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: Holidays

24 June 2022

We made it to the end of term but the girls are tired! We are also seeing high levels of illness at the moment – more from influenza than from COVID-19 – and this underlines the need for some proper rest in the upcoming holidays.

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Spotlight on: Placing agency at the heart of learning

17 June 2022

In Canberra recently, the Year 6 students learnt how to vote, ‘wrote’ new Bills, debated contemporary issues in the ‘Senate’, engaged in role-play as Members of Parliament and Government Officials, investigated the extraordinary lives of scientists, artists, architects, and heroes of war and interacted with each other and people they had not previously met – with utmost confidence that they were equipped to participate in these activities. They were, without doubt, demonstrating agency. 

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Spotlight on: Making a Difference

10 June 2022


Australia is blessed with universal access to schooling and, earlier this year, we were reminded how lucky our daughters are. Staff heard a moving account from a parent whose family were forced to flee from the Taliban, and whose wife and daughters had to hide in the house basement secretly studying until they were able to leave Afghanistan.

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Spotlight on: QPA Update

3 June 2022


You may have noticed that we’ve started introducing each of our 12 QPA Committee members and their roles, in the last few newsletters. This is not to flatter their ego or to satisfy a need for recognition – albeit it is always nice to be recognised for a job well done, especially when delivered by a team of enthusiast volunteers – no, this is so parents can reach out to them to give feedback, make suggestions, or simply offer your help. The purpose is also for you to understand what the committee does and what role each volunteer plays in creating an enjoyable journey for the girls and their parents during their years at Queenwood.

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Spotlight on: There is no Path to Perfection

27 May 2022

When we were in Year 7, the Head and Vice Head Prefects seemed to be an image of perfection, exemplifying Queenwood’s values of truth, service, and courage, and embodying everything we wanted to be. If we thought about it at all, we would have assumed that the path to those positions had been filled only with achievements and successes. Now that we hold the roles ourselves, however, we know how far this assumption is from the truth. We are all too conscious of the countless failures, disappointments, hat detentions, and nights filled with tears which we have both experienced in our time at Queenwood.

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Spotlight on: The Bystander

20 May 2022

The lives of our young people have changed. In the classroom, technology is everywhere and has opened up different modes of learning. In social arenas, smart phones and social media are changing the nature of conversations between family and friends. Yet, there are core themes of wellbeing that transcend time and remain important for every child. One of these is the role of the bystander and, whether your child is 8 or 18 years of age, it is more important now than ever.  

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Spotlight on: The Science of Reading – RC = D x LC

13 May 2022

If a single image could conjure up ‘education’, it’s probably that of a child learning to read. Teaching reading is both the most researched topic in education and, probably, the most contested. Some decades ago, those disputes may have been more understandable, but the research base has now developed to the point where the evidence in favour of a particular, systematic approach is overwhelming. That body of evidence is now known in the profession as the ‘science of reading’.

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Spotlight On: Sitting As Little As Possible

6 May 2022

Many of us have experienced the benefits of an active lifestyle and it is common for the habit of participation to begin at school. What you may not have considered in your own school days is the extent to which the sex of the participants or gender stereotypes might influence how the program was designed and the impact of this on participation.

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Spotlight on: Technology

1 April 2022

As adults, we can all recall our own experiences as a teenager, including both moments that we would happily revisit and others we would like to forget. Could you imagine being a teenager today? Could you imagine if every one of these moments were recorded and shared on social media? 

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Spotlight on: The Gift of Time

25 March 2022

Life is busy! With memories of online remote learning still etched in memory banks, crowded family calendars and work schedules, it might seem insensitive or unreasonable to remind parents about the importance of spending time with their daughters. 

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