Department News

Drama Department

A massive welcome and hurrah to our Drama students for 2022. This year is looking to be eventful with loads of opportunities to continue making performing and appreciating the Dramatic arts regularly. I was lucky enough to begin the Year with the Year 9 Drama class and they thoroughly enjoyed it, even if it was their first time in a Drama class. Drama can be valuable learning that is also interactive and fun. 

Our College Musical of Matilda - The Musical is about to go into rehearsals. Those Drama students involved either on the stage or behind the scenes will now learn through their involvement in this extracurricular activity. I am particularly excited to see how their confidence and performance skills will grow and apply their learned skill sets in other subjects. Musicals are not just about the performance, and there is a whole business and project managed behind it all - as the term is coined, “Show Business.” Please note there are still a couple of roles to be filled involving more physical theatre-based performances, so if your daughter missed out on a lead role because of her singing abilities, these roles might be the ones for them, so watch this space for more information coming soon. 

The Drama curriculum continues to go from strength to strength. Regular practice in performance skills is a fundamental aspect for this coming year. However, it is also essential that your daughters continue to immerse themselves in the art form beyond the classroom. Live Theatre and Productions offer valuable learning opportunities. With the reintroduction of Live Performances into the community (post lockdown), you can go and see a lot. What your daughter can see on stage can directly influence the work they can produce during class. Additionally, we can nurture their imagination and capacity for creative thinking and create a wonderful bonding experience as you participate in how the arts can bring people together. How lucky are we to live within a vibrant arts community in Sydney. 

Looking forward to another year of Drama, 

Brenton Fletcher

Teacher in Charge of Drama

HSIE Department

Welcome back to 2022!

In Weeks 1-2 there has been an emphasis in HSIE both on reflecting on what can be learned from the past, what conditions and problems emerge in the present, as well as considerations to what the future might look like.

·   Year 7 Geography teachers have been busy planning for year 7's commencement of classes. They will begin by considering how places people live influence their livelihood. In turn, they will be encouraged to think about how their own actions influence – and are influenced – by the environmental conditions around them.

·  Year 8 started their study of History by looking at how the past is divided into perspectives and what takes place in the world. While BC and AD represent a Christian understanding of history, BP (Before Present – expressed when people say ‘years ago’) is more in line with how many First Nations peoples worldwide think about the past.

·  Year 9 is when students begin their elective choices, and students of Commerce undertake studies in marketing, basic economics, how businesses work and legal studies in order to begin preparing for Years 11 and 12. In addition, the Geography classes begin to look at sustainability and global issues (such as migration crises).

·      Year 10 were involved in expanding on their understandings about History from Year 8, and began to study Making a Nation, which examines how post-1788 Australia’s political, economic and cultural systems were developed and the consequences of colonisation, up until World War I.  

In senior classes, Year 11s have been introduced to their electives: Ancient History, Business Studies, Economics, Legal Studies, Modern History and Work Studies. Year 12s on the other hand have rebooted after their break and have ushered in 2022 with gusto, continuing with their patterns of study from last year, with carryover of History Extension that students began studying in Term 4 of last year as an additional elective subject.

David Martin      &     David Nally

Head of HSIE            Head of HSIE

(Stages 4 & 5)           (Stage 6)

Mathematics Department

The Mathematics department is very excited to introduce the 2022 Mathematics teachers team:

Mr Munguia, Mrs Coleman, Mr Lyon, Miss D’Arcy, Mrs Tziortzis, Mrs Mabey, Mrs Honig, Mr Dunne, Mrs Spillane, Ms Tonks, Mrs Parkes & Mrs Egan.

We welcome Mrs Spillane back from her maternity leave, and officially welcome Mr Dunne to the Brigidine Mathematics Department. We also wish Ms Tonks a beautiful time with her family in Canada, during her long service leave, she will be back in Semester 2.

We are extremely proud of the brilliant 2021 HSC Mathematics results, where all our Mathematics courses attained above the State average.

We would not achieve these outstanding results without the hard work, dedication and collaboration of the Mathematics teachers who have taught & supported the 2021 HSC cohort since Year 7. We are incredibly proud of our 2021 HSC cohort of their resilience, focus and diligence, despite the many challenges they faced throughout Year 11 & 12 studies.

Our vision is to empower Brigidine girls moving into the workplace. The main focus is to strengthen our students’ numeracy and technological skills, which are fundamental in today’s society. 

This year, we will focus on maximizing our students’ growth in the NAPLAN Numeracy by increasing working mathematically and problem solving skills in Years 7 – 9. Students are strongly encouraged to actively participate and communicate their own responses to solving mathematical questions/problems.

An overview for Term 1:

• Year 7 & 8 will complete a Class Task 1 in weeks 7 & 8, 
• Year 9 & 10 will complete a Research Task 1 in week 7
• Year 11 will complete a Maths Class/Research Task 1 in week 9
• Year 12 will complete a Maths Class Task 2 in weeks 9 – 10 

We are looking forward to starting the Mathematics classes with our new Year 7 students when they return from the Year 7 school camp. 

Maya Mabey     &        Gus Lyon 

Head of                         Assistant Head of          

Mathematics              Mathematics 

TAS Department

Welcome back to another year of design, innovation, problem solving, engineering, coding, cooking, laser cutting, directing, marketing and endless creativity! We are so excited to engage our students back in the world of Technologies at Brigidine in 2022.

Congratulations to our class of 2021 for their excellent HSC results. To our students of 2021, 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.

• Design and Technology 5.12% above state average with 1 nomination to Shape
• Food Technology 10.95% above state average

Students studying Technology in Stage 4 in 2022 will learn and apply the design process to a range of hands-on projects. Students in Year 7 will receive their TechKits in their Technology classes. Kits contain a Micro:Bit and Splat drawing tool that will be used in the development of in class activities and projects. Year 8 students require an apron to protect their uniforms during Food Technology practicals and a container for their food. Staff are experienced in catering for and managing food allergies, intolerances and other dietary requirements. Please don’t hesitate to reach out should you have any concerns for your daughter’s safety when handling food in the classroom.

Students studying elective Technologies in Stage 5 and 6 will develop a deeper understanding of the design process and apply it to a range of projects within their specialty area. Food Technology students continue to require an apron and container for every practical lesson. We are very excited to introduce Industrial Technology to our course offerings at Brigidine from 2022, starting with our inaugural Year 11 Multimedia class led by Mr Hainsworth. Watch this space for incredible projects produced by these talented students.

Technology is one of the key drivers of female economic empowerment, but the fields that women choose to participate in are still decidedly gendered -Weili Dai

This year we welcome Ms Shannon Harrington to the Technology and Applied Studies department. We know her diverse experience will be an asset to our team. Together with Mr Hainsworth, Ms Harrington, Mrs Little, Ms Melville, Ms Monohan, Ms Nutter and Ms Scorse, we look forward to working with your family in 2022. 

Ellie Quinn

Head of TAS