Principal

As we commence Term 4 and spring changes to summer, I am reminded that school terms are something akin to the seasons of the weather. Each season has contrasting elements, as well as essential elements that remain unchanged. Similarly, each term is distinctively different, in some respects, but in other ways also is very similar to the three other terms. This final term is the shortest of the year, with many things compressed into a tighter timeline. Not the least of these are the fundamentals of good teaching and learning – something that remains unchanged whatever the time of year. The shorter timeframe of Term 4 certainly increases the need for our boys to be fully engaged in their schoolwork and academic endeavours from these very first weeks.

Another distinguishing feature of this final term is the multiplicity of events and occasions, some of which are endings, some beginnings, whilst others mark the preparations for next year. By way of example, I share with you two important occasions from this week and next that will have significant influence upon 2020 at Nudgee College.

As many in the community will already be aware on Monday afternoon in the College Chapel we announced the school leaders for 2020. It is an absolute privilege to play a part in this extensive process of nomination, election and selection. To be present in the Chapel at the moment of announcement is a yearly highlight. The Chapel is a sacred place at Nudgee College and, as we gathered, there was palpable excitement amongst the Year 11s and the many staff who were present. Thousands of Nudgee College men have sat on those original Chapel pews and this sense of history adds further to this moment in time. We congratulate the following young men who have been called to the responsibility and honour of serving the College as the Senior leaders for 2020: Injarra Harbour (College Captain), Michael Jones, Oliver Horwood, Patrick Kelly and Lastus Aukai (Vice Captains).

Further to these young men, I also congratulate those Year 11 students who have been appointed as House Prefects – a considerable honour. The full list of 2020 leaders is included in the Student Formation article in this newsletter. I thank Mr Peter Todd and Mr Sean Toovey for their leadership over recent months in this vitally important process.

In truth, while these young men will wear the badge of leadership, the success and tone of next year will also be set by the larger group of Seniors who have not been chosen in this process. There will be many other opportunities next year across the range of activities in College life for some of this larger group to be chosen as leaders. However, many young men may not be chosen as official leaders but their influence in day to day school life is significant. We will have a terrific year if all Year 12s are consciously aware that it is their collective responsibility as school leaders to engender a positive, inclusive and welcoming culture in 2020.

In considering the Year 12s of next year, it is worth noting that this cohort of students, across the state, were the year level when prep became compulsory and the first cohort in which Year 7 was changed to be a part of secondary school. Importantly now, they will be the cohort that leads the way in the new Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). At Nudgee College, this means that the class of 2020 will set the new academic standard for the year levels that follow – a considerable responsibility.

Another indicator of our preparations for next year is our Orientation Day on Monday for all new students joining the College in January. This important day represents another important step for these incoming students and their families. It is the beginning of an orientation process to a large school that takes several months. There are many staff members across all dimensions of College life who are involved in this occasion, which serves to welcome and inform all those who are new to the College. Further to this, some of our new students will also spend an evening in the Boarding House across the weekend to aid their transition into the boarding life of the College. The planning for the day has been extensive and I am grateful for the leadership, organisation and level of care provided by Director of Admissions Ms Susan Shakespear and her team. With every best wish for the term ahead.

Mr Peter Fullagar
Principal

Deputy Principal

Depression Proofing

Over the break, I had the unfortunate experience of dealing with a young relative who is experiencing depression. Sadly, the experts would suggest that by 2030 mental illness will be the biggest health issue facing our children. Improving our understanding of depression and mental illness is an ongoing educational process. I did come across a great article by Andrew Fuller that I found very useful. Below are sections from his article:

About 20 per cent of people experience depression at some time in their lives. That means almost every family has someone with some form of depression. Unfortunately, once someone has experienced depression, they are at a far greater risk of feeling that way again.

There are things that we can do to minimise the risk of our loved ones experiencing depression.

Sadness is Not Always Bad

Everyone loves being happy, but being sad at times is not such a bad thing. Sadness gives us time for thinking things over, sometimes regretting things we have done, and helps us to resolve to be better people. Feelings of sadness, disappointment and setbacks are part of human lives and without them, we don’t live whole lives.

Lower the Amount of Stress

Try to identify some of the major sources of stress in your life and develop systems to deal with them. If you can’t avoid stressful situations, at least develop a de-compression strategy. This is a way of winding ourselves down after being revved up. Going for a walk, doing some exercise and being active are some of the best ways.

I make no secret of the fact I need to run regularly to de-stress and think about how my day went or what lies ahead of me. My wife will frequently tell me to “go for a run” when she sees signs of me getting stressed.

Find Some Good Friends

Friends are a treasure. Along with family, having a few good friends that we can talk things over with enriches our lives and protects us in difficult times. I frequently say to families new to the College that it is important for their son to ‘find his tribe’. Nudgee College is a very diverse community and I firmly believe all boys can find their place, find a few good mates and then feel safe and free to be themselves.

Be Grateful and Lucky

Even people who have had rotten things happen to them can rise above them. They usually do this by deciding to be lucky. While we can focus on the things that have upset us, most of us have many things and people to be grateful for. Focusing on that part of your life and deciding that you are lucky makes an enormous difference to your life.

I know sometimes our sons don’t realise just how lucky they are to be a Nudgee College boy. I know there are days that do not go well, but overall I think it is important to remind our boys that it is a privilege to be a part of such a wonderfully inclusive and caring community.

Get Enough Sleep and Rest

Getting enough sleep is one of the most powerful ways we can protect ourselves against depression. The structures in the brain that support the most powerful antidepressant – serotonin – are built and rebuilt between the sixth and the eighth hour of sleep.

I have written much about the importance of rest and sleep in the past. For growing boys this has to be happening.

Laugh More

Laughter raises our levels of serotonin and dopamine. Make a point of watching TV shows or movies that make you laugh. Share funny stories and jokes with friends. People report that laughing, even when they don’t feel happy, improves their mood and sense of wellbeing. Personally, I just have to walk into my maths class and I know I will get a laugh (and I will be interested to see if any of my lads read this and ask me, “what did you mean by that sir!?”).

We all need to look after each other. If we are truly a caring and inclusive community, it is important to be there and to be attentive to how others are feeling and travelling.

Mr David Johnston
Deputy Principal

Identity

Year 8 Retreat

The Year 8 cohort spent the day at the beach on Tuesday. Great day out with fabulous weather and program which asked the boys to consider their story in terms of God’s blessing of life. As the world was called into being so we have been called in to being and animated by that same spirit. We all have a story that binds us together - in humanity, in faith and in Nudgee. The boys took the opportunity to spend the day in the outdoors with their House Deans, members of the Identity team and Year 10 men from each House who volunteered to be part of the retreat team for the day.

Assistant Campus Minister

Welcome to the Identity team Mr Stephen Lean (NC 2014-18) who joins us as an Assistant Campus Minister. One of Stephen’s first tasks was to accompany the Year 8 retreat to Redcliffe this week. Stephen will be working with the Identity team on retreats, ministry and liturgy. Assistant Campus Minister positions will be open every year to recently finished Nudgee College students who wish to continue contributing to the College in the area of faith and ministry.

Mr Stephen Meara
Dean of Identity

Arbor Day 2019

Although National Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday of April, many states observe Arbor Day on different dates throughout the year based on the best planting times in their area. Luckily with rain finally forecasted, the beginning of the term was an optimum time. Nudgee College celebrated by planting 50 native trees last Thursday.

Students from NC Sustainability continued to plant into our native regeneration garden between the O’Neill Building and Hendry Oval. Plants included Lemon Myrtles, Grevilleas, Tea Trees, Bottlebrushes and Wattles. All species are endemic to the area and contribute to increasing habitat for local butterflies, frogs and reptiles. Furthermore, after four years of planting into this specific area, there are now more than 200 established plants! All we can do now is to continue to pray for rain. Special thanks to Mr Tim Bird who assisted on the day.

Mr Andrew Hook
Teacher in Charge of Sustainability

Learning and Teaching

Junior GPS Academic Day of Excellence

On Tuesday 15 October, 16 students from Years 6 and 7 were invited to attend the Junior GPS Academic Day of Excellence hosted by Toowoomba Grammar School (TGS) and The Southport School (TSS), and held at TGS. Attendees from Year 6 included Nate Barnett, Thomas Bayo, Dermot Clancy, Andrew La Monaca, Sejin Lee, Riley Nixon, Henry Potter, Alex Smith and Paddy Williams, while Year 7s included Patrick Burchard, Xavier Cutuli, George Gillam, Michael Malone, Oscar Roati, Archer Springer and Jamie Waddington.
Students selected one of the following workshops to take part in throughout the day: Moral Dilemmas, Coding the Universe, Rapunzel’s Close Shave, Woodworked Fish, Code Breakers, Abstract Expressionism and CSI Crime Scene. The students had an excellent day and were both mentally and physically challenged in each of the activities. They had the opportunity to develop positive relationships with other attending students from Anglican Church Grammar School (ACGS), Brisbane Boys’ College (BBC), Brisbane State High School (BSHS), TSS, TGS and St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace.
We sincerely thank the wonderful teachers from TSS and TGS for making this great learning experience possible for our students.

“The highlight of the day was when the CSI forensic investigators extracted the DNA of a strawberry to determine who the culprit was out of five suspects who may have stolen Einstein’s brain.” – Riley Nixon and Dermot Clancy (Year 6)

“The most enjoyable part of the day was when we learnt how to decode ancient messages in hieroglyph (ancient Egyptian code) to English and were able to find out what was written on the tombs of ancient pharaohs. By knowing this we were able to complete an activity that required us to use our knowledge of history as well as our knowledge of converting hieroglyph to English.” – Andrew La Monaca (Year 6)

“In our activity we made a woodwork fish, which is an old-fashioned toy where you try to spin a fish along two bars and get it to come back to you. Overall it was a great day.” – George Gillam (Year 7)

“In my activity we got to express our emotions and thoughts onto canvas. At the start of the lesson we were instructed to pick some paint colours that caught our attention and colours that would work well together to construct an abstract artwork. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole day as it was very different to what I’ve done at school before!” – Archer Springer (Year 7)

Ms Stephanie Spicer
Enrichment Program Leader

Junior School

Term 4 Curriculum Update

Amazingly, we are already nearing the end of the year. Students will work on a variety of different assessment tasks this term, giving them the chance to display their abilities and demonstrate what they have learnt in many ways. Oral presentations, investigations, writing on demand tasks and traditional exams are some of the assessment tools teachers will be using across Years 5 and 6.

Here are a few handy things you can remind your son to be doing this term to help him achieve to the best of his ability:

Accessing the year level Google Sites: Both Years 5 and 6 have Google Sites set up that contain lots of support resources and information, which will assist students in working on assignments or studying for exams in that subject. These sites are a work in progress and are regularly being updated and added to.
Asking for help: This doesn’t just mean having to put their hand up in class, which boys can sometimes be reluctant to do. If your son is telling you they don’t understand something from class, encourage them to email their classroom teacher directly so their teacher can then privately help them out with their concerns.
Stay on top of homework: This can be something which can start to slip towards the end of a school year when motivation begins to decrease. However, a lot of the homework will be revision work of content covered in class and helps the boys to reinforce their understanding of concepts that have been taught, which in turn will help them when doing their assessments.

Assessments

Next week, you will be emailed your son’s Year 5 or 6 Term 4 Assessment Calendar, outlining the dates that exams will take place and assignments are due. We would ask that parents prioritise their son's attendance, particularly on exam days, to ensure that all assessment is completed by the end of term. It is important that the boys, in getting prepared for the rigours of secondary school, become used to the expectations they will encounter in future years.

Mr Paul Cazzulino
Junior School Curriculum Program Leader

Boarding

This Week

The 2020 student leaders were announced this week and I want to congratulate Injarra Harbour (Hodda) who has been appointed as College Captain and Lastus Auakai (Hodda) who has been appointed as one of the College Vice Captains. Well done also to Will Cartwright (Murphy) – Barrett House Prefect, Vuli Anganjuan (Cotter) – Duggan House Prefect, Henry Kidd (Hodda) – Fogarty House Prefect, Blake Keir (Hodda) – Magee House Prefect, Cooper Corless (Hodda) – Riley House Prefect, Tevita Mapa (Cotter) and Bill Ingham-Myers (Hodda) – Tierney House Prefects.

Boarding is very privileged to have so many wonderful leaders present in our community. In the coming week Boarding will also be appointing House Leaders for 2020. I am confident we have many other boys who will feel a strong calling to lead and find an opportunity as a House Leader in Boarding.

Pupil Free Day and Orientation Day

Monday 21 October is a pupil free day for most students. Effectively that means a long weekend for boarders and if you plan for your son to take leave this weekend please communicate your plans to his Head of Boarding House as soon as possible. We will have a full selection of recreation activities planned for the entire weekend, including Monday.

Monday is also Orientation Day for new students commencing in 2020. This means all Year 11 students and all Year 6 students must be present at school on that day to participate in the orientation activities. Regrettably, not a long weekend for them.

To assist with new 2020 boarders we will have more than 20 boys join us on Sunday evening to spend the night and get to know staff and boys. This is designed to help boys with their transition into Boarding for next year. Thank you to staff (particularly Mr Jeff Campbell and O’Brien staff who will welcome these new boys on Sunday evening).

Boarding Formal Dinner

On Thursday 24 October we shall come together as a community at our annual Boarding Formal Dinner. This is a wonderful evening when students and Boarding staff celebrate and reflect on the 2019 year.

A reminder that all students will be required to wear the formal uniform, so we encourage all boys to ensure they meet all grooming and uniform standards. If they need assistance with any uniform needs, please ask them to speak to their House Mother who will be able to assist.

Weekend Recreation

Friday: Swim
Saturday: Movies
Sunday: Onsite Activities
Monday (Pupil Free Day): Day Trip to Waterfalls

Mr Christian Oneto
Dean of Boarding

Week 2 Term 4 2019

In This Newsletter

Principal

Deputy Principal

Identity

Learning and Teaching

Student Formation

Junior School

Boarding

Activities

Events

Community