Week 4 Term 4 2019

Principal

The lead up to the end of every school year is marked by a series of occasions and events. Appropriately each gathering has a different focus and tone but each in its own way is a celebration of what we have all shared over the past year here at Nudgee College.

Two such occasions include last Monday’s Inter-house Showcase and next Monday night’s Awards Ceremony. Showcase was a terrific night of fun and it is always very well supported. This was certainly the case on Monday with a huge crowd in the Conference Centre enjoying the boys’ performances and entertainment. Congratulations to Ross House on their first placing. The work of House Deans and their staff in leading the preparation and performances is greatly appreciated, particularly at this demanding time of the year.

Next Monday night’s Awards Ceremony has a very different tone and is one of the signature events of the school year. It is an opportunity to recognise the talents and achievements of many students in diverse dimensions of College life. Like Showcase, it highlights what it means to be a part of our College community and what is meaningful in our community. We look forward to the night being well supported.

It is worth noting, even at this early stage, that the timing of both these events will change in 2020. Due to the nature and timing of Year 12 final external assessment Showcase will be held in May and the Awards Evening will occur after this assessment period is concluded.

Importantly, at Thursday’s Assembly we presented the Habits of Mind (HoM) Awards to students from Years 5 to 10. The HoM form a framework that the College uses extensively to add value to our learning and teaching by focussing upon how our students think. It includes 16 thinking dispositions developed by Art Costa. At Nudgee College we have named the awards in honour of former staff and Old Boys. These include:

Year 5 and 6: The Macrossan Award
Year 7: The Ian Brusasco Award
Year 8: The Patrick Donovan Award
Year 9: The Steven Cook Award
Year 10: The Stephen Daley Award

Congratulations to the students who will be presented these awards. The list includes some academic high achievers but also a very healthy number of quiet achievers who may not be top of the class, but who display the attitudes that are important for success and who are working consistently to be their best.

Also on Thursday, we are hosting the Junior GPS Track and Field Championships on the track at Hendry Oval. We wish these boys well as we do the Senior team who will compete at QSAC on Saturday. As always it will be a highly competitive event and our teams have been well prepared. We congratulate the team leaders for 2019: Yiddy Nethery (Captain), Finn Hearn and Mason McDonald (Vice Captains). Thanks to Mr Peter Kropp, Mr Nick Toohey and Mr Jack Dahms for their leadership of the Track and Field Program.

The week concludes with Saturday morning’s Nudgee College Old Boys’ Memorial Mass and breakfast. This Mass coincides with the Feast Days of All Saints and All Souls later this week. In the midst of a busy school term it is an opportunity to give thanks for the lives and the contribution of all those Old Boys who helped to build this community over many years. One of these was Ross La Spina from Far North Queensland. At the time of his passing earlier this year, his daughter, Dolores, contacted me with a most poignant email about her father. I quote part of that email because it epitomises the story of many of our senior Old Boys:

He was aged 95 and greatly loved his time at Nudgee College. I read 'Behind the Stripes' to him in his last week and he loved the article about Willie Gard's violin.

Papa has always been strong in his faith. He lived the Edmund Rice tradition of faith and service and was not afraid to pass from this world. He served as a Lion and Knight of the Southern Cross for over 50 years.

I will include part of his speech from his 90th birthday which verifies the high regard with which he held his beloved College.

May Ross, and all our Old Boys who have passed away this past year, rest in peace.

Mr Peter Fullagar
Principal

Deputy Principal

Awards Ceremony

A reminder that the list of recipients of Academic Awards have been finalised and was posted this week outside the Learning and Teaching Office. Additionally, all recipients were sent an email. If there are any issues or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Our Awards Ceremony is the night we simply celebrate a year of learning with everyone as one community; students are the focus of the event and they tell their own stories.

Motivation and success are what drive individuals in any profession. In the school setting, it is critically important that we celebrate and recognise the outstanding things that students accomplish, both inside and outside of the College. Watching students grow and accomplish their goals is one of the main reasons most go into education, myself included. The recognition of students fosters strong relationships among students, families, faculty and the community, and creates a positive school culture where students feel valued.

This year we have moved the start time to 6.00pm. Our program has been finalised and the night will conclude at 8.00pm. There is a mix of music, videos showcasing the highlights of the year, a sample of drama, and yes, students will be recognised for their achievements.

I hope if your son gets an award you come along knowing it is a two hour celebration of Nudgee College. I encourage you to take heed of the “you play, you stay” quote our Spirit Committee promotes for home games throughout Football and Rugby season. The last awards of the night are the year level Dux awards, with the College Dux the final presentation prior to singing the College song. Please be the parent who supports the award winners, not the parent who leaves prior to the conclusion.

Technology is here to stay

In today’s ever-changing educational climate, it can be difficult to keep up with the most recent developments in classroom technology. With constant conversations about ‘the digital classroom’ and the expectations of digital citizenship for our students, it can be daunting to understand how any of it can be used to a teacher’s benefit. The ubiquitous nature of technology means that it is no longer about simply using technology to teach the content within various curriculum areas. It is now an inevitability that our students will be using technologies that don’t even exist yet. It is our job as teachers and parents to show the boys that technology is a part of our everyday life; we need to inspire them to accept, challenge, change and be curious enough to explore and use these tools in a variety of contexts.

As a College that embraces a 21st century classroom we have technology in our classrooms. This allows us to invite our parents to become even more involved, without taking up any more of their time. Nudgee College is a large, active community and there are often a number of different events happening. Using our Parent Lounge and various Team Apps, we provide parents with real time feedback on the progress of their son without being too intrusive.

Communicating through the Parent Lounge aims to avoid those unexpected surprises from surfacing. Parents can regularly review their son’s work and decide on what they really want to know based on what they have available to them, therefore leading to more targeted questions designed to ease their minds.

Accountability and transparency are essential elements of a successful classroom and school. Through the use of technology in the classroom and our continual drive to provide a wide variety of feedback on each Nudgee College boy, parents can be an essential part in the education process.

Mr David Johnston
Deputy Principal

Learning and Teaching

Student Art

At the recent Dimensions Art Festival Dean of Learning and Teaching Mr Jason Sepetauc was captured by the painting ‘Frankie’ by Year 10 student Franco Lim Santos Faria. Unlike many of the other artworks, it wasn’t for sale. However, following some quick negotiations with his art dealer (aka Art Coordinator Ms Sam Martinuzzi), it now adorns the wall of the Learning and Teaching Office. Every student who walks in the door is stuck by the portrait. It ignites the room and shines light on the artistic skills of our boys.

Head of Faculty Development

On Wednesday 23 October, our academic leaders engaged in a Leadership and Development Day at Australian Catholic University. The Learning and Teaching team collaborated with the Heads of Faculty, joined by Ms Alison Terrey, who has been working with the Heads of Faculty this year to ensure goal setting and professional growth for the newly appointed leaders of curriculum. This day was an important step in leading the learning culture at Nudgee College, allowing reflective practice and strategic planning, which will continue to improve learning and teaching at Nudgee College.

Ms Jodie Moore
Director of Teacher Growth and Development

Middle Years English Years 7 to 9

Middle years English at Nudgee College uses a deeply connected approach. Students become literate as they develop the knowledge and skills to interpret and use language confidently for learning and communicating in and out of school. The themes chosen in the middle years include heroes, the influence of media, and the global community. Engaging with these themes allows students to apply language to the real world and to appreciate the influence of effective use of language.

English in Years 7 to 9 involves careful attention to students listening to, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating oral, print, visual and digital texts, for different purposes in a range of contexts.

Providing all students access to a meaningful experience in the subject of English is critical, and through the differentiated approach of offering English, English Modified and English Honours students’ needs are more precisely met. Providing a range of complexities within the English course work ensures students acquire knowledge and skills to access, understand, analyse and evaluate information, make meaning, express thoughts and emotions, present ideas and opinions, interact with others and participate in activities at school and in their lives beyond school.

As the current school year draws to a conclusion middle years’ English can be proud of how its curriculum has developed its students to become successful learners, confident and creative individuals and active and informed citizens.

Mr Gerard McKeown
English Coordinator (Years 7 to 9)

Student Formation

Inter-house Showcase

What a fantastic night we had for our 2019 Inter-house Showcase. There was colour, fun, laughs and of course great singing! Congratulations to the winners on the night for the second year in a row, Ross House. However, any night in which more than 1,000 students are up on stage performing and singing is a win for everyone.

Well done to the Year 12 emcees on the night Jye Davies and CJ Ransome, who entertained the crowd with their knowledge of the acts, and small gibes.

Thank you to the following staff for their assistance with the students:

To House Deans Mr Dave Kelly, Ms Sian Kennedy, Mr Ken Adams, Ms Julianne Daunt, Mr Paul Kehoe, Ms Lynsey Hale, Mr Michael Byrne, Ms Robyn Mann and Ms Joanne Barrett for their leadership in this event, and all they do every day for our boys.
To all the PC tutors and Year 12 Seniors who guided and lead rehearsals.
To all House Mums and judging panel: Ms Heather Trethowan (Barrett House), Ms Bambi Silvertand (Duggan House), Ms Marisia Woolf (Fogarty House), Ms Jo Smith (Magee House), Ms Margie Hutchinson (McKenna), Ms Rebecca Kuskie (Riley House), Ms Emma Babao (Ross House), Ms Jules Born (Shaw House) and Ms Donna-Maree Long (Tierney House).
To the crew and staff behind the scenes: Mr Sean Toovey, Ms Suzanne Colette, Mr Andrew Hook, Mr Walter Stapf, Mr Richard Dupuy, Mr Brett Foster, Ms Tiffany Keller, Mr Paul Elliot, Mr Steve Latter, Ms Annette Armstrong, and the many members of the Property and Service team.
To Mr Raoul Carmody and the boys from the AV crew – much of their work really ‘makes’ the night.

Final results for the night, will contribute to the Br Vic Larkin Shield for 2019:

Highly Commended: Fogarty, Tierney, Duggan, Magee, Riley and McKenna
Third Place: Barrett
Second Place: Shaw
First Place Winner: Ross

Year 11 Leadership Retreat

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week the Year 11 students were involved in a wonderful leadership retreat. The style of leadership actively taught and modelled at Nudgee College is the style modelled by Jesus – servant leadership. I’m sure you’ll agree, Jesus is a difficult ‘act to follow’, so the practical ways we believe our Seniors can lead are characterised by five pillars of exemplary leadership (as espoused Kouzes and Posner in their work, ‘The Leadership Challenge’):

Model the way (be who you want others to be)
Inspire a shared vision (collaboratively create a plan)
Challenge the process (what can we do to ‘be better’ and create new traditions)
Enable others to act (be collaborative and involve many in the leadership process)
Encourage the heart (focus on leadership through positive relationships)

Specifically during the two day retreat, next year’s Seniors were active in brainstorming ideas concerning their 2020 Senior motto, symbol, project, and song, as well as their House symbol/motto, jersey design and, significantly, the legacy for the class of 2020.

One of the great activities for this year was the creation of a large piece of art for each House, which was completed with the involvement of every Year 11 student. Every House group chose an image and were given paint and nine small canvases. Their brief work together as a whole class to produce a piece of art on the nine canvases produced brilliant results.

Mr Peter Todd
Dean of Students

Boarding

Boarding Formal Dinner

As part of our Boarding Formal Dinner last Thursday we celebrated the year as a community and marked this special occasion by sharing the 2019 Boarding Awards with staff and fellow students. I want to acknowledge the tremendous work of Ms Larissa Patti, Mr Raoul Carmody and his AV Crew, Ms Annette Armstrong and the Property and Services team, our wonderful House Mums, Ms Megan Brealy, Ms Julie Kopittke, Ms Tracey Hoffman and Ms Denise Johnson, along with three wonderful parents Ms Lou Best, Ms Suzanne Keene and Ms Edwina Wallace. Our venue looked spectacular, thank you.

Congratulations to the following award winners who have displayed wonderful qualities of engagement and spirit within their Boarding House:

O’Brien: Desmond Cowley
Hodda: Mitchell Perkins
Cotter: Henry Kennedy
Murphy: Xavier Bundock

At the College Awards Ceremony Hamish Smith will be presented the John Francis Treacy Award for Service to the Boarding Community. This is our most prestigious award and acknowledges his contribution to Boarding.

Hamish started as a boarder in Year 9 in O’Brien Boarding House and has shown strong leadership and the qualities and characteristics of a boarder with distinction. Hamish's selfless nature has reached across all levels of the Boarding community and has made him an exceptional role model of both faith in action and leading by example. Through his constant offers of support, aid and encouragement, Hamish is always willing to assist fellow boarders, and particularly as a leading young man for Boarding activities, Hamish has been utilised by staff to assist new boarders when they arrive to help them connect within the Boarding community. He is also always on hand to help with inter-dorm activities and barbecues, but it is his work in liturgy services that has distinguished him. Hamish has formed close bonds not just within his Boarding House but across all dormitories.

As part of the night we also announced our 2020 Boarding Leaders. Congratulations to:

O’Brien: Angus Wishart and Thomas Hansson
Cotter: Oliver Smeaton and Joseph Duffy
Murphy: Tom O’Reilly and Joshua Parker
Hodda: Howard Yanda and Cooper Green

I look forward to working with these young men to continue building a strong positive environment for our boarders.

Year 12 Boarders’ Rites of Passage

Tonight our Year 12 boarders will participate in the Boarders’ Rites of Passage. This activity is the start of their farewell process. As a Catholic school Nudgee College ritualises moments incredibly well, and tonight will be no exception. Dean of Identity Mr Stephen Meara will lead the boys through a process that encourages them to start preparing not only for transitioning out of school, but leaving their brothers in Boarding. This process is crucial in the formation of our young men as they come to realise that bonds must be broken (as class mates), and as they leave school they must remake these bonds of friendship (into meaningful adult relationships) and not allow them to wither.

We thank Mr Stephen Meara for his spiritual and pastoral leadership of this ritual. I have no doubt that many boys will complete the exercise with a newfound understanding of what is in front of them.

Weekend Recreation

Friday: City visit
Saturday: GPS Track and Field
Sunday: Shopping

Mr Christian Oneto
Dean of Boarding

Activities

Oratory Competition

The Nudgee College Oratory Competition has been an annual cultural event for 120 years. This year, there was strong interest across all year levels, particularly from our youngest students.
At the announcement of winners, the adjudicators commented that the quality of speeches was outstanding, making their task of choosing a winner in each division all the more difficult. I am very grateful to the following teachers for their support of this important event in the College calendar: Ms Susan Reid, Mr Chris Cawley, Ms Andrea Kewley, Ms Heather Hume, Ms Kellie Vowles, Ms Stephanie Spicer, Ms Louise Nardi, Ms Joanne Barrett, Ms Alison Kilgour, Ms Chloe Arnold, Ms Jodie Moore, Mr James Makiol, Ms Marie-Rose Burton, Mr Tom Eichinski, Ms Bonnie Becker and Fr John Gillen. Their support for this event provides an invaluable opportunity for our keen public speakers to develop their skills.

The following participants in this year’s competition are to be commended for the careful preparation and confident delivery of their speeches:

Billy Connellan, Jack Burton, Isaac Langestraat, Ben Sands, Oliver Cresswell, Fergus Copley, Tom Duffy, Cristiano McTavish-Rowland, Luke Hardingham, Tom Kewley, Sam Duffy, Elfie Piper, Billy Campbell, Yago Ortega-Quintana, Edward Gerry, Ash Tayler, Jovan Singh, Riley Nixon, William Dean, Christian Marsiglia, Sejin Lee, Ryan Matthews, Gus Moloney, Harry Stoneman, Ben Ditchburn, Dominic Weber, Charlie Bell, Oscar Roati, Tom Thornley, Nicholas Conway, Kyle Brady, Thomas Woodhead, Aidan Easton, Anthony Mineo, Xavier Corry, Patrick Kennedy, Haveer Birk, Oscar Keith, Sam Aggs, Ben Evans, Isaac Lofaro, Ben Gunter, Oliver Finlayson, Adam Pearson, Hugh Smith, Janindu Edirisinghe, Leo De Clara, Max Considine, Logan Azzopardi, Chad Oehlman, Tom Walsh, Manraj Birk, Mattias Dahlstedt, Blake Keir, Oahu Davey-Phillips, Patrick Glass, Zane Kirk, Henry Kennedy, Hayden Bygott, Isaac Roati and Marcus Cutuli.

Congratulations to the winners for 2019:

Year 5: William Conway
Year 6: Paddy Williams
Year 7: Gabe Gerry
Year 8: Jacob Gillam
Year 9: Luke Blackwell
Year 10: Shannen Gerard Solker
Year 11: Joshua Price
Year 12: William Clarke

Ms Monica See
Oratory Director

In This Newsletter

Principal

Deputy Principal

Identity

Learning and Teaching

Student Formation

Junior School

Boarding

Activities

Events

Community