Principal
I expect that there may be some parents who will be surprised, and possibly even alarmed, at the thought of school holidays in just under two weeks. To be honest, it feels a little unusual to many at the school as well as we are just getting back into some rhythm and routine again. Certainly the teachers, who worked so hard in the first half of the term during NC@home, thoroughly deserve a well-earned break.
Seemingly, one of the impacts of this COVID-19 era has been the distorting of time. Some things seem far more rapid while others have slowed noticeably. Other things have continued to roll on. In a school sense, one of those things that must roll on is assessment and end of term testing. So it is that many boys will be completing these over the final two weeks. Unusually, this does not include all Year 12s. This is a result of the new senior system of assessment and tertiary entrance combined with the changes forced on this new system due to the COVID-19 shutdown.
As detailed in information from the Learning and Teaching Office, end of semester reports will be distributed as usual at the end of term, though in some subjects these are also a little different to our usual practice. These changes have also been detailed in other communications. We always commence Semester 2 with the parent, teacher and student meetings. These will be held on Monday 13 July, though they will be conducted online, and we have extended the overall sessions to also include Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons of the first week of Term 3. The importance of these conversations to overall academic achievement is heightened due to the fact that we could not hold the usual meetings at the start of Term 2.
Other signs of the return to more regular school life are the boys engaging in the College’s Sports and Performing Arts programs again. Being active and involved is good for their spirit and mental wellbeing as much as it is for their skills and physical health. While we know GPS sport will resume in Term 3, the finer details are still to be finalised in terms of venues, spectators and the timing of the school participating in four sports on the same day. As we have previously indicated, hygiene practices and social distancing will be important in making these decisions. We will also be informed by the latest changes to government restrictions, as well as decisions made by relevant sporting associations.
This week Nudgee College Old Boy and former ABC journalist Mr Sean Dorney has been made an Officer of the Order of Australia for his “distinguished service to Australia–PNG relations”. We congratulate him on this award, which is a fitting tribute to his outstanding contribution to journalism and the two countries. The College, through Boarding, has also had a longstanding connection with PNG. Previously, the NCOBA had acknowledged Sean with the presentation of the Signum Fidei Award in 2018.
On a smaller scale, but arguably a more important one to the College, will be the opportunity next Monday night to acknowledge Dr Sue Vollert’s outstanding contribution over many years at her last College Board meeting. Sue’s connections to Nudgee College go back many years. Her brothers, the McAvoys, attended the College as boarders from Far North Queensland. She married Mr Peter Vollert, who is also an Old Boy. Her four sons attended Nudgee College and Sue started her journey as a Nudgee College mum back in 2002.
Sue joined the Board in 2011 and served as Chair of the Finance Committee and Deputy Chair, as well as Board Chair for the past three and a half years. Sue has never sought public recognition within the community. However, she has helped to serve the College using her immense talents and boundless energy as well as with complete integrity. It is not possible to count the many hours that she has spent in countless meetings before school or late into the evening. We have been truly blessed to have Sue play such an instrumental role in guiding the College. She can rightly be proud that she leaves her position as Chair with the College in a robust position. The building projects that we are undertaking are an outward sign of the progress we continue to make. More important than projects are those things that are less tangible – the relationships, the stewardship, the values and mission of the College. All of these are in a better place for Sue’s contribution and leadership. We say “thank you Sue” and wish you well for the future. I know that she will happily step back as a Nudgee College mum and enjoy her youngest son Simon’s final 18 months at the school.
Finally, in reference to the three building projects mentioned above, many parents will know that we are holding an information evening next Tuesday night for the community. If you would like to hear from key staff involved please register at www.nudgee.com/projects.
I am sure that parents and wider community members will be excited about the progress we have made and what these transformative projects hold for the future of Nudgee College.
Mr Peter Fullagar
Principal
