Edition 11 | Term Three, Week 6, 2022

The entire Junior School brought the campus to life with colour and laughter on Tuesday 16 August to Dream With Eyes Wide Open, the theme for the 2022 Children’s Book Council of Australia’s (CBCA) Book Week.

We were particularly thrilled to be able to host our (previously annual) character parade after a hiatus due to COVID restrictions over the past two years. We had the great pleasure to celebrate this cherished event and marvel at the amazing work of our Pre-Prep to Year 2 students (and certainly their parents!) in preparing and adorning amazing costumes which reflected the theme.

Whilst in the audience, we were certainly able to ‘find’ a few Wallys, avoid being hit by ‘Expelliarmus’ spells, shot from the wands of numerous wizards and witches from Harry Potter’s world and giggle at a few pugs called Pig.

Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence (more widely recognised as Lawrence of Arabia) stated that we should strive to, “Dream your dreams with eyes open, and make them come true”. The symbolism of having our ‘eyes open’ ultimately represents being aware of our personal surroundings and circumstance. But the ability to ‘dream with eyes open’ is attempting to see beyond the reality of current circumstance and instead imagine and create ways of enhancing and elevating ourselves and certainly others.

To that end, it was so enjoyable seeing students, in costume, walk across the stage and embody their literature heroes. By wearing the ‘mask’ they felt empowered to embrace and show the qualities of their book character, whether they be principled, balanced, open-minded or other traits taught in the International Baccalaureate Learner Profile.

But the true joy of education and Somerset College comes when we catch our students dreaming with their eyes open on a daily basis. They do this when they grasp a difficult concept in the classroom after numerous attempts; muster the determination to rally on the field when their team might fall behind; or summon the bravery to make a new friend in the playground. It is then that we (and they) recognise that they didn’t need the costume at all to ‘dream with their eyes open’… they had these traits within them all along.

Year 2 friends have been busy inquiring into 'Living Things Grow and Change'; exploring the characteristics of plants and animals, how they change through the stages of their lifecycles and the ways in which they adapt to survive in their environments.

You will find sunflowers growing in a variety of places when you visit Year 2, whilst the students are completing a science experiment that is observing where the best place is to grow sunflowers. Children have also been putting their research skills into practise by collecting information about their chosen animals and plants and inquiring into their lifecycles and adaptations. They are extremely excited to present these to the class – being communicators and sharing their knowledge!

Children have welcomed two special incursions which proved to be positive provocations during the inquiry. Oceanlife provided the students the chance to get up close and personal with a baby shark, sea cucumbers, sea urchins and sea stars and learn about life cycles of creatures in the sea. Wildlife Warriors was a wonderful experience to spark the discussion of the way animals adapt in their environments. Students were risk-takers when holding a python and they were also given the opportunity to meet a squirrel glider, tawny frog mouth, crocodile, blue tongue lizard and a long neck turtle.

It has been encouraging to see students taking action in a variety of ways; completing science experiments of their own, bringing in books to share, discovering new creatures at lunch play times, making nature clubs, creating posters, and completing student led nature art.

What a joy it is to learn in so many ways about this wonderous world we live in.

Somerset College saw great success at the Gold Coast Debating Grand Final evening this week.  

Our Year 7s participated in the Junior B Division, an adapted format competition that features six rounds. Somerset 4 received an award for placing in the top five teams out of 49 in the competition this year. 

In addition, the Junior As made it to their first Grand Final, debating the negative side of the topic ‘Community service should be compulsory for secondary school students' and taking out the win against Foxwell State Secondary College in an extremely competitive division. Abhiraj Sarmah, third speaker, was awarded ‘Speaker of the Night’, for his excellent skills. “It was a challenging yet rewarding experience!" he said. 

Furthermore, our Intermediate A team faced an equally challenging debate, taking the negative stance on the topic ‘Nations should intervene in other nations’ conflicts’. In their final debate of the season, the team kept up their undefeated record, winning in a unanimous decision over St Hilda's. Emmeline Anthony was given the award of ‘Speaker of the Night’ for her performance as second speaker.  

The showcase debate of the night took place between two teams from Queensland Academies Health Sciences Campus, drawing large crowds as the Intermediate and Junior teams awaited the announcement of their results. The controversial topic ‘The government needs to do a better job of managing pandemics’ generated high-level debate from both teams, featuring the best debaters in the competition. It was very entertaining and thought-provoking, and a great model for younger audience members.  

At the end of the evening, all the finalist debaters congregated to thank the Gold Coast Debating management team and adjudicators, as well as hear the highly awaited debate results. Following the announcement of individual results, the champion school was awarded, going to the school with the most teams to progress farthest into the competition. Somerset placed second – a mere two points off taking out the award – which was a testament to the success of all of our teams.  

Thank you so much to Ms Lynch for her unwavering commitment to debating at Somerset, as well as Alana, Kate, Montana, Nada, and Skye for coaching our teams this year. 

Intermediate A Division Champions 

Penelope Deacon 

Emmeline Anthony 

Anna Thomas

Patrick Liu 

Mical Ma 

Junior A Division Champions 

Tony Xia

Abhiraj Sarmah

Kseniia Igumenova  

Georgia Garlick 

Amy Chen (reserve)

Junior B Division Champions 

Ruhara Mapabandara 

Medha Potumuthu 

Maria Narizhnaya 

Alex Kilmartin 

Filippa Capone  

Coloured flames, lava lamps, glowing metals and firey hands were just some of the activities on offer at our first meeting of the Junior Science Club. As part of their 2022 plan to promote science at the College, our Senior Science Ambassadors suggested we connect inquiring minds in the Junior and Senior School by starting a fortnightly Junior Science Club. 

The excitement was clear when students gathered this week with cheers of amazement for the demonstrations, obvious enthusiasm for the hands-on activities, thought provoking questions and insightful explanations. This club has proven to be more popular than expected with the club reaching maximum capacity no time at all. 

Congratulations to our Senior Students for such an innovative idea!

It's all about dads at this year's inaugural Celebration of Fatherhood, held by Somerset's Parents' and Friends' Association. 

Dads are invited to join us on Saturday 10 September.

Come along for a great day out with the family and see our Somerset community in action.

This is the first time the Celebration of Fatherhood has been held at the College and it is being run entirely by parent volunteers who have put together a fantastic programme.

What can you expect on the day?

• A fun day out for the family
• There will be a selection of Burgers, Hot Dogs, Chips and Chicken Curry
• Dutch Pancakes and Gluten Free Doughnuts for Dessert
• An opportunity to participate in some fun sporting activities, Soccer, ( please do bring boots ) Touch, Athletics and Tug-o-War
• Live entertainment with music by Jason Mc Gregor and Sparky Do Dah who will entertain kids not wanting to compete with their dads!
• Indoor games will be available too
• An opportunity for Dads to meet and connect with other Somerset Dads
• Drinks Available
• Mr Nick Brice, Deputy Headmaster will be MC for the day

When?

Saturday 10 September 2.00pm to 5.30pm

Where?

Koala House, Somerset College

Please Register!

Register HERE so we can cater for you

Dads pay $25 which gives you first drink and sausage sizzle free

https://www.somerset.qld.edu.a...

Our Sustainable Spartans have been busy again this term. The focus was participating in National School Planting day and initiative of Planet Ark.

Our students decided to plant an edible garden and once flourishing will offer the produce to our bird and bush kitchen. This project leads on from last term, WIPE OUT FOOD WASTE programme. Next term will see the focus return to healthy oceans and water ways.

Recently Somerset entered the South Queensland All Schools Touch Football tournament which was held in Yarrabilba, Brisbane. This tournament attracted some of the best touch football competing schools in the state. 

We entered a Spartans team in the Open Mixed Division. Our first game was against Aquinas College, a highly ranked school in the touch football realm. We loss valiantly 4 to 3 but walked away confident that we could learn from this experience as this was the officially the first time, we all played together. And learn we did. After this game, Mr Evans helped us fix our structure, attack and mindset. We went on to beat Beaudesert 10 to 1 which set up a mouth-watering group game against St Andrews Lutheran College. A school known for their state-of-the-art touch programme embedded by Queensland Touch Officials.

After modifying our attack and drive phase, we were able to defeat St Andrews 4 to 2. Knocking St Andrews out of contention from making the finals. We needed to win our next match against Gold Coast Christian College to make the finals. We defeated them 11 to 1. Although the win was important, the two things we were most proud of was putting all our game play and modifications in play and having fun whilst doing it.

To our surprise we finished the day coming second on the league table. Topping a number of reputable schools in South Queensland.

We played Aquinas in the semi final but loss 5 to 3. Although we wanted to make the finals, we were still proud of our efforts. Mr Evans said he was most proud of our ability to receive strategy and guidance on the go and implement that in each game.

It was a great day which demonstrated true Somerset pride.

A big shout out and thankyou to everyone who supported us. In particular Mr Bassingthwaighte, Mr Sayer and Ms McKenna, for letting us have the opportunity to compete.

Thank you to Mr Evans for taking the time to coach us. 

I read this quote from somewhere – “The biggest asset in the world is your mindset”. Somerset is not just surrounded by amazing structures and facilities, for me our biggest asset are our students. 

Over the August 5 to 7 weekend, seven senior girls played for the first time at the Queensland Schools Cup Volleyball tournament held in the Gold Coast Sports Complex. 

There were some wins and some losses but what amazes me, is the transformation I saw on Sunday (their last game). I saw young girls who are trainable and positive to criticism (open-minded), I saw girls with the “let’s have a go attitude”(risk-takers), I saw girls who always try their best to improve their skills and team effort game after game (reflective), and most of all, I was impressed to see them organised a card and a gift for the ever talented, passionate, gentle and kind - Coach Issy Garland (caring). 

It was unfortunate that Kaelyn and Momone were unable to play due to injuries but they were present in some of the games to show their support. This team just brought the IB Learner Profile into life and I am very proud of them. I cannot wait to support them again as we intend to start our training  in Term One alongside our APS training in 2023.

The Under 14 Girls and Under 8 Boys became Champion of Champions in the School Futsal Titles. The Under 9 Boys and Under 10 Boys were Runners Up.

During Term One, the Somerset Futsal teams participated in the Regional School Futsal Titles (Stage 1). Teams that ended in the top two from their group were invited to play the Champion of Champions (Stage 2). All Matches were played at the Nissan Arena in Brisbane.

Under 14 Girls

The Girls played three matches in their group. They played very well in their games getting the results they wanted. This gave the side a good draw for the knockout games in the afternoon. The Quarter Final and Semi-finals were a win. This brought us towards the grand final versus Kawana Waters State College. The girls gave their best, and this led to a win! 

Congratulations to Sarah Nickels, Havana Lopez, Livi Budd, Ari Thake, Ellie Davies, Georgie Zerbst, Zara Ryan and Arya Denzongpa-Bathols.

Under 10 Girls

The girls started the semi-final with a lot of confidence and a combination of play to make shots on goal. But King's Christian College played their best and this made it a very hard game. The result was one goal for Somerset and two goals for King's. Congratulations to King's who also won the Final. 

Well done to our girls who were undefeated in morning group stage: Emma Cordner, Audrey Hilbert, Mayuko Takahata, Arianna Reading, Luella Zerbst, Evie Ladbrook, Imogen Sounness.

Under 10 Boys

In the Under 10 Boys category, Somerset had two teams qualified for the Champion of Champions. With a very difficult draw in the morning our Spartans met challenges in every game. This resulted in wins and defeats. But we still qualified for the knockout stage! Somerset had two teams in the semi-finals, which meant two under 10 teams in the top four from Southern Queensland! 

Only one team progressed into the final. In the Final we were defeated by Peregian Beach College. 

Well done to our Spartans! William Baillie, Danny Wang, Zhander Griffiths, Harper Loon, Oliver Ng, Connor Millar-Martin, Max Bowden, Paxton Stewart, James Baumfield, Henry Pevy, Izaak Barclay, Hugo Hasselle, Edward Hassett, Benedict Thompson, Andrew Blatchford, Vaughan Furlong.

Under 9 Boys

Similar to the Under 10s, we had two teams qualify for Under 9. Unfortunately, only one team progressed into the knockout stage. The team was undefeated in the final and played Mary MacKillop Catholic College. After a win in the group stage, they took their revenge and defeated the side. Runners up was a great result! 

Well done Jakub Pitura, Ethan Kelly-Correa, Kay Edgley, Sion Kim, Louis Hodge, Oliver Moir.

Under 8 Boys

Our youngest futsal Spartans won the Regional Gold Coast Titles versus a very strong Luthernan Ormeau District Rivers School (LORDS). At the Champion of Champions, we were facing LORDS again in the Final. Spartans made a good plan to stop LORDS from scoring, which worked well. At the end of the match, it was tie. Extra time with the golden goal rule (first team that score, wins) made a descision. The Spartans scored the winner after five-minutes in the extra time. For the second time this year, the Under 8 became the winner in their age group. 

Congrats to Denham Barry, Dylan Hu, Hunter Sharples, Zach Sanders, Sam Thompson, Thomas Chudzinski, Lachlan Watkins.  

What is next? The Australasian Champion of Champions (Stage 3) is the pinnacle event of the programme. This is where all qualifying schools from each of their respective Champion of Champions will compete for the title of best school in the country. This tournament will be held in September in Queensland.

The 1st Netball team secured the bronze in the Vicki Wilson Cup.

Vicki Wilson State Titles Review – 1st Netball Team

Filled with tight and contested games, the 1st Netball team secured the bronze medal in the Vicki Wilson Cup State Championship for 2022. The girls consistently achieved success on day one, with four out of four dominant wins. 

Their suffocating defensive structures, swift passages of play, and game changing shooting statistics, the girls were on fire. Heading into the cross over final against Downlands College, a fierce competitor, the first half was goal for goal, resulting in a 17 to 17 half time score. Defenders Trinity Toia, Ellie Muir, and Bayley d’Hotman de Villiers rose to the occasion, picking off ball throughout the court, pushing their team ahead going into the final quarter. Crucial intercepts were converted into critical goals, with both Elsa Sandholt and Charli Pearce both shooting above 90%.

A convincing cross over final win against Downlands College meant that the girls would play against rival team Canterbury College in the Semi Final. The opposition claimed their lead early in the first quarter, making it a tough fight back for our First team. The entire game was a goal for goal game, leaving the crowd on the edge of their seats the whole time. Tahlia Evans, fought until the final minutes to bring her team a win through poise and grit, whilst providing direction and consistency in the attacking end. This was continued on by Ruby Partridge coming on in the last quarter and changing the momentum to benefit her team by standing strong in the shooting circle, despite very talented Canterbury defenders. Despite uncharacteristic performances from the entire team, the win just slipped away from the girls in the last couple minutes, meaning they would play off for the bronze medal. 

The team looked to build upon their previous success, forgetting about the Semi Final and looking to fight for the bronze medal against the Cathedral College. Wing Attack (WA), Atlanta Horan, and Centre (C), Shemeah Poloai provided the speed that was needed to break the game. With a convincing lead at half time, the side fought to build on this performance and show once again why they were champions of Vicki Wilson in 2021. Isabella Seymour and Ariana Ransfield entered the game in the second half, forcing their opposition to work for every ball whilst piecing together the fluent passages of play that were consistently converted by Marika Ransfield, who was a standout in the shooting circle, punishing her opponent through high conversion rates. The team efforts were rewarded by a convincing 20-point win for the bronze medal.

Overall, it was a very successful weekend for the 1st team, with lots of learning opportunities and challenges along the way. Despite a tough draw forcing the two top teams of Somerset College and Canterbury College meeting in the Semi Final rather than the Grand Final, our team worked hard to bring the College success. 

Monday Winter Comp – Div 1 – 1st Netball Team

Along with our Vicki Wilson Cup efforts, the First Netball team won the Division 1 Opens Monday Night Competition against Palm Beach. After a 10-point win in extra time in the Semi Final, the girls were ready to bring home the trophy the following week. A tightly contested first half, meant that both teams were even at half time, the girls experience in high pressure situations shone through as they pushed out a lead of 14 points, taking the win swiftly.

The team was also awarded the highest shooting percentage in the entire competition, which is an amazing achievement given there is over nine divisions with eight teams in each.

It has been a hugely successful year for the First Netball team, however, they look forward to putting it all on display and maximising their culture and success in 2023.

The Somerset Spartans have defended their title to be the top Gold Coast Secondary School once again in a commanding performance!

The team of Byron Morris, Eason Wang, Kenny Ming and Jared Consiglio-Cockle scored 23.5/28, winning six match ups with one draw. This team will now represent the Gold Coast along with King's Christian College and The Southport School at the State Finals in October. Byron (6.5/7), Eason (6/7) and Kenny (7/7) all won their board prizes.

Unfortunately, the second team finished just outside the qualification spots, finishing in fifth position.

In the A Division, Somerset 3 and 4 finished in fourth and fifth spots. Individually, Jenson Turner scored 6/7 to finish in third place, whilst Oscar Credland-Ballantyne, Aadi Rai, Ruhara Mapabandara and Tony Guan earnt Merits.

In the B Division, Somerset 6 (Jackson Yeung, Nate Van Den Brink, Daniel Dawson, and Trishi Shivakumar) finished in second position, with Jackson scoring 6/7 to gain second place whilst Nate Van Den Brink was only half a point back with 5.5/7 in fourth place.

The Hinterland Primary event was also held this week, with Somerset sending a lot of Junior players across the road to take part.

In the A Division, Somerset finished midfield, however had some good scores from Paul Sang Yum, William Zhao and Hayden Li who all scored 4/7.

In the B Division, the teams again finished midfield, with Joshua Thompson the pick of the players with 5/7 whilst Ruben Arcobelli scored 4/7.

In the C Division, the young team of Somerset 7 (Taya Liu, Theo Appel, Alan Zeng, Callum Deay) won the tournament by a massive 7 points with Somerset 8 (Aaron Wang, Lincoln Li, Lachlan Rowe, Liam Hunt) finishing in third place. Taya Liu scored a perfect 7/7, Theo Appel 6/7, Aaron Wang 6/7, Alan Zeng 6/7 to dominate the individual standings as well. Callum Deay and Sion Kim also scored 4/7 in solid performances.

In D Division, Somerset 11 (Chloe Li, Isabella Jennings, Alisa Lai, Alex Lee) took the event from Somerset 12 (Gorden Hu, Edmund Lee, Amalie DeBray, Blake Nobbs). Austin Liu was the standout individual with 6/7 with Gorden Hu scoring 5/7, Edmund Lee 4.5/7 and Amalie DeBray 4/7.

We now look forward to the Gold Coast Primary Finals in two weeks time and wish our top two teams the best of luck!

Don’t forget the Gold Coast Junior Championships being held on the 28th and 29th August – see here for details – which features Under 8, Under 10 and Open Divisions and is a great tournament for many players!

Keen players can also take part in the Friday afternoon sessions from 3.30pm to 5.30pm. Please contact me for details.

Our Fitness Member of the Month for July is Petra Warrick. Petra is a regular attendee to Somerset Gym since the start of 2022.  

Petra attends five classes a week, giving her great variety to her fitness regime. 

Petra is always smiling and with her positive attitude and commitment has resumed many activities that was limited a couple of years ago to injury.    

Well, done Petra, consistency and dedication has paid off. She is a true asset to the Somerset Gym Community.