Today is International Women’s Day and this year’s campaign theme is #BreakTheBias. March 8 is celebrated by women and men around the world and we are being encouraged to imagine a gender-equal world, free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. Collectively we can envisage a world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. On this day we imagine a world where difference is valued and celebrated so that together we can forge women’s equality.

Here in Australia, and throughout the world, women continue to fight the good fight about gender inequality.  This topic denotes the inconsistencies between individuals due to gender and covers a variety of concerns from health to equal opportunity in terms of employment and wages. In 2014, a British actor and Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women, gave a clever, significant, and touching speech about gender inequality and how to fight it. In doing so, Emma Watson launched the HeForShe initiative, which aims to get men and boys to join the feminist fight for gender equality. In her address, Ms Watson made the important point that in order for gender equality to be achieved, harmful and destructive stereotypes of masculinity and behavioural expectations for boys and men have got to change.

I subscribe to this idea that we should try to rally as many men and boys as possible to be advocates for change. There are certain aspects of Emma Watson’s address that resonate strongly – and I share an extract for your interest:

And so today, in celebrating International Women’s Day with special guests at the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia luncheon, I look forward to conversation with both the invited male and female guests on my table as to ways we can collectively break the bias. Tomorrow at our Senior School assembly, we look forward to welcoming Her Excellency, the Honourable Dr Jeannette Young PSM, Governor of Queensland. Her Excellency will address the students and staff at our International Women’s Day assembly. We also look forward to hearing from Guest Speaker, Jacqui Bell. Jacqui competes globally in ultra marathons and outside of running she is also a professional speaker on a mission to inspire, educate and activate a deeper sense of purpose in tomorrow’s leaders enabling a deeper awareness around the power of choice, what it really means to show up and commit, and what it takes to strive for a higher potential regardless of the opportunities. Jacqui advocates,

Welcome to new member of staff 

I am pleased to advise parents of the appointment of Mrs Cynthia Nolan to the position of Head of Digital Solutions and Technologies from the commencement of Term 2, 2022. 

Currently, Mrs Nolan is the Head of Digital Learning and Computer Science (Digital Technologies) at Thornton College School for Girls in the United Kingdom.  Mrs Nolan has been with Thornton College School for Girls for just over twelve months where she has taken on a number of roles including Pastoral and STEM Ambassador.  She has been instrumental in the development and design of assessment and attainment levels for the Digital Technologies department.  Previous to this Mrs Nolan was a Computer Science and iMedia Teacher with Bishop Stopford School in the United Kingdom for three years. 

Mrs Nolan comes to Somerville House with a Bachelor in Information Technology, Masters in Counselling Psychology and Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PCGE). Computer Science teacher, Mrs Nolan describes herself as a “Steminist” and her LinkedIn profile gives insight into her passion for girls' understanding of digital technologies.  

I look forward to welcoming Mrs Nolan to Somerville House for the commencement of Term 2, 2022 after her relocation from the United Kingdom with her family. 

Mrs Kim Kiepe
Principal

In the week of International Women's Day, I wish to highlight a recent article by Kristen Senz from the Harvard Business School. This article states that female teams of scientists are more likely to develop treatments for conditions that affect women, but with only 13% of patent holders in the US being women, this means that commercialisation of inventions by female scientists is not occurring. This means that the health outcomes of women may have been improved if these innovations had been brought to fruition and available to patients. 

This study included patent data from 1976 to 2010 and I would like to think that these statistics have improved since then. The research also looked at biomedical research articles between 2000 and 2020, suggesting that there is no shortage of studies undertaken by women, but confirmed that it was due to fewer patent applications. It is worth exploring further why this is so? Is scientific research still such a male-dominated industry? Would mentoring assist women in backing themselves to take the next step to commercialisation? Why are women less inclined to take the commercial risk? 

This article affects me in a number of ways. My background is in science and mathematics, so I am passionate about encouraging girls to love these pursuits, as I do. I also think it is a fundamental part of education to encourage students to take risks in their discovery of whatever they are passionate about, as this is where we might "accidentally" discover something new or truly intriguing. This applies to their everyday learning as it must become a habit to push the boundaries and explore according to your curiosity, rather than completing the set task. When girls do this at school every day, we will then have women in the workforce with habitual risk-taking engrained in their work ethic. 

Mrs Jo Matherson
Deputy Principal

Acknowledgement:
Kristen Senz, 2022, Lack of female Scientists Means Fewer Medical Treatments for Women, Harvard Business School 

With a bucket and towel, Jesus came to Simon and Peter, who said, 

Jesus replied, 

Easter is upon us,  but each year part of me does not want Jesus on a cross. It is a bit nasty and negative. It has been a challenging term already, and I am not in the mood for a sad story (such as Jesus' burial in a tomb).

In the same way, we see Peter pushing back.  The night before he died, Jesus takes a towel and bucket and says to Peter,

Peter says,

Washing feet in the ancient world was the job of a servant, and Peter was not going to let Jesus wash his dirty feet. However, this is exactly what Jesus did to set an example of loving service. 

This is all very nice but it does not explain why we push back. If we know God loves us and wants to help us, why do we find God’s help hard to accept? Firstly, our reading says we do not always understand what God is doing. In verse 7, Jesus said to Peter, 

Secondly, Jesus implies it takes humility to accept God’s help. You have to surrender. In verse 8, Jesus says, 

It is clear. If we want God’s help, we have to surrender our pride. Just as it was uncomfortable for Peter to accept Jesus’ help, it is uncomfortable for me to accept that on the following day (Good Friday) Jesus would die on the cross to remove the sin of the entire world, mine included. The question is, will I accept God's help, even if it makes me uncomfortable? Or will I resist? Like Peter, I do not always understand what God has done for me at Easter, and I struggle with being humble enough to admit I need God’s help, but it is good to know that Peter went through the same journey to Easter that I do.

If you or your family have suffered recently due to flooding or damage to your home and would like to contact Ms Chris O’Gorman, Senior Chaplain, please do so via [email protected].

Mr Ian Loom
Associate Chaplain of Somerville House

When many girls are asked who is the most inspirational woman in their lives, unsurprisingly, they say their mother. Mine was a gentle power-house, a formidable woman, yet she was the quiet voice of wisdom with whom to explore different views. Her strength was defined for me by her unstoppable passion for creativity, her courage to stand up for right when she knew it was not popular and her insistence and patience in encouraging experiential learning. Who is your inspirational woman?

One inspirational woman who breaks the bias by her achievements and has an important message for us is Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann AM, an aboriginal elder from Nauiyu, first fully qualified Aboriginal teacher, lead educator, an accomplished artist, activist, writer and public speaker. She invites Australians to adopt "Dadirri", deep listening to the Aboriginal people and land, which is central to the spirituality of her people. It is a quiet awareness, a "whole way of being", and she explains that,

We encourage our students to draw on this advice and see the inspiration below to #BreaktheBias.

Other inspirational women:

Sanjana Nagesh 

Founder of The Brown Girl Gang, a digital space, that champions and features inspiring South Asian women around the world. 

Hanan Ibrahim

Radiation therapist, model and social activist.

Macinley Butson (20 years of age)

Inventor and scientist, the first Australian to win an award at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) at age 16 by developing Smart Armour, a shield for breast cancer patients to protect their non-treated breast while undergoing radiotherapy. Her favourite quotation is from Albert Einstein,

Mrs Julie Brunckhorst
Dean of Student Wellbeing

Acknowledgements:
https://www.internationalwomensday.com/theme

Our community, both locally and globally, is currently burdened by distressing news.  The images of war in Ukraine, the ongoing impact of COVID-19, and the flooding we have experienced in Brisbane is a lot for adults, let alone young people, to process.

As parents and teachers, it is essential for us to help children navigate these distressing images and stories.  We know many students, particularly older students with more access to connected devices, will be bombarded by this 24/7 news cycle of hopelessness. Younger students will hear stories at school, on the news and through adults’ conversations.

Whilst it is important we talk to our children about these events, it is also our responsibility to ensure we help them to step away and process the heaviness of the news cycle.  We share with you some strategies for helping your children navigate the news they are absorbing.

• Encourage breaks from social media.  Do something relaxing that takes your mind away from "doomsday scrolling". Read a book, daydream, dance, take a walk with the dog or practise some mindfulness.  (As adults we must also model these tips and put our phones away).
• Watch small amounts of news together where there is the opportunity for parents to explain, in an age-appropriate manner, what is happening.
• Avoid the temptation to have the news on constantly at home and in the car.
• Find a story that shifts the focus to positive examples of humanity.  Local businesses offering warm showers and charging stations, global demonstrations in support of Ukraine, the puppy rescued on the paddle-board at Milton.

For more advice on how to navigate the hopelessness of the current 24/7 news cycle with your child, Maggie Dent, author and educator, speaks with psychologist Sean Panambalana in the ABC podcast, The news sucks. Here’s how to help kids deal with it.  The episode is well worth its eighteen minutes of listening time.  Please click here to listen to the podcast.

Mrs Kathryn Emtage
Associate Dean of Student Wellbeing and Deputy Head of Boarding

Acknowledgement:
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/parental-as-anything-with-maggie-dent/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-news/13389392

1. The formal uniform (green dress and string coloured socks) must be worn to and from school, and during the school day when not participating in a Health and Physical Education lesson. 
2. School bags (Years 7 to 12) and satchels (Years 10 to 12) are to be placed in your locker for the day. 
3. Place your mobile phone in your locker.

Kindness and Connections

I am sure you have all witnessed firsthand or heard about many genuine acts of kindness in recent weeks here in Brisbane. Although it sometimes takes extreme circumstances for acts of kindness to be broadly publicised, we should remember the positive impact of extending kindness every single day.

Kindness is about caring for others through helpful and generous acts. It can involve doing favours and good deeds, providing emotional support, offering our time and skills to others or sometimes simply listening. Being kind helps us build meaningful connections with others.

Research shows that kindness not only helps us connect with others but that it has positive effects on our wellbeing too. When we support and give to others, we feel happier, more energetic, stronger and calmer, less anxious, depressed and stressed. We are wired to feel good when doing things for others – when we carry out acts of kindness, the pleasure centres of our brain light up. Kindness is its own reward.

We can foster our children’s kindness through modelling kindness ourselves, giving them responsibilities and opportunities to be caring and helpful, and exposing them to kind, inspiring people. This communicates the importance that society places on kindness and helps children recognise how connected we all are.

Try this at home - with your children, create a list of five ways you can each show kindness to others as a way to spread joy and build your positive connections. You could even make a plan to carry out all five random acts of kindness today.

We keep in our prayers members of our school community who are still dealing with the consequences of the flood. There are many kind and generous people who are continuing to offer assistance – please reach out if needed via an email to the P&F at [email protected] or Somerville House Senior Chaplain Ms Chris O'Gorman at [email protected].

2022 All School Welcome – Saturday 26 March

The JSSG, MYSG and SYSG invite all parents from Pre-Prep to Year 12 to celebrate the commencement of the new school year at the 2nd Annual All School Welcome. 

• DATE: Saturday 26 March
• TIME: 3.00pm to 6.00pm
• VENUE: Foundation Building – Level 7, Somerville House
• TICKETS: $25pp + Booking fee. Ticket price includes hamburger or hotdog, gelato and drink (dietary options will be catered for).
• RSVP: 4.00pm, Friday 18 March 
• DRESS: Casual attire. Please wear only non-slip shoes and no heels to protect the Tennis Courts as the function may spread into this space.

The event will have year group areas so parents and carers have the opportunity to meet others with children in the same year levels.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS

Prep to Year 6 Parent Teacher Interviews

Semester 1 Parent Teacher Interviews for Prep to Year 6 are scheduled in Weeks 9 and 10, with both classroom and specialist teachers as follows:

• Dates: Monday 21 March, Wednesday 23 March, Tuesday 29 March
• Time: 3.30pm to 6.00pm
• Venue: Junior School Classrooms

There are various ways for teachers to communicate with you regarding your daughter’s progress, and this may have already been happening over Term 1. These meetings are an additional opportunity to liaise if required. Class teacher interviews will be thirteen minutes and will focus on your daughter’s transition into her year level, academic progress and pastoral development. Specialist teacher interviews will be eight minutes.

Booking instructions will be posted on SomerLink at the end of this week. We look forward to seeing you at these interviews and sharing your daughter’s progress with you.

SomerLink assistance

We are keen to support you in using SomerLink, fine-tuning the set-up of your notifications and stepping you through how to access information to ensure you stay up-to-date with your daughter’s activities and progress.

You are invited to an information session (either in-person or online), as per the details below. Please click here to register your attendance.

• Thursday 17 March – 8.45am to 9.30am (IN PERSON) JS Science Lab – K.5.01
• Thursday 17 March – 5.00pm to 6.00pm (ONLINE)
• Friday 18 March – 8.45am to 9.30am (IN PERSON) JS Science Lab – K.5.01

You are welcome to attend any session for however long you need - pop in just to have a few questions answered, or stay for the full session to receive detailed information. 

A reminder to have your mobile/tablet/laptop (whichever device/s you use to access SomerLink) with you.

Mrs Louise McGuire
Head of Junior School

Most of us can remember those magic maths moments from our childhood - learning about measurement in the classroom and seeing it come to life when baking with our grandparents or learning about angles and watching our parents parallel park with new appreciation.

There are endless opportunities for students to make maths connections in their everyday lives. Some simple strategies and activities are listed so you can explore, discover and enjoy maths together with your daughter at home.

Using questioning effectively

Questioning is a powerful tool you can use to help your daughter develop her understanding of mathematics. When children are asked the right kinds of questions, it can strengthen their knowledge, develop their problem-solving skills and improve their reasoning processes. It is often tempting to jump in and show your daughter how to solve a problem if she is struggling. Try to avoid this and ask open-ended questions, which might also buy you time to solve the problem yourself. You could ask:

• What do you think you are being asked to do?
• What do you already know?
• Where do you think you should start?
• What do you think you should do next?

Remember, the one who does the thinking does the learning, so ask questions to encourage your daughter to consider her maths work carefully.

Embrace errors as a learning opportunity

Maths requires practice, and making mistakes is an important part of the learning process. Children can become easily frustrated when they make mistakes and often see them as a failure. Encourage your daughter to recognise mistakes as an opportunity for growth and deeper understanding. If she makes a mistake or gets an answer wrong, instead of correcting it for her, you could ask:

• Are you sure? Does that make sense?
• How did you get to that answer?
• How can you do it another way?
• What does it remind you of?
• What would happen if you …?

Look for maths everywhere

If we want students to truly engage with maths, we must encourage them to look outside the classroom and extend learning at home. When maths is relatable and has a purpose, it becomes an exciting and enjoyable activity. Make maths fun for your daughter by playing games that require mathematical thinking, or looking for maths in everyday activities like shopping, cooking and even sport. 

Please click here for some activities for you to try with your daughter.

Ms Gaye Ryan
Assistant Head of Junior School- Teaching and Learning

Please click here to view a list of upcoming Junior School events and activities.

During last week’s Middle Years Academic Awards Assembly, the School acknowledged students currently in Years 8 and 9 who had attained Academic Awards for their studies in Semester 2 2021. In the Middle Years, students undertake a wide range of subjects and maintaining high results across their studies is a commendable achievement.

During the assembly, students were reminded that academic success takes different forms. While for some it may be maintaining high results each semester, for others it may be persevering to master challenging concepts or skills, taking more intellectual risks in class, becoming more self-directed and organised with assessment preparation; all of which are markers of ongoing, academic growth.

Congratulations to all Academic Award recipients listed with their 2022 tutor group.

ACADEMIC IMPROVEMENT AWARD

• Phoebe H (8E)
• Katie K (9C) 
• Kathryn O (9F)

Year 8 2021

Year 7 2021

Ms Laura Duffield
Dean of Teaching Practices

The DELF (Diplôme d’études en langue française) is an internationally-recognised diploma issued by the French Ministry for National Education to certify French language skills.

One of our very enthusiastic and capable Year 10 French students, Olivia M (10G), had a long-held dream of acquiring the DELF. For many months, she spent hours each week attending tutoring and completing activities to develop her listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.

Finally, in November last year, Olivia sat for the exam, achieving an impressive score of 88%. An amazing result for a student who, at the time, was in Year 9!

Olivia has now set her sights on her long-term dream to become an international lawyer working in France. Bravo, Olivia. We wish you all the best in achieving this dream.

Mr Clayton Forno
Head of Department - Languages

Student achievements 

Congratulations to Jiyou P (5A) who recently won first prize in the cello category in the Gustav Mahler Competition. 

Congratulations to  Ivy H (10D) who has been selected as a finalist to perform in the 2022 Young Instrumentalist Prize Finalists’ Recital. The Finalists' Recital will be held on 6.30pm Thursday 24 March at the Queensland Symphony Orchestra Studio, South Bank. We wish Ivy the best of luck for the finals.

Mr Will Eager 
Director of Co-Curricular Music 

TEDxYouth@SomervilleHouse is an independently organised TED event, aiming to promote ideas related to C.O.V.I.D., or Courage, Opportunity, Vision, Innovation, and Determination.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

We hope that all attendees of TEDxYouth@SomervilleHouse will leave reflecting on the speeches, and therefore spark change in their lives, and the people around them.

• Date and Time: Saturday 26 March, 9.00am to 12.00pm
• Venue: Somerville House, 17 Graham Street, South Brisbane

CLICK HERE to register.

The JSSG, MYSG and SYSG invite all parents from Pre-Prep to Year 12 to celebrate the commencement of the new school year at the second annual All School Welcome.

Tickets are $25pp + Booking Fee* and includes your choice of hamburger or hotdog plus gelato and a drink (dietary options will be catered for).

Please click here to purchase your tickets. 

Students in Year 10 are currently studying The Figure in the Australian Landscape. They will be completing their tonal drawings over the next few weeks, but along the way, they investigated grid drawings as a technique for reproducing accurate tonal drawings. Madeleine’s meticulously detailed drawing of a volleyball athlete shows evidence of the grid system at work to create her carefully observed black and white tonal drawing in carbon pencil.