I am born and bred in Adelaide but have now moved to join this magnificent College. Sharing the journey is my partner (Lani) and our two beautiful, little boys: Parker (5) and Harry (3). This is the first time that we, as a family, have lived outside of South Australia and we are incredibly excited to move to the beautiful Gold Coast.
I have been an educator for 20 years and truly love it and students are the reason why. Being able to assist students to become the best versions of themselves is what ultimately drives me. This passion for education has been enhanced and refined as I have taught at various schools and held several positions ranging from senior English, History and Business Innovation teacher, to Curriculum Coordinator in an IB school, Assistant Head of Senior School and, ultimately, to my most recent position. For the last six years I thoroughly enjoyed being the Head of Senior School at Pulteney Grammar School in Adelaide.
I note that, when coming to Somerset College in 1996, the outgoing Deputy Headmaster (Dr Michael Brohier), also moved from Pulteney Grammar. This is simply serendipity, but strangely makes me feel a little more comfortable as I reflect that he has previously undertaken the same journey I am about to embark on. Whilst mentioning Dr Brohier, I would like to take some time to formally acknowledge him. I have come to learn that he has been a dedicated servant of Somerset College and a wonderful colleague and mentor. I formally thank Dr Brohier for the exceptional work he has undertaken throughout his tenure at Somerset and assure him that I will strive to honour his legacy.
I look forward to the coming months as I become acclimated to the College, its culture and ethos. With this in mind, I am excited to work with the Headmaster, the Board and College Leadership Team, Parents and Friends Association, students and all of the wider community to identify the current and future projects which will continue Somerset College’s celebrated success.
In short: I very much look forward to working with and meeting you all and thank you so very sincerely for the welcome my family and I have already received.
“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity…”
― Edith Lovejoy Pierce
Every new school year provides opportunity for each and every one of our students. An opportunity to set new goals, new dreams, new expectations. For others, it provides an opportunity to solidify the path that they have already begun walking. It was therefore a great joy to see existing Somerset College students return in 2021 and welcome a number of new, enthusiastic – and slightly nervous – students to the College ranks.
The academic year always opens with the revered Investiture Service and the Commissioning of the Class of 2021. It was wonderful to commission the Class of 2021 and witness their pride as they walked across The Great Hall stage and into their final year of secondary schooling. We hold great hope for this cohort and have no doubt that they will honour themselves, their families and their College through dedicated action and service.
Being elected to and accepting a leadership position is always an event filled with pride for both the individual and their loved ones. It was therefore a wonderful morning when we inducted the 2021 Student Leadership Team. The following students eagerly received their leadership badges before taking the pledge of office.
Andrews House - Ryan Harraway and Jemma Clements
Franklin House - Will Barry and Pippi Harris
Laver House - Nikhil Patel and Caitlin Anderson
Starkey House - Fergus McKeon and Jinjin Wang
Veivers House - Cameron Smith and Miku Adachi
Roy Hsu and Momoe Gondo
Maito Yamaguchi and Eva Wingrove
Noah Jay and Lilliana Swainson
Kye Reynoldson and Serenity Thake
Will Roder and Kushi Tumkur
Will Toohey and Jade Bailey
Patrick Sowerby and Leigh Amores
Nicholas Tan and Hannah Kennedy
The late Lorraine Pilgrim was a founding teaching member of the College, a Head of English at Somerset and one of a small group of creators of the Somerset Celebration of Literature, now known as Somerset Storyfest. Lorraine was a feisty, highly intelligent, and passionate educator.
Each year, at the Investiture Service, it is a joy to welcome back students to the College who, in the preceding year, achieved an Australian Tertiary Admittance Rank (ATAR) of 98.85 or higher. These students are recognised by being awarded a Lorrain Pilgrim Medal. These medals symbolise commitment, dedication, endeavour, and absolute academic excellence on the part of these young adults in their studies through their two senior years.
In 2020 15 young men and women were eligible for a Pilgrim Medal. The College is very proud of these medal recipients and we wish them the very best for the future.
As excitement and intensity gained momentum during the first weeks of Term One, in anticipation of the performance evenings, the very essence of the Festival became clear; student collaboration, endeavour and a sense of joining together, students from Years 7 to 12, to create 25 minutes of entertainment for the Somerset community.
Steve Pirie, writer, theatre maker and youth arts worker generously gave of his time to adjudicate Friday’s performance and by all accounts, was impressed with the student-led productions and the ability of Somerset students to engage so authentically in the process of bringing a performance to life.
Veivers House presented a cleverly written Ode to 2020. Written and directed by Ella Kirk and Eva Wingrove, the students in the year 2078 indeed discovered much through a bizarre turn of events. Guests appearances from Head of House – Veivers, Mr Patrick George and Veivers House Tutor Mr Matt McLaughlin were also well-received!
Andrews House, performing Starstruck, took a closer look at the Green Room for a group of high school students who were waiting to audition for the school musical. Directed by Alissa McKenna and Jarvis Dover, the cast’s group dynamics were particularly impressive!
Soumia Lamont and Giulia Provenzano directed the Laver House Play, Assembly. The audience was treated to the world of two types of students: those who get ‘smiley’ faces and those who get ‘frowny’ faces. From safety experts explaining how to stop a bear from attacking to a special visit from The Man with a Tie, the performance did not disappoint.
Anastasia Kouts and Calvin Walther directed the Starkey House Play, Blind Love. A student-devised work, the audience took a trip into the world of dating TV shows with Matt, who was looking for new love. A perfect match was looking unlikely for Matt until he met who he thought was a perfect love.
Franklin House performed The Psychological Adventures of Bill and Toohey, student devised and directed by Ella Stewart and Yeva Brereton. Bill and Toohey, aspiring to start a rock band needed to pass their final psychology exam. The magical phone booth saw the characters travel through time on a memorable adventure to complete the best assignment ever.
All of our actors and directors are to be commended on their wonderful efforts in putting together such a wonderful Festival for 2021. Outstanding Actor awards were given to Heidi Hoffman, Hannah Kennedy, Ava McCarthy and Raye FengXu. The Adjudicator’s Award recipients were Eva Wingrove, Ella Kirk, Calvin Walther, Anastasia Kouts, Ella Stewart and Yeva Brereton for their student-devised work.
The Best Play Award was awarded to Laver House for their highly entertaining performance of Assembly by Barry Weber.
Congratulations to each of the Houses for achieving such wonderful commendations from Steve Pirie.
As always, the work of the Technical Services Crew, Darcy Beynon as Photographer, Mrs Sue Roberts, Mr Stuart Roberts, staff who so generously gave of their time to assist in the theatre is appreciated.
The Festival was delivered 2 weeks earlier this year and the organisation and direction of Mrs Anna D’Arcy is appreciated by staff and students alike. Thank you, Mrs D’Arcy for your exceptional leadership with the Festival! Thank you also to Mrs Flynn and Mr Cash, who assisted our casts, crew and staff.
Who would have thought that Year 7 students would be made to feel so special and important on this day, I’m sure all of us agree that the guard of honour was the best part! So, what has been happening in the distant world of the Year 7 students at Somerset? Parents, I’m sure you’d like to know.
The senior school is much different to the junior school in many ways. First, the locker room we get to use is amazing: we have a room filled with digital code lockers, 2 ping-pong tables and another room with a cupboard full of games and it is a great place for a chat.
PC: my fellow students may have told all their parents what it’s like and I’m sure it's different for everyone but for many students, PC has so far been a great experience to connect and communicate to many different students from Year 7 through to Year 12.
Finally, let's talk about Year 7 camp - by far the most exciting thing that has happened this year! Camp was an amazing experience for all the Year 7 students. We remember the exhilaration of the giant swing, the sweaty hands while climbing up the tree for the leap of faith and the competitive spirit while racing to bandage a fellow teammate in the survival challenge. There were several highlights from camp, too many to list! Many new friendships were made on camp and many existing bonds were strengthened on this fantastic journey up at Mount Tamborine, and for most of us drinking cordial with every meal is not a regular thing!
We all are eager to see what this year has in store for us and I’m sure that there will be many more new experiences to come.
Sash Kumar
Year 7 is our first year of High School. Everything is new to us. There are new students (Welcome to Somerset Guys and Girls!) new teachers, new talents, new expectations, new classrooms, new playing spaces, and so on. As we move further into the MYP we learn more about ourselves and our peers. But first, let's talk about the typical life of a Year 7 student.
So, all our days start the same way: we come to school and start playing with/talking to our friends. Then time rushes by and it’s already 8.30 am- we have to gather our thick, heavy books and rush off to class. Currently, we are doing assignments and assessments. By the time we come out of class, we’ll have learned so many new things, we can barely keep track of them. Now it’s time to run over to the next class where we have a different subject to refresh our minds.
“Yay, it’s Recess” and we all get a quick 20-minute break, so our minds get to cool down from all that hard (and smart) work. Then it’s to our hard work we go! Another whole hour of fun learning has gone by and wow, wasn’t that quick. Before we were hungry for knowledge and now my tummy's rumbling. (Is it cats or maybe raccoons…who cares…) it’s lunchtime! We stuff our books in our lockers and as fast as a flash, we race up to the dining hall. We have some time after our 30-minutes of eating to go and have some playtime/funtime. (No, you are not allowed on your mobile phone.)
Oh, lunch is already over. Time to go and get the books for our next classes, but before that, we have Pastoral Care. 12.50 pm – 1.20 pm, that’s PC. You are not allowed any devices, and not allowed to do your homework or work on your assignments. With so many No's, you would think it will be boring, but PC is the best time of day. We had 30 minutes of bliss with mindfulness activities and a chance to speak to other teachers and other students in that group. Why do good things have to end so fast?
Now PC is over, time to go up (or down) to our 2nd last class of the day and then the last class of the day. (Yay!) Everyone is tired yet so excited that the school day's almost over. “Yes! Finally, School’s done!" I’m excited to meet my little sis (Uhhh...not really…)!
Dyuthi Vuthpala
We cooked an estimated 200 meals for the hungry and homeless. Not only does volunteering give you that proud feeling of achieving something but it cleanses you and makes you put others before yourself. My family made tasty, savoury pastries for people in need to enjoy. Meals from different cultures were also made and sent to charities, so people who couldn’t afford to enjoy the diversity of different cultures could at least enjoy their food. OzHarvest has given me the chance to give back to others rather than me expecting things to be handed to me.
Now, let’s talk about Banana Day! Andrews House has supported OzHarvest for the last four years and in 2021, we have created Banana Day. It will be a day where Andrews House come together and volunteer to create pastries, meals or beverages from bananas. Banana Day will be held 8 March, so come join Andrews House, and bring your own banana creation!
Each lesson contains a mindfulness activity, such as a short meditation. Then there is discussion and an activity which focuses on one or more of the VIA Character Strengths.
Why focus on Character Strengths? Lea Waters, one of the world’s leading experts on Positive Education, has empirical evidence of extraordinary results obtained by focusing on our children’s strengths rather than always trying to correct their weaknesses. Through focusing on strengths, Lea Waters demonstrates in her book, The Strength Switch how we can not only help our children build resilience, optimism and achievement but we can also help inoculate them against today’s pandemic of depression and anxiety.
The time we spent together allowed us to share aspects of lives whilst reflecting on how times have changed so much.
Albert Einstein once said, “Only a life lived in the service to others is worth living."
I find that this quote perfectly summarises the importance of actively being involved in your community and to understand how your actions can influence others.
I am so grateful that I was able to be a part of this truly memorable experience. All Year 9 students will visit OzCare Burleigh this year as part of the Service Learning Programme.
To start the year, in Week 1, we had a Taste of Science Day on the Quad where selected activities were set to promote and renew curiosity about the Club. It was a successful lunch time activity.
In Week 3, one of the first experiments that the students were able to participate in was the testing of foods for sugar, starch, protein, and fats content. This gave students a chance to understand what makes up different types of foods and how these foods can be tested in the laboratory using some chemicals and simple methodology. In Week 5, another experiment that the students were able to partake involved chemical reactions between acid and carbonate to produce carbon dioxide gas. This was a great opportunity to see the real-life context behind ocean acidification. When carbon dioxide gas is mixed with water, the pH of water decreases, making it acidic. We were able to visibly determine the change in pH by identifying the change in colour with the universal indicator.
The other experiment conducted was collecting oxygen from the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide using manganese oxide as a catalyst. This was done using the water displacement method. To test this gas, we used an extinguished taper and attempted to relight it inside the gas jar. The Year 7s was assisted by our Year 12s and we could see that they had so much fun! Especially when they fail to relight their stick! It just made them think about improving their method and re-try collecting more gas.
These experiments provide the opportunity to learn whilst collaborating with others in a safe and enjoyable environment. If you are Science enthusiast like us, come and join us in Week 7, Thursday A (3:30-4:30) and we can show you more chemical reactions!
As soon as we arrived, we were given a warm welcome by a horseman leading us up to the bushland where we witnessed a battle between the bushranger and gold field workers. Having visited the Sovereign Hill mining area a couple of months back, I had a gold fever already.
We learnt a lot about the history and culture around that era. The most exciting part was that we could role play certain characters and situations that may have occurred during the Australian Gold Rush. The various mapping activities took us all around the simulated gold field township of 1854 giving us opportunities to discover gold and trade them for deals. We even had fun putting up tents, running business pertinent to that era and making scrumptious damper to relish.
In a nutshell, it was the most unique fun filled experience and we all returned home with ample stories and experience to share with our friends and family. To conclude, I would like to thank the school management and teachers for giving us this wonderful experience.
Watching baby chicks hatch and grow is a wonderful way to investigate the characteristics of living things and the stages of life-cycles.
Year 2 friends are putting their research skills into practice by collecting data about the chickens through writing a 'Chick Journal'.
Every day the children enjoy predicting how many chicks will hatch and look forward to watching the very special moment the chicks are born right in front of their very eyes. What a joy it is to learn in the classroom with little peeps and cheeps in the background during the day.
"It’s good to have them in our classroom because they are fascinating little animals and they have lots of stages of life." Ethan Kelly-Correa
We concentrate on five key areas of fine motor development: visual motor integration, finger individuation, open web space, pinch grasp and wrist extension.
Visual motor integration is the ability of the eye to direct the hand to complete motor tasks. It affects the ability to plan how to write letters, copy figures, cut with scissors, complete mazes and be successful in most sport activities. Activities that develop this skill include tangrams, building rock towers from a plan and copying different lines in sand or rainbow rice.
Finger individuation is the ability to move fingers in isolation. It affects skills such as turning a key in a lock, typing, self-care (buttons, zips), picking up objects and using tongs. To develop this skill, we take part in activities such as playing the piano, jumping frogs and finger pattern games.
Open web space is the space between the index finger and thumb. Having a closed web space affects the ability to accurately hold a pencil and form a pincer grip. It can lead to poor handwriting and writing fatigue due to compensation and use of other muscles in the arm. Focus activities to develop an open web space are squeezing stress balls, watering the garden with spray bottles and cutting.
Pinch grasp manipulation is the ability to pinch an object between the tip of the thumb and pointer finger. It affects the ability to tie shoes, use tweezers and pick up small objects. Using tweezers to move pom poms, marbles, peg boards and threading are ways that we practise this skill.
Wrist extension plays an important role in handwriting. The position of the wrist determines how well a child can control a pencil and affects their finger mobility. We paint on vertical easels to develop our wrist extension or build towers as high as we can.
In just a few short weeks of implementing fine motor mornings, we have seen an increase in manual dexterity and function in most students. We are looking forward to further developing our students’ fine motor muscles through engaging hands-on activities.
Check Schoolbox for more information about The Hub and our co-curricular programme.
What a nail-biting final game for both teams who played brilliantly. The Whites convinced Orange there was no way they could win but in the final 10 minutes of the game the score was 4 to 1. We had all seen the Whites play this season and they were superb.
Hamish came along and scored a second goal for Orange, bringing a big smile to everyone watching the game. Just three minutes to the finish, Vaughan ran across and shot the third goal. Alan was the super star defender. Just before the whistle blew Abhiveer managed to score a goal and tie the game.
That meant Penalty shootout, the Whites had won their semi-finals in the penalty shootout and they were fantastic. Liam saved the day for the Orange team and we had our Champions!
The U10s played their final game of Futsal this season taking on the Gold Coast Rangers in a first vs fourth Semi Final. With two key players missing in Dylan and Jacob, it meant the whole team was going to have to work extra hard to pick up the slack. This is exactly what they did. Fighting from the beginning whistle until end, and not giving up once. As even though we lost the match, the rangers where only able to improve on our previous matches score line by a single goal. The team gritted through the hard work together, demonstrating some of the best passing, positioning, and defence I’ve seen from them all season. Some top-class tricks also had to be pulled out the bag by Zac in order to secure two wonderful goals and deny a clean sheet to our opponents.
This was a great result and ending to the season, and one I think all the players can be extremely proud of themselves for. It’s been a journey watching all of them continuously improve game by game. Looking forward to where they will go next season.
After five weeks of training, the Football club players are starting 6 March, with their grading games. The coaches will then announce the teams for the season and the divisions the teams will play for 2021.
For the 2021 season we are proud to announce that Somerset Spartans Football Club has been accepted in the Football Gold Coast Junior Girls Competition.
Somerset already participated in the Miniroos Competition. This competition uses small sided games teams playing 4v4, 7v7 and 9v9 sides rather than the traditional 11v11 format to cater to four to 11-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.
The Football Gold Coast Junior Girls Competition play the 11v11 format. If you are interested to join our Girls Football Team. Please contact our Head of Football on mdekruijf@somerset.qld.edu.au
The players who competed were:
All players did an amazing job, but we did have some exceptional results. Benedict Thompson and Henry Pevy ended up in the final against each other with Henry getting the win this time. It was a great match and both players showed off their amazing talent!
Watch Episode 2 of Spartan Stream to see interviews with the players.
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