At the start of the term, Mrs Elizabeth Betbeder, Dean of STEM, presented to teachers at the Educating Girls Symposium, hosted by Queenwood on behalf of the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools. Her presentation, Integrating Technology into the Curriculum: a 10-Year Journey, outlined the strategic vision that she designed with Dr Michele Benn, to ensure that the girls had the opportunity to develop ICT capabilities in a sequential way. The presentation showed the progression over the last decade, and I have provided a summary below.
Our approach to computational thinking ensures that skills are built progressively. In Kindergarten, girls begin with BeeBots, developing foundational skills through hands-on play. By Year 1, they advance to BlueBots for navigating physical obstacles, incorporating measurement and position concepts. This planned sequencing continues through to Year 6, where students integrate Scratch programming with Makey Makey as part of their Science units, demonstrating how coding skills can be applied to solve real-world problems. Further resources on computational thinking from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority can be found here.
Each piece of technology the school has purchased, from BeeBots to 3D printers and VR equipment, was intentionally selected to support the girls’ learning. An example is our 3D printing program, which begins in Year 3 as part of PDH units. By Year 5, students are designing and printing models for Science investigations, and are creatively using VR in Year 6. This progression supports students as they move from technology consumers to creators, applying their skills to express understanding and solve problems in innovative ways.
Alongside learning technical skills, the girls are also learning how to be responsible digital citizens. As part of the PDH syllabus, our girls learn how to navigate online spaces responsibly. We encourage the girls to think critically about the information they consume online, evaluate sources for reliability, and understand the importance of maintaining a healthy balance with technology.
The partnership between home and school is crucial in developing responsible and capable digital citizens. We appreciate how families reinforce these skills at home, whether through discussions about online safety, encouraging creative technology use, or modelling balanced technology habits. Resources for supporting the girls to be safe online can be found at the Office of the eSafety Commissioner.
Mrs Betbeder has provided expert leadership in the STEM space, guiding Meriden’s development in this area. Equally, the success of our technology integration relies on the willingness of our dedicated teachers to adopt new technology (including, for many, learning how to code) and to innovate in their classrooms.
Technology is constantly evolving, presenting both opportunities and challenges for schools. I am grateful to have such a strong team to work with as we explore emerging technologies and prepare our girls to be discerning and confident digital citizens.
Mother’s Day
A sincere thank you to our wonderful JSA for organising another successful Mother’s Day event. The engaging display they created offered our girls a special shopping experience. All the girls selected their gifts thoughtfully, considering the important women in their lives.
I wish all mothers in our school community a lovely Mother’s Day this weekend. I would also like to recognise the grandmothers, aunties, godmothers, teachers and all the significant women who provide love and support to our girls each day.