Headquarters:

Gadigal Land 4-8, Kelly Street, Ultimo, NSW 2007

Year founded:

1984

Number of employees:

230

Phone:

02 9219 6700

Email:

reception@igssyd.nsw.edu.au

Website:

igssyd.nsw.edu.au

LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/school/international-grammar-sydney

“We are committed to excellence across all of our academic pursuits. We are proud of the broad liberal education we provide our students, which has language learning at its heart”

Shauna Colnan, International Grammar School

Shauna Colnan

Principal

Carmelo Fedele

Head of Sustainability

Alex Harvey

Chairperson of the Loreto Kirribilli Environmental Sustainability Committee

Leadership

Shauna Colnan has had a distinguished career in educational leadership. Now in her 10th year as principal of IGS, her capacity to lead has been informed by academic studies at the University of Sydney, New York University and the University of New England, where she attained the highest academic achievement in the MBA program. Most recently, she studied leadership for the 21st century on campus at Harvard Kennedy School. Colnan holds graduate and postgraduate qualifications in business administration, the arts and education, has a special interest in Shakespearean scholarship and performance, and was awarded the John Bell and Joyce Williams Prize in Shakespeare Studies from the University of Sydney. A passionate teacher and curriculum expert, she continues to teach English at IGS. Colnan advocates for a broad liberal education, fostering excellence and creativity, to equip students to be ready for our diverse and evolving world.

Principal

Shauna Colnan

A dedicated humanities teacher, Carmelo Fedele began at IGS in 2016, establishing the commerce course and teaching geography. He went on to found the school’s student-led Sustainable Futures group in 2017 and was appointed head of sustainability in 2020. Fedele is passionate about promoting sustainable practices and culture within the school community. As a leader in sustainability, he aims to inspire a holistic approach to environmental and social responsibility. Fedele works to integrate sustainable practices across the school, with just some initiatives including waste, energy and water audits, recycling improvement, energy efficiency and greening projects and IGS’s strategic solar project. He has used the Eco-Schools program, participated in the pilot NABERS Accelerate program and helped IGS become the first Australian school to become a member of The Alliance for Sustainable Schools. These efforts have been recognised by the Keep Australia Beautiful NSW Sustainable Cities awards, The Educator’s 5-Star Sustainability award and the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award.

Head of Sustainability

Carmelo Fedele

Alex Harvey holds a master’s degree in commerce and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Sydney. He is CFO of Macquarie Group and executive chairman of Macquarie Group Asia. He has 20 years of experience in the financial services industry across Australia, Asia, Europe and the US. Harvey is also chairman of Police Citizens Youth Clubs NSW. In his role on the Loreto Kirribilli Board, he is chairperson of the Loreto Kirribilli’s environmental sustainability committee, leading the charge to take Loreto Kirribilli into a carbon-neutral, more efficient, more biodiverse and more sustainable 2030.

Chairperson of the Loreto Kirribilli Environmental Sustainability Committee

Alex Harvey

“We are committed to excellence across all of our academic pursuits. We are proud of the broad liberal education we provide our students, which has language learning at its heart”

Shauna Colnan, International Grammar School

“IGS is a vibrant, caring and diverse community that embraces change and is always striving to be better. It is academically ambitious and committed to the holistic development of the young people in its care. Personally, it has offered me many opportunities to share my passion to learn about the world and how we can sustain it”

Carmelo Fedele, International Grammar School

Leadership

Carmelo Fedele, International Grammar School

“We are committed to excellence across all of our academic pursuits. We are proud of the broad liberal education we provide our students, which has language learning at its heart”

Shauna Colnan, International Grammar School

Leadership

Robert Magner

Social Sciences Teacher and Sustainability Champion

Robert Magner is a social sciences teacher at Loreto Kirribilli with a focus on economics, business studies, commerce, history and geography. Prior to teaching, he worked across industries in the finance, retail and IT sectors. In 2020, Magner was appointed the school’s sustainability champion, leading the school’s drive towards a sustainable future and, in particular, assisting the school in the development of the Loreto Kirribilli Environmental Sustainability Strategic Framework. He also liaises with the student environment council leaders in coordinating student-led initiatives across the school, for example, the War on Waste campaign, the Keep Cup Challenge and the Net-Zero by 2030 goals.

Social Sciences Teacher and Sustainability Champion

Robert Magner

Carmel Spruhan

Senior Teacher

Carmel Spruhan has been a primary school teacher for over 40 years and has developed her literacy expertise during this time. She has worked closely with educational consultants to build a whole-school approach to the teaching of writing and has worked with the Brightpath team and colleagues to introduce assessment of writing to her school. Spruhan has been invited to present with a co-founder of Brightpath about the project in September. She oversees the TRIADS and SPRINTS programs at her school, influencing collaborative practice. She is a finalist for Primary Teacher of the Year category in the Australian Education Awards 2023.

Senior Teacher

Carmel Spruhan

The International Grammar School (IGS), which opened its doors in 1984, has a vision to be a lighthouse school for sustainability. It has identified six key areas to make meaningful progress:

Carmelo Fedele, International Grammar School

Bradley King

Senior Teacher

Nidia Korfias

Senior Teacher

Rose Gerlach

Business Manager

Simon Williams

Chief Strategy & Distribution Officer, Arch Insurance International and Active Underwriter, Syndicate 1955

Since Bradley King began teaching in 2015, it has been his mission to guide students towards excellence and instill lifelong learning. At Larrakeyah Primary School, he has been provided with the opportunity to attend numerous innovative conferences, both international and domestic. He has passed on the knowledge gained to the Leadership team and staff. These opportunities led to the development of the Whole School STEAM Pedagogy and Program which has continued to grow and adapt to the world’s current climate. King is most proud of the much celebrated and enjoyed Whole School STEAM days and QUEST Program.

Senior Teacher

Bradley King

Nidia Korfias began working at Larrakeyah Primary School in 2013 and has worked with students and teachers in a variety of early, middle and upper primary years. Her goal is to encourage positive and harmonious relationships amongst peers and to have a well-structured, disciplined and academically challenging working environment. Developing resilience and having a growth mindset are high priorities in Korfias’ classroom while creating engaging learning experiences in a setting that fosters curiosity, creativity and kindness. She has been privileged to work as a senior teacher since 2021, leading the middle primary team and overseeing planning, programming and teaching for Years 3, 4 and 5.

Senior Teacher

Nidia Korfias

Rose Gerlach is the business manager at Larrakeyah Primary School. She has worked in the education system in administrative roles for over 18 years. Throughout her time in the education system, she has worked as a special education support specialist, a home liaison officer, and an administration manager. Gerlach works closely with the school principal and school board to monitor and develop budgets. She manages the upkeep and improvement of the school facility and oversees the administrative processes of the school. She works diligently to support and maintain the smooth running of the school.

Business Manager

Rose Gerlach

Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.

Partner

Kimi Shah

Partner

Kimi Shah

Partner

Kimi Shah

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waste energy biodiversity water resources activism

The school, located close to Sydney’s CBD, has established key positions to drive progress:

student-led Sustainable Futures group founded in 2017 head of sustainability created in 2020 student sustainability portfolio leader appointed in 2021

“To structure and organise our sustainability efforts, we have adopted the Eco-Schools model, a globally recognised framework,” says Carmelo Fedele, head of sustainability. “The seven-step model provides a comprehensive approach to addressing sustainability across various aspects of our school's operations and curriculum. It helps us set goals, implement action plans and monitor progress effectively.” An energy monitoring system has been installed, which has enabled the school to identify areas of high use and implement energy-saving measures accordingly. This includes changing all lights to LED and installing motion sensors that turn lights off when a space isn’t being used. In addition, surveys have been conducted within the school community to gauge perspectives on sustainability issues and evaluate how effectively the school is responding to them. The feedback and insights have enabled the school to align their sustainability efforts with the expectations and concerns of stakeholders. Internal audits have shown that between 2020 and 2022:

recycled waste increased from 19% to 50% waste sent to landfills decreased from 81% to 50% carbon emissions from waste decreased from 375 kg CO2e to 170 kg CO2e

Despite being based in the inner city, the IGS has promoted green spaces. A vertical garden has been created inside the library as well as a ‘peace garden,’ and there are also plans to incorporate rooftop gardens. Fedele says, “We aim to improve the integration of green spaces, native plantings and sustainable landscaping practices within our school grounds. This not only enhances the aesthetic appeal of our campuses but also contributes to biodiversity conservation and student wellbeing.” Additionally, they are participants in the pilot NABERS Accelerate program, which focuses on improving energy efficiency in educational facilities. The IGS’s students have displayed a passion for environmental activism due to the exposure they have had on campus. This led to them having a dialogue with Tanya Plibersek, their local MP and current minister for the environment and water. Fedele says, “This focus area was born out of some of our students’ involvement in School Strikes 4 Climate and Fridays for Future. We recognised that students wanted to be active citizens and engage politically, so we decided to help guide students to do so thoughtfully and effectively.” This is a particular focus for the school, which wants to enable students to live a sustainable life at all times. “Our commitment to sustainability extends beyond our school gates. Through activism, we inspire our students to become advocates for positive change in their local and global communities,” says Fedele. “We encourage them to engage in environmental initiatives, take part in campaigns and become leaders in sustainable practices.”