Queenwood School for Girls
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| Queenwood School for Girls | |
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| Per Aspera Ad Astra (Latin:"Through Struggles to the Stars") |
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| Established | 1925 |
| School Type | Independent, Single-sex, Day school |
| Denomination | Non-denominational[1] |
| Key People | Mrs Kem Bray (Principal) Miss Grace Lawrence and Miss Beatrice Rennie (Founders) Mr Robert Westphal (Chairman) |
| School Fees | AU$11,232–18,459 p.a[2] |
| Location | Mosman, New South Wales, Australia  |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Enrolment | ~800 (K–12)[3] |
| Employees | ~81[4] |
| Colours | Red, Grey and White |
| Homepage | www.queenwood.nsw.edu.au |
Queenwood School for Girls is an independent, non-denominational, Christian day school for girls, located in the suburb of Mosman, on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Established in 1925 by Miss Grace Lawrance and named after the Queenwood Ladies' College in East Sussex, Queenwood has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently caters for approximately 800 students from Kindergarten to Year 12.
The school is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA),[5] the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA),[6] the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia,[7] and is a member of the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools (AHIGS).[8]
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[edit] History
Queenwood School for Girls was established by Grace Lawrance, assisted by Beatrice Rennie, as a private, independent, day and boarding school for girls, on 21 September 1925.
The two women had met in 1918, at the Glennie Memorial School in Toowoomba, Queensland, where Lawrance was Principal, and Rennie first assistant-mistress. They travelled to England in 1921, where they visited many of the best girls' schools. Both women resigned from the Glennie in 1925, with the intention of founding a school in Sydney. They chose a large, old house at 47 Mandolong Road, Mosman. Their entrepreneurial courage was remarkable since neither enjoyed perfect health.[9]
The school was named "Queenwood" after the now defunct Queenwood Ladies' College at Eastbourne, in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, which had been founded by Miss Lawrance's mother in 1871, and which was similarly located on a hill overlooking the sea. The site at Mandolong Road was chosen because of its view over Balmoral Beach, and its northeasterly aspect. As Queenwood grew, the school expanded to a second site at Mandolong Road.[10]
By 1926, Queenwood was a registered secondary school, and three years later Miss Rennie was teaching, running the school and caring for her ailing co-Principal. In 1932, a combination of the Depression, Lawrance's death in November, and Rennie's illnesses, meant that Violet Maude Medway often assisted in managing the school. The two women became co-Principals in 1942. Queenwood prospered despite the Depression and Second World War, and by 1950, Rennie was president of the New South Wales branch of the Headmistresses' Association of Australia.[9] The school phased out its boarding program in the 1950s.[11]
In 1962, Rennie retired as co-Principal, but the school remained her home as she worked in the library and helped with the students, as far as her health permitted. In 1966, the school became a non-profit private company, named Queenwood School for Girls Ltd.[9]
The Junior School moved to the Medway Centre at Queen Street, Mosman in 1990, and later the Visual Arts Department moved to a separate site on The Esplanade at Balmoral Beach.[10]
[edit] Principals
| Period | Details |
|---|---|
| 1925 – 1931 | Miss Grace Lawrance, Founder |
| 1931 – 1961 | Miss Beatrice Rennie, Co-Principal with Miss Violet Medway 1942–1961 |
| 1942 – 1982 | Miss Violet Medway |
| 1982 – 1987 | Mrs Alison Stalley |
| 1987 – 1996 | Mrs Judith Wheeldon |
| 1996 – present | Mrs Kem Bray[10] |
[edit] Campus
Queenwood is comprised of four campuses,[12] each located in suburban Mosman. The site at 47 Mandolong Road on which Queenwood was founded, was completely redeveloped in 2002/03 and became operational in term four of 2003.[13] This campus caters for the Senior School (Years 7 to 12), and houses most of the academic activities of the School, including classrooms, integrated technology, a 600 seat tiered Auditorium, an underground car park, library, and music and drama facilities.[14]
[edit] Curriculum
Queenwood School for Girls' is registered and accredited with the New South Wales Board of Studies, and therefore follows the mandated curriculum for all years.
[edit] Junior school
In the Junior School, the curriculum is based on the six primary Key Learning Areas of English, Mathematics, Human Society and its Environment, including language's other than English, Science and Technology, Creative and Practical Arts, and Physical Education, Personal Development and Health.[15]
[edit] Middle school
Years 7 to 10 are known as Middle School, and at this stage most students are offered a range of curriculum choices. In Year 7, the school follows a mandatory pattern of subject choices. Year 8 students are introduced to six new subjects from which they select two for further study. In Year 9 students refine their subject choices in order to begin their preparation for the School Certificate of which is examined at the conclusion of Year 10. Whilst the mandated core subjects must be completed, students choose three electives which may include those studied in Year 8 or may consist of new subjects or a combination of both.[16]
[edit] Senior school
In Year 11, students are prepared for either the Higher School Certificate (HSC) or the International Baccalaureate (IB), depending on their preference.[1] Those choosing to complete the HSC must study at least eleven units including: at least two units of English; at least one unit from the Key Learning Area Group 1 of Science, Mathematics and Technological and Applied Studies; and at least one unit from the Key Learning Area Group 2 of Languages Other Than English, Human Society and its Environment, Creative Arts, Personal Development, Health and Physical Education.[17]
[edit] House system
As with most Australian schools, Queenwood utilises a house system through which students may participate in intra-school competitions and activities. The school currently has three houses:
- Queen
- Wood
- School
[edit] Notable alumnae
Alumni of Queenwood School for Girls' are known as Old Girls and may elect to join the schools alumni association, the Queenwood Old Girls' Association (QOGA).[18] Some notable 'Old Girls' of Queenwood include:
- Academic
- Wendy Catherine Ashley-Cooper (née Green) – Principal of The Glennie School, Toowoomba, Queensland; Deputy Principal of Fraser Coast Anglican College (1997–2001) (also attended Queen Elizabeth School, Harare)[19]
- Gemma Figtree – 1999 Rhodes Scholar[20]
- Entertainment, media and the arts
- Kristy Warner – Radio Newsreader for Nova 969[citation needed]
- Alexandra Agoston-O'Connor – Model[citation needed]
- Ann Carr Boyd – Musician[1]
- Shirley Hazzard – Writer[1]
- Jane Nicholls – Editor of Who Weekly magazine[21]
- Dorothy Porter – Writer[1]
- Madeleine St John – Writer
- Phoebe Tonkin – Actress
- Anna Volska – Actress[1]
- Politics, public service and the law
- Anna McPhee – Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace[22]
- Suzanne Sharon Vardon AO – Chief Executive of the Department for Families and Communities, South Australia; Inaugural CEO of Centrelink (1997–2004), Chief Executive of the Department of Correctional Services (SA) (1994–97); Telstra SA Businesswoman of the Year 2005; Recipient of the Centenary Medal 2003[23]
- Sport
- Zali Steggall – Olympic skier[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g Queenwood School for Girls. New South Wales. School Choice (2007). Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
- ^ Queenwood School. Directory. Sydney's Child. Retrieved on 2007-10-29.
- ^ Queenwood School for Girls. New South Wales. Internet Schools Directory. Retrieved on 2007-10-29.
- ^ Queenwood School Annual Report 2005 (accessed:25-05-2007)
- ^ New South Wales. AHISA Schools. Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (April 2007). Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
- ^ JSHAA New South Wales Directory of Members. New South Wales Branch. Junior School Heads' Association of Australia (2007). Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
- ^ Butler, Jan (2006). Member Schools. Members. The Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
- ^ Heads of New South Wales Independent Girls' Schools. About AHIGS. The Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools (2004). Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
- ^ a b c Curnow, Jill (2002). "Rennie, Beatrice Lilias (1893 - 1971)". Australian Dictionary of Biography (Online) 16. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. pp.77-78. Retrieved on 2008-01-17.
- ^ a b c History. About Queenwood. Queenwood School for Girls. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
- ^ Archives. History. Queenwood School for Girls. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
- ^ Aims. Philosophy. Queenwood School for Girls. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
- ^ Building for the future. Parents Current. Queenwood School for Girls. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
- ^ Curriculum. Queenwood School for Girls. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
- ^ Program. Junior. Queenwood School for Girls. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
- ^ Program. Middle. Queenwood School for Girls. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
- ^ Program. Senior. Queenwood School for Girls. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
- ^ Queenwood Old Girls Association. Old Girls. Queenwood School for Girls. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
- ^ "ASHLEY-COOPER Wendy Catherine". Who's Who in Australia Live!. (2006-11-17). Ed. Suzannah Pearce. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
- ^ "NSW Rhodes Scholars" — University of Sydney list, (retrieved 16 April 2007)
- ^ "NICHOLLS Jane". Who's Who in Australia Live!. (2006-11-17). Ed. Suzannah Pearce. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
- ^ "McPHEE Anna". Who's Who in Australia Live!. (2006-11-17). Ed. Suzannah Pearce. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
- ^ "VARDON (Sue) Suzanne Sharon". Who's Who in Australia Live!. (2006-11-17). Ed. Suzannah Pearce. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd. Retrieved on 2007-10-01.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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