24 July 2024

Mrs Kirsten Knight, Director of Strings

In the last week of Term 2, our Year 3 students enjoyed presenting their first concert on their stringed instruments. Most students only started on their instrument at the start of the year, so it was a big achievement to prepare a program of songs and activities that they had learnt throughout the semester.

Year 3 students demonstrated their plucking and bowing skills, how they had learnt to hold their bow, as well as singing and solfa. They even challenged family, friends and the Junior School executive to engage in some audience participation!

Every student who participated should feel very proud of their efforts in the lead up to the concert and on the night.

By Mrs Annette Carter, College Historian

It seems fitting that our school is named after Bishop Lewis Bostock Radford who was a huge advocate for education, specifically religious education, and was instrumental in establishing religious schools in the growing Australian capital of Canberra.

In the 1920s, Radford believed that “many of the church schools had sold their souls for success”. Bishop Radford, having a holistic view of religious education, believed this was something he could change, and he put his mind to establishing two separate schools in Canberra to support the influx of civil and parliamentary families.

Radford turned to the Community of the Sisters of the Church, based in Sydney, and together they planned to open St Gabriel’s School for girls. In 1926, St Gabriel’s School started in the old Ainslie rectory under a five-year lease while they waited for the erection of the permanent buildings at the new nine-acre site.

The foundation stone was laid by Bishop Radford in 1927. By August of 1927, the first section of the school had been completed with more construction work planned for the following three years.

The Sisters of the Church had built St Gabriel’s at a cost of £25,000 and mortgaged their Waverley establishment to provide the funds. Not long after opening, they found they could not carry the burden and decided to close the school and sell the building. To keep the school open, the Parents and Friends of the School leased it for three years and it consequently changed its name to The Canberra Church of England Girls' Grammar School.

Despite the difficulties of founding the girls’ school in Canberra, Radford forged on with a boys’ school to accompany it. His sights were set on the Monaro Grammar School that had been established in 1908. Radford had first visited the school not long after it opened. Discussions about the possibility of transferring it to Canberra were raised at the Anglican Synod in 1926, almost twenty years after Radford’s first visit.

It had originally been assumed that the Monaro Grammar School (sometimes also referred to as Manaro Grammar School) could simply be transferred to Canberra. However, it was discovered that the Articles of Association of the Monaro Grammar School did not permit the school to operate outside of New South Wales, which made it impossible to be transferred. In 1927, Radford persuaded them to transfer – not the school but its pupils. Despite some difficulties over the next couple of years, the Monaro Grammar School students were the first pupils at Canberra Grammar School.

On 5 December 1928, the foundation stone was laid for Canberra Grammar School by the Prime Minister, Mr Stanley Bruce. Radford was the first Chairman of the School Board.

When speaking at this event, Radford outlined the aims and ideals of the school. He said that it “was the beginning of great things and that it would live up to all anticipations. It had been started for the purpose of meeting the wants of parents who had come to Canberra to take over the education, especially secondary education of the Church of England boys. The ideals of the school were based upon 'British traditions and Christian traditions'".

Although Radford had secured a site of 15 acres, there was an urgent need to house the current pupils and it was proposed that the old rectory buildings at Reid were to be used. The school commenced operations on 5 February 1929 with around 60 students.

Bishop Radford's tireless efforts to establish religious schools in the growing capital left a lasting impact on the educational landscape. His dedication to providing holistic religious education amidst numerous challenges underscored the commitment to his vision. Radford set a precedent for integrating faith and education, and consequently influenced future generations of Canberra students.

By Miltiades Spyrou, Year 11

Over the course of Terms 1 and 2, Isobel Higgins in Year 11 trained for and then participated in the Pink Triathlon to raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. During this process Thomas Liu and I supported Isobel by promoting the National Breast Cancer Foundation through short videos we created to post on various social media sites and YouTube.

This undertaking was our CAS project. CAS is a core part of our IB course that encourages us to partake in actions of Creativity, Activity, and Service (hence CAS). This collaborative project has been ongoing since the end of February and the three of us contributed in various ways: Isobel ran the triathlon and worked on spreading awareness via social media, Thomas coordinated and created the social media content, and I researched the National Breast Cancer Foundation, learning about how it uses its donations, and I helped raise further awareness about the project.

The National Breast Cancer Foundation is Australia's leading non-profit organisation in funding breast cancer research. It raises funds for research to prevent breast cancer through precision prevention, detect breast cancer as early as possible before it progresses, treat hard-to-treat and metastatic breast cancer, and stop the progression and recurrence of breast cancer. This is all for the purpose of their vision of zero deaths from breast cancer. The Ramsay Health Care Triathlon Pink (also known as the Pink Triathlon) raises money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. It began in 2007 and since then has raised over $2.5 million to support breast cancer research.

With the help of our generous donors, we raised $1074, surpassing our fundraising goal of $500.

When asked why Isobel chose to run the Pink Triathlon she said:

"Completing these triathlons for my grandmother who had suffered from breast cancer was challenging, but I know that the pain I endured will never be as hard as that that my grandmother had to live through every day. Because in the end, during the hour or two of swimming, biking and running, you will always have the opportunity to opt out of the race, but those with breast cancer can't. The only way I know it can be described is that breast cancer is sort of like an ultramarathon, 100km of land to cover and there's no way to pull out of it along the way. But this campaign we created was to give those running the race the support they need to make it to the end and come out with a smile. This purpose is what helped me get to the end of my races and hopefully what will help them to get to theirs too."

You can make a donation to the National Breast Cancer Foundation by clicking here.

By Charlie Rehfisch, Year 12

The long-awaited Year 12 Revue starts tomorrow, and tickets are selling fast.

Here is a sneak peak of what the audience can expect:

When a disgruntled student manifests his new role of Principal of the College, his new rules backfire and cause chaos at Radford. Join Mr Lamson, the Rowers, the Tanning Girls, the Tutors, and the rest of Year 12 as they delve through the gossip and work to uncover the new Principal as a fake! With musical numbers, a great plot, insane set, and an unforgettable night of fun, this Revue is not to be missed!

Showtimes: Thursday, Friday and Saturday (25 – 27 July) at 7 pm in the T.B. Millar Hall

Click here for tickets

Come along for a night of fun, frivolity and laughter and see the hard work and creativity of the students on show.

By Ms Maddie Jarosz, Artistic Director of Co-curricular Dance

Over the past couple of months Radford Dance Academy’s Performance Groups, Hip Hop Crews, soloists and duo dancers have competed at multiple competitions around Canberra, achieving some wonderful results.

There is a lot that goes into a competition day, from the 5.00 am starts for hair and makeup, checking costumes are all steamed and looking good, to practicing all the routines and more!

A big congratulations to all our dancers, their parents and the RDA teachers for all their hard work for the first half of the competition season.

By Ms Rhiannon Richards, French Language Teacher

To kick off Term 3, the French and Spanish students in Years 7–10 were treated to a concert by renowned international star Étienne.

The Collegian Centre was filled with the sounds of Étienne’s own blend of Edurock, complete with videos and dance moves. Students were invited to sing along, and engage in call and response and song battles.

The language students had been preparing diligently before the school holidays, so that they would be ready to bring their best voices on the day – and they did not disappoint! Grammar points and different vocabulary topics were reinforced, and a good time was had by all.

Those who had their ready-made signs were able to get autographs, as Étienne moved among the crowd. We were also treated to a question-and-answer session with the man himself, ably led by our very own Señor Amer Salman.

We would like to thank Étienne for making us the first stop on his Australian tour, and all the teachers and support staff who made this event possible.

2024 Inaugural School Sport Australia Games

The inaugural School Sport Australia Games will take place from 27 July to 3 August 2024. It will attract more than 4,000 participants and spectators. The Gold Coast will host five days of competition in six sports: AFL, basketball, hockey, netball, softball and swimming.

The aim of this multi-sport event is to provide more opportunities for students to participate in competitive sport. This inaugural event will see teams from every state and territory compete over five days.

The School Sport Australia Games will showcase some of the country's most talented young athletes in an atmosphere of learning and friendship and will form part of many of their sporting pathways towards the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Radford College will be represented at these games by the following students who have been selected in SSACT teams:

• 15&U AFL – Cooper French (Year 10, Wandoo), Lachlan Sutherland (Year 9, Boronia)
• 12&U Basketball – Josh Brinkley (Year 7, Boronia), Madeleine Richardt (Year 7, Boronia), Ashley Ward (Year 7, Wandoo)
• 16&U Basketball – Kanyi Menakaya (Year 11, Kurrajong), Madi Scholfield (Year 10, Huon)
• 15&U Hockey – Samuel McKean (Year 9, Banksia)
• 15&U Netball – Sarah Rogic (Year 9, Kurrajong)
• 12&U Swimming – Hunter Freeman (Year 5, Acacia)
• 19&U Swimming – Lingwen Chen (Year 9, Karri), Aoife Rothery (Year 12, Huon), Micah Tay (Year 10, Karri), Xavi Canadell (Year 9, Huon)

Basketball

Congratulations to Hamish O’Sullivan (Year 9, Acacia), Poppy Smith (Year 9, Wandoo) and Kaiya Barsby (Year 10, Wandoo) who represented the ACT at the U16 Basketball National Championships in Bendigo over the school holidays.

NBA Basketball School Australia Camp

This week, the Collegians Centre hosted its inaugural NBA Basketball School Australia Camp. Over 150 basketball players from the ACT, NSW, and even as far as WA attended the five-day camp. The event was a tremendous success, thanks in large part to our outstanding coaching team: Aidan Barnett, Callie Bourne, Sophie McWatt and Reece Kaye. Below, you can view some snapshots from the camp.

Year 3-6 Co-curricular Athletics Program Coach wanted

Are you an experienced educator, coach or Radford parent or carer with a passion for athletics?

Radford Sport is seeking a dedicated individual to assist the College with our Years 2–6 Co-curricular Athletics Program in Term 4 2024 and Term 1 2025.

About the Program

The aim of the program is to develop skill sets across a range of events from the track and field disciplines. We would love to see the coaching centred around personalised feedback and supporting students in evolving their training capacity, form and function. Students are to be supported and guided, in addition to preparing for the 2025 Radford, Belconnen, and ACT School Sport Athletics Carnivals.

Schedule

• Training Sessions – Tuesdays from 3.30 – 4.45 pm
• Location – Radford College J.A. Mackinnon Oval
• Equipment – A variety of age-appropriate athletics equipment is available
• Special Sessions – Twice per term at the AIS Track

Requirements

• Experience in athletics coaching or sports education
• Ability to provide personalized feedback and support to students
• Commitment to fostering a positive and engaging learning environment
• Current WWVP card

Compensation

• An hourly pay rate will be offered.

If you are interested, please email CCSports@radford.act.edu.au

Water polo

Year 8 student Victor Cumpston (Kurrajong) en Year 9's Molly Jones and Ruben Seow (both in Banksia) represented ACT at the U15 East Coast Water Polo Challenge in Melbourne during the school holidays. The girls team narrowly missed out on bronze coming 4th and the boys team placed 7th out of 9 teams. They played against teams from Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales.

Football

Year 9 student, Isla Murphy (Jarrah) and Year 10 Chelsea Hately (Karri) represented Capital Football at the Football Australia U15 & U16 Girls National Youth Championships in Melbourne earlier this month, testing themselves against the best players from around the nation.

Term 3 Coerver Coaching Football Skills Clinic

Registrations are still open for the Coerver Coaching Term 3 Football (soccer) Skills Clinic on Friday afternoons on the Radford J.A. Mackinnon Oval.

Click here to register and for further information.

By Ms Tracey Markovic, Assistant Head of Junior School Operations

Do you have a favourite family recipe that everyone should know about?

When you cook something are you always asked for the recipe?

Would you like your recipe included in Radford's 40th Anniversary Community Cookbook?

If so, this is for you!

Year 3/4 RAS (Radford Awareness and Service) students have expressed an interest in making a cookbook to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Radford and for people to share their family recipes with the wider Radford community. The students' idea is to create a cookbook made up of recipes from current families Pre-Kindergarten to Year 12, from staff, from Collegians and from former staff members.

Each recipe would be accompanied with a ‘story’ that explains why the recipe is special. This would be a few sentences that sits next to, or below, the recipe. For example:

When I was 16, I stood in my grandma’s kitchen and watched her cook her famous apple crumble. I wrote down each of the ingredients as she measured them. She used a special metal spoon for the measuring and mixing. When she passed away, she left me the spoon. Even today, when I make her apple crumble, I still use the same spoon – Tracey Markovic

We hope to have the cookbook available for purchase at this year's Radford Fete on 2 November.

If you would like your recipe included in the cookbook, please follow this link.

The link will remain open for contributions until this Friday, 2 August.

If you have any further questions, please contact Ms Tracey Markovic.

By Miss Melinda Hamilton, Junior School Teacher

Yesterday our Kindergarten students enjoyed a fantastic science show with Dr Graham Walker. Kindergarteners are learning about ‘How the World Works’ this term, and will be exploring how scientists investigate the world.

The students were so excited to see the many fun experiments. Their curious minds were activated after watching a hoverboard fly, balls fly with air from a leaf blower and gasped when Mrs Kate Beacroft sat on a bed of nails. This incursion was a great way to get Kindergarten students engaged in science and excited to learn more this term.

My favourite part was when he sat on the nails because it was funny. He said he had special bottom saving underpants! – Celina

My favourite part was the hoverboard because it went really fast. He made it with wood and a big leaf blower – Hamish

My favourite bit was when he did the wind with the large garbage bin. He used special fog so we could see the air and it was a donut shape. This is called a vortex – Reuben

My favourite part was the trumpet made out of a straw. When the straw was cut the sound changed and got higher and higher and higher – Ollie

My favourite part was when Dr Graham blew his face with the leaf blower because it made his face look really funny! – Ethan

Collegian Oliver Golding's first solo art exhibition, under the name Oli Sain, is currently on display at the SOL GALLERY in Melbourne.
Oliver (Class on 2018) is described on the gallery's website as a versatile artist based in Melbourne, engaged in a multifaceted exploration of various artistic mediums. His creative journey is driven by a profound desire to reconnect with the joyful experiences of his childhood immersed in pop culture, as well as to delve into the realms of nostalgia it evokes. Central to his artistic inquiry is the theme of conflict, with a particular focus on the tools and symbols thereof.

Click here to view the artwork in this exhibition.

To find out more about what Radford Collegians are up to, please visit the Radford Collegians page.

Radford Collegian, Jordan Prosser (Class of 2006), has published his first novel, Big Time, to considerable acclaim.

After leaving Radford, Jordan attended the Victorian College of the Arts School of Film & Television, completing his Bachelor's degree in 2009, and his Honours year in 2012. He is a writer, filmmaker and actor and lives in Melbourne. His short films and screenplays have won multiple international accolades.

Big Time is set in a not-too-distant future Australia, where the Eastern states have become the world’s newest autocracy – a place where pop music is propaganda, science is the enemy, nationalism trumps all, and dissent or moral indecency are punishable by immediate and indefinite detention.

The Guardian review of Big Time can be found here.

Our Winter Concert is one of our major annual music events, featuring ten of our co-curricular music groups.

The concert will be held on Thursday 1 August from 5.30 pm in the T.B. Millar Hall. The groups performing will be:

1. Omo Wewe
2. Mozart Strings
3. Hendrix Guitar Ensemble
4. Beginner (BIP) Band
5. Vivaldi Strings
6. Vivace
7. Zappa Guitar Ensemble
8. Holst Concert Band
9. Warblers
10. Chorale

These groups have been working hard to prepare for this event and it promises to be an exciting celebration of music at Radford College.

Entry for this event is free and tickets are not required.

By Ms Rhiannon Richards, French Language Teacher

At the end of last term our Year 11 French students got to meet with external speaker Mr Felix Allender. Mr Allender, a teacher from Switzerland, has also worked in other roles and more recently been attached to the Alliance Française during his sabbatical to Canberra.

Our students firstly interacted about their own information. Next, we read and discussed a text about life in Switzerland. Finally, we played a Kahoot quiz to test our new-found knowledge. Congratulations to Thomas for winning the quiz and the chocolates. Thank you to Mr Allender for his thought-provoking interactions and for the additional reading material he has left us about his home country.

We wish him ‘bon retour’ to his life in Switzerland.

By Mrs Monique Glavonjic, Administrator - Fundraising and Events

The Radford Collegians Association invites you to join us as we celebrate the return of the graduating classes of 1994, 2004 and 2014 to the College on Saturday 7 September 2024.

This is a free event. Please register here with your graduating year class.

Families are welcome to attend.

Drinks, nibbles, entertainment and school tours will be available on the day.

We look forward to welcoming you back to Radford College.

Join us for a spine-chilling Friday the 13th Spooky Trivia Night!

Calling all thrill-seekers and trivia enthusiasts. Get ready for a night of eerie fun and test your knowledge on a range of things including some things spooky. Whether you're a horror movie buff, a paranormal enthusiast, or you just love a good scare then this Trivia Night is for you!

Date: Friday, 13 September 2024

Time: 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm

Where: T.B. Millar Hall, Radford College

Cost: $15 per person, $150 for a table of 10 or $120 for a table of 8.

Bring your own food and drinks.

Tables of 8 to 10 people. Please note this event is for over 18s only.

Gather your team of brave souls or come solo and join forces with other fearless trivia lovers! Prizes await the top-scoring teams, so bring your A-game!

Get creative with your spooky inspired outfit and table decorations.

Don't miss out on this hair-raising event! Mark your calendars and secure your tickets now for a night of ghoulishly good fun! See you there!

For more information, please email P&F@radford.act.edu.au

By Ms Sophie Chang, School Psychologist

The Radford Wellbeing Team will offer the Tuning in to Teens™ parenting program on campus over six sessions on Thursday evenings, from 4.00 pm - 6.00 pm, starting on 1 August and concluding on 5 September 2024.

Tuning in to Teens™ is a free evidence-based program using the principles of emotion intelligence and emotion coaching to enhance parenting skills. Over the course of the six sessions, the program aims to equip parents with the tools to engage in meaningful conversations with their teens about emotions, fostering emotional intelligence and adept conflict management within the home.

This program works with the principle of emotional intelligence.  Teens with higher emotional intelligence:

• are more aware, assertive, and strong in situations with peer pressure
• have greater success with making friends and are more able to manage conflict with peers
• are more able to cope when upset or angry
• have fewer mental health and substance abuse difficulties
• have more stable and satisfying relationships as adults
• have greater career success – emotional intelligence may be a better predictor of academic and career success than IQ. 

The aim of the program is to teach parents about how they can help their teenagers develop good emotional skills. For example:

• awareness of what emotions their teen is experiencing
• to view their teen’s emotions as opportunity to connect with them and guide them
• helping their teen identify and describe what they are feeling
• learn to listen to their teen’s problems without judgement
• strengthen their and their teen’s problem-solving skills and learning to cope with boundaries and limitations

This program is offered to parents with a student in Years 7 -12. Participants will be capped at approximately 12. If you wish to join us on this journey, please fill out this expression of interest form.

For further inquiries or to find out more about the program, send an email to Ms Sophie Chang.

Embracing Ministries is a chaplaincy unit of the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn. They provide holistic care, including a range of programs and services, for children with disability and their families, regardless of religious affiliation.

Embracing Ministries has four main objectives:

• Support – To provide emotional, social and spiritual support to families with children with special needs
• Train – To offer workshops to families in the area of social safety and equip youth to provide care to young people with a disability
• Advocate – To develop links and relationships across the diocese to advocate for people with a disability in churches
• Events – To offer retreats, camps and other events for people with disabilities and parents of children affected by disability.

There are a number of events coming up soon.

The launch of CHECKPOINT and its first meeting is on 7 August at 7pm. CHECKPOINT offers a supportive network specifically for men who play pivotal roles in the lives of children with disabilities. It offers a unique space where you can connect with peers who understand the challenges and joys of caregiving. For more information, please click here.

There are also regular children's programs including the 'Little Treasures' holiday program, women's programs including mid-week and weekend activities and getaways for carers which provide refreshment and relaxation. They also offer a men's program with monthly opportunities for primary carers to hang out, share their experiences and a support one another. For information on these, contact details can be found here.