As we enter the middle phase of this final term there is a momentary lull in the usual events and occasions that punctuate most school weeks at Nudgee College. Year 12s continue the second week of external exams and their lack of daily presence in large numbers is felt across the campus. Year 11s have concluded Unit 2 assessment and have now commenced Unit 3 of the Senior Syllabus. This is significant because effectively they are learning content that can be assessed in a year’s time at the end of Year 12. Other year levels are in the normal routines of school life with end of term assessment some weeks away. Outside the classrooms, pre-season training is underway for Term 1 GPS sport, while auditions have commenced for the 2021 College musical.

In previous years we would be about to host the annual Awards Ceremony at this time of the term. With Year 12s completing their external exams at this time, the event has been moved to a later date in November. In addition to this change, it was decided last term that with COVID-19 restrictions in play, we would change the Awards Ceremony to a day event. Further to this, to accommodate permissible crowd numbers, the single event was replaced by two ceremonies. Consequently, the Years 5 to 9 Awards Ceremony will occur on Tuesday 17 November while the Awards Ceremony for Years 10 to 12 will be held on Wednesday 18 November. Both events commence at 9.00am. Further details will be advised to those students who are to receive awards, and their parents.

Those visiting the College in recent weeks will have noticed that signage for the Mary Rice Early Learning Centre (MRELC) has started to appear. This highlights the next phase in the development of the MRELC. Having completed construction, the work is now underway to establish the operations of the MRELC. The leadership and dedicated work of Project Director Ms Clare Nugent has been pivotal to all that has been completed thus far. Clare will continue to lead the MRELC through this establishment phase. In recent weeks, EREA has appointed Ms Cris Romao as Centre Director and Ms Kate Otto as Assistant Centre Director. Ms Michelle Ford has been seconded from Nudgee College as full-time Business Manager until the end of Term 1, 2021. Recruitment for other staff is currently underway.

Understandably, there is significant interest in the MRELC. While it is operated under the authority of EREA and is located on the College campus, it is a separate business entity from Nudgee College. Importantly however, it will be viewed as an extension of the Nudgee College community.

With the approval of EREA, ownership of the MacKillop Building was transferred by Nudgee College to this entity earlier this year. The MacKillop Centre (as it is now known) will also have a separate governing council, commencing in 2021. On level one of the Centre there are some professional offices that have been leased by EREA and the Edmund Rice Foundation (ERF). The College also has access to a large space for House meetings and group gatherings.

MRELC is currently working through the registration process with the State Government and it will be assessed and rated against the National Quality Standards. Ultimately, it will meet all the principles, practices and learning outcomes of the approved Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines (QKLG). The age appropriate play-based learning programs are grounded in the Reggio Emilia approach.

Once the compliance process is completed the ELC is scheduled for opening on 11 January 2021. It is intended that at maximum capacity it will be a 136-place centre divided into age groups and catering for babies, toddlers, two to three year olds, pre-kindy and kindergarten age children. The facilities will include an art studio, library space, performance space and a community dining room. One of the distinguishing features will be the amazing outdoor playground. This outdoor environment will provide flexible, challenging and open-ended learning experiences.

Tours are currently being offered to interested families and they can be booked via contact@maryrice.com.au or at www.maryrice.com.au The response thus far has been very positive.

Underpinning all of these details is a clear vision of the mission of the MRELC, which is to provide a natural and sustainable environment that promotes respect, compassion, wellbeing and a love of learning in every child.

It is timely that the opening of the MRELC in January will coincide with our 130th year. Over those 130 years, the campus and the College have evolved continuously to meet changing needs. High quality educational care is now a prerequisite for contemporary young families and we look forward to welcoming very young boys and girls to the campus next year.

Mr Peter Fullagar
Principal

At Nudgee College we know the benefits of building a sense of community. We know students in a school with a strong sense of community are more likely to be academically motivated, will be socially involved in peace and justice events, and will, as a result, develop social and emotional intelligence. The positive flow-on effects of this are boys who avoid a number of problem behaviours, including drug use and violence. These benefits are long-lasting.

Without fail, our support groups go above and beyond to ensure our boys and community experience nothing but the best. Sadly, we are living under serious, but necessary, rules and restrictions that have made us rethink the way we conduct many of our events. Valedictory in a couple of weeks will be a day event with a restricted audience. The Awards Ceremony has been split into two events that will take place in the morning with an audience consisting of award winners and one parent only. 

Regrettably, another key Nudgee College event, the Ladies’ Auxiliary and Past Mothers’ Christmas Mass and Dinner, will not go ahead this year. It is a favourite event of mine – who would not love being alone with more than 400 Nudgee College mothers having a night out! While we are disappointed that several major community events have not taken place this year, we are determined to reboot them all in some form next year.

The College Arts Committee are responsible for running the Dimensions Arts Festival. Dimensions was a very different event this year, focussing on showcasing art from within the school. The revamped event was an outstanding success. The committee worked hard to maintain the high standards set by previous committees and excelled. It has to be noted that outgoing President Ms Margie Hutchinson spent a lot of time this year keeping things together. Her energy, enthusiasm and generosity of time ensured Dimensions occurred and the annual raffle was sold out.

The number of mothers who regularly support meetings, even during this unsettled year, is impressive and continues to amaze with their energy and passion for the blue and white.

The AGM for the Ladies’ Auxiliary, held recently, reinstated the current committee. The executive members for the Ladies’ Auxiliary are as follows:

• President: Ms Jo Curran
• Vice President: Ms Sabina Read
• Media and Communications Coordinator: Ms Annie Bourke
• Treasurer: Ms Sue Keene
• Secretary: Ms Sonia Marmotta

The Arts Committee will hold their AGM on Wednesday 11 November in the College Boardroom at 7.00pm. All are welcome to attend as we start planning for 2021.

Mr David Johnston
Deputy Principal

Prayer for All Saints Day

We give you thanks, O God,
for all the saints who ever worshiped you
Whether in hedgerows or cathedrals,
Weathered wooden churches
or crumbling cement meeting houses
Where your name was lifted and adored.
We give you thanks, O God,
for hands lifted in praise:
Manicured hands and hands stained with grease or soil,
Strong hands
and those gnarled with age
Holy hands
Used as wave offerings across the land.
We thank you, God, for hardworking saints;
Whether hard-hatted or steel-booted,
Head ragged or aproned,
Blue-collared or three-piece-suited
They left their mark on the earth for you,
for us, for our children to come.
Thank you, God, for the tremendous sacrifices
made by those who have gone before us.
Bless the memories of your saints, God.
May we learn how to walk wisely from their examples
of faith, dedication, worship, and love. Amen.
Live Jesus in our hearts...

Mr Stephen Meara
Dean of Identity

Pathways Update

QUT Early Offer Documentation
If Year 12 students qualify for an early offer, QUT will make contact asking for further information. A report has been supplied by Ms Peta Scott for those eligible. This should be uploaded with a copy of Semester 1 results. These can be obtained from the Student Cafe or from the QCAA portal (students have been provided access to this previously).

Resubmitting Documentation: If you need to make changes or add any documentation, the QTAC system may not allow this after 15 minutes of the original upload. The following process should be followed. This needs to be completed before Friday 6 November:

• Email: qut.applications@qut.edu.au
• Subject line must include: Full name, QTAC ID, QUT Year 12 Early Offer scheme additional documentation
• Body text: Please find attached my additional documentation for the QUT Year 12 Early Offer Scheme as advised by Vanessa Gunn, QUT Student Recruitment
• Don’t forget to attach additional documentation – Semester 1 results and the IA2/3 report from the College

2021 Next Step survey
The Queensland Government will conduct its annual statewide survey of Year 12 completers in 2021. The Next Step survey is a brief, confidential survey that gains a comprehensive picture of the employment, study and life choices made by Queensland school completers in the year after they finish Year 12.

Between March and June next year, current Year 12 students will receive a letter from the Minister for Education or a telephone call from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office inviting them to complete the survey.

To help the survey team to reach you, Year 12 students are asked to ensure that their contact details are correct in their learning accounts by logging into the student portal at https://myqce.qcaa.qld.edu.au.

Further information on Next Step and results from previous surveys are available online at www.qld.gov.au/nextstep.

More great news!

• Alec Watson has been offered a position in the Australian Air Force as an Officer Cadet to study a Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering (Honours) in 2021 at the Australian Defence Force Academy.
• Austin Pascoe has been offered an Apprenticeship in Engineering Fabrication Trade (Boilermaking/Welding) with Watkins Steel, a leading business in the metal fabrication industry.
• Congratulations gentlemen on securing these amazing opportunities! If you have good news of which I am unaware, please let me know so we can celebrate as a community.

Ms Dee Tyrrell
Director of Pathways

Stationery Ordering for 2021

Stationery lists for 2021 will once again be available for online ordering through Campion Education.

• Friday 13 November 2020: Online stationery ordering commences
• Wednesday 16 December 2020: Online stationery ordering to be completed
• Fortnight ending Wednesday 15 January 2021: Stationery orders delivered

***Please note, orders placed after Wednesday 16 December 2020 will not be guaranteed delivered by Wednesday 15 January 2021.

If you choose to collect your order from their shop at Salisbury, this can be done from Monday 18 to Friday 22 January 2021.

Ordering is done in four simple steps:

1. Go to www.campion.com.au and click the red 'Order here' button
2. Create your account (this enables you to save, adjust and track your order)
3. Enter the school’s code: J8B7
4. Select your year level and complete your order

Ms Robyn Frappell
Book Hire Coordinator

Alcohol and Drug Research: Parental Style and Monitoring

This has been a difficult year, and one obvious measure of that is how many students (and I’m sure parents) have struggled with their wellbeing. We have focussed on that proactively and reactively. In that ‘space’ it is fair to say we have dealt with our share of teenage boys’ risk-taking behaviours in connection to alcohol and drugs. I share some information with parents for your interest:

Over recent months, a number of College staff have been focussed on enhancing our holistic College program to respond to the community issue of alcohol and drug abuse. We already have a terrific program, but there has been new energy devoted to this area this year. Part of that focus has been looking at the latest research available; and the best professional development in this area. As part of this upskilling, a number of key staff recently attended the Brisbane presentation of Mr Paul Dillon, arguably Australia's foremost expert in research into alcohol and drug use in Australia, and how best to protect children (and help adults). One key thing Paul believes schools can do to help families, is to educate parents in the area, i.e. to upskill mums and dads on the latest research, and what they can practically do to combat this issue.

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 use where parenting skills, parent-adolescent communication and levels of warmth and affection are high. Attachment to the family and low parental conflict are also considered to be protective factors that may contribute to teens choosing not to use drugs. There are two main protective factors, however, that are supported by research evidence and they are as follows: 

• Parenting style 
• Parental monitoring

Parental Style: Four types of parenting styles have been identified, each 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 who they are with and if rules are broken there are consequences that will be applied. This approach, provided in an environment where the children feel loved and cared about, 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: 

• The expectations parents have regarding their teen’s behaviour – what rules are being made? 
• The actions parents take to keep track of their teen – how are the rules being enforced, i.e. how do you know that the rules are not being broken?
• The 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 has been found to persist as the young people age and has been found to be 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. Studies have also found that parental monitoring not only can prevent drug use, but can also reduce drug use in some cases. Put simply, the greater the perceived parental control, the lower the adolescent’s substance use. 

Unfortunately, as children develop into teenagers, parents often view them as more independent and less in need of monitoring. At the same time, adolescents may not be willing to share as much information as they once did and there is often increasing conflict as the relationship between parent and child changes. But 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 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 what information parents are trying to get. Monitoring represents the seeking of information, while knowledge deals with the possession of the information. That is, asking a child where they are going and who they will be with may not actually result in accurate information and, as such, 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. 

Mr Peter Todd
Dean of Students

2020 Boarding Formal Dinner

As part of our Boarders’ Formal Dinner we celebrated this unprecedented year as a community and marked this special occasion by sharing the 2020 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 Cross and the Property and Services team, and our wonderful House Mums Ms Megan Brealy, Ms Cassandra Smith, Ms Tracey Hoffman and Ms Denise Johnson. I would also like to thank our parent volunteers for helping to set up for the dinner: Ms Sally Hopper, Ms Sally Duffy, Ms Jocelyn Bundock and Ms Shana O’Rielley. Our venue looked spectacular!

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

• O’Brien Spirit Award: Jack Weise
• Cotter Spirit Award: Matthew McPherson
• Hodda Spirit Award: Henry Kidd
• Murphy Spirit Award: Jordan Ball

At the College Awards Ceremony, Joshua Atkins will be presented withy the John Francis Treacy Award for Service to the Boarding Community. This is our most prestigious award and acknowledges his contribution. Josh joined the Nudgee College Boarding community in 2017, as a Year 9 boarder from Kununurra, Western Australia. He has made positive contributions to the Boarding community throughout his four years, including one year in O'Brien House and three years in Cotter House. Josh is a humble young man with a friendly demeanour who has worked at building positive relationships with all members of his Boarding House. Josh models the way with organisation and independence and sets a high standard for other boarders. Josh is actively involved and often leads recreation activities for his House to ensure there is a fun and harmonious environment for all. Josh is a deserved winner of this award.

As part of the formal dinner, we also announced our 2021 Boarding Leaders. Congratulations to:

• O’Brien: Liam McBride and George Coorey
• Cotter: Atticus Johnston (Prefect) and Aidan Dohnalek
• Hodda: Rodin Martin (Prefect) and Jamie Knight
• Murphy: Harry Coventry (Prefect) and Oscar Boyd

I know these young men will continue to build a strong positive environment for our Boarders next year. 

New Boarders Orientation

As part of this year’s Orientation Day in October, we welcomed close to 40 new Boarding students to stay in the Boarding Village the evening before to experience Nudgee College Boarding. It was great to see the new students immerse themselves in the life of our Boarding Village, accompanied and cared for by their assigned Boarding Big Brother. We are hope filled that this Boarding immersion formed a positive experience for each of the boys and trust that knowing some familiar faces will ease their transition when they commence in 2021.

A special thanks to the many boys who assisted in making these new students feel welcome and of course, thanks to the staff on duty who ensured each boy enjoyed their experience and were ready and keen for Orientation Day on the Monday.

Staff News

It is with sadness that I announce that Mr Ben Ralston has tendered his resignation from the College effective from the start of 2021. Ben has moved back to his hometown of Yamba, where he will live with his wife Jess and be close to both their families. Ben commenced in July 2009 as a Construction teacher. His varied contributions over the years have included Senior Boarding Supervisor, as well as Assistant Head of House and Head of Boarding House in both O’Brien and Murphy. Ben has also been involved extensively in the co-curricular program as the 1st XV assistant coach. Ben also received an Excellence in Teaching Award in 2012. Ben has been an incredible asset within our Boarding community; he has a wonderful gift for working with young men. Most recently, Ben led the unveiling of Murphy Boarding House’s motto; ‘be the best version of yourself’. This goes to the heart of Ben’s dedication to ensure all boys in his care reach their potential, but also identify their own individual strengths and gifts. Ben was also a strong advocate on mental health awareness programs like RUOK? Days. We wish Ben and his wife Jess all the best for the future.

Mr Christian Oneto
Dean of Boarding

Holiday Hours for December/January

College Office: 07 3865 0555

• Monday 30 November to Friday 18 December: 9.00am to 3.00pm
• Monday 21 December to Friday 1 January: CLOSED
• Monday 4 January to Friday 15 January: 9.00am to 3.00pm
• Monday 18 January to Monday 25 January: 8.00am to 4.00pm
• Tuesday 26 January: CLOSED
• From Wednesday 27 January: 8.00am to 4.00pm

The Locker Room: 07 3865 0498

• Monday 30 November to Friday 4 December: 8.00am to 4.00pm
• Monday 7 December 2020 to Tuesday 12 January: CLOSED
• Wednesday 13 January to Monday 25 January: 8.00am to 4.00pm
• Tuesday 26 January: 10.00am to 4.00pm
• From Wednesday 27 January: 8.00am to 4.00pm

Book Hire: 07 3865 0172

• Thursday 3 December 2020 to Friday 22 January 2021: CLOSED
• Monday 25 January: 8.00am to 3.00pm
• Tuesday 26 January: CLOSED
• From Wednesday 27 January: 8.00am to 3.00pm