Year in Review 2022

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.

2022 was another momentous year for Barker. The coeducation program announced in 2016 and that began to be implemented in 2018 marked its final step in 2022 with every year group now welcoming both boys and girls. In our 132nd year, this final step was a significant one and was celebrated with thankfulness and joy.

Our vision of “Inspiring Global Hope” is being realised in our Robotics program. The Barker Redbacks induction into the FIRST Hall of Fame was recognised and honoured this year by Their Excellencies, The GovernorGeneral and Mrs Hurley. In the 33-year history of the Competition, this is only the second time an Australian team has won the award and the first time for an Australian high school team.

Dhupuma Barker achieved its first anniversary in April with ever increasing levels of attendance and engagement. The opportunity for some of our Senior School students to attend the Youth Forum at this year’s Garma Festival provided an incredible opportunity to engage and strengthen our relationship with the Gunyangara community. The students at Darkinjung Barker and Ngarralingayil Barker continued to thrive this year and their brave spirit and strong cultural pride shone through in all they achieved.

As we near the conclusion of another academic year, the outline of the new Maths and Senior Studies building has become a lot more evident for visitors to our campus. We will begin operating in this new building in Term 2 2023. Working closely with our award-winning Rosewood Centre, this precinct will serve our students and staff well, provide new spaces for hospitality and be a magnificent asset for generations to come.

The Year in Review is only a snapshot of the work of our students, staff and community in 2022. 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

Academic Highlights

The School returned to a more normal pattern of teaching and learning practices and events than the previous two years. The fact that students could interact with one another in the classroom through class conversations and group work was appreciated by all.

The normal rhythms of the School returned with Middle School continuing our progressive reporting approach for the second year. This year, the first iteration of the student dashboard was released, showing at a glance, a student’s approaches to learning across each subject over time as well as feedback provided through progressive reporting for Middle School, or report commentary for Senior School students. We are looking to expand the information and analysis that the dashboard can bring in future years to inform our practice.

STEAM Week in Year 7 returned in Term 1 followed by a number of academically themed weeks for the Secondary School over the following months. For the first time Rhetoric Week was held which included workshops on academic writing and what it takes to be a rhetorician! In Term 2, Horizons Week focused on entrepreneurship, while Science, Maths and Music Weeks rounded out Term 3. The theme for Science Week was ‘glass’ and this saw students involved in a variety of activities in and out of class, with the famous Egg Drop competition ending the week. The following week saw many students involved in Maths Week with a very exciting Maths Idol performance on the Thursday.

One of the individual highlights of the year was Austin Lin’s performance in the Asian Physics Olympiads. Austin received an honourable mention at the Asian Physics Olympiad in May. The Asian Physics Olympiad is renowned for being one of the toughest physics competitions for high school students in the world. In 2021 Austin won a bronze medal in the International Chemistry Olympiad.

Tim Wilson (Year 10) received a prize in the Young Scientist Awards for his work Rocket Nozzles: An Investigation for an Ideal Conical Nozzle. Tim was also awarded first place in the Year 9 - 10 Scientific Investigation Award for Physics, at the Young Scientist Award Ceremony.

The year concluded with our traditional examination period. Year 12 sat their HSC examinations from midOctober, which were the culmination of a year of preparation and study.

Junior School

In 2022, we welcomed approximately 200 new students into the Junior School. The Junior School profile has remained strong with 737 students and a good proportion of gender balance across Pre-K to Year 6. There are an additional 100 girls in the numbers in comparison to last year (41% in total).

2022 is the first group of Year 6 girls and hence provided the first coeducational leadership group in the Junior School. This was a significant milestone. This year the Junior School Executive team set the following areas of focus:

• The academic profile within Junior School

• Re-establishing strong classroom learning routines following a disrupted 2021

• Building progressive reporting across all year groups

• Working towards student led conferences about progress with parents

• Embedding the Promoting Positive Relationships framework

• Relational commitment to student care and connection

• Building community connection

• Re-establishing links with parents through events and onsite opportunities

In Term 4, the bar for all future Junior School productions was set very high following the staging of Shrek the Musical JNR. It had been five years since we have performed a musical in the Junior School, and this was our first coeducational production. Bringing a community together through musicals is a wonderful way to celebrate talent and creativity. As a result of the students’ enthusiastic involvement, the five performances showcased their talent, determination, and effort.

Lubrano Head of Junior School

Martin

Academic and Service Partnerships

• Science staff from the Secondary School visited the Junior School in early Term 1 to run activities for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. 80 girls from Years 2 – 6 participated in these activities.

• Parent Information Evenings on Progressive Reporting were held in Term 1.

• Strong levels of participation continued throughout the year in the Ignite Co-curricular programs across four afternoons per week, with over 300 children participating.

• The Junior School Day of Friendship in March with Dana Kerford, of URSTRONG, was a successful day which included student workshop presentations to provoke connections and provide affirmation and reflection. Students focused on the 4 Friendship Facts, qualities of a great friend, and how to use the Friendo-meter to assess healthy versus unhealthy friendships. They explored the importance of standing up for yourself and how to put out Friendship Fires® through open, honest conversation.

• The Junior School hosted a workshop for K – 2 School leaders in early May, Leading the Implementation of the New English K-2 Syllabus. The workshop was led by the AIS with 40 attendees representing a number of schools.

• Barker hosted a da Vinci Day for students in Years 5-10 on the Term 2 Staff PL Day. Over 200 students gathered in the Gamson gymnasium to participate, approximately 130 of these in Years 5 and 6. Students competed in teams of four to complete complex challenges. Focus, fluency and flexibility were the skills needed for success.

• In May, eight Year 6 students participated in the da Vinci Decathlon at Knox Grammar competing against 81 teams. They placed 2nd in legacy and joint 7th in ideation.

• Year 3 presented their mini-exhibition in May. The event celebrated and showcased the unit of inquiry, “Living things share resources in order to grow and survive” and parents were invited to view the Exhibition. Year 1 and 5 PYP mini-exhibitions were held in May. The Year 6 PYP Exhibition at the start of Term 4, was based on the Transdisciplinary Theme of How the World Works.

• Evie Charles (Year 3 teacher) won the Teacher’s Guild of NSW Early Years of Teaching Award (Primary Section).

• Year 6 participated in the “Write a Book in a day” event in Term 3. This was a fun, creative and collaborative competition within small team groups and each team was required to write and illustrate a book from start to finish within a 12-hour period. In the lead up to the event, teams fundraised for The Kids’ Cancer Project, a national charity supporting childhood cancer research. The Junior School entered 18 teams into the competition and raised just over $42000 - an incredible effort.

• As part of House Week, Byrd and Hillary houses organised a fundraiser for the Pyjama Foundation, which supports children in foster care with the aim to make a positive impact on the lives of our community’s most vulnerable children and to break the cycle of disadvantage. $1123 was raised for this charity.

• Junior School participated in the Anglicare Toys and Tucker Appeal in November.

• Maths Week, STEAM Week and Book Week were all held in Term 3. A Book Character Parade was enjoyed by a large number of parents who attended the event.

• Mawson and Scott Houses combined to organise a fundraiser for “Fight for Cancer”.

• Tasman and Flinders combined to host the final House Day for 2022, supporting Anglicare. Students came to school dressed in Christmas theme.

• Lucas Liu (Year 5) was awarded an ICAS Medal for his performance in the English Assessment in 2022. Only nine participants across the entire competition were awarded the medal for their perfect score.

Co-curricular

• The ISDA Primary A Debating team finished in the top four of their pool and were successful winning the first round of the ‘Octo-finals’ against Kambala. They also won their quarter final, eventually losing the semi-final.

• IPSHA Swimming and Diving Championships - Leah Miller, Taewoo Oh and Jacinta Zhang qualified for CIS swimming and Hugh Giffin (Year 4) qualified for the Diving.

• Emma Lukell (Year 6) was selected in the IPSHA Girls’ Basketball team and Treshaar Pandey was selected as a shadow player for the boys IPSHA Basketball team. Tia McIntosh was selected in the IPSHA Girls’ Tennis team representing CIS. Both Emma and Tia played in the Boys’ first teams for the Junior School for their respective sports and Tia is the number one tennis player in the Junior School.

• The Senior Boys and Senior Girls 4x100m relay teams competed at the NSW PSSA Athletics Championships with both teams progressing through the early rounds to qualify for the Final. Senior Girls Relay placed equal 8th place in the Final. Team members: Sarah Jones, Emily Afonso, Tia McIntosh, Bree Hirst and Emma Lukell (injured).

• Senior Boys Relay 1st Place NSW Champions 53.49 seconds. Team members: Oscar Davy-Griffiths, Callum Gilchrist, Ethan Poon and Zack Yerbury. The team was amazing and were the fastest on the day through the heats, Semi Final and Final to be crowned the best School Relay team in New South Wales.

• PSSA Athletics: Callum Gilchrist 2nd Place U/11 100m Final 13.18 seconds. Callum also placed 5th U/11 200m Final 27.62 seconds. Unfortunately this race was rerun due to a protest being upheld and with Callum being involved in multiple events throughout the day including the Relay heat, Semi Final and Final, was not able to match his first effort in the original Final where he placed 3rd. Callum represented Barker and NSW at the Australian All School Athletics Championships in Brisbane for the U/11 100m and Relay events.

• Unfortunately, Emma Lukell was diagnosed with injury less than a week prior to the NSW PSSA Championships and was unable to compete in the U/12 Girls High Jump, Shot Put and the Senior Girls Relay. Emma had previously won the ISA Senior School Girls U/12 High Jump Championship breaking the ISA record 1.46m; the CAS U/13 High Jump Champion defeating the Year 7 boys at this event jumping 1.49m; and she won the NSWCIS U/12 High Jump and setting a NSWCIS Record 1.53m.

• Tommy Griffiths (Year 6) was selected in the CIS AFL team following his performance at the trials.

• 40 students competed at the IPSHA Cross Country Championships held at The King’s School. Hugh Giffin – 4th in 9 Yrs Boys 2km; Ashley Temple – 9th in 10 Yrs Girls 2km; and Carson Harvey – 6th in 12 Yrs Boys 3km.

• Oscar Davy-Griffith (Year 6) was selected in the IPSHA Football team and his twin sister Matilda was selected into the CIS Football team as the Captain. Matilda went on to be selected for the NSW team who were undefeated National Champions in the tournament in Perth.

• Four students represented IPSHA and Barker at the CIS Swimming and Diving Championships in March. Hugh Giffin – 1st 9yrs Boys springboard diving; Taewoo Oh – 1st 12yrs Boys 50m Breaststroke; Jacinta Zhang – 3rd in the 12-13yrs Girls 50m Breaststroke and Leah Miller – 7th in the 8-10yrs Girls 50m Butterfly. As a result of their performances, Hugh, Jacinta and Taewoo qualified to compete at NSW PSSA Swimming and Diving where Hugh placed 2nd 9yrs Boys springboard; Taewoo placed 4th in 11yrs Boys 50m Breaststroke (but was unfortunately disqualified) and Jacinta placed 5th in the 12-13yrs Girls 50m Breaststroke.

• Students from the Junior School competed at the IPSHA trials in Touch Football, Rugby and Hockey. Eddie Egan and Henry Brown were selected for the IPSHA Boys Touch Football Trials. Sebastian LondonoJekey, Chloe Young and Jade MacGowan (Year 6) all trialled for CIS Hockey Teams. Sebastian made the Boys CIS Hockey team whilst Chloe made the Girls CIS Hockey team. Lachlan Raeburn, Jack Graham and Zack Yerbury all were successful at the IPSHA Rugby trials and went on to trial for CIS. Lachlan was selected in the CIS Rugby team to compete at the PSSA Championships in August. Zac was a shadow player for the squad. Emily Alfonso was selected in the CIS Girls Rugby 7s team to compete at the PSSA Championships.

• Jade and Lachlan MacGowan competed at the Australian Taekwondo Championships in early April, with Lachlan (Year 4) winning the Gold Medal in Red Belt (National Champion) and Jade (Year 6) the Silver medal in Red Belt (female). Following this they competed at the Taekwondo Gold Coast Open in early May – Lachlan - Red Belt Gold Medal and Jade competing in two categories; Red Belt Gold Medal and Black Belt Silver Medal.

• Tommy Griffiths (Year 6) was a member of the winning CIS AFL team who competed at PSSA State Championships in Coffs Harbour.

• The CIS Cross Country was held in June with Hugh Giffin (Year 4) placing 3rd in the 9yrs Boys 2km, Ashley Temple (Year 4) placing 5th in the 10yrs Girls 2km, and Carson Harvey (Year 6) placing 9th in the 12yrs Boys 3km. Hugh and Ashley represented CIS at the NSW PSSA Championships. Hugh placed 25th and Ashley placed 22nd.

• The first Junior School Dance Showcase was held late in Term 2 with the elite Barker Dance troupes from Junior School performing along with each IGNITE cocurricular dance groups. The troupes were successful in several competitions:

Extreme Dance Eisteddfod: 19 June – Years 1-2 Troupe - 3rd Place

Sydney Eisteddfod (Opera House): 31 July – Years 5-6 Troupe - 3rd Place

Dance Spec: 14 August – Years 1-2 TroupeHighly Commended, Years 3-6 Troupe - Highly Commended, Years 5-6 Troupe - 2nd Place

• Pre-K to Year 2 students performed at the end of year Nativity Musical - Born in a Barn. This was a new initiative and the beginning of a tradition to share the Christmas Story.

• LeLe Li (Year 6) was selected to compete in the NSWCIS Primary Golf Team to compete at the NSW PSSA Championships in September as a result of his golf handicap and club performances.

• The Junior School was well represented at the Northern Region Snowsports Championships. 13 children qualified either individually or as part of a team and competed at the State Snowsports Championships in August. Highlight performances included:

Max Cook Year 4 – 1st Div 5 GS, 2nd Div 5 Ski Cross, 2nd Div 5 Moguls

Cooper Cook Year 6 – 2nd Div 4 GS, 2nd Div 4 Moguls

Austin Deed Year 2 – 2nd Div 6 GS, 3rd Div 6 Ski Cross

Hugh Giffin Year 4 – 2nd Div 5 Cross Country

Vinnie Douglas Year 5 – 3rd Div 4 Snowboard Cross

Div 6 Male Ski Cross Team – 1st Place (Austin Deed Year 2, Dominic Wu Year 2)

Div 4 Female GS Team – 3rd Place (Mia McLachlan Year 5, Haoying Zhao Year 5, Ivy Wu Year 6, Yujia Zhu Year 6)

• Overall, Barker was the 7th ranked coed Primary School Snowsports team in the State Championships (NSW/QLD/ACT). At the National Championships there were an incredible four top ten results and a team in the top six from our seven competitors. Cooper Cook and Max Cook both placed 3rd in their respective Mogul events. Hugh Giffin was 5th in the Div 5 Cross Country and Austin Deed and Dominic Wu combined for 6th placed as a team in the Div 6 Ski Cross. Dominic was also 8th in the Alpine event.

• Four Junior School Chess teams competed in the New South Wales Primary Schools chess competition: one advanced, two intermediates and a rookie team. The Advanced team was comprised of three Year 5 and one Year 4 student, making it one of the younger teams in the competition. Despite their youth they managed to finish fourth in this very competitive division. The Intermediate B team also placed 4th.

• The Barker Robotics Crew hosted their first Junior School Robotics camp at Barker’s Carden Avenue Robotics Centre, with around 60 children attending each day. The camp gave children the opportunity to upgrade their robots and prepare for the remainder of the robotics season.

• Four outstanding representatives competed at the 2022 IPSHA Gymnastics Competition - Elena Bridgeland, Angela Li, Leah Miller and Ayvah Wyzenbeek. Elena placing 2nd in the hoop section and 3rd with the clubs. Angela placed 4th with the hoop and 1st with the clubs.

Outdoor Education

• Year 4 participated in their three-day outdoor education experience in Term 2 at Stanwell Tops. Year 3 students attended camp at Crusaders at Galston and Year 5 at the Crusaders Camp at Lake Macquarie in Term 2. Year 6 attended Camp Somerset in November. Year 2 participated in a day camp in November at Galston Crusaders camp

NSW Indigenous Campuses

Mandy Shaw began as the new Director of Aboriginal Campuses, having worked in 2020 and 2021 as the classroom teacher at Ngarralingayil Barker. Ngarralingayil Barker started the year with 23 students and Darkinjung Barker 35 students. A 0.6FTE learning support staff member at each campus this year helped to build capacity in student learning.

A partnership with the Good to Great Schools in a funded direct instruction program for Literacy and Numeracy, was implemented. This program targets the building of key foundation literacy and numeracy skills in Aboriginal children. An online parent workshop to assist families understand the Good to Great Schools program and how they can assist their children, was held in Term 3.

The Ngarralingayil Barker and Darkinjung Barker children travelled to Hornsby on the first Friday of the academic year for the Junior School welcome assembly in Rosewood Centre. Year 1 student from Ngarralingayil Barker, Charlotte Brown, beautifully delivered the Acknowledgment of Country.

Hornsby staff rallied once again to support the Books in Homes program. Approximately 60 sponsorships were received for the program ($81.90). The program provides three books per student three times per year, with students choosing from a catalogue of 48 titles. Each school receives all 48 for their Library.

In April, both NSW campuses supported Costumes for Cancer fundraiser combining with the effort at Hornsby. The activity supported the North Foundation. Children were encouraged to wear a costume that represents a health worker connecting with the theme that not all heroes wear capes.

Both NSW campuses joined in separate triple challenge day where they either dressed up in their orange for Harmony Day, their mismatched socks for Down Syndrome Day and/or they wore wonderful Aboriginal designs for Closing the Gap!

The NSW campuses shared in National simultaneous story time, reading the book ‘Family Tree’ which led to discussions about our families, extended families and amazing trees!

Reconciliation Week was marked with assemblies and activities each day. National Sorry Day was acknowledged and remembered, with both campuses reading the book “Sorry”, listening to Archie Roach sing “Took the children away” and to the 2008 Kevin Rudd Apology.

The children from both NSW Indigenous campuses recognised and celebrated National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day in early August. The day celebrates the strengths and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

The Aboriginal Bike Safety program delivered by Bike and Fitness NSW was held at both campuses in Term 3. The students participated in lessons on how to look after their bikes, fix minor issues and enjoyed a riding and learning some safety tips. They all received a bike helmet to take home.

Year 10 students supported the students at both campuses throughout the year, visiting both Darkinjung and Ngarralingayil.

Students in Years 3 – 6 from both campuses enjoyed an Outdoor Education camp at Lake Mac Crusaders campsite in Term 4. This was our first Indigenous schools’ camp.

Darkinjung Barker

• 35 students enrolled at the School this year.

• Barker Darkinjung Small Schools Relay placed 9th in the Final of the NSW PSSA Athletics Championships. This is Darkinjung’s best ever result. Their fastest time of the day was 1:01.82 mins set in the Semi Final. Team members: Oliver Champley, Jai Pringle, Skylah Sargent, Ruby Wilkins and Kyarne Pringle (reserve).

• Skylah Sargent (Year 6) and Oliver Champley (Year 5), after wonderful performances at the Junior School House Cross Country, were selected to compete at IPSHA Cross Country Championships at Kings.

• Darkinjung Barker students performed at Umina at the launch of Yerin’s new Outreach Clinic.

• Darkinjung Barker hosted its first stall at the Yarramalong Community Markets in August. They set up their colourful stall with the children’s painted plant pots with succulents and their beautiful framed painted leaves along with some scrunchies, bracelets, cakes, biscuits and slices. Proceeds from the stall were used for the Year 6 farewell gifts.

Ngarralingayil Barker

• 22 students enrolled at the School this year.

• The Robotics program commenced at Wollombi in Term 3 with Robotics staff, Jeser and Daiane, attending fortnightly to provide instruction and guidance to the children.

• Ngarralingayil performed at St Phillip’s Christian College for a NAIDOC week assembly.

Dhupuma Barker

There are now 34 students enrolled at Dhupuma Barker and in April, the School community celebrated its first anniversary. The success of the School is being realised in any number of areas; student attendance and confidence, skill in English language and curriculum

learning, staff teaching practice, community engagement and two-way learning both in class and on-country. Community support is incredible and there is a shared responsibility as well as pride in their own school.

The new school bus delivered from our NSW campuses to Dhupuma undertook a “face-lift” on arrival and now features a unique bus wrap designed by the students and community. Two Toyota Troop carriers have also become integral parts of the program helping to transport children to and from school and on-country excursions.

Highlights:

• The Good to Great Schools Literacy and Numeracy programs commenced this year. This program assists in building student capacity and confidence in English and Numeracy.

• Drumcorp (bucket drumming), which involves fitness, rhythm and dance was a great success for the children.

• Miwatj (pronounced MeWatch) Health provided health lessons once a week. Students learnt about the importance of washing hands and general hygiene tips.

• Three students, Cyrus, Witney and Justin, were selected in the North East Arnhem Land regional touch Football Team to participate in their Territory Carnival in Darwin in August.

• The students undertook a swimming program in Term 1 and 4 at the Council Pool in Nhulunbuy, with their skill level increasing significantly.

• Guitar lessons continued once a week, with around 10-12 students receiving a one-on-one or small group session with Nigel a local music teacher. Some of the children are showing real talent.

• Learning on Country activities continues to be a highlight of the program.

• An Indigenous Hip Hop program started in early June at the School provided one week of intensive sessions. A dance video celebrating the program was produced as part of the activity.

• Jesser and Daiane, Barker Robotics coaches, visited Dhupuma several times throughout the second half of the year. The children were involved in workshops to build robots and develop their skills programming and driving the robots. A group of eight children participated in the National Championships in November in Sydney, as a member of the Djirikitj Firebirds Robotics team from Dhupuma Barker. The children and staff/community members enjoyed 10 days in Sydney visiting the Hornsby campus, experiencing the sights of Sydney and participating in the VEX Nationals.

Middle School

This year a review of the behaviour management framework and philosophy was undertaken. The review was led by Kathryn Driver, Dean of the Middle School and the new approach to behaviour management is entitled Promoting Positive Relationships. This new framework codifies elements of best teaching practice and pastoral support that will give all Barker students the best chance to thrive, identifies routines and standards for staff and students that provide certainty and consistency; promotes a system to recognise exemplary student behaviour so that students are rewarded for laudable character traits alongside academic merit; and establishes procedures to enable appropriate restorative and disciplinary responses to unacceptable student behaviour, and provisions for fairness.

For the first time, Food Technology was introduced as an elective for Year 9 students. The course focuses on hygiene and safety, nutritional quality of food, genetic

engineering, functional foods, ethical and sustainable food sourcing, and the environmental impact of foodproduction processes.

All Year 7 students began their study of Languages at Barker by learning about the importance of the language and culture of the traditional custodians of the land upon which the Hornsby campus stands. The unit of Darug Language provides students with the opportunity to develop greater intellectual and empathic understanding as they participate in the revival of this ancient oral language.

The myriad of rich experiences in relation to sport, music, cadets, dance, robotics and other co-curricular activities, continued to provide a full and enjoyable Barker experience for all Middle School students.

James Denton Head of Middle School

The Middle School is now fully coeducational with the very first cohort of girls now completing Year 9.

Academic

Year 7 parents attended an evening event in February where Middle School Heads of House briefed parents and a plenary session allowed for topics such as wellbeing, academic care and approaches to teaching and learning in the Middle School, the role of chaplaincy and general advice from the Dean of the Middle School, to be presented.

The Year 7 Study Skills event was held on 9 May under the banner of the Barker Institute. Dr Matthew Hill was the keynote speaker, and he expertly took the students and parents in attendance through a series of essential study skills. Over 100 Year 7 families attended the event in Leslie Hall. This event is timely in the Year 7 student experience as having settled and become familiar with the School in Term 1, the priority for the students in Year 7 is to establish good work and study routines.

The Year 8 ‘Horizons’ event was held from June 14 – 17. The purpose of the event was to challenge the Year 8 students to think beyond themselves and to consider the support and welfare of others. The timing of the event was to address the challenges of being in the middle of Year 8 in the middle year of the Middle School.

Horizons engaged students in activities which explored enterprise education and service learning to encourage a broader world view. Key outcomes of the Horizons program were for students:

• to develop a better sense of their own progress and capabilities

• to develop a clear sense of purpose for their remaining time in the Middle School

• to gain awareness of key social issues, and

• to contribute towards assisting others beyond the Barker community.

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.

OBA Spirit Awards were awarded to those students who in the areas of sport, music and debating, embodied the spirit of ‘Honour non Honors’. An additional award – The Head of Middle School OBA Spirit Award was awarded to Timothy Henry, Year 8 Sthalekar House, for his outstanding leadership in fostering strong links with the North Foundation. Timothy spoke in Year group assemblies about the work of the Foundation, organised fundraising events and will remain the liaison between Year 8 Barker students and North Foundation for the future. In Term 4, Cooper Robb-Jackson was the recipient of the Head of Middle School OBA Spirit Award for his contribution to School athletics and beyond at a National level and for raising awareness for all ‘para’ athletes. A new initiative this year, has been the introduction of Red Awards which are one part of the Promoting Positive Relationships program. Red Awards recognise the positive contributions of students based around the School’s values. A trial involving three Year 7 Houses – Wailes, Holt and May took place in Term 4, with the aim of expanding these awards to the whole school in the coming years. Students can accumulate red awards, aiming to build up to a gold award.

Co-curricular

Teen Ranch for Year 7 students provided an excellent mid-term break and an opportunity to encourage friendships and foster deeper relationships between Heads of House, Connect Group Leaders and students.

On the Year 8 Grange camps this year, students attended in their House groups, a change from previous years, where they attended in the Geography classes. It had long been a desire to increase the physical challenge for students during this activity and the program was bolstered with the inclusion of additional mountain biking and adventure activities.

The capacity of the Year 9 Extended Stay Program increased to 144 students, spread over six groups of 24 students per group. There were two 18-day time frames in May/June and July/August. This was the first coeducational offering of this program.

Senior School

After two disrupted and challenging years, the morale and tone of the Senior School remained very positive as students enjoyed a return to a full program of activities and experiences.

After 21 years working with Barker students, Dean Bunn, Senior School Dean, retired at the beginning of the year and the School is incredibly grateful for his passion and dedication to students. Simon Walker, commenced as a new Dean in the Senior School in Term 2.

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. Year 11 and Year 12 students volunteered to help at Clarke Road School’s swimming carnival in May and the Athletics Carnival in August. Barker and Clarke Road have a very special relationship and it was wonderful to be back sharing experiences together once again post COVID. A highlight for 16 Senior School students was the opportunity to attend the Youth Forum at the Garma Festival. These were the first group of students from the Hornsby campus to also visit Dhupuma Barker in Arnhem Land and were provided with the unique opportunity to attend important ceremonies and connect with Yolngu Elders.

There were many co-curricular highlights and outstanding team and individual performances throughout the year, especially with the return to a full sports program. Year 10 students were once again able to attend their camp at Jindabyne in Term 4.

Memorable events and activities for the Class of 2022 were planned in their final weeks of formal schooling, including a Testamur Presentation and the Valedictory Dinner. These occasions were very well received and thoroughly enjoyed by all.

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

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 118 Year 10’s and a different Sunday group of 101 students. A group of thirty Year 11 and 12 leaders worked tirelessly and creatively to graciously welcome the Year 10’s into the Senior School. Across the weekend the leaders ran Get to Know you Groups, sports activities and the everpopular paint war. Some ‘all in’ sessions also provided insights into Barker culture as we interviewed some new staff, Year 12 leaders and also included a taste of Chapel.

O Day for Year 11 students was an admirable program with excellent presenters, though there were fewer attendees than previous years, due to some hesitancy with the number of COVID cases in the community.

At the start of the year, students from the Class of 2021 attended the special Academic Assembly and lunch in February. This was an opportunity to celebrate the success of the 2021 cohort and there is no doubt that this provides great encouragement to the Year 12 students.

Austin Lin (Year 11) was a Silver medallist in the Asian & International Physics Olympiad in 2022, to add to his gold medal in Chemistry in 2021. An incredible achievement and something that has never been done before.

Iris Lee (Year 11) was awarded the 2022 Premier’s ANZAC Memorial Scholarship, which provided her with the unique experience of enjoying a two week study tour to further develop her knowledge and understanding of Australia’s military past.

Term 3 was a time to celebrate the efforts and success of our Year 12 students in subjects requiring a major project. We particularly enjoyed the combined DT & IT Exhibition and the Visual Arts Exhibition, along with the Drama Showcase, the Extension 2 English Evening and the HSC Music performers concert and the Senior Ensembles Concert. The Textiles and Design Showcase Evening in the Rhodes Theatre, showcased many beautifully crafted garments. The following students’ works were nominated for inclusion in the Textile, Shape or InTech Exhibitions:

Textile Exhibition

• Lucy Barden

Shape Exhibition

• Nathan Blanchard

• Megan Boyce

• Jack Conomos

• Leo Greyling

• Amy Oaten

• Jasmine Small

InTech Exhibition

• Morgan Alexander

• Luka File

• Phoebe Fortin

• Oliver Gregg

• Ethan Laszok

• Dae Jin Stanton

• Kathryn Trewhella

• Grace Tweed

• Henry Wood

• Mingxi Xie

• Emily Moraitis

• Hannah Saw

• Henry Wood

• Brynach Young

We welcomed the new student leadership team for 2023 and they presented their vision for the year which is built on strengthening support, spirit and connection within the School. Their theme for the coming year is “The Red Thread” representing the connection between all Barker students.

The Barker Big Start at the start of Term 4 was a successful program and provided a stimulating and enjoyable start to HSC studies. This year students were able to return to a two-day, overnight camp at the CRU site, Lake Macquarie.

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.

Service Programs

This year in Service Learning, we brought together all our programs under a theme for each year group. There were plenty of opportunities across the School to serve our community!

In Year 7, we focused on the theme of the Environment and continued with our recycling program, whereby students collect the recycling boxes from our classrooms and staff rooms across the School. We are all very grateful to our Year 7s students for keeping us green!

Year 8 focused on the theme of Care. Year 8 led the Junior School students in a fundraising activity for The North Foundation: “Costumes for Cancer” whereby they dressed up in healthcare hero outfits. Year 8 also participated in their first ever Service Learning day: “A Heart for Service”. This saw all of Year 8s choosing to participate in various Service Learning activities throughout the day ranging from writing their own stories specifically tailored to students at the Darkinjung campus, creating sanitary kits for the charity, Days for Girls, and even Surf Life Saving in an inflatable boat in the School pool!

Year 9 students focused on the theme of Community and thus renewed the School’s relationship with local charity Hornsby Connect. We have been volunteering in Year 9 House groups every week this year at the centre, organising stock and handing out groceries to members of the community in need. Year 9 Duke of Edinburgh students have also cooked meals for the charity, Dignity Dishes, who distribute home cooked meals to people in need. Finally, Year 9 collected toiletries for Mission Australia and supported families who would otherwise have no access to sanitary items.

Year 10 focused on the theme of Education. Year 10 students were thoroughly excited to return to our neighbouring school for additional needs: Clarke Road. Each term, a different group of 20 students attended Clarke Road weekly and assisted in their classes with a range of activities from arts and crafts, to cooking. We were also honoured to start visiting the Wollombi campus twice per term and working as teacher’s aids, as well as helping to mentor the Darkinjung students on their fortnightly visits to Hornsby campus. It’s been wonderful to build the connection between the campuses.

Year 11 and 12 focused on the theme of Leadership Students led drills and games fortnightly at Time Out Basketball, a session where members of the community with disabilities can join us playing basketball. They have enjoyed many successes throughout the year with this committed group of participants and volunteers! Our Senior School students also hosted the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s Shelter annual cocktail party book launch where we welcomed guests and raised money for the Shelter. We also hosted the annual athletics carnival BBQ, as the whole school heard from our friend Vijay, speak on the dangers of domestic violence. Year 11 and 12 participated in the Red Shield Appeal for the Salvation Army, wearing their Barker uniforms with pride and giving up their weekend to collect money in the centre of Hornsby. Finally, our Seniors also volunteered at the Lifeline Bobbin Head cycle, where cyclists raised money for suicide prevention. Students also hosted and volunteered at the Lifeline Book Fair in the Rosewood Centre at the end of the year.

All students had the opportunity to engage in Service Learning by joining the following lunch time clubs: Footprint & Create for a Cause. Everyone is also involved

in donating their time and money at the annual House Fair that raises funds for the 16 House Charities. Families also generously donated toys and food in the annual Anglicare Toys n Tucker campaign that shared the joy with families in need at Christmas and sponsored us in the school-wide Drop Everything and Read activity for Room to Read on 17 November.

Drama

Year 10 Play “Romeo and Juliet”

Ed Lembke-Hogan made his directorial debut at Barker with a romantic, youthful production of Romeo and Juliet. Showcasing the upcoming talent of 26 students in the cast and brilliantly supported by seven stage crew, this famous play was brought to life on a cleverly versatile set inspired by the actual Piazza del Erbe in Verona. The famous story of these star-crossed lovers was given fresh life with the physical embodiment of the Three Fates who wove the story together as well as stunning live musical accompaniment by students and Barker Music staff member, Kath Day.

Winter Playhouse

For the second year in a row inclement weather forced us inside for our annual celebration of the various Performing Arts happening at Barker. Ably lead by Ben James and Emily Whiting, our brilliant Drama Captains, the audience were treated to the usual banana bread and hot chocolate ahead of a show that was filled with a range of items including Dance, Theatresports, curriculum Drama monologues, duets, duologues and group performances, and for the first time this year our very brave Year 7 and 8 Acting After Hours students, all performing to an overflowing BCMA.

Year 11 Play “Antigone”

The Year 11 play was a beautiful reimagining of Sophocles’ classic ‘Antigone’ updated by Barker teaching Alumni, Damien Ryan. Transporting the audience from Ancient Thebes into the 21st century, to a nameless recent wartorn country, this production left us searching for answers in the hopes of democracy. Directed by Angela Morosin, 38 Year 11 students worked as a closely knit ensemble to realise this world with an authentic feel, drawing heavily on the ongoing war in the Ukraine. They were lucky enough to receive cultural dance lessons from one of Barker’s newest teachers, Teresa Huzij, and integrated this into the final, moving production.

Barker goes Broadway

It was very exciting to welcome back what is fondly known as “BGB” live for the first time in two years! The Rhodes theatre was filled to bursting with people excited to see the revival of this student-led initiative. The audience were treated to Musical Theatre numbers from every year, including the Middle School for the first time! This evening always comes at such a busy time in the calendar, but if this year’s event was anything to go by, the joyous

participation and celebration of performers and audience proves that everyone can make time for a little bit of singing, dancing, and joy on stage.

Year 9 Play “Stories in the Dark”

Jennie Bradbury, the newest addition to the Barker Drama teaching team, worked tirelessly to bring this Australian play about hope and family in a time of war and darkness to the stage in Term 4. There were ogres, dragons and shadow puppets, as well as a special guest appearance that all helped add to the magical, storytelling elements needed for this well-crafted play. Keshini de Mel as Assistant Director, ably supported Jennie and the 30 Year 9 students in the cast and crew to bring the world of the play to life. ‘Stories in the Dark’ was an outstanding and significant first experience for our Year 9 students on the Barker stage.

Theatresports

Barker Theatresports came back with a bang in 2022, coached by Keshini de Mel and Emma Cornish. During lunchtime lessons, our Theatresports regulars improvised clever scenes with wonderful characters and plotlines, breathing new life into the program after a curtailed 2021. In the Inter-School Competition, our intermediate team returned with all its usual larger-than-life energy and our new junior team tread the boards for the very first time with impressive nerve and creativity. Both teams sailed through to the semi-finals. We look forward to seeing Theatresports continue to thrive in 2023.

Yr 7/8 Drama After Hours

Year 7 and 8 participated in the revamped Drama After Hours program. They learned important performance skills through play building, improvisation, text work, musical theatre and more. The year was bursting with opportunities to perform. In Semester 1, students collaborated to devise their own original piece of theatre. In the end-of-year performance, they tackled scripts from playwrights including Shakespeare, Tom Stoppard and other legends of theatre. Some performers even dove into whole school events such as Winter Playhouse and Barker Goes Broadway.

OnSTAGE Nominations

Group Performance:

• Ruva Chipato, Samantha Cox, Nicholas Fazl, Lottie Lee, Jess O’Bryan – The Great Escape

• Sam Byres, James Ford, Oliver Gregg, Will Hunt, Zoe Milligan – Blood, Sweat and Gardening

For Individual Performance:

• Sam Byres – How are you going to fix this?

• Will Hunt – A Boy’s Life

Music

Pandemic? What pandemic? On the outside at least, things got back to normal for Music at Barker in 2022. “Normal” meant bands and choirs being able to work inside without restrictions. “Normal” meant groups being able to rehearse across year groups after the challenges of “cohorting” experienced after the return from lockdown in Term 4 of 2021. And “normal” meant the Music program continues to grow and deepen, offering a huge range of musical experiences for the students.

The manifestation of this was in outstanding public performances, success in competitions and individual achievements. But these are the tip of the proverbial iceberg, with so many students involved in so many ways in Music at Barker. The Masterpiece Concert was the undoubted highlight of the Senior Ensemble program –with some involvement from Middle and Junior School students –and it demonstrated superbly the quality, strength and resilience of the students.

Music also came back in a big way in Term 1 with this year’s musical production “Beauty and the Beast”, held over from 2021. Produced in conjunction with Barker Drama, this hugely successful show was a reflection of the return to “normal”, although both cast and orchestra were affected by the scourge of COVID-19. Over 90 students were involved in the uplifting, romantic classic playing to sold out shows.

As always, Symphony Under the Stars in March proved to be a wonderful coming together of the whole Barker community, albeit not under the stars, but under the roof of the magnificent Rosewood Centre! All of our Secondary School choirs, bands and string orchestras performed, and the night culminated in massed singing. Unthinkable a few months previously!

The biggest change to the Music program was choral singing returning in force with highlights across the entire program. The entire Junior School had experience singing in Year group choirs, culminating in the participation of all students from Years 3-6 in the truly amazing Junior School Musical production of “Shrek Junior” in October. After the debut of the Prep School choir at the Junior School Sing concert, its year concluded with a performance of “Born in a Barn” – an end of year nativity.

In the Secondary School, Chamber Choir is now open by audition to all students in Years 7-12. This choir gave outstanding performances at Chamber in the Chapel in May, the Masterpiece Concert in June and in several school events. Our Junior School selective choir, Copeland Choir, sang at the IPSHA festival in the Town Hall and combined with the Chamber Choir with the return of Lessons and Carols at the end of year. Senior and Middle School Choirs combined to see over 160 students performing the entire range of choral music from modern Australian commissions to musical and pop medleys.

The string program continued to grow, with seven orchestras involving students from Prep through to Senior School. All contributed to the cultural life at the School with performances in assemblies and chapel services, as well as public concerts. The chamber music program is strong, with success for the Von Einem Quartet in the national Strike-a-Chord competition. The Band program also had great success in the Australian School Band Festival with four Gold and three Silver awards across the program.

In a sign of the changing times, Mr Manabu Inoue from Japan, spent a week with the Wind Symphony, teaching Japanese band methods and inspiring our students. He then conducted “Ikaruga” at the Masterpiece Concert.

At the Sydney Eisteddfod , the Wind Symphony achieved 1st Place in the Premium Concert Band section.

The Junior School Ensemble program enjoyed a busy year getting back on the performance circuit. Performances included many assembly and lunchtime entertainment performances. Copeland Choir performed at school functions including the Ash Wednesday Service, the Masterpiece Concert and the Carols and Lessons Service. Junior School Wind Ensemble and Junior School Concert Band performed admirably at the Australian Schools Band and Orchestra Festival (ASBOF) achieving silver awards and Junior School Wind Ensemble and Copeland Choir represented Barker College at the annual IPSHA Performing Arts Festival at the Town Hall. The highlights of the year were the Junior School Ensembles Concert held in Leslie Hall in August featuring all twelve of our Junior School ensembles and the first off-site Junior School Music Camp for about fifteen years, held at Elanora Heights in April. We look forward to this becoming an annual fixture in the School calendar and expanding this to include more Junior School Music students in 2023.

Barker’s Jazz program had its busiest year in recent times, with the relaxed evening event Jazz Café supplementing the first live Barker Swings since 2019. Barker Swings guest artist, Andrew Robertson, inspired students with his musicianship and stories from life on the road as a professional musician. Barker’s Jazz ensembles were also heard at numerous events around the School, including Music Week, parent information evenings, sports dinners and the Hornsby Ku-ring-ai Women’s Shelter’s gala fundraiser.

The students in our Rock Bands performed in:

• Termly Lunchtime Jams

• Middle School Concerts

• Coffee House Unplugged

• Coffee House

• Various Middle and Senior School rock bands performed at The Battle of the Bands at the Spring Fair despite the rain downpour!

Outstanding Individual Music Results

Congratulations to the following students who have gained outstanding results in music performances this year:

• Mimi Chen – 1st place 20 & Under Woodwind Instrument Sydney Eisteddfod; 1st Place 15 & Under Woodwind Instrument Sydney Eisteddfod; AMusA with Distinction

• Alicia Kim – 1st place 15 & Under Cello Sydney Eisteddfod; 1st Place 13-15 Strings Ryde Eisteddfod; 2nd Place 13-15 Strings St George Eisteddfod; 2nd place Open age Study St George Eisteddfod; 3rd Place Open age Bach Ryde Eisteddfod

• Leonard Tang – Semi Finalist in KPO concerto competition

• Hugo Abe, violin – AMusA

• Sophie Ku, viola – LMusA with distinction

• Christine Lin, violin – LMusA

• Eric Jiang, viola – AMusA

• Lachlan Utteridge, clarinet – AMusA

• Jeffrey Lu, oboe – LMusA

New South Wales Band Association Results

• Harry James Year 12 – 1st Place Lisa Butcher Memorial Award – Open Jazz; 2nd Place Open Trumpet

• Christian Martinez Year 11 – Open Percussion Champion of Champions; 1st Place Open Drum Kit; 1st Place Open Snare Drum; 1st Place Open Timpani; 2nd Place Open Mallet Percussion

• Ben Weatherall Year 10 – 1st Place Open Mallet Percussion; 2nd Place Open Snare Drum

• Tim Wilson Year 10 – 3rd Place Under 19 Euphonium

• Mimi Chen Year 8 – Under 15 Concert Champion of Champions; 1st Place Stewart Douglas Trophy –Under 15 Slow Melody; 1st Place Under 15 Double Reed; 1st Place Under 19 Double Reed

• Leo Peng Year 8 – 2nd Place Under 15 Clarinet

• Sophie Liu Year 7 – 3rd Place Under 15 Trombone

• Carlos Zhu Year 6 – 3rd Place Under 15 Clarinet

• Kayla Zhao Year 6 – 1st Place Under 15 Mallet Keyboard; 2nd Place Under 15 Drum Kit

Cadets

After COVID disrupted the first half of the cadet year in 2021, this year started off with a bang with the Barker College Cadet Unit (BCCU) getting prepped and ready to jump into our Annual Field Exercise (AFX). Recruit Companies tackled the challenge of catching up on two terms of missed home training, whilst Bravo introduced new girls for the final time.

AFX was a huge success with over 400 cadets on site at Singleton Military Area (9-14 April), completing activities ranging from medical exercises to hiking up Brockenback Mountain. The BCCU also completed their Ceremonial Parade on 20 May, with the Dining in Night held on 22 May, where we celebrated and farewelled the Senior leadership team of 2021-22.

A select team of 24 competed in the CAS drill competition held at Knox Grammar and displayed outstanding grit and excellence in their performance.

The Junior and Senior leaders course commenced and ran for five days, where the new leaders were challenged and pushed to develop not only their cadet knowledge but also their leadership and collaboration skills. BCAT occurred simultaneously where recruits were pushed to the limit and developed their field skills in all aspects of fieldcraft.

The BCCU was honoured enough to be invited to the Chief of Army Cadet Team Challenge (CACTC) held at Puckapunyal Victoria, representing NSW 2nd Brigade for nine days. It is the highest-grade national activity run by the Cadet National Headquarters. Ordinarily, units from New Zealand and Great Britain would also partake in the event but were unable to due to COVID. Our team competed in a series of military-based activities

addressing many elements of the national Cadet Development Continuum such as Field Engineering, Navigation, First Aid and Medical Exercises, Initiative Activities and Teamwork. The Barker team placed 2nd overall and narrowly missed out on first place by a single point. As a result, each member of the team was awarded a silver commendation.

In Term 3 we welcomed the new BCCU leadership team for 2022-2023 and were thrilled to announce Elizabeth Moore as SUO, Zoe Samios as RSM and Michael Peden as 2IC. After welcoming in 180 new recruits the official cadet year began with a brand-new senior and junior rank team.

The BCCU helped raise funds for Legacy, a charity who supports Australian veterans and their families and collected a total of $1800. The Term 3 recruit Bivouac held at Kariong Scout Camp was a huge success with recruits learning how to be in the field for the first time and developing their basic field skills.

The BCCU competed in CAS Military Skills, held on 15 October in Scheyville national park hosted by St Aloysius’ Cadet Unit. The team of 15 displayed highly developed knowledge of their field skills, and the field craft stand run by BCCU rank was considered to be of the highest standard comparative to competing units.

The whole unit Bivouac (Cataract Scout Camp) took place from 2-4 December. The leadership team for Cadets this year is strong within their friendships and skills, and we are looking forward to what 2023 will hold.

Outdoor Education

Year Group Camps

The Outdoor Education program returned with a full program of camps in 2022 and Year 8 students were finally able to experience their first Grange camp in Semester One.

Students attended all Grange camps in their House groups enabling stronger links to key pastoral care staff at School and improved communication and feedback with Grange staff. For the second year running, flooded rivers and creeks, inundated campsites and many road and walking track closures in the National Parks, added some challenges in camp operation and planning. However, this enabled students to become more resilient and proficient in cooking their food, managing their equipment carefully and working together as a team to achieve great results in times of adversity.

A new addition to the Grange program this year was a unique ‘COVID catch-up’ camp for a fortunate group of Year 10 students, who took this opportunity to experience some outdoor challenges. It was also possible to welcome several Year 10 girls to the Grange for a oneoff, four-day Grange camp in June.

The Extended Stay Program for Year 9 students was able to recommence this year and groups of Year 9 students enjoyed three weeks of rich experiences in the Northern Territory. The intention of the Extended Stay Program is to develop character, resilience and a sense of purpose within a dynamic community.

Duke of Edinburgh International Awards

A remarkable 13 Gold Awards were achieved by Year 12 participants in 2022, a particularly impressive result for a cohort who had their pathway interrupted.

The Grange staff hosted two 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 has over 60 participants registering to pursue the Silver Award. They were fortunate to enjoy a wonderful Practice journey in the Wild Dog Mountains, and are planning to complete their Qualifying journeys before the end of the year.

The Bronze program continues to shine in Years 8 and 9, with 133 Awards achieved by our very committed Middle School participants. A fantastic array of Service opportunities taken up by our Year 8 and 9’s. Such as 610 meals prepared for the charity – Dignity Dishes, Barker Tech Team, Environmental awareness club - Footprint, St James Church ALIVE Program Volunteers, Junior Fire Brigade, Smiles2U, Salvation Army, Bear Cottage, St Vincent de Paul’s, Create for a Cause and Wrapped in Love, Blind Golf volunteering/guiding and Surf Life Saving. Well done to our young people for showing initiative, persevering and helping others in our community.

This year our Duke of Edinburgh program reached a milestone of 193 Gold Awards achieved since the 2013 introduction of online records.

Robotics

FRC Program in Senior School:

• The new home of the Barker Redbacks (1 Carden Ave) was inaugurated by The Hon. Alister Henskens SC, MP, member for Ku-ring-gai, equipping students with the necessary facilities to spark creativity and innovation.

• Their Excellencies The Governor-General of Australia and Mrs Hurley presented the Hall of Fame clock at Admiralty House, recognising our successes in outreach and technical performance.

• FRC National Champion: Competed in the Southern Cross Regional - the team ranked 1st and became alliance captains of the 1st seeded alliance, and overall winning the competition.

• Competed in Turing Division at the Houston Championships, qualified 5th and achieved QuarterFinalist status.

• Competed in the Melbourne off-season and won 2-1 in a tense final as alliance captains.

• Competed in the Australian off-season championships and won the finals as alliance captains.

• Competed in the NSW off-season Championship and won.

Curriculum

• Continued development of Robotics in Junior School STEAM curriculum.

• Application of VEX V5 robotics in Year 10 Computer Science course.

VEX Robotics in Middle School:

• Hosted the annual VEX EDR Robotics Competition at Barker, with over 50 teams attending.

• Inauguration of the new Middle School VEX robotics lab of which more than 160 students are using the lab.

• Barker teams qualified to VEX EDR nationals, representing NSW.

• Largest engagement of Middle School students in Robotics to date.

Ignite Robotics in Junior School

• Hosted the annual VEX IQ tournament with close to 100 teams participating.

• Barker teams qualified to VEX IQ nationals, representing NSW.

Indigenous campuses:

Darkinjung Barker

• Pre-K-2 were introduced to VEX GO lessons to spark an early interest in robotics and creative tactile learning. Now reaching all students at this campus.

Dhupuma Barker

• Dhupuma took their first steps in their robotics program, where a team represented the Northern Territories in the VEX nationals held in Sydney in early December.

Ngarralingayil Barker

All students from Ngarralingayil now have robotics classes every fortnight.

Debating, Public Speaking & Mock Trial

This year has been an extremely pleasing year in Debating, Public Speaking and Mock Trial with a return to face-to-face debating and travelling across Sydney for Friday night debates. There were some outstanding performances across a range of teams and individuals.

Public Speaking and Debating highlights

• NSW Debating Team – reserve: Iris Lee

• Lawrence Campbell Oratory representative

– Annette Kim

• Edgeworth David Reading Aloud Competition Winners

– Sianna Cho, Eric Jiang, Eliza Evans

• Public Speaking competition winners – Charlize Funke-Andrews, Sam Tasharofi, Annette Kim

• ISDA Senior A Semi Finalists (final 4 of 32 schools)

• ISDA Senior B Finalists (final 2 of 32 schools)

• ISDA Year 10 Quarter Finalists (final 8 of 32 schools)

• ISDA Primary A Semi Finalists (final 4 of 32 schools)

• FED Year 9 Finalists (final 2 of 14 schools)

• FED Year 10 Quarter Finalists (final 8 of 14 schools)

• FED 7A Quarter Finalists (final 8 of 14 schools)

• CAS Seconds undefeated unofficial premiers

• CAS Thirds unofficial tied premiers

• CAS 10Bs unofficial runners up

• CAS 9As unofficial runners up

• CAS 7As unofficial runners up

• CAS Representative Debating – CAS Firsts

– Iris Lee

• CAS Representative Debating – CAS Thirds

– Jeremy Davie

Mock Trial Competition

Barker once again participated in the Law Society’s Mock Trial Competition this year. The team progressed through to the semi-final winning over schools such as Hornsby Girls High School, Knox Grammar and Loreto Normanhurst. This year the Barker team was drawn from students in Years 10 and 11 - Christian Alvarez, Phoebe Ballantyne, Angus Baxter, Luke Bentley, Jeremy Davie, Iris Lee, Mia Saponja, Jack Woodall and Corrinne Zhou.

Our legal team consisting of two barristers, a lawyer, two witnesses and a court officer put up a fine effort. They collaborated on each case to establish their brief and presentation. Cases this year have been both civil and criminal, often online and with a small window of opportunity to prepare. Through a series of lunch time meetings and individual at home preparation, the team has had to comprehend each legal issue whilst setting to work on witness statements and questions for cross examination. All students have developed their public speaking and critical thinking skills over the year.

Sport

Barker students, staff, parents and community members have enjoyed a full year of sport in 2022 - the first for a number of years. This has enabled our students to participate in a huge variety of sporting programs where they have developed skills, values and character, whilst representing Barker with pride.

Sport has provided us with the full spectrum of emotions this year, with some outstanding victories and some heartbreaking defeats. We witnessed some individual brilliance as well as teams working together to achieve an outcome few thought was possible. These highs and lows mixed with the supportive culture of the ‘Reds’ is what will bring us all back to do it all again next year.

AFL

• CIS U15 Team – Ollie Griffiths, Kiera Yerbury

Athletics

• NSW All Schools Merit Team (2021) –

Cooper Robb-Jackson, Donovan Bradshaw

• NSW All Schools Team (December 2022) –Cooper Robb-Jackson, Timothy Forster, Naomi Gibson

• NSW U15 Team – Jessica Bradford

• CIS Merit Team – Sophie Farrell, Viktorija Calusic, Isabel Harris, Tayla Moore

Baseball

Australian Intermediate League Baseball Championships

– Austin Lobb

Basketball

• Australian U15 Women’s Team – Lucy Mead

• NSW State Performance Program – Lucy Mead

• NSW U16 Metro State Team (Gold Medal) – Lucy Mead

• CIS Team – Lucy Mead

• Australian U19 Women’s Squad – Jada Crawshaw

• All Australian Schools Team – Jada Crawshaw

• Sydney Flames – Jada Crawshaw

• Australian U15 Men’s Team – Lachlan Clague

• Australian U15 Men’s Squad – Brian Ansuh-Yeboah

• NSW All Schools Team – Jada Crawshaw

• CIS Team – Jada Crawshaw

• NSW U16 Metro State Team – Brian Ansuh-Yeboah, Lachlan Clague

• NSW State Performance Program – Brian AnsuhYeboah, Lachlan Clague, Kingsley Gyesi-Bisah, Keira Hudson

• NSW U20 State Team Reserve – Jada Crawshaw

• NSW U18 Metro State Team Reserve – Kingsley Gyesi-Bisah

Cricket

• Northern Territory U17 Team – Rehaan Shyamsundar

• NSW U15 Male Metropolitan Squad – Campbell Smith

• NSW U15 Female Metropolitan Squad – Arabella Handley

Cross Country

• NSW Team – Cooper Phillips, Harrison Phillips, Cooper Robb-Jackson

• CIS Team – Cooper Phillips, David Windybank, Cooper Robb-Jackson, Louis Withford-Cave

Diving

• FINA World Junior Championships – Lachlan Abbott

• Australian Elite Junior Championships – Lachlan Abbott

• CIS Team – Charlotte Denney, Jason Thomas, Anya Rudenko

• NSW All Schools Team – Anya Rudenko

• NSW All Schools Champion – Anya Rudenko

Fencing

• Australian Fencing Federation National SquadWomen’s Foil – Peppa Chen

• Australian Fencing Federation National SquadMen’s Epee – Henry Liu

• NSW State Squad – Henry Liu

• NSW High Performance Program – Henry Liu

• NSW Peter Witkop Shield - U12 Boys Sabre Competition – Kingsley Zhao

• NSW Robert Nutt Shield Championships – Kingsley Zhao

• NSW Schools’ Fencing League Epee Competition – Henry Liu

Gymnastics

• National Gymnastics Clubs Carnival Gold Coast – Janelle Chai

• NSW State Championships – Janelle Chai Hockey

• NSW Athlete Acceleration Program – Jenna Coghill, Ziggy Leong

• Sydney Metro Academy – Michaela-Jayne Kennedy

• NSW All Schools 16 & Under – Ziggy Leong

• CIS Team – Jenna Coghill, Abigail Verdal-Austin

• CIS U16 Team – Rosie Fairbairn, Michaela-Jayne Kennedy, Ziggy Leong Netball

• CIS 15 years & under – Scarlett Duddle

Rock Climbing

• Australian Sports Climbing Championships – Caleb Perry

Rugby

• Australian Schoolboys & U18 Team – Bryn Edwards, Oniti Finau, Douglas Philipson

• NSW U18 Waratahs Academy 1st Team –Bryn Edwards, Lachlan Hooper, Adam Van Wyk, Oniti Finau, Douglas Philipson

• NSW U18 Waratahs Academy 2nd Team –Thomas Livingstone, Samuel Sahyoun, Aden Ekanayake, Wil Kennedy

• NSW U18 Schools 1st Team – Eli Sagala

• NSW U16 Waratahs Academy Team – Nick Hill, Charlie Poynton

• NSW U16 Schools 1st Team – Nick Hill

• NSW U16 Schools 2nd Team – Nathaniel Thomas, Kera Weaver

• NSW Waratahs U18 Super W Team – Hollie Cameron

• Brumbies Super Rugby – Lachlan Hooper

• Western Force Super Rugby – Douglas Philipson

• U20 Junior Wallabies Play-On Squad – Lachlan Hooper

Rugby League

• Redcliffe Dolphins – Isaiya Katoa

• Mate Ma’a Tonga World Cup Team

– Isaiya Katoa

• Mate Ma’a Tonga Pacific Test Squad

– Isaiya Katoa

• CIS U18 Team - Boys – Isaiya Katoa, Wil Kennedy

Rugby 7s

• Australian Youth 7s Team – Edie Burke

• NSW All Schools 7s A – Edie Burke

• NSW All Schools 7s B – Mia Mackenzie, Zara Verman

• NSW U16 Barbarians 7s Blue – Sydney Davis

• NSW U17 Next Gen 7s Team – Edie Burke

• NSW U17 7s Team – Matt Hanley

• NSW U18 7s Team – Edie Burke

• NSW U18 7s Team – Hamish MacDonald, Douglas Philipson, Aden Ekanayake

• CIS 1 Team – Edie Burke, Hollie Cameron, Mia Mackenzie, Zara Verman

• Australian U18 Youth 7s Team – Aden Ekanayake

Snowsports

• Australian Interschools Championships – Callum Cook, Tom Kent, Haonan Zhao, Dylan Dobson, Ronan Herbert, Rose Hocking, Samuel Vos, Joshua Vos, Julian Wu, Ethan Dobson, Sebastian Leim

• NSW Interschools Championships – Femke Engelbrecht, Ronan Herbert, Callum Cook, Tom Kent, Haonan Zhao, Tong Zhu, Dylan Dobson, Holly Girvin, Hugo Leim, Ryan Edgington, Bianca Hoare, Rose Hocking, Tristan Lyth, Samuel Vos, Julian Wu, Toby Axford, Luke Bentley, Ethan Dobson, Sebastian Leim, Isabel McCaughey, Samuel Vos

Softball

• Australian U14 Squad – Tayla Moore

• NSW U14 Team – Tayla Moore

• NSW U16 Team – Tayla Moore

• NSW U18 Team – Matilda Newman

• NSW All Schools Team – Matilda Newman

• CIS Team – Matilda Newman

Surf Life Saving

• Australian Youth Surf Life Saving Champships Gold Coast – Harrison Woodrow

Swimming

• Australian Swimming Championships – Dijana Mazumdar

• Australian Age Swimming Championships – Milla Lawrence, Hamish McNaught, Jack Mercer, Harrison Woodrow, David Kang, Kyle Li, Jeffrey Lu, Dijana Mazumdar, Rowan McKenna, Robert Nam, Jordan Takounlao, Noah Workman, Matt Walter

• NSW All Schools – Milla Lawrence, Harrison Woodrow, Dijana Mazumdar

• NSW Senior State Age Championships – Meg Anderson, Emanuel Biggart, Milla Lawrence, Hamish McNaught, Jack Mercer, Harrison Woodrow, Mia Ryan, Noah Workman, Jeffrey Lu, Dijana Mazumdar, Jordan Takounlao

• CIS Team – Milla Lawrence, Mason Morrisey, Mia Ryan, Jack Woodrow, Harrison Woodrow, David Kang, Alexander Lo, Jeffrey Lu, Dijana Mazumdar, Rowan McKenna, Robert Nam, Jordan Takounlao

Taekwondo

• Australian National Championships Victoria – Alec MacGowan

• Australian National Championships Brisbane – Alec MacGowan

• NSW State Championships – Alec MacGowan

Tennis

• CIS Team – Jade Russell Touch Football

• CIS Team – Sienna Geros

Volleyball

• CIS Team – Genevieve Brookes

Water Polo

• Australian Youth Water Polo Championships – Jessica Hargreaves, Maxx Heaton, Mason Morrisey

• NSW Born 06 Academy Squad – Maxx Heaton

• NSW Born 05 Academy Squad – Jayden Kelly

Indigenous Education

• First Nations students at Hornsby Campus met weekly for Yarn Up where they provide support for each other, participated in and lead cultural activities and provide feedback to help us continue on the path of reconciliation in our school community.

• Many of our students are involved with the GO Foundation, a foundation established by Adam Goodes and Michael O’Loughlin to support First Nations students and provide mentoring and career coaching. Students attended GO Foundation Mentoring and networking days throughout the year.

• Barker participated in the Association of Independent Schools’ Waratah Project which supports schools to advance their Indigenous education programs to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Barker’s chosen focus areas for 2022 were:

Students are confidently engaged in their learning and have improved literacy, numeracy and other academic outcomes.

Relationships between school, family and community are strengthened and culturally informed.

Staff have the knowledge, skills and confidence to implement culturally responsive pedagogical practices.

• The Wingaru-wa Muru-da learning support program continued, with students able to access specialised and individual support each week. This program is facilitated by our First Nations Student Mentor, Tanisha Holt – a proud Worimi and Biripi woman who is in the final year of an education degree.

• Two of our senior First Nations students studied Aboriginal Studies via Sydney Distance Education High School and will complete their HSC in this subject next year.

• Staff were supported with information and resources via the Indigenous Education canvas page and participated in Professional Learning throughout the year, including:

The Stronger Smarter Leadership Program, a program focused on developing strong, culturally responsive relationships with First Nations students, families and Community.

The 8-Ways of Aboriginal Learning – a culturally responsive pedagogy framework, developed by the NSW Department of Education in partnership with Aboriginal Communities.

Operating a culturally responsive classroom and connecting the campuses – a virtual meeting with the amazing teams at Darkinjung, Ngarralingayil and Dhupuma.

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Year 7 completed the Darug Language and Culture unit in Term 1, which was supported by Dharug organisation Muru Mittigar and launched with a wonderful Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony by Uncle Les.

• Yarn Up students participated in a ceramic art project which was exhibited at Hidden at Rookwood, 2022.

• The transition program for incoming First Nations students was extended, including ensuring our Year 5 and 6 Darkinjung students attend Yarn Up on their fortnightly visits to Hornsby Campus.

Dhinewan Mentoring

First Nations Students participated in the Dhinewan Mentoring program in Terms 1 and 2. Dhinewan Mentoring is led by Jonathan Wright, a proud Gamilaroi/ Dunghutti man, who has lived and resided on Darkinjung and Awabakal country. We were also joined by our Year 5 and 6 students from Darkinjung each fortnight that they were at Hornsby.

Jonathan and his team led the students through various personal development and cultural activities, in a journey of personal growth and positive thinking, within the framework of Culture, wellbeing and leadership. The students loved this program and look forward to participating again in 2023.

Reconciliation Week & NAIDOC Week

Barker College recognised national Reconciliation Week during Term 2. This year’s Reconciliation Week theme was Be Brave, Make Change. Our students were inspired by this theme to take some action towards a more reconciled future. In our Connect groups, we listened to the Imagination Declaration, a powerful statement written by the youth in attendance at the Garma Festival in 2019. The statement calls for the government to imagine what is possible if barriers and low expectations for First Nations students are left in the past and First Nations children and youth are celebrated for their incredible talents and diversity. Students then had the opportunity to participate in a visual petition, writing messages of support. This was mounted in the Rosewood centre for display for the remainder of term.

NAIDOC week’s 2022 theme was Get Up, Stand Up, Show Up. NAIDOC week involved a wonderful collaboration between the Footprint group and our First Nations students. The whole school assembly was a highlight, with outstanding cultural performances from First Nations students from Darkinjung, Ngarralingayil and the Junior School. Yarn Up students proudly read the poem “A Song of Hope” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal.

We were blessed to have the incredible Dr Leanne Holt, Pro-Vice Chancellor Indigenous Strategy at Macquarie University share her thoughts with the school community. She reflected on the NAIDOC theme and the legacy that we choose to create through our personal, everyday actions.

The Garma Festival

The word Garma is a Yolŋu word meaning two-way learning, and it couldn’t be more apt for the event. The Garma Festival is an annual festival held in Gulkula, North-East Arnhem Land that is widely recognised as Australia’s premier Indigenous Festival. The Festival is hosted by the Yothu Yindi Foundation, with whom we have a lasting partnership in the establishment of our Dhupuma School in Gunyangara, NT. In recognition of this connection, the Yothu Yindi Foundation invited Barker students and staff to attend the Festival, and to assist with the coordination of the Youth Forum, a key component of the event.

Sixteen Senior students, a combination of Year 11 and 12, had the great privilege of being invited to participate in and help coordinate the Youth Forum, itself a miniGarma, packed with activities and workshops for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students from across the Nation. A meeting of First Nations and non-Indigenous Youth from across Australia, the activities aim to build confidence and capacity in young people, as the leaders of the future. The students ran a team-building STEAM activity on the first day and were called upon throughout the program to lead the group.

The attending students and staff then held a reflective photography exhibition to share their experience more broadly with the Barker community, which was also available to view at the Spring Fair. It was a deeply profound and impactful experience for all, one for which we are most grateful.

Before the start of the Festival, these students had the great honour to be the first Barker Hornsby students to visit the Dhupuma campus, a connection that has previously been prevented by COVID. It was a joy to see the coming together of Dhupuma and Hornsby staff and students.

Footprint: Social Justice & Environment

• 50 students from Years 7 – 12 and three staff attended weekly Footprint meetings

• Reuseable drink bottles made from sugar cane materials were supplied to Year 7 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 Amy Robinson from our Drama Department

• $445 was donated to our Aboriginal Campuses from the sale of old text books collected during the 2021 Great Locker Challenge

• A pop-up stationery stall on the first day of the school year, gave students and staff the opportunity to reuse preloved stationery and minimise their purchase of new items

• Social Justice Captains were guests at the launch of the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal

• 20 bags of second-hand school clothing was forwarded to Worn Up for recycling and five bags diverted to the Uniform Exchange for resale

• Six students and two staff attended the School Strike for Climate Change Rally at Town Hall

• $1,515 was raised at the Flood Relief Bake Sale and donated to Northern Rivers Community Gateway for counselling services for flood victims

• $4,500 was raised from a Mufti Day to fund school supplies for students of Trinity Catholic College Lismore

• An address by Cam Adams was given during Footprint as part of Reconciliation Week

• 10 x Year 10 students attended the UNICEF Better World Youth Summit at Taronga Zoo and 25 students participated in a follow up session at Footprint

• Weekly Return and Earn collection plus Return and Earn bins at special events including the Athletics Carnival, House Fair, Market Day and Spring Fair

• NAIDOC week and whole school assembly with an address by Dr Leanne Holt, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Indigenous Strategy, Macquarie University

• Participation in lunch time NAIDOC Week activities

• $1000 raised for the BCPA via our Twice but Nice preloved fashion stall at the Barker Spring Fair

• Promotion and attendance at the Barker Institute screening of the documentary Where the Water Starts documentary

• Footprint students participated in packing Christmas hampers for Anglicare’s Toys and Tucker

• 1000 mini toiletries collected from the Barker Community and supplied to St Vincent de Paul Hornsby for distribution

• Single use face mask recycling and Snap the Strap campaign

• White paper and cardboard diverted from landfill via classroom and office paper recycling

• Soft plastic recycling and coffee cup recycling trial

• Batteries, bottle tops, bread tags, 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

Alumni, Community & Foundation

A full program of Alumni and Community events were able to be held this year, and the Barker community welcomed the opportunity to once again be able to attend an array of social events on campus. The Spring Fair in September also proved to be an enormous success after a six-year hiatus and several thousand people enjoyed the fun of the Fair and all it had to offer.

Alumni and Old Barker Association

• OBA Spirit Awards presented to 64 students across Junior, Middle and Senior Schools

• Class of 2021 Drama Cocktail Party held in February

• OBA v Barker Girls Sports Gala Day in Hockey and Netball

• Barker Community Events held in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sunshine Coast, Perth, Canberra and Southern Highlands

• OBA sports training shirts presented to all Year 7 students

• Alumni mentors supported the inaugural Year 11 Career Mentoring Program

• Alumni guest speakers supported curriculum topics with student groups across the School

• OBA Seniors Events: Lunch at Hornsby RSL in March with guest speaker Harley Medcalf (Class of 1969), Back to Barker Day in May, AGM/Lunch with guest speaker Warwick Young (Class of 1983) and afternoon tea at the last Rugby home game of the season against Knox, day trip to Wollombi in September

• OBA Theatre production Candida held at Barker in June

• 24 Class Reunions held ranging from the Class of 1957 through to the Class of 2017

• Alumni Parent Breakfasts held for alumni from the Class of 1975 through to Class of 2006

• OBA Golf Day at Pennant Hills Golf Course in September

• OBA Welcome Packs distributed to Year 12 students

• Baggy Blue Caps and Plume Hats distributed to Year 2 students transitioning to Year 3

• OBA Dinner with guest speaker Elysse Morgan (Class of 2003)

• Australia Day and Queens’ Birthday Honours acknowledged five alumni

• Volunteer alumni generously gave their time to enrich the current Barker students’ experience

• Birthday cards continued to be sent throughout the year to celebrate significant occasions including 21st, 70th, 80th and 90th milestones

BCPA & Community Events

• BCPA Welcome, Inside the Mint Gates event in April

• New Parent Welcome event in April

• Trivia Night – another sell-out event in May

• Spring Fair in September – connecting the entire Barker Community

• Volunteers Afternoon Tea hosted by Phillip Heath to thank all our 2022 Volunteers

• Gingerbread House night in November was a sell-out event Foundation

• Foundation 40th anniversary dinner held in May for 80 guests including past Heads of Barker and former Foundation members.

• Inaugural Back to Barker Day for former 1st XV and Rugby 7s captains and hosted in conjunction with the Barker Rugby Club.

• Chinese Moon Festival lunch was a sellout event for 110 guests.

• Indigenous Education fundraising dinner was a wellattended event for 140 guests, including a delegation from the community in Arnhem Land. A highly successful evening with the target of $500,000 being raised on the night and contributing towards the commencement of a permanent school for the Dhupuma Barker children.

Barker Institute

Continued to celebrate learning with academic and wellbeing events for students, parents, teachers and the wider community with approximately 2000 attending throughout 2022.

• After two years of online events, 2022 saw a return to in-person Barker Institute community learning opportunities. Complementing a session for Barker Staff during the day, friend of the Barker Institute Dr Jared Cooney Horvarth presented to students and parents ‘A Tour Through the Changing Teen Brain’. To connect messages to students and parents, Dr Ian Hunter presented on his program ‘The Writer’s Toolbox’ which is used extensively at Barker, and sleep expert Lisa Maltman delivered sessions to students during the day and parents and community in the evening, on ‘Sleep for Better Health, Resilience and Performance’.

• Events designed for the whole community to come together included ‘Year 7 Study Habits’ presented by Institute Director, Dr Matthew Hill, ‘Reflections on Garma’ (a photo exhibition from the student experience of the festival), a film screening of ‘Where the Water Starts’ with panel discussion and the fourth year of Barker’s annual Science Extension Public Lectures covering the History and Philosophy of Science delivered by Dr Matthew Hill and Dr Alison Gates, two of the Barker Science Extension research supervisors, which was well attended by students, teachers and family members across the greater Sydney region including guests from the Southern Highlands and Central Coast.

• Former Head of Barker College, Dr Neil Tucker, returned to share the findings of his recent doctoral research on ‘Educating for Humanity & The Holistic Principle’ which was well appreciated especially by the leadership team at Barker.

• ‘A Celebration of Women and Girls in Science’ was held including guest speakers, a panel, and tinkering workshops recognising the outstanding contribution to coeducation in science through the Barker Science and STEAM community.

• A variety of student, staff, parent and community learning opportunities are scheduled for 2023 continue to support this valuable community of learning. Promotion of close-to-practice research based on the expertise of Barker staff for the benefit of the Barker students and community.

• Publication and dissemination of the 2022-2023 Research Agenda focusing on the domains of Coeducation, Indigenous Education, Character and Enterprise Education, Intercultural Education, and Future & Innovation.

• Publication of the 2022 Barker Institute Journal, Learning in Practice, authored by Barker staff.

• Production of a new website demonstrating close-topractice research at Barker including student research in a way that is valuable for the Barker community and education more broadly.

• Publication of the fourth edition of the Student Science Extension Research Journal, Scientific Research In Schools, and dissemination to the NSW student community.

• Completion of the Barker Junior School Journey research project and presentations to the Junior School community and at the Australian Association of Research in Education conference in Adelaide.

• Involvement in external research collaborations and conferences including the growing Research Invested Schools movement.

• Connecting decision makers in the School with staff researchers providing survey advice, consultation, literature reviews and connections to external collaborators.

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.

As we look back on 2022 we are deeply thankful to God for his blessings to us and the opportunities we have had to share our resources with others beyond the Mint Gates.