Extension & enrichment

Wenona celebrates the diversity of its girls' talents. We are committed to giving our girls opportunities for their individual talents to flourish. In the classroom we use differentiated teaching and learning approaches in all subjects.

Girls are encouraged to participate in the broad range of co-curricular activities available to develop their talents further.

For girls with specific talents or needs, individual programs are developed. These involve more complex work in the classroom, competitions, or appropriate activities outside Wenona, such as those offered by universities.

In the Senior College, accelerated courses are available to Year 10 girls in English (Advanced) and Biology. Non-UAI courses such as Visual Design and Ceramics are also available.

For girls who complete the Accelerated Biology HSC program in Year 11, it is possible to take up a university Distinction course, gain early entry to some university courses, or work on special projects.

For girls completing their HSC, Extension courses are available.

A residential HSC study camp is organised for Year 12 girls in the Boarding House in the holidays before the HSC begins.

Mock Trial is a state-wide inter-school competition organised by the Law Society of NSW and is open to girls in Years 10 and 11.

Various cultural exchange programs are offered for girls to spend time in other countries.

Debating, public speaking and writing

Debating is an important co-curricular extension activity for girls in the Senior College. All girls are encouraged to participate. Debating provides a unique opportunity for girls to develop skills in structured argument, reasoning and persuasion. Debating also calls for strong teamwork, listening and research skills. Debaters develop the ability to think critically and articulate their views about philosophical, ethical and moral issues and current affairs.

Wenona debaters receive ongoing training in debating. Our debaters participate in training days run by World Champion debaters at the University of Sydney. In addition to the ISDA Competition and the SDN Competition, Wenona debaters compete against a variety of schools across the State in debating championships such as the Archdale Competition, the Macquarie Cup and the University of Sydney Union Schools Debating Championship.

Wenona girls are also active participants in public speaking competitions like the Rostrum Voice of Youth and the Sydney Morning Herald Plain English Speaking Award. The culmination of each public speaking season is the Festival of Speech, the AHIGS competition between member schools.

Girls with an interest in writing, either to pursue their own personal long-term projects or generally to improve their written expression skills, are encouraged to enter writing competitions at local, city, state, and national levels. Wenona has its own annual writing competition where prizes are awarded in age groups in the categories of Fiction, Dramatic Scripts, Poetry, and Non-Fiction Essays.

Writers at Wenona and the Writer-in-Residence program offer a support network for all girls writing HSC Extended Composition Major Works in the English Extension 2 Course. Students work in a wide range of writing forms, including scripts for theatre, film and radio, poetry, speech, critical essay and fiction.