Term 4 is always a roller coaster ride in schools. This ride is a combination of day-to-day school life, the planning for 2022 and various events and occasions that mark both endings and beginnings. Amongst all of this, there are signature events that require increased focus, planning, attention to detail and a great deal of hard work.

One of these signature events was the Day of Farewell for the Year 12s on Wednesday. I am sure that there has been much social media activity within the College community as many people will have proudly shared images and videos from the day. This day is one of two days that mark the transition to the end of schooling for our Year 12s. The other being Valedictory Day in several weeks time. The College has an outstanding capacity to add ritual to these occasions. It is one of the means by which we distinguish and strengthen our identity as a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition. In effect, the ritual aspects of these events give this time of transition a deeper sense of meaning.

Over the years, the College has refined and continued to develop this Day of Farewell. It includes intimate gatherings in House groups and in the Chapel, as a year level, as well as very public and open gatherings such as the Rose Garden and the Guard of Honour through the school grounds. There are hugs, handshakes, photos, laughter and tears for the young men and their families in the Rose Garden as well as back slapping and high fives through the grounds in the Guard of Honour. There are prayers and some serious moments but also a sense of fun and celebration.

The assembly that concludes the day is quite a raucous occasion and not your typical school assembly. But it is one that carries within it many important messages about who we are as a school, how the Year 12s are viewed as a cohort and how they see themselves as they come to the end of their time at Nudgee College.

All this comes together to mark a special day. The work and planning of staff is extensive and I extend particular thanks to Mr Stephen Meara (Dean of Identity) and Ms Jo Barrett (acting Dean of Students) for their leadership of the day. Special thanks must be extended to the Grounds staff for their preparation of the Rose Garden and general surroundings. The lawn and garden looked immaculate. Combined with the magnificent Treacy Building, they provided a stunning backdrop for many memorable family photos.

The majority of Year 12s now take study leave as they enter the 17 days of External Assessment, commencing on Friday. These exams are critical to the final academic outcomes of the students who have chosen a majority of General subjects and the ATAR pathways. Up to 60 other Year 12s do not have this formal assessment but must complete their project work and achieve competencies in various Vocational subjects. Amongst this group of students, there are a number who will continue the apprenticeships that they have already commenced while others begin their working lives as soon as next week. Whatever their pathway over the next few weeks we look forward to welcoming the Year 12s and their families back for Valedictory in November.

For the rest of the school there will be the return to the normal rhythm of school albeit without the large presence of over 250 Seniors.

Mr Peter Fullagar

Principal 

Three powerful social media solutions for students (Part Two)

Continuing on from my article in last week's newsletter, here are the final two common concerns surrounding student social media use and some ways to overcome them:

Problem: Detrimental consequences to students’ futures

Freedom of speech is an important component within our educational institutions (and I note here, this article was out of the USA). Yet adopting these liberties without safeguards can pose real problems regarding consequences many students may not yet understand without proper guidance.

The long term effects of acting without limits online occur because students struggle to understand real consequences for online exposure. Damage to one's future can be serious. A person's comments are frozen in time. Evidence is rampant of individuals seeking a career path and employees discovering old posts that paint the potential employee in a bad light. Harvard accepted, and then rejected, 10 freshmen when they discovered the students’ online behaviour did not meet the university’s standards of conduct.

How can we show students that their actions now may quite literally cause them harm later?

Solution: Use real-life examples to show students that their behaviour online matters

Students need to be taught that they cannot go on unabated or unfiltered. Regardless of whether they feel that this is their right, they are inhibiting their future options. Sharing stories are powerful ways to show students, without debating their rights to express, that the choice is theirs. Often, role-play is a powerful method for helping to illuminate this reality, in the safety of a classroom. Students can visually "see" what happens to a person making the choice to act unfiltered online, and how that can harm their future.

Problem: Negative effects on judgment and critical thinking

A University of Buffalo study found that using social media without a conscious awareness of its impact lowers brainpower, making us more vulnerable to the negative and fictional information that pervades social media. This relates to the fear of missing out concept highlighted last week. When we see others' idealised lives on social media, our cognitive capacity is degraded. We are too busy worrying about how others are outpacing us. It is one massive popularity contest that distracts us from higher order thinking.

So how do we pull students out of this pointless cycle of bad energy?

Solution: Teach offline mindfulness

It is unrealistic to tell children to stay offline. They are wrapped up in the present and what is happening all around them, and that is a natural part of their developmental process.

What is more effective is teaching students awareness surrounding the negative effects of social media and ways to help redirect them, especially through unplugged mindfulness activities.

A way to accomplish this is to allow students to escape into their own safe mental place. Share sites that outline coffee talk activities, which help students centre on an ideal sweet spot of "distracted focus." These activities offer just enough background noise to pull students away from the compelling distractors of external stimuli such as social media, balanced with the focus that allows them to find that concentrated focal point.

Teaching these strategies can reduce the harmful effects that social media can have on our students. It also enables students to tap the benefits of social media use in a realistic and helpful way.

Mr David Johnston

Deputy Principal

CyberTaipan 2021

CyberTaipan is an Australian Youth Cyber Defence Competition modelled on the US Air Force Association’s CyberPatriot program.

The first stage of the competition is run over two rounds.  For each round, teams of students are provided with a set of virtual images that represent different operating systems. Over a six-hour period, each team receives points for finding and fixing cybersecurity vulnerabilities, strengthening systems, and maintaining critical services. Teams compete for a chance to represent their school or community group at the final round - the CyberTaipan National Final.

Nudgee College were pleased to provide the opportunity for four teams of students to take part in the 2021 competition. The first round of the competition was held on Friday 10 September, and the 2nd more recently on Friday 15 October. Students displayed good teamwork and problem-solving skills to fix vulnerabilities across three operating systems, and solve forensic questions that involved searching for hidden problems within the system.

The teams include:

CyberPolice: Harveer Birk, Elliot Browne, Troy Miller, Davis Quan and Jasper Nielsen

Cyber10s: Chris Hernik, Jett McArthur, Dominic Stein and Eric Yang

NudgeePhishing: Jack Duane, Darcy Franklin, Oliver Johnson and Zach Peach

CyberJuniors: Isaac Caputo, Ethan Cockburn, Hayden Currin and Ethan Rule

Well done to all our teams, who put in a great effort over both rounds, providing support and encouragement to each other and prior to the competition with preparation activities. We are still waiting for the second round results, however regardless of the final scores and whether our students have qualified for the final round, we congratulate all our teams on the excellent level of skill, application and determination they demonstrated to complete the challenges faced and represent Nudgee College to the best of their ability.  

Why is CyberTaipan important?

CyberTaipan is based on a proven framework for educating and inspiring high school students towards further education and careers in cybersecurity and other STEM subjects. CyberTaipan forms the Australian arm of a growing global Youth Cyber Defence Challenge Network that started in the United States as CyberPatriot and has since expanded to the United Kingdom, Canada and Saudi Arabia.

Impact reports from the CyberPatriot program (US) confirm that participants are far more likely to: pursue STEM education after high school, pursue 4-year higher education and consider careers in cybersecurity and the technical workforce.

Ms Cathy Lamb

Coordinator of Digital Technology

Year 12 English External Assessment Masterclass

On Saturday, the Year 12 English team presented a Macbeth Masterclass that was specifically designed to enhance our boys' preparations for their External Assessment. Between 9:00am to 12:30pm, 70 Year 12 students took up the opportunity to partake in a series of workshops that intricately dissected and demonstrated the complex processes that are involved with writing an outstanding analytical essay that responds to an unseen question under exam conditions.

To commence the Macbeth Masterclass, Mr Tom Hughes and Ms Lynsey Hale presented a practical guide to deconstructing exam questions and preparing discerning thesis statements and topic sentences. Prior to Morning Tea, Fr Gillen rounded out the morning workshop by taking our Year 12s back through the rich and detailed history that underpins the Shakespearean tragedy that is Macbeth. Following the break, Ms Alice Windeyer engaged the Year 12 boys in an energised activity that was designed to improve their efficiency in memorising and using a discerning selection of quotes from the play. To complement this workshop, Mr. Fletcher then took the boys through the detailed but logical steps that are required to write quality body paragraphs that address the focus of each topic sentence and overarching thesis statement. To conclude the Macbeth Masterclass, I spoke to the boys about the attributes to an outstanding introduction and conclusion for an analytical essay.

To make this learning experience possible, I’d like to thank each of the staff presenters, as well as the 70 Year 12 boys that chose to use their Saturday to attend the Macbeth Masterclass. Moreover, I’d like to thank Mrs Peta Scott and the College Catering, Facilities and AV/IT teams for working behind the scenes to make our Masterclass work as fluently as it did on the day.

To the Year 12s, we wish you all the best with your External Assessments, commencing this Friday. Commit to your revision, ask for support where needed and aim to finish your studies at Nudgee College strongly. 

Mr Dayne Tracey

Head of Faculty - English & Languages

Visual Arts 

On Thursday 14 October, Year 11 Art students travelled to The Gallery of Modern Art to view the exhibition ‘European Masterpieces from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York’. 

This was a once in a lifetime opportunity as this exhibition showcases one of the finest collections of European painting in the world, the majority of which rarely leave permanent display in New York. The students were able to experience works by painters such as Rembrandt, Rubens, Turner, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, and Monet, direct from The Met’s collection. 

The exhibition in itself was fantastic but the students were also offered the opportunity to engage with ‘The Studio’, which offered an array of experiences from multimedia interactives to life and still life drawing. There was also an immersive theatrical experience which transported us to historical Europe. 

It was a fantastic excursion with the students gaining many insights and a variety of inspiration from these master painters for their own artworks. I am very much looking forward to seeing what they create for this upcoming body of work. 

Ms Katherine Ellis 

Visual Art Coordinator 

The Senior Farewell Day is always a momentous occasion for our community. Yesterday was no exception as we shared in the experiences of our Seniors going to their final house gathering, Rose Garden Ceremony and Final Assembly. The leadership of this cohort has been outstanding and our community wishes the Seniors of 2021. All the very best in the next few weeks as they complete final exams and assessment prior to the Valedictory. 

While farewelling the Seniors is a key focus for the College at this time of year, it would be remiss of me not to mention the change of leadership within the staffing structure of the Student Formation team. Last week on Assembly College Captain Leo De Clara, Vice Captain Basil Nolan and Barrett House Dean Mr David Kelly paid tribute to Mr Peter Todd who is on leave for two terms. The extracts from their speeches last week offer insight into the significance of this moment for Peter and the wider community.

Leo started by saying, “As Year 12 learns to become accustomed to being farewelled, Basil and I have the challenging job to farewell someone who has been very important to our Senior story. I have seen Nudgee College take many shapes and forms throughout my 7-year journey, yet this is such a small time span compared to the man who has influenced the College for a generation. For 26 years, the Nudgee College community has been blessed with Mr Peter Todd as a member of the staff. While it may not necessarily be the end of his time at Nudgee College, we felt it was important that the senior class farewells Mr Todd before he takes his leave of absence and we move towards graduation. Everyone admires and respects Mr Todd for his commitment to the Nudgee College ethos Signum Fidei. His honesty, integrity and thoughtfulness have been an excellent example to the young men of Nudgee College what it means to be a Sign of Faith. For that reason, Mr Todd, you will always have a place in the class of 2021.

Basil continued by saying, “It is said that Nudgee College prepares every single young man for life outside the gates and provides each and every person within the community the opportunity to grow and nurture ambition. This is something that is not only limited to the students but many of the members of staff. Much like a cohort leaving, there is a sense of sadness and apprehension that follows the feeling of pride and joy. Mr Todd's impact on our College cannot really be encompassed, simply because I would be selling short the hard work and dedication over 26 years. Even so, Mr Todd please know how grateful the 10,000 are for all your service. Your impact on each and every boy past and present will no doubt be felt throughout the many generations to come.” 

Mr David Kelly concluded, “Mr Todd from the far north town of Innisfail Started in 1995 as an English teacher. Then a succession of leadership roles: Year 8 coordinator, Director of Activities (replacing the role of Sports Master), Director of middle school students, Director of Students and Dean of students (since 2016). He has also been a passionate and very successful cricket and rugby coach. And in all of these roles, he has done them terrifically well and aren’t we blessed.  Toddy is a big personality and a big contributor to the school – quite a journey over all those years and he will be missed as a valued and respected staff member, colleague and friend.”

Year 11 Semi Formal

A reminder to all Year 11 parents and students that the Semi Formal will be held next Tuesday evening.  Tomorrow in Student Formation students will be briefed on the specifics of this event and a reminder email has been sent to parents and students. We very much look forward to sharing this significant event with our Year 11s.

School photos

Silver Rose has advised that parents should start to receive emails letting them know when their school photos will be sent from this week.

Ms Jo Barrett 

Acting Dean of Students

THEATRESPORTS

On Saturday 6 October our Senior and Junior Theatre Sports teams competed at the QLD Schools Theatre Sports Competition. This was held at La Boite Theatre, Kelvin Grove. For both the Junior and Senior Grand Final our boys had to compete against five other schools to win the much sought after trophies. The Junior team delighted the audience with their quick wit, energy and enthusiasm. The competition was tough and unfortunately did not win but had a great time on stage and can be very proud of their efforts (Hunter Ireland, Robert Fitzgerald, Daniel Cross, Samuel Browne, Tyler Goodall). The Senior team donned the stage with their exceptional improvisation skills, quick wit and intelligence to aim to win that trophy. The competition was outstanding and unfortunately they too did not win the trophy but made Nudgee College Theatre Sports proud (Dylan Eastland, Mitchell Doyle, Morgan Chippendale, Zac Smullen and Luke Rohan). We congratulate all the boys who competed at this event.

SHAKEFEST

QLD Youth Shakespeare Festival (Shake Fest) State Showcase was on Saturday 16th October. Schools from the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and as far as Cairns and Townsville compete in this competition. Congratulations to the boys who had much success in this event. Dylan Eastland and Ethan Petcos placed second in the State for their outstanding performance of an excerpt from  Hamlet. Morgan Chippendale, Mitchell Doyle and Matthew Johns place first in the State for their exceptional composition and music performance which was inspired by Hamlet. The achievements of these boys are fantastic and we congratulate them on their fine results.

Ms Alison Kilgour 

Head of Faculty - Arts and Theatresports Coordinator

Music 

Each year, we enter student work into the ASME (Australian Society of Music Education) Queensland Young Composers Competition. This annual competition provides the opportunity for young composers from across the state to submit their own musical works for critique and assessment by adjudicators, who work as professional composers in Australia, and vie for prizes. This an opportunity for our boys to utilise the compositions they create for assessment in curriculum Music, and receive feedback from industry professionals. 

Previous entrants and winners of the Young Composers’ Competition have gone on to study composition at a tertiary level or work in the music industry as professional composers. We had an absolutely fantastic turn out this year, taking out three podium positions in the two categories that we entered; songwriting and electronic music. Congratulations goes to  Matthew Johns, who was awarded second place in the songwriting category. In the Electronic Music category, Luke Barbour was awarded second place and Morgan Chippendale was awarded third place. This is an amazing achievement and I would like to congratulate all involved for their amazing work.

Mr John Hodder

Coordinator of Music (Years 5 to 12)

Track and Field 

A huge congratulations to our Junior and Senior GPS Track and Field teams for their success last Tuesday. There has been a real buzz about the school with boys congratulating each other which is fantastic to see.

JUNIORS – OVERALL RESULTS

1st: NC – 654

2nd: ACGS – 549.50

3rd: GT – 514

4th: BGS – 500

5th: BBC – 482.50

6th: TSS – 438

7th: TGS – 404

8th: IGS – 383

9th: BSHS – 173

SENIORS – OVERALL RESULTS

1st: NC – 453.50

2nd: IGS – 434

3rd: BSHS – 419.50

4th: BBC – 373.50

5th: ACGS – 353

6th: GT – 296

7th: BGS – 286.50

8th: TGS – 275

9th: TSS – 273

NEW RECORDS ON THE DAY

Roman Jones – U12 Shot Put – 13.12m

• Roman set a new school record in the U12 Shot Put with a huge throw of 13.12m.
• Previous school record: 11.13m, Liam Hude (2016).

Rocco Croucamp – U11 800m – 2:22.14

• Rocco ran a superb 800m to claim both the U11 800m school and GPS records.
• Previous school record: 2:28.73, Rhys Griffiths (2020)
• Previous GPS record: 2:22.49, BBC (2020)

U10 4×100m Relay – 57.30

• Lachlan Moore, Zac Zillman, Marcus Strelow and Flynn Lane ran a fantastic relay to claim the U10 4×100m school and GPS records.
• Previous school record: 58.59, Appo, Croucamp, Neubecker, Gibb (2020)
• Previous GPS record: 58.20, ACGS (2019)

Ethan Grimshaw – U13 200m – 23.53

• Ethan ran a brilliant 200m in tough conditions to claim a new school record.
• Previous school record: 23.54, Joel Hagan (2009)

U16 4×100m Relay – 42.56

• Lachlan Cox, James Swao, Owen Rowbotham and Jhairah Taylor etched their name into the record books again this year setting new school and GPS records.
• Previous school record: 42.64, Davidson, Hunt, Tenakanai, Collins (2010)
• Previous GPS record: 42.64, NC (2010)

Open 4×100m Relay – 41.89

• Lachy Hoban, Ashley Wong, Alex Romano and Ethan Petcos set the track on fire with their relay team setting new school and GPS records.
• Previous school record: 42.41, Ho, Schwartz, LaRosa, Chee (1997)
• Previous GPS record: 42.30, IGS (2020)

2021 Queensland All Schools State Championships (U15-Opens)

Just days after competing at the GPS Track and Field Championships, many of our older boys backed it up with outstanding performances at the QLD All Schools State Championships.

Medalists include:

GOLD

Lachlan Cox - U17 100m - 10.87

Ashley Wong - U18 100m - 10.59

Lachlan Cox - U17 200m - 21.75

Ashley Wong - U18 200m - 21.42

Ethan Petcos - U20 Long Jump - 7.38m

SILVER

Alex Romano - U17 400m - 50.28

BRONZE

Sean Putra-Susilo - U14 90mH - 13.71

We wish our younger athletes all the best at their State Championships on the 30th and 31st of October (U10-U14).

Mr Jack Dahms 

Director of Track and Field

The Locker Room 

SUPPORTER CAPS: Lots to choose from $25, Limited Edition NC130 Caps 

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OUR POPULAR HOUSE PENNANTS ONLY $25

LIMITED EDITION NC130 TIE $35

Orientation afternoons for current Year 6 and Year 11 students - Week 5 of Term 4

There will be three afternoon sessions, students and their families are only required to attend one afternoon.

• All current Year 6 Nudgee students entering Year 7 in 2022 will be attending
• All current Year 11 Nudgee students entering Year 12 in 2022 will be attending
• All new students commencing in 2022 will be attending.
• Year 6 students can wear casual clothes or school uniforms.
• Year 11 students please wear their school uniform, and further details will be provided by their house deans.
• A detailed program will be sent in Week 4 of Term 4, to all Year 6 and Year 11 students, including their parents.

Each afternoon there will be three Houses per afternoon

• 3:30 pm for a 4 pm start until 6 pm Tuesday 2nd of November - Barrett House, Duggan House and Fogarty House.
• 3:30 pm for a 4 pm start until 6 pm Wednesday 3rd of November - Magee House, McKenna House and Riley House.
• 3:30 pm for a 4 pm start until 6 pm Thursday 4th of November - Ross House, Shaw House and Tierney House.

All parents/carers/family are welcome to attend, including siblings. 

Buses will be running at the end of the event for students, families and friends. If you wish to catch the Nudgee Bus home for free, with your son/s you are more than welcome.

RSVP for Bus Runs from Orientation Afternoon

All catering will be provided, if you and/or your son has a dietary requirement please complete the form below

Dietary requirements for Orientation Day

Please note: Nudgee College is currently monitoring the QLD government advice and should the situation change further communication will be released from the College.

For students looking to go into a different career path, head to http://www.aafc.org.au/ for information about the Australian Air Force Cadets.