Foundation Newsletter - 2013 April - St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School

Foundation
St Aidan’s
newsletter
Newsletter of St Aidan’s Foundation APRIL 2013
Foundation provides
$200,000 boost to School
Despite continuing tough economic
times, the school community strongly
supported the St Aidan’s Foundation in
2012, allowing the Foundation to provide
the School with a $200,000 boost in
March 2013.
Foundation chairman, Mr Tony Markwell, said
the donation represented a concerted effort
by the Foundation in 2012.
“We were delighted with the generous
donations from the school community,
and I must acknowledge the hard work the
Foundation’s events team put in to creating
excellent events – and the wider school
community for supporting those events,”
Mr Markwell said.
“We have tried to run events that people
find enjoyable and provide a chance to
meet and socialise with other parents and
their daughters.”
“We’ve had great feedback for the annual
social lunch, mother/daughter and father/
daughter breakfasts and the Junior School
disco, and we thank parents for their
ongoing support,” he said
Principal, Mrs Karen Spiller, said the
considerable donation would support the
provision of a variety of teaching resources
including science equipment across the
school as well as iPads in Years K-3 and two
new sets of classroom furniture.
“I thank the school family for their ongoing
support of the Foundation’s endeavours
through donations with fees and attendance
at events,” she said.
The St Aidan’s Foundation was established
in 1999 to secure St Aidan’s long-term
financial future by raising and managing funds
for the continued improvement of our school
environment, and to benefit current and
future students.
In its lifetime, the support of parents and Old
Girls has enabled the Foundation to contribute
more than $3.9 million to the school.
Mr Markwell said the Foundation’s key
objectives in 2013 were a major capital
campaign to help the school fund the science
labs it needs to keep our girls up to date with
the best technology and facilities, and to
continue the scholarship campaign.
“This year, the Foundation is seeking to raise
more than last year to cover the costs of these
important new facilities. While we recognise
the economy is quite tight, we encourage
you to keep in mind when you receive an
invitation to one of our events, or an appeal
for donations, that the money all goes to the
benefit of the school - our girls present and
future,” he said.
There are
many ways in
which you can
support the
Foundation:
• Donate to special
appeals
•Voluntary Building
Fund contributions
with your fees invoice
• Attendance at,
and donations to,
Foundation functions
• Bequests and
donations of art,
shares or other
assets
Spotlight on science achievers
This year the Foundation aims to raise $300,000 to add two new science laboratories to the Senior School. Find out more about this
exciting appeal and some of our latest science stars on page 3.
1 St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

2 St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School
Tony
Markwell
Chairman’s
Letter
Welcome to the first Foundation
newsletter for the 2013 school
year – already this year we have a
lot to be proud of and a lot to look
forward to.
As you will read in this issue, our major
capital fundraising project this year is
the Science Appeal. The addition of two
full science labs to the Senior School will
cost the school approximately $300,000.
As the project will not receive any state
or federal government funding, the
Foundation wants to provide the school
with as much funding as possible, to
ensure our daughters are given the
very best opportunities to excel in their
science studies and careers. This is
an extremely important and significant
fundraising campaign for the Foundation,
and we encourage you to support our
efforts in any way you can.
The school community’s support of the
Foundation to date has been invaluable,
as evidenced by our recent donation to
the school of $200,000 to assist with
the provision of state of the art teaching
facilities and equipment. Without
your continued support of Foundation
initiatives, events and other voluntary
donations, this level of contribution
would not be possible.
The Foundation is well known within
the school community for its dynamic
line up of social events, and this year
will be no exception. Already we have
kicked off the year with our ‘Success in
Science’ lunch at Libertine, which itself
was a huge success, and coming up on
the social calendar are the ever popular
Father-Daughter Breakfast and Disco and
Ladies Breakfast. You can read about
these events on page 5.
We look forward to welcoming you to
one or all of these events throughout
the year and bringing you more exciting
Foundation news in our next issue.
Invest in St Aidan’s top
academic performance
St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School students have again achieved outstanding
OP results with more than 97% of the 2012 Senior students gaining an OP
1-15 and 22% achieving an OP 1-3.
These consistent outcomes (each year since
2010, more than 93% have achieved an OP1-
15) point to the high quality education the
school delivers.
Not only is St Aidan’s well above the State
average in all OP categories – it is one of
the top performing independent schools
in Queensland.
St Aidan’s is an excellent option for parents
seeking academic success for their daughters.
Principal Karen Spiller was also delighted to
congratulate the 2012 graduates on their
performance on the Queensland Core Skills
Test. 31% of OP-eligible students were awarded
an A (twice the State average).
“It is pleasing to see our students are
recognised through these outstanding results,
and that the quality of our education delivers
these outcomes,” Mrs Spiller said.
A bequest is a gift from you and can be
either named or anonymous. It is an
instruction contained within a Will and
specifically reserves part of an estate for
a particular beneficiary. Bequests can be
made in a variety of ways to reflect your
particular wishes. They can be defined
personal assets such as shares or bonds,
fixed sums or simply a percentage of
an estate.
In choosing how to make your bequest,
please give thought to these options:
1. Percentage Bequest. This style of
bequest ensures that your other
beneficiaries are not affected by possible
changes in the size of your estate, or
by inflation.
2. Residual Bequest. This takes the form
of part or all of your estate (the residue)
after you have provided for your family
and friends.
“The way our teachers work with students and
parents to plan and cater to the individual needs
of students is a real strength of St Aidan’s.
“These strong results are a reflection of both
the quality teaching and learning opportunities
provided at St Aidan’s and the diligent work
done by our staff, students and parents in
maintaining a focus on education.”
Full results are available on the St Aidan’s
website under News and Events.
Support for the St Aidan’s Foundation helps
provide the facilities that are assisting
these great results. If your daughter is at the
school, or is a past student who has benefited
from her time here, please consider a taxdeductible
donation.
To donate to the St Aidan’s Foundation
Scholarship Fund, please contact
the Foundation on 3373 5929 or at
foundation@ staidans.qld.edu.au
The gift of bequests
There are many ways that parents, Old Girls and former parents can give
back to the school and help enhance the educational resources and
facilities for future generations of St Aidan’s girls. A bequest is one such
form of donation you may not have considered.
3. Set Sum Bequest. This is the simplest
form of bequest but it has the
disadvantage of not making allowances
for inflation or any change in your
circumstances. Regular review is
therefore recommended.
4. Specific Asset/s. You may prefer to will to
the School assets such as collections of a
valuable nature, works of art, memorabilia,
shares, real estate, and/or collections.
If you would like to make a bequest to
St Aidan’s Foundation, please contact
the Foundation Officer on 3373 5929 or
foundation@staidans.qld.edu.au, or have
your legal adviser do so. Let us know when
you have made a bequest, as the Principal
would like the opportunity to thank you
personally for your gift. Your confirmation
will be held in confidence.
Your generosity in making a bequest to
St Aidan’s Foundation will help secure the
future of the school and touch the lives of
St Aidan’s students for generations to come.

Spotlight on
science achievers
Sevannah Ellis Jessie Madden Emily Stevens Madeleine Colquhoun
The Science Appeal is the new major capital fundraising project
for St Aidan’s Foundation – a $300,000 appeal to add two new
science laboratories to the Senior School.
Two new technology-enabled science laboratories
will help St Aidan’s deal with the demands of
integrating Year 7 fully into high school from
2015 (the start date of the project depends on
the success of the appeal).
The St Aidan’s Foundation is looking to the
St Aidan’s community for support to ensure our
girls have the facilities required for excellence.
St Aidan’s is hoping to start the building project
within the next 12 to 18 months, with the
start date dependent on the success of the
Foundation’s capital campaign.
Foundation chairman Mr Tony Markwell said it
was fascinating that girls who attended all-girls’
schools were more than six times more likely to
earn degrees in maths and science subjects –
key subject areas for many current and future
career paths.
“Our appeal aims to support the school’s
capacity to foster the study of science and
engineering, which will lead to many and
varied career opportunities for our daughters,”
Mr Markwell said.
A number of high achieving 2012 students had
spoken at the recent Honours assembly about
their study and career paths. The thoughts of
some of these students are featured below.
Sevannah Ellis
(OP1, studying Bachelor of Biomedical Science at
University of Queensland)
“It was during Year 10 when we first started
looking at career options that I was interested
in medicine – until I realised research was what
really fascinated me,” Sevannah said.
“It is not often that you find an all girls school
with such a broad and enjoyable science
program. I found science highly engaging in my
early years, which is when I first considered a
future in this area. Senior Sciences allowed me to
specialise my interests and I started to develop a
passion for biology and chemistry.
“If you start developing an interest in Sciences,
try to extend yourself as much as possible.
Choose assignment topics that excite you and
are out of the ordinary and make good use of the
resources St Aidan’s provides. The teachers are
fountains of knowledge, always willing to help
and with the amazing technologies available, it is
a lot of fun to pursue a passion for sciences.”
Jessie Madden
(OP1, studying Bachelor of Science, followed by
Doctor of Medicine, at University of Queensland)
The school’s 2012 Dux says St Aidan’s gave
her the self-confidence to challenge herself
to achieve things she would never have
thought possible.
“During Years 11 and 12 I seriously considered
becoming a Lawyer, Doctor or Medical
Researcher. I am still weighing up between
Doctor and Medical Researcher,” Jessie said.
“I have been lucky enough to be awarded
Provisional Entry into a Bachelor of Medicine
Bachelor of Surgery degree (soon to be
changed to a ‘Doctor of Medicine’ degree) and
am completing a Science degree, majoring in
Biomedical Science for the next three years,
before continuing into Medicine.
“The Australian Space Design Competition was a
valuable experience as it allowed me to use my
interests in a more concrete ‘real world’ scenario
and gave me an understanding of the sorts of
opportunities in a Science/Maths career, which
encouraged me to think seriously about how to
use my interests and talents after school.
“My advice would be to really make the most of
the passion and enthusiasm your teachers have
for Science, and use that to help you decide
exactly what area of Science interests you,
because it is a very big field.”
Emily Stevens
(OP1, studying Bachelor of Physiotherapy at
University of Queensland)
“St Aidan’s has given me endless opportunities
and fantastic friends and mentors, and its
emphasis on empowering women is a unique
quality,” Emily said.
“Since about Year 7 I have wanted to be a
Physiotherapist. In Maths, Biology and Physics
in my senior years at St Aidan’s, the passion my
teachers felt for these subjects was evident and
they led and encouraged by example (a special
shout-out to Mr Brennan!).
Science is such a broad topic with many unique
and dynamic facets. It can be challenging
but also very rewarding. My advice to current
students would be to take the time to discover
what areas interest you. Finding something you
truly enjoy doing is definitely worth the wait.”
Madeleine Colquhoun
(OP2, studying Bachelor of Speech Pathology at
University of Queensland)
The 2012 Vice Captain and Prefect believes a
basic understanding of a scientific discipline can
help in many aspects of life:
“There are lots of opportunities in a science
career, offering a wide range of employment.
If you don’t do science in Years 11 and 12, your
options become much more limited when it
comes to University courses. If you enjoy it at
school, then I advise to definitely consider it as a
potential career choice,” Madeleine said.
“I was scared throughout Year 12 as I had
no real direction of what I wanted to pursue
after school. I considered engineering, taking
a gap year, joining the army, teaching. Luckily
after attending multiple Market Days, I found
something I was really interested in: Allied Health.
We were always encouraged to study at least
one science subject for one of our six senior
subjects as it acts as a gateway to a majority of
University courses.”

Foundation Honour Board
The Foundation acknowledges the generosity of its major donors with an
Honour Board. Updated twice a year, the board is displayed in the foyer
of the Archer and Templeton Science and Technology Centre and has six
levels of recognition for the following donor amounts:
Patron: $100,000 & over
Senior Benefactor: $50,000 & over
Benefactor: $25,000 & over
PATRON
Sir Robert and Lady Mathers
St Aidan’s P and F Association
Steven and Julie Bridges
Kiyoshiro and Nobuko Yano
Ron Archer AM
The Moses Family
Bayly Family
Jennifer Brice and Family
SENIOR BENEFACTOR
The Morphet Family
Rebecca Pullar
Ray Robinson
BENEFACTOR
Matthew Hill-Smith & Family
The Brett Family
Bruce and Glenys Barclay
The Levison Family
Mrs E A & Mr H C Griffin
Suchira & Bapi Nag
The Haines Family
Chris and Genevieve Greig
SENIOR DONOR
Betty Davies (Park)
The Whelan Family
St Aidan’s Old Girls Association
Jan and Patrick Dixon
John and Melissa Bullwinkel
Tim and Jennifer Rylance
Neil and Tania Sherington
Helen, Bede and Prue King
Geoff and Clemmie Bishop
R W Axon
Spencer Family
Ross and Jo Fraser
David and Jenny Wood
Judith Smith nee Rigby
David and Julie Henderson
Rod and Susan Elliott
Burrell Family
Clouston Family
Kate, Meg, Sophie & Libby Jacques
Mark & Katie Wilson
Jason, Jane, Charlie & Harriet Watson
DONOR
Stephen and Deborah Green
Alison, Andrew, Nicolai and
Madeline Morris
Gibson Family
Steffensen Family
Mr G and Mrs L Jones
Rod and Nina Gill
H T and E V Lee
Robin and Margaret White
Margaret and Peter Jolly
The Tidmarsh Family
Senior Donor: $10,000 & over
Donor: $5,000 & over
Associate: $2,000 & over
St Aidan’s Foundation acknowledges the generosity of the
following members:
R G and A J Brown
Mr & Mrs Murphy
Knyn S and H
Steven and Donna Leigh
Mr K & Mrs L Morris
Scott, Pauline, Hannah and Pia Lucas
Daglish Family
Moller Family
John & Karen Spiller
James & Jackie Knowlman
The Woodhouse Family
Richmond Family
T & M Phelps
Dr and Mrs P Millroy
Mark & Penny Krause
David & Kathleen O’Brien
G H & S Brodie
Greene Family
Mark and Kirsten Elliott
Helen & Peter Thomas
The Pinkerton Family
The Fairweather Family
ASSOCIATE
Tsai-Jung Pan
Meredith and Alexis Hartigan
The Crowe Family
Nick and Anna Stevens
Courtney Morley-Drabble and Family
Brabazon Family
The See Family
R J and T Walters
O’Hair Family
The Fox Family
Katahanas Family
Monique and Garry Connelly
The Hallam Family
Stephanie and Emilie Derrington
Greg and Gillian Harding
Fraser and Sue Gibson
S and M Kordatou
Anne and Owen Edwards
Nick and Alex Daunt
Ron and Julie Della Piana
June Merritt
Malcolm and Margaret Davison
Martin and Susan Leonard
John and Jennifer McLaughlin
D and T Knight
David and Sue Russell
Mark Beauchamp Peacock
C J and C H Evans
Heikkinen Family
John, Kelyn and Julia Flynn
Don and Annatjie Hunter
C and M Bassili
Kevin and Karen Dixon and Family
Holmes Family
Downes Family
Kate and Tony Charters
Heather Bishop
Sam and Beccie Neville
Andrew and Amanda Molloy
Katrina and Tony Carr
Drew and Amanda Armstrong
Saxby Family
John and Gillian Aston
J W and D L Pollard
D and S Burrough
Raymond Lee
Ian and Diane Stanislao
Costa Economou
Brett and Jenny Mooney
Jannene and Robert Rathie
Eric Ford
K and M Howe
Baumann Family
Sue and Mike Veitch
Leanne Huggett
Phil and Verena Preston
The Macdonald Family
Darren and Katarina Norris
Noel and Margie Gordon
The Cockerall Family
G and R Schultz
G and M Cannell
Jad and Kristine Vinko
Ian and Jennifer Munro
The Lacaze Family
Craig and Marion O’Donnell
D’d & Col Morrow
The McComb Family
Irvine Family
The Matters Family
The Shaw Family
Tony & Sharon Weir/Bronte Duncalf
Ted & Kristine Bankowski
Brad & Kathy Nowland
The Trainor Family
Barry & Judy Jackson
The Geldard Family
The Jarratt Family
Stewart & Trudy McConchie
Brenda & David Gooding
Brian & Elizabeth Hill
Dr A & Mrs L Hogan
The Mengel Family
Drew and Susan Armstrong
Emily, Liz, Mark & Harrison Plath
Demnar Family
The Fernandez Family
The McCluskey Family
The Crawford Family
Cara Jane McKelvie
K Bridges & C Goodfellow-Bridges
Peter & Barbara McDermott
The Farmer Family
Jacqueline Vuong Family
The Nothdurft Family
The Carnie Family
David & Marianne Andrews
The Alexander Family
Chris & Pamela Sandford
The Welsh Family
The Prince Family
Brett and Fiona Provan
The Purdy Family
The Downes Family
Arabella Haseler
Ian & Sandra Kjellgren
Bennison Family
Peter & Deborah McMillan
Sudath & Natalia Wijeratne
Tracy-Jayne Webb
Karen and Frank Hills
Annita and Brendan Nugent
The James Family
The Murray-Douglass Family
Kevin & Kim Jaffar
The Pattison Family
Kate Suttie
Archos Family
John & Karen Wilson
The Saggers Family
Graeme, Debra, Lara, Madisen Gill
Rotary Club of Jindalee (D9630)
The Stoermer Family
Victoria, Cedric & Mary Holland
Karen & David Lewis
Jeremy and Lisa Ferrier
The Skillington Family
Siobhan, Helena & Georgina Sawyer
The James-Jenks Family
The Voigt Family
The Plowman Family
The Cottell Family
Emmerson Family
The Peachey Family
Tony & Lynn Rees
Christina Orange
The Wheatley Family
Barry and Martha Walker
The Winn Family
The Carseldine Family
The Demichelis Family
The Wickes Family
Asha Underhill
Scott and Adele Todd
The Kendall Family
The Bazeley Family
The Hodge Family
Grace Burgess-Limerick
Elissa Stewart & Family
Gary, Janine and Rachel McDonell
The Brant Family
Bruce and Helen Wilson
The Murdoch Family
Alison & James Kilkenny
Ros Curtis
Geoff and Helen Gargett
The Mohr Family
The Mullis Family
The Williams Family
Fred and Gail Nicolosi and Jade Crothers
The McBurnie Family
Leinani Wright
The Mathiesen Family
Abi and Ali Langford
Greg and Janet Killoran
Jessica & Emily Sale
Karen and Brett Mills
Alison and Don Chandler
Grace and Amelia Anderson
Beckinsale Family
Hilary Blackband (Alroe)
John and Vanessa Brennan
Coralee Jeffrey and Gary Fulcher
Bethany and Kate Johannsen
Matt, Maree and Ashlee Johnson
The Magnusson Family
The Markwell Family
The McGarrigle Family
Newsome Family
The Plumridge Family
The Rodgers Family
Dr & Mrs Greg and Natalie Scalia
The Teng Family
The Tut Family
Brad and Louise Usasz
The McIntyre Family
Raani Marks
The Flanagan Family
We also acknowledge
donors who wish to remain
anonymous.
4 St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School

SAVE
THEDATE!
Mark these Foundation
event favourites in your diary
and contact the Foundation
Officer on 3373 5929 or
foundation@ staidans. qld.edu.au
to book your tickets or enquire
about sponsoring or assisting
with the events.
Ladies Breakfast
This year’s Mother Daughter ‘Ladies Breakfast’ coincides with the next partial solar eclipse, and
what better way to witness this spectacular astronomical moment than amongst fellow mothers
and daughters, with special viewing equipment to maximize the experience for all. Old Girl Lucy
Goodman will talk about her personal science journey, from St Aidan’s through to her tertiary studies
in neuroscience, molecular biology and science communication, her recent research project in New
Zealand and now her PhD program at the University of Auckland. ‘The 17’ choir group will perform
and the breakfast will be catered by Caxton Street Catering.
Friday 10 May, 6:45am | Christine Hartland Centre | Cost: Mothers $45, students $30
Guest Speaker: Lucy Goodman (2001)
Father Daughter Breakfast
Always a favourite for father daughter bonding, this year’s breakfast will continue the science theme, giving the
girls a valuable insight to the opportunities that await them in science education and careers. Stay tuned for
further details.
Friday 30 August, 6:45am | Christine Hartland Centre | Cost: Fathers $45, students $30 | Guest Speaker: TBC
Junior School Father Daughter Disco
Put your glad rags on and join the fun…this year’s Disco theme is Rock ‘n’ Roll! Whether you channel
Elvis or KISS, Tina Turner or Madonna, the music will be rockin’ and the guests will be boppin’. As
always there will be fabulous entertainment, prizes, food and drinks – a great opportunity to meet and
mingle with other dads and enjoy a fun night out with your daughters. This event is always a night to
remember and one of the hottest tickets on the Foundation social calendar, so book yours early. More
event details to come shortly.
Friday 25 October, 6:00 – 9:30pm | Christine Hartland Centre | Cost: Fathers $60, students $35
5 St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School
success in science
lunch a huge success!
More than 100 parents, friends and other
members of the school community gathered
at Libertine on Friday 22 March for the annual
St Aidan’s Foundation Lunch, which this year
focused on the success our students continue to
have in the field of science.
While guests dined on exquisite French-
Vietnamese cuisine, our three guest speakers
– Old Girls Geraldine Moses (1980), Amanda
Wood (2002) and Aimee Hanson (2010) –
captivated them with their experiences in
the world of science beyond the classroom
and imparted some valuable insight to the
opportunities available to all St Aidan’s girls who
may be considering a career in science.
The event raised more than $6,000 for the
Foundation’s recently launched Science Appeal,
with all funds being directed towards the
development of two new technology-enabled
science laboratories, to ensure our girls have
the facilities required for excellence in science.
Special thanks must go to our generous
sponsors and contributors to the event’s
success: Libertine, Craggy Range, Popolo,
Blossom Beauty Studios, Bird Cage Candles,
Everingham & Watson, Ben O’Donoghue,
Deep Grey and Susie Bennett-Yeo.
If you missed out on this event, be sure to
book your tickets to one of the upcoming
Foundation events above!

I wish to support the
St Aidan’s Foundation
St Aidan’s
F O U N D A T I O N
Dr/Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss:
Address:
Email:
Please accept my tax-deductible donation for:
Capital Scholarship Fund Library Fund
Appeal Fund
$50 $250 $500 $1000 $2000
Other: $
or:
I would like to make a regular donation of $
Monthly Half yearly Quarterly Annually
Do you wish your donation to remain anonymous? Yes No
My cheque made payable to the St Aidan’s Foundation is enclosed, or
please charge $ to my credit card
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Cardholder’s name:
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Signature:
Send to:
St Aidan’s Foundation
11 Ruthven Street, Corinda Qld 4075
Ph: 07 3373 5929 Fax: 07 3379 9432
Email: foundation@staidans.qld.edu.au
Thank you.
A receipt will be forwarded to you.
Website: www.staidans.qld.edu.au