The Aquinian - Senior School - Issue 7 - Term 4 2020

The Aquinian Senior School Issue 7 - Week 8 Term 4 - 2020

AQUINAS COLLEGE A Catholic School for boys in the Edmund Rice Tradition

Senior School

From the Principal

The College Foundation - central to the future of Aquinas College Recent studies from CEWA and others have highlighted five increasing difficulties facing all Catholic Schools in Perth: 1. Decline in local Catholic demographics 2. Decline in economic status of middle classes 3. The disconnect between increase in wages and education fees 4. Future school government funding model 5. Changing nature of future employment A number of these threats have been accelerated, with this year’s COVID-19 crisis affecting current and future parents’ income and well-being. Out of this challenging period, Aquinas College has ensured that no boy has had to leave due to financial hardship. The security provided by the College Foundation, enables us to continue to support our families during this COVID disruption and assists the College Board to set, a 0% increase in tuition fees in 2021. Whilst the immediate future is secure, what of the future? How does the College plan for a future of volatility and uncertainty?

The Sydney Morning Herald on August 26, 2020 ran the headline, “Wealth, not faith drives most Australian students to religious schools”.

The article was reporting on the publication of the Cardus Education survey, the first of its kind to be conducted in Australia. The survey analysed how ‘millennials’ who finished high school between 1998 and 2011 were faring, both materially and in a range of life matters including relationships and community connections. The report noted that those who went to religious based schools were faring 2

markedly better but the findings did raise concerns about the increase of advantage and inequality that threatens social ties across Australia.

The so-called meritocracy our Australian societies aspire to, with the claims that anyone should be able to rise in accordance with their talent and be rewarded for it, is a destructive delusion. There is no level playing field, only a race heavily fixed in favour of those who already have the most. The roles of luck and advantage are ignored. Wealth and success are conflated with worth. A solution offered is education. Is education a solution if it is inaccessible to the marginalised?

Aquinas College, as a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition follows an adherence to four key touchstones. Our current environment increasingly challenges the College to fully align with core elements of the “Inclusivity” touchstone. In particular, to meet the touchstone’s requirement to “demonstrate a preferential option for the poor by standing in solidarity with those who are powerless and marginalised, and strives to provide access to those who otherwise would not seek enrolment”.

Aquinas College needs to ensure its mission in relation to inclusivity both as an EREA school and as a member of the Church. It is only through the wonderful work of the College Foundation that we are able to offer a Foundation Bursary program, which provides an Aquinas College education to boys from families who are unable to afford a Catholic education.

We believe, as did Blessed Edmund Rice, in the

divine agency and liberation that comes with a strong faith and good education, so the true value of these Foundation Bursaries are found in the young lives that are changed. I would like to acknowledge and thank all those who have contributed to the College Foundation and those who serve on the Foundation Council.

I hope the generosity and hard work of our community will continue in 2021.

David McFadden Principal

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Senior School

Farewell to the Class of 2020 On October 23rd we celebrated the finish of the Class of 2020’s journey at Aquinas College.

Unsurprisingly, restrictions meant we had to approach the day in a different way with Cullity and Chaney split from Durack and Prendiville, running the Graduation Ceremony and Mass in parallel, joining for a morning tea and then again for the Guard of Honour. The split provided an opportunity for more students to participate and share their story. The following are excerpts from some of their reflections.

“I’m sure I speak on behalf of all the boys in saying it has been a rough year. None of us were quite prepared for what this year would entail such as zoom calls and vodcasts with teachers… this created a year which our once Year 7 selves would never have predicted as we journeyed through Aquinas… we have been the first cohort in the new house colours, a new leadership structure and who didn’t even have to be at school all year to graduate.”

Matthew Costa

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“At the end of the day whether you won or lose, wearing the red and black while battling it out against your arch rivals will forever be a privilege. Playing sport at Aquinas is more than just a game, it’s a chance to be part of a team and form bonds with other boys that last forever.”

Sam Collins

“The five values of the College are embedded within the spirit of the College to nurture them into us, so we can carry them within as well as outwardly express them to others.The opportunities for spiritual lessons and experiences are constantly provided by staff members at the College, experiences that we will leave the College with and truly never forget, continuing to use the lessons learnt in our everyday lives as we become members of the wider community.”

Hudson Campbell

We were fortunate enough to have secured Optus Stadium for the Valedictory Dinner which allowed the Class of 2020 and their parents to share a meal, stories and celebrate in style overlooking the Swan River and Perth City. I would like to formally thank all staff who made this day run so smoothly, the thoughtful preparation and attention to detail by many allowed the graduands and guests to be caught in the emotion of the various events.

Senior School

From the Head of Senior School The term began with a full Senior School and many nervous Year 12 students returning to campus to get their Mock examinations back before they commenced preparations for the WACE. Within a week the transition was upon us as Year 10 students completed their final examinations and we prepared for our Presentation Night and Graduation.

Presentation Night was an opportunity to reflect on the year and celebrate those who have achieved at the highest level in all areas of College life. The audience was lucky to be entertained throughout the evening by the Senior Vocal Ensemble, Big Band, Jazz Combo and by the cast of South Pacific. A huge vote of thanks must go to the Arts & Culture staff for providing such an engaging evening. Our College Captain, Kynan Ganza, reflected on the importance of striving for your best as he challenged the award winners to “inspire us - to think more, do more and be more…that achievement goes beyond the shield, certificate or medallion we receive; it’s a testament to our legacy”. Xavier Mitchell, Class of 2016, had a very powerful speech challenging all boys to live a life of service within and beyond their school journey. He shared stories of challenges and triumphs, but most of all personal growth and fulfilment through being a man for others.

Year 11 to 12 Transition Experience As the Encounter Retreats had to be postponed due to restrictions and remote learning in the middle of the year, we seized the opportunity to provide a transitional experience for all Year 11 students prior to the start of Year 12 coursework.

All students participated in the transformational Encounter Retreat as a three-day residential experience, which is a cornerstone of a boy’s spiritual development at the College. They also participated in a House Day which included an interactive workshop with Rhett Corker, from Tomorrow Man, who tries to develop emotional muscle and challenges boys to reflect on the type of man they are, how they interact with others and who they want to become. The House then took a turn towards fun and bonding, enjoying a pizza lunch followed by time in the art studio or lawn bowls. The Grad-Ready Day commenced with a talk by Peter Robertson about legacy as the boys enter their final year at the College and concluded with them writing their own reference letter, on behalf of the Principal, that they would like to receive at the end of their journey.

When students were not travelling together as a House, they were separated by pathway, with General Pathway students choosing a selection of taster courses at TAFE organised

by Peter Gellin, Director of VET. Every day a busload of students left to experience training in hospitality, automotive, construction, robotics, barista as well as events and tourism.

Students on the ATAR pathway had a four-day program which started by looking to 2022 with Mr Powell as they listened to talks from three major universities and started to find courses, entry requirements and direction for their future beyond the gates. The following day Mr Chapman took the boys on a journey to discover how their ATAR will be calculated and provided them tools for developing effective study plans, goals and how to develop positive partnerships with teachers. This was followed by a Wellness Day, with sessions by one of our school psychologists, Ms Kate McGill, on managing the pressures of Year 12 as well as guest talks from Outside the Locker Room and Old Aquinian James Hoare (Class of 2001), a highlight for many as he discussed how to overcome adversity. The final day of the journey saw students embark on an excursion to understand homelessness hosted by the Salvation Army, Mr Richards and Mr Rich which

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Senior School

From the Head of Senior School asked the boys to make decisions on how they would live rough before taking a walking tour to see what life on the street actually looks like.

Student Leadership Whilst the Class of 2020 celebrated their graduation day, over a hundred student leaders joined together for a leadership workshop hosted by the 2021 College Captains. Whilst previous leadership workshops have been lead by staff, this afternoon was a testament to the new student leadership structure as boys facilitated the afternoon. A huge thank you must go to Naveen Nimalan and Isaac Klomp for their organisation of this afternoon and all the boys for their active participation.

During Week 4, we celebrated the official handover of the student leadership with parents, staff and students at the Leadership Assembly. The ceremony included a handover of the leadership flag from past to current Captains as well as acknowledgement of the council system; each staff member presented to Mr McFadden all Prefects and the Captain of their council. We welcome Mr Ben West and Mr Peter Gellin, who are co-leading the Sustainability and Student Diversity Councils respectively. We hope that these new councils

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provide more opportunity around important issues within and beyond the College grounds.

The assembly is always a very emotional day in the eyes of proud parents as their son is presented and between the teary eyes and at times awkward embraces, the nerves and pride are very apparent to all. The student leaders wasted no time in engaging the student body once inducted with the Student Wellbeing Council leading Odd Socks Day and the Christmas Door Challenge, the Academic Council running a General Knowledge Kahoot, a very successful e-Sports Tuatha Shield event and a joint leadership forum with Santa Maria College to name a few initiatives that have occurred in the last few weeks!

Aquinas myFUTURE The Year 10.5s commenced their studies this term in a blended learning model as part of Aquinas myFuture with great success. The program was introduced to prepare our students for the demands and independence required by university and to provide a more diverse set of learning opportunities for young men expected to change jobs, roles or careers many times. The majority of students worked through online learning on campus whilst taking the opportunity

to volunteer in the community, engage with Middle School sport assistance or attend a talk from various universities. What struck all staff who supervised in the Redmond Learning Centre and Dining Hall was the dedication and focus of the students to their studies and the positivity around the chance to take control of their learning and to engage with programs as it increased their autonomy, choice and voice. It was very positive to see students asking to be signed-off on work early in the day because they finished some online learning the night before or earlier in the day, to create the time required for assessment preparation or other learning opportunities. We also had a number of students complete a research methods unit at Notre Dame University which presented great insight into post-secondary education and a great challenge to many of our brightest minds. In 2021 many students will commence university-based coursework through the LOGOS program at UNDA, research projects through Cambridge and UWA, pre-apprenticeships and TAFE combined with their ATAR Pathway studies. I am very much looking forward to guiding the program’s development into the future and thank Mr Chapman, Mr Powell & Mr Gellin for its ongoing development.

Senior School

From the Head of Senior School Return Prepared!

Following nearly five full weeks of learning and completing at least one assessment per course, our Yr 11s and 12s are well placed to have a strong year of academic performance in 2021. Given a nine-week Term 1 and Semester 1 examinations and Externally Set Tasks to commence Term Two, I would suggest a few simple strategies to ensure students come back best prepared. I would suggest that prior to packing away learning materials, all Senior School students should take the time to write good summary notes (based on the SCSA Syllabus) on all material learned in Term 4.

In mid-January please encourage your son, to start opening up textbooks again and revisit syllabi. Just a couple of hours a day of text reading and writing summary notes will help him arrive to class on day one ready to learn.

As a Senior School student, any study that is done should revolve around the syllabus for the course which can be found at https:// senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/ .

Safe returns I hope that you all find time to reflect on the importance of this time in the Church’s calendar and make time to deepen connections with one another so as to return fresh and

ready for the challenges of 2021. Wishing all Senior School students, parents, staff and their families a safe, holy and restful Advent season and Christmas break.

John Van Dyk Head of Senior School

Good News Parents please keep sharing your son’s good news via goodnews@aquinas.wa.edu.au so we can celebrate with him.

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Senior School

Chaney House news

Throughout the course of this year Chaney House has endeavoured and strove for excellence in all aspects of House life. Through sport, academics, culture, spirituality and by setting our standards high to use as a foundation for our next year as a Chaney group. We gave sport a fair crack as a group, as we competed in numerous Tuatha Shield events with determination and grit, though ultimately falling short at the end of the day. Our main goal now turning towards participation of all members of Chaney in 2021 in every Tuatha Shield event, and I am sure we can bring home the silverware again. Our past victories in the Tuatha Shield act as a guide to our major events, through swimming to cross country to e-sports and debating where we will work especially hard to ensure we build on these past successes.

This year has presented countless opportunities for students within Chaney to use their personal strengths, while also aiming to push students outside of their comfort zones through the first year of the council system. Students aiming to become prefects have had the opportunity to experience leadership within the House and work to improve upon the legacy past students have left. This has been a part of Chaney for many years through the Chaney House Council, where we are given the chance to make changes to culture, events and to begin to leave the legacy we want on the House. Towards the middle of Term 4, the Year 11 group sat down discussing this ‘legacy’ and what we

wanted the House to look like. Here it was decided that we wanted to be the turning point in the House, building our core value and motto of ‘Integrity First’ while simultaneously beginning to construct a mentor system within the House, giving older students the ability to pass wisdom of College life down to younger Chaney students.

This term marked the first Chaney House Day, coming together as a House to celebrate the culture we have built by conducting a tug of war and dodgeball in tutor versus tutor style games. Boys dug deep with Mr West’s bellowing enough to help his boys over the line in tug of war.

The afternoon ended with pizza and we are now looking to make these event a regular term occurrence. The Year 11 students also got a chance to go on Retreat as a collective. Returning as men, they were able to build stronger ties and develop relationships within the group. Bonds built over stories, deep discussions and ping pong helping to further the culture of Chaney that we will look to continue to improve and expand on in the coming year. The Retreat also provided Chaney Year 11s the opportunity to understand other boys’ perspectives building upon the personal character of each and every single student in the group, which we will harness for the Tuatha Shield character attributes.

Looking into 2021, Chaney is poised to implement student and council led initiatives such as our mentorship project, Chaney days and we will also look to do fundraisers for particular charities through the form of sausage sizzles and collections. But our most important task is to introduce the new Year 10 Chaney men to our ideals, culture and to lead them through mentorship and guidance to live life with ‘Integrity First’.

I hope we are able to be the group of men that in five, ten or twenty years’ time in the future, are remembered as being the foundation or cornerstone of what is the Chaney House.

Matthew Cain Chaney House Captain 2021

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Senior School

Cullity House news

The back end of Term 3 and beginning of Term 4 has proved to be a challenging but enjoyable period for Cullity students. The penultimate and ultimate weeks of Term 3 saw the Year 11 cohort sitting their end of Year 11 exams. Due to exams, the entirety of Week 1 of Term 4 was dedicated to exam return and reflection and feedback.

Whilst our departing Year 12s have been studying hard for their upcoming WACE Exams, the Year 10 and 11 have been embarking on their transitions into the new school year during Weeks 2 and 3 of Term 4. In particular, the Year 11 cohort has completed various workshops and Retreats to help the transition phase from Year 11 to Year 12 or more accurately, 11.5. On the Monday of the first week of our transition period the Year 11s attended a Grad-Ready workshop. The purpose of this workshop was to give a clear outline and understanding of the prerequisites we must meet, in order to successfully graduate. I personally found the Grad-Ready workshop to be very helpful and clear.

Beginning on Tuesday of Week 2,Year 11 Cullity students embarked on their Encounter Retreat. Some of us were not sure what to think of what was to come in the days leading up, but without giving too much away. I am confident it was a life changing experience for everyone, especially myself. Having the opportunity to go on Retreat with our fellow House members allowed all Year 11 Cullity students to build and

strengthen new relationships with one another. Especially with people we would not usually talk to. After completing the Encounter Retreat, Cullity students combined with Chaney students, embarked on four days of workshops. On Monday of Week 3, we were given the opportunity to think more thoroughly about what careers we wish to pursue in life after school. Our thinking was fuelled by presentations from Curtin University, Notre Dame and the University of Western Australia. I found these presentations very helpful as they offered clear and concise information about what their courses offer. The next day, students completed an Academics workshop, run by Mr. Chapman. It focused on the importance of efficient study and the effectiveness of having a study timetable. Students also participated in a Wellness day. The Wellness day included of a workshop from a Mental Health organisation, Outside The Locker Room, along with an extremely moving and motivational presentation from guest speaker and Aquinas Old Boy, James Hoare (‘01). On Thursday, we had the privilege of visiting the Salvation Army Head Quarters in the Perth CBD. We learnt all about the issue of homelessness in modern day society and the reasons behind why people are forced into homelessness. This experience truly made us think deeply about how lucky and privileged we are to be attending a school such as Aquinas College.

On the final day of our two week transition period into Year 12, all Year 11 Cullity students took part in our Cullity House Day. The Cullity House Day was an amazing way to end our two week transition period.

Throughout the day students took part in two sessions. These sessions were, the Tomorrow Man workshop and the viewing and reflection of a documentary focusing on the dangers and issues associated with social media. Students enjoyed a nice pizza lunch followed by an afternoon of clay chess piece sculpting, held by the wonderful Cullity East tutor teacher, Mrs Lucy Hughes. This Artistic experience was the perfect way to cap off our two week transition as it allowed us time to bond further with not only our peers but also our teachers too.

Cameron Goeree Cullity House Prefect 2021

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Senior School

Durack House news While we’ve been sad to see the Year 12 Durack boys leave, we have taken the opportunity here to continue with the legacy they have left for us. I’d like to thank the previous Captain of Durack, Luke Egger, for leading the house and being a great role model for all of Durack. It was a great honour to be elected as Captain of Durack especially considering the boys I was up against who are all equally suitable for the role. I’d like to congratulate the rest of the Durack council, Jedsen Monck, Ben Mumme and Marcus Hobbs, who I’m very much looking forward to working with in the coming year. Id also like to welcome the new Year 11 students coming into the council, Ollie Radotic, Rourke Barlow, Ethan Blackadder and Alik Papaphotis. Being formally acknowledged at the assembly will always be a memorable moment.

We have had lots of fun taking part in the newly created esports competition, which is

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made up of a range of different video games in which the boys from different houses compete against each other. While we didn’t perform as well as hoped it was great to see the level of enthusiasm from all competitors and spectators.

The Durack Encounter Retreat was not only a milestone for us as Year 11s but for the College as well as it was number 100. For me, the Retreat was an extremely humbling experience and something that lived up to all expectations. It was an experience of a lifetime, which opened up a lot of different perspectives for myself and my fellow Durack members on our relationships with family, friends, God and ourselves. After three days and two nights being challenged spiritually and emotionally we left the Retreat on a high. The Retreat lead onto our first Durack mass of the academic year, and it was great to see such support from the new Year 11s and 12s. We held in our

prayers for the graduated Year 12s who were at the time completing their final exams; we wish them success and happiness in the coming years.

Over the next week the Council and I will be making our way around all the Durack tutor classes to promote our summer initiative. We’d like all Durack boys and members when doing the summer clean out to bring in any second hand winter clothing and blankets at the start of Term 1. We will be giving these items of clothing to those in need, preparing for the future winter. I look forward to sharing future initiatives with you in the new year.

I wish all members of Durack and their families, a restful holiday and a happy Christmas spent with loved ones.

Jesse Harris Captain of Durack 2021

Senior School

Prendiville House news 2021 Vision for Prendiville House Prendiville House is still in its infancy: 2021 will be the fourth year of its existence. The great upside to this is that the House’s tradition is yet to be shaped and formulated. The council members and I have embarked on this journey of creativity to meet the task of ‘turning Prendiville House into a home’.

With the assistance and insight of Mr Hayman we will hopefully progress and institute numerous unique initiatives that will stand the test of time and be continued by the House in the future. A few house-based initiatives to look forward to in 2021 include the Year 10 to 12 mentor system, monthly vertical House tutor time, the Pink Panther Award and of course the arrival of our House mascot costume.

Prendiville House Spirit The Tuatha Cup has commenced, and the mighty Prendivillian E-athletes have started strongly with a winner mindset by leading the Esports competition which convenes later this week. Success as a House stems from organisation, spirit but mostly culture. Culture

is similar to loyalty in that it takes time to develop. Hopefully, the many initiatives that debut next year will help build a great culture around the house. Furthermore, house days and house retreats have already added so much to the spirit of the House. In Term 4 alone the Year 11.5 cohort had a house day which featured a workshop with TomorrowMan, a walk to Manning Lawn Bowls, and pizzalunch down at Memorial Oval.

prior to our departure, the only regret we had about Retreat as we cleaned and locked up our dorms was that it didn’t last longer.

Milhan Ramji Prendiville House Captain 2021

Year 11 Prendiville Encounter Retreat Along with the house day the cohort was graced with the Year 11 Encounter Retreat, something we will all remember for a long time. Without giving to much away the Retreat was nothing short of magical and included recounts from Dr Kania, Mr Mavros and Br Clery’s life experiences. In addition to this star-studded line-up we had presentations from Matt Clarke, Mr Hayman and even special guest Justin Langer, photographed with the local legend Br Clery. The Retreat was an amazing experience which allowed many of us to talk deeply, share thoroughly and transition from boys to men. While there was some anxiousness and uncertainty about the Retreat

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Senior School

Prendiville House news Prendiville Encounter Retreat During Justin Langer’s speech to our Prendiville Year 11s on the last morning of their Encounter Retreat, he asked,

“Have you guys ever heard of meditation?”

The group chuckled and looked at one another.

Unbeknownst to Justin, Brother Clery and Dr Kania had facilitated four meditations over the previous two days. Several Prendivillians had noted these sessions as one of the highlights of the Retreat, during which they were prompted to look within and calm their bodies, minds and souls to connect with their personal sense of God. Mr Mavros reported that every year Mr Langer is invited to speak at the Encounter Retreats, and every year he responds to Brother Clery saying yay or nay, yet this year he forgot to write that email. When this dawned on Justin, despite his demanding schedule, he made a last-minute call to speak that morning because he couldn’t bear the thought of having let Brother Clery down.

Mr Langer spoke, more than anything, about resilience and respect as a pathway for success

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in anything. He has a workout room at home covered in quotes. For one example,

‘Men who listen to relate, not just to respond.’

And we need more ‘Men who Stay.’

“The pain of discipline is not as bad as the pain of disappointment.”

Another student suggested that, ‘Manhood is like childhood, just with added self-control.’

That said, despite his notorious work ethic and grit, Justin claimed that his relationship with transcendental meditation is what saved his career as a batsman. This seemed to tie-in nicely with the purpose of the Encounter Retreat: to create a sustained space of deep reflection and connection - connection with others and with God.

Character isn’t formed in three days, it is the work of a lifetime—moment to moment, hour upon hour, day by day, week to week, year to year. That is where character is formed.

We only need to think of Brother Clery to realise this, not just by observing his personal character, but the impact he has had on so many, like the coach of the Australian Men’s Cricket Team who altered his schedule to drive down to Baldivis on a Friday morning and pour his heart out to a group of teenagers with whom he owed no contractual obligation.

Parents often note the difference in their boys once they return from the Encounter Retreat.

As Head of House, I noticed a few things shift among the young gents by the end of the three days: the courage to be honest about one’s life, a willingness to be earnest, even though sincerity isn’t cool, and a greater empathy for the lives of others.

My specific break-out group devised a ‘zinger box’ in our notepads where we jotted down our best quotes over the few days—our ‘zingers’. According to the boys in our group, the type of men the world needs are:

Character isn’t formed in three days, though you couldn’t ask for a better catalyst than the Encounter Retreat. A big thank you to Dr Kania, Brother Clery, and Mr Mavros for once more facilitating this remarkably formative experience.

Mr Alex Hayman Head of Prendiville House

Senior School

Kahoot Competition Aquinian General Knowledge Kahoot Competition Council for 2021, we hoped to get the ball rolling as soon as possible in order to keep up the momentum with all of the projects that we hope to achieve as we continue into the new year. This is why we hosted the General Knowledge Kahoot Competition on the Thursday of Week 7. We wanted to show the school that we are not just here to encourage them to study and do well in their assessments, but we are here to show people that school can be enjoyable and fun – attempting to transform the culture of academics from boring and unpopular to exciting and stimulating. The General

Knowledge Kahoot consisted of 50 questions and covered a wide variety of topics including random facts, geography, history, sports, music and TV shows – just to name a few.

Two students were selected from each of the sixteen 10.5 and 11.5 Tutor Groups to make sixteen separate teams, which collectively represented their houses in the battle for points to contribute towards the Tuatha Shield (as well as chocolate for the top three teams).

Prendiville ended up taking out the Kahoot competition with a one-point victory against Cullity, having had two of their teams place in the top four. This was followed by Durack in third place and Chaney in fourth place (only two points behind Durack). Following the success and engagement with this competition,

we hope to execute the competition with the Middle School next year and to continue to encourage people to see the joy that knowledge and academics can bring. We plan to do so through a number of other projects in the coming year, including the running of another Science Amazing Race which proved to be a very big success this year, gathering a lot of interest.

Clay Kent Captain of Academics 2021

Mt Henry Peninsula Conservation Group Newsletter

Please click here for the MHPCG November 2020 Newsletter.

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Senior School

Mathematics in the 21st Century Mathematics has never been more openly or frequently discussed in the public domain than it has this year. The COVID-19 pandemic has had governments, the media and nearly everybody discussing “R values”, exponential growth rates and even looking at logarithmic scale graphs. Initially, many people may have needed these explained to them. However, all of these are looked at and studied in the Western Australian Curriculum for Mathematics.

Education has come a long way since “The three Rs” of Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic. The focus in the 21st Century is on communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. With the development of AI and Smart Technologies there are already numerous, and a rapidly increasing number of, resources available to do calculation. Assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, etc. and Applications such as Microsoft Math Solver, PhotoMath, etc. are able to, not only calculate, but also explain the methods used to achieve the solution. This has meant that there has had to be a shift in education from simply explaining skills to fostering critical thinking and reasoning.

In the Mathematics Department, we have been working hard to development these 21st

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Century skills and to get the students actively engaged in their learning.

Some of the Year 12s were challenged to match sketches of graphs of parent functions, their derivative gradient function and their second derivative function. They had to do this after having only studied the basics of this topic and had to call on all of the skills they had to critically analyse the information given and formulate a solution. The men found this engaging, and really cemented their understanding of the key concepts of differential calculus.

Recently, a group of Year 9s were set the task of working out the height of the football posts on Memorial Oval. All they were allowed to use was a pen, paper, calculator and a metre rule…..and they were not allowed to climb them. They had to work collaboratively and communicate ideas clearly so that they could formulate a suitable method. They had to draw upon a multitude of mathematical skills, including ones they may not have studied for a while, and came up with some very creative solutions. The students thoroughly enjoyed this experience and started talking about how they could use their techniques to estimate the heights of other tall objects including the Chapel and “the Castle”.

We have been making the change to using Mathspace as an online resource. This is a Mastery focussed programme, with an emphasis on solving problems, rather than simply a correct or incorrect answer. Students get instant feedback on each line of their working and are encouraged to develop their solution to communicate their answers mathematically. Adaptive tasks, which continue with a similar level of questioning if students need more practice or get harder if they are getting them correct, enable students to work on problems that are going to stretch their abilities and develop their skills.

Problem-solving questions test the students in more ways than basic calculation questions.

Many of the students have been engaging with this product well, and are even using it independently to do extra work, revision or further study.

As a department, we have adopted Microsoft OneNote and Microsoft Teams to communicate information as well as develop the students’ abilities on possible workplace packages. We are excited to be exploring new resources and practices in order to best prepare our young men for their future.

James Dwyer Head of Mathematics

Senior School

Economics

Economics Students lunch with the big end of town Nine of Aquinas’ new Year 11 Economics students were lucky enough to have lunch with the State Treasurer and Minister for Finance and Aboriginal affairs last Friday. The annual ‘State of the Economy’ address was a fantastic way to introduce the budding economists to the working of the Western Australian economy.

The students were treated to a magnificent lunch of Grilled SW beef and bitter chocolate ganache, with the full five-star service. They

were also asked to get the event trending online being the youngest people in the room.

The boys were quick to get on their phones and to engage in this process.

The Hon. Ben Wyatt MLA gave his address on the state of the WA economy. He was very surprised at how well we are doing - especially car sales and retail sales. The treasury had forecast an unemployment rate of 13% as a worst-case scenario. Ben was very relieved that in WA our current unemployment rate was only 6.8%. He was highly praising of the mining industry that had undoubtedly

supported the state very well throughout the extraordinary year.

The students, Luke Ngo-Guest, Taj Bingwa, Ethan Blackadder, Jonah Smith, Marcus Taylor, Leo Paoliello, Jed Vinicombe, Tom Brennan and Lucas Mollica were all very excited to attend and learnt a lot about how things work in the WA economy.

Paul Rich Economics Teacher

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Senior School

Odd Socks Day, On the 11th November Aquinas College celebrated Odd Socks Day. Odd Socks Day is a national event, typically celebrated on the 9th October, and is all about celebrating what makes someone unique. The big emphasis around this event is that everyone has an odd day and that we are not to be discouraged by this. Through the simple act of wearing odd socks we express our own individuality and uniqueness encouraging others to be themselves. The Student Wellbeing Council decided to host Aquinas’ very own Odd Socks Day to raise awareness and reduce the stigma of mental health issues in the school and hopefully spread out to the wider community.

Odd Socks Day was chosen as it is understood

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that there exists great stigma behind mental health issues, both in the college and in the wider community, and quite a simple act of wearing ‘Odd Socks’ can go a long way in diminishing this issue.

On Odd Socks Day Middle and Senior School students were encouraged and granted permission to wear ‘odd socks’ to school and throughout the day. It was great to see how students took up the challenge as a great number of students wore Odd Socks during the day, doing their part in reducing the stigma behind Mental Health. To celebrate the day the Student Wellbeing Council sold cinnamon doughnuts and soft drinks during Break A, whilst the Senior School band ‘Rhys and the

Rest’ played during both breaks. There was a good culture around the day, and there was a great demand for the doughnuts and soft drinks as we sold out quite quickly. The boys enjoyed their doughnuts and soft drinks listening to the amazing music played by ‘Rhys and the Rest’.

The Student Wellbeing Council managed to raise $517.36 which was sent directly to Beyond Blue. Beyond Blue was chosen to support their work towards achieving an Australian community that understands anxiety, depression, and suicide, and empowers every person in Australia to seek support.

Daniel Sader Captain of Student Wellbeing 2021

Senior School

2021 Prefects

“Legacy is not what we do for ourselves; legacy is what we do for future generations.”

As with last year, it was great to see the tiered seating in the gymnasium filled with sixty-seven Year 12 Prefects who have committed to assisting fourteen councils and fulfilling various other duties around the school grounds.

That is how our newly inducted College Captain, Naveen Nimalan, opened his speech to a full Brother Paull Centre on a sunny Thursday in Week 4. The entirety of his speech is published below, for it would seem a shame to not give the wider Aquinas community access to Naveen’s outline of his vision as student-leader for Aquinas in 2021.

The Council Captains have started their year as leaders with a flurry of initiatives, including the Well-Being Council’s ‘Odd-Socks Day’ to raise money for Beyond Blue, the Sustainability Council’s ‘Containers for Change’ project, the Academic Council’s General Knowledge Kahoot Competition, and of course the inaugural Esports Competition as part of

2021 Council

College Captain

Naveen Nimalan

College Vice Captain

Isaac Klomp

the Tuatha Shield, which has seen up to 100 students in the crowd during recess and lunch, cheering avatar English Premier League football players on.

Below are the Captains and Prefects that make up the Councils for this term and 2021.

Beyond that is Naveen’s speech from the Induction Ceremony.

Mr Alex Hayman Assistant Head of Senior School

Council

Captain

Staff

Chaney House

Matthew Cain

Mr Montgomery

Cullity House

Cameron Goeree

Mrs Woodhouse

Durack House

Jesse Harris

Mr Fielding

Prendiville House

Milhan Ramji

Mr Hayman

Academics

Clay Kent

Mr Chapman

Justine, Peace & Advocacy

Ged Street

Mr Mavros

Boarding

Samuel Mclean

Mr Henderson

Culture

Tristan Nel

Mr McMillan

Divinity

Louis Martino

Dr Kania

Service

Matthew Fimmel

Mr Richards

Sport

Max Radotic

Mr Gault

Student Wellbeing

Daniel Sader

Ms Ramsay

Learning Diversity

David Russell

Mr Gellin

Sustainability

Hayden Mendoza

Mr West

Council Members Chaney

Cullity

Durack

Prendiville

Academics

JPA

Boarding

Matthew Cain

Cameron Goeree

Jesse Harris

Milhan Ramji

Clay Kent

Ged Street

Samuel Mclean

Kyle Winnett

Miller Street

Ben Mumme

Caleb Verbruggen

Marshal Destremau

Daniel Della Bona

Declan Kilpatrick

Tejay Ardagh

Harry Grazia

Marcus Hobbs

Luca Webb

Lucas Kamarudin

Matthew Cox

Cooper Wiebrecht

Spencer Begley

Mason Gardiner

Jedsen Monck

William Spence

Naveen Nimalan

Nathan Mahney

Barry Bellotti

Charlie Stewart

Tom Mackay

Samuel Wilhelm

Jomiaz Dean

Ewan Wallace

William Bowring

Culture

Divinity

Service

Sport

Well-Being

Learning Diversity

Sustainability

Tristan Nel

Louis Martino

Matthew Fimmel

Max Radotic

Daniel Sader

David Russell

Hayden Mendoza

Liam Cunning

Declan McGoldrick

Isaac Klomp

Ethan Wyatt-Smith

Finn Chadd

Lachlan DrakeBrockman

Matthew Jessop

Oliver McMahon

Sean Boers

Aiden Street

Lachlan Turley

Daniel Nolan

Jackson Callope

Sean Hendrata

Rafe Burton

Jack Cleaver

Declan Holloway

Daniel Chisholm

Jared Healy Zebiah Peaker

Max Wallis

James Saunders

Brady McGlinn

Caelem Conroy William Backhouse

Jesse Motlop

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Senior School

Induction Speech

Naveen Nimalan College Captain “Legacy is not what we do for ourselves; legacy is what we do for future generations.” But what value is there in a school’s legacy, a legacy enriched in sport, music, culture, service and so much more, if the students don’t harness the many opportunities that are provided for us?

Good morning Mr McFadden, official party, staff, parents and my fellow peers. It is an honour to represent you today as the College Captain for the coming year.

For the 2021 leadership team behind me, in our brief moment in leadership, our legacy will be determined by what we do in the next twelve months to serve all of you, and how well we succeed, even if in some small way, in leaving a positive impact on the culture of Aquinas for future generations. With this in mind, we have established three goals that we hope will contribute to present and future students. These goals embody the realisation that the heart of a College like our own is a culture sustained by students who have a go at the opportunities our school provides.

So firstly, GOAL 1: Grounding the Senior School Council System.

As some of you may know, we’ve established a new Senior School leadership system in 2020, a system of 14 councils that each focus on promoting and developing different aspects of

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our College, whether it be academics, service, sport, sustainability or boarding, just to name a few. Unlike some other schools where a small leadership team is stretched thin to try and make changes within their College, we now have a full system of 51 prefects and 16 captains thinking, brainstorming and initiating new projects for our school community.

The 2021 leadership team acknowledges the foundation of the new council system that the previous year has established for us, and for this coming year we aim to maintain and improve this. Ultimately, we strive to make the College Community more inclusive and expand the opportunities of the Aquinas College Life.

GOAL 2: Listening to the Aquinas community.

That’s listening to the students, the staff, the parents, the Old Boys, the entire community, for their valuable input, opinions and concerns and allowing those voices to shape how our school evolves. In Term 3 you might have noticed boxes around the school asking for the opinions of both students and teachers.

We asked you ‘what do you want in our school’? From this initiative, many students were interested in a student garden, so the Sustainability Council have been looking to get one running. Other students called for an Interhouse Esports Competition, so a competition for Senior School students will be held in Week 6 this term! I feel like schools should listen to the many different wonderful ideas that both students and staff have, as so many exciting possibilities can be found.

And finally GOAL 3: Inclusivity and Buying In. The culture of a school is dependent on the participation of its students. Aquinas College provides a lot of opportunity for each and every student that walks these College grounds; the student leadership team aims to expand these opportunities to involve as many students as we can into the Aquinas life. But

while Aquinas provides us these opportunities, it’s up to each and every one of us to decide whether we want to make the most of them.

Aquinas has a whole breadth of life-experience on offer, whether it be in service, debating, academic competitions, production, mock trials, or, of course, sport. Aquinas participates in arguably the strongest school sporting competition in Western Australia, so, as Aquinians, we should try to always serve the Red and Black at the best level we can.

The Aquinas culture is also defined by supporting your fellow Aquinians in the aspects of the College they involve themselves in; whether it be cheering from the sidelines at our PSA games on the weekend, by coming to watch the Senior School Production early next year, or by supporting the mighty sportsmen in the Interhouse esports competition in a couple of weeks… This all links to the value of mateship in our school community, especially in an all-boys community, and buying into the College life, the College life of serving others and participating in as much as the school offers.

I began this speech by underlining the legacy that the 2021 leadership team aims to achieve: bettering the Aquinas Life in whatever way we can, for all of us here, and for future generations to come. But while the staff and student leaders strive to provide as many opportunities for life-experience as we can for our community, it’s up to us students to buy-in to the Aquinas life, starting from now and this year to come. To conclude this speech, I’d like to part with a few words that I believe we should all keep in our hearts, as we face the year ahead of us, a strong ideology already present within the Aquinas Community. As our Captain of Boats Daniel Nolan says to his crew, “this is our year boys.” Thank you for your time.

Naveen Nimalan College Captain 2021

Senior School

Student Leadership Afternoon John Quincy Adams once defined leadership in this way,

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader”.

Our mission as the student leadership body of Aquinas College is to inspire the other boys to be better - better academically, on the sporting field, creatively, and better Men for Others in accordance with the Edmund Rice tradition, such that we can be worthy to wear the crest of so many good Aquinian men gone before us.

However, as always, actions speak louder than words – the team had to be mobilised. Hence the challenge of hosting a student leadership afternoon on the 23rd October was presented to the Captains of the College, to which they rose above and beyond.

On Graduation Day, after the Captains of 2020 had been farewelled, the next generation of leaders packed into the Redmond Learning Centre, eager to participate cohesively in a team which would carry the legacy of Aquinas through to the next year. After

a quick introduction from our Captain, Naveen Nimalan, it was straight into teamunity activities — competitive bouts of riddle-deciphering — followed by a hectic presentation of winners; naturally the prizes consisted of not only dinosaur stickers but Monsters Inc. ones as well.

The team thus split into their respective Councils, with the council captain leading discussion on their mission, their methods of organisation and initiatives which can be implemented during the school year.

Each Council, upon return to the main group, had the opportunity to present their discussion, which achieved multiple effects: the improvement of public speaking skills, a greater sense of team cohesion, increased awareness of each council’s focus, the chance to sow seeds for inter-council collaboration.

Each student left the afternoon with a greater understanding of the Council system for 2021, and hopefully, an upsurge in vigour to make 2021 an inspirational year.

Isaac Klomp College Vice Captain 2021

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Senior School

Aquinas myFUTURE – uniPATH This term an ambitious and determined cohort of Year 10.5s began their uniPATH journey by completing the Research Methods and Skills unit at The University of Notre Dame Australia. Whilst the unit was designed to have a skills focus to prepare students for their uniPATH pathways either at Notre Dame or UWA, students used the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a basis for a presentation delivered on campus at Fremantle and the submission of their final project.

Under the guidance of Richard King, lecturer, journalist and author, a highlight of the unit were the ten minute presentations prepared and delivered by the students. All of the presentations were exceptional in their quality.

As a snapshot of the 19 presentations, some of the goals discussed included:

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Michael O’Sullivan - Gender Equality and empowerment of all women and girls. Michael framed the international importance of empowering a greater percentage of women in strategic decision making positions in significant economic, political and public settings.

the ecological, environmental and economical impact of our engagement with the world’s marine environments, interestingly Alec explored the potential benefits of reduced human activity associated by behavioural changes to defend against COVID-19 on global and local CO2 and ocean acidification.

Jacob White - Deforestation and Land Degradation in Brazil. Jacob articulated the reasons behind the lack of progress under Brazil’s current leader Jair Bolsonaro towards eliminating the rate of deforestation in Brazil by 2020. He explained the optimistic outlook associated with the recent United States election result to potentially amend the recent approach towards this important goal.

This uniPATH enrichment opportunity has stretched these young men to grow in a supportive tertiary environment, helping them to re-imagine their boundaries and the possibilities that are available to them. As a College, we are so proud of this cohort of students. They have demonstrated intellect, determination and maturity well beyond their years.

Alec Jorgensen - Conserve and Sustainably use the Oceans, Sea and Marine Resources for Sustainable Development. Whilst addressing

Brendan Chapman Head of Academic Studies

Senior School

Year 11.5 Sundowner Yr11.5 families wrapped up the year 2020 with a sundowner at Cottesloe beach. The boys had a great time playing volleyball and a well deserved swim after, whilst parents relaxed under shade on the big wooden steps .A big thanks to P&F funding that provided the pizzas for the mob of hungry young men! Great day had by all that attended.

Thanks from your Year11.5 Social Co-ordinators Ruth Burton

Juliana Fimmel Nicole Stein

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Sport

Senior School

COVID-19 has certainly presented challenges this year, but as a College and the PSA as a collective, to get what we were able to out of the year has been a credit to the many stakeholders involved.

Congratulations once again to our 1st Basketball,Volleyball and Cross Country for taking out premierships in their respective competitions.

As we break for the Christmas period, our 1st Basketball and Water Polo teams sit undefeated on top of the ladder in their competitions, but a lot of work is still to be done in Term 1 in what are very even competitions. 1st volleyball lost a thrilling 5 set match to Hale School in the final round and will need to turn this result around in term one if they wish to retain the Br Carrigg Shield.

Our 1st XI Cricket team have been involved in some thrilling matches this term, with three games going down to the last over, with one win, one loss and one draw eventuating. A win over Hale in the final game sees us well in contention for the Darlot Cup with the extra points of Term 1 cricket on offer. Our 1st Tennis team have faced stiff opposition through the term but continue to show improvement, individually and as a team.

What has been most pleasing is the many acts of good sportsmanship that are witnessed each week across all age groups and all codes. While we must always strive for success, the quest for victory must never come at the expense of fair play. Good people first, good sportsmen second.

On this note, we must acknowledge the 8C Basketball team. The College received notification from Guildford Grammar School thanking the team for the sportsmanship they showed in a recent fixture. The Aquinas team was clearly stronger than the Guildford team, but the Aquinas team, at times, held back their defence to allow the Guildford boys to score and achieve some success on the day.

Our rowers have had some good results through the term, winning the Aquinas Regatta and placing second at the Guildford Regatta after our 2nd VIII’s ran into some difficulties with other crews on the tight circuit. Our Year 9 boys have dominated their age division at all regattas.

Competition for spots in crews across the whole boatshed is strong, which continues to drive standards up. Aquinas won all 3000m races at the recent Trinity regatta and will set their sights now to their Albany training camp which will be the platform to prepare for Term 1 regattas and, ultimately the Head of the River.

The swim squad have been training hard and will continue to do so across the school holiday period as we prepare for the 2021 season.

Many boys took the opportunity to race at a recent time trial meet

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hosted by Southshore swim club which was a great initiative.

Thanks to all boys, parents and coaches for your support of Aquinas sport this year. I encourage all boys to maintain their conditioning over this period, and we will provide some running and conditioning programs for the boys to use as a guide over this time. Our boys showed during the shutdown period what they could do to stay fit when not in structured programs, and this experience should help them over the coming weeks.

I wish all families a safe and happy Christmas.

David Gault Head of Sport

Sport

Senior School

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