Middle/Senior School Bulletin Issue 13 / 13 October 2017
Middle & Senior School News Every minute counts and we have certainly been making the most of every minute in the first two weeks of Term 4. For our Year 12 students, the term ahead will continue to unfold as perhaps one of their most memorable at St Andrews. As they transition into life after secondary schooling the focus will remain on ‘good living and good leaving’. Last Friday we held the P-12 Journey Breakfast for our Foundation students and families who have been at the College since Prep. It is always a lovely occasion of reflection as we gather to share stories and photos of their journey. The Formal, which was held at the Bond University last Saturday night, was the first in a series of celebrations and special events for our Year 12s and it was a pleasure to share the evening with these elegant, thoughtful and exemplary young people. Year 12s, you are a credit to yourselves, your families and our College.
Inside and outside of scheduled classes, our students continue to be an inspiration and it is a privilege to support them as they seek ways to make a difference in our College and the wider community. With so many students and staff already involved in the All Schools State Touch Titles, students performing in the State Honours in Brisbane, Rosies Outreach nights and exhibiting artwork at Energies, Arts Centre Gold Coast. The College has seen God’s blessings and His gifts in abundance. I’d like to make special mention of Emily Burnell (College Vice-Captain) who served as a leader in the Kokoda Youth Foundation’s Kokoda Trip to Papua New Guinea over the holidays. Emily shared her experience with students at Chapel this week.
Year 12 Formal photos can be accessed via TANGO PHOTOGRAPHY Password is Gold2017. Thanks to Tango Photography for capturing these moments.
Over the break, Bailey Scott (Year 12) played on AFL Grand Final Day and once again made a National training squad with inroads to trialling for three significant AFL Clubs after graduation.
This week, Senior Geography students travelled to Brisbane to gather primary data to enable students to work on an assessment regarding Urban Planning. Our German language students travelled to Ocktoberfest in Brisbane, where they learned more about this traditional German event and were exposed to the wider German community. Over the break a number of students continued to participate in their extra-curricular Entrepreneurial Studies by attending the IC’17 and Entrepreneurial Academy programs. Their next session is this Friday afternoon and they will focus on prototyping their ideas. Thank you to all the students involved and in particular, Ms Myles who is overseeing the programs.
Our Year 9 boys are in the middle of their Edge program and are currently on GOOGA camp. Parents of Year 9 students have certainly enjoyed the GOOGA blog as a means of keeping up to date with activities on camp. Thank you to Mr Christophe Tanguy for his stellar work in preparing the students and parents for The Edge and to the staff who are spending time with the boys at GOOGA.
A Few Important Reminders: Moderation Day - Pupil Free Day - Monday 16 October Teachers around the state will be moderating Year 12 student work on Monday 16 October. We have a large number of teachers from St Andrews on panels. All other staff from P-10 will be engaged in professional development on this day. This will be a pupil free day for all students P-12. Mufti-Day – Tuesday 24 October Each term the College holds a mufti-day to raise funds in support of local, national or international charities. This term, our focus is on Cancer Awareness and all funds raised will go towards assisting families of current students who are facing the challenges of this disease. Mufti-Day will be held on Tuesday 24 October and students are encouraged to wear Yellow or Pink and to bring in a gold coin donation.
Cultural Awards Night The Cultural Awards Night will be held in the RBT on Friday 20 October. This will be a great event and celebration of the Arts as well as a night to acknowledge the fine work of our students. Theatre Opening and Re-dedication Service The Ruth Butler Theatre will be officially reopened at a special function for our 2016 graduates, Senior Students and invited guests on Wednesday 25 October at 2.30pm. There will also be tours of the facility held in Term 4 and of course our Cultural Awards will be held in our new space on Friday 20 October, leading up to the official reopening. Years 7-12 Sports Awards Breakfast The Sports Awards Breakfast will be held in the MPH on Tuesday 31 October at 7.30am. This is a recognition of student’s contribution to the Sporting life of the College as well as their individual achievements. Presentation Nights These are compulsory evenings for all students in Years 4-12. During the evenings we will acknowledge the work of our students throughout the year and celebrate who we are as a community. • • •
Senior School (Years 10-12) Tuesday 14 November 2017 at 6.30pm to be held at The Arts Centre Gold Coast. Middle School (Years 7-9) Monday 27 November 2017 at 6.30pm to be held at The Arts Centre Gold Coast. Junior School (Years 4-6) Tuesday 28 November 2017 at 6.30pm to be held at The Arts Centre Gold Coast.
Year 12 parents should have received information regarding booking seats at The Arts Centre Gold Coast. All other seating for parents will be organised on arrival and students will sit with their teachers. Valedictory Dinner The Valedictory Dinner and presentation of diplomas will be held at Bond University 6.30pm Thursday 16 November. Invitations and seat booking information were mailed last week. Students are asked to wear their Formal School Uniform on this occasion. End of Term Dates Year 12 Last Day Our Year 12 students finish school on Friday 17 November with a farewell chapel starting at 8.50am in the Worship Centre. Year 12 parents are welcome to attend this service. Students in Years 10 and 11 will be finishing the school year on Tuesday 28 November. Years 7-9 students finish on Friday 1 December. As you can see we have a very busy term ahead and we look forward to continuing to celebrate your child/ren and their learning over these very important events. Please contact me should I be able to offer any assistance in the days ahead. Virginia Warner Deputy Principal Head of Secondary School
Chaplains Chat Scripture Alone, Faith Alone, Grace Alone…. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. October 31 1517 is a very significant day for Lutherans across the globe. Why might that be? It is the day that a German monk by the name of Martin Luther nailed 95 points of objection to his local church door. He was concerned about the legitimacy of selling indulgences to people in his town. Hardly a person outside of his local community knew who Martin Luther was on that particular day almost 500 years ago, but his action of posting his objections set in place a series of events that have defined him as one of the most influential individuals of all time. St Andrews is inextricably connected to this event. Without it occurring our school may well not have come into existence and if it did, our ethos could be very different from what it presently is. Luther brought about radical change to the manner in which the Christian faith was lived out. During the middle ages the Church organisation dictated all sorts of traditions and practices. Many of these were instituted through human tradition and ideas. This led to practices becoming centred around what we humans could do to make sure we were right with God. An example being the purchase of a document called an indulgence that would ensure a person was forgiven by God and could proceed directly to heaven upon death. Luther found no support for this type of practice in the Bible. Instead, through careful study of the Bible he deduced that being ‘right with God’ depended upon God’s love for all people and each individual’s preparedness to receive this love by faith. This came to be known in Latin as the three ‘Solas’ - Sola Scriptura - Scripture Alone, Sola Fide - Faith Alone and Sola Gratia - Grace Alone. Meaning that it is Scripture Alone (the Bible) that determines whether something is of God or not. It is Faith Alone that makes a person right before God and all of this is by God’s Grace alone, not through anything we do in our own strength. These three concepts turned Christianity upside down and brought great freedom to people of the 1500s and this has extended down through the centuries to us today. The three ‘Solas’ impact how we do things at St Andrews today and we are very thankful to God for working through Martin Luther 500 years ago. We trust that God will continue to lead us in trusting the Scriptures as the ultimate authority in all we plan and endeavour to do and that as this happens God’s love will reign amongst us and bring light and life to all. Graeme Schache College Chaplain
Middle School News Elective Subject Selections Our window of online elective subject selections is almost closed and, accordingly, if you are yet to sit with your son or daughter and go through subject selections then can I please ask that it be done as soon as possible. The WebPreferences program will place all entered students into a range of subjects which provides the highest possible selections for all students and not necessarily on an ‘ordered’ basis. Please understand that students should be prepared to do subjects other than their first preferences although we try as hard as possible to place all students in their highest preferences. Personal Projects Our Year 9 girls have commenced their personal project for Term 4. This opportunity affords the girls a chance to pursue an area of interest or passion throughout the term. It is always exciting to hear the types of projects that our students wish to pursue and I encourage parents of Year 9 to talk further with their daughters about this endeavour. The boys will be commencing their project upon their return from Googa.
ituality. However, the most important part of my message was just be a little bit kinder to each other and then we truly will be able to feel supported, accepted and valued. Lose the judgement, the gossip and the smart comments and before we do, say or act – just THINK. Along with that, I gave our students some sayings that they may need to call upon to persist through the last term of 2017. They then had to adopt one and perhaps write it in their diaries, on their bathroom mirror or their message board at home. Here they are: • Get up, dress up, show up • This too shall pass • I am good enough; I am enough • I’ve got this • Just breathe • Just keep going • “One step, one punch, one round” (Rocky) • I’m not quitting • I’m keeping my eye on the prize • Just give love • Don’t give up, look how far you’ve come • It’s ok to rest, it’s not ok to quit
Googa The Year 9 boys are almost at the end of their time up at Googa OEC and the girls are preparing to go. I was on the bus with the boys heading up there last week and it was an excited but nervous group heading toward Blackbutt. I look forward to spending time with the boys up there over the weekend and hearing their stories about this experience. A reminder that in 2018 our time at Googa will move to the end of Term 2. As always, please contact me should you wish to discuss anything further or if I can offer any assistance at tomc@ salc.qld.edu.au Tom Casey Head of Middle School
Flourishing in the Senior School Mental Health Week In LAG this week we will be discussing mental health and how important it is to normalise conversations around this. Just recently in HPE we used a simple question, ‘How are you?’ to have an active and constructive conversation. I watched with pride as both young men and women made deliberate efforts to turn their chairs away from the board to face each other before they would even start their conversations. Imagine if we all took that 5 or so minutes to connect with each other on a regular basis. Earlier in the week I talked to the whole Senior School about how to ensure we could transcend through using the strengths of appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, humour, hope and spir-
Why Mental Health Week is important In any given year 20% of the population is experiencing mental health issues, 45% in their lifetime. Mental Health Week is the perfect time to have an open discussion on mental health and raise awareness of mental health issues in the community. A great way to learn more about mental health issues is by tuning in to the ABC’s Mental As program. Mental Health Week acts as a yearly reminder to check up on friends, family and co-workers. When was the last time you checked in with a friend or loved one with a question – How are you? Would you like any support? These simple questions just lets that person know that someone is there for them. Source: http://epicassist.org/au/epichub/why-mentalhealth-week-is-important/?gclid=CJGHjrTG2tYCFYKSvQodI e0E4A
Congratulations to: • Finlay Wardrop, Lauren Kattenhorn, Duke Lawson & Annabelle Haydon-Clark who attended the 2970 Degree Conference just prior to the holiday. Finlay shares a few thoughts about what he gained from the experience. “The 2970 Degrees conference was a thought-provoking and engaging experience that allowed me to view the opinions of others on some of the most prevalent political and ethical matters facing today’s society. It was a place where your opinions mattered and weren’t dismissed but rather actively encouraged to allow others to gain insight on what the “leaders of tomorrow” think about the issues we face and what is happening in society today.” • Bailey Scott who continues to excel in his chosen sport of AFL – here is a brief outline of what he’s been up to and what is ahead of him - Last week he played in Victoria as part of the Allstars Under 17 side (best 44 from Australia). From there he was selected in the NAB Level 2 AFL Academy (Australian Under 18’s side - the best 35 from Australia. As part of this team he will head to Darwin for training and cultural education and spend some time in the Tiwi islands, a very prestigious area when it comes to indigenous AFL success. After this Bailey will be heading to Florida, to the IMG academy, the world’s largest sports college. After this he will attend a camp called Club Week where he will spend one week training with an AFL club as if he’s part of their list and Geelong, North Melbourne and the Gold Coast have all been in touch. Wow! Well done, Bailey.
If you have any queries or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me at tanias@salc.qld.edu.au Tania Stewart Head of Senior School
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Emily Burnell who was part of the Kokoda Kids and after months of hard training walked the 96km Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea over the holidays. While there she experienced a very moving Dawn Service and gave her 2 pairs of Nike shoes to local children. Emily found it a life-changing experience and we look forward to hearing more about it. St Andrews Leos Club – Well done to our Leos who participated in the Relay for Life at the start of the holidays, particularly to our executive Jordon Dillon for her persistence in making it happen. The Executive of Hayden Verschuure and Jordon then organised two BBQ’s at Bunnings raising $1500 for our chosen charities. Thank you to all our Leos who were involved and gave up their holiday time to walk around a track, flip some sausages or fry some onions. You are legends!
Performing Arts News Moving into The Ruth Butler Theatre It has been an exciting week for the Arts Department as we moved in to the new Ruth Butler Theatre. This facility is nothing short of amazing with the latest in theatre technology and it was so wonderful to watch the faces of our students as they walked in for the very first time. I look forward to the many creative journeys we will share in this venue – the new memories we will make and the important role the facility will play in the training of our performers. I would also like to express my gratitude and respect to our Drama students who have demonstrated such resilience over the past 18 months – it was certainly worth the wait.
Cultural Awards Friday 20 October at 6.30pm in The Ruth Butler Theatre. This evening is a highlight of our Arts Calendar and will be our debut performance evening in our beautiful new facility. A reminder to parents who are planning to attend this event, please register your seat through Try Booking (https://www. trybooking.com/book/event?eid=306245&bof=1). There is no cost for the ticket but it is essential to book and bring your ticket to enter. There will be no tickets at the door. There are only a limited number of seats remaining so book to avoid missing out. Peter Pan Begins Last Thursday our Middle and Senior cast began their journey to Neverland with our first rehearsal. With close to 200 students from Year 3-11 performing this production promises to be amazing.
Gold Coast Eisteddfod Congratulations to the following students on their Individual results at the Gold Coast Eisteddfod Speech and Drama Isaac Thorpe and Callum Ahern 1st Place Duo Drama Isaac Thorpe 1st Place Individual Drama (Invited to 2017 Musicale Showcase) Eliza Thorpe – 1st Place Individual Drama and 1st Place Humorous Poem Hayley Luxton – 2nd Place Humorous Poem Sophie Crouch Individual Proes-2nd Individual mime-2nd Individual Monologue-2nd
Priscilla Scott Head of Arts.
Science News The Science department is taking part in a seagrass propagation trial coordinated by a local educational group called Kikka Environmental. This propagation trial aims to revegetate a section of the Tallebudgerra creek that has been slowly denuded of its seagrass beds over the last decade. It is envisaged that with the re-establishment of these beds, an improvement in water quality and ultimately the re-establishment of a healthy ecosystem will result. The main species of seagrass common to the Gold Coast waterways is Zostera capricorni. Year 11 Biology students have recently set up this propagation trial in two marine tanks with the help of Ms Daniela Wilken-Jones from KIKKA Environmental. It is envisaged that the seagrass runners will take approximately 10 weeks to multiply before they can be re-sown into Tallebudgera creek. Students and staff are excited about the prospect of making a positive contribution to our local environment and learning more about marine ecosystems. David Wyatt Head of Science
Japanese News こんにちは、 We have been making onigiri (riceballs) in Japanese, and feeding children in need at the same time. TABLE FOR TWO is a non-profit organisation addressing the related issues of hunger and obesity through a unique “meal-sharing” program. Table for Two started in Japan and now operates in 14 countries.
Onigiri is a traditional and healthy snack in Japan, and celebrates rice, one of the major Japanese agricultural products, and showcases the Japanese tradition of making onigiri for others with love. We participated by making onigiri and then sent photos. In exchange for our posted photo, Table for Two provides 5 school meals to children in need. It’s a small step, but many small steps create a large movement. The world becomes a better place to live as more and more people think critically and compassionately about the centrality of “food” related issues. Table for Two aims to create an opportunity for people to think about the food imbalance in the world and the problem of obesity and hunger, and provide a simple and powerful avenue to take action.
Sport News Qld All Schools Touch Last week five teams represented the College at the Queensland All Schools Touch Competition. This tournament was held over 5 days at Whites Hill Reserve in Brisbane. I am pleased to say that 2017 proved to be our best performance in this competition. Not only were all our teams competitive but for the first time a St Andrews team made the top 16 and went on to play in the finals on the Sunday. Congratulations to the Open Mixed team for this outstanding achievement. The success of this year’s program is attributed to the commitment and dedication displayed by not only the students but also their coaches. Special thanks must go to Paul McGilveray, Mark Hibbs, Casey West and Leanne Pett for their willingness to go above and beyond for the students. The addition of Mr Mark Janson as our mentor coach certainly increased staff coaching expertise and knowledge resulting in dramatic improvements to both the students skills and game understanding. Gym The gym is open again and free to use for all students. If your child has not been inducted yet they are more than welcome to come along and see one of the gym supervisors to arrange a time that suits. Wednesday mornings and afternoons have been specifically set aside for this purpose. Our gym is always fully supervised, with students expected to train using an appropriate program. Students can also engage in classes for just an extra $5 a class. These can be booked on the tryingbooking link below. This term the classes are: Boxing – Tuesday afternoons and Thursday mornings HIIT – Friday afternoons https://www.trybooking.com/SGKA Callum Hannay our PT will also be running specific workshops free of charge to increase student knowledge and skill in the gym. Week 2 is Kettlebell Week. Students and staff can come along and learn different ways to use this training tool safely and effectively. Sport Awards Breakfast This event will be held on Tuesday 31 October. It is to celebrate the achievements of students through school sport. All families of those students receiving an award have been contacted and are kindly ask to RSVP via email the names of those in your family attending this event to sport@salc.qld. edu.au
Table for Two aims to feed over one million meals to children in need. We loved making onigiri, sharing the story and photos and we look forward to the next campaign in 2018. Kerry Forrest Japanese & LOTE Co-ordinator
Libby Wood Secondary School Sports Coordinator
Dates to Remember OCTOBER Sunday 15 Family Fun Day at Varsity Lakes Monday 16 STUDENT FREE DAY / MODERATION DAY Tuesday 17 Year 11 Biology Ecology Excursion (Selected Students) Year 10 Surfing (Selected Students) Years 10-12 Elite Athletes Lunch (Selected Students) Wednesday 18 Boys Return from GOOGA approx 2:30pm Thursday 19 Year 9 Boys GOOGA Reflection Day Year 7-12 Assembly 2018 Captain Speeches AGCC Sports Awards Presentation Years 7-11 Rec Sport Friday 20 Year 9 Boys GOOGA Reflection Day Year 9 Girls Prepare for GOOGA IC’17 Workshop Years 4-12 Cultural Awards Evening - The Ruth Butler Theatre, 6:30pm - 8:30pm Sunday 22 Captains 2018 Interviews with Prin & DP Monday 23 Year 9 Girls at GOOGA Tuesday 24 Mufti Day-Cancer Awareness Year 10 Surfing (Selected Students) Wednesday 25 Years 7-12 Chess Tournament (Selected Students) Ruth Butler Theatre Opening and Rededication, 2:30pm Thursday 26 Safer Schoolies Information Session (Year 12) Years 7-11 Rec Sport Year 9 Boys Reflection Day& Edge Presentation Friday 27 SS Mens and Womens Assembly IC’17 Workshop Year 12 Graduating Art Exhibition Opening
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TECHNOLOGY AND PARENTING
insights The Myth of Multitasking by Martine Oglethorpe
Being a parent today has plenty of challenges, none more so than keeping up with what our kids are doing on their devices. This is particularly the case when we think they should be using their time more productively. These days so much of the kids’ school work and study is done on a computer or tablet that it gets tricky to discern how much of their screen time is work and how much is scrolling on Instagram or snapping on Snapchat. Of course our kids don’t see a problem with this. They believe they are pretty proficient multitaskers, able to scroll a social media feed, live stream music, answer a text message and study for their maths test at the same time. And we shouldn’t be surprised that they think this, because most of us think the same. Most parents are also now regular users of a digital device and also believe we can multitask with ease. We routinely scan Facebook while simultaneously stirring the cheese sauce, breaking up an argument in the other room and listening to our partner recap their day at work. The truth is that neither our kids nor ourselves can effectively multitask and do the best job possible at any given time. Research tells us that the brain has a finite amount of attention it can devote at any one moment in time. When we pile tasks on top of one another, we reduce the effectiveness of our brain as it must now share that limited resource amongst those multiple jobs. We are not multitasking – we are switch tasking. This means that each of those tasks takes longer as we rapidly flick our attention from one of them to another, refocusing each time. We lose momentum and we lose efficiency. So how can we help our kids (and ourselves) stay focused and concentrate on one task at a time? Have them set up study blocks This can start with time slots as short as 20 minutes in which they focus on one task only for that period. The blocks need to be timed and need to be devoted to only a single task. Turn off notifications The binging and beeping of a device will always encourage diversion as the owner feels the need to respond to their messages or check that email. By turning off all the noise-based distractions, your kids (and you) are less likely to be interrupted during a focused study period. Allow them to reward themselves Each time they manage to complete a set study period, they can be rewarded with a short break to do
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something else. If this is checking social media then they need to set a timer and stick to it. We all know how easily we can get sucked into the vortex of social media feeds and never-ending scrolling. Other breaks might involve playing with a pet or listening to a song. Getting up and moving to get the blood pumping is a great way to take a break and ensure your brain is ready to refocus when the time comes for the next block. Invest in an analogue clock Use a clock or a visual timer that counts down the time for each study period. When the brain sees time literally ticking away it finds it easier to grasp the concept of how fast time is going and, in turn, what is being accomplished in that time. This doesn’t quite work the same way when we use a digital clock, so using an analogue clock can be a really useful exercise to try. Monitor your child When parents lament to me that they don’t know if their child is doing any work, or they are always distracted by their devices, then I ask them to have the conversation with them. Find out what they are doing and if they are struggling with anything. Look at how they are keeping up with all aspects of their lives. Ask their teacher if they are still on track. Remember that monitoring your child – and not just on their devices – is the best way to ensure they are in control and getting the things done that they need to be doing. There are certainly some tasks that we can do at the same time without compromising efficiency. Hanging out the washing while listening to a podcast is something I can confidently achieve. But when it comes to more cognitive pursuits that require greater focus, then we must remember that our brains need to be able to focus solely on one task at a time in order to achieve them in the most productive manner possible.
Martine Oglethorpe Martine Oglethorpe is a speaker, counsellor and educator with a passion for building resilient kids in a digital world. Martine is available for student workshops focused on positive online behaviours, for teacher professional development on how the digital world affects what happens in the classroom and for corporate and parent information sessions. For more information head to her website themodernparent.net. Contact details: info@martineoglethorpe.com.au, themodernparent.net, facebook.com/themodernparent
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