On Wednesday morning, we gathered for the solemn ritual of Ash Wednesday. A ritual that marks the start of our Lenten journey as a Christian community to Easter Sunday. This is a hope-filled journey that is characterised by the three traditional pillars of Lent - prayer, fasting and almsgiving. These three actions help us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and remind us of the ultimate sacrifice that he made on behalf of all humankind. In our prayers on Wednesday, we sought God’s help to make this season a time when we make choices that bring us closer to God. To amend our lives in even the smallest of ways, finding time to pray is a choice that we can make that draws us nearer to God.

In the words of Pope Francis reflecting on Lent during his Ash Wednesday Mass:

‘It is a time to reconsider the path we are taking to find the route that leads us home and to rediscover our profound relationship with God, on whom everything depends.’

Many of you will be aware of Fr Peter Dillon’s use of the metaphor of the movie ‘The Field of Dreams’ and the very origins of the College 130 years ago. It is apt metaphor for another dimension of school life. Our field of dreams is not the cornfields of Ohio but the playing fields at The Flats. The Flats as we have known them in recent time were recommissioned in the 1950s by the then Headmaster Brother Maximus O’Connor. At that time, there were seven playing fields. The origins of The Flats goes back to our earliest days and the work of two hard working lay Brothers who were themselves brothers by birth.  Brother Patrick (Macarius) Smith and Brother Nicholas (Joachim) Smith commenced at Nudgee in 1891 and 1892, respectively. As lay Brothers, they did not teach but they were men who completed the physical labour around the College. Our archivist Mr John Sayer captures the nature of this work here:

“In 1892 when Nicholas, now known as Brother Joachim, arrived, thick forest and scrub covered all the land at Nudgee. …. The zealous Brother Joachim, along with his brother, Brother Macarius and Brother Albert, set to work and cleared what we know today as the Flats of Nudgee. They sank wells, erected fences, cleared land, ploughed the land and very soon smiling fields of corn, pineapples and bananas soon replaced the wild impenetrable bush that greeted the first boarders at Nudgee. In the early days they even had to tie paper to trees in order to find their way back to the Mound of Nudgee – so dense was the scrub.” 

Brothers Patrick and Nicholas served the College for 37 years until the late 1920s. Their outstanding contributions during our earliest, and perhaps hardest, years were acknowledged in the Golden Jubilee Year of 1941 when they were named as two of the Patriarchs of the College.

Of course, for generations of Nudgee College men those hardened and thinly grassed surfaces of The Flats have been the Field of Dreams. The current generation of Nudgee College men share the same dreams; about that catch, that shot, that try, that goal, that tackle. Dreams that become shared memories with teammates in the Blue and White.

It is significant that this Friday afternoon that we will host the blessing and recommissioning of The Flats Sporting Complex. Leading the ceremony is our Year 12 leaders, Dean of Identity Stephen Meara, Father John Gillen, staff who run and work in the various sporting programs. In attendance will also be key representatives from the Parent support group, the various consultants, builders, engineers and architects who assisted us during the redevelopment of the precinct. The rain over the last two months has been terrific for the fields that have been turfed but has delayed the last 10% of the project, which is the south-eastern corner that contains two junior cricket fields. Weather permitting our junior football team will be playing on them in early Term 2.

What now constitutes The Flats? 14 hectares of ovals, six cricket fields, ten full size multi-purpose ovals, 28 cricket practice pitches, cross country courses and an extensive dam with associated water treatment and recycling plant. The Flats contain the very best drainage and irrigation systems and are covered with magnificent turf. Every cent spent improved the complex for all boys who will play on those fields in the years to come. In due course, we will consider the soft scape, shade, parking, general catering facilities and more as we further develop the next stage of The Flats.

We are very excited about this redevelopment, what it means for our boys and the school community. We remain incredibly grateful that God’s blessings have enabled us to undertake this transformative project.

I share with you some recent drone footage of The Flats, our field of dreams!

Mr Peter Fullagar

Principal

The Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment would like to advise you that a request has been made for your child’s school to provide residential address and other information as required under the Australian Education Regulation 2013 (Cth). 

You can read the full document here: Collection Notice For Parents

Schools are built on connections and relationships. Caring for each other is what strong school communities do. Indeed, I believe the quality of any community can be measured by the care it provides its members when they are at greatest need.  I also believe this is one of Nudgee’s greatest strengths.  One of the greatest challenges in any community though is we do not always know when someone is in need of support.  People are reluctant to say they need help.  This has been a key message as we start the new school year.  Mr Todd put it very nicely to the new students.  He used the following quote:

What is the bravest thing you’ve ever said?

“Help” was the answer.

My grandmother was a very strong influence in my life. Her philosophy was you should presume every person would benefit from some help and that every person you meet has a struggle or a pain you might not understand or see. She would tell me if you presumed that every person had a challenge and you behaved in a way that resisted showing judgement, people would trust you and feel that they could open up and share their concerns with you. 

I was reminded of her philosophy over the holidays when listening to a podcast of former All Blacks Head Coach, Steve Hansen. He said:

“Our biggest problem is we don’t give those people that are struggling the permission to say they're struggling.  We think we have to hide it.  As a result of hiding it, it bottles up and bottles up and bottles up and then it’s like a big volcano - when it gets too hot, it blows. Our job as parents and as work colleagues is to support people, but first of all you’ve got to know that they need the support.  And to know that you’ve got to know your people and then you’ve got to allow them to be vulnerable, because how people react to your vulnerability is either going to allow you to do it again or shut you down.  So giving them the permission is key and then just letting them be vulnerable.”

I sometimes wonder how much more simple a place the world would be if people were not so concerned about fear of judgement or failure. A close friend of mine tells her leadership team that it is vital to support each other, not judge each other.  Wise words.

What if people felt more comfortable to say they’re struggling and need support? What if more people thought it was ‘okay’ to be vulnerable? What if this was viewed as a normal part of life rather than an exception? I think that sometimes we forget that it is normal for any person to need support at some time in their life, it is normal to face challenges and difficult times.

Right now is a time when it is more important than ever that we give others license to be vulnerable and allow our community to “live in the shelter of each other.” Right now, the strength of the Nudgee community is more important than ever. 

One of the wonderful things about having the boys back at school with us is the opportunity to connect and re-establish relationships. I have enjoyed reconnecting with all the boys, in particular our boarding students who had such a tough year last year.

As we continue to navigate our way through the ‘new normal’ as a community, I am grateful for many things.  But nothing more so than the community I have to walk this journey with.  I hope, whether you are a new or old member of the Nudgee community, you too feel the support of the community and the welcoming nature that is core to our culture.

Mr David Johnston

Deputy Principal 

Year 7 entry in 2024 is closing shortly

If any current families or friends are looking for entry into this year please email Ms Susan Shakespear (Director of Admissions) to secure a placement.

Email admissions@nudgee.qld.edu.au

We invite all prospective families to request a personalised College tour to explore Nudgee College's 136 hectares. Tours for entry into Years 7 to 11 will have an opportunity to discuss academic pathways with the Dean or Director of Learning and Teaching.

To book a College tour, please click here.

For further Admissions information please see the Admissions page on the College Website.

One thing I try not to be in this role is alarmist. It is common for us to be a little frightened from time to time by media connected to our children, what the latest thing to be ‘frightened off’ might be. In saying that, there has been a definite tangible increase over the last 12 months in students connected to vaping. For those new to this phenomenon, Vaping refers to the use of battery-operated devices that heat a liquid to be inhaled. Australian adults can buy vaping devices and non-nicotine "juices" with flavours such as fruit and chocolate. Vaping has become a definite way boys in the middle school can be ‘naughty’ or be risk takers. In older boys they can experiment with what goes in the vape.

Two recent articles caught my eye and resonated with my own experience. I hope parents might have a chat with their sons about them.

A recent study conducted by the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare and surveyed over 23,000 young people over 14 years of age. It found more young Australians are experimenting with vaping, even if they've never smoked cigarettes, but they are turning away from alcohol and illicit drugs. The survey found cannabis was the most commonly used illicit drug. Encouragingly, it found young people today are less likely than previous generations to drink, smoke tobacco or take illicit drugs. The study found that in 2016, just over 2.5 percent of people aged 18–24 were vaping. In 2019, that figure jumped to more than 5 per cent, with the majority saying they tried it out of curiosity.

At about the same time, a Sydney Morning Herald article was front page and proclaimed, “Principals Sound Alarm As Students Take Up Vaping, Become Black Market 'Dealers'”. It outlined that principals across Sydney had recently written to parents warning them of a significant increase in vaping among teenagers, with teachers catching students as young as Year 7 using vapes at school or even becoming dealers. It reports that not only were young students vaping, they were buying extra vapes and selling them on to classmates.

At one end of the spectrum, this is like a previous generation experimenting with cigarettes, but at the other end of the spectrum, these devices encourage ‘smoking’ synthetic and dangerous drugs, due to the ease.

One of the best and most informative presenters and researchers I have seen is Paul Dillon, the director of Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia. He has great knowledge and feel for the trends amongst young people in this area.  Paul presents at about 200 schools around Australia every year. Previously, he focused on alcohol in Year 10, included cannabis in Year 11 and widened out to other drugs in Year 12 but every school was now asking him to cover vaping for all age groups. Because of a dramatic shift in the last six to twelve months, Paul has added vaping to every single one of over 200 presentations a year. Paul outlines that flavoured non-nicotine vaping was most popular among teens, but nicotine was close behind, followed by THC (the active ingredient in cannabis).

These research studies and concerns of school principals mirror what I have found. I encourage parents to have open conversations with their sons. I include some advice below about how to cover these topics:

At the College we have been educating boys for almost 130 years - we think we know boys. They can exhibit risk taking behaviours as part of growing up. We also know that due to different things that can be happening in boys’ lives, they can make behaviour mistakes. We are compassionate and considered when responding to the mistakes boys make. At the same time, I state clearly the College position: if a student brings substances or items to the College which place themselves, others or the College at risk, the response will be significant and may place the boys place at the College in jeopardy. Let’s all try to avoid that for the sake of everyone’s wellbeing.

Although parents sometimes doubt their importance, particularly during the teenage years, research indicates that parents play an important part in the development of their adolescent children. As such, parents can play a significant role in preventing or, at the very least, delaying adolescent alcohol and other drug use. Research indicates that parents can protect against adolescent substance abuse where parenting skills, parent-adolescent communication and levels of warmth and affection are high. Attachment to the family and low parental conflict are protective factors that may contribute to teens choosing not to use drugs as well. There are two main protective factors, however, supported by research evidence and they are: parenting style and parental monitoring.

Parental Style

The four types of parenting styles are defined along two axes – strictness (‘parental control’) and warmth (‘parental support’):
Authoritarian (strictness but not warmth)
Authoritative (strictness and warmth)
Indulgent (warmth but not strictness)
Neglectful (neither warmth nor strictness)

Authoritative parenting is the style recommended, with parents encouraged to set simple and clear rules for their children about what is expected of them and what will not be tolerated from an early age. Parents should know where their children are and whom they are with and, if rules are broken, enforce consequences. This approach, provided in an environment where the children feel loved and cared for, can have a protective effect on adolescent alcohol and other drug use.

Parental Monitoring

When parents are aware of a range of aspects of their child’s life - what they are doing, who they are with, and where they are - we say they are monitoring their child. As well as knowing what their teens are doing, parental monitoring includes:
• Expectations parents have regarding their teen’s behaviour – what rules are being made?
• Actions parents take to keep track of their teen – how are the rules being enforced and how do you know that the rules are not being broken?
• Ways parents respond when their teen breaks the rules – what are the consequences and are they being enforced?

Adolescents whose parents use effective monitoring practices are less likely to make decisions that can negatively impact a wide range of health behaviours, such as having sex at an early age, smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, and being physically aggressive or skipping school. The effect of this supervision persists as the teenagers age and is effective in both single and two-parent households. Research suggests that the protective effect of such monitoring is more noticeable in girls than in boys. Not only have studies found that parental monitoring can prevent drug use, it can also reduce drug use in some cases. Put simply, the greater the perceived parental control, the lower the adolescent’s substance use.

As children develop into teenagers, parents often view them as more independent and less in need of monitoring. Plus, adolescents may not be willing to share as much information as they once did, often increasing conflict as the relationship between parent and child changes. However, consistent monitoring throughout the teen years is critical as teens’ desire for independence increases the likelihood of risky behaviour. Studies confirm that parents and the family remain important through this time, although their role often changes to a less directive way of parental monitoring. Parental monitoring not only directly decreases the likelihood of substance use, it can also affect a child’s friendship choices. Research has shown that teens who perceive that their parents provide substantial support are less likely to have with friends who use drugs, and those who do have friends who use drugs are less likely to start using drugs themselves.

A crucial element of monitoring is parental knowledge. Parental knowledge represents what the parent actually knows versus the information parents are trying to get. That is, asking a child where they are going and who they will be with may not actually result in accurate information so parents are encouraged to do more than simply access information from their child. Monitoring needs to be age-appropriate and change over the course of the child’s life to match their stage of development. Appropriate levels of behavioural control need to be applied in an environment that supports trusting and non-intrusive parent-child communication. This encourages disclosure by the child, thus ensuring that parents are able to access accurate monitoring information.

Let’s all work together to keep our boys safe.
 
 
Bag tags

When your son starts at the College, we provide them with two bag tags with their name and House laser etched into them. These tags help them and us quickly identify their belongings so that we can return it quickly.

Did you know that if you would like to order some bag tags for your son we produce a run of tags each term? They are available to be ordered for any student.

The process is as follows:

Click this link and click “Nudgee College Student Bag Tag” at any time, fill in the details of your son’s name and House and make payment - tags are $6 each.

Orders received by the Monday of the last week of each term, they will be ready for collection at the beginning of the following term.

If you miss the term deadline, don’t worry, your tags will be kept for the following terms order - you do not need to order again.

Mr Peter Todd

Dean of Students

Year 12 Exam Timetable

Senior Visual Art Excursion to GOMA

On Monday 8 February, Year 12 Visual Art students travelled to the Gallery of Modern Art in Southbank. This year the gallery had a few exhibitions running alongside each other, allowing our students to experience a wide variety of art forms. However, the main focus for our trip was the exhibition entitled ‘Unfinished Business: The Art of Gordon Bennett.’

This is the first large-scale exhibition of Bennett’s work and features 200 artworks ranging from installation and sculptural assemblage to painting, drawing, video and ceramics. As an Indigenous Australian artist, Gordon Bennett explores themes of identity, perception, racism, construction of history, and has made a profound and ongoing contribution to contemporary art in Australia and internationally. A very interesting, thought-provoking and confronting exhibition for our Art students to experience. This excursion forms the stimulus for the first body of work for Year 12.
 
A hugely successful excursion for all involved with full engagement from our Art students! I am very much looking forward to seeing what the boys can create from this experience. Student Art from this body of work will be exhibited in our annual Dimensions Arts Festival later in the year.
 
Miss Katherine Ellis

Subject Co-ordinator - Visual Art

Drama and Music Performance Assessment Evening

On Monday 22 February the Year 12 Drama, Music and Music Extension students will be presenting their IA1 - Performance pieces for assessment. This will take place in Tierney Auditorium. All are welcome to come along and support the boys in their assessment or if you wish to just come along and see what they do you are more than welcome. 

Date & Time: Monday 22 February 6.30pm

Venue: Tierney Auditorium  

Ms Alison Kilgour

Head of Faculty - Arts

Collaboration in Year 8 Humanities

Educational research indicates that those students who are able to verbalise their ideas, listen to each other and share authentic discussion while creating common products are more actively engaged in the learning process.  Students in 8F and 8G Humanities have been working in a flexible collaborative space in the library.  Students have worked in instructional, collaborative and independent zones to complete set tasks.  They were challenged to find unique facts about Angkor Wat and to challenge different perspectives of the discovery.  The flexibility of the zones has allowed the students to work according to their strengths and to seek assistance when needed. 

Ms Lesley Gardner 

Head of Faculty - Humanities

Ash Wednesday and Lent

“We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20)

From Pope Francis’ Lenten Message 2021

Love is a gift that gives meaning to our lives.  It enables us to view those in need as members of our own family, as friends, brothers or sisters.  A small amount, if given with love, never ends, but becomes a source of life and happiness.  During the time of “conversion” that is the mystery of Christ’ passion, death and resurrection, Christians are called to fasting, prayer and almsgiving, as preached by Jesus.  The path of poverty and self-denial (fasting), concern and loving care for the poor (almsgiving), and childlike dialogue with the Father (prayer) make it possible for us to live lives of sincere faith, living hope and effective charity, enables that conversion and helps renew the faith.

From St Oscar Romero (1980)

People do not mortify themselves during Lent

out of a sick desire to suffer.

God did not make us for suffering.

If we fast or do penances or pray,

it is for a very positive goal:

by overcoming self

one achieves the Easter resurrection.

We do not just celebrate a risen Christ,

distinct from us,

but during Lent we prepare ourselves

to rise with him to a new life

and to become the new persons

that are what the country needs right now.

Let us not just shout slogans

about new structures;

new structures will be worthless

without new persons

to administer the new structures the country needs

and live them out in their lives.

Mr Stephen Meara 

Dean of Identity

As a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice Tradition, spiritual identity plays an instrumental role in the educational experience of Nudgee students.  Sunday evening Eucharist is part of the Catholic formation and a time when we come together as a community.  All family and friends of Nudgee College Boarding are most welcome at our Sunday night Liturgies.  Please feel free to join us if you are dropping your son off from leave or you live locally. Although we encourage boys to take opportunities to have weekend leave with their family and hosts, we do require all boarders back at their boarding House by 7pm Sundays.  If you have any concerns regarding this please contact your son's Head of Boarding House.

Boarding Enrolments Update

We have had a wonderful increase in day boys entering boarding this year particularly for Year 11 and 12 to assist with their academic study and sporting commitments. However, we are now close to full with regard to Year 11 and 12 positions in boarding. This is a great tribute to the terrific care, facilities and advantage that our boarders have. Any day boy family who would like to come in to boarding or if you have any further questions please complete a Day Student Application to Boarding and submit to Ms Susan Shakespear (Director of Admissions) at sshakespear@nudgee.qld.edu.au.

Homesickness tips
As we enter into Week 4, typically this is when we see some boys (particularly new boys) start to experience homesickness. The ‘gloss’ of the new year is wearing off and the reality of upcoming assessment is becoming real. It is important that all parents understand that this is normal and has been normal for the last 130 years at Nudgee College. What has changed is the level of support and strategies that we implement to help support each boy as they deal with this. The first step to dealing with homesickness is identifying the causes of it, generally it is the loss of connection boys feel with home and family. This can be alleviated with modern communication and I certainly encourage families and boys to make contact at least once a day (more than that can be an overload and I would suggest this could heighten emotions for boys). However, timing of this is also crucial, I would counsel boys and parents to choose a time to reconnect that allows distraction afterwards, calling after 8pm at night is not a good strategy.  You don’t want the last thing your son does to be an emotional conversation prior to bed when they are all alone in a darkened room (this will only heighten his sense of loss). Sometimes we find boys will not feel comfortable in telling staff of any concerns but will phone home. Can I please ask you if your son tells you something that you’re concerned about, please tell us as soon as possible so that we can help.

Welcome Dinner with Stuartholme School

In Week 5, we look forward to hosting Stuartholme for our annual formal dinner. The boys will be expected to manage themselves in that formal setting (I know the O’Brien young men will be ‘formed’ into the etiquette of the night from Ms Tracey Hoffmann over the coming week). For many, this will be their first experience of ‘hosting’ someone - at times a nervous and anxious time, but certainly a life skill. We are blessed to have two guest speakers for the evening 2005 old boy Mr Dallan Murphy and Stuartholme graduate Ms Libby Ure. We are excited to hear their story and words of wisdom about their experiences as boarding students.

From the Health Centre

We are currently seeing a number of boys with head cold signs and symptoms. The boys are assessed in the boarding village each morning before school by us. This involves a temperature and wellbeing check. If a boy has head cold signs and symptoms, he will be given symptomatic treatment. It may be one of the following or a combination of the following depending on our assessment - Panadol or Nurofen, Dimetapp cough and cold mixture and Difflam or Betadine gargle. Only those boys we have parental consent for will be administered medication.  If from our clinical assessment we determine a boy requires COVID testing, he is then driven and escorted by one of our health centre school officers and remains in isolation in the health centre until results are received. We may also refer him to see our school GP for further assessment. Dr Curtis Staunton conducts a clinic in the health centre Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon.

All unwell boarding boys are asked to attend the health centre for follow-up and review. Our health centre is staffed by a Registered nurse 24 hours, 7 days a week so there is always someone here to attend to and care for your son.

Please be assured that we will continue to monitor your son if he is unwell and please always contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Mr Sean Toovey
Dean of Boarding

Our Large Sports Bags are now back in stock!  

42 Litre Sports Bag - $45.00

You are invited to attend the Nudgee College Northern Territory Dinner hosted by our Dean of Identity, Mr Stephen Meara and Head of Murphy Boarding House, Mr Alex O'Regan.

Dinner and refreshments will be provided by Nudgee College at the Oyster Bar, Darwin on Thursday 4 March at 6.00pm.

RSVP via devcomm@nudgee.qld.edu.au. All attendees will be contacted prior to the event to collect your meal pre-order and dietary requirements in advance.