2013 Alliance Branch Reports ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Zealand 2014 AGSA Conference in New Zealand We are really looking forward to hosting the AGSA 2014 conference in Wellington next May. I encourage all Australian member schools to send delegates to the conference as they will thoroughly enjoy what is on offer in the capital. The weather in May is still warm enough to enjoy the harbour side and city walks and we look forward to sharing new ideas. New member school Hamilton Girls High School has joined the AGSA and Jan has sent a letter of welcome. Craighead Diocesan School The new Principal of Craighead Diocesan School is Ms Lindy Graham. Alliance School Sports Exchanges In 2012, Waikato Diocesan School and Westlake Girls High School formalised a sports exchange in Netball and Hockey and St Margaret’s College also travelled from Christchurch north to Auckland for a winter sports exchange with Westlake in Netball and Hockey. Updates from member NZ member schools: St Margaret's College Christchurch – Gillian Simpson, Principal - two years after the earthquakes, the school is caring for community - rebuild after losing 80% of our school buildings - exciting and energising to have opened two major buildings: ▪ a 10 classroom and Library E learning Centre ▪ a gymnasium and auditorium/ chapel complex, which is the heart and soul of the school - girls and staff are doing well despite the challenges - looking forward to seeing our Australian colleagues in Wellington Two girls gained over 40 (maximum mark is 45) in the IB Diploma with their high academic achievement recognised at the annual IB Schools of NZ Scholars’ Awards hosted by the Governor General at Government House in Auckland. In addition, 16 scholarships in English, Technology, Media Studies, Statistics and Chemistry were gained. As girls taking the IB Diploma can sit only those few scholarship papers with similar course content to their Diploma subjects, these results are very pleasing. Information about university destinations for 2012 leavers has been collated. Although girls continue to favour Victoria or Otago University, there is a trend to travel north to Auckland and overseas with the 2012 leavers picking up places at New York College Abu Dhabi (fully funded) and universities in London, Adelaide, Sydney and Canada. Queen Margaret College - Carol Craymer, Principal Extra-curricular activities are integral to a QMC education. In 2012, there were some new opportunities on offer such as Futsal, Handball, Glee Choir and a Robotics Club. With a participation rate of 76% for Years 9 – 13, well above the Wellington average of 57% for girls and 60% for boys, QMC sport continues to flourish, as does Performing Arts (66% of girls took part in Performing Arts on a weekly basis and 13 different ensembles/ activities offered). Sporting success can be measured by the high number of girls we had in Wellington and National teams (40 and 8 respectively). Two girls received College Sport Wellington Sports Person of the Year Awards: Hilla Fukofuka for Rugby; Bridget Liddell for Tennis. Cultural highlights included: a successful joint production with Scots College, Fame; the Barbershop Chorus’s 4 th placing at the national competition; and a Year 12 student, Jean Lean, winning the Language Perfect World Championship. Three girls were selected to join the Shakespeare Globe Company of NZ Young Shakespeare Company (SGCNZYSC), a 24 strong company of students selected from around the country. The company will travel to London this July and participate in a comprehensive programme, based principally at Shakespeare’s Globe, of workshops, Q&A sessions about the plays with actors and directors, behind the scene tours of the Globe, Rose and National Theatre and watch performances. Over their two weeks at the Globe, they will have twelve rehearsals taken by a Globe Director in scenes from one of Shakespeare’s plays and the opportunity to perform for the public on the Globe stage. We were also very proud of the Head Girl, Rima Shenoy, who won the National Race Relations Speech Contest and Prefect, Brittany Trilford, selected as one of the opening speakers at the Rio+20 Earth Summit in Brazil. Brittany was named Youth Wellingtonian at the 2012 Wellingtonian of the Year Awards, an annual celebration of high-achieving people in the Wellington region. Westlake Girls High School, Auckland –Roz Mexted, Principal Ashlee Parkes was selected to attend International Space Camp in Alabama which offered Ashlee simulations from weightlessness to moon walking. All challenges related to the workings of the International Space Station (ISS) and space shuttles. Ashlee says “How to work within NASA or on a shuttle was the most interesting and exciting part of camp, as we got to dress up in suits and pretend to be weightless.” Lixing Wei took part in Youth ANZAAS (ANZAAS stands for Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science), along with 20 other students. Alice Allfree earned the opportunity to travel in July to the Globe Theatre as one of only 25 students nationally as part of the Young Shakespeare Company. This opportunity will give students a chance to work with highly talented international directors and artists and participate in the company’s version of The Taming of the Shrew. Lauren Bennett Chamber Music, National Champions Britta Balzat Chamber Music, National Champions Sophia Lee Chamber Music, National Champions Sally Kim Chamber Music, National Champions Sally Shin Selected for National Youth Orchestra Julia Robinson NZ Secondary Students Choir 2 4 teams or groups won New Zealand titles: Badminton; Beach Volleyball; Cheerleading; Sailing; Rowing (x2) 25 students represented New Zealand in 16 sports, including: World Series Lacrosse team and New Zealand Women’s and U19 Lacrosse; NZ U17 Women’s Football; NZ Secondary Schools and U21 Netball; NZ Athletics and Weightlifting; NZ Junior Tall Ferns Basketball; NZ U17 Basketball; NZ U16 Basketball (x2); NZ U17 Beach Volleyball (x2); NZ Cheerleading; NZ Junior Tennis & Junior Fed Cup; NZ Age Group Triathlon (7 th in World); NZ U15 Touch; NZ Trampoline; NZ Junior Women’s Volleyball & NZ U17 Beach Volleyball; NZ U16 Women's Water polo; NZ Trans-Tasman Water Skiing. Six individual national sporting titles were achieved: a Gold medal in the Junior International Women’s Synchronized Trampoline NZ Champs; Gold medal New Zealand SS Karate Championships; Triathlon NZSS Intermediate Triathlon Gold; NZSS Athletics Senior Girls Hammer Champion; NZSS Swimming Championships 5 Gold Medals; Karate National Karate Champs & National SS Karate Gold Medallist. Roz Mexted Principal, Westlake Girls High School Alliance Executive 3 New South Wales The NSW Chapter of the Alliance of Girls Schools holds an event each term and tries to ensure there is time for professional growth and collegiality at each gathering. In August 2012, Brigidine College hosted our Term 3 dinner. Approximately 40 people were addressed by former Brigidine College Captain, Ms Bronya Fraser-Hills who works with the Fred Hollows Foundation within the Global Partnership Program. Bronya is also the Founder and Principal of the Australian Young Communicators (AYC); a unique program that coaches students in the fundamentals of good communication; articulation, confidence and conviction, and leadership. She spoke not only of her work with the Fred Hollows Foundation but also of the inspirational international aspect of her role. Our Term 4 November meeting was a 45 strong dinner at Kambala and we were delighted to have an opportunity to host and meet representatives from our AGSA partners, CIRCLE and World Challenge. Our presenter this evening was Gabrielle Upton, local Member for Vaucluse and Parliamentary Secretary for Tertiary Education and Skills. She spoke of the importance of education on the political scene at both the State and Federal level. She also talked of the challenges she has faced as a woman in politics. First term in 2013 we met at Roseville College where 60 people gathered to hear Dr Nicole Archard speak about her research on girls and leadership. Nicole is Dean of Academic Studies, Wenona and her presentation was fitting for the audience, entitled How are girls’ schools developing future leaders? The research presented by Nicole was appreciated by the group and strong actions were identified which were able to take immediately back to our schools. Preparation for women to ‘take the stage’ is important to all of us. The conference at Bond is the nominated function for Term 2, 2013. Our plans for the remainder of 2013 include a combined student/teacher function raising awareness on the plight of girls in the developing world. The provocation will be a film entitled Girl Rising. One of the girls in the film is sponsored by the charity Room to Read and donations will be collected at the door to support the education of girls across the globe. A discussion panel led by students will follow the film. This is the first of what we hope to be an exciting new direction in student focus with our fellow Alliance schools. We hope to run this event in June of 2013. In Term 3 a dinner is scheduled to be held at Abbotsleigh with Bond providing guest speakers for the event. The number of members from NSW girls’ is strong in the independent sector and we are gaining momentum in the Catholic sector. Unfortunately we have not been able to entice many State schools to join us but we are continuing to work on this as an area of focus. 4 In closing, I would like to acknowledge how pleased we are to be welcoming back Alliance NSW/ACT Executive member, Janet Freeman, Principal, Loreto Kirribilli at the beginning of Term 3. Janet returns from a semester’s leave taken for health reasons and we look forward to having her energy and drive back at the helm next term.