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:
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:
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.
I am also extremely proud of our 17 International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme students who achieved the following outstanding results:
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.
A date change and digital rehearsals… The show must go on! House pride is in full force as actors and directors rise to the challenge.
The new dates for the House Plays Festival are Thursday 3 and Friday 4 of March. It has been delightful to witness our directors transition from working online with their casts last week, into rehearsal rooms. The Roberts Centre is a hive of activity! Our directors and casts are displaying the IB Learner Profile attribute of being balanced, as they manage their rehearsal commitments alongside their academic, sport and life responsibilities for the next three weeks. The 2022 Festival will erupt with Norse mythology, explore the western and murder mystery genres, fight an army of zombies, and show an audience what happens when censorship goes too far.
Tickets will be on sale through the Events page of the College website in the coming weeks. Keep an eye out on Schoolbox for further information.
A couple of Senior School students join an elite group of dedicated individuals after completing an international challenge. Competing over the holidays, the students will now progress this year.
Congratulations to James Young and Ave Rounsley (pictured) on completing of their Duke of Edinburgh International Bronze Awards. They join Alysha Gahankari, Isabelle Chang, Jennifer Yeung, Leo Kelly Correa, Megan Cattell, Rishi Veeramachaneni and Yanis Nicholau who have all completed the Bronze over 2021. Now six students will progress onto the Silver level in 2022.
The Award programme is one of individual challenge. It presents young people with a programme of voluntary activities that encourage personal discovery and growth, self-reliance, perseverance, responsibility and service to the community. Each person who completes the Award learns a skill, becomes more physically active, volunteers in their community and undertakes a team adventure.
This semesters intake is closing next week with a limited number of spots remaining – If interested, please contact the Outdoor Education Co-ordinator David Maskell dmaskell@somerset.qld.edu.au
Sporting colourful socks our Junior School students enjoyed a morning of unstructured play, as part of Global Play Day in Week 1. The delayed start to the school year did not stop the College taking part in the event, which is typically enjoyed in the first week of February.
Somerset has supported the growing initiative over the past few years with evidence showing children acquire social skills when playing and how to plan and organise. Research suggests that one of the predictors of academic performance in the eighth grade is a child’s social skills in the third grade. Furthermore, countries that allocated more time at recess also tended to have higher academic performance (Pellis, 2011).
Students from Pre-Prep to Year 6 roamed the Junior School enjoying activities from flying paper planes, jumping rope, dancing in the music room, handball, football, digging in the sandpit and playing on the playground.
If you are interested in finding out more about the emerging research on the importance of play and in particular, the decline of play and the rise of mental disorders please follow the link to this very informative video.
The decline of play and the rise of mental disorders.
Pellis, S., Pellis, V., and Bell, H. ( 2011). The Function of Play in the Development of the Social Brain
To raise awareness about online safety, this week our students donned their craziest socks, encouraging everyone to help create a better internet. The College was not alone, more than 160 countries also took part in the initiative.
This week, Somerset College students once again joined the global initiative, Safer Internet Day, bringing families, schools, organisations and governments from 170 countries together to raise awareness about online safety. Children in the Junior School explored various cyber safety topics in their Information Literacy lessons including asking for permission before using digital devices, telling a trusted adult if they see or hear something online that makes them feel uncomfortable and ensuring that there is a healthy balance between screen time and other forms of play.
Students continue to learn about how the internet is a fun place to explore, but they need to do so in a safe and responsible way by using their critical thinking skills. Simple yet powerful messages such as ‘be kind online’ and ‘think before you click’ are helping to keep our young people safe and building their resilience. Parents and carers are encouraged to continue these conversations with their children about what these key messages mean and how they can be applied to real-life situations on the playground as well as outside of school.
Thank you in advance for your support and please help to spread the word and raise awareness about the importance of a safer and more positive internet. Click here to see what others have done to promote Safer Internet Day and access invaluable resources for both children and adults.
Remember to always #PlayItFairOnline!
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