure and portraiture across a variety of artforms exploring 3D and moving into the 2D representations.

A reminder to all students that Art Club runs every Wednesday at Recess in DC8. We hope to see you there, where your creativity can continue to be explored with your peers!

Melissa Nutter

Head of Visual Arts

The English Department

A Play’s The Thing!

This week, students in Year 8 and 10 were treated to a performance by Australia’s renowned Bell Shakespeare’s Players to support their current study of Shakespeare. Year 8 are mid-tragedy at the moment in their exploration of love, hate, loyalty and fate in the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. The Players brought the tragic story to the present for students in their “Such Sweet Sorrow” performance. Some of the comments from Year 8 reflect their enjoyment and experience of the performance:

• My favourite part was when Juliet would talk to the Nurse. I found it to be funny a lot of the time which helped make the play so much more enjoyable!
• Something I learned from the Incursion that will assist me in my studies this year and in the future is a deeper understanding of how Shakespeare’s language works in performance.
• My favourite part was the Mercutio death scene, because the acting was really good.
• They were really great actors and explained parts of the play really well. They also had some funny parts where it made me laugh, but also educated me as well.
• Something that was made clearer was that Juliet had a lot of character development over the two days. They touched on her transformation from a child to being more mature.
• Something I learnt from this Incursion that will assist me in my studies this year was the use of dramatic irony in the play.
• This helped me understand how deeply rooted romance is in Romeo and Juliet and how tragic the ending is. It helped me understand how Shakespeare emphasised the themes which helps understand the context.
• This incursion revealed more of Juliet's character that will help me in the future, that she did not have much control over her decisions, but grew and matured as a person anyway.
• I absolutely loved the incursion that we had. I loved watching how the actors connected well with us, the audience. It was also great to see how well they acted together as a team and really absorbed themselves with their character.
• I learned to not rush into relationships, and to never hide things from your parents.

On the same day, Year 10 was a fantastic audience for Macbeth: The Rehearsal. Despite the dark subject matter of corrupted ambition, betrayal, guilt and disorder, the Players lightened the mood through their framing of the play as an actor’s workshop where an inexperienced actor learns about the complex enigma that is Macbeth. Students had this to say about their experience of Macbeth: The Rehearsal:

• The cast was absolutely delightful! It was so much fun being able to get up and participate in the performance. Every time they come to our school I leave feeling so pumped for the rest of the Shakespeare unit. I always go up to talk to them at the end and to ask about acting and Shakespeare.
• It was really engaging and interesting with the way they performed it and I think as an audience, we also learned a lot from them and the play itself.
• The performance helped clarify some scenes for me and was really engaging and fun to watch.
• My favourite part of the performance was when Macbeth murders King Duncan because it was well acted and they still made a really serious scene funny.
• I learnt more about the characters themselves, stage directions that Shakespeare gave, the language used by the characters and universal themes that we still see today.
• My favourite part was learning about how even though it wasn't specifically stated, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth shared a child together that sadly passed and I found it very interesting how it brought them together.
• The performance helped me appreciate how Macbeth actually evolves from not knowing what to do, to eliminating Lady Macbeth and only being fuelled by his own ambition.
• I really enjoyed the interactive parts of the performance as well as the elements of humour.
• I enjoyed how it wasn't just Macbeth as a play but also made it seem as if they were rehearsing, which helped it relate more to everyday life, as they would discuss throughout, without making it too obvious. 

Upcoming Events: Book Week

In Week 5, around Australia it is Book Week and the theme this year is Book An Adventure. There will be a variety of activities for students to get involved in beyond the classroom including some quizzes, a Harry Potter themed cake stall, a Guess the Shelfie and more. Keep an eye out on Compass for events in the upcoming week. It’s a great time to remember the profound impact a story can have on us and the value of reading in our lives. 

Clare Rose

Assistant Head of English