2021 YEAR IN REVIEW
We acknowledge the Dharug, Darkinjung, Wonnarua and Yolŋu peoples who are the traditional custodians of the land on which Barker College, Darkinjung Barker, Ngarralingayil Barker and Dhupuma Barker stand. We pay respect to the Elders past, present and emerging of the Dharug, Darkinjung, Wonnarua and Yolŋu nations and extend that respect to other Indigenous people within the Barker College community.
Honor Non Honores Mission
Vision
Values
An Anglican community inspiring every learner every experience every day
To be a leader in Christian education that is characterised by a global vision that inspires hope
Commitment Compassion Courage Integrity Respect
From the Head
A
new academic year offered the opportunity to lift our eyes, to look up, to look ahead, to look beyond. Certainly the first two terms of 2021 provided that opportunity and we were grateful to see the return of concerts, sporting events, Drama performances and School life as we know it after such a disrupted 2020.
Despite the interruptions of a prolonged online learning period in Term 3 and early Term 4, the School aimed to replicate as much as possible in the online world. Teachers utilised a range of tools to enhance the online experience for students and the host of co-curricular@ home programs and activities, were appreciated by students and families alike.
A special blessing for our community in 2021 was the official opening of Dhupuma Barker in North East Arnhem Land at the start of Term 2. The opening of this Indigenous primary school marked a new partnership between an Indigenous community in remote Australia, the Yothu Yindi Foundation and Barker College. Six months on and the students and staff at Dhupuma are thriving. Together these little schools, Darkinjung, Ngarralingayil and Dhupuma, illustrate our passionate commitment to inspiring hope “Beyond the Mint Gates”. This is our vision.
Work commenced in the second half of the year on the Maths and Senior Student Hub. A great deal of thought and consultation has been invested in the design and when completed in 2023, will provide students and staff a world class learning, study and social environment.
This year was the penultimate stage of the coeducation transition and now coeducation in our Middle and Junior School joins the pattern of our Senior School as the norm for the Barker student experience.
The Year in Review is only a snapshot of the work of our students, staff and community in 2021. We rejoice in the blessings of our God through this community and thank you for the deep encouragement and support offered throughout this year. Peace Phillip Heath AM Head of Barker College BA (Hons), MA (Hons), DipEd, FACE, FACEL (ACT), HFTGN
2021 Year in Review
•1
Academic Highlights To complement the School’s teaching and learning framework, the start of 2021 saw the introduction of a new progressive reporting model, initially in the Middle School. The aim of this approach is to provide more timely, actionable feedback to students with the aim of moving each student forward towards their goals for learning. Progressive reporting has been implemented through the Canvas learning management system. Semester 1 was punctuated by a series of academic enrichment events. In Term 1, over fifty students participated in the Microsoft Imagine Cup Junior. Students were guided through a series of design sprints with a focus on designing a product that would use artificial intelligence for good. In Term 2 we received the news that one of the Barker teams had been announced in the Australian Top 10. As part of the orientation program at the start of the year, Year 7 students participated in the second annual STEAM Camp. With a focus on collaboration, creativity, and fast-paced fun, students worked in House teams to design and manufacture an accurate table tennis ball server. The most successful designs were innovative and incredibly accurate. The School has continued to offer gifted students the opportunity to undertake tertiary level courses to extend their thinking and offer them a taste of university study. Four students in Year 11 completed a course in critical thinking as part of the Macquarie University Gifted and Talented Entry Program. Another group participated in the Logos for Schools program offered by The University of Notre Dame. This course focuses on philosophy and ethics and builds on the study of philosophy and rhetoric that all students complete in Year 9.
2 • 2021 Year in Review
This year saw the extension of the academic mentoring program to students in the Middle School. The mentoring program matches successful ex-students with current students. Mentors provide guidance in a range of academic areas, helping students to seek advice from people who have travelled the same path as them and more recently than their teachers! Term 3 started and finished in lockdown with teachers and students working remotely. Some found this an incredibly challenging learning environment, but many students thrived due to the collaboration between students, teachers, and parents and the effective use of digital learning tools. A triumph of this unusual time was the sustaining of an effective learning culture, particularly for the Year 12 cohort, and the running of the Trial examinations online. The student body responded brilliantly to this challenge and it was a credit to their courage and resilience. The Year 12 cohort were able to return to classrooms from 18 October and enjoyed their last days of formal schooling reconnecting with their teachers and peers. In the weeks before the delayed HSC examinations commenced, Year 12 participated in the Barker Big Finish, a series of revision sessions most of which were delivered by the students themselves.
2021 Year in Review
•3
4 • 2021 Year in Review
Junior School In 2021, we welcomed over 200 new students into the Junior School. There are now 650 students and a good proportion of gender balance across Pre-Kindergarten to Year 5. This year, the Junior School Executive team set the Academic profile, the next phase of coeducation transition and student well-being as key focus areas. Key to the Academic Profile is assessment, data gathering and tracking of student progress. In order to cater for the diverse needs of students within any class, accurate and up to date information about each child is essential. Work also commenced on the introduction of progressive reporting, which will provide families with more regular information about student progress. Progressive Reporting commenced as a pilot program in Semester 2 for all Year 4 classes and will be rolled out across the Junior School in 2022. A further new initiative this year was building the profile of the Gifted and Talented programs in the Junior School. Claire Hoare was appointed as the new Gifted and Talented educator to identify and then develop systems to ensure students are catered for in their learning. As part of the final stage of the transition to full coeducation, co-curricular sport and non-sport options for both boys and girls were examined, to ensure there were enough options and appropriate options for both boys and girls. In Term 1, Years 5 and 6 classes moved into the new Junior School East wing. The ten new classrooms, and
four refurbished rooms on the eastern end of the Copeland building, were a welcome addition to the teaching and learning spaces. In Term 3, students and staff made a positive transition to online learning. A revised shape of the day from the start of the term was positively received by the community. The key reason for the revised day was to manage student online time and ensure a quality teaching and learning experience across a sustained period. Chapel Services and Assemblies continued to run either by pre-recorded video or live TEAMS event, and sport was scheduled after lunch each Thursday with a variety of activities for children to engage with during the hour session. A connection theme for each week of Term 3 and early into Term 4, also provided a focus for students, families and teachers and was enjoyed by all. The children certainly missed the face-to-face interaction with their friends and the opportunity to play together in the playground and were excited to return to School from week 3 of Term 4.
Martin Lubrano Head of Junior School 2021 Year in Review
•5
Academic and Service Partnerships • A parent information evening was held in Term 2 to introduce new parents to the PYP program and highlight differentiation and Gifted and Talented programs in the Junior School.
• Harmony Day was celebrated between May 15 – 21. Junior School celebrated with a mufti day where children were able to wear traditional cultural dress or orange to show their support for an inclusive attitude towards cultures and the benefits of a diverse Australia.
• Junior School students supported the Barker Bike Ride for Brain Cancer event in Term 2, raising awareness and funds.
• In Term 2, 50 Junior School students and their parents, participated in a promotion for World Maths Day, in conjunction with 3P Learning (Mathletics, Reading Eggs, Mathseeds) on the SUNRISE Breakfast program on Channel 7. Sam Mack from SUNRISE did each of his live weather crosses from the Junior School, which saw the children participating in maths games and online challenges.
• Students in Years 4 – 6 undertook the Assessing Well-being in Education survey in May. This survey alerts staff to any concerns that students may have with their well-being at school, particularly how they are feeling about school, their general mood and the level of bullying that they perceive to be occurring across the School.
• The URStrong program has become an important part of the well-being programs in Junior School. In early June, parents were invited to an online parent workshop with the founder and Director of URStrong, Dana Kerford. Close to 100 families (parents and their children) attended the workshop exploring the language of friendship and the best way to support children in the development of healthy, feel-good friendships.
• The Junior School celebrated World Environment Day in June, raising almost $1200 for student led urban greening projects.
• Students engaged in Reconciliation Week and National Sorry Day as part of the effort to build connection and understanding with Indigenous Australians.
• Fathers’ Day Virtual Breakfast was a wonderful event held on the first Friday in September. 170 families joining the event to hear guest speaker, Shane Fitzsimmons, current Commissioner of Resilience NSW and the former Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service, leading us through the devastating 2019/20 fire season, speaking about leadership, managing in times of crisis, using your strengths to help others and the importance of family.
• The Junior School hosted a Parent information Evening with the topic “Supporting your child during online learning”. This event provided the opportunity to introduce the two new Junior School counsellors to the community, as well as providing some practical suggestions to assist families manage the well-being of their children.
• Year 6 PYP Exhibition was conducted entirely within online learning this year. The children did an incredible job researching their passion area, working with their group and a mentor, and preparing and presenting their Sway outlining their learning process. Many children undertook effective and appropriate action as part of their learning. We were able to host an official Opening to Exhibition in the first week of return to school.
• Ines Lai (Year 5) published her first book, My Magical Mirror.
• The Junior School supported Anglicare’s Christmas Appeals – Toys ‘n’ Tucker and Hamper Hub.
• Peachy the Therapy Dog has continued to be an important part of well-being in the Junior School. Peachy continues her training with Therapy Dogs Australia and will undergo certification early in 2022.
• Year 6 raised over $17000 for the Kids’ Cancer Project, through their Write a Book in a day fundraiser.
6 • 2021 Year in Review
Junior School
Co-curricular • Establishment of a coeducational Copeland Choir in Years 5 and 6.
• The ISDA (Independent Schools Debating Association) Primary A debating team qualified for the quarter-finals of this year’s competition. Unfortunately, the Primary B team just missed out on the octo-finals by one margin point after finishing on the same competition points as second, third and fourth in their division.
• Mason Morrisey and Chris Kavanagh (Year 6) were selected to swim for Barker at the CAS Swimming Carnival at SOPAC in the 12 Years 50m Freestyle Division and Championship respectively. Mason placed 3rd and Chris 4th.
• Byron Best (Year 6) held the title of U13 NSW State Champion for Mountain Bike Enduro Racing. He competed in the Australian Mountain Bike Championships.
• Emma Lukell (Year 5) represented the School at NSW
• Football teams saw a significant number of girls in
Combined Independent Schools Girls’ Basketball Championships. Her strong performance at these Championships resulted in her selection in the NSW CIS Girls’ Basketball team. Emma is the first Junior School girl to represent Barker at CIS. She went on to compete at the NSW PSSA Girls’ Basketball Championships held in June.
• Development sessions for students were run each
• Three Year 6 boys attended the NSWCIS Primary AFL trials. Levi Macri gained selection in the NSW CIS Primary Boys AFL team and played at the state championships at Byron Bay in May.
• The Swimming team represented Barker at the Knox Invitational Swimming Carnival and the IPSHA Championships at SOPAC. As a result of their performances, two students qualified to swim at NSWCIS Championships on March 18; Jack Woodrow (Year 6 – 11 Years 50m Backstroke, Fly and Freestyle) and Mason Morrisey (Year 6 – 12 Years 50m Backstroke).
Year 3, 4 and 5 choosing to play with the boys instead of playing Netball or Hockey in the IPSHA girls only competitions. In Rugby, one Year 5 girl played in the 5A Rugby team and one Year 5 girl played in the 5A Football team with three other girls in the 5B team. One Year 5 girl also played in the 5B cricket team. week for sports including AFL, Basketball, Football, Netball, Rugby, Cricket and Hockey.
• A top 15 place gains selection in the IPSHA Cross Country team to compete at the NSWCIS Championships held at Eastern Creek in June. Four Barker students were able to achieve this requirement; 9 Years Girls – Ashley Temple – 7th place, 9 Years Boys – Hugh Giffin – 12th place, 10 Years Boys – Angus Ridley – 11th place & 11 Years Boys – Louis Withford-Cave – 11th place.
• Sebastian Londono Jekey (Year 5), represented Barker at the NSW CIS Primary Boys Hockey Trials.
2021 Year in Review
•7
Junior School
• Oscar Davy-Griffiths (Year 5) competed for the NSW IPSHA Boys’ Football team at the NSW CIS Championships. His team finishing equal first at these Championships.
• Jack Woodrow (Year 6) represented the School and NSWCIS at the NSW PSSA Swimming Championships in April. He competed in the 11 Years Boys’ 50m Freestyle and Butterfly events.
• Oliver Kings (Year 6) represented Barker in the Oxley College Equestrian event. Oliver was Years 5 and 6 Overall Champion and Show Rider Champion following 1st places in 60cm Show Jumping, Dressage Prelim 1A and Show Rider – rider class, and 2nd place in Show Rider – pairs.
• At the NSW Taekwondo Championships Jade (Year 5) and Lachlan (Year 3) MacGowan performed exceptionally. Jade placed 1st overall in Red belt Youth 10 Year olds, 34 kg class, whilst Lachlan placed 3rd in Blue Belt Youth 8 Year old 28kg class.
• Matilda Davy-Griffiths (Year 5) was selected for the NSWCIS Girls’ Football team to compete at the NSW PSSA Championships played in Lismore. The CIS team placed 2nd at the Championships out of the 14 Regional teams.
• Lachie Walther (Year 6) was selected to represent CIS at the NSW PSSA Rugby Championships in August in Mudgee.
• Ashley Temple (Year 3) qualified to compete at the NSW PSSA Cross Country Championships, however, these were unable to be held due to COVID restrictions.
8 • 2021 Year in Review
Outdoor Education • Year 5 attended the new Lake Mac Cru Camp in Term 2. This was the first time the Junior School had sent over 160 boys and girls on a Year 5 camp. The children enjoyed one night in a tent camping out and one night in the newly built accommodation. Activities included, sailing, canoeing, rafting and rock climbing.
• Year 4 travelled to the Tops Conference Centre at Stanwell Tops. For most of these children, if not all, this was their first school camp after our Year 3 and 4 camp was cancelled in 2020. For many, it was their first night away from home ever. The Crusaders team facilitated the program, which included a giant swing, catapult games, pedal go-karts and rope climbing.
• Year 3 students experienced a fantastic three days at Crusaders Galston on their outdoor education camp at the end of May.
• Year 6 attended Camp Somerset on the Colo River in March. The School has attended Somerset for over 30 years with Year 6. The children camp in tents at three locations across the week and highlight activities include canoeing, rafting, wombat hole, archery, bush walking, Base 7 and high ropes.
Junior School
Darkinjung Barker • 34 students were enrolled at the School this year. • Tahlia Scheermeijer was appointed as the new teacher
• Books in Homes ambassadors visited and shared their
at the campus replacing Tom Spencer who moved to Gunyangara as the foundation teacher at Dhupuma Barker. Roger Young also moved from Hornsby to Yarramalong for the year.
• Students undertook activities as part of Sorry Day and
• The Music and Swimming programs recommenced on the fortnightly Wednesday visits to the Hornsby campus. These programs are extremely valuable to the students as they build their skills and confidence. The Robotics program that began in 2020 recommenced with students having a session at Hornsby on their visit and a session in Yarramalong on the alternate week.
• Art Teachers from the Senior School at the Hornsby campus undertook a sculpture project with the children.
• A Sport in Schools Grant program, Netball – Net, Set, Go, commenced at Darkinjung in Term 2. Each Friday Netball coaches visited the School to run this program.
• The School was gifted a program from Ballet Without Borders for all children. The program ran for five weeks with each class receiving a 45 minute session. Ballet without Borders is a not-for-profit organisation that brings ballet education and ballet pathways to children. They look at ballet education as part of the bigger picture, a pathway to experiencing art and music as well as learning about discipline, hard work, dedication and teamwork - all key skills for life.
knowledge as authors and also distributed the books that were donated by Hornsby staff for each child to add to their home library. National Reconciliation Week. They danced at the Whole School Assembly on the OBA Soundstage at Hornsby as part of NAIDOC Week celebrations.
• The engagement with the online learning environment for the children from Darkinjung was challenging during Term 3. The teachers adapted their teaching programs effectively and this year saw greater interaction and teaching using the TEAMS platform.
• Indigenous cultural specific events included Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day celebrated on 4 August and Indigenous Literacy Day held on Wednesday 1 September. These are significant events for our Indigenous children as they share culture more broadly than just their own school environment.
• Sporting Schools grant was provided for Gymnastics in Term 4, as well as an online dance program with Brolga Indigenous Dance Academy.
2021 Year in Review
•9
Junior School
Ngarralingayil Barker • The year started positively at Wollombi with increased enrolments and the appointment of an additional teacher, Tammy Hunter, a Wonnarua woman, to work in conjunction with Mandy Shaw and Leisa Sturt.
• 21 students enrolled at the commencement of the new school year.
• Cultural Connections with Youth Express commenced in Term 2. The group provided some programs for the students in Robotics and VR.
• A Sporting Schools grant program commenced in Term 2. The focus of the program was Athletics and coaches visited weekly to conduct the program with the children.
• Students attended the whole school NAIDOC Week assembly on the OBA Soundstage at Hornsby.
• “Proud in culture, strong in spirit” was celebrated for National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day. The focus was on keeping our spirit strong and connecting our happy spirit to each other. We celebrated Indigenous Literacy Day through virtual storytelling.
• National Sorry Day, Reconciliation Week, Mabo Day, and NAIDOC have brought deeper discussions about culture and what it means to us. Our primary students led our Sorry Day assembly and shared their own thoughts and research through their posters and art.
• The students celebrated National Close the Gap Day, Harmony Day and World Down Syndrome Day. This year was very exciting as we had a very special guest join us on World Down Syndrome Day. Amarli is a Wiradjuri girl in Year 8. She shared her Acknowledgement of Country in sign language.
• Ngarralingayil Barker participated in the online event from the Brolga Indigenous Dance Academy.
• Bunnings Cessnock donated a worm farm, garden cart, mini green houses, rakes, spades, gloves and trowels for the children to assist in our garden rejuvenation.
10 • 2021 Year in Review
• Books in Homes ambassadors visited Ngarralingayil and shared their knowledge as authors and also distributed the books that were donated by Hornsby staff for each child to add to their home library.
• The children are learning some words in both Wonnarua language and Wiradjuri language along with some songs.
• Decodable readers with an Aboriginal perspective were added to the School library.
• Rev. Brown attended Ngarralingayil for Chapel each week, except during lockdown, where he provided his lessons online.
• On the two visits to the Hornsby campus in Semester 1, the children undertook a swimming program in the Aquatic Centre.
• The School received a Cessnock City Council $500 grant to build a Bush Tucker Garden at Wollombi.
• Art teachers from the Senior School at the Hornsby campus undertook a sculpture project with the children.
• The children engaged well with online learning during Term 3.
• Students and staff spent time during Terms 3 and 4 rejuvenating the garden beds. This including painting the garden beds and replanting vegetables, herbs and some fruits.
• The Wollombi School Community Education Trust procured a grant for a cubby house that was installed into the garden area at the end of Term 3. This has been a great addition to the play space.
• Mandy Shaw, K-2 teacher and the foundation teacher at that campus, was appointed as the new Director of Aboriginal Campuses NSW from the beginning of 2022. Mandy will work across both campuses supporting teaching and learning, managing the campuses day to day, building connections with local Aboriginal organisations and ensuring connection across all campuses of the School.
• Local on Country excursions to explore and find local bush tucker. The children love collecting, oysters, mud mussels, pipis and bringing them back to school for a cook up.
• Apple have provided one-to-one iPads for the students.
• Indigenous Readers and Honey Ant Readers have been a big hit with the students. These were donated by Barrenjoey Capital Partners.
• Assemblies are every Friday where we join with FAFT (Families as First Teachers – children below school age with a family member) and celebrate the events of the week. There is singing, videos of the past week and attendance awards. They follow this with a sit down lunch with all the families and students eating together.
Dhupuma Barker • The School opened in Term 2 in Gunyangara with on average 18 students attending each day with very positive attendance rates.
• Basic sight word learning was the initial focus with the majority of students only recognising the first 20-30 sight words.
• In their first term at the School, the children undertook basic sentence writing using both English and Yolngu Matha together.
• The appointment of Lori Cross at the beginning of Term 3 was a wonderful addition to the teaching team at Dhupuma, fitting in well with the community in Gunyagara.
• Tom Spencer has made a good connection with Flinders University who have a campus in Nhulunbuy. Two practicum students (nutritionists) visited the School every Monday for a few weeks to deliver a 45 minute lesson on healthy eating.
• Four literacy rotations each day include:
• Aides taught the children their Moiety, skin names, totems, homeland and clan groups. All students know who they are and where they belong. There are plenty of Bungul dances, focusing on their totems.
• Each week all of the children head out into the community to help clean up. The key focus here is building respect for and responsibility within the community.
• The djamarrkuli (students) love their sport and the classes try and get out once a day for a whole school game.
• The children attended a wonderful excursion to the NASA Arnhem Space Centre. This will be the commercial space launch facility, located on the Dhupuma Plateau near Nhulunbuy.
• Andrew Brown commenced delivery of an online Chapel service each week for the children and staff at Dhupuma Barker.
• The children started music lessons in October. These are whole class lessons and then individual students will be learning Guitar one-on-one.
– Yolngu Matha - Students learn to read/write in Yolngu Matha taught with the aides.
• In Term 4, students attended an intensive Learn to
– English - Students are learning Jolly Phonics phonemes. Some groups are on their initial sounds, two groups are starting to blend CVC words together and another group are learning their digraphs th, wh, ch, sh, ng.
• The East Arnhem Sport Coordinator ran three lessons
– Sight Words - Students are enjoying this group, learning their sight words through games memory, go fish, snap etc.
• Bungul with the Gunyangara community in Term 4 –
– Epic readers.
• In Term 4, a Yolngu man in Gunyangara wrote a song
• Students’ progress in their reading after only a few short weeks was fantastic. They have a ‘can-do’ attitude and really want to succeed.
• Strong and continued support from a few of the Yolngu women in the community. They really want to see these children do well and grow up to be strong leaders in the community.
Swim program in Nhulunbuy. during Term 4 and will continue in 2022 with the potential for students to be included in the swimming and athletics carnivals, and gala days with other schools in the Nhulunbuy community. elders showed the students Dance. Many community members joined in with the festivity. together with the students, which was then put to music. The children spend each morning singing and learning this song. It speaks of where they are from, the importance of learning both ways, but remembering the importance of the Yolngu culture.
2021 Year in Review
• 11
Middle School
2021 marked the final year before a fully coeducational Middle School. This year, for the first time, each House appointed a male and female House Captain along with eight Middle School Seniors (with a portfolio responsibility in Music, Sport, Wellbeing, Cru, Social Justice, Academic Studies, STEM and Performing Arts) to form the leadership group for the Middle School in 2022. We were fortunate to be able to hold the Induction Service on 8 November with all of Year 8 in attendance. A record number of males and female students signed up for cadets in Year 8, with the first of our female Middle School cadets joining the program. This year in the Middle School a progressive reporting system was introduced, where teachers provide detailed feedback on a range of learning criteria on a series of checkpoint activities. This feedback is made available to students and parents via the Canvas learning management system. The thinking behind progressive reporting is to set up more timely feedback loops where a student can identify areas of improvement, where further effort is needed and to set goals to motivate and drive the learning process.
12 • 2021 Year in Review
A new initiative entitled ‘Plan – Organise – Prioritise’ was developed to support the improvement of executive functioning skills in students. All classes in the Middle School cease at 3.10pm each day and the supervising teacher takes the students through a 10 minute planning exercise to encourage clear understanding of homework due, as well as providing guidance on planning for upcoming assessment tasks, future resource requirements and other events. After a prolonged period of online learning throughout Term 3 and early Term 4, a significant effort was directed to programming as rich as possible experiences in relation to sport, music, cadets and the myriad of other activities which represent the full and rich Barker experience.
James Denton Head of Middle School
Academic and Service Partnerships Dignity Dishes - Over 70 Year 9 students participating in the Duke of Edinburgh program, prepared almost 230 meals a fortnight for the Dignity charity organisation who then distributed the delicious home cooked meals to the homeless and other needy families in our local area. A number of parents also donated meals during the course of the year. Year 7 parents attended an evening event in February focused on the communication of information about the academic program. Greg Longney, Director of Teaching and Learning gave an overview of the class placement process, the teaching and learning framework which drives the learning process, guided inquiry and the expectations around homework. The keynote speaker on the evening was Yasmin London from ySafe who addressed the parents on the topic of cyber safety, being safe on social media and practical strategies to manage teenagers with digital devices. Year 7 participated in a Wellbeing seminar in Term 1 facilitated by Burn Bright and Enlighten Education. The seminars were designed to develop social and emotional skills in resilience, self-identity and worth; peer influence and positive decision making; resolving conflict in friendships; inclusivity, communication and goal setting. Year 8 students participated in a Wellbeing day in March with presentations from Burn Bright, Brainstorm and ySafe. Key themes were developing healthy relationships, safe and legal use of social media and positive peer relations. Heads of House were also able to engage productively with the students in their House.
All students in the Middle School completed the AWE Wellbeing Survey. This is the second year this survey has been completed and the purpose is to provide a snapshot of the wellbeing status of students. When Year 7 students were not at Teen Ranch, an alternate series of activities focussing on STEAM education and ICT training took place. The final day of this week saw students attending intensive training in a range of functions on their laptop computer, including OneNote, canvas, calendar functions, email, Microsoft Teams, progressive reporting, document creation and organisation, note taking, using the creative elements of the device and other essential skill building activities. In Term 4, Year 7 students commenced the Darug language and culture unit of work in their language classes. The commencement of the unit of work was formally acknowledged in a special assembly for Year 7 students at the start of the term. Uncle Wayne Cornish, Operations Manager at Muru Mittigar and CEO of the Blue Mountains Aboriginal and Resources Centre, was the guest speaker. He commended the study of an Indigenous language as an important instrument to encourage understanding, recognition and appreciation of Indigenous culture. He also encouraged the students to embrace the opportunity to get immersed in the language as this would assist in enhancing the shared understanding of culture. OBA Spirit Awards were awarded to those students who in the areas of sport, music and debating, embodied the spirit of ‘Honour non Honors’.
2021 Year in Review
• 13
Middle School
Co-curricular Teen Ranch for Year 7 students provided an excellent midterm break and an opportunity to encourage friendships and foster deeper relationships between Heads of House, Connect Group Leaders and students. Year 8 students were fortunate to enjoy a full Outdoor Education program at the Grange. This year almost 90 Year 9 students were scheduled to participate in the Extended Stay program. Two of the four groups were able to travel to the Northern Territory for this experience, but unfortunately the extended lockdown in Term 3, saw the rest of the program cancelled. Move-a-thon – Middle School students applied themselves wholeheartedly to a range of co-curricular events and activities organised online during Term 3 and the extended lockdown. The Summer Sports Day at the end of Term 4 provided a great opportunity for students to participate in a range of activities, foster House spirit and to finish the year on a positive note.
14 • 2021 Year in Review
2021 Year in Review
• 15
Senior School During what was to be another disrupted and challenging year, the morale and tone of the Senior School remained very positive as students became even more appreciative of the face-to-face learning opportunities and additional support provided to them by staff. While 2021 was not the year anyone could have anticipated for our Year 12 students, spending their final term of school online was challenging to say the least. However, they have dealt with all the disappointments and changes to normality with stoicism, with good grace and good humour. We cannot be prouder of them all as a year group. They were performing magnificently in so many areas before the great lockdown and continued to impress us all throughout. It was wonderful to see all of our Senior School students in person when they returned in Term 4. They were so happy to be at school and to be with their friends. They looked fit and healthy, some with quite imaginative haircuts and it was so good for them (and us) to be here! At the end of their formal schooling we were fortunate to hold a Testamur Presentation and the Valedictory Dinner. Both occasions were very well received and thoroughly enjoyed by all. In Sport, a full summer season was followed by an abruptly cancelled winter season. We were very happy and lucky to be able to play some rounds of winter sport and have genuine competitions, but missing these rounds of sport in Term 3 and most of Term 4, reinforced our understanding and appreciation of the great value and pleasure sport provides, not only for the competitors on the field, but also for their supporters on the sidelines and in the stands.
Throughout the year, there were many leadership and service opportunities on offer, helping students from Years 10 - 12 to learn how they could be involved in Christian Service, Social Justice and Environmental Projects. We also became even more aware of the importance of our Corporate times together. We were lucky to finish our year with year group meetings and chapel services, in many cases held outdoors. Having missed these occasions during lockdown, it was a relief to have them back and their value as times for learning, sharing and celebration were very much enjoyed. Year 10 students were not able to attend their camp at Jindabyne, but we were able to provide a week of various activities including workshops developing practical skills that were not able to be taught during online learning, as well as opportunities to develop relationships among the students, with sports days, a first aid course and a leadership day. Not only for our Year 12 students, but also for our Year 10 and 11 students and especially in times such as these, it is always worth remembering the words of Glen Gerreyn, one of our regular visitors to Barker, “Don’t be afraid to fail. If you do…pick yourselves up, dust yourselves off and try again. Let nothing steal your dreams.”
David Giltrap Head of Senior School
16 • 2021 Year in Review
Highlights This year’s Senior Weekend Away was a little bit different, but that did not stop the students having a brilliant weekend. There was a Saturday group of 119 campers, and a total of 98 different students on Sunday. A group of thirty Year 11 and 12 leaders graciously welcomed the Year 10 students, introduced them to the School and aspects of the Christian Faith, as well as leading them through a series of amazingly creative and fun activities. O Week for Year 11 students was an admirable program with 10 presenters and over 150 students in attendance. At the start of the year, students from the Class of 2020 attended the special Academic Assembly and lunch in February. This was an opportunity to celebrate the success of the 2020 cohort and there is no doubt that this provides great encouragement to the Year 12 students. New initiatives to lift the academic tone of the School were introduced, including the installation of carrels in Level 2 of the Library. Level 2 is now for Senior student use only, doing silent, individual study and has been welcomed by the Senior students. Annette Kim (Year 11) was announced as the winner of the 2021 History Simpson Prize for NSW. She submitted a History paper entitled, Surgeon, Scientist, Artist: ANZAC intellectuals on the Western Front in response to the question, “How do lesser-known stories from the Western Front expand our understanding of the Australian experience of the First World War?”. Luke Bentley, Matthew Lee, and Jeremy Davie – placed second at the Northern Sydney Model United Nations Assembly competition in May. With only three weeks’ notice of the competition, they met regularly, even during exams, to research and prepare their positions on the resolutions. They practised true persuasive diplomacy to successfully pass a controversial amendment.
The following students were all recognised in the STANSW Young Scientist Awards. Overall Top Prize: 2021 Young Scientist of the Year and ISEF Finalist 1 – Liberty Jacob – Project Walking Tall. Walking Tall – allows older adults to engage in longer periods of upright stable activity prolonging the use of muscles which decreases the likelihood of falling. Falls are the largest contributor to hospitalised injury cases and leading cause of injury deaths in Australia. ISEF Finalist 2: Max Zhao – Remote Control Raft Cleaner. Physics Year 12 students 2021 2nd: Max Zhao 3rd: Harry Breden Innovation and Engineering Design Awards Liberty Jacob (1st) for her Walking Tall project and Max Zhao (2nd) for his Remote Control Raft Cleaner The AARnet Technology Award, equal first place James Barratt (Year 9) - Wireless Drone Scanner for Detecting Animal Burrows in Farms and Max Zhao (Year 12) - Remote Control Raft Cleaner Unfortunately this year, the Year 12 Visual Arts Exhibition, DT & IT Exhibition, the Textiles Fashion Show, Drama Showcase, Music Performance Evenings and the Extension English and Science presentations either pivoted to online exhibitions, or unfortunately were not able to take place. The Barker Big Start Online at the start of Term 4 was a successful program and provided a stimulating and enjoyable start to HSC studies. It is hoped that we can return to a two-day, overnight camp at the Crusader site, Lake Macquarie next year. The Barker Big Finish, a series of revision lectures and workshops held in the weeks leading up to the HSC was well attended by students, assisting them with their final preparations for the HSC examinations. While not quite the final week that Year 12 had planned, an enjoyable week early in Term 4 allowed Year 12 students to spend three days face-to-face with their teachers and classmates, then take part in a Casuals for a Cause Day, play seemingly endless rounds of Touch Football, be part of a Trivia competition and come together for the traditional Chapel service, shirt signing and final year group meeting.
2021 Year in Review
• 17
Senior School
Service Programs • House Fair The Barker College House Fair was held in March this year. The students supported by their Heads of House, treated students across the School to a feast of sausage sizzles, popcorn, churros, waffles, cupcakes, lolly-bags and pizza. $12,000 was raised and shared between the 16 House charities.
• Clarke Road School In March we returned to our weekly visits to the Clarke Road School (CRS) in Hornsby. Twenty kind and wonderful Year 10 students visited the School to spend an hour with the students in CRS singing, dancing, playing in the playground, reading and hanging out with their new friends. In May, Barker College hosted the Clarke Road School’s Athletic Carnival on the Main Oval. Over 40 Senior students helped their Clarke Road friends warm up, compete and enjoy the fun activities.
• Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal Morning Tea In May, students hosted a morning tea to raise funds for the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal.
• Bob ‘Tug’ Wilson Walk for Kids with Cancer On Sunday 23 May, 16 members of Holt House participated in the Bob ‘Tug’ Wilson 27km charity walk to raise money for The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. Holt House had chosen to support the Children’s Hospital as its House charity and has been participating in this event to raise vital funds for the oncology ward for a few years. The team did a fantastic job at encouraging donations this year with Holt House raising $4110.50.
18 • 2021 Year in Review
• BBQ Fundraiser for Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s Shelter Teachers and students held a BBQ during the School Athletics Carnival in June to raise funds to support the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s Shelter.
• Move-a-thon for Dignity During the week of 16 August, members of the Barker College community committed to being active as part of a Move-a-thon for Dignity. Students in the Junior School and High School participated in the Movea-thon for Dignity sharing their sporting spirit and support for this worthy cause by raising $5,700.
• Term 4 Anglicare Hampers and Christmas Donations The Junior and Secondary School prepared 130 hampers for Anglicare to distribute to families in need during the Christmas period.
• Time Out Basketball continued to run with the support of Senior student volunteers.
Leadership Initiatives • The new School leaders were inducted at an outdoor assembly once students returned to face-to-face learning in Term 4. The new leadership team were able to spend time working together to develop their plans for the coming 12 months. Some added fun on the day saw students participating in a Halloween dress up competition with lots of creative costumes on display!
2021 Year in Review
• 19
Drama Year 12 Play: “Floor of Heaven”
Winter Playhouse
The Barker Drama year began tempestuously with a wonderful dramatic storm of theatrical energy from our Year 12 students. In a production first staged by Damien Ryan over 12 years ago here at Barker called “Floor of Heaven”, 28 very excited actors took to the stage in an ensemble work directed by Angela Morosin and Pia Midgley ably supported by a crew of 12. The very COVID safe audiences were transported from shipwrecks to boy band concerts with the added joy of a live student band to bring the poetry to life.
Once a year Barker Drama showcases some of the wonderful curricular projects we have been working on and this year was no exception. Although rain forced us inside, the Drama Captains still offered the well-loved hot chocolate and banana bread and MC’ed a fantastic evening of Musical Theatre, Dance, Theatresports and more. For the first time they were able to work with the Visual Arts department and display student work in the foyer and onstage. It has become a dearly loved annual event and this year was no exception.
Year 11 Play: “Metamorphoses”
Barker goes Broadway…online!
In a production drawing on Greek mythology, a cast and crew of nearly 40 Year 11s finally had an opportunity to take to the Barker stage. After such an uncertain 2020, these actors beautifully directed by Claire Yeomans reminded us of the fragility of our existence and the importance of morals through a journey of transformation. All of this around the edges of a resort style swimming pool!
Unlike last year when COVID cancelled our usual student led celebration of Musical Theatre…this year we embraced the situation and moved it online! While stuck in lockdown our Drama Captains, Bailey Angus and Jess Samuelson, curated an array of musical (and other) filmed performance pieces and presented them “live-online” for one night only. Awards were presented throughout the night leading to a nail-biting finish. It was exciting to see such an array of talent.
Year 10 Play: “The Happiest Days of your Life” This year more than 35 Year 10s with the directorial excellence of Mr Heath, brought to life the hilarious results of what happens when a boys’ school receives the news that they are to be billeted with an all-female school on just one campus. This English farce set post World War II offered a brilliant opportunity for a talented cast to shine and I think by the end of the season many of them agreed with the old saying, “school days are the happiest days of our lives”.
Year 9 Showcase evening Although Year 9 were not able to be offered a full performance opportunity, Barker Drama still managed a showcase evening. Simon Thompson and Pia Midgley curated a range of scenes designed to take the audience on a trip through the history of theatre. With the expert help of intern Samantha Novis, the boys took audiences on a journey from Shakespeare to Broadway, reminding us all that pandemic or no pandemic – the show must go on!
20 • 2021 Year in Review
Theatresports Barker Theatresports made a strong start to 2021 with the added passion and talent of Ms Keshini de Mel as Coach. Our Senior team and our new Intermediate team competed bravely at the Inter Schools Competition, and then unfortunately, as school moved online in Term 3 our opportunities not only for competing but even for practising were dashed. We farewell our Seniors, some of who have been playing together for three years and look forward to welcoming new players as part of a renewed format for Barker Theatresports in 2022.
Drama
2021 Year in Review
• 21
Music Like everyone, the Music Department thought that after everything that 2020 had thrown at us, we would enjoy a year of relative normality. 372 students attended Music Camp in January at Stanwell Tops. This event is the cornerstone of the program, and ensembles quickly got down to business whilst singers enjoyed working in the outdoors under marquees. Hollywood composer Ken Lampl was also in attendance to workshop a new work being written for Barker’s Choirs and generously funded by the Barker Foundation. Music Camp is the very first Barker experience that many new students are involved in, and our new Year 7 and 10 students made new friends quickly. Term 1 commenced with our full range of rehearsals and activities, a notable addition to the list of new Barker experiences being our choirs rehearsing in the War Memorial and Blackwell stands. Symphony Under the Stars was sadly missed in 2020 and the excitement of making it to a major School performance in March 2021 was only slightly overshadowed by the now traditional wet weather forecast. However, the welcome versatility of the Rosewood Centre and the herculean efforts of Music and Maintenance staff, ensured an unforgettable indoor event. Ensembles and choirs delivered stellar performances and the audience enjoyed an enthusiastic singalong, even as a deluge of Biblical proportions unloaded outside. The student run Coffee House Concerts, featured over 20 solo performers and bands performing to a large live student audience in the Music Centre atrium. This remains a much-loved event on the student calendar. Lunchtime concert performances were run weekly and featured many solo performers and ensemble performances. Once restrictions were imposed, concerts were live streamed, and family and friends were extremely grateful to be able to share in the talents of our students from the comfort of their homes. As Term 2 drew to a close, we were able to showcase a number of our Senior ensembles.
22 • 2021 Year in Review
The ongoing collaboration of our string and choir programs has offered greater opportunity to showcase major repertoire and Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Choir, presented much of their repertoire for the year at Chamber in the Chapel. The Barker Wind Symphony also performed with the OBA North Shore Wind Symphony in the Leslie Hall. Both ensembles presented music that represented “The Places We Could Not Go.” Videos representing the beautiful holiday destinations that we haven’t been able to travel to over the past two years, were played behind the music for a multi-sensory experience. The Barker Wind Symphony were also invited to perform at Moriah College, another school with a wonderful music program. Both the Moriah College Symphony Wind Ensemble and the Barker Wind Symphony performed brilliant programs of music, but the highlight of the evening was the opportunity to make new friendships with like-minded musicians. It was with an enormous sense of relief that we were able to present our Masterpiece Concert at the Chatswood Concourse in June. Every ensemble delivered unforgettable performances to a hugely enthusiastic sellout audience. The brilliance of the performances in Terms 1 and 2 makes it doubly crushing that live music making ground to a halt from the start of Term 3. It is with some pride though that we were able to maintain a Barker music presence through a creative reimagining of performances and engagement. Visiting instrumental, vocal and musicianship teachers provided one-on-one and small group lessons online, through Term 3 and the start of Term 4, delivering approximately 600 lessons per week. Meanwhile the weekly “Lockdown Showdown” online concerts, curated brilliantly by Mr Andrew McWade and presented by an array of Music staff, allowed a large number of our students and staff to perform to an appreciative audience.
Awards and Competitions
Individual Achievements
Videos recorded in Term 2 allowed us to make online entries to the Sydney Eisteddfod. The Wind Symphony achieved 1st Place in the Premium Concert Band Section. The Senior Percussion Ensemble achieved 1st Place in the 19 & Under Percussion Ensemble event and Year 4 Choir (that is every student in Year 4) achieved 3rd place in the Primary Choirs Section. In their various sections there were also Highly Commended Placements for Middle School Percussion Ensemble, Year 5 Choir, Year 6 Choir, Senior Choir, Chamber Choir, Middle School Choir, Copeland Choir, Chamber Orchestra, Junior School Chamber Orchestra, MISO Red, Symphony Orchestra and Paganini Strings.
Online NSW Band Association Online Solo Championships
It is also a source of great joy that our now strongly coeducational Copeland and Middle School Choir, were able to enter the National Eisteddfod, receiving Gold and Silver awards respectively.
• Will Hunt Year 11 winner of The Hansen Trophy • Lachlan Utteridge Year 9 winner of the Under 15 and Under 19 Clarinet
• Mimi Chen Year 7 winner of the Under 15 and Under 19 Double Reed
• Enya Hui Year 8 winner of the Under 15 and Under 19 Trumpet
• Christian Martinez Year 10 winner of the Under 19 Drum kit
• Ben Weatherall Year 9 winner of the Under 19 Mallets and winner of the Under 19 Snare Drum
• Andrew Mance Year 12 winner of the Open Drum Kit Section
This is not a year that any of us would wish to repeat, but again we are in awe of the talent and versatility of the incredible Barker students.
2021 Year in Review
• 23
Cadets After the disruption of the 2020 Cadet year due to COVID-19, the first half of 2021 was a glorious return to normal operations for the Barker College Cadet Unit (BCCU). An early highlight was the 2021 Annual Field Exercises (AFX) held from 7 - 13 April at the Singleton Military Training Area. The BCCU also completed the Annual Ceremonial Parade on Sunday 16 May, with Colonel Warwick Young in attendance as the Reviewing Officer to inspect the Cadets. This was followed by the Dining In night which proved a fitting send off for the finishing Cadets of 2021. The 2021-22 Cadet year was to be a watershed moment in the history of the Barker College Cadet Unit with the introduction of Year 8 female recruits. Unfortunately, for the second year in a row, the best laid plans were thwarted by COVID-19 and the gear issue and induction of 221 new Year 8 recruits was placed on hold. We welcomed the new BCCU leadership team for the 2021-22 year and were thrilled to announce Eliza Evans as SUO, Nic McGibbon as RSM and Morgan Alexander as 2IC.
24 • 2021 Year in Review
In the most difficult start to a leadership tenure, the Senior rank were amazing at developing and coordinating Cadets online during lockdown. Company Commanders worked wonders in developing engaging, interactive video lesson content for their Cadets and making their recruits feel welcome and connected to their companies. Term 4 brought the easing of some restrictions and allowed the BCCU to run a modified Annual Church Parade, and for Senior rank to gather outdoors and begin planning for a full return to activities in 2022. Despite the many challenges, the Cadet staff marvelled at the resilience and inventiveness of all Cadets in making a difficult second half of the School year as successful as possible.
2021 Year in Review
• 25
Outdoor Education Year Group Camps
Duke of Edinburgh Awards
The Outdoor Education programs were severely impacted once again this year by the extended lockdown throughout Term 3 and many of the scheduled camps and activities did not take place.
We are so delighted by the way our Duke of Edinburgh students continued with their Award activities during the year. Temporary changes to Award requirements support participants during the pandemic. Volunteering from home, including DigiVol and the Wrap with Love knitting initiative are examples of this flexibility.
However, our Year 8 students were fortunate to be able to complete a full season of an expanded program at The Grange. The five day program now allows students the opportunity to be challenged on an action-packed activity day of mountain biking onsite and rock climbing on nearby sandstone cliffs. Students were also able to return to Newnes campsite in the Wolgan Valley, after the area was closed from the devastating bushfires in recent years. A new adventure, ‘Juggler Canyon’ has also been included in the expanded Grange program that offers a series of increasingly difficult abseils beside, or over, small waterfalls. Year 9 Grange program was also extended from four to five days to provide a greater potential to reach additional and more challenging outdoor education objectives. The Year 9 Extended Stay Program saw two groups travel to Alice Springs in Term 2, however, the extended lockdown in Term 3, meant that the third group were unable to commence the program.
26 • 2021 Year in Review
A remarkable 18 Gold Awards were achieved by Year 12 participants in 2021. The Grange staff hosted a Year 11 Gold level Adventurous Projects that included Bushwalking, Canyoning, Rock Climbing and Mountain Biking adventures. Participants excelled in these challenging programs. Our highly regarded Year 10 program commenced with 60 participants registering to pursue the Silver Award. Some were fortunate to enjoy a Practice Journey in the Wild Dog Mountains, and others are planning to complete more journeys when restrictions ease. The Bronze program continues to shine, with 113 Awards achieved by our very committed Middle School participants. This year our Duke of Edinburgh program reached a milestone of 186 Gold Awards achieved since the 2013 introduction of online records.
2021 Year in Review
• 27
Robotics FRC Program in Senior School: After the cancellation of the 2020 season due to COVID, students persevered and optimised a new 2021 version of the 2020 robot with all new intake, shooter and ball handling systems. The climber was optimised to significantly reduce weight, and drivetrain speed dramatically increased to optimise for the 2021 At Home Challenges.
VEX EDR Robotics in Middle School: Qualified two teams to VEX Worlds for the first time:
• Team 4613E – TrainWreck - won the NSW State Championships Tournament Champions and Skills award (late 2020), and competed in Quarter Finals in their division at VEX Worlds
• Team 4613W – Hypershere – won the Technology B subdivision, the overall Technology division, and competed in the VEX World’s Finals, making them one of the 6th highest achieving teams in the Middle School competition globally.
The Team competed in the global At Home Challenges in the Magnesium division achieving the division high scores for the Power Port challenge, Interstellar Accuracy and the fastest time for Galactic Search. The Team placed 2nd in the division on weighted scores.
The program grew to over 90 students this year.
The Team ranked 6th in the world out of all competing teams in At Home Challenges based on unweighted, raw scores.
Ignite Robotics in Junior School: • VEX IQ Challenge Team 4613E – Striker – won the
A small, six member team delegation represented the Team in the Southern Cross unofficial event at Macquarie University. The Team achieved 1st seed from their first game, and continued to be ranked 1st through to the finals, going through to win the event. The Barker Redbacks were the only team who demonstrated and implemented a reliable ‘buddy’ climber able to lift another robot in competition in the 2020-2021 season. The Team won the Chairman’s Award for the Pacific Region, our Division at the Remote Championship, and World Championship, thereby admitting the Team to the FIRST Robotics Hall of Fame. The award recognises the Team’s efforts over the last six years to help change culture and assist and create Robotics teams and events locally and globally. The Barker Redbacks are the youngest team to be admitted to the Hall of Fame in FIRST’s history.
28 • 2021 Year in Review
Unfortunately the 2020-21 season was cancelled due to COVID-19, but students in both Middle School and Junior School competed in the ‘Maze Runner’ co-curricular at home, delivered via Teams with high student engagement.
NSW State Championship Teamwork Champion, with the School’s first VEX IQ Team qualifying to VEX Worlds. The team won the ‘Inspire Award’ in the Jupiter Division.
• The program grew to ten classes each week, with five VEX IQ Classes, one FLL Class, two VEX GO classes and two Prep FLL Explore classes, and over 140 students.
Dhupuma Barker Dhupuma Barker took their first steps in their Robotics journey courtesy of a generous sponsorship from VEX Robotics.
Debating, Public Speaking & Mock Trial Students were once again online for Debating, Public Speaking and Mock Trial this year, with a few face-to-face encounters in Term 2. In Term 3, this involved debates from inside lockdown. Nevertheless, teams secured some excellent results in 2021. Public Speaking and Debating highlights • Lawrence Campbell Oratory representative – Annette Kim
• Edgeworth David Reading Aloud Competition Winners – Claudia McDougall, Eric Jiang, Aryan Sethi
• Public Speaking competition winners – Josh Sweeney, Taj Pereira, Yue Hun Chia
• • • • • • • • •
ISDA Senior A Semi Finalists (final 4 of 32 schools) ISDA 10As Semi Finalists (final 4 of 32 schools) FED 10s Grand Final winners (best of 14 schools) CAS Thirds unofficial tied premiers CAS 10As unofficial tied premiers CAS 10Bs unofficial tied premiers CAS 8As unofficial tied premiers CAS 7As unofficial premiers CAS Representative Seconds debating team – Rowan Gray, Sophia Robinson
Mock Trial and Young Lawyers Program In a somewhat reimagined format, Barker once again participated in the Law Society’s Mock Trial Competition this year. The team progressed through the first three rounds winning every one, but unfortunately the program was quickly shut down due to the pandemic and closure of schools across the state. This year the Barker team was drawn from students in Years 10 and 11, including Luke Bentley, Jeremy Davey, Ella Hawes, Justine Ho, Iris Lee, Laurence Lancaster, Jess O’Bryan and Tom Vercoe. It was an impressive effort by our legal team consisting of two barristers, a lawyer, two witnesses and a court officer who worked together to prepare each case and compete in a simulated court setting. Through a series of lunch time meetings and individual at home preparation, the team quickly got their heads around each legal brief and set of witness statement to establish a clear approach to the case. Public speaking and critical thinking skills were put to the test in each round.
• CAS Representative Thirds debating team – Raagavi Rajan, Sophie Ku
2021 Year in Review
• 29
BASKETBALL 1st ISA Division 1 Runners Up; 2nd ISA Division 2 Premiers DIVING CAS Steven Barnett Shield Champions FOOTBALL 1st ISA Division 1 Minor Premiers HOCKEY 1st ISA Division 1 Minor Premiers; 1st Mollie Dive Cup Premiers NETBALL 1st ISA Division 1 Minor Premiers RUGBY 7s 1st NSW Schoolgirls’ Rugby Championships Term 4 2020 Division 1 Premiers 2nd NSW Schoolgirls’ Rugby Championships Term 4 2020 Division 1 Runners Up 1st NSW Schoolgirls’ Rugby Championships Term 1 2021 Division 1 Premiers SOFTBALL ISA School Championship Shield; 1st ISA Open Runners Up; Junior ISA Premiers SWIMMING ISA School Championship Shield; ISA Senior Girls’ Runners Up; ISA Intermediate Girls’ Runners Up; ISA Junior Girls’ Champions TENNIS CAS Summer Tennis Shield Champions TOUCH FOOTBALL 1st ISA Division 1 Premiers WATERPOLO 2nd PLC Invitational Division 2 Runners Up
30 • 2021 Year in Review
Sport The normal buzz of before and after school sport training and weekend fixtures was replaced by an eerie silence around the grounds throughout Term 3 and the early part of Term 4. Students were eager to return to sport training once restrictions lifted in early November, with a number of friendly inter-school matches able to be held prior to the end of Term 4. With the sport season abruptly cut short at the end of Term 2, several titles were unable to be decided. Whilst some merit teams were announced, competitions were unable to proceed under the Public Health Orders.
2021 Year in Review
• 31
Sport AFL • GWS Giants – Georgie Fowler • NSW/ACT U17 Rams Team – James Tidemann • U18 Sydney Swans Academy NAB League Team – Luke Giacometti
Athletics • NSW Team competed at Nationals – Donovan Bradshaw, Timothy Forster, William Irish, Latecia Lolohea, Harrison Lucas, Jack McIntyre, Tayla Moore, Caitlin Russell
Para Athletics • National U15 T38 Record in 100m, 200m and Long Jump – Cooper Robb-Jackson
• NSW Team competed at Nationals – Cooper RobbJackson
Baseball • 2021 Australian Junior League Baseball Champions – Jonah Chitty, Ethan Kotorac
Basketball • Australia National Performance Camp – Jada Crawshaw
• NSW All Schools Team – Jada Crawshaw** • NSW U18 Girls Metro Team – Jada Crawshaw • NSW U18 State Performance Program 2020/2021 – Jada Crawshaw
• • • •
NSW U16 Boys Metro Team – Kingsley Gyesi-Bisah NSW U16 Boys Metro Squad – Lachlan Clague NSW U16 Girls Metro Squad – Lucy Mead NSW U16 State Performance Program 2020/2021 – Lachlan Clague
• NSW U14 TAP Metro Squad – Kiran Kumaresan • CIS Team – Jada Crawshaw
Cross Country • CIS Team – Jessica Bradford, Cooper Phillips, Alexander Pullar, Cooper Robb-Jackson
Diving • World Junior Diving Championships, Ukraine – Vladi Rudenko
• Australia 2428 Olympics Dream Squad – Vladi Rudenko
• Australia National Elite Junior Diving Squad – Vladi Rudenko
• Australian 16/18 Age Diver of the Year – Harry Gresham
• • • • • •
NSW Open Team – Vladi Rudenko NSW 16/18 Diver of the Year – Harry Gresham NSW 16/18 Age Champion – Harry Gresham NSW Elite Junior B Age Champion – Lachlan Abbott NSW 14/15 Age Champion – Benjamin Speed CIS Team – Harry Gresham, Vladi Rudenko
Equestrian • NSW Dressage and Showjumping Age Group Champion – Rosie Thomson
Football • • • •
32 • 2021 Year in Review
National U17 Training Squad – Joseph Calusic Sydney FC A League Academy – Joseph Calusic CIS Team – Ella Gattorna, Ella Hawes, Phoebe Riley CIS U16 Team – Thomas Bennett, Bodie Denton
** selected in team but did not compete
2021 Year in Review
• 33
34 • 2021 Year in Review
Sport
Hockey
Sailing
• • • • • • • • •
• NSW Sailing State Championship, 29er class
Australia U21 Junior Squad – Alana Kavanagh Australia U18 Futures Squad – Alana Kavanagh NSW Open Squad – Alana Kavanagh
Softball
NSW U21 Team – Alana Kavanagh NSWIS Scholarship – Alana Kavanagh
• NSW All Schools Umpire – Emily Kunce • CIS Team – Ava Chitty, Jess Fraanje • CIS Umpire – Emily Kunce**
NSW Athlete Acceleration Program – Jenna Coghill
Swimming
CIS Team – Alana Kavanagh**
• CIS Team – Karl Albertyn, Beatrice Cuss, Keira
NSW U18 Team – Alana Kavanagh
CIS U16 Team – Jenna Coghill**
Rugby • • • • • • • •
- 1st (U17, Juniors), 2nd (overall) – Angus Renton
Western Force – Ned Slack-Smith Australian Schoolboys A Team – Samuel Tapner** NSW Gen Blue I Team – Isaiya Katoa, Ned Slack-Smith
Dostine, Emma Johnson, David Kang, Milla Lawrence, Kyle Li, Dijana Mazumdar, Chloe McLachlan, Cooper Robb-Jackson
Tennis • CIS Team – Noah Wheen
NSW Gen Blue II Team – Oniti Finau
Touch Football
NSW Schools I Team – Samuel Tapner**
• CIS Team – Alyssa Hodge**
NSW Schools II Team – Joel Kardash**
Volleyball
NSW Barbarians – Darcy Benefield**
• NSW All Schools U15 Team – Genevieve Brookes
NSW U16 Schools I Team – Adam Van Wyk**
Water Polo
Rugby 7s • NSW All Schools Team – Hollie Cameron, Zara Verman**
• NSW U18 Team – Edie Burke • CIS 1 Team – Francesca Buffa, Hollie Cameron,
• NSW U16 Squad – Jayden Kelly • NSW U15 Squad – Maxx Heaton • NSW U14 Squad – Maximilian Luidmanis, Natalija Luidmanis
Katerina Negro, Lucy Wallace
• CIS 2 Team – Ella Barry, Samantha Cox, Zara Verman
** selected in team but did not compete
2021 Year in Review
• 35
Indigenous Education Throughout the Year: • First Nations students at Hornsby meet weekly in Mirrung Ngurang (“the belonging place”) for ‘Yarn Up’ where they provide support for each other, make suggestions to help us move towards reconciliation in our community, and participate in and lead cultural events.
• Students participated in mentoring and networking sessions through the GO (Goodes-O’Loughlin) Foundation
• Barker was once again selected to participate in the Association of Independent School’s Waratah Project where schools are supported to advance their Indigenous Education programs to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Barker’s chosen focus areas for 2021 were: – Students have improved literacy, numeracy, and other academic outcomes – Staff have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to implement culturally responsive pedagogical practices – Indigenous culture and perspectives are acknowledged, valued, and integrated into curriculum and school life
36 • 2021 Year in Review
• The Wingaru-wa Muru-da learning support program continued, with students able to access specialised individual support multiple times per week
• Eliza Darney (Class of 2020) returned as a cultural mentor and academic tutor for First Nations students at Hornsby.
• Staff were supported with information and resources such as the Indigenous Education canvas website.
• Families of First Nations students in the High School attended Family Forums with Indigenous Education support staff. These forums are an opportunity for staff to disseminate information to families, and for families to provide feedback on Indigenous Education programs.
Indigenous Education Term 1 • Teachers of First Nations students attended a presentation on ensuring cultural safety in the classroom.
• First Nations students wrote letters to their new teachers for the year, introducing themselves, their hobbies, which subjects they like the most and what they may need help with throughout the year.
• Students completed individual Personal Learning Plans where they thought about their goals for school and life beyond the Mint Gates.
• Students created artworks in Yarn Up which were sent to our friends at Dhupuma Barker in Gunyangara.
• Students attended the Culture Club at Waitara PCYC. This is an opportunity for our students to connect with Culture and get to know Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from other schools in our area. Workshops were conducted exploring dance, weaving and art.
Term 2 • During NAIDOC Week the School was fortunate to have Uncle Wayne Cornish from Muru Mittigar visit and present to Barker students and the broader community: – U ncle Wayne presented to Studies of Religion classes on the experiences of First Nations peoples in Australia and the intersection between spirituality and lived experiences. – S taff attended a Professional Learning session by Uncle Wayne in the afternoon where they learnt about creating a culturally safe classroom. – I n the evening, over 150 people gathered on the sound stage around the campfire to hear Uncle Wayne speak to this year’s NAIDOC Theme: Heal Country including discussions of traditional land management practices and sustainability.
• Yarn Up students presented at this year’s NAIDOC Week assembly where we celebrate First Nations peoples, cultures and achievements.
• During National Reconciliation Week, Rosalyn Thomas, the Association of Independent School’s Indigenous Education Consultant, was a guest speaker: – R oz ran a Professional Learning session with staff about the importance of truth-telling and demonstrating respect in the classroom. – I n the evening, Roz presented to the broader Barker community the role we can all play in Reconciliation, and the importance of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
• Also during National Reconciliation Week, Phil Pallas, a non-Indigenous sociologist and lecturer at the University of Newcastle presented to staff and students. Phil has worked with Indigenous communities in Central Australia and has cultural connections and responsibilities through ceremony and kinship with Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people and shared his experience and insights on partnering with First Nations people to foster a greater understanding and move forward together.
• Yarn Up students participated in a ceramic art project for Barker’s 2021 entry into the Hidden at Rookwood sculpture exhibition.
• A Programs and Pathways meeting was held in the Rosewood Centre for First Nations families from Barker and surrounding schools. Representatives from Macquarie University, UTS, and TAFE NSW presented on the opportunities for First Nations students in a tertiary context.
Term 3 • Weekly ‘Yarn Up’ peer support meetings continued in an online setting. Students came together on Wednesday lunch times over Microsoft Teams to support one another through lockdown and meet with support staff.
• The second First Nations Parent Forum was held in a virtual format.
Term 4 • First Nations students returned to school after lockdown on a staged basis to prepare for the transition back to face-to-face school life.
• Year 7 students completed the Darug Language and culture unit and Muru Mittigar assisted in a socially distanced way. Uncle Wayne Cornish virtually launched the Darug unit in the first Year 7 assembly of the term and the students completed workshops that were supported by Muru Mittigar in Ochre, Rock Art and Indigenous Art.
2021 Year in Review
• 37
Footprint: Social Justice & Environment • 60 students from Years 7 – 12 and three staff attended weekly Footprint meetings face-to-face and online.
• Reuseable drink bottles made from sugar cane materials supplied to Year 7 and Year 10 students at the start of the year as part of the Refill not Landfill campaign.
• A lunchtime gathering of 100 students and staff from the Junior School and High School celebrated International Women’s Day with an address by Joanna James – Chief Ambassador of The Successful Woman and co-founder of 100% customer owned bank, Mortgage Ezy.
• Ring binders, display folders and plastic sleeves recovered and handed out to students via a Pre-loved Stationery Stall.
• 12 bags of printer cartridges recycled via Richo Australia’s recycling program.
• Post-Doctoral Research Fellow and author Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah spoke to Year 11 Christian Studies students and Footprint, about her experiences of Islamophobia to raise awareness of racism and other prejudices in schools.
• 800 beverage containers collected at House Fair, Athletics Carnival and other events, cashed in via Return and Earn with proceeds donated to Hornsby Ku-ringgai Women’s Shelter.
• $2,500 raised on the World Environment Mufti Day to be directed towards Hornsby campus Urban Greening projects.
• 140 entries across both Aboriginal and Hornsby campuses in the World Environment Day Photo Competition.
38 • 2021 Year in Review
• 500 mini toiletries collected from the Barker Community and supplied to Wayside Chapel for distribution to people experiencing homelessness.
• Single use face mask recycling and Snap the Strap campaign introduced in Term 4.
• Resources created for the waste minimisation section of the Junior School’s “Steam at Home” initiative.
• Launched over 100 ways for students to complete “Footprint @ Home” during COVID-19 lockdown in Term 3.
• Footprint promoted and students participated in the Move-a-thon for Dignity.
• White paper and cardboard diverted from landfill via weekly office paper recycling rounds as part of the Year 7 and 8 Compass program.
• 40 yellow co-mingled recycling bins introduced across the campus.
• Batteries, bottle tops, bread tags, soft plastics, mobile phones and Ewaste collected and recycled via Hornsby Shire’s Community recycling program.
• Contents of High School student lockers sorted and repurposed, reused or recycled via the Great Locker Challenge.
• 40 bags of preloved Barker uniform items including sport shorts, sport shirts, academic uniforms, dresses, jumpers, hoodies, hats diverted from landfill and repurposed by UNSW SMaRT Centre’s Worn Up program.
• Mr Zaki Haidari, human rights advocate and Afghan refugee, spoke to Footprint about his path to Australia and the realities of living for eight years in Australia on a Safe Haven Enterprise Visa.
• Observation, visual audits, surveys and planning for the 2022 Keep Barker Beautiful Litter and Recycling campaign.
• Social Justice Captains for 2021/22 attended Mount St Benedict’s Social Justice Catholic Earth Care Youth Summit exploring ways ‘to see, judge and act’ on ecological justice issues.
Alumni, Community & Foundation Many of the Alumni and Community events in the second half of the year were unfortunately cancelled or postponed due to the NSW Health restrictions on gatherings. Fortunately the first half of 2021 provided many opportunities for the Barker community to come together. Alumni and Old Barker Association • OBA Spirit Awards presented to 35 students • OBA 1st XI v Barker 1st XI Cricket • OBA v Barker Girls sports trial games for Hockey, Football and Netball • Alumni Parent Breakfasts held for: – Alumni from the Classes of 1975 – 1984 – Alumni from the Classes of 1985 – 1987 – Alumni from the Classes of 1988 - 1989
• OBA Support for Life and BCPA hosted an online silent Auction to help support OBAS4L and BCPA Bursaries
• OBA Seniors luncheon at Hornsby RSL Club for 93 guests
• O BA Seniors Back to Barker Day for 31 guests • Barker Community events were held in Adelaide and Perth • 26 Baggy Blue Caps presented to Year 2 students • 18 Plume Hats presented to Year 2 students • Birthday cards continued to be sent through the year to celebrate significant occasions including 21st, 50th, 60th, 70th, 80th and 90th milestones
BCPA • Welcome Morning Teas held for Junior School, Middle School and Senior School parents
• Completion of the BCPA funded running track on Rosewood
• B CPA Trivia Night held for 400 guests • Year 12 care gift boxes were delivered to students at the start of their HSC Trial exams to recognise and encourage their efforts in the lead up to the online exams • Annual Gingerbread House night was well supported by the community • BCPA 2021 Cookbook produced
Community Events • New Parent Cocktail Party attended by 306 guests • Year 12 Drama Cocktail party attended by 70 guests • Blackwell Stand was officially opened in front of 74 guests
• 24 Year 12 Veterans celebrated their Barker journey from Year 2 to Year 12
Foundation • Chinese Dragon Boat Festival luncheon attended by 116 guests
2021 Year in Review
• 39
Barker Institute Community events, research, innovation and professional learning looked different in 2021, but the Barker Institute continued to use the rich intellectual resources of Barker College to facilitate learning and growth through the School and the wider community. The modified program of community events had a total attendance of around 6000 people and resources from these events continue to bless the School and beyond.
• During Term 3, a unique opportunity presented itself to replace a day of classroom learning with an online interactive conference named Kurrajong Heights Day 2021. This conference was for all Barker students, but staff, parents and the community were all invited and the flexible working arrangements for many in Sydney’s COVID-19-restricted winter, resulted in thousands in attendance throughout the day’s activities. Thirteen invited speakers presented for 45-minutes followed by audience questions facilitated by a Barker staff member.
• For the third year the Barker Institute was the vehicle to open Barker classrooms and share Barker expertise throughout New South Wales via the annual Science Extension Public Lectures. This year a third lecture was added around the process of undertaking student science research in a talk-back-radio style interaction with students from other schools. Hundreds of teachers and students from public and private schools in NSW joined online and we look forward to welcoming them to onsite lectures in 2022.
• The Barker Institute hosted and presented visiting speakers for bespoke learning opportunities for parents and the community directly relevant to 2021 and ongoing community issues including webinars on study skills, formative assessment, using Canvas (the School’s learning management system), the teenage brain with Dr Jared Cooney Horvarth, teen substance use, gratitude with Dr Kerry Howells, and starting the HSC year for parents. Other webinars offering vital communication to staff and parents during COVID-19 restrictions were also hosted and supported by the Barker Institute.
40 • 2021 Year in Review
• Two on-campus events in the middle of the year were important gathering points for the School community to continue reconciliation in Australia. Rosalyn Thomas, Aboriginal Education Consultant with the Association of Independent Schools, presented on “Reconciliation: More than a word” inviting staff, students and parents on a journey of empathy. A second event involved Wayne Cornish drawing the community around a campfire on the OBA Soundstage with hot chocolate and marshmallows while discussing Indigenous cultural knowledge and land conservation practices.
• The Barker Institute continued to conduct research to assist decision making in the School and to create knowledge of benefit to education more broadly. Projects included research into the impact and uptake of the School values, The Barker Journey (annual interviews of the Year 12 class of 2028, now in Year 5), Teaching as Apprenticeship, and using multiple languages in the classroom.
• Staff presentations and participation at education and academic conferences occurred in person and virtually. The Barker Institute also represented the School amongst school-based research networks and academic journal discussion groups.
• Dissemination of the Barker Institute Journal Learning in Practice and editing, publication, and dissemination of the Barker Science Extension Journal Scientific Research in Schools which are both available in full on the Barker Institute website.
• Creation of a network of Barker staff into a Research for Learning Community. The community acts collectively to engage with academic research, conducting and disseminating research and ideas through talks and conferences, and support data-informed decision making in the School. This professional learning opportunity supports staff new to and experienced in research.
• Continued opportunities for student, staff and community growth is planned for 2022 including a series of events and publications on a variety of important topics.
An Anglican School Inspiring Global Hope Barker’s vision is to be “a leader in Christian education” preparing students for life beyond the Mint Gates. A crucial element of this vision is to inspire our community through the Bible, to know God’s purpose for us. We consider this, not only in the big questions of life, but also in the details of how we live and learn; play and perform; grow and then eventually go from this School. In a rapidly changing culture, we believe that Anglican schools should be a safe place where students can freely investigate, test and question biblical truth and we encourage all students, families and staff to take the next steps in their faith journey while they are at Barker. Throughout the challenges of 2021, the Christian foundations of Barker have been a deep source of strength, wisdom and hope.
91 Pacific Highway Hornsby NSW 2077 Australia
t +61 2 8438 7999 w barker.nsw.edu.au