No. 6, Term Three, 2018

Of course these are just a few of the many varied activities, competitions and events held Term. Our students will enjoy a long weekend soon; a chance to rejuvenate for the exams, QCS for our Year 12s and Camps for Years 10 and 11. We continue to work hard in our academic, cultural, co-curricular, service and sporting programmes that we work consistently and tirelessly to shape our students’ futures by learning to critique, collaborate, create and communicate!

We have completed our subject selections in the Senior School for 2019 and our students have certainly embraced the opportunities that have arisen, some to do with the new Senior Certification process starting for our Class of 2020. We are very well prepared for this change and I commend Dr Michael Brohier, Mrs Karen Crowley and Mrs Michele Sauer who have lead the review of our processes.

With regret I have accepted the resignation of Mr Andrew Michael. Mr Michael has been an innovative and committed member of staff since he began in 2009 as a teacher in the Junior School. During his time, and due to his vision and energy, the Junior School Sporting programme at the College has flourished. Mr Michael has earned the respect of the community through the genuine interest and engagement he has with his students. We will miss Mr Michael and his lovely wife Leesha as they take on new adventures and send them with our gratitude and best wishes for this next stage.

After an extensive search and almost 40 international and national applications, I am delighted to announce Mrs Allison Foster, Dip Ed, M Arts (Communications), B Arts, Grad Dip PR, will commence as Head of Senior School on 27 August 2018.

Mrs Foster commenced her career in education at Christian Brothers College, Adelaide as a Senior English teacher for Years 9 to 12.

Mrs Foster became a teacher at Somerset in 2006 teaching English and Humanities before her appointment as Head of House – Franklin. Mrs Foster has also acted as Head of Senior School during this time and is Acting Head of Senior School at present.

We are delighted to have recruited such an experienced educational leader especially with expertise in pastoral matters.

I’m sure you will join me in extending our congratulations to Mrs Foster on her appointment.

I am delighted to announce that my offers of continuing their current roles as permanent appointments have been accepted by:

• Eleanor Amores - Teacher – Senior School in the Science Department
• Nathan Loh - Laboratory Manager
• Trish Voussem - Laboratory Technician

We thank Luisa Navanteri and Anja Ward who have agreed to extend their fixed term contracts as Acting Assistant Head of Department – Foreign Languages and Teacher – Senior School (Foreign Languages) for 2019 while Sarah White extends her maternity leave.

We look forward to welcoming back:

• Bianca Hipperson
• Cathy Makin
• Helen Moffatt

With the changes that have occurred as part of our alignment with the new QCE in 2020, there has been an increase in enrolments in Humanities subjects. After review, I have accepted the recommendation from the Deputy Headmaster, Dean of Studies and the Dean of Middle Years that we have another Assistant Head of Department to assist Damien Coleman and Dane Oman. Accordingly, Dane will become Assistant Head of Department – Business and we will advertise for an Assistant Head of Department – Humanities in the coming weeks.

Parents could hear the cheers from inside the bus and their smiles could have provided enough energy to power the bus the whole way.

On arrival, there was no time for rest. Bags were left and they were off to their first activity! Overcoming fears of heights and stomach dropping thrills were all part of the flying fox and giant swing, precision was tested at archery and rock climbing, cold water splashes and ball games were all part of canoeing and team work and creativity were high on the list for team initiative and low ropes. The activities were amazing; however, when asked to pick a favourite the consensus was clear…GIANT SWING. The staff also loved participating in the activities, particularly the thrill seeking ones.

When the sun went down, the fun didn’t stop. Watching Despicable Me 3 under the stars at the Outdoor Cinema was so much fun. A major highlight was the Thursday night Triballink experience, when an indigenous story teller had 105 students captivated with stories of the Dreamtime. Afterwards toasting marshmallows and drinking lemon myrtle tea (leaves taken straight from the bush) left everyone feeling warm and ready for bed. One thing was for sure, the night activities kept everyone busy and highly entertained.

The food was delicious with many students going for seconds at each meal time. The food definitely gave everyone the energy to get through our busy days.

Year 5 Camp was an incredible experience but we brought home some very tired and exhausted boys and girls; we were all very grateful for some R&R that weekend!

The Ideas Hub was established in 2015, and since its inception has been a key pillar of the UQ entrepreneurship framework.

During their visit to the Ideas Hub, students worked through six modules with University of Queensland students and lecturers. These modules included:

• Ideation – brainstorming and problem identification
• Market Validation – testing the idea with target customers
• Business Modelling – how to turn an idea into a feasible business
• Prototyping – build a simple prototype and test with customers
• Team building – communication and networking to bring the idea to life
• Pitching – presenting your idea to potential investors

The students had a fantastic day, and particularly enjoyed a tour of the University of Queensland campus. Special thanks must go to Mr Stewart Moore who drove the College bus for the excursion, and to Mr Oman who organised the logistics of the trip.

We had many of our inquiring curiosities answered, and as the inquiry cycle encourages, lots of new questions to investigate.

1. Did kids really get the cane?
2. How come the toilet is outside?
3. How come kids walked to school?
4. How come lady teachers had to stop their job when they got married?
5. Where was the playground?

Year 4 to 6 APS Summer Sports 2018

In Term Four, all Year 4 to 6 students participate in an APS Junior Summer Sport.

On Tuesday 28 August, we have five students competing in the Brisbane International Schools Challenge. These students include:

• Hamish Kennedy
• Fynn Busuttin
• Orion Burdett
• Sasha Hanford
• Kaii Norman

If successful, these students will have the chance to compete in the State Titles in Brisbane in January. We wish them all the best!

On Friday 7 September, our Term Three family BBQ night is being held down at the Somerset College Tennis Courts. This will be lots of fun for students and parents so please come along.

Up and Coming Events:

Thursday 30 August - No Junior APS Summer Sports Trials/Training (Week 7)

Tuesday/ Wednesday 11/12 September - South Coast Regional Track & Field Trials

Tuesday 9 October (3.30pm to 4.30pm) - Junior APS Summer Sports Training Year 4 to 6 (Compulsory)

Thursday 11 October - Round One – Junior APS Summer Sports v Emmanuel

All information about Junior School Sport can be located on Schoolbox by clicking on the Junior School Sports page.

At NuPure students were able to see a mass production system capable of supplying the whole country with drinking water. The management generously provided a tour inside the factory to see the production line running at full speed. They also explained the many challenges involved in producing in such high volumes and competing against giant multi-national corporations such as Coca-Cola.

At IKEA students met with the Marketing Manager to learn about the significance of ethical and sustainable business operations in gaining a competitive edge over competitors. They also collected evidence relating to inventory management and customer service strategies in one of the largest retail operations in Australia.

In August the QCE students visited two local businesses that are achieving great success despite facing intense international competition from much larger rivals.

At the UGG Since 1974 factory in Miami, students were given a tour of the production system to learn how this business makes a range of custom designed Australian products for its stores on the Gold Coast and in Sydney.

The owners spoke to students about the challenges of marketing a premium quality product both domestically and internationally when the main international competitor can mass produce a cheaper, albeit inferior, product. Students also learned about the importance of effective use of social media campaigns in communicating a clear message about quality to the target market.

At the ONE Group MiEssence factory in Molendinar, students met with former Somerset parent Narelle Chenery who founded this organic cosmetics business 25 years ago in her own kitchen. Narelle spoke passionately about how to develop a unique cosmetic product concept with genuine organic certification, source pure organic ingredients from all over the world, and produce a premium quality range of products that are shipped to over 50 countries. Narelle also spoke about the challenges of breaking into the Chinese market and the importance of maintaining the integrity of the brand in all aspects of product design and packaging.

The College Business and Entrepreneurship team would like to thank each of these businesses for their generous support of our IB and QCE programs. We are sure that these experiences will be of great benefit to students not only in their current studies, but also in their future careers and entrepreneurial endeavours.