Staff Insights
By Mrs Vicki Williams, Chair of the Radford College Board
We are nearly halfway through the year! Where did that time go? I have been able to engage in some wonderful activities this year. The Foundation Concert was a magnificent demonstration of our school's musical talent and a great way to commemorate our 41st year in the lead up to Foundation Day.
In May, I attended the annual Radford Art Show and scored a beautiful piece from an artist who is a Radford parent and whose partner is a Collegian. I discovered this when I collected the piece and ran into them – almost literally – in the car park. I love this event. It's as old as the College and such a fantastic community event. Congratulations to the P&F and the hard-working members of our school staff who make this mainstay of our College calendar occur every year. T.B. Millar Hall was turned around in record time by our facilities staff, from stage production on one night to Art Show opening on the next. Well done!
The final stage of our current Master Plan works – finishing the school ovals, the presentation to the Haydon Drive/College Street perimeters and our Foundation Walk – are progressing well. It might look like big mounds of dirt being moved around right now, but hopefully, by the end of Term 3, you will see the design come to life and the amenity of the College improved alongside an entrance worthy of the campus behind the perimeter. Thank you for your patience.
Last weekend, the Board gathered at the College to further our work on the strategic intent document that will set the direction for our next Strategic Plan. MMG presented the latest findings from the survey you all had the opportunity to contribute to. I would like to thank the 53% of our parent community, 60% of our staff and 90% of our Year 12 cohort who contributed to the survey and provided the Board with such rich data to guide us in determining the areas the College should focus on. We recognise the importance you have placed on the College pursuing excellence in pastoral care and well-being, the development of character and leadership education, alongside the academic excellence that should always remain in our focus.
Our Principal, Mr Christopher Bradbury, will have more to share with our community in the coming weeks. It is an exciting time in our school’s journey, and I look forward to sharing it with you.
I wish everyone a safe and relaxing winter holiday break.
News
By Ms Tracey Craze, Head of Science
It has been a vibrant and productive year in the science department as we continue to grow and adapt to meet the evolving needs of our students. Our commitment to delivering high-quality, evidence-informed science education remains strong and 2025 will be one of our most exciting years yet.
Students in Years 7 to 10 are now in their second year of learning through the Australian Curriculum Version 9 (AC V9). Following a thorough review at the end of 2024, we have made key improvements to better support student engagement and understanding across these year levels. Literacy and numeracy remain central to our teaching approach, with staff embedding these skills in every lesson to support student success across all learning areas.
In our senior courses, we’ve seen remarkable growth. The newly rebranded health science course (formerly human biology) has attracted a surge in enrolments - a testament to its relevance and appeal to students considering careers in health and medicine. Physics, psychology and chemistry have also experienced increased enrolments, reflecting a renewed interest in STEM pathways.
Excursions continue to be a vital part of our educational program, providing meaningful, real-world connections to classroom learning. So far this year, students have visited Sydney's Museum of Human Disease, explored group behaviour at Taronga Zoo and conducted ecological fieldwork on Mount Keira.
These experiences deepen understanding, spark curiosity and build scientific identity. Looking ahead, our senior health science students will attend a workshop and Q&A session at ANU medical school in Semester 2, offering valuable insights into university-level study and careers in health.
Our experienced science teaching team are the reason we continue to deliver high-quality learning experiences for our students, and we were excited to welcome Mrs Jennifer Aitchison to our team this year. She brings enthusiasm and expertise to her classes, teaching both senior biology and junior science, with a strong focus on hands-on learning and academic rigour.
At the heart of our department is a shared passion for science. Our educators are dedicated, enthusiastic and deeply invested in supporting every student to succeed.
Education in our department is grounded in explicit teaching, active learning and high expectations. We prioritise not only content knowledge but also student self-regulation, critical thinking and the development of strong literacy and numeracy foundations.
We are currently inviting expressions of interest from members of our community willing to support our programs by participating in speaking engagements, either remotely or in person. At Radford, we are fortunate to have a community enriched with parents and caregivers who possess considerable science experience and expertise. We hope to provide opportunities to share this knowledge through seminars and/or in-class Q&A sessions in the future.
If you are interested and available to contribute in this way, please complete this form.
We are proud of what we’ve achieved so far in 2025 and excited about the path ahead. With passionate staff, a rich curriculum and growing student interest, science at Radford is thriving.
By Ms Di Lefebvre and Ms Rhiannon Richards, French Language Teachers
Congratulations to Sofia (Year 8) and Kate (Year 10) who have won first prize in their respective year groups in the Modern Language Teachers' Association of the ACT's new photography competition.
The competition invited Year 3-10 students to submit a photo that reflects the topic: French is everywhere. A prize ceremony was held at the end of Week 7 at Alliance Française of Canberra.
Our students were grateful to receive a book, key chain and framed print of their photos, which had been on display at Alliance Française.
Both students had thought carefully about the subject of their photographs and how to assemble the items. Sofia demonstrated great patience in waiting for rain, in order to bring the snails out.
Our picture shows both students after the recent ceremony, with their winning pictures. We would like to offer our congratulations to Sofia and Kate and extend our thanks to the competition organisers.
By Mrs Monique Glavonjic, Community Engagement Manager
Thank you to Radford parent and Tailored Accounts founder, Mr Harry Hoang OAM, for hosting our students for a valuable work experience opportunity.
During their visit, students gained real-world insights into the accounting industry, engaged in meaningful discussions, and heard Harry’s inspiring story – from humble beginnings to founding a successful firm and receiving the Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to the community.
Our partnership with Tailored Accounts opens the door to internships, mentorships, and workshops – helping bridge the gap between school and future careers.
Harry will also be the keynote speaker at our upcoming Radford Collegians Networking & Career Expo on Monday, 23 June.
Year 12 students Anvi Gupta and Lachlan Lloyd, attended the visit and shared the following insights of their experience:
Being able to talk about the future of accounting – especially with AI on the rise and fewer high school students considering it – opened my eyes to how complex and interesting the field is. Mr Harry Hoang OAM, the CEO of Tailored Accounts, made it clear that accounting goes way beyond what it seems on the surface. He explained how using AI to take care of the repetitive tasks can make the job much more engaging, letting people focus on the more human and strategic side of things. Listening to his story was incredibly inspiring, and his advice to always look beyond the finish line has stuck with me. It’s helped shift my mindset from just trying to get through the end of Year 12 to thinking more about the bigger picture and the kind of life I want to create. – Anvi
It was a valuable experience that gave us all a genuine look into the world of accounting and business ownership. One highlight for me was speaking with a staff member who had studied software engineering, a field I am personally interested in. She provided some incredible insight into how a degree like software engineering integrates into accounting as well as showing me some of the projects she was personally working on. Mr Huang also shared with us his journey of starting a business, offering advice and personal anecdotes that I found not only helpful, but inspiring. It was a fantastic experience that helped me better gauge my possible future pathways by providing me with a genuine experience of business ownership and accounting. – Lachlan Lloyd
Partnering with Radford is a powerful way to contribute to student success and community growth.
From event sponsorships and mentorship to community initiatives, your involvement helps create opportunities for the next generation.
Sponsorship Opportunities Available
At Radford we have Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze tiers, each with the unique benefits tailored to maximise your exposure.
To learn more about partnership opportunities with the Radford Collegians, contact our Community Engagement Manager at collegians@radford.act.edu.au.
For Radford students considering a future in education, there’s no better place to start than right here on campus.
This week, eight Year 11 and 12 students gained first-hand experience by working alongside our Junior School teachers with students from Pre-Kindergarten to Year 6 and across a variety of subjects, from PE and art to science and Spanish.
For Alex, it was an opportunity to work alongside his former Junior School teacher, Ms Ros Barlow, providing a supportive and familiar environment to try his hand at teaching.
“I’m thinking about pursuing teaching or justice studies, so this is a great opportunity to see if teaching is the right fit for me," said Alex.
On Tuesday, Alice was assisting Ms Claire Crocker with teaching art to Years 2 and 6.
"I'm considering teaching art, so working alongside Ms Crocker is a great experience. I want a career where no two days are the same," said Alice.
This is just one of the many ways Radford is preparing students for life beyond the College.
