Department News

Drama Department

We look forward to a year of creativity with plenty of opportunities for Brigidine girls to develop their performance and production skills. Keep an eye out for announcements for our upcoming Sydney Catholic Schools Drama Eisteddfod where we will have a selection of group and monologue performances, Theatre Sports competitions and our very own Brigidine showcase! 

Year 9

A very big welcome to our newest Drama students in Year 9. This year should be a very exciting foray into the world of Drama as we explore a range of dramatic styles and forms. Year 9 have already dipped their toes into the art of Improvisation as we begin our first unit. I certainly enjoyed playing a range of introductory games with the girls in our first week. 

Year 9 will also have the opportunity to explore Melodrama through Soap Opera, Naturalism & Realism and we will wrap up the year with a leap into Puppetry!

Miss Jasmine Crnogorac 

Year 10

The year 10 Drama class are looking forward to an exciting and engaging year of Drama! 

To begin the year, students have had the opportunity to reflect on their previous studies of Drama in year 9 and discuss their hopes for Drama this year. Students have also been introduced to their first unit of study, ‘Commedia Dell'arte’, in which they will explore the characters, masks and scenarios of this ancient Italian masked theatre. 

Over the course of this year, students will create their own drama and view professional drama to develop their performance, script writing, analysis and reviewing skills. 

Miss Catherine Exton

Year 11

We are very excited to embark on the beginning of senior Drama as our Year 11 class enters 2023. We have started off the term by sharing exactly why each student is passionate about Drama and shook off the holiday dust with some improvisation warm-ups and an introduction to Playbuilding and group-devised performances. 

This year Year 11 will engage with a range of units designed to enhance their acting skills, understanding and application of elements of production and various acting traditions and performance styles. I greatly look forward to seeing each student’s creativity and work and hope to share this with our community this year. 

Ms Tayla Whiteman

Drama Department

HSIE Department

Looking back on 2022 we couldn’t be prouder of our students' efforts across each of the year groups. It was a challenging but rewarding year culminating in outstanding success for our HSC groups with each class performing well above state averages and achieving excellent growth outcomes.

2023 will be an exciting year in all of our HSIE classes, with a range of exciting activities, excursions and assessments planned across all years. This year all groups across 7-10 will have an opportunity to engage in fieldwork/site studies, with some highlights including year 8’s visit to Sydney University for a history archaeology day and the year 10 combined overnight excursion to Canberra where students will be able to visit a range of guided talks at some of our leading national museums and institutions.

All the best to all our students and staff for a productive, rewarding 2023.

David Martin      &     David Nally

Head of HSIE            Head of HSIE

(Stages 4 & 5)           (Stage 6)

Mathematics Department

The Mathematics department is thrilled to announce the arrival of four new teachers in the department, Ms Kawing Chan, Mr Steven Quach, Dr Ben Zhang and Dr Mary-Jo Bellanca. These teachers bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise to the Mathematics department, and we are confident that they will make a positive impact on our students’ learning and the department as a whole. 

We would also like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the HSC 2022 cohort, their resilience, dedication and commitment to their studies have paid off, and we are extremely proud of the fantastic 2022 HSC Mathematics results, 63% of the overall Mathematics students attained Band 5 and 6. 

These outstanding results would not have been possible without the hard-working, collaborative and enthusiastic Mathematics teachers, who have taught and supported the 2022 HSC cohort since Year 7. We are confident that these young women will continue to make a positive impact on the world.

Sophie Vonwiller, the 2022 Dux of Brigidine College, spoke about the importance of Mathematics in real life and encouraged the Brigidine community to strive to do their best and have the confidence that girls can do Mathematics!

“I want to speak to you about the importance of mathematics not just in class but in life. Brigidine is known for having such a high percentage of students completing a mathematics course and with the class of 2026 onwards having mathematics compulsory for the HSC I want to encourage all of you to strive to expand your maths skills. 

According to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald last year “proportion of girls studying maths at the highest levels in the HSC is at its lowest in more than 20 years”. Why is this? Because we judge it as too hard and lack confidence in our abilities. Honestly, without the encouragement from Ms Spillane in year 10 and Ms Egan in year 12 I wouldn’t have believed myself as capable of doing Extension 1 and 2 maths. 

If you are taking 5.3 I strongly encourage you to work hard and try Extension 1 maths- you may just love it and it may just open a pathway to careers you hadn’t considered before!!” 

An overview for Term 1:

• Years 7 & 8 will complete Class Task 1.
• Years 9 & 10 will complete Research Task.
•  Year 11 will complete a Maths Class/Research Task 1.
• Year 12 will complete a half-yearly Maths Task 2 in week 9 – 10 Exam Block.

The Mathematics department’s main focus is to support our students moving into the workplace with strong numeracy skills which enables them to become good problem solvers and critical thinkers. Our new teachers, combined with our talented and dedicated department, will ensure that the study of Mathematics at Brigidine, is both rigorous and fun! We look forward to an exciting year ahead!

Maya Mabey     &        Gus Lyon 

Head of                         Assistant Head of          

Mathematics              Mathematics 

TAS Department

Congratulations to our class of 2022 for their excellent HSC results. To our students of 2022, we are so proud of what you have accomplished! The tenacity and strength you demonstrated throughout your HSC year is admirable. We can’t wait to hear of the incredible things you achieve with all the skills and knowledge gained as designers and technologists at Brigidine College.

Yr 11 Food Technology & Hospitality

Last year we were lucky enough to return to our annual Paddock to Plate trip with Year 11 Food Technology and Hospitality students. The excursion included three days in Canowindra and Cowra NSW, during which students visited various NSW food producers who work in partnership with Landcare. The excursion included experiences in organic farming, vegetable and grain farming, animal management, meat and wool processing, sustainable land management and regenerative farming practices, food production systems and olive oil processing. The region visited in rural NSW, Cowra and Canowindra, is known for its diverse landscapes and food production industries. This experience is invaluable in cementing the students’ understanding and their retention of knowledge when learning about various topics in Food Technology. 

Yr 11 Hospitality

At the end of term 4 Year 11 Hospitality students took part in Barista training. The aim of the course was to develop students’ Barista skills and obtain competency recognition that will contribute to their Certificate II in Hospitality. The day saw students developing skills in coffee making, milk texturing and coffee art. The full-day course was run by CBD College and provided the students with a nationally accredited Barista certificate.

New staff

This year we welcome Mrs Jessica Cranfiled, Ms Ashleigh Clarke, Mrs Beatriz Ponte and Mr Adam Gant to the Technology and Applied Studies department. We know their diverse experience will be an asset to our team. Together with Ms Melville, Ms Monohan, Ms Nutter and Ms Swinkles, we look forward to working with you in 2023. 

Kylie Little & Alethea Scorse

TAS/VET Coordinators