Principal
On Monday evening in the Bodkin Room in the Treacy Building the College Board hosted the Christian Brothers for the end of year Christmas dinner. It is always a warm occasion and an appropriate way to acknowledge and thank the local Brothers for their lifetime contribution to numerous schools across the state, as well as overseas. These men are now living in retirement in the local community and at Viridian. The school community at Nudgee College as well all those who work in Edmund Rice schools today are the beneficiaries of the legacy left by these generous, faith-filled men.

Fast forward to morning tea on Tuesday and the Bodkin Room hosted Ms Maria Egan’s Year 5 class for a special visit. I had the privilege of visiting their classroom fortnightly for a period of reading.There is something organic that happens when you spend time with 10 year olds. I know that I always come away from that short time enthused and energised. They possess an infectious enthusiasm that is good for your soul. Hosting these boys on Tuesday I was struck by the depth of change and growth in them during this past year. I was mindful that the future of the College was sitting in front of me.

As a school community and as individuals we need to always be respectful of our past and optimistic about the future. It also true that we can only live in the present and it is equally important that we value the opportunity of the present moment each and every day.
Broadly speaking, 2019 has been a challenging year academically at the Senior year levels in Queensland schools. One era in Queensland education is coming to a close and another is emerging. Our graduating Year 12s are part of the final cohort of students whose QCE result (Queensland Certificate of Education) will be calculated as an OP. Our Year 11s are the first cohort whose QCE result will be calculated as an ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank). Throughout this year, our Year 12s and their teachers worked hard in classrooms and in QCS preparation. In this final preparation for the QCS test we adopted a new approach to the writing task, which required a greater commitment from students and staff. This approach was challenging but gave the boys’ preparation and performance a defined focus. We now await with great expectations the results of QCS because of its importance in the calculation of the Year 12s' Overall Position (OP).
Concurrently, there has been a noticeable increase in intensity in Year 11 under the new regime that is now driven more by the syllabus. In 2020, this ‘new’ system will become ‘the’ system as we know it. This is a new educational landscape to be negotiated by our students, their parents and our teachers. This will bring change. Significant in this change is the removal of the statewide QCS test in September and the advent of Term 4 external exams. Fast forward to this time in 12 months and Year 12s will have concluded the first sitting of the statewide external exams. Much is changing in Senior schooling. Even now, Year 11 students have commenced Unit 3 work, which carries over into the start of Year 12 in 2020. Previously, Year 11 students would have commenced block exams to conclude the term. This is no longer the case and teachers and their classes will be working on new content until the final day of the term.
As we enter the final days of 2019, the next phase of building and redevelopment of our campus is about to commence. This past year has been a time of planning and preparation in this regard while we made our Ministerial Infrastructure Designation application to the State Government. This was recently approved and now enables the commencement of construction that will continue throughout 2020. The initial phase of the Early Learning Centre will commence prior to Christmas while the refurbishment of the historic Treacy precinct will also soon be underway. It is currently anticipated that the Flats project will commence in April next year. We will provide more information in the New Year on these exciting changes that will continue to improve the campus for our current boys as well as for those who will follow in the years to come.
In conclusion, it is somewhat surprising, even a shock for some, to realise that the end of the school year is just over a week away. The busyness of the day to day can make you oblivious to the passing of the weeks and months. While classes conclude next week school life at the College will continue with camps, tours, major and minor capital projects, school administration, and more over the coming weeks.
We have much to be grateful for this year and as we conclude school for 2019 we can reflect on a successful year for many Nudgee College men in many dimensions of school life. The break from day to day school life will be restorative for everyone and we wish students, families and staff a safe, relaxed and happy holiday. Over the coming holidays, we hope and pray that our dry and drought-stricken country will be blessed by rain. We keep in our hearts those fellow Queenslanders and Australians affected by the ongoing drought, as well as the threat of fires.
Advent and the Christmas season is almost upon us and this is always a time of anticipation in the lead-up to Christmas, as well as much celebration and joy. It is also a time to reflect upon how each of us is loved by God, whatever our circumstances may be in the present moment.
Mr Peter Fullagar
Principal