Embracing the Learner Profile, Caring.
Prep and Year 6 students teamed up for a tree-planting adventure by Wynagan Creek, nurturing our environment and igniting conversations about responsibility.
“We're helping the planet,” said one enthusiastic Prep student.
The tree planting was in support of ongoing restoration works of the Wyangan Creek, removing invasive weed species and returning native vegetation to support the Creek’s health.
Our Sustainable Spartans and Year 6 leaders assisted and led our Prep students in planting 250 trees.
A hands-on learning experience offered students practical experience in nature, as well as an appreciation of sustainable environmental practices.
One Year 6 student explained how the Prep student he was helping would be able to return when he was his age, to see how the tree had grown!
Enjoyed having the young ones involved this time.
A bustling day at the University of Queensland (UQ) offered a mosaic of opportunities and diverse fields. From the sun-kissed lawns of the St Lucia campus to the cutting-edge laboratories of the Engineering Institute, the university embodied academic vibrancy, and provided as a perfect day for learning, fun and new experiences.
The morning began with a welcoming snack and then we were off to our first talk about the journey to becoming an engineer. The stairs to get there made us want to turn around, but when we were in the room, everything was worth the climb.
Workshop 1, Giving Back Movement, was a fantastic opportunity to learn how much helping others can impact your life, and can become what you do. We created a prosthetic limb, suitable for a person without fingers. It was a fun lesson, and we got to work with our friends as well.
After a delicious lunch of Bahn Mi, spring rolls, juice, musli bars and Twisties, we were off to our last event of the day where we got the chance to code a circuit with SunSmart code. We used an UV flashlight to power three LED lights, and depending on how far away the torch was, the LED lights changed colours. It was very interesting and enjoyed by all. We left the final workshop, after we tried to tan ourselves with the torch first, of course, and headed to the bus for the long drive back to school.
Overall, the engineering day at UQ was an interesting experience that showed us all the different branches of engineering and gave us some insight about how it could be a part of our future. On the drive back, we were pulsating with the energy of collaboration, curiosity, and limitless possibilities, all excited for what the future holds.
I am creating a theatrical play, for my Year 10 Personal Project, with hopes it will be performed in the future. What I want to learn throughout this process of creating this play, is how to properly engage an audience. Being able to capture an audience through public speaking and writing is a beneficial skill that I will use for the rest of my life.
Ever since I have been at Somerset, I have always immersed myself in the performing arts section of the school. I have performed several plays during Starkey House Plays as well as GCSST plays. I have extremely enjoyed the process of performing in these plays. This has ultimately led me to an interest in writing my own play for other individuals to perform in hopes that they will experience the same joy I had in being able to act in a theatre play.
So far, I have been fortunate enough not to encounter many challenges. However, the main challenge that I have been facing, and still am facing, is being able to make the characters' dialogue flow seamlessly. This is crucial to get right, as it can make the difference between capturing an audience's attention or losing it. This can be fixed by continuously editing my play.
I have learned through the process of creating this play that I am capable of achieving big goals when I put my mind to it. At the beginning of this journey, I had very little belief in myself that I would be able to write a complete play. Little by little, I was able to slowly chip away at the play until I finished.
I have applied and developed my thinking skills, particularly critical and creative thinking skills, in creating my personal project. I used critical thinking skills to analyse my characters, put them into different scenarios, and imagine their actions in each scenario. On the other hand, I utilised creative thinking skills to structure my story and create engaging plot twists and scenes.
This will help me in my learning in other subjects as being able to analyse situations and think creatively will allow me to assess information more effectively.
My favourite part of doing Personal Project so far is that it is a unique subject and feels very refreshing. I have also been able to develop several skills and learn facts about myself that I did not know before.
Kinaesthetic or tactile learners thrive by physically touching and trying things to learn concepts. The integration of tactile learning styles into digital design classes offers a multitude of benefits. It engages students, enhances memory retention, fosters creativity, promotes inclusivity, and prepares students for real-world applications. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, educational strategies that embrace tactile learning will be instrumental in shaping the next generation of digital designers.
At Somerset College students studying design experience the integration of tactile learning methodologies into the delivery of curriculum. This pedagogical strategy not only aligns with diverse learning preferences but also enhances cognitive processes, leading to a more profound and enduring understanding of design principles.
In Digital Design classes, this translates to students wiring up electrical circuits, testing robots that draw on differing surfaces and flying the Tello Drones in a controlled environment. This engagement promotes active learning, as students are not mere spectators but participants in the creative process.
The tactile approach capitalises on the multisensory experiences to bolster memory retention. When students physically interact with design elements, they create muscle memory and associations that aid in recalling information. This is particularly beneficial in mastering complex software tools and design techniques that are the foundation needed to create digital solutions.
This freedom to experiment fosters innovative thinking and problem-solving skills, essential attributes for aspiring designers. Incorporating tactile learning caters to diverse learning needs, making digital design education more inclusive. Students with different learning styles, including those who may struggle with traditional instructional methods, can find success through tactile experiences. This inclusivity ensures that all students have the opportunity to excel in Digital Design.
Elijah Hadikusumo takes out prestigious chess tournament '2024 Byron Capital Darling Downs Open' Division Title
One of the biggest and most prestigious all ages chess tournaments took place over the weekend in Toowoomba and a number of keen little Somerset legends made the trip! Brushing shoulders with Master players from around the world, as well as keen chess players of all ages from all over Australia, a number of our Somerset little masters played their hearts out with some absolutely amazing results.
Our very own Elijah Hadikusumo got an incredible 6.5/7 in the Minor Division; taking overall 1st place out of 130 players! Incredible result and one to put down in the Somerset history books.....
Also great results from Alisa Lai, William Lai, Jeremy Zhang to finish with winning records. Well done everyone!
Upcoming QJ Rated Weekend Tournaments
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An opportunity to take on your peers in three different age group divisions. Get ready for the QLD Junior championships!
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The Queensland School Swimming Championships were held in Brisbane just before Easter with the Secondary School titles running from 23 to 25 March and the Primary School titles from 26 to 28 March. Somerset had 48 swimmers compete at the Championships with both Somerset Swim Club and Somerset College Students featuring across the six days of competition.
Starting with the Junior School Championships, there were six Somerset students out of the 17 Somerset Swim Club members who represent the South Coast region at the Championships. These students were Isla Booth, Hugo Hasselle, Evie Snow, Annie Talbot, Lachlan Talbot and Jasmine Teng. Three swimmers were crowned State Champions in either individual or relay events - Makyra Melo, Isla Booth and Liyng Wong. In addition to this, there were six more swimmers who won medals and another four swimmers who made finals at the Championships. These outstanding results were:
From these impressive results, five swimmers were selected onto the Queensland Team to compete at the National School Swimming titles on the Gold Coast in August this year. Well done to Knox, Meggie, Makyra, Sophia, and Braxtyn on their selection.
The Senior School State Championships were held 23 to 25 March and there were 14 Somerset Students as part of the total 31 swimmers from both the College and Swim Club. From this large group of swimmers, there were 12 state champions! Congratulations to Ryan Bambach, Kyla Brown, Sasha Henrison, Olympia Pope, Danny Baxtor, Bessie Dear, Leny Grigor, Zahri Jarrett, Jessica Melo, Chelsea Strachan, Lacey Strachan, and Cohen Tarrant on winning events at the State Championships.
There is a long list of impressive results with students making finals (top ten) to winning events. These swimmers are:
From this group of swimmers there were 15 swimmers chosen to represent Queensland at the National School Swimming titles to be held on the Gold Coast in August. Somerset students Ryan Bambach, Kyla Brown, Holly Hembling, Olympia Pope, Bessie Dear, Leny Grigor and Cohen Tarrant were part of the 15 swimmers selected.
As a final note, special congratulations must go to Olympia Pope who represented Australia at the recent 2024 Oceania Championships becoming the Oceania Champion in the 50m, 100m and 200m Breaststroke as well as the 4x100m Female Medley Relay. Following these great results, Olympia was selected onto the Junior Australian Pan Pacific Games Team alongside Somerset’s Milla Jansen in August.
Well done swimmers!
During the school holidays our Year 5 and Year 6 Football Girls travelled to Cairns to participate in FNQ Youth Football Cup. The Tour took place from Sunday April 7 to Friday April 12.
This is the third football tour from Somerset Football, the past two years we travelled with our boys and this year we gave our girls this great opportunity.
In preparation of the tour, we had undertaken several Strength and Conditioning sessions and sport workshops with Harry McMaster and Sophie Dodd. These sessions and workshops have resulted in a strong and healthy team during the whole week!
Early Sunday morning, we departed from Gold Coast Airport to Cairns Airport. Once arrived we needed think about our nutrition for the week. And we bought us healthy snacks and drinks for optimal sport performance. In the afternoon we had scheduled our team training and light training sessions.
On day two, all the students have participated in the Football Camp and have met former professional football players. After the session we cooled down at the at Cairns Lagoon.
On day three, four and five we played the football tournament. We played a total of eight matches over the three days. The Tournament was a great experience to play vs clubs and academies from other states and countries (New Zealand).
Well done to our Spartans Robin Wang, Alex Lee, Chloe Li, Edith Hilbert, Audrey Hilbert, Arianna Reading, Mayuko Takahata, Imogen Sounness and Frankie Dew for have taken part in the third Somerset Football Tour.
Thank you to our Coach Kydra Walden and team manager Vivian Kuo for being part of our tour staff.
The tour was a success for all students and parents, hopefully have many more tours to come. Please keep an eye on the Schoolbox notices for our Football Tours in 2025.
The Under 8 Somerset Football Students attended the A League Football Match between Brisbane Roar and Newcastle Jets at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.
Our Somerset Spartans Football Club was invited by the Brisbane Roar to see professional football up close. In addition to watch the match, all students participate in the Half Time Heroes activity.
Somerset was also asked to nominate 11 students to walk out on the field with the professionals as player mascot. It was though for our coaching staff to nominate the player mascot students. To make this fair we did a lottery on Wednesday afternoon after football club training. All names were placed in a box and 11 names got picked out.
On Saturday April 13, the player mascots met the players and walked hand in hand with the players. At the end of the first half, we made our way to the field entrance. For 10 minutes the students had the experience to be the hero, playing on the football field in the middle of the stadium. During this time the students felt how it was being watched by six thousand people.
The A League match ended in nil to 2 for the Jets. The students had a great day out to see professional football. After the match the students had the opportunity taking photos and receiving signatures from the Brisbane Roar players.
Thank you to Coach Ryan and Coach Oliver to give up your free time and made this day unforgettable for our students.
Thank you to all the Parents for joining us and we hope you enjoyed the day!
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