It is wonderful to see the numbers of students excelling on a day to day basis and being rewarded for their efforts.
The achievements of our students in their internal assessments have direct correlation to any external assessments, a validation of the professional capabilities of our teachers and curriculum leaders. It is no secret that our success year after year in QCE and NAPLAN is because of the culture of achievement and recognition we so cherish.
Our Academic Captains, Jacinta Mai and Mohnish Chand, ran the Senior School Assembly in a timely fashion, negotiating the many names of the recipients superbly. It is a credit to all our students how quickly they settle to the new year and its new tasks.
The Class of 2020 had their Investiture today after their Investiture Dinner last night. The evening was enjoyed by the Senior Class who were presented with their ties by me and their Senior Jerseys by the Year 12 Co-ordinator, Mrs Kate Cornell. We enjoyed an inspiring address from Dr Lisa Nissen, Class of 1989, our inaugural Alumni of the Year Winner in 2019.
Of course, the greatest gift was the presentation of the Year 12 badges to the Class of 2020 by the Class of 2032, the Preppies. A precious moment for both classes.
Welcome to Somerset Chess 2020! Co-Curricular lessons have now commenced. If you have missed out on signing up so far, please make sure to do so ASAP.
Information can be found via the My Somerset Community – Electives Tab. The Thursday afternoon sessions for Senior students and for the advanced Junior School students have also commenced – sign up in the same way as Co-Curricular lessons.
Lunch clubs have also commenced as follows:
Years 1 and 2: Monday/ Wednesday/ Friday in Year 2 classroomsYears 3 to 6: Monday/ Wednesday/ FridaySecondary: Thursdays
The Australian Schools Team Championship was held at Canberra Grammar School on the weekend of November 30/December 1. We flew down to Canberra on the last day of school with our coaches Dusan, Shaun, Mr Gardiner and some of our parents and grandparents. For the first day we just relaxed and went to Questicon, where we played 4 player air hockey and did a six-metre free-fall!
When Day 1 started we all turned on serious mode. We all started training and preparing for our first matches against WA, NSW and ACT. We did well scoring 4 to 0, 3 to 1, 2.5 to 1.5 respectively (total 9.5/12 on day 1), and were ready for Day 2. In the fourth round we had to play SA - one of the strongest teams, and very hard to beat. Unfortunately we down 1.5 to 2.5 - an okay result, but we knew that if we wanted to win the whole tournament, we would have to win all our games against VIC, the strongest team.
As we prepared for our final match, with our coaches preparing us to the final second, we started feeling nervous yet excited, our hearts pumping as the adrenaline coursed through our veins, talk about pressure! As went sat down opposite our opponents, we tried to remember everything we ever learnt about this game. Soon the clocks started ticking. Everyone in the Somerset team pushed as hard as they could for that victory, without relent. With every game going on for more than an hour our parents quickly started getting more and more anxious, waiting for the result of the game. Finally, when the pieces had all been reset and all the games were finished, could they breathe a sigh of relief. Even through the best of the efforts of the team, VIC was just too strong and we did not manage to pull of that flawless victory.
We ended up placing third in Nationals just losing the tie-break for second against SA. We all had an amazing time on this trip having fun and playing chess side by side, we will never forget it.
I would like to thank Gardiner Chess for making this whole tournament possible, our amazing coaches Shaun, Dusan and Mr Gardiner, and last but not least our wonderful parents and grandparents - without them none of this could have been achieved. I am honoured representing my school Somerset College and hope to have many more opportunities in the future. Thank you.
The Australian Junior Chess Championships were held in the last week of the holidays on the Gold Coast. The standout performance was Calen Tang in the Under 8 tournament as he finished in 3rd place! In total 16 students took part in the various tournaments.
Under 8 Open – Calen Tang 7/9, Alessandro Martinese 5/9, Dylan Hu 3/9
Under 8 Girls – Kitty Pallister 3/8
Under 10 Open – Oscar Credland-Ballantyne 4/9, Elijah Hadikusumo 2.5/9
Under 12 Open – Sasha Hanford 3.5/9, Ken Wu 3.5/9
Under 12-18 Girls – Sophia Ahern 4/9
Under 14 Open – Eason Wang 6/9, Kenny Ming 5.5/9, Kona Baldock 5/9, Melody Yang 3.5/9
Under 16 Open – Jason Li 5/9, Charlie Liu 3/9
Under 18 Open – Oliver Yang 5/9
Under 18 Blitz Achievement – Oliver Yang, 2nd Under 14
If you have any queries about the chess programme at Somerset College, please contact us via info@gardinerchess.com.au or on 5522 7221.
Furthermore, having some elite coaches, such as Dave Ellis (Auckland Blues coach) and Colin Cooper (Waikato Chiefs coach) running the programme was quite nerve-racking but also exciting. The IRANZ programme involved both practical and theoretical aspects of rugby, all of which give an idea of the standards required of professional rugby players.
Our timetable began 8 December and finished Saturday, 14 December, including a match against a very tough Palmerston North Boys High School on Friday, 13. When I arrived, I first saw our biggest player in the team, Ezekiel at 115kg and 195cm, as you can imagine it was quite daunting. I also saw a board with previous IRANZ players including All Black legends, Ardie Savea and TJ Perenara. Coming into the programme, I just wanted to give 100 percent and to make the most of every opportunity and see what my strengths (to maintain) and weaknesses (to improve upon) were, and I am confident in saying that I achieved this goal. Not only did I improve my skills through Vision and Decision making, Runner calls and Counter/Team attack as set out, but my knowledge of the discipline professional rugby players must have off the field grew immensely as well.
From learning game day eating/drinking routines in the Nutrition session, to keeping your body and mind in the present through the Mental Skills sessions, to a number of other life lessons, I certainly learnt there are a lot of things to consider as a Professional Rugby player. The commitment and effort of a rugby player must be consistent throughout the entire week, if peak performance is to be reached. I was amazed by how specific the programme was in teaching me about my positional role and refining my physical skills. For me, this involved detailed lineout work, running lines and a lot of breakdown skills.
Throughout the programme, I was frequently sore physically and nervous mentally, but I am so glad that I challenged myself and put myself out of my comfort zone so I could ultimately become a much more experienced asset for Somerset Rugby. In addition to all the learning absorbed, I made a number of lifelong friendships with other rugby players from around the world.
I am so grateful for this experience and I would like to thank Mr Walsh and Mr Attoe for providing me with this opportunity.
On Saturday, we were faced with a 100-metre stretch of land over a steep inclined plane which by the end of the day had all given our hamstrings and calf muscles a good workout. We were told the only people to admire a fence are those who erect it. It’s true. What a good-looking fence it was! During this moment we realised our presence among the community there and the hope we gave locals, was more powerful than any manpower we could have provided.
None of us had ever experienced fence building before; however, under the mentorship of Zol, our BlazeAid Team Leader and property owner Joe, we quickly learnt the ropes. Soon after lunch, we had constructed 500-metres of fencing using both barbed-wire and normal wire. Mid-Saturday afternoon, we were exhausted and took a much-needed side-trip to Red Rock. In this pristine waterway, we floated down the Corindi River before filling ourselves with potato scallops. Saturday evening saw our group performing a concert for volunteers bringing everyone together and providing a sense of comradery among all who attended.
Many life lessons were taught over the weekend that we will be able to take into our future lives, and we left knowing our presence and muscle had helped property owners Joe and Mary who are certainly doing it tough at the moment like so many around our great southern land.
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