2020 Farewell Mrs Brown After 33 Years

Mrs Julie Brown, respected Mathematics teacher, has decided to retire after 33 years at the school. Mrs Brown started teaching at  Catherine McAuley in 1987, first teaching Biology and Mathematics, and then moving to the Mathematics Department exclusively. 

In her 33 years at the school Mrs Brown has held a number of positions including Mathematics Coordinator, Assistant Principal and Acting Principal on occasion. She has coached and adjudicated debating and public speaking for many years and ran teacher professional development workshops. Known to be a passionate Mathematics educator and enthusiastic Mercedes House team member she will certainly be missed at the school.

Staff held a morning tea to farewell Mrs Brown on Friday 18th September. The cupcakes had blue sprinkles to represent Mercedes House and of course had mathematical symbols!

Mrs Joanne Evans, Mathematics Coordinator, and Mrs Lorena Thill, Assistant Mathematics Coordinator, spoke on behalf of the school, and of course had to include mathematical puns in their speech - “Julie led with wisdom, fairness, not calculating but measured in her decision making and problem solving when dealing with students and parents...She is an engaging teacher and was willing to share her ideas with colleagues. She differentiated well and readily integrated a variety of highly effective teaching strategies”.

Ex students and now teachers at McAuley, Miss Adele McGlone and Miss Sangeeta Raja, said that Mrs Brown was “a wonderful teacher who always encouraged her students to have a try and to learn from their mistakes, increasing the probability of students returning to math for another year”.

Current Year 12 student Maria Matthew said that from Year 7 her first lesson of Maths with Mrs Brown changed her previous anxiety with the subject and that Mrs Brown is a teacher she will never forget.

The school wishes Julie Brown all the best in her retirement and thanks her for her dedication to teaching.