Principal
The learnings from the tuckshop line would not make for a PHD study but for me they are an insight into just how school life is travelling. Since I started in 2015, I have been a regular on the door to the tuckshop every Friday at morning tea. The learning and insights come from the incidental conversations and observations from the same place in the school and at a regular point in time.
What did last Friday tell me? That the boys were hungry! And that their Mums and Dads were already exhausted at the end of Week 1 and ten dollars spent at the tuckshop was the best solution to feeding a son at the end of the week! It was a seemingly endless queue from our biggest Year 12s to our smallest Year 5s. Boys were patient and polite and appeared to be fresh and happy to be back at school for the final term of the year. Year 12s had mixed feelings about mock exam results and the impending end of their school years. Younger boys had varied stories of holidays and what they were looking forward to this term. That freshness may well dissipate during the term as the reality of study, homework and assessment accumulates.
Overwhelmingly, the average Nudgee boy just seemed happy to be back at school. Such a simple thing but, in reality, it is only achieved through the most complex interplay of relationships, at home and school, combined with a myriad of learning experiences in the classroom and through the many activities beyond the classroom.
Strategically, the College prioritises the nurturing of the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of our students, our staff and, where we can, our families. Integral to this endeavour is the sense of belonging and connection that is experienced throughout the College, not only by our boys, but also by our staff, parents, old boys, past members of the College as well as the wider College community.
Over the past week, there have been numerous opportunities for this sense of belonging and connection to flourish. A sample of these include:
- The GPS Track and Field meet that was hosted on Hendry Oval last Friday night for hundreds of students from Nudgee College as well as other schools.
- The Introduction to Rowing event that was held last Saturday morning on the College dam (NB: the first time that we have used the new dam in such a way)
- The International Cricket trial T20 match that was held on Flat 6 last Saturday between the Netherlands and Afghanistan. Who would have thought that such a match could be hosted on The Flats!
- The NCOBA hosted Blue and White Race Day last Saturday at Eagle Farm
- The Pimm’s afternoon hosted by the Mothers of Old Boys last Saturday (NB: another first time event)
- The Boarders’ End of Year Formal Dinner in the Conference Centre on Tuesday evening.
Further to this long list, in the current week and next:
- Our Year 8s will be on retreat and camp
- On Thursday night the Learning and Teaching office will host a further Information evening for Year 11 parents
- The Cricket community launches their season with the luncheon at the Gabba on Friday
- We will host the NC Creatives event on Saturday afternoon and evening for students to showcase their creative talents across a range of subject areas.
- Next Monday, our Year 12s and their families will share in the Day of Farewell which features House assemblies, a final reflection in the Chapel, a gathering on the lawns of the Rose Garden, the guard of honour across the campus culminating in the final assembly.
Like the tuckshop line last Friday the list is long. While the tuckshop meets the physical need to be fed, all these other occasions meet an innate need to be connected and to belong.
Mr Peter Fullagar
Principal