Brisbane Girls Grammar School’s approach to wellbeing is holistic and centred on the understanding that it underpins learning. A proactive approach to student care at Girls Grammar nurtures students’ intellectual, emotional, and social development. The Ethics curriculum and the wellness skills-based groups in the Floreamus Centre are important programs, designed to support our young women as they navigate through adolescence. The programs are deliberately designed to enhance the wellbeing of students at each Year level by providing opportunities about topics that are relevant to their age and context. Complementing the Ethics curriculum and wellness skills-based groups is the Year 7 subject Philosophy of Learning where students make a connection between learning dispositions, productive cognitive and behaviouraltechniques, and flourishing. We value our partnership with parents and therefore provide a summary of Term 1 Student Care Programs.
Year 7 Ethics
The Term 1 Year 7 Ethics Program focuses on ‘Becoming a Grammar Girl’ by exploring activities that encourage curiosity, ethical engagement, adventure, balance, and independence. Students are involved in orientation lessons to get to know their School, including the Floreamus Centre, academic faculties, and Houses. They are introduced to the School’s Promoting Positive Relationships Policy and explore the concepts of making friends, positive and negative thinking, mindfulness, and self-esteem. Additionally, students begin to learn about and implement, study skills, goal-setting, and reflecting—an integral part of the School’s Cultures of Thinking and noticing learning frameworks in Year 7.
Mrs Sally Callie and Mrs Sacha Cross
Year 7 Ethics Coordinators
Year 8 Ethics
Within the Year 8 Ethics theme ‘Building My Foundation’, students will begin the Healthy Minds Program. The Healthy Minds Program is a research-based course devised by Flinders University, South Australia. It is a prevention program that aims to equip students with a core set of psychological skills and build protective factors to foster robust mental health and resilience. The modules covered in Term 1 will help students: notice the signposts of unhelpful perfectionism and the benefits of challenges and mistakes; become critical consumers of the media in an image-focused world; appreciate that all emotions have a purpose and learn how to manage them well; and recognise common unhelpful thinking traps and practice more balanced and helpful thinking processes. The course will be delivered by guest Clinical Psychologist, Laura Eyles, in union with Brisbane Girls Grammar School Student Care staff.
Mrs Sally Callie and Mrs Violet Ross
Year 8 Ethics Coordinators
Year 9 Ethics
Year 9 Ethics offers students a range of experiences involving a micro credential course, guest speakers and a programme designed to expand horizons and try something new. Throughout the year, all Year 9 students will work at their own pace on completing a micro credential, Eton X, a highly regarded course with units such as resilience, making an impact as a leader, and verbal communication skills. In Term 1, students will have the chance to be involved in activities such as Jujitsu, Yoga and Mindfulness in Nature and Music and start working on a team problem-solving project. The Ethics Program also gives House Group Captains leadership opportunities through introducing and thanking guest speakers, running a ‘passions’ Assembly to highlight their peers’ diverse talents, and organising special projects such as a social activity with BGS.
Mrs Sybil Edwards and Mrs Stephanie Thomas
Year 9 Ethics Coordinators
Year 10 Ethics
As the start of Year 10 marks the halfway point through secondary school, it is timely to move our thinking beyond focusing on self, to instead looking at how our skills learned can benefit our community. Everyone knows how good it feels to be able to help others, so in Term 1 of the Year 10 Ethics Program, ‘Looking Beyond Me’, we explore what constitutes a meaningful life, and the connection between service and happiness. We will welcome as a guest speaker, Ms Megan Elliot, the founder of Gingercloud’s Modified Rugby Program, who will share her view of the power of service. Students will consider their unique set of personal strengths when selecting a community service activity. Parents will receive information about the program, and permission is then requested for their daughter to participate. With the support of the Year 10 House Group Teacher and the House Service Captains, each Year 10 student will be guided through the process of contacting the service provider and making arrangements for their placement. We encourage parental interest in the process and placement; however, students gain the most benefit to their personal and academic growth when managing the planning stages themselves.
Mrs Lynne Mungomery and Ms Ruth Jans
Year 10 Ethics Coordinators
Year 11 Ethics
The overarching focus of the Year 11 Ethics program is ‘Being the Best Me’. In Term 1, students will develop an understanding of healthy habits, positive relationships, and helpful thinking strategies. The program will be delivered through a variety of engaging presentations, including topics such as understanding ATAR and post-secondary planning, a Q&A panel with recent BGGS graduates, and a range of relevant aspects of wellbeing.
Mrs Alice Dabelstein and Miss Alysia Stark
Year 11 Ethics Coordinators
Year 12 Ethics
The Year 12 Ethics program begins with students becoming the ‘Custodians of Culture’ as the seniors of the student body. They have received their Year 12 Senior Badges and have pledged to take on the responsibilities that come with the position by role modelling what it means to be a Girls Grammar student. Throughout the term, students will learn about ways to manage their studies and engage in self-care throughout their final year of secondary school. They will also continue their journey with mindfulness practices and begin looking at life beyond BGGS through Tertiary Pathways presentations.
Ms Sarah Boyle and Mrs Hazel Boltman
Year 12 Ethics Coordinators
Year 7 Philosophy of Learning
Philosophy of Learning is a subject designed specifically for Year 7 students and complements the Ethics Program. To begin the year, students get to know themselves as a learner and become more aware of their learning habits. By studying the characteristics of inspiring young role models such as Ash Barty and Jessica Watson, girls discuss the value of practice, perseverance, and a growth mindset in terms of building expertise in both academic and co-curricular contexts.
Mrs Sallie Callie Year 7 and 8 Advisor
Ms Susan Garson Director of Centre for School-wide Pedagogy
Floreamus Centre
The Floreamus Centre staff have enjoyed welcoming Grammar girls back to campus, especially our new Year 7 students who toured the Centre with their Year 12 buddies on Monday. This term, the Wellness Group program offers Thrive, Embrace and Engage. Thrive, targeted at students in Years 7 to 9, focuses on building confidence and courage. Embrace, available for students from Years 8 to 10, builds resilience and helps students to manage difficult emotions, and Engage is a weekly drop-in study skills session open to all students.
Dr Jody Forbes
Associate Dean (Wellbeing)
