This foyer, named after Terry Herbert our long serving Vice-Chair of the College Board who recently retired, is made distinctive by ribbed wood veins in the vaulted ceiling creating a wave appearance from wherever you stand. A subtle wave also appears in the entrance carpet and together they create an airy, spacious feel but, functionally, it is all designed for optimal acoustic performance, so it will be quite easy for the bartender to hear your order from the hundreds buzzing around. I personally look forward to testing that feature…a few times.
Inside the auditorium there is more new styling and hopefully a whole new sound experience; the dark arts practiced by sound engineers have targeted the sounds you like to hear and deadened the echoes of those pesky sound waves that were once free to bounce around. Of course, the elephant in the room, that extra nine metres of additional height, (great for advertising to Somerset Drive or passing space tourists), we hope you don’t see: this is our ‘fly tower’ where complete scene changes can be ‘dropped’ in seconds from above, on high speed hoists. Likely this technology will lead to redundancy amongst our student theatre gaffers, but it may spark a new relationship with the sailing club who are used to hoisting and winching and…. Ducking, but this is so much more advanced!
Almost every room has been improved and some have been significantly extended, which saves music rehearsals from competing with space from filing cabinets and, no, Sue we don’t want to store another ten years’ worth of props and costumes – reader keep me to it – as I know I’ll be blown away by the next amazing production!
The students will also love the new ‘Black box’ theatre, created within this scope of works, which is a versatile and innovative space for students to experiment with all aspects of the theatrical experience. We are all very excited to see the first Senior Musical in the Suzanne Roberts Centre for Performing Arts on June 18 to 20, hope to see you there!
Following closely behind, the new Design Centre shall be ready for the start of Term Three. Featuring prominently in the Quad vista, this sharp modern design will be sure to attract interest from visitors and students alike. For the last few weeks the stunning three-storey high elliptical light shaft has been exposed for all to see through a cross-section of the building structure. However, this week this cavity is slowly being masked by an enormous perforated screen and these perforations are designed to look like a watermark print in the image of trees. I’ll be intrigued to see if they succeed in creating an image we all recognise or I’ll have to resort to the functional explanation for these patterns of perforations which is that they are accurately aligned with the movements of the sun for perfect shading and interior climate control!
The Design Centre will soon have a ‘skybridge’ (a la Bridge of Sighs) to the neighbouring Rudkin building but in our case, we hope the journey across is more euphoric (Bridge of Wows perhaps) as we mesh together the disciplines of Fine Arts, Engineering, Computer Design, Multi-Media and Entrepreneurship. Really a hub of great skills for tomorrows careers, businesses and research – many of which we can’t put a name to in 2019!
I’ll save a run down of all the gadgetry inside these buildings for another episode but there’s everything from CNC laser cutters and Tesla style batteries to Hydroponic gardens! The students will lap it up!
Time to pour fresh concrete again: wait for imminent news of our next major pivotal campus development!
My name is Nada Wilson, and I am a 16-year old girl who suffers from guttate and plaque psoriasis. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease whereby your body believes that its skin is a foreign substance and poses a threat to its health. Subsequently, the body attacks the skin cells, killing them and causing them to shed every few days. Comparatively, a person without this condition sheds their skin around once a month. The skin of a psoriasis sufferer therefore inevitably builds ups with inflamed red dead skin cell patches known as plaques. Hence, my journey has been multifaceted and a learning experience to say the least. With influence from other celebrities with skin related autoimmune conditions, such as Cara Delevingne, Kim Kardashian and Winnie Harlow, inspiring me along the whole journey, my personal project went from an uncertainty to a reality.
My condition undoubtedly sparked a new passion for me, I suddenly saw a need to help others around me who were also dealing with the implications of this condition. My humanitarian desire was bursting at the seams as I sought to fulfil my dream of making a positive impact in the psoriasis community and learning simultaneously in the process. After deciding that I wished to explore fairness and development, I came up with the perfect solution to my dilemma. I would produce gift boxes compiled of all the products in which have given me much needed relief from my condition and donate them to fellow psoriasis sufferers. The only issue was, how was I to afford such products? After a quick realisation, I approached every company in which I had personally used and pleaded with them to assist in my endeavour. In a mind-blowing turn of events, every company I requested responded. Ranging from multinational corporations such as Coles, who supplied me with $100 worth of $5 vouchers; and Grahams Natural Alternatives, who single handedly gave me an incredibly generous donation of over $2000 worth of shampoos, conditioners and creams; to national companies such Bickfords who donated one litre cherry juice bottles and Billy Goat soap who donated the most luxurious soaps to my cause. My voice was being heard and I was already beginning to establish relationships within the community that I had never though possible.
When we think of an Oasis, Psoriasis is not often a word we associate with it. In fact, usually they could be deemed as direct contradictions to one and other but I wanted to change this idea one small gift box at a time. My personal connection to the project meant that I put my heart and soul into every detail of its construction and the name Psoriasis Oasis gave me a sense of empowerment, knowing that my one kind gesture would bring a little peace of paradise to those whom I know have dealt with something that is so often ignored as a superficial ailment. When in reality, psoriasis is much more than that; it’s often instead a drain of positivity and self-confidence. But enough is enough; and that is why the focus of my Personal Project is to restore a sense of normality to fellow sufferers to bring to them the feelings of happiness one might feel on a tropical island, right in the comfort of their own home. I’ve come to learn that my project defies the stereotypes of this condition just through its name and that was the first step in my journey as a humanitarian. At its near completion, my product is now being donated all around the country through my interaction with Facebook and Instagram users accessing my Psoriasis Oasis accounts; teaching me how to communicate with total strangers on a shared issue. Again, the relationships that I have developed as a result of this will be remembered forever; meeting with the clients has solidified the importance of my endeavour and proven that Psoriasis needs to be discussed frequently because it doesn’t discriminate.
The College has a subscription to this excellent resource and it is available to our students.
All of our Year 7 students were taken through Citemaker last week as part of their Scientific Inquiry unit and shown how to navigate the website enabling them to produce academic citations and export them into a bibliography. The solution is intelligent and easy to use, Citemaker automatically punctuates and organises the citations – saving hours of time when completing assignments.
Referencing is a skill that our students will carry with them to their future studies regardless of their chosen discipline. Acknowledging the work of others in our research reflects principled and knowledgeable behaviour, two key tenets of the Learner Profile.
We have put together some instructional videos on our library website and our Librarians are always available to assist with referencing inquiries.
Year 11 students Georgina Powell and Jack Luke-Paredi, and Year 10 students Hannah Kennedy and I have been fortunate enough to be involved as members of the 2019 Junior Council. So far this year, we have had two council meetings at the City of Gold Coast Council Chambers and both have already provided us with an incredible experience.
The Junior Council brings together students from all over the city and provides us with the motivation and opportunity to use our voice to get involved and make a difference as members of the Gold Coast community. With each meeting filled with discussions and team activities and even dancing to the bizarre but hilarious ‘banana song’ and eating (insanely delicious) cookies for lunch, the Junior Council seems to never be uneventful.
For me, a highlight has been being able to meet and interact with so many new and amazing people. I was slightly stunned by the massive number of students who were seated in the room at the start of the first meet, but everyone was quick to get friendly and had fostered such an inviting and encouraging environment which was nothing but fun to be a part of.
The Gold Coast Junior Council so far has been such an awesome opportunity that has left me excited to getting more involved and getting to know more people at our next meet!
Congratulations to the winning team: Byron Morris (individual gold, 6.5/7), Oliver Yang (individual silver, 5.5), Ben Atia (individual bronze, 5.5) and Kenny Ming (5, 5th). Also well done to Team 2 on an excellent third place as a team: Jack Luke-Paredi (4.5), Raff Atia (4.5), Jennifer Yeung (4) and Ethan Chant (2). In A Division, Aarav Rawlley and Lachlan Hartley won ribbons of merit with 4.5 points. Full results: Premier, A Division, B Division
The Queensland Open was held on the long Labour Day Weekend at the Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie). Six of the top Somerset players took part: Byron Morris (5/7), Ben Atia 4, Eason Wang 3.5, Anson Qu 3, Sophia Ahern 2.5 and Raff Atia 2. Byron had one of his best achievements yet, finishing = fourth in the whole tournament, and notching up several upsets against players rated above him.
At the Gold Coast Junior Championship last weekend, we had a smaller turnout from Somerset, as many of our Senior School students were busy studying for exams. Anson Qu had a great result, with 5.5/7 and third in the whole event. Anson thus won the title of Gold Coast Under 14 Champion! Eason Wang finished on 4.5 and won the second Under 18 trophy. In the Under 8's, Calen Tang finished in third place with 5.5/8. Also doing well were Alessandro Martinese 4.5, Elijah Hadikusumo 4 and Harrison Qu 4.
• Peninsula Open (organised trip) 1-2 June at Redcliffe (by invitation only)• Gold Coast Rapid Ch Sunday 16 June at Hinterland Hotel, Nerang• Junior School Term 2 Inter-School, Tuesday 18 June at Tallebudgera Recreation Centre, Palm Beach• Gold Coast Open: 27 June - 1 July, Quality Hotel Mermaid Waters (Premier, Major, Minor) • Queensland Junior Ch: 4-7 July, Hinterland Hotel, Nerang (U8, U10, U12, U18)
After weeks of practising on the Friday morning during the Somerset Spartans Futsal training and the Wednesday lunch time training, the boys were ready for this event. On Monday morning at 7.00am Coach Maarten took the team to the Coomera Indoor Centre. Arriving in Coomera we warmed up and then played our first game versus Tamborine Mountain State School. We began full of confidence ith after the first win, this resulted in four wins in a row versus Kimberley Park State School A, Canungra State School and Kimberley Park State School B.
After each game the boys reviewed their performances and set up their goals for the next game. The Year 6 boys’ objective was to reach the grand finale.
For our last group game, we played versus Albany Creek. We were defeated in this game. This left us finishing second place in our group. We qualified for the semi-finals!
In the semi-finals, we played versus Varsity College. A slow first half when the boys looked a bit nervous, was followed by a great second half by scoring all our opportunities. We won! For the final we versed Albany Creek for the second time in the day. The first 10 minutes Somerset had the best of the game and the most opportunities. Unfortunately, the ball didn’t want to score in the goal. In the second half Albany Creek came off better and scored. This left Somerset as runners up.
A lot of respect must be given to Harry Mackintosh, Carter Dennings, Ryan Palmer, Augustine Charisiou, Joshua Pieri, Advaid Naik, Jayden Mclean and James Kirk for going hard at it for a full day. Their first game kicked off at 7.55am and the final kicked off at 4.30pm.
Thanks to all parents for supporting the boys during their games.
The Under 6 kicked off at 8.30am versus Mudgeeraba. Our boys and girls performed great. Their good teamwork led to many goals. Our youngest Spartans team can’t wait for next week's game.
Over the past few weeks the Under 7s had good wins in the U7 Competition. On Saturday May 25 the team faced a big challenge up against a very experienced Burleigh. Burleigh made the most goals and took the victory.
The U7 Green continued with what they started this season, scoring goals. This team presented by Somerset Year 2 students had a great Saturday morning.
Last week the Spartans defeated Southport, 8 nil. Southport brought their second U9 team, who had with more experience and older players making it difficult for the Spartans. The boys endured a tough challenge, and worked a lot on their defending during this game.
Saturday June 1 all Spartans Football teams play away games.
Please check the Football Club Schoolbox Page for more info.
Although our squad was slightly reduced due to exams getting in the way, it gave those who could make it an opportunity to try rowing with people they wouldn't normally crew with. This match up led to some surprising results.
As usual, we’d like to thank parents, coaches and supporters for their unfailing enthusiasm and encouragement. Our next regatta is a trophy regatta out at Wyaralong Dam 8 June.
This week, we’re going to get to know our other captain, Declan Thew, a little better:1. When did you start rowing? I started rowing in 2015, I was 13 and in Year 8.
2. Why did you start rowing? I started rowing mainly because my brother was rowing and made it look like so much fun.
3. What makes rowing unique? Rowing is a unique sport as it requires discipline, endurance and responsibility. There are a lot of early morning starts and it can get very cold on Lake Orr at 5.30am in winter.
4. Greatest rowing triumph? I have so many wonderful memories associated with rowing but apart from the great friendships and fun there have also been some incredible winning moments (and a fair share of losses too). Winning highlights would have to include; first place in the Quad at the Murwillumbah Trophy Regatta, this was particularly special as we hadn't won a quad race that year and Julius crabbed at the start making our win harder but sweeter.
5. Greatest rowing mishap? Probably the time I managed to tip a quad (very hard to do) with a boat full of novice's. Everyone was wet but all managed to power through. Rowing is a wonderful sport it keeps you fit, physically and mentally. Teaches you many valuable life lessons, including respect, perseverance and determination.
Yr 8 Girls Novice Single – Lillian Tan (Div 1)Lauren Taylor-Girdler (Div 2)
Yr 8 Boys Novice Single - Armani Kujovic (Div 1)
Yr 9 Boys Single - Xavier McMullen (Div 3)
Yr 10 Girls Single – Emma Wilson (Div 2)
Yr 10 Boys Single - Fergus McKeon (Div 3)
Schoolboys Single – Chester Whiting (Div 3)
Schoolgirls Single - Nina Varcoe (Div 3)
Yr 9 Boys Double - Xavier McMullen, Thomas Gray (Div 2)
Jasper Mansell, Thomas Kilmartin (Div 3)
Yr 10 Girls Double - Miku Adachi, Sofia Smith (Div 2)
Yr 10 Boys Doubles - Fergus McKeon, Joshua Mills (Div 2)
Schoolboys Double - Jack Daly, Samuel Liu (Div 2)
Yr 10 Boys Quad - Joshua Mills, Fergus McKeon, Cameron Smith, Callum McClure, Cox: Jasper Mansell
Schoolboy Eight - Nicholas Tan, Joe Lanham, Anthony McKenna, Thomas Liu, Samuel Liu, Min Jae Kyeong, Chester Whiting, Fergus McKeon, Cox: Austin Macrossan
Michael Dobroskok competed at the Nationals for gymnastics. He thoroughly enjoyed the experience with his team placing second overall and Michael placing third individually on floor.
After qualifying in the first position he only narrowly missed his National champion title, but is still very happy with the outcome!
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