Illumine – For Parents

Navigating the adolescent party scene

Parties! Such fun at any age and most particularly when you are young—the anticipation leading up to the event, perhaps some nerves as you arrive, and then, hopefully, the dancing and chatting with friends—old and new—that ensues as everyone arrives.

In this episode of Illumine for Parents, Principal of Brisbane Girls Grammar School, Ms Jacinda Euler, is joined by Head of House, Mrs Sybil Edwards, and HPE teacher, Ms Cathy Rees, to discuss what parents can do to help their daughters navigate the teen social scene positively and safely.

Steps toward reconciliation

In this episode of Illumine: For Parents, we discuss the School’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), with Ms Sophie Mynott, Deputy Principal (Co-curriculum), who has a passion for engaging with First Nations peoples and communities, as well as previous experience in developing RAPs. 

Ms Mynott said ‘in this country we have the oldest continuing civilisation in the world, and that’s something really unique that I think we should celebrate… that’s the one thing that is truly Australian.  

‘First Nations people have so much to teach us about caring for this country, adapting to changing conditions and climate—so much wisdom that we’re at risk of losing if we don’t start valuing it.’  

Listen to Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler Welsh’s, discussion with Ms Mynott about opportunities for action, learning and developing relationships with First Nations people, which characterise the School’s RAP. 

Homework—how to help without hindering

Homework, or ‘home learning’ as we call it at Brisbane Girls Grammar School, can be a hot topic for families. While many students comfortably complete their allocated work each night, some find they struggle with quantity, or understanding what they need to accomplish. Home learning also changes as students progress through secondary school, with the intention of encouraging more independence in senior years.

To discuss how can parents support their children, Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler Welsh, speaks to two BGGS House Group teachers: Rick Laur and Anna O’Gorman.

The intrinsic beauty of Creative Arts education

To experience the arts can be inspiring and life-affirming, and yet many parents and  society at large struggle to connect their relevance to our modern lives.

In this episode of Illumine for Parents, Principal of Brisbane Girls Grammar School, Ms Jacinda Euler, and Director of Creative Arts, Andrew Pennay, discuss the opportunities that Grammar girls have in the world of arts, their value in a broad, liberal education, and what students of the arts can expect to gain from their studies.

Navigating the next stage: subject selection, degree choices and ATAR anxiety

‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’

Navigating career choices with your daughter can be an exciting and terrifying experience—for both parents and children. Students today are more aware than ever that the subject selections they make in high school can impact the degrees and courses that they want to study at a tertiary level in their post-schooling lives. Adding to this complexity, the current generation of adolescents do not see themselves as having just one career—recent data has revealed that Gen Z will have multiple careers—some of which do not even exist today.

In this episode of Illumine for Parents, Ms Jacinda Euler, is joined by our Director of Tertiary Pathways, Ms Louise Walls, and Careers Counsellor, Ms Karla Shaw to discuss how parents can help their daughters navigate through subject selections, career choices, and exam anxiety.

Why you should get involved in your daughters schooling

Have you ever wondered what your child’s school support group does—is it fundraising and deciding what new equipment should be purchased for the school? Running the Uniform Shop? Or is it much, much more than that?

At BGGS parent support groups can take many forms—the Parents and Friends (P&F) Association, Mothers Group, Fathers Group, and various co-curricular support groups. What these groups all have in common is a willingness from the parent members to donate their time for the benefit of the School, and of course, their daughters.

In this episode of Illumine for Parents, Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler, welcomes President of the P&F Association, Dr Cate Campbell, and Vice-President, Mr Darcy Rawlinson, to discuss the many benefits of getting involved in your daughters schooling.

Why we need to foster body appreciation in our daughters

How many of us have looked in the mirror and not liked what we see? The focus girls place on their appearance as a measure of self-worth can be an issue for many adolescents, and even younger children. Research confirms girls can develop dissatisfaction with their appearance at age five. So how do we foster in our girls and young women body appreciation rather than dissatisfaction, in a world that continues to espouse beauty ideals that are naturally unrealistic for the vast majority?

In this episode of Illumine for Parents, Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler Welsh, discusses this important topic with Associate Dean of Wellbeing, Dr Jody Forbes.

Part 2 with Dr Lisa Damour: Navigating important conversations with your daughter

In Part 2 of their discussion, psychologist and best-selling New York Times author and columnist, Dr Lisa Damour, and Principal of Brisbane Girls Grammar School, Ms Jacinda Euler, explore how to navigate through negative online behaviours, discuss why adolescents can have such powerful emotions, and reminisce and reflect on how parenting teens, although hard at times, can be such a joyous and connected time for families.

Part 1 with Dr Lisa Damour: Navigating important conversations with your daughter

Parenting adolescents can be a challenging time, and the difficult conversations that parents need to have today are markedly different  from those of even ten years ago. Mobile phones, social media and a global pandemic may well have changed these conversations with our daughters, but they remain vitally important no matter how uncomfortable they might  make us as parents.

Host Ms Jacinda Euler, Principal of Brisbane Girls Grammar School, discusses how to navigate and approach  a variety of complex topics with your daughter, with psychologist and New York Times best-selling author and columnist, Dr Lisa Damour.  In Part 1 of their conversation they discuss conflict in friendships and ‘cancel-culture’, and why most adolescents tell some untruths to their parents and why this is perfectly normal.

The Art of Self-Care and Wellbeing

We hear the terms ‘self-care’ and ‘wellbeing’ often—even more so since the pandemic turned our lives upside down—yet what do these concepts mean, and how are they related to each other? Why has it never been more important for us to prioritise acts of ‘self-care’ in our daily lives, and in the lives of our children?

In this episode of Illumine for Parents, host Jacinda Euler, Principal of Brisbane Girls Grammar School, discusses the importance of self-care and looking after your own wellbeing, with School Psychologist, Mrs Tara McLachlan.

Navigating co-curricular activities for your daughter

When it comes to selecting which co-curricular activities your child will participate in, do they want to over-commit themselves to the point that you fear that their grades could be compromised? Or do you have the opposite issue, with your child uninterested in participating in activities outside of the academic curriculum?

In this latest episode of Illumine for Parents, Principal of Brisbane Girls Grammar School, Ms Jacinda Euler, discusses how to navigate your child’s participation in co-curricular activities with Deputy Principal (Co-curriculum), Ms Sophie Mynott.

Stress can be a good thing, if you know how to use it

In this latest Illumine for Parents, Principal of Brisbane Girls Grammar School, Ms Jacinda Euler, discusses the topic of ‘stress’ with Deputy Principal, Mrs Anne Ingram, and School Mindfulness Coordinator and Head of Visual Art, Mr Donald Pincott.

In this episode they consider stress—one of those unavoidable aspects of life as a secondary school student, and indeed, life in general, and how parents can help by modeling how they deal with their own stressors.

Bravery and anxiety are contagious

Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler, talks to Ms Ruth Jans, Head of Mackay House, and Mrs Hazel Boltman, Head of Gibson House, about how parents can work with their child to rechannel their anxiety into opportunities for bravery and growth.

Parenting During COVID-19

Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler, talks to Director of Student Counselling, Mrs Jody Forbes, about they psychology of adolescent girls: how can we as parents work with our child’s teachers and school to make sure that together, our daughters can navigate the ups and downs of the teenage years with all of the developmental, social and emotional challenges they bring ?