The PYP Exhibition is an essential element of the Primary Years Programme. It is an exciting event where all Year 5 students showcase their expertise. Students apply the five essential elements of the PYP, which include Knowledge, Concepts, Learner Profile Attributes, Approaches to Learning and Action. Because of the collaborative nature of this inquiry, it unifies the Year 5 somerset College community. PYP Exhibition is about giving the students an opportunity to participate in inquiry. It allows them to show agency and act as a global citizen. It is also fun for the entire community! During our PYP Exhibition journey we explored the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). We learnt about real world problems. Our overarching central idea was 'Our world encounters a range of challenges and opportunities'. We had the opportunity to refine our central idea as a group.
Our experience was divided into three sections:
During the first few weeks of planning for the PYP Exhibition, students were involved in a variety of learning engagements. We investigated the central idea and learnt what the PYP Exhibition was all about. We even had the opportunity to participate in an SDG treasure hunt around the school. This provocation helped us learn about the SDG’s. We also had four incredible guest speakers including Marco Renai, Baden U’Ren, Laura Griffiths and Lann Levinge who all strengthened our passion for various global issues. At the end of this phase, we had lots to consider as we selected an area of focus.
During this phase, we began the research segment! The issue we selected was of personal interest or significance. We categorised our issue into one of the six transdisciplinary themes. This helped us to create our PYP Exhibition groups. The next stage was to link our issue to one (or more) of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Before we could start researching, we had to create three lines of inquiry based on our topic and form questions. Now that we had our questions we launched into some serious research! For more than 10 weeks we dedicated loads of time and effort into becoming knowledgeable about our topics. During this phase we also created specific central ideas for our PYP Exhibition groups. These related to our transdisciplinary themes and issues. We also began constructing our written components.
It was finally the time for us express our knowledge in front of the community. During this phase we got to create our visuals including posters, interactives, models and more. Our classrooms turned into constructive mayhem! We also participated in a PYP Exhibition photo challenge where we became excellent photographers, while we captured brilliant pictures relating to our issues to be displayed at PYP Exhibition. Students showed agency by growing their own vegetables, building websites and educating their peers about their issue.
October 10 finally arrived, and we were so excited to share our knowledge with the school community. Our teachers and aides did a brilliant job assisting us throughout the journey to ensure that we did the best we could. We presented our work beautifully on the day. We were extremely proud of our work and of course we had an incredible time.
Somerset College has had another incredibly successful year in the A.B. Paterson Public Speaking competition!
A huge total of 33 Somerset students from Years 4 to 11 participated, each crafting and proudly presenting their own, original speech. Whilst there is a list of broad topics from which students must choose, there is ample scope for them to explore ideas of personal interest, and the genuine passion exuded by each speaker made every one of their presentations an absolute pleasure to witness. With all of our students achieving so highly, Somerset College also took out the Secondary Schools Aggregate Trophy for the second consecutive year.
Year 4 is a non-competitive introductory year, in which our five wonderful speakers enjoyed their first inter-school public speaking experience. In Years 6 to 11, heats are conducted with approximately eight to 10 competitors in each, all hailing from various schools from all over Southeast Queensland. Only the top two in each heat are selected to progress to finals. Of our 28 eligible competitors, Somerset College was represented by 15 Grand Finalists!
Our talented finalists had just one week to refine and rigorously practice their speeches based on heat adjudicator feedback, but their hard work paid off, with each and every one of them blowing away Grand Final judges with the standard of their presentations.
Especially outstanding is the achievements of our place-getters and a huge congratulations to:
A huge congratulations and thanks to every one of our speakers this year for representing Somerset College in a manner of which we are all exceedingly proud. Well done!
At the end of Term Three, a number of passionate mathematics students, in Years 7 and 10 completed the highly challenging Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad (AIMO). The four hour competition is pitched at a Year 10 level but Somerset always has interest from motivated and talented students in Years 7 to 9 looking to pursue Olympiad-level mathematics. AIMO only contains 10 questions, however, it is designed to identify and stretch the most talented students.
Students from Somerset College achieved excellent results and those students whose achievements were outstanding were rewarded with Certificates of Credit and Distinction.
Congratulations to Jason Wang (Year 10) and Oscar Credland-Ballantyne (Year 8), who were awarded Distinction certificates. It is worth noting that despite only being in Year 8, Oscar Credland-Ballantyne achieved the highest score in the College!
Advait Naik (Year 10), Tony Xia (Year 9) and Ethan Hu (Year 7) all were awarded Credit certificates.
In addition, I would like to recognise the participation of the following students from Somerset College. In Year 7; Paris Liu, Arjun Rai and Angela Sun. In Year 8; Malcolm Chan, Roger Hua and Ruhara Mapabandara. Harry Georgeson from Year 9 and Jackson Dong from Year 10.
Congratulations to all students who competed in AIMO 2024.
“Sitting for the AIMO paper was a test of endurance and intellect. While it was tough, it was also incredibly rewarding to solve the problems. It made me realize the gaps in my knowledge and also showcased areas where I excelled. It was truly an enriching experience and it gave me a renewed appreciation for the vastness of mathematics.”
Jackson Dong – Year 10
"The AIMO paper was a challenge, but one that helped me explore different areas and concepts in mathematics. I feel it is a great opportunity for anyone wishing to develop their skills in mathematics."
Ruhara Mapabandara – Year 8
“I found the AIMO paper one of the most challenging papers I have taken on. It was a great way to test my critical thinking and put my math skills to the test as I undertook various math problems, all unique and challenging in their own way. The AIMO paper was a great opportunity to test how good my math skills really were.”
Harry Georgeson – Year 9
“I found the AIMO a challenging maths paper, which stretched my problem-solving capabilities. AIMO was an incredible opportunity, granting me an insight into how extended mathematics can be. I hope to continue to pursue these inspiring, puzzling competitions.”
Paris Liu – Year 7
"This AIMO was my first ever one, so I was quite excited. I was NOT expecting that I would get that far but I was happy that I did. The actual exam was much harder than I expected, and I struggled a lot throughout. Although I was not able to complete every single question, this paper gave me more knowledge about many aspects of Maths. Overall, this paper was an amazing opportunity for me to learn. I hope I can sit more of these in future!”
Arjun Rai – Year 7
"The AIMO paper was very, very difficult, that is for sure. Although there were only 10+1 questions in total, I barely attempted all the questions during the 4-hour period. The questions consisted of many different styles including geometry, combinatorics, and algebra. Overall, it was a very enjoyable experience and I wish to attempt it again next year.”
Tony Xia – Year 9
Congratulations to the group of Year 10 Business students who were awarded third place in a state competition.
The competition consisted of 1,055 students from 33 schools across Queensland and out of 776 entries Ariana, Holly, Sasha and Mia achieved Third Place in the state.
Thursday of Week 4, a celebration hosted by The Honourable Yvette D’Ath MP Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, was held at Parliament House in Brisbane. There, the students were honoured the notable achievements of Queensland school students in business and consumer affairs. Ros Bates the LNP Member for Mudgeeraba and Shadow Minister for Health made a special trip from parliament to meet and thank the students for their outstanding work.
SPG Lawyers were proud to again co-sponsor the Gold Coast Schools Legal Essay Awards in conjunction with Griffith University Law School, the evening of 10 October 2023.
SPG and Griffith University have been engaged in this undertaking since 1996. Legal Studies students from schools across the Gold Coast are invited to submit legal essays dealing with topical national and international legal issues.
This year, as with previous years, the entries have been of an exceptional standard.
The winners were presented with their prizes and trophies at the offices of SPG Lawyers. Students, parents and members of the Griffith University academic staff joined SPG staff to celebrate the achievements of these outstanding young students.
Prizes and trophies were presented by Tony O’Connor, Partner at SPG Lawyers, Professor Therese Wilson, Dean of Law, Griffith University, Dr Samuli Haataja, Deputy Head of School (Research) and Judge Bernard McCabe, Deputy President, Administrative Appeals Tribunal. SPG congratulates all participants in this year’s Legal Essay competition and pays credit to the award recipients.
It has been a busy start to the term for Year 11 Geography and Year 8 IAS students.
The Year 8 IAS excursion included exploring the different topics we had learnt in class at Currumbin and Tallebudgera beach. Personally, I had a great experience, finally being able to put the skills I had learnt in class into action. It was such a great way to spend time with my friends, yet still be productive and push myself. I really love collaboration so this was such a fun way to learn. Although, what I found most interesting on this excursion, was being able to identify new things like long-shore drift and micro berms. It was like I had gone to the beach for the first time again, because I was noticing so much more, in much greater depth. As a Gold Coaster, I go to the beach quite often, but it really was eye-opening to be able to recognise how everything was happening, being able to understand why, how and where, and over all just knowing that there was a reason behind everything! In all honesty I think this was such a memorable experience. It combined collaboration, hard-work, inquiry and fun, I don't think a school trip could get better than that.
Arya Denzongpa-Bathols, Year 8 Veivers
Over the past week, ten students from Somerset College participated in the Queensland State Track and Field Championships held at QSAC. To qualify students had to place top two at regionals or beat the strict qualifying standards set by Athletics Queensland. To get to this level is an achievement in itself.
The 10 to 12 age group had their meet Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 October. Four students from Somerset competed over these two days with great success.
Ezra Zosel (Year 6) demonstrated real power, despite giving away both a height and weight difference to much larger competitors. His throw of 34.55m saw him finish sixth in the state.
Willow Truscott (Year 6) competed in a quality 11-Year-Old Girls High Jump field. Her jump of 1.33m saw her finish seventh equal in the state.
Cara McQuaid (Year 7) also gave away a significant size difference to many of her peers in the 12-Year-Old Girls Discus field. On her final throw Cara managed to heave the disc out to 30.21m and finish seventh in the state.
Rainer Drew (Year 5) entered in the Tetrathlon event which is a combined event consisting of the four disciplines of 100m, Long Jump, Shot Put and 800m. In Rainer’s first major championship he performed exceedingly well to finish 13th in the state.
The following four days from Wednesday 12 until Sunday 15 October was dedicated towards the 13 to 19 age group. Six athletes from Somerset College competed across several disciplines.
Minka Tukino (Year 10) had an excellent four days. Initially entered in the 100, 200 and 400m, Minka wisely chose the forgo the 400m to concentrate on the 100 and 200m. In the 100m she finished sixth in a time of 12.83 seconds into a stiff head wind. Minka also represented the state for the 4x100m relay in which the team finished a credible fourth. However, it was in the 200m Minka excelled. Despite only just qualifying through to the final, Minka ran a blistering final eclipsing her previous personal best to record 25.05 and finish third in the state!
Jorja Grocott (Year 7) in her first state athletics competition performed up to her previous best in the 13 Girls High Jump. In hot and humid conditions, Jorja leaped 1.50m to finish 11th in the state. The winner jumped a mere 9cm more, demonstrating it was a very tightly contested event.
Cru Scott (Year 10) cruised through both his 800m and 1500m heats demonstrating his potential in both middle-distance events. Unfortunately, in both finals he was not feeling his best but still ran a credible 8th and 10th respectively.
Noku Mhlanga (Year 9) gained valuable experience in her first state championships. In the 15 Girls 90m Hurdles Noku finished a respectful 11th in the state, recording 15.21 seconds.
Jack Mewing (Year 10) competed in the 15 boys Long Jump event. Unfortunately, Jack fouled his first two attempts which meant he had to get his third jump accurate to progress. Jack managed to successfully hit the board without fouling but his speed on the runway was compromised and his 5.55m was not quite enough to progress into the top 8. Nonetheless a good learning experience for the future.
Jake Giltrap-Good (Year 11) was returning from a serious back injury that had seen him sidelined for most of the athletic season. In the 17 Boys 400m Jake comfortably qualified through to the final by finishing third in his heat. His final produced a much-improved performance and a personal best of 50.92 seconds saw Jake finish fourth in the state.
Andrews House Wins Roberts Family Trophy Interhouse Indoor Rowing Competition!
Returning to the Fitness Centre Breezeway for its second year of competition, the Inter-House Relay lived up to its ‘Loudest Interhouse’ event title. The lunch time relays saw boys' and girls' teams race each other as several athletes exhausted themselves chasing some much-needed house points.
Tuesday was the Open relays with athletes from Year 11 and 12. Andrews House set the standard from the first race with a win to the Open Girls team, followed closely by Franklin. A special mention of the Veivers House solo effort from Eliza Strong. The top results were flipped for the Open Boys with Franklin taking the win and Andrews finishing second.
On Wednesday lunchtime it was time for the Year 9 and 10 teams to take to the ergos and race for the line. Laver produced a fantastic win for the Girls team, holding off a fast-finishing Veivers. For the Boys teams it was Andrews who set the pace over Veivers for the win. The two second places for Veivers were much needed as they defended their 2022 title.
Finally, Thursday had the Year 7 and 8 teams to decide which house would claim the Roberts Family Inter-House Rowing Trophy. The lead changed several times in the Girls race as Starkey, Andrews and Veivers all pushed each other for the win. With some smooth transitions it was Andrews who were able execute some great teamwork and score the win. With Andrews now well on top it was then down to the Boys teams to decide the minor placings. Despite a huge deficit the Laver Boys finished on top to win the last race of the competition and Veivers posted a second place to finish second overall behind Andrews House.
In Week 3 of Term Four, 50 of our Junior Tennis Spartans competed at the inaugural Primary Schools Cup. The most prestigious event in the Junior Tennis calendar, Somerset had the most teams entered within the South Coast/Hinterland region and returned with 3 first place finishes.
Three teams competed in the Red Ball division in both the Mixed & Girls division. Consisting of students in Years 1 to 4, our first mixed team dominated the day, winning the deciding match against TSS who were also dominant on the day, to make it to the state finals. Our second mixed team placed fourth overall, losing to both TSS and their teammates. Nonetheless, a great result for both teams. Our girls on the other hand also dominated and placed first, charging into the State Finals.
Congratulations to the following students who competed:
Our 2 Orange Ball teams, a girls and boys’ team, both competed against each other in the mixed Orange Ball division, as this year they removed the girl’s division. Our girls’ teams did tremendously well, even beating some of the favourite teams on the day, placing fourth. The boys worked extremely well together, having played with each other for some time now, and took out the Orange Ball division, sealing their spot into the state final.
Congratulations to the following students who competed:
The hotly contested Green Ball division was the strongest it has been for a while. Our two teams in the Mixed and Girls division, held their ground well, despite coming up against some well-established schools. The girls managed to place fourth after being a player down due to sickness on the day prior to the event. A result that they should be impressed with. Much the same with the boys, they placed third, missing the state finals by one spot, after losing to St Vincents to seal their second-place finish.
Congratulations to the following students who competed:
Thank you to all parents who came to show their support for our students, and to all players for displaying great sportsmanship and effort on the day. Thank you also to Jen Johnson, Blake Kebblewhite and Jay Deacon for running and organising this event.
Students from Years 7 and 8 competed in the Queensland Junior Schools Cup Volleyball recently. More than 2500 students and 250 teams competed from schools all over the state across four venues. It was a huge event.
We had some outstanding results from all three teams.
The Year 7 girls team lifted to the challenge of being in Division 1 - the top division for the age group. They worked courageously as a team to verse some of Brisbane's top volleyball schools and were rewarded with many wins.
Only dropping 1 pool match, the girls were led by the experience and leadership shown by Jorja Grocott. Both Sabine Booth and Brianna Peardon displayed high skills and teamwork, despite only having started volleyball six weeks ago. Having many commanding service runs, Ailin Zhao and Sara Gacina Richardson were calm and helped the team build valuable points. Amelia Fu displayed great teamwork and dedication, working hard in defence and at the net. Lucy Pluss utilised her height at the net to be a dominant hitter, whilst also being reliable in defence.
This incredible display of teamwork and skills enabled the girls to push through to the Gold Medal Match against Kelvin Grove. Beating them previously in a close pool round, the girls played bravely in the final, putting their skills on show. Unfortunately, the girls fell just short, but came away with the silver medal - an outstanding achievement for their first indoor schools cup tournament.
The 7 boys played their hearts out all weekend. Unfortunately, with a late withdrawal due to injury we were left with six players. The boys played on court for every minute of every match. Ben Sharpe and Lawrence Lee brought a calmness on court and the boys quickly improved from match to match. As they grew in confidence, Jack Pluss and Jamie Chirathivat-Geralds become more attacking at the net and started to dominate. By the end of pool play the boys had made it into the bronze medal match against Nudgee College. Cruz Dobson and Carlin Liu were inspirational but unfortunately the boys just fell short. Their improvement over the three days was amazing.
The boys played an extremely high level of volleyball all weekend and never gave up. In pool play the boys put together patches of outstanding volleyball controlling the net through our middles, Ethan Shen and Soham Agrawal. Patrick Deacon and Philip He were outstanding on the outside and Marcello Lamont and Rohan Nallapu controlled the position opposite the setter.
After losing to Burnside in the final pool play game, they managed to fight their way back to meet them again in the final. After winning the first set with outstanding backcourt play by Daniel Kim the boys were 8 to 21 down in the second (sets go to 25). But the boys turned in an amazing stretch of volleyball to win 25 to 23. Tima Korin was awarded MVP of the tournament.
Massive thanks to Issy Garland and Paris Johnson for coaching the teams. We are so lucky to have these two as coaches!! Also, the three Year 10 boys who gave up their weekend to help with coaching and duties, Lachie Mathieson, Lachlan McKinnon and Ethan Grocott.
Also, thanks to Mr Robinson, Miss Malone and the sports department for supporting the students throughout the campaign.
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