Deputy Principal, Teaching and Learning

Turning Red

‘Turning Red’ is Domee Shi’s directorial debut. It is an uplifting and thought-provoking female led film. This coming-of-age story about a 13-year-old Chinese Canadian student is a complex and carefully constructed exploration of family relationships, tradition, history and how we manage change. The idea that Meilin experiences the strong emotions of adolescence as a giant red panda is an entertaining and very clever way of representing the rollercoaster of hormones and the familial conflicts that ensue. Domee Shi’s connection with the story is personal, as she has drawn on her own experiences of growing up in Toronto as the basis for the story.

In true Pixar form, this computer animated comedy takes the audience on a journey that has all the hallmarks of great story. There is conflict and resolution, moments of great pathos and laugh out loud fun. The use of actress Sandra Oh as the voice of Meilin’s mother Ming and the inclusion of Billie Eilish and her brother FINNEAS’ work under the guise of boy band 4*Town has meant that ‘Turning Red’ has attracted a broader audience.

I am reminded as we return from our term break, that we have a chance to reset. The last few years have been marked by rapid changes and this has been disorientating for many of our young people. Being a young adult is challenging. Watching ‘Turning Red’ has reminded me of what it is like to step into the shoes of a thirteen-year-old person. As parents and teachers that is what we do, we empathise, we work to build trust and rapport with our young people, so that we can help them learn and grow.

If you are looking for an entertaining family film, ‘Turning Red’ could fit the bill.

Susan Bradbeer

Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning

Esports Opportunity for Year 7 & 8 Girls

The teacher behind GameChanger Girls, Bron Stuckey, has offered an opportunity for our interested female students between the ages of 8-14 to join a competition with other young female students in Australia. After consultation with the Head on Middle Years, Mr. Ben Hawthorne, I am pleased to manage this program for our girls. Any Senior School girls who would like to know more about this competition and or who would like to sign up can do so by contacting me via email or Teams. I will be in the Da Vinci Room on Thursday this week at lunch time for further information and talking through what it entails.

2022 GameChanger Girls is an esports project. The girls will work in teams with support from me to create an educational activity. The #esports league teams will design games in Minecraft and or other Microsoft platforms and an internal vote will be taken to select the most playable game/s to be used for the final playoffs in the tournament.

Further details can be seen in this link to the 2022 program: Read about the 2022 Program.

Margaret Simkin

Microsoft Fellow

History Teacher