Week 9 Term 1 2021

Principal

Rain.

Images of the flooding rains and the resultant impact on communities in NSW has understandably dominated the media this week. We feel for those people who have been seriously affected. At the same time, rain across wide areas of western and south-western areas of Queensland has been a blessing to many. Similarly, rain in north-western NSW around Moree has been drought-breaking and life-changing in the best possible way for many rural communities. It is good news for numerous Nudgee College boarding families in these areas who have been celebrating this early autumnal rain.

Perhaps, I am more mindful of the latter good news stories because I was due to head west and over the border to visit our current and prospective families this week. The rain has prevented us from visiting Goondiwindi and Moree but, fortunately, we are able to head to Roma today to meet with families there. These connections with rural communities have been part of the College’s story since our earliest days and we remain committed to developing them further. We will reschedule the postponed visits until Term 2.

While the rain here in Brisbane has been very beneficial to our newly restored ovals at The Flats Sports Complex, it has not been kind to the last 10% of the project. The regular rain over the past two months has hampered our contractors capacity to complete the project and the final two junior ovals at the far end of The Flats remain unfinished. Given current circumstances, this is likely to be the case for some weeks but we are hopeful that post Easter the ground works can be concluded and the turf laid late in April. The actual establishment of the turf then takes some months prior to the ovals being available for training and competition. Consequently, these junior ovals will not be ready in time for GPS football season in Term 2 but we are hopeful that they might be ready for use in Term 3.

Further to this, the local rain has also impacted on the final stage of the Treacy Heritage Precinct project. These final works include some concrete that has to be poured and then left to cure as well as some final landscaping in both the Edmund Rice and Old Boys’ malls. Even though it is incomplete, the precinct is already a stunning transformation of the original building and surrounding areas of the College. We remain hopeful that this work will be completed before Easter and that we will have sufficient time to prepare for celebrations on Saturday 17 April.

The last Saturday of the term break will be a special occasion for the community with two events that evening. At 4pm there will be the official Blessing and Opening of the Treacy Heritage Precinct with the Archbishop of Brisbane, the Most Reverend Mark Coleridge, leading the liturgy. In the same liturgy, we will be officially marking the 130th anniversary of the College. This small, private event will lead into the whole community gathering at the NC130 Years Celebration from 6pm in the restored Edmund Rice Mall. This will be a fun event and include the opportunity to view the internal refurbishment during the ‘Open House’ part of the night. An invitation has already been circulated and we have large numbers registered, which is most encouraging. If you would like to attend and have not already registered the details are available at this link.

The end of the term next Thursday is looming for us all and for many boys these final days are marked by end of term assessment. We trust that all boys finish the term strongly with a focused approach to their studies. Importantly next week our Year 12s undertake their Kairos experience. This is a unique time for these young men and a culmination of the retreats, leadership sessions, outdoor camps and student formation experiences that they have been exposed to over their years at Nudgee College. Just recently a mother of a past student shared with me her son’s reflection that Kairos was the most special time in all his years at the school. We hope that this is also the case for the 2021 Seniors and we keep them in our prayers at this time.

The final week of the term coincides with Holy Week, which commences with Palm Sunday and concludes on Easter Sunday. This week is the culmination of the 40 day Lenten journey. Amidst all that is ahead of all of us in our professional, personal and family lives in the coming week we would do well to find a daily space for prayer and reflection. As Christians, we are called to prepare for the death and resurrection of Jesus - the centrepiece of our faith.

With every blessing for the weeks ahead and for Easter especially.

Mr Peter Fullagar

Principal

Deputy Principal

Actions speak louder than words

Excellent facilities are important for student learning and the College is certainly blessed with an abundance of excellent facilities. Nevertheless, what is really important is the students and the type of people they are. As a College, we are very proud of the ‘character’ of our boys overall. Every day, they demonstrate respect for self and others. Those who don’t, are being challenged and change is occurring.

St Joseph was a carpenter, he was a builder, he trusted in God’s call to support Jesus and Mary. Even though he has no recorded words in the Gospels, his actions speak loudly. It is our hope our boys take on the model of St Joseph where their actions speak louder than their words as they demonstrate respect in the world around them.

Early last week, towards the end of lunch, I was walking around the first level of the Learning Centre. I like to do this regularly to get a feeling of what is happening around the playground, without the boys being aware of my presence. I really love the saying, “the true measure of your character is what you do when nobody is watching.”

On this day, this saying was to be tested. As the bell sounded for the end of lunch, I was appalled and frustrated by the rubbish that was left lying on the tables below. I stood trying to decide if I was going to stop all boys below and instruct them to pick up the rubbish, while probably adding how disappointed I was in their ability to simply walk away and leave the mess for someone else to clean.

It was at this point I watched - and recorded on my phone - two older boys moving towards the mess. They then started to pick up rubbish. One lad in particular picked up rubbish that included a half eaten piece of fruit that, admittedly, I would have struggled to pick up. Their action - modelling the behaviour we hope to see in our boys - encouraged a few others to join in and help. The original boy actually shook the hand of one of the helpers as they finalised their clean up and returned the bin to its original position. At this point, the boys walked off to class.

While some might say I should not have recorded the event, I make no apologies. I sent the footage to the House Dean and to the Leadership team. If we haven’t already, by the time you read this, I am hoping to play the video, with the permission of the boys concerned, on College assembly.

So, once again I would ask the boys, who are you when no one is watching? Those are the moments when you're defining yourself. Those moments when the only reward is choosing to do something for no other reason than to prove to yourself that you could do it – to prove that you can be extraordinary or, maybe, to prove you are a sign of faith.

Mr David Johnston

Deputy Principal

Student Formation

Term 2 Uniform - Blazers Compulsory

A reminder that boys will be in formal uniform in Terms 2 and 3. Blazers are compulsory from Tuesday 4 May - the beginning of week 3.

Of course, school resumes on Tuesday 20 April and we will then have our first event of Term 2, the ANZAC Day Ceremony to take place at 8.30 am to 10.00 am on Ross Oval on Friday 23 April. For this event, it will be compulsory for all boys to wear their full formal uniform, which is a College blazer, long sleeve white NC shirt, NC shorts/trousers, college tie and a black belt.

For those parents who are yet to purchase a blazer, the Locker Room has a full stock of uniform supplies and blazers have been restocked ready for Term 2. As always, there are numerous second-hand clothing supplies in great condition. These are a worthwhile investment for our Junior Students who have many years of growth ahead. Please see the Community section for The Locker Room opening hours during the holidays.

Clothing Labelling

It is recommended for all blazers to be labelled through the College Laundry. This is a free service and will help reduce lost property. Clothing alterations are also available for a small charge. Please talk to the Laundry staff regarding this (phone 3865 0511).

Shave for a Cure - Fogarty House

On Thursday 11 March, Fogarty House hosted the College-wide “Shave for a Cure” for the House charity, The Leukemia Foundation. This initiative has grown bigger and better each year, with over $22,000 raised in 2021 so far. This year's efforts were led by the Senior Leaders of Fogarty House, in particular Ben Wyatt, Benjamin Neal and House Prefects (Aiden Woolf, George Pola and Nicholas Graham). They raised awareness and energy throughout the school in the preceding weeks, Ben Neal spoke at assembly, covered the school in promotional material and personally participated in fundraising and the head shaving event.

We had a total of 28 students register to raise funds online, committing to shaving their heads to stand in solidarity with persons suffering from Leukemia. These students ranged from Year 5 to Year 12, and encapsulated all areas of our diverse student body. In addition, we also had over 100 students donate a gold coin on the day and volunteer to colour their hair.

The significant money raised makes a difference by giving families facing blood cancer the emotional and practical support they need. The money also funds vital research that will help more people survive blood cancers like Lymphoma, Leukemia and Myeloma, while improving their quality of life.

We are very proud of all participants this year. The event was yet another demonstration of real, measurable Nudgee Spirit, making a positive change in our community.

Bag Tags

A reminder that orders for Bag tags will be closed at 3pm Tuesday 30 March. Orders placed after this time will be accepted on the payment gateway but will not be completed in the Term 1 holidays. Your order will be held until production in the Term 2 holidays. This allows our technology team to create the bag tags during the holidays and have them ready for Term 2 pick up.

Mr Peter Todd

Dean of Students

Learning & Teaching

Year 12 Essential English – Write That Essay Workshop (Wednesday 17 March)

While the Essential English course does not contain an External Exam (EA) in the same way that General English or Literature do, our students do complete a similar assessment instrument. The Common Internal Assessment (CIA) is a response-to-stimulus exam that all Essential English students in Queensland must complete. One key point of difference between the CIA and EA’s is that student responses are marked internally by teachers at the school rather than by markers employed by the QCAA.

This year, our students have been presented with the challenge of exploring both written and visual texts related to the role of the media in society, as well as the influence of social media. To support the boys in their preparations for the CIA exam in Term 2, on Wednesday they participated in a Write that Essay workshop that focussed on honing their writing skills. Specifically, the boys were given the opportunity to reinforce their knowledge of the ‘12 Sentence Styles’ of sentence construction and completed practice responses with the support of their peers.

Student feedback that was collected at the conclusion of the workshop indicated that all of the boys strongly agreed, or agreed that the workshop successfully enhanced their understanding of the pending CIA, and resulted in them feeling far more confident leading into the Term 2 exam. Thank you for your engagement and efforts in this workshop, gentlemen.

Mr Tom Hughes

Co-ordinator of Essential English

Year 10 & 11 Drama and Music FA1 Performance Assessment Evening

On Thursday 11 March, the Year 10 and 11 Drama and Year 11 Music students performed their FA1 Performance tasks to a live audience in Tierney Auditorium. The Drama students presented their excerpts from Black Diggers by Tom Wright, which is a play that was commissioned by QLD Theatre about the Indigenous Australians heading off to war. It focuses on storytelling and the non-linear form in the style of Realism. The boys had to take excerpts from the script and interpret the text and apply their acting skills and conventions to bring it to life. Each group can be complimented for their performances and the commitment to the rehearsal process. Special mention goes to the Year 10 group that went above and beyond to build their confidence to perform in the evening.

Our first unit of study in Year 11 Music is Designs. The focus of this unit is the inquiry question, “How does the treatment and combination of different music elements enable musicians to design music that communicates meaning through performance and composition?” In class, we explored an eclectic mix of repertoire, with a focus on how the music elements can be manipulated to convey meaning. The Music students then selected pieces, and manipulated expressive devices and made performance choices to communicate meaning to their audience. For some students this was their first public performance in front of an audience – a very daunting experience!

It was a wonderful night where all students performed with much courage, enthusiasm and passion. They were supportive of each other which helped with the nervous energy. It was a great night where parents, friends and staff were blessed with the wonderful talent of our Senior Drama and Music students. Congratulations to all the boys for their hard work and continual dedication to their work. We are looking forward to more Performance Assessment evenings in Term Three and Four for this group of students.

Ms Alison Kilgour

HOF - Arts

Mr John Hodder

Subject Co-ordinator - Music

Year 12 Sport & Recreation course - 'Specialist Skateboarding' Sessions

With the rise of Skateboarding into the Olympic domain, the industry has undergone many changes in how it is perceived, marketed and delivered in the current climate. We were fortunate to secure specialist coaching sessions and industry education by elite Coach and former-Professional, Mr Pat Gemsik, and NC Old Boy and current Olympic hopeful, Mr Sam Larkins from ‘Ramp Attak’. Our Year 12 students had a rich, rewarding experience, with many progressing their skate skills to a more than proficient level, whilst gaining important experience in how a recreational activity can progress into a career pathway.

Bags & Belongings - Security Alert

As the term concludes, we have experienced a few instances where valuable items (eg: wallets, mobile phones, etc.) have gone missing, especially during Physical Education (PE) lessons in the McKennariey Centre precinct. We have a large number of students undertaking PE, so it is imperative that the boys use their student locker to store valuables during the day. However, if they are unable to do so, then the PE staff have reminded all boys that it is their responsibility to take their bags along to their lesson. That way their possessions are with them at all times and easily viewable at the lesson. No bags are to be left in corridors, bag racks or change rooms. If the boys are able to ensure this, then we will greatly reduce any ongoing incidents.

Mr Matt Waters

Head of Faulty - PE

QUT Stem for Schools

On Wednesday 17 March, 32 students from Years 8 and 9 attended the QUT Young Accelerators Workshops.

Students from Year 8 included: Tejas Ashok, Thomas Bayo, Dermot Clancy, Joseph Costigan, Matthew Heath, Andrew La Monaca, Sejin Lee, Will Neubecker, Riley Nixon, Alex Smith, Ryan Stewart, Harry Stoneman, Angus Twist, Mitchell Vivers, Paddy Williams and Fergus Wright.

Students from Year 9 included: Liam Astbury, Patrick Burchard, Akira Chen, Khy Dhawan, Benjamin Ditchburn, George Gillam, Sam Kewley, Michael Malone, Fred Nash, Alex Patti, Dusty Piper, Oscar Roati, Avneesh Sidhu, Baxter Voll, Jamie Waddington and Matthew Walker.

All participants took part in two workshops. The first workshop was Science Meets Art, which combined art and science to discuss the impact of nuclear technologies and the important role scientists play in communicating complex concepts to a broad audience. Drawing on the art of Ken and Julia Yonetani and their collaboration with scientists on the impact of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, students explored artistic and scientific forms of communicating the impacts of nuclear technologies.

The second workshop was Iterate where students applied the UX (user experience) design process to develop an innovative and entrepreneurial solution to a STEM-related problem. Students were presented with a STEM challenge and through the application of design thinking principles, they generated a range of possible entrepreneurial solutions.

I would like to sincerely thank QUT for providing this engaging opportunity for our students and also Ms Kim Spicer for assisting with supervision throughout the day. We hope all participants thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“Personally, I found the second workshop more enjoyable as the ambassadors pushed us to think ‘outside the box’ in order to resolve the complex problem. They did this by engaging us with activities such as brainstorming possible ideas, as well as determining its success. Nevertheless, I found that both QUT workshops were a valuable experience. They taught the presence of science in art and the generation of new ideas under specific scenarios. For this, I really enjoyed the QUT workshop because of the values it taught, but the entertainment it brought as well.” - Sejin Lee

“Visiting QUT Gardens Point for the Young Accelerators Workshops was a very enjoyable and worthwhile experience. The Cube at QUT where we worked is an amazing Science and Engineering Centre; home to one of the world’s largest digital interactive learning spaces. I thoroughly enjoyed the “Science Meets Art” nuclear power activity. My group of Nudgee students worked really well together to create a collage exploring the impacts of nuclear disasters. Communicating the nuclear power concept in this way was a very challenging and different method that we hadn’t used before. It really challenged us to think scientifically and artistically. Thank you to both Ms Kim Spicer and Ms Stephanie Spicer for organising and taking us to these workshops.” - George Gillam

Ms Stephanie Spicer

Program Leader - Enrichment

Year 10 Study of Religion

In Year 10 SOR this term, we have been exploring how followers of different religions interact with the Divine. One of the activities involved the students creating a Christian labyrinth, which is similar to a maze but has only one entry and exit point. The boys created this using colourful paper, and were then invited to experience the labyrinth by engaging in silent prayer and meditation as they walked. In our study of Buddhism, we looked at sand mandalas and the idea that nothing is permanent, which the boys experienced by spending a lesson meditating by colouring in, only to then destroy their work afterwards. The boys have engaged in these activities with enthusiasm, wonderment and awe, and we are very proud of how they have participated.

Ms Tahnee Brahim

SOR teacher

CASE Ocean School

All aboard! CASE Ocean School launching now in Australia.

CASE Ocean School is a new Australian study program providing students with an all-encompassing STEAM experience focusing on marine biology, ocean ecology, cutting-edge research, and technologies. Delivered using real-life content, CASE Ocean School also focuses on building student’s personal leadership and development skills by improving higher order and critical thinking skills.

CASE Ocean School inspires a new generation of leaders and is recommended to all students, especially those with a passion for adventure and looking to kick-start their career with 21st century skills. Click here to join the St Joseph’s Nudgee College expedition: www.actura.com.au/nudgee. Here, you can find more information about the expedition and you can register for the Parent Information session on the Thursday 22 April.

Boarding

Last Wednesday night we launched our first Supper Speaker Series for interested boarders. The premise of the Supper Speaker Series is that while boarders have some free time during the supper period, we have decided to invite some Nudgee Old Boys to come and speak to our senior Boarders. If our first one is anything to go by if we put an engaging speaker together with the promise of hot chocolate, we have a winning combination!

This week’s speaker was Nudgee Old Boy Michael Trusler. Michael is the founder of PlantMiner-Felix an electronic platform for contractors and vendors to discover, manage and engage with each other. He presented to a group of Year 12s about his experiences of school, university, and work, and then how this led him to the entrepreneurial pathway he is now on. It was truly inspirational for our boys and they asked lots of questions at the end of the talk. Michael was well received, he highlighted utilising tools such as LinkedIn and, most importantly, of not being afraid to make mistakes then learn from them.

As the year goes on, we look forward to more opportunities to welcome Old Boys into the boarding community to share their wisdom and expertise with the future Nudgee College Old Boys of 2021.

In our various masterclasses, we are finding the sessions are being well attended by both boarders on site and Day students through Google Meet, this is helping the boys to prepare for their IA2 for General Maths and Maths Methods.

On the activities front, the rain did not dull the boys spirits one bit. Our recreational coordinator, Theo, took an enthusiastic bunch of boys to the Driving Range on Friday evening to practice their golf skills. Following this, a visit from Bunnings on Sunday morning taught the boys some DIY skills making and decorating some BBQ condiment caddies and enjoying a Bunnings snag or two in the process.

This week the plan was to go out west to visit some of our western Queensland and Northern NSW families in Roma, Moree and Goondiwindi. The trip was planned for Tuesday to Friday but due to the weather it has been postponed until a later date. We are able to travel to Roma but we will make contact with new proposed times for Moree and Goondiwindi events. I sincerely hope our families are staying dry and safe in this unseasonal extremely wet weather, but at the same time enjoying the fruits of this rainfall. It was wonderful to speak with so many families sitting on their decks watching the rain fall. Stay safe.

Bookings for the End of term Bus – Goondiwindi are now open

This bus leaves Nudgee at 1pm on Thursday 1 April tickets cost $40 or if you book for the year save $20

BOOK THE BOARDERS BUS TICKETS HERE

Itinerary: The bus will stop at Warwick and Toowoomba and finish in Goondiwindi

1:00pm Depart Nudgee College

3:15pm Stop Toowoomba – Lowes Petroleum BP Toowoomba, 252 Anzac Ave, Toowoomba City

3:30pm Depart Toowoomba

6:15pm Arrive Goondiwindi approximately – BP Service Station, Lot 11 Cunningham Highway.

Mr Sean Toovey

Dean of Boarding

Sport

Tennis

Yesterday saw the completion of the junior/senior age championships and the season launch. Around 100 boys competed over the two nights with over 200 matches being played.

It was a great opportunity for the tennis community to come together and enjoy some tennis.

A big thanks to the following people:

Ash – running the tournament.

Lex, Simone and Darryl – organising the raffle and BBQ.

Sue, Nick and Kelly – photography.

And to all those who donated prizes, it is much appreciated.

Congratulations to the age champions:

Year 5: Spencer Blake

Year 6: Caleb Hopsick

Year 7: Isaac Micheal

Year 8: Chace Crema

Year 9: Lawson Swain

Year 10: Padraic Townsend

Year 11: final match yet to played between Zane Crema and Ben Forbes

Open: final match yet to be played between Declan Townsend and Callum Stringfellow.

Mr Brendan McGuinness

Tennis Coordinator

Cross Country

We headed out to Carina for our first GPS Cross Country Lead-up Meet at Carina hosted by BSHS and TSS. The soft grass and muddy areas made for a fun first hit out of the season.

Some of the stand out performances by our juniors included Zac Zillman and Griffin Bianchi in the 2km event, and Rocco Croucamp and Rhys Griffiths in their 3km events.

Alex Smith, Lachlan Cook and Elfie Piper dominated in the 13 years 3km event, achieving a 2nd place standing overall. Will Curran and Ned Curran were first and second over the line for the 14 years age group, contributing to our 1st place overall for that age group.

Running his very first GPS Cross Country Meet, Harry Waldron thrived in the competitive environment for our 15 years age group. Will Morrow had a fantastic run in our 16 years 6km event, and both Sam Rogers and Leo Fairley got their Open 6km event done in well under 21 minutes. Overall, Nudgee scored 3rd place just behind BSHS and BBC among the 8 schools in attendance. Starting strong and continuing to build on our fitness each week will prove that Nudgee College will be a force to reckon with come May 20!

This Friday we will be hosting the second GPS Cross Country Lead-up Meet, with races starting on the Flats at 4:30pm. All event information can be found on NC Cross Country TeamApp.

Ms Jaimee Trembearth

Cross Country Director

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