On Friday 11 October, it was International Day of the Girl Child which was set up by the United Nations in 2011. The aims are to focus attention on the need to address the challenges girls face, and to promote girls’ empowerment and fulfilment of their human rights.

Spotlight On: What does it really mean to be a Queenwood girl?

23 July 2021

When I arrived at Queenwood Junior School at the beginning of this term, I informed the girls in my first morning video announcement that one of the many things I was looking forward to at Queenwood was forming a clear understanding about what it really means to be a Queenwood girl.

READ MORE

Spotlight On: Carrying On

16 July 2021

Assessments and homework expectations are adjusted, Just Read is more important than ever and we are emphasising with the girls the things that underpin their own wellbeing: exercise, healthy sleep patterns, good food, well structured days and so on.

READ MORE

Spotlight On: Learning Better

4 June 2021

Broad and deep knowledge is the basis of critical thinking. Those who already know a lot about the subject have easier access to concepts or ways of thinking that might prove useful in solving the current problem. They can also direct all their thinking capacity (which experts call ‘working memory’) to more complex aspects of the problem because they’re not struggling to remember the basics.

READ MORE

Spotlight On: True Wellbeing

28 May 2021

​Good mental health, Dr Damour argues, is ‘when you have the right feeling at the right time and you are able to manage it effectively’. As we all know, tension, stress, worry, sadness and anxiety can be the proper response to difficult circumstances, and adults often best help young people by helping them reframing these feelings as ‘the right feeling’ in response to that particular challenge – and therefore a sign of emotional maturity and mental strength.

READ MORE

Spotlight on: Reporting

21 May 2021

It has been noted by researchers that the purpose of education is not to sort students – it is to grow students. Teachers are there to coach and mentor, but with ranks and grades only, teachers turn into judges. We can show the unique abilities of students in many ways, without just stratifying them.

READ MORE

Spotlight on: Agency & Responsibility

14 May 2021

One of the pillars of a Queenwood education is independence. We want to encourage our girls to be independent in mind and spirit, to develop into women prepared to chart their own course, seek truth and live courageously.

READ MORE

Spotlight On: Empathy

7 May 2021

Empathy is what sets humans apart from other species and robots.  It allows us to relate to other people and their experiences, helps us understand how others may be feeling and contributes to us being compassionate. The social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that empathy is an ‘antidote to righteousness’ and is key to addressing the polarisation that threatens to undermine democracies. In addition, so-called ‘soft skills’ are increasingly recognised as essential to both personal and professional success, with research emerging to suggest that empathy is essential to developing the capacity to cooperate and collaborate.

READ MORE

Spotlight on: Engaging with the World

30 April 2021

Back in February as the school year commenced, Ms Stone set the girls a challenge: to be a little bit more kind, every day. In order to encourage this theme of kindness, the Year 12s set up a Google form, where all girls from the Senior School could submit anonymous stories about acts of kindness that they had seen or experienced from their time at Queenwood, big or small.

READ MORE

Spotlight on: Speaking Up & Listening

23 April 2021

The term is only a few days old and already we are in top gear. A notable event in this first week was the meeting on Wednesday for any interested Senior School girl to discuss her thoughts, suggestions and questions about sexual assault and harassment.

READ MORE

Spotlight On: Harmony Day

26 March 2021

In keeping with our Social Justice intentions of ensuring a greater commitment and understanding of important issues that impact on society, on individuals, and on us as a community it is important that recognition and acknowledgement are informed, genuine and substantial. Having Ms Abdile here addressing our students gave substance to the occasion. Her powerful poetry together with her account of her journey to Australia, sojourn on Christmas Island, and her experience as a refugee served as a reminder to us all of our shared humanity.

READ MORE