From the Headmaster

A very warm welcome and welcome back to 2022 for the Somerset community.  Over this week we had 220 new students, 154 in the Junior School and 66 in the Senior School, begin their journey at the College and we certainly hope theirs will be as rewarding as ours. We also welcome an additional class of Pre-Prep students to the College in 2022, the Class of 2036!

We started the year with a record enrolment of 1,634 from Pre-Prep to Year 12.  On behalf of the College Board, I thank you for your continuing support of Somerset as we celebrate our 40th year. Another challenging start to a new year but we have thrived these past few years and will do so again in 2022. We have plans for an even better year (if that’s possible!) than the last. 

Our students in Years 8 to 12 commenced their year with Somerset @ Home Learning and all students returned to face-to-face learning this week. It has been a pleasure to see their smiling faces as they move about the campus.

It appears that the students have settled very well to their classes.

We welcomed the following new staff:

• Miss Joanna Allera - Accounts Supervisor
• Miss Jayde Buckley-Dunn - Functions Coordinator
• Mr Brad Cates - Teacher – Junior School
• Mr Matthew (Matt) Eddy (Class of 2006) - Teacher – Junior School
• Ms Gina Cragg - Administrative Assistant – Academic and Curriculum Services
• Ms Annie Makim - Coordinator – Learning Enhancement
• Mrs Kirsten McGrath - Teacher – Senior School
• Miss Chloe Ottaway- Teacher Assistant – Junior School
• Mrs Nicole Paton - Teacher – Junior School
• Mrs Leanne Pattugalan - Teacher Assistant – Junior School
• Mrs Briony Pluss - Teacher – Junior School
• Mrs Chloe Rhodes - Teacher – Junior School
• Mrs Sylvia Rucker - Teacher – Senior School
• Mrs Heidi Saro - Teacher – Junior School
• Mrs Mikaela (Miki) Scott - Teacher Assistant – Junior School
• Mr Hide Sunouchi - Production Chef
• Miss Teagan Varley - Teacher Assistant – Junior School
• Mrs Bronwyn Wright - Teacher – Senior School
• Mr Raymond Zhang - Cook / Kitchen Assistant

Welcome back to Mr Paul Evans, Mrs Bianca Hipperson, Mr Geoff Jones, Mr Isao Kamei, Mrs Marie Morel and Mr Scott Walsh after some periods of leave. 

There have been a number of changes to responsibilities for 2022:

• Mr Will Boston - Teacher – Junior School | Year Level Leader
• Mr Adam Evans - Head of Year 7 (Acting) for Semester One 
• Mr Patrick George - Year 11 Co-ordinator
• Mr Daniel Larney - Logistics Supervisor
• Ms Bronwyn Lee (Class of 2004) - Head of House – Andrews
• Miss Luisa Navanteri - Assistant Head of Department – Languages
• Mrs Natalie Nugent - Teacher – Junior School | Year Level Leader
• Mr Elliot Roberts - Teacher – Junior School | Year Level Leader
• Ms Sara Rosentreter - Teacher – Junior School | Year Level Leader
• Mr Nick Scott - Teacher – Junior School | Year Level Leader
• Mrs Jane Stewart - Teacher – Junior School
• Mrs Brigitte Weintrop - Teacher – Junior School | Year Level Leader
• Mr Sam Whish-Wilson - Head of House – Veivers 
• Mr Paul Wilton - Network Security Administrator
• Mr Phil Shapcott - Network Systems Administrator

Class of 2022 Academic Results
We are extremely proud of the Class of 2021 who produced simply stunning ATAR results, in many ways our best ever. I know I seem to say this every year!

In the second year of the new QCE system, the first with the full suite of assessments, and in the midst of all the COVID disruptions, the students have shown their fortitude and expertise.

Their teachers are to be commended for their skill and commitment to achieving the very best student outcomes in trying circumstances. Everyone can reflect in this achievement as it takes our village to raise our children.

I could not be more proud of our students or staff. In summary:

One student, our College Dux and Academic Captain, Roy Hsu, achieved the highest possible score, 99.95, one of only 32 students across the state. Somerset is one of a handful of schools to have been represented both years in this way. Roy was an outstanding role model and lead with great humility and service.

• 12% of the Year 12 cohort achieved an ATAR of 99 or above, placing them in the top 1% of the state; that will mean the most common score for Somerset will continue to be the equivalent of an OP 1, an incredible statistic, possibly shared by only one other school in the state
• 41% of the Year 12 cohort achieved an ATAR of 95 or above, placing them in the top 5% of the state
• 66% of the Year 12 cohort achieved an ATAR of 90 or above, placing them in the top 10% of the state
• 87% of the Year 12 cohort achieved an ATAR of 80 or above, placing them in the top 20% of the state
• An astonishing 35 achieved straight A results in their subjects
• Three students received perfect scores of 100 in their subjects, Roy Hsu in Physics, Ella Kirk in Drama and Joy Jeng in Music Extension
• 27 students graduated from our Business Diploma programme, an alternative pathway that has seen great success and opportunity since its introduction a few years ago

I am also extremely proud of our 17 International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme students who achieved the following outstanding results:

• 4 students received scores in the 40’s: 44, 43, 42 and 40.
• 3 of the 17 IB Diploma students obtained the equivalent of an ATAR or above of 99+, bringing our OP1 equivalents to 13%
• 8 students scored an ATAR of 96 or above (38+/45 IB score)
• Median Diploma score of 36 which is ATAR 93.9 equivalent

We are all about opening as many doors for students as we can, so that they choose their individual opportunity and there will be many students who revisited their tertiary choices as new doors were opened.

Junior School Expansion

The first phase of the Junior School Expansion project has commenced over the holidays. Pre-Prep has expanded into another classroom in the Rowe Building, while the Prep Classrooms have undergone some renovations in preparation for future development.

Our internal roadway has seen some changes.

The new Junior School Classroom Building is set to commence in Term Two and we will share plans as soon as they are available.

We remember Cameron Bloos, Class of 2013, who was tragically taken too early this year. Cameron was a fine young man who was much loved by family and friends whom we remember in our thoughts and prayers. Forever young.