The Barker Institute exists to use the rich intellectual resources of the school to facilitate learning and growth in the school and beyond. It is a privilege that the community can come together as learners at evening events, and it is also a great way for parents to connect to expert advice in areas of academics, wellbeing, and general interest.

The 2023 calendar commenced on Monday 20/2 with the launch of Lift@Barker, a year long program to elevate our community being run with students and staff each week on campus. Lift@Barker is not just for Barker, but an invitation for parents and the community to join in positive practices that are demonstrated to improve your life and mood.

On 2 March new parents are invited to attend an event called Discover Barker with a panel discussion featuring Mr Matt Macoustra (Deputy Head Student Experience), Dr Julie Wilson-Reynolds (Deputy Head Academic Care), Mr Cam Anderson (Head of Sport), and Barker parents from across the School, to share their insights and experiences of the school.

On 20 March will be a celebration of the rich experience of the Barker Junior School Journey. Over the last four years the Barker Institute has been conducting a large-scale longitudinal research project collecting the student perspective of life and learning at Barker. These students were the first coeducational Year 3 cohort at the school (in 2019) and have now graduated Year 6. The analysis will be presented allowing for a better understanding of this cohort of students (now in Year 7 at Barker) but also a lesson on the role of education in the third decade of the 21st century.

Year 7 families are invited to a special event on Wednesday 26 April, the very first day back of Term 2. The grade will come together to learn about, discuss, and begin to implement good study habits to be developed and used over their time at barker.

During the first week of May students in the Secondary School at Barker will be attending sessions with external expert Dr Marshall Ballantine-Jones on the impact of various online behaviors common to teens. On Tuesday 2 May, Barker parents and those beyond the school will have an opportunity to hear from Dr Ballantine-Jones on the topic of Raising Respect and Teen online behaviours.

I look forward to announcing future events in areas such as gifted and talented education, reconciliation and indigenous education, supporting teens who love online gaming, and various research forums sharing work currently being undertaken in the school.

Click here to access our full list of events.

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Dr Matthew Hill

Dr Matthew Hill is the Director of The Barker Institute with a focus on professional learning, research, and innovation in the school.  He teaches Physics and the new Science Extension course at the School which introduces students to scientific academic research. Matthew's doctorate reflects his passion for science education focussing on Representational Fluency amongst physics students at school and university. He has published in leadership, education, and science journals and been involved in course development and teaching at The University of Sydney and The University of Western Sydney. He has also completed a Graduate Diploma in Divinity at Ridley College in Melbourne.