A moment in time creates memories for life.
The 32nd House Plays Festival showcased the acting, directing and technical prowess of our students.
A student-driven festival, it is a frantic race to performance week, with the expectation on the directors to select or write a script, cast their play, construct a rehearsal schedule, run rehearsals, design their set and costumes, source props, plot their technology and then (of course) perform to the wider College community. This is a challenge at the best of times, add in a global pandemic and the floods, and it seemed a near impossibility. But not for our House Plays company.
These 110 determined individuals made sure their festival ran against any obstacle that reared its head. They worked through last minute re casting, directors stepping into role, characters being written out of scripts during show week and rerouting dress and technical rehearsals. Everyone kept finding a way forward, and the show did go on. And may I say, what a show it was! For many participants, House Plays Festival is one of the highlights of their year. Collaborating, problem solving, playing, thinking critically and creatively, all while displaying an incredible amount of resilience. To all the House Plays participants of 2022, we are so very proud of you all. The sense of camaraderie throughout the evening performances was a joy to witness, and for our Year 12s who tread the House Plays boards for the last time, this spirit is the legacy that you pass down to the junior members of the casts. The future of House Plays burns bright.
Ellen Bailey, our wonderfully caring adjudicator spent time talking to our performers, offering shout outs for magic moments, and encouraging all our performers to continue to explore their love of the stage. In Ellen’s words, “It was an absolute thrill to witness such strong creative minds at work and play. I wish them all my best and prosperity moving ahead this year and well into their creative ventures. I was still thinking about all the incredible material they showcased WELL into my weekend.”
Congratulations to the House Plays Festival Company of 2022. See you next year!
More than 35 students volunteered their time after school for Clean Up Australia Day, Friday 4 March. This was the Senior School and Junior School students working together as a school community, for the community.
Just in our immediate College grounds we collected more than a wheelie bin of rubbish!
The Junior School Sustainable Spartans will be involved in a number of initiatives this year including OzHarvest's FEAST, a cooking programme fostering reducing food waste. Our Year 6 Sustainable leaders will also attend leadership training in Tangalooma on Moreton Island, as part of their EcoMarines programme.
Thank you to all the students and families who support these initiatives; it means the world to us!
This month's Fitness Member of the Month is Wayne Jordan.
Wayne has been a regular attendee at Somerset Gym for many years. His commitment to his health and fitness is shown by his attendance every week to all morning classes and has a valid excuse if he doesn’t make it.
Wayne has a positive outlook which is infectious to other gym members.
He truly is an asset to our Somerset Gym Community.
Somerset Chess is back up and running with our co-curricular lessons in the Junior School running each day along with the following opportunities for all students to play at lunch time.
Year 1 and 2: Monday, Wednesday, Friday in Year 1 classrooms
Year 3 to 6: Monday and Tuesday in the Chess Room (above KIP)
We also have a Friday afternoon club which is open to all students in Years 1 through 12. This club runs from 3.30pm to 5.30pm every Friday and involves five tournament games. Informal coaching is given between games by experienced Gardiner Chess coaches. To register for this, please follow these steps:
Year 1 to 3: Register via The Hub and select Chess as the activity
Year 4 to 12: Register HERE.
Over the past few weeks Somerset students have been performing well in external activities. The Cookies Rapids for February saw a number of students taking part and performing well. Top performer was our Chess Captain, Jared Consiglio-Cockle who finished =third overall, whilst Paul Sang Yum and Harrison Qu were =third in Rating Group A and William Zhao won the unrated division!
On Saturday two students, Oscar Credland-Ballantyne and Paul Sang Yum took part in a simultaneous exhibition held by the Gold Coast Chess Club where Grandmaster Moulthun Ly was taking on 19 players at once (he won all 19). Both students performed well with Oscar being the last player still battling away at the end.
Upcoming Events
Cookies Chess Rapids: Saturday 19 March (best for rated players and those pushing hard to get one)
Gold Coast Primary Inter-School – Hinterland Zone: Tuesday 22 March (invited students only due to participation caps)
Gold Coast Secondary Inter-School: Wednesday 23 March (open to all secondary players)
Gold Coast Junior Masters: Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 March (for players over QJ800)
Gold Coast One Day Challenge: Sunday 27 March (for players under QJ800)
Gold Coast Junior Rapid: Sunday 3 April (for all Junior players)
Queensland Reserves Championships: Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 April
Gardiner Chess Holiday Program: Monday 11 to Wednesday 13 April
Gardiner Chess Easter Cup: Thursday 14 April
Cookies Chess Rapids: Saturday 23 April
Over the summer break and into the start of Term One, a number of both boys and girls futsal teams from both the Junior and Senior School competed in local competitions. Futsal is a fast-growing sport and a fantastic opportunity for our students to develop their skills as Futsal and Football players.
Overall, 16 teams competed, four teams in the Carrara League and 12 teams in the Robina League. A total of 10 teams qualified for the finals in their respective competitions.
Under 8 Robina:
3 teams in the Semi-Final
Grand Final Runners Up
Under 9 Robina:
League Champions
3 Teams in Semi-Final
Grand Final Runners Up
Under 10 Carrara:
1 team in semi-final
Robina Girls League:
2 teams in semi-final
1 team in grand final
Carrara Youth League:
Grand Final Runners Up
To celebrate to end of the season, all students received their Futsal Club medal and team photo at the presentation day. The highlight of the day was the Student versus Parents matches. Thank you everyone for participating
Thank you to Parents, Students and Coaches for this season. We hope to have you all back next season!
For any questions about Football and Futsal, please contact our Head of Football and Futsal Maarten De Kruijf.
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