Fintona Girls' School

Fintona Girls' School is a small, independent, non-denominational, day school for girls, located in Balwyn, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

For other uses, see Fintona (disambiguation).

Fintona Girls' School
Location
Balwyn
,
Victoria

Australia
Coordinates37°48′51″S 145°4′48″E
Information
TypeIndependent, girls' school, day school
Mottoage quod agis
DenominationNon-denominational
Established1896
ChairmanDana Fleming
Staff~120[1]
Enrolment~600 (K–12)[1]
Colour(s)Navy blue and gold         
SloganDo what you do well
Websitewww.fintona.vic.edu.au

Established in 1896, Fintona is a non-selective school and currently caters for approximately 600 students from the Early Learning Centre (ELC) to Year 12.

Fintona is a member of Girls Sport Victoria (GSV),[2] the Alliance of Girls Schools Australia (AGSA),[3] the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA),[4] and the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA).[5]

History

Fintona was established as a Presbyterian, day and boarding school for girls, in 1896. The school was founded by Annie Hughston and was originally located in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell.

The school occupies 'Balwyn', the historic home and vineyard built by early settler Andrew Murray, from which the suburb of Balwyn takes its name.[6]

Principals
Period Details Notes
1896 – 1921 Annie Hughston [7]
1922 – 1926 Isobel Macdonald
1927 – 1929 Majory Black
1930 – 1934 Jeanie McCowan
1935 – 1962 Margaret Cunningham
1963 – 1991 Elizabeth Butt
1992 – 2000 Deborah Seifert
2001 – 2005 Karen Starr
2006 – 2017 Suzy Chandler
2018 – Present Rachael Falloon [8]

Curriculum

Fintona Girls' School is divided into 4 teaching sections:

  1. The Early Learning Centre (ELC)
  2. Junior School, catering for Prep to Year 4
  3. Middle School, catering for Years 5 to Year 8
  4. Senior School, catering for Years 9 to 12[9]

The school's ELC curriculum is based on the Reggio Emilia approach to education. From Prep to Year 6, students are involved in the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program which covers the subject areas of language, social studies, mathematics, science and technology, arts, and personal, social and physical education.[9] Senior School students are prepared for the Victorian Certificate of Education, in which Fintona is consistently ranked as one of the best performing girls schools in Victoria. In 2006, Fintona was ranked in the top five schools in the state of Victoria, based on its VCE results, with 33% of study scores over 40. Fintona was ranked the No. 1 non-selective school in Australia based on the Naplan results in 2011.

Fintona offers three languages, Latin, French and Japanese.[9]

Houses

The three Junior School (P-4) houses of Fintona are Bedggood, Menzies and Reid. The six Middle and Senior School (years 5-12) houses of Fintona are Boyne (after school benefactors), Clarke (after first Fintona boarder and matriculant), Hughston (after first headmistress), Murdoch (after Patrick John Murdoch of Trinity Church, Camberwell, where many boarders attended), Maxwell (after father of one of Fintona's first prefects), Ower (after member of staff 1900 - 1930).

Notable alumnae
Old Fintonians Association logo

Ex-students of Fintona Girls' School are known as 'Old Fintonians' and may elect to join the 'Old Fintonians Association'.[10] Some notable 'Old Fintonians' include:

Academic
  • Alison Harcourt AO (née Doig) - pioneer statistician
  • Edith Gladys Pendred - influential educator (dux 1915)[11]
Business
  • Diana Eirene Angliss Gibson AO - company director and grazier[12]
  • Lucinda Hartley - co-founder and chief executive of CoDesign Studio,[13] CoFounder of Neighbourlytics[14]
Media, entertainment and the arts
Medicine and science
  • Dora Mary Lush - pioneer bacteriologist[18]
Politics and the law
Sport

See also

References
  1. Fintona Girls' School: From the Principal Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine (accessed:15-08-2007)
  2. Girls Sport Victoria: Member Schools Archived 2006-08-20 at the Wayback Machine (accessed:10-08-2007)
  3. The Alliance of Girls Schools Australasia: Member Schools Archived 2008-07-19 at the Wayback Machine (accessed:10-08-2007)
  4. JSHAA Victoria: Directory of Members Archived February 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine (accessed:10-08-2007)
  5. Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia Archived August 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine (accessed:10-08-2007)
  6. Travelmate: Balwyn Victoria (accessed:10-08-2007)
  7. "Our History". Fintona Girls' School.
  8. https://www.fintona.vic.edu.au/about/principal
  9. Fintona Girls' School: Curriculum Archived 9 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine (accessed:10-08-2007)
  10. Fintona Girls' School: Old Fintonians Archived 29 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine (accessed:10-08-2007)
  11. Australian Dictionary of Biography- Pendred, Edith Gladys (1897 - 1964) (accessed:27-07-2007)
  12. Suzannah Pearce, ed. (17 November 2006). "GIBSON Diana Eirene Angliss". Who's Who in Business Live!. North Melbourne, Vic: Crown Content Pty Ltd.
  13. Australian Design Review, 16/12/16: "An interview with Lucinda Hartley of CoDesign Studio" (accessed:3-11-2018)
  14. Neighbourlytics, "About Us" (accessed: 3-11-2018)
  15. Stirling, Lorna Mary Belton (1893 - 1956) (accessed:27-07-2007)
  16. Sydney Morning Herald, 19/3/07: "Matriarch taught about living and dying" (accessed:23-03-2007)
  17. "Photograph - Norma Bull portrait - Victorian Collections". victoriancollections.net.au. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  18. Australian Dictionary of Biography: Lush, Dora Mary (1910 - 1943) (accessed:23-03-2007)
  19. ABR Radio National-Bid Ideas, 24/4/05: "Wisdom Interviews: Dame Beryl Beaurepaire" (accessed:23-03-2007)
  20. Green, Jonathan (30 March 2005). "Famous alumni on Latham's hit list". Politics. Crikey. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 6 August 2007.
  21. Parliament of Victoria: Coote, Andrea (accessed:26-08-2007)
  22. Australian Women Biographical Entry: Menzies, Pattie Mae (accessed:23-03-2007)

Further reading
  • Chilvers, B.J. 1946. The History of Fintona 1896-1946. Fintona Girls' School, Melbourne.
  • Reichl, P. 1986. Fintona 1896 - 1986: The Story in Pictures. Fintona Girls' School, Melbourne.
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