A very warm welcome and welcome back to 2023 for the Somerset community. We had 267 new students, 207 in the Junior School and 60 in the Senior School, begin their journey at the College and we certainly hope theirs will be as rewarding as ours. We started the year with a record enrolment of 1726 from Pre-Prep to Year 12. On behalf of the College Board, I thank you for your continuing support of Somerset as we enter our 41st year. It was quickly apparent that the students settled very well to their classes.
We have had a number of new staff join the College and we have been very impressed by the start our new colleagues have made. It is certainly the largest intake in my time and represents an enormous opportunity for them and the College to enhance an already outstanding culture.
The staffing changes are noted as follows:
Welcome back to Mrs Melissa Black, Ms Corina Jeflea, Mrs Sally Leslie, Ms Jingjing Lu, Miss Tracey Payne, Mrs Brittany Simpson and Mrs Carrie Smith after some periods of leave.
There have been a number of changes to responsibilities for 2023:
I could not be more proud of the Class of 2022 or the staff. In summary the results are:
Three students, our College Dux and Academic Captain, Lauren Chan, Kate Jordan and Joe Wright-Smith, achieved the highest possible score, 99.95, only 33 students across the state achieved this result.
Somerset is one of a handful of schools to have been represented in all years in this way. 14% of the Year 12 cohort achieved an ATAR of 99 or above, placing them in the top 1% of the state. In total 21 students were OP1 equivalent, our previous best was 15. 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
This summary of the IBDP results has continue to confirm our place as the top non-government co-educational school in Queensland. These results should never be taken for granted and are the result of serous effort from all stakeholders in a supportive and encouraging environment.
We certainly had a bumper end of year with all the positive press about our NAPLAN results.
I also provide a considerable list of successful Scholarship recipients:
Book lovers and storytellers rejoice! The city’s very own writers’ festival is heading to town next month with an action-packed line up of authors, book launches, workshops, panels and free, family-friendly community events set to take over the Gold Coast.
Held from 28 to 30 March, the 30th annual Somerset Storyfest will see thirty of the country’s most celebrated authors, illustrators and artists converge on the Gold Coast to inspire the next generation of writers and avid readers.
The festival will be an opportunity for people of all ages to bury their noses in a new book, discover some of Australia’s acclaimed authors and let their imaginations come to life as they wander in and out of author sessions, workshops and events throughout the week.
Special guests headlining this year include Lisa Millar, Heather Rose, Jacqueline Harvey, Tristan Bancks, Nat Amoore, Joel McKerrow, Anisa Nandaula, Craig Silvey, Leigh Hobbs and more.
Celebrating 30 years of inspiring the next generation of writers, Australia’s premier youth literature festival will kick off with its annual Somerset Parents’ and Friends’ Prologue Party on Tuesday 28 March from 5.30pm.
The annual Somerset Alumni Long Table Dinner on Thursday 30 March will see one of Australia’s premier novelists, and author of acclaimed memoir Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here, Heather Rose join guests in a thrilling conversation and insight into her stories. Heather Rose’s work spans literary fiction, autobiography, magical realism, crime fiction, political fiction and fantasy and has won numerous prizes including the Stella Prize, the Christina Stead Prize and the Margaret Scott Prize.
Tickets are on sale Monday 6 February!
A new year brings a new wave of talent into the rowing shed.
The pre-season training of Term One is well under way with 30 new rowers picking up oars for the first time and learning how to move a boat. Not many people know that Somerset College has a Boatshed at Bond University with access to the Mermaid Waters canals that join on to the Nerang River. It’s one of the best kept secrets as we have access to some of the best training water in the country. Moving a boat across the water is a unique skill set and a fantastic way to start or finish the day. If the rowers are not out on the water, you will see them working hard in the gym working on their strength and fitness.
It’s never too late to join up and the shed is welcome to all Senior School students from Year 7 to Year 12. We have a capsize drill at the School Pool on February 11 from 10 am with an information session in the Pool Function Room at 11.00am. All are welcome.
If you have any questions, please email Head of Rowing – Peer Richards prichards@somerset.qld.eu.au
This year Rowing Captains Eliza Strong and Bowen Mansell will be leading the team to the Trophy Regatta on June 10 as we defend winning the Overall Trophy last year. The school needs as many athletes to compete with each result counting for points. In September we will also be heading back to Bucca Weir for the Queensland Schools State Championships to see if we can improve our top ten performance on the medal tally last year.
After the success of the Interhouse Indoor Rowing Competition in 2022, make sure you keep practising your 500m ergo and relay transitions as the Relay will return in Term Four. Can Veivers continue to retain the Roberts Family Trophy or will another house find a way to stop six year long run.
Spartan Triathlon athletes faced tough competition in both State and National Youth and Junior Championships over the holidays. Races were held at Runaway Bay in December and Canberra in January.
The Spartan Triathlon Academy was very busy over the holiday period racing at the highest level of our sport. The first challenge was the Queensland Super Sprint Race Weekend, held at the Gold Coast Sports Centre. Lucas Soegaard and River Edgley (photo) had outstanding podium results in the A and B finals respectively. Joshua Cotton showcased an impressive display of power, cycling his way to the top of the Juniors A finals. In the same race, Timothy Hornsey had an unfortunate crash after his front tyre blew out of a sharp turn eliminating any chance of a top finish. Elisabeth Staelen and Liam Thornton raced the Rookies division and gained valuable experience for their Youth division debut next season.
Days were very hot and dry at Nationals in Canberra. The withering heat put to test our athlete’s resilience over 4 days of +32o temperature. Lucas had an outstanding weekend and pulled a brilliant run to be 2nd at the Youth division A Finals. An unfortunate crash had River feel the B Finals title slip through his fingers. Ava Henson, William Warwick, and Emma Warwick raised to the challenge and significantly developed over the weekend. It was the first of many interstates National standard competitions to come.
This week the Spartan triathletes head to Hervey Bay for the All-Schools State Championships. It is our biggest ever group and many athletes have a good chance to qualify for Nationals in Tasmania. Good luck to our Spartans.
Football and Futsal continued with their activities during the school Holidays.
In the first week of the school holiday, the Under 9 and Under 10 Futsal Club teams were identified as leading clubs in the local futsal leagues on the Gold Coast. In the tournament, our Spartans versed teams from all over Queensland. Both teams had played four full matches over two days.
In the second week of the holiday, we had a total of 30 students joining the overnight football and futsal camp. Our first overnight camp in 2021 was a success and 2022 was once again, a success. The coaches organised futsal and football activities in the morning and afternoon. After all activities we had our recovery in the swimming pool. A long day of sport made us hungry; we made our way to the dining hall. During dinner we watched the World Cup highlights. Before sleep, we watched movies.
We want to thank our Somerset Head Chef Martin Furlong for the Dinner and Breakfast during the camp.
The Futsal club continued training in December and January. Many students took the opportunity to keep improving their skills during the school break. The coaches designed sessions that are fun and challenging for all students. The matches were also on during the break, thank you to all the students for helping out the other teams that were short with students due to the holidays.
Club Football will commence Week Five in Term One. In 2023 we enter teams in the Football Queensland South Coast Miniroos competition. The FQ South Coast Miniroos competition uses small sided games with teams playing 4 verse 4, 7 verse 7 and 9 verse 9 sides, rather than the traditional 11 verse 11 format to cater to 4 to 12 year olds. The smaller fields, modified rules and fewer players leads to a more enjoyable game with more opportunities to be involved in the action.
For any questions about Football and Futsal, please contact our Head of Football and Futsal Maarten de Kruijf
mdekruijf@somerset.qld.edu.au
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