Staff News

Meet: Matthew Mulligan 

What do you currently teach?  

I am an English teacher at ASC. I teach Years 9 to 12, including Year 12 Extension 1. 

Where and what did you study?  

When I first finished High School I did a Bachelor of Journalism at the University of Queensland. Travelling overseas I ended up getting into teaching English as a Second Language and when I returned to Australia I retrained in teaching at UNE. 

What would be your dream destination over the holidays? 

A big house on a secluded farm with a warm fire and lots of novels to read.

What can you cook to perfection? 

I love making (and eating) oysters kilpatrick and seafood crepes. 

What is your most used mobile app? 

I like following the Queen on Instagram.

What three words best describe you? 

Jane Austen fan.

What are some pets you’ve had or would like to own? 

I own two cats and a dog, and lots of chooks. I can't look at kittens, or I will want to take them home! I always thought it would be nice to have a peacock walking around the garden, but apparently they're very noisy. 

Growing up, did you have a hero? 

Yes, it was Scarlett O'Hara from the novel Gone with the Wind. 

What would the students be surprised to find out about you? 

I first started riding horses when I was 2. 

If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be? 

I would go to the Oscars. 

What is your favourite thing about being a teacher? 

Getting to know my students and making meaningful connections with them. 

What is your favourite book to read? 

I would be happy to re-read anything by Jane Austen at any time. I have a pocket-sized Pride and Prejudice which is handy for travelling. 

What makes you laugh the most? 

Satire. 

What was the last movie you went to? 

What did you think!? I went to see the Downtown Abbey last year and thought the costumes made it worth watching. I really enjoy vintage fashion. 

If you were a super-hero, what powers would you have? 

The power to travel back in time. 

Teaching and Learning

Term 2 has seen many innovations in the nature of professional learning at ASC. In our response the Covid-19, staff collaborated to cater for the  changing learning environment by upskill in a range of technologies and innovative teaching practices. Across the board, teachers improved their knowledge of Google Classroom, MS Teams and Zoom. Many staff led from the front to share their expertise and offer to run training sessions to cater for this demand.

At ASC, we run a professional learning program called Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) in Weeks 3, 6 and 9 of the term. This is a platform for our experienced staff to offer seminars targeting an area of need. This term, this has included seminars on Covey’s time management, the Microsoft Suite, Project Based Learning, trauma-informed practice, data analysis and supporting EAL/D learners. 

In the background of our day-to-day teaching and learning has been a series of professional learning events. This has included, but is not limited to, professional learning around the PDHPE curriculum, Crew, school counselling and preparing for external validation. Further to this our beginning teachers are working towards achieving the accreditation status of proficient with NESA.

David Partridge

Head Teacher

Professional Learning