Role models. We are fortunate to have so many fundamentally good and decent people in our school community who serve as role models for our young men. In many cases these are not people who seek acclaim. In fact, they run from the spotlight. This week we were able to acknowledge just a few of them.

Last Friday, in an intimate gathering in the Bodkin Room, the Nudgee College Old Boys’ Association (NCOBA) presented their annual Signum Fidei Awards to Old Boys whose lives have exemplified what it means to be a Sign of Faith. The 2019 recipients Dr Simon Carter (NC 1974-78) and Mr Peter Kropp (NC 1975-79) were acknowledged in the presence of their families and a small number of staff and students. It was a very moving occasion and the awards were deeply appreciated. As many people know, Peter Kropp is a long term member of staff (35 years and counting). It was with much pleasure that the students and his fellow staff were able to also acknowledge him on this achievement at Assembly on Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday, we were able to honour three other people from the Nudgee College community who have been role models in quite different ways. Their contributions were acknowledged by the Rowing community in the naming of two new boats. A quad was named after Mr and Mrs Col and Lin Topp. The Topps have generously allowed Nudgee College rowers to use their property on Dohles Rocks Road to store our boats. In fact, they have even added to and modified their property to enable this to happen. They are absolute salt of the earth people who have humbly and generously supported Nudgee College and their support has been a part of the success story of Nudgee College Rowing.

Similarly, Ms Susan Shakespear has made an outstanding contribution to the Rowing Program over recent years. This contribution was honoured with the naming of an eight. Like many staff who contribute to various other dimensions of school life beyond their designated role, Susan has made a positive difference to the quality of our Rowing Program through her organisational ability and considerable rowing knowledge. Many families will be familiar with Susan through her role as Director of Admissions. She has been instrumental in improving our enrolment processes and ensuring the growth of our overall student numbers to their largest ever numbers. 

Such presentations to fine role models are important to make publicly because they inform our boys just what we value and aspire to become. Equally important, but more difficult to address, is the opposite of that. On Tuesday I also covered more difficult issues and examples of behaviour that we must not follow. 

The first of these was the situation at St Kevin’s College in Melbourne, which I referred to in last week’s newsletter. I highlighted two points. Firstly, the unacceptable nature and misogynist content of the songs sung on the tram by their students late last year. I reminded our boys that our own behaviour and cheering support of each other needs to reflect the very best of Nudgee Spirit and a school culture that is inclusive and respectful of others. Secondly, I again made them aware that child safeguarding was paramount at Nudgee College, that their wellbeing and welfare is our central focus and that our staff would always act on any reports of behaviour that threatened their safety.

Further to this, the abhorrent and unfathomable incident that occurred at Camp Hill last week was also addressed. The lense through which I viewed this violent act was masculinity and what it means to be a young man in 2020. I did not seek to lecture our boys on this complex topic but encouraged them to have a conversation at school and at home with significant male and female role models in their lives. I did challenge them about the notion of strength and to think differently in respect to the usual meaning of strength. Not the physical strength to hurt another but the strength of character and mind to control our physicality; the strength to control emotions and not give into them. I concluded with the words from a small card that was given to all Year 12s as they started journey to leadership. The card described a ‘Joseph man’ with words such as practical and caring, honest and humble, loyal and trusting, loving and prayerful. All will receive this card on St Joseph’s Day on 19 March.

Finally, the new system of senior assessment will be a stark reality for our Year 12s over the coming two weeks as they enter a period in which they undertake the first piece of internal assessment in each of their subjects. This is the first of three pieces of internal (school-based) assessment that will be combined with the results achieved in the final round external exams at the end of the year. Students and staff have all been feeling the pressure of this new landscape and we wish all our Seniors well for this period of assessment.

Mr Peter Fullagar
Principal

Last week, as they do on an annual basis, the local paper published a list of what they referred to as the state’s best schools. Headlines like this are sensationalist, so they immediately grab attention. Unfortunately, the rankings within also lead to a very superficial view of the worth of a school, causing anxiety in parents who start to question whether a school is meeting their child’s needs.

The double page insert listed every school in alphabetical order, ranking them from 1st to 366th. Ranking them in this manner is unfair to both schools and students, and fails to acknowledge that every one of those schools has a specific culture, ethos and mission, and that they have hard-working, caring and engaged teachers who have committed themselves to getting the best outcomes for their students. Queensland’s schools are diverse, vibrant and unique communities and simple comparisons based on OP results fail to provide any insights into a school’s strengths or diversity.

Last year Nudgee College saw an improvement in our results. We are very proud of the 2019 cohort, and we commend them for their achievements, but it is timely to remind parents that reading comparative data about schools and performance is not only misleading, it is unhelpful. Data can be misconstrued and, without a full understanding of Queensland’s system, it is easy to read tables and lists without recognising the entirety of what the data is showing and what it is failing to show. 

For example, the top 50 schools’ list includes schools with huge variation in OP eligibility. My purpose here isn’t to criticise any of the included schools, so I have not identified them, and used last year's data as a sample set.  I do think it is worthwhile to highlight some of the schools on the list so that parents can consider whether or not we’re comparing like schools:

Most of the schools in the above list either had a significantly smaller cohort than Nudgee College or a significantly smaller proportion of students who pursued an OP. Compiling a list based on academic performance where one school has 100 per cent of students attaining an OP and another school has less than eight per cent is hardly a valid comparison. Providing 1-5 per cent data is also misleading. The information doesn’t tell us where they were within that range and it is possible that all students could have been an OP 5.

Most importantly, these tables don’t provide the background on a school’s enrolment policy, including whether they’re a selective entry school, or if they provide scholarships to the state’s brightest students. The tables don’t explain the culture or ethos of a school, including what is prioritised when selecting courses of study.

Now I want to let my wife take over. Many will know she is a Principal at a regional girls’ school.  She knows schools and will hold me (and Nudgee College) to account if she sees an injustice or something wrong.  She wrote the following in a recent article about Nudgee College when talking about school data:

Putting my parent hat on, I’d like to confess that my child’s school isn’t on the top 50 list. And I’m not in the least bit concerned. There are so many more factors that are important to me. His school has a fantastic Principal who is well-respected, knows the students by name and always models the school’s values. I watched him in recent years respond to a serious student injury and his response, and the response of the broader community, reinforced they have a great ethos with students at the centre. My son’s House Dean  is incredibly caring and approachable, not to mention an excellent classroom practitioner. My son loves his PC tutor – she welcomes him warmly every day and has made the time to get to know him personally and to work out how best to support him. She’s even given up free time on the weekends to watch him perform in music concerts. The quality of teaching is excellent and my son excels academically. He has a great group of friends, he is very involved in the co-curricular life of the school and he is happy going to school each day. I’m not questioning whether this school is going to get him the best results when he is in Year 12 – I’m grateful we’ve chosen a school that cares for students, values quality teaching, supports students and families through the challenges, develops students holistically and never compromises wellbeing.

My only issue with her commendations is she fails to highlight the great Deputy Principal – but I’m used to that!

Rather than reading misleading data tables, please reflect on the more important issues around what makes a good school. Importantly, find out how happy the students are, whether they are thriving, how the school responds when hurdles arise and how they support students to be the best versions of themselves. If you can, talk to the graduates and find whether they left school feeling happy and fulfilled, believing they were well prepared for their futures.

The quality of a school can’t be narrowed down to a simple measure or rank that fails to reveal the richness of a school community. OP rankings remain silent on pastoral care, student wellbeing, relationships and values. They don’t provide details about student engagement, pedagogical practices or learning environments. They can’t be used to assess a school’s facilities or its technology and they provide no insights into co-curricular programs, sporting activities, creative arts or enrichment opportunities. Please do not let your opinions be swayed by sensationalist headlines and unhelpful data published in a weekend newspaper.

Mr David Johnston
Deputy Principal

Ash Wednesday and Lent

‘We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.’ – (2 Cor 5:20)

From Pope Francis’ Lenten Message 2020:

This year the Lord grants us, once again, a favourable time to prepare to celebrate with renewed hearts the great mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus, the cornerstone of our personal and communal Christian life. We must continually return to this mystery in mind and heart, for it will continue to grow within us in the measure that we are open to its spiritual power and respond with freedom and generosity.

The following is an excerpt from Fr Jeffrey F Kirby’s article for Crux titled ‘Lent is a time of self-honesty, conversion, and re-creation’:

This Wednesday, Christian believers throughout the world will allow themselves to be sprinkled or marked with ashes. It’s an ancient tradition, and yet for the sidewalk observer, it’s a peculiar custom.

Why the ashes? What’s the story here?

Ash Wednesday begins the 40 day penitential season of Lent. The ashes are received and worn as a public declaration that we are sinners, works in progress, and suppliants before the mercy and grace of God.

Yes, simple ashes announce these humbling admissions of our souls to the rest of the world. They speak a sobering message of our human weakness before God and our neighbour. And for believers – at least those who know what’s going on – there couldn’t be a better or more transparent way to start Lent. Lent is about accepting who we are. It’s acknowledging the bad news that is oftentimes in our hearts and in our world. It’s about confessing our fallenness. Lent is the season of self-honesty. It’s a time when we can put away the masks and bring down the facades. Lent opens a forum where we can admit to ourselves, and to those around us, that we are sinners and in need of divine help.

Project Compassion

The launch of Caritas Australia's annual Project Compassion appeal was held at St Stephen's Cathedral on Tuesday. Nudgee College was represented by some of our ERA for Change students and Acting Director of Identity Ms Sian Kennedy. ERA for Change will be conducting our annual Change for Change appeal each morning tea and lunchtime at the Tuckshop during Lent, where students are able to donate their spare change to Project Compassion. All through Lent the BBQ Committee will also be giving the proceeds of their Thursday barbecue to Project Compassion.

Mr Stephen Meara
Dean of Identity

Clean Up Australia

Clean Up Australia Day celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and Nudgee College decided to participate in a unique way. On Friday 21 February, students volunteered to help clean up the campus during school hours; arguably, the largest ‘Emu parade’ ever attempted at Nudgee College.

Sixty high school students, including members of NC Sustainability, the Liturgy Leaders and members of the Cultural Group, volunteered their lunchtime to collect rubbish from the top end of the school. Armed with Clean Up Australia Day bags and ‘high vis’ vests, students from Years 8 to Year 12 joined forces to clean up after their fellow students.

Traditionally, we have participated in this national day after school hours. However, this new approach during school hours certainly raised eyebrows from observing students. The sustainability movement is growing rapidly in our school culture, with more volunteers joining than ever before. Furthermore, this was reflected by the 220 Junior School students who also participated in Period 6 on Friday afternoon.

A special thanks to Mr Chris Cawley for his support in organising the Junior School event and also to Mr Tim Bird who helped manage the high school boys. It was an event that was truly successful and will certainly be repeated next year.

Mr Andrew Hook
Teacher in Charge of Sustainability

Arts Faculty Update

The Nudgee College Arts faculty has started 2020 with enriching opportunities for our students. In all areas students are engaged with their studies and continuing to grow their knowledge and understanding of their chosen subject. Each area encourages the students to develop their 21st century skills in problem solving, being creative thinkers and working collaboratively.

Music

This year has started off with a bang, with a new unit of study for our Year 6 cohort. Boys are experiencing music through a range of practical activities, exploring singing and body percussion, drawing on the teachings of Kodaly and Orff. The magical sounds of music making have been filling the Cleary Building, as our young Nudgee College men have engaged with their classroom teachers; Mr Robert Stewart, Mr Sam Smith and Mr Andrew Hook. Some of the boys' favourite activities have been ‘Pass the Beat Around the Room’ (also known as Aquaqua) and ‘Forbidden Rhythm’. Singing, clapping, laughing and, of course, learning, are all key features of the activities the boys have enjoyed the most.

Media Arts in Practice

One of our largest challenges in Media Arts occurs within the first few weeks of Term 1 – the GPS Music Showcase. This event features a selection of the very best musicians from the nine GPS schools, who come together for one day to create a truly spectacular concert. Throughout the day, Media Arts students document the rehearsal process across the four different ensembles and three different venues. After collecting multiple hours of footage, the boys edit together four highlight videos, ranging from four to six minutes each. This is a monumental task that requires a lot of resilience, hard work, collaboration and technical skill, which is all achieved in less than 10 hours! 

Visual Art

On Monday 10 February, Year 12 Visual Art students travelled to the Gallery of Modern Art at South Bank to view the latest exhibition entitled ‘Water’. Water showcases a collection of works from many artists around the world. Each work is connected to the central theme of water as a finite and vital resource. This excursion forms the stimulus for the first body of work for Year 12.

The biggest highlight of our visit was seeing the work ‘Riverbed’ by Olafur Eliasson. Walking into an enormous room in the heart of the gallery we were surprised to see it filled with a cascade of pebbles and stones. The installation brings together a built environment and natural elements, which is designed to delight and amaze. It’s incredibly inviting, and our students loved engaging, exploring and following the water up to its source at the top of the slope and back down again.

Congratulations to all students on a successful and engaging excursion. I am very much looking forward to seeing what works our students create from this experience. 

Drama

Queensland Theatre Company offers a youth ensemble program to high school students. Joshua Price (Year 12) and Shannen Gerard Solker (Year 11) auditioned for this program at the end of 2019. They were successful at their audition and accepted into the Senior and Intermediate programs. They will attend Queensland Theatre once a week to engage in these enriching programs. Congratulations to Joshua and Shannen.

Thank you to Ms Katherine Ellis and Mr John Hodder for contributing to this update. Finally, welcome to our new staff members Ms Rebecca Taghizadeh (Art), Mr Sam Smith (Music) and Mr Robert Stewart (Music).

Ms Alison Kilgour
Head of The Arts Faculty

Agricultural Science

On Thursday the Year 12 Agricultural Science boys looked at the different ways of examining the qualities of meat. We were given five different cuts of meat to measure the percent of fat and meat of each cut. These cuts were eye fillet, rump, rib fillet, blade and sirloin.

The meat colour, meat pH, fat colour, marbling, taste and texture were all graded on the appropriate scales. Meat grading is important in the beef industry as it lets the producers know the value and the overall economic returns for the animal. Meat grading also allows the consumers to know that they are getting the top of the line meat every time.

Thanks to Rode Meats for supplying the steaks, Dr Rachel Wilson for organising such a tasty array of steaks and Mr Josh Atkins for showing his experience behind the tongs.

Henry Kidd & Oskar Coutts
Year 12 Agricultural Science

Forming Good Men

Certainly, like many others over the last week, my thoughts have gone to Hannah Clarke and her beautiful children, and of course their family and friends. What a completely avoidable and devastating tragedy, which just flattened us all.

We have all heard and read the ‘stats’ I’m sure. More than 60 women were killed by their partners in Australia last year. Nine women have died this year at the hands of their partners. It's time for serious reflection as a nation, and that seems to be occurring. Conversations are happening.

At times like these, it is not uncommon for caring parents to ask, what does Nudgee College do in forming young men to be good men? What do we do here to try to stop things like this from happening? These are fair questions to ask, as we are in a privileged position in being able to, in partnership with families, influence the attitude and values of emerging adult males.

When we try to be change agents, and influence the way boys behave, there is a simple framework:

• What are we doing to educate and raise awareness?
• What are we doing to prevent negative things or keep everyone safe?
• What is our response when boys make mistakes and how can they learn from that?

Of course, part of the answer in forming young men not to be violent is holistic relationships education rather than specific education about single issues. Over the next few articles I will outline some things we do, and organisations we connect with to help us to form good men. Or in the special approach we take at Nudgee College, to form Signs of Faith.

One approach about which I am passionate, is giving boys an opportunity to ‘take off the mask of traditional masculinity’ and be authentic, open and vulnerable.

Amongst other activities, such opportunities play out on our ‘boys to men’ themed Year 9 Father and Son Powerhouse Day. Across many year levels our significant off campus retreat experiences, particularly from Years 9 to 12 (including our Year 10 Immersion) also form boys to be open, vulnerable and remove the macho costume. These culminate in our Year 12 Kairos retreat; a highlight of boys’ Nudgee College journey. They are part of a deliberate program to allow boys to ‘remove their masks’, to challenge traditional stereotypes of masculinity and say it’s okay, and healthy, for men to show vulnerabilities. While this helps the boys who take off the mask, it also teaches empathy and compassion to those who listen to others, particularly if they share a truly heartfelt story. Hugh Mackay, Australia’s foremost social researcher, would suggest that right now in Australia we need to focus on compassion and empathy as an antidote to anxiety and depression. If we are empathetic and compassionate we are always focussed on other people and less self-focussed. This in turn helps all with their personal relationships. This is the point of our Catholic retreat and formation programs here at Nudgee College.

Of course, amongst a holistic approach is another area of passion; respect for all people, and of course men’s respect for women. Some things which build on this respect include:

• Guest speakers (Real Talk ‘stronger’, One Woman Project, etc.)
• Female role modelling on campus and in leadership
• International Women’s Day celebration and connected activities
• Stella Fella Day
• White Ribbon Day participation
• Dances, Formal and Semi Formal, and etiquette courses
• Consistent female presence at events
• Partnership with local girls’ schools in co-curricular activities

An expanded regular connection with girls’ schools is a further strategic direction in 2020. In this area we take as a given the key role that fathers and significant male adults play in forming young men, but I have a very strong growing personal and professional belief in the critical and powerful role of mothers (as well as fathers/significant others) in forming good men, which I will cover in another article.

This is important work which is never really finished. In conclusion, again we have in our thoughts and prayers Hannah Clarke’s family, and the families of all connected to this tragedy.

Student Absences

As we are now in the middle of Term 1, I believe it is a good time to remind all parents of the process to notify the school of any absence their child may incur during the school day.

Students must attend classes every school day between 8.25am and 2.55pm.

Absences from school where parents must advise include:

• Whole day – absent from 8.25am and 2.55pm
• Late arrival – absent for the first few periods of the day
• Early departure – required to leave early and will not be returning
• Part of the day – required to attend an appointment for a period or several periods in the middle of the school day
• This also includes Met North, Bramble Bay and other independent sports trials, as these are not Nudgee College run events.

Parent Responsibilities

Parents are required to make contact with the school (prior to 9.00am), or ASAP for early departures via the following avenues:

• Year 7 to 12 phone 3865 0536 or email studentabsences@nudgee.qld.edu.au
• Year 5 to 6 phone 3865 0527 or email juniorschool@nudgee.qld.edu.au

• Early departures or part day absences: Students who need to attend appointments will not be approved to leave during the day without prior notification – either a phone call or email to the relevant numbers above

Student Responsibilities

• Late arrival: Student must sign in at the Student Office on arrival to school (even if it is during a lunch break)
• Part day absence: Student must sign back in at the Student Office on arrival

Student Office Responsibility

• Notify parents of unexplained absences: To ensure we comply with child protection legislation an SMS message will be sent to parents notifying of unexplained non-attendance if your child is absent without notification from PC and Period 1

Please do not send emails regarding absences to House Deans or teachers without including the student absences email address.

Please refer to the College’s Attendance Policy and Procedures for more information.

Mr Peter Todd
Dean of Students

Maths Tournament Report

Nudgee College sent two teams of Year 6 students to a maths tournament last week, which was hosted by All Hallows’ School and St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace. The tournament aimed to provide a series of high level mathematical problems, giving students opportunities to work cooperatively and creatively.

Schools from across Brisbane participated in this competition and there was a buzz of excitement in the hall throughout the tournament. The Nudgee College boys all engaged enthusiastically in the tournament and represented their school proudly. With 50 schools competing it was very pleasing to see one of our teams finish in the top 10.

Below is a reflection of the day from Year 6 participants Ethan Andrews, Andrew Emery, Spencer Green and Elfie Piper:

On Thursday 20 February, we set off to All Hallows’ School where we competed in a maths competition. We had two teams of five to compete against 68 other teams. We had to complete two main tests involving many difficult equations and word problems. Throughout the day every team had so much fun, enjoying mathematics as well as meeting new people and friends. As the day went by all the teams were in winning spirits and had a lot of competitive vibes. Many of the teams were very loud and enthusiastic for their love of maths. This was one of our questions, see how you go working it out: ‘Usain Bolt ran 9.48 seconds and Florence Griffith-Joyner ran 10.49 seconds. How many metres would Usain Bolt win by if they both ran at the same time in the same race?’ The answer will be published next week!

Clean Up Australia

Clean Up Australia Day will be held nationally on Sunday 1 March. Nudgee College celebrated the day last Friday with students across the College doing their part to ensure our own campus and surrounds were rubbish free. The students of the Junior School spent 30 minutes on Friday afternoon cleaning up the area around the Junior School, including Hendry Oval and the old road leading into the College. Ms Susan Reid and 5R also went as far as Viridian Retirement Village and the old bridge on Sandgate Road. We collected several large bags of rubbish and our environment is better for our efforts. Well done boys, and congratulations to Mr Andrew Hook for organising our involvement.

Library Information

Our library is called the DJ Hanly Learning Centre, and is located in the centre of our school. It services all students from Years 5 to 12. Junior School students visit the Learning Centre for a Literacy (Library) lesson with their class once per week. During this lesson the students borrow, read and complete activities aimed at developing their literacy (reading/writing/comprehension/communication), research and information collection skills.

To every Literacy lesson students should bring:

• their device
• their student ID card
• any books they wish to read, return or renew during the lesson.

Junior School students can borrow up to four books at a time, for up to two weeks at a time. Students receive emails to their Nudgee College email  if their books become overdue, reminding them to return the books.

The Learning Centre is open from:

• 7.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Thursday
• 7.30am to 3.30pm, Friday

Students are always welcome to visit the Learning Centre at morning tea and lunch breaks, as well as before and after school.

For any queries regarding the Learning Centre, please email library@nudgee.qld.edu.au.

Year 6 Permission for Junior GPS Swimming Championships

A reminder that permission information regarding this event was emailed to parents and caregivers earlier this week. Please ensure you complete the Google Form by Monday 2 March.

Date Claimers

• Tuesday 3 March: GPS Swimming team photo and presentation at Assembly
• Friday 6 March: Junior GPS Swimming Championships (Year 6 students attending as spectators)

Mr Chris Cawley
Director of Junior School

Boarding Formal Dinner 

 Last week's big event in our Boarding community was our Formal Dinner with Stuartholme School in the Christian Brothers’ Conference Centre last Thursday night. While it was formal, there was a relaxed atmosphere – the boys certainly looked impressive in their formal uniform. During the evening there were lots of opportunities for the boys and girls to get to know each other and share stories about their experiences as boarders and the unique opportunities that brings. Staff and students from both schools were amazed at the transformation of the Conference Centre – the room looked stunning. A huge thank you to Ms Larissa Patti who coordinated the event, and to our wonderful House Parents Ms Tracey Hoffman (Cotter), Ms Megan Brealy (O’Brien), Mr Alan McLean (Hodda), Ms Denise Johnson (Murphy), Ms Kim Spicer and Ms Shirley McLean. We also had help from Boarding parents Ms Tracey Smith, Ms Michelle Alexander and Ms Danielle Mills.  The support from our wonderful Boarding community is always greatly appreciated.

Boarder Badges

A highlight of the dinner was when the Heads of Boarding Houses presented this year's new boarders with a ‘boarder badge’. This badge will no doubt be worn with pride on the lapel of all blazers when students are in their formal uniform.

This year our Year 7 boarders were on school camp, so we gave them their own special ceremony on Sunday night during the Boarding Mass where they were presented with their badges and officially welcomed into the Nudgee College Boarding family.

Other highlights for our boarders last week were attending a Queensland Reds game on Saturday night and Coolum Aqua Park on Sunday.

As the Dean of Boarding it is so great to see how well our boarders are settling into the rhythm of life at Nudgee College.

Nudgee College is a FAITH community. As members of a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice Tradition, it is our privilege to follow in the footsteps of Blessed Edmund Rice. All boarders strive to live according to the values of the Catholic Church and our school community, regardless of their own personal religion or creed.

A Nudgee College boarder is someone who is TRUSTing of others and can be TRUSTed. Trust is the foundation of a Boarding community and links closely with the other Boarding value of INTEGRITY. It is essential that students engage in open dialogue with staff members and that they are always transparent in relation to their intentions and whereabouts. Likewise, boarders need to understand staff will always act with the students’ best interests at heart, which sometimes will mean making tough or unfavourable decisions.

A Nudgee College boarder demonstrates INTEGRITY through his respect for others and his honesty. INTEGRITY is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. A Nudgee College boarder is expected to hold himself to high standards and meet the expectations of the staff, not because he has to or because he receives accolades, but because he knows this is important for the wider community.

It is not surprising that BROTHERHOOD is a word that is often associated with Nudgee College Boarding, as the relationships between boarders go far beyond friendship. As a community, we provide a welcoming and inclusive BROTHERHOOD for all boarders. Whilst brothers may bicker, they always forgive – BROTHERHOOD is unconditional.

We recognise that boarding can be a challenge but it builds RESILIENCE. Moving away from home is not an easy task and it brings with it a complex array of issues. Routines, restrictions and a certain level of invasiveness are an unavoidable part of a boarding education. Nudgee College boarders are expected to relish any challenges they face and approach them with a sense of maturity, reasonableness and grit. In other words, they need to exhibit RESILIENCE.

Weekend Recreation

• Friday: Shopping
• Saturday: Movie
• Sunday: Rock-climbing

Mr Christian Oneto
Dean of Boarding

Swimming

Anglican Church Grammar School hosted the lead-up meet last Friday night, which was a great opportunity for our boys as eight of the nine GPS schools were in attendance. Daniel Carey (10 Years), Baden Cloete (11 Years) and William Reid (12 Years) shaved margins off their previous times to keep them in the mix for individual races. In the Senior meet, Cooper Johnston (15 Years) took almost two seconds off his previous time, while Joe Wilson (15 Years) shaved 0.6 off his time to keep things interesting the 15 Years age group. Meanwhile, our 13 Years age group is still battling it out for spots in the relay, with seven boys all within 0.7 of a second of each other!

This week we head to Chandler for our final meet before the Swimming team is announced for the GPS Championships next Friday.

Ms Lauren Byrne
Activities Officer

Volleyball

It was a tough weekend in our second away game of the season against Brisbane Grammar School (BGS). BGS are one of the top Volleyball schools in the GPS so it was great to have such a competitive day against them. There were big wins for the 8As, who remain undefeated, the 9Bs, who were a pleasure to coach on the day, as well as the 7Es, who stepped up against the BGS 8Ds. Teams were competitive in most games, only losing narrowly in matches that could’ve gone either way. Spirits were high and enjoyment was still had by all boys, which was great to see.

There were a lot of key moments on the day across the program, with standouts from each team being mentioned to me this week. A few key moments of the day that stood out were:

• Team of the Week: 8A for showing Nudgee Spirit and demonstrating the program values (respect, determination and resilience) – despite being behind at multiple stages they never gave up.
• James Clarke (2nd VI) worked extremely hard for his team and was everywhere on the court. In an unfamiliar position, he really stood out
• Degenhard Beschel (11A) never missed a beat, despite being called in to play the day before due to injury.
• Seth Hudson (8C) demonstrated the skills that he has learnt by passing and setting accurately. He was able to ensure his team was in the game the whole time.
• James Bartlett, Xavier Roati and Mitch Doyle (11B) demonstrated great leadership on the court. They worked well together to remain positive in a match that could have gone either way.

The 1st VI unfortunately had their second loss of the season, going down to BGS narrowly 3-1. Each set could have gone either way, with only a few points between the two teams every time. Despite being the dominant team, we were often unable to convert points and the errors we created cost us in the end. Bayley Cavanagh was setting and passing brilliantly, which allowed out-hitters to unleash. He is really owning his position despite only being in Year 10. Heath Lillicrap ran riot through the middle and with his serves. He is definitely stepping up as a leader of the squad.

This weekend we have another tough match against ACGS who also has an extremely strong Volleyball program. It will be another good match up and our first home game since Round 1. I am excited to see the progress teams made this week at trainings. I hope to see a number of teams bounce back from their losses to get back in the winner’s circle.

Hope to see you all there!

Jorden Smith
Volleyball Director

Sports Injury Team

The Sports Injury team is a group of registered nurses, physiotherapists and qualified sports trainers who provide first aid and injury management for Nudgee College students and visiting teams for most sporting events.

We are assisted by physiotherapy, paramedic, and exercise and sports science students.

Doctors also support us during the Rugby season, in addition to having paramedics on site from the Queensland Ambulance Service.

We are currently recruiting more staff in preparation for the upcoming Football and Rugby seasons, so if you are suitably qualified and interested in joining the team, please feel free to apply.

Recent sports injury or emergency department experience would be a definite advantage.

Joint strapping experience is preferred but not essential.

We would also like to hear from any parents who are doctors who would like to volunteer their time and expertise to support the team on home game days. Please contact Director of Activities Mr Anthony Connellan if you are able to assist (aco@nudgee.qld.edu.au).

All other applicants please contact email catchison@nudgee.qld.edu.au or phone 0411 273 685 if you have any queries regarding this role.

Ms Christine Atchison
Sports Injury Coordinator