No. 7, Term Three, 2018

Our thanks go to the student performers who challenged themselves to perform on the two days. We thank each participant for sharing their developing skills and talents and hope they will be left with a sense of achievement and pride in their hard work and effort.

We also thank the Music and Speech and Drama teachers of the Gold Coast who nominated their students. This support makes the Festival possible.

An event such as The Somerset Festival for Young Performers does not just happen. Many hours of planning and preparation are involved. On behalf of all participants and their families our sincere thanks go to the Festival Programme Director, Mrs Helen Little and her band of helpers, especially the Somerset College Events Team, for their hard work. Our thanks also go to Mrs Sue Roberts for her untiring work in organising the many student volunteers who provide such valuable service. Our staff members do an excellent job in each of the venues and we thank them for giving so generously of their time.

Similarly I thank all members of the organising committee who have worked to ensure the smooth running of the Festival again this year.

May we also thank our Adjudicators who worked so hard over the two days. The positivity and words of encouragement go a long way to encourage the students to keep working to continue developing their skill. Thank you for your support.

We look forward to August 2019 and the next SFYP.

On Wednesday last week the Junior School participated in Book Character Day. This year the whole Junior School was involved with most of the students (and teachers) from Pre-Prep to Year 6 dressed as their favourite book character. The younger students had a special visit from our Year 3 to 6 students who came and shared their favourite stories with them. Students in the early years then strutted their stuff around the Great Hall for the Book Character Day Parade. It was amazing to see so many beautiful costumes and the smiles on the students' faces said it all.

As a part of Book Character Day the students in Year 3 to 6 donated a gold coin to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation which assists remote communities to access books and gift culturally appropriate books to communities as well as books in first languages. This year we raised $590 which is a wonderful effort from all. If you wish to read more about the Indigenous Literacy Foundation you can visit their website.

Looking ahead we have the Hour of Reading Pyjama Party coming up for Junior School students on Monday 17 September from 5.30pm to 6.30pm. If you wish to attend this event and haven’t already registered, please email srosentreter@somerset.qld.edu.au

After the highly competitive Year 7 Table Tennis tournament, two champions emerged – Luke Shirley in the boys draw and Alice Jones in the girls. Both qualified for the final match after tense finals where both games went down to the wire, Luke beat Andrew Goldie, winning 21 to 19 and Alice beat Alex Halloran 21 to 16. The winners had the opportunity to play against the Headmaster Mr Bassingthwaighte in the Quad during Wednesday Lunch.

To kick it off, Somerset’s answer to Ray Warren, Mr Wrigley provided some well researched statistics and an in-depth analysis on the size of the ball (to confirm we did play to international regulations with a 40mm diameter ball rather than the banned 38mm). Mr Wrigley, most recognised for his exploits with the microphone during inter-house carnivals, made for an excellent score keeper and commentator. With the slight breeze dying off and the warm sun cutting through the cold of the morning, it was the perfect backdrop to the first match Luke Shirley against Mr. Bassingthwaighte. In a see-sawing affair Luke was able to finish off with the victory 21 to 15 before a fair audience who had assembled on the Quad.

The second match of the afternoon was Alice Jones against Mr Bassingthwaighte. Again a see-sawing battle with scores locked at 21 to 20 after Mr Bassingthwaighte had passed the mark of 21 points, invoking the lead by 2 rule with the final result falling the way of Mr Bassingthwaighte 23 to 21. With the final match of the day involving the Year 7 Captains against the Headmaster for a display of interesting match tactics, plenty of slices (were there any forehands played?) and a bit of fun. Mr Bassingthwaighte managed to get the better of us 11 to 9.

Overall, the inaugural Year 7/Headmaster Table Tennis Challenge in the Quad was a success. While bragging rights go to Mr Bassingthwaighte for a 2 to 1 game victory, fun was had by all.

Finally a huge thank you must go to Mr Bassingthwaighte for participating and supporting the event, Mr Wrigley for his insightful commentary, Mr Sayer for his assistance in organising the Quad and Mrs Rowe for assisting with the organisation of the day.

The students wrote their speeches during class time, and were selected to represent the College on the basis of their performance in class. They were all very courageous to deliver a speech in a foreign language and did so with confidence and grace.

Our Italian students performed well and as a result, in the Year 4 Section, Josh Amores placed third, and Kseniia Igumenova was Highly Commended.

In the Year Italian Five section Ayla Chirathivat-Geralds took first place, and Danielle Svoboda Highly was awarded Highly Commended.

In the Year Six Italian Section, Anna Thomas placed first with Luella Aitkenhead and Stevie Landau Highly Commended.

Arya Bathols was Highly Commended for her German speech and Jacob Yuan and Wei-Wei Shen were Highly Commended for their Japanese speeches.

In the Year 4 Japanese Background Speaker HIMAWARI Section, Momoko Takahata took third place, and Lemi Chen was Highly Commended.

Students performed very well and represented the College with pride.

Please congratulate them if you see them around school.

Each student in Year 4 is given the opportunity to learn a band instrument with a specialist instrumental teacher. Over the year, students attend many rehearsals and put in hours of practise in preparation for performances such as the Eisteddfod.

Playing in the concert band helps students develop skills such as listening skills, fine motor skills, social skills, team work and attitudes like creativity, perseverance, discipline, commitment and independence. At the end of Year 4, many students choose to continue studying their band instrument and join the Year 5 to 6 Junior Concert Band.

Congratulations to all Junior School students who performed individually throughout August at the Gold Coast Eisteddfod. What a fantastic opportunity to showcase their talents and confidently take the stage! Congratulations!

Verona Hilzinger – Disney Solo 10 years (Highly Commended), Contemporary Pop 10 years (Very Highly Commended), Musical Theatre 10 Years (Honours)

Daisy Webber – Disney Solo 10 years (Honours), Musical Theatre 10 years (Honours), Contemporary 10 Years (Highly Commended), Junior Championship (Honours)

Oscar Pan – Grade 5 Piano (3rd Place), Non-Classical 11 years (Very Highly Commended), Piano 11 years (Highly Commended)

Abhiraj Sarmah – Piano (Highly commended), Contemporary Vocal (1st place), Disney Vocal 9 years (Very Highly Commended), Musical Theatre Vocal (Very Highly Commended)

Nicole Yuan – 9 Years Piano (Highly Commended), Grade 4 Piano (2nd place)

Wei Wei Chen – Grade 3 Piano (3rd place)

Grace Pan – Piano

Matilda Guthrie - Voice

Ruby Jay, an enthusiastic and active member of the MYP Sustainable Spartans Group and self-confessed turtle nerd, spent time in our classroom sharing her knowledge and passion for nature. This provided the Pre-Preps with a very engaging and hands on opportunity to learn how they too can help to conserve and protect wildlife.

We are committed to learning about our natural world and are already involved in making a difference to the lives of orphaned animals with the making and decorating of pouches for rescued joeys. If you would like to help us make some more pouches and can use a pair of scissors or sew in a straight line, we want you! Please contact me for more information at: pvwilson@somerset.qld.edu.au

The MYP Sustainable Spartans group focuses on raising awareness about conservation and providing habitat for wildlife both within the school grounds and in the wider community. For information about their activities and how to get involved, please contact Mrs Coombes at: hcoombes@somerset.qld.edu.au

The commission from these sales allows us to donate $2000 to the Room to Read organisation, a $500 box of toys and books for Mudgeeraba Special School, and $1,200 worth of Scholastic books for our own Junior library collection.

We are so proud to be able to support Room to Read. They are a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the literacy of children in developing countries, with a particular emphasis on girls’ education. So far, they have helped over 12 million children worldwide learn to read and write, which in turn gives them the opportunity to break the poverty cycle. Our $2000 is enough to educate almost 30 children for a whole year, so thank you, Somerset.

Any orders placed at the Fair will be filled and delivered directly to your child’s class as soon as they arrive, probably next week.

Abhiraj Sarmah

Murwillumbah Festival of Performing Arts

Piano Section - Silver and Bronze
Vocal - Highly Commended
Gold Coast Eisteddfod 2018

Piano - Highly Commended
Contemporary Vocal - Gold
Disney Vocal - Very Highly Commended
Musical theatre vocal - Very highly Commended

Abhilasha Sarmah

Abhilasha performed a solo in the 20 Years and Under, National Category at the Eisteddfod and secured a Very Highly Commended award.

Abhilasha earned first place in the Eisteddfod seven-year-old Australian poet section. She received a special mention from the adjudicator who said there was nothing to fault in her perfect 100/100 scored performance

The initiative will provide students from across the Gold Coast with the knowledge, networks and hands-on experience to help them launch their own enterprises both now and in the future. We are very excited about bringing this exciting opportunity to the Somerset College community.

The Festival will occur 16 and 17 October this year, and will involve many of our Year 9 and 10 students operating business stalls to sell their products to the community. It will also involve our Year 6 Kidpreneur Challenge students selling their products to the community. Our key note speaker will be Steve Baxter from River City Labs and the television program Shark Tank.

Tickets to the event are free, however bookings are essential. Tickets are now available by clicking here, and entries to the following competitions have opened.

• Bond University Turbo Charged Startup Course in Entrepreneurship for students in Years 10, 11 and 12. Click here to enter.
• Somerset Alumni Middle Years Pitch Competition for students in Years 7,8 and 9. Click here to enter.

Spaces are limited in each of the above competitions, so please don’t delay your child’s registration.

Please spread the word about the Somerset Celebration of Entrepreneurship. We hope to welcome as many people as possible to the campus to share in the festivities with us.

APS Awards were presented to the MVP and Team player of each team.

Before the major awards got underway, guests enjoyed the very relaxed, down to earth personality of Romelda Aiken as she spoke of her life as a Jamaican netballer, migrating to Queensland and her life after netball, in a very candid interview with Madizen Wilkins.

Major Awards presented by Romelda Aiken

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Queensland Short Course Championships 2018

The Somerset Swim Club had 17 swimmers compete at the Queensland State Short Course Championships from August 17 to 19. The three day meet featured some great racing. Somerset had eight swimmers finish in the top 10 in their main events. These were Jaxon Brimble, Ky Codd, Bessie Dear, Cameron Donovan, Sebastine Du Preez, Cooper Lynch, Tara Newton and Harrison Smith.

Three of our swimmers also won medals in their main events. Congratulations to the following swimmers:

Ky Codd (16 years) – Silver 100m IMCameron Donovan (14 years) – Gold 200m Breaststroke (State Champion), 2nd 50m Breaststroke and 2nd 100m BreaststrokeHarrison Smith (17 years) – 2nd 50m Breaststroke and 3rd 100m Breaststroke

Well done swimmers and thank you to our coaches Chris and Ash who supported the swimmers through the weekend.

InterClub Meet Series 2018

On Saturday 25 August, Somerset took part in the third meet in a three meet series between Miami and Bond Swimming Clubs. The three way series was run for the second straight year with each Club hosting their own meet. Somerset showed exceptional spirit to have over 40 members at the last meet and over 100 across the three meets. I am very pleased to announce that this year, Somerset led from start to finish and has won the ‘somewhat unusual’ points trophy (pictured) for 2018.

Happy Swimming!

South Coast Regional Track & Field Trials

• Jayden McLean – Under 10 Boys Long Jump
• Bessie Dear – Under 11 Girls 800m
• Elijah Hill – Under 11 Boys 800m

Junior School Sports and Cultural photos

These will occur in Week 8B on Thursday 6 September. All students involved in these photos will be required to bring the appropriate uniform and equipment in order to have their photos taken. If the correct uniform is not worn, then students will not be part of the photo for their particular sport/cultural group. All students can arrive at school in their House Uniform and leave school in this (Year 3) or their APS Uniform (Year 4 to 6).

Junior School Sports photos on the day include:

• Years 3 to 6 House Groups: Full House Uniform - House Polo, Navy PE Shorts, White socks, Sneakers
• Years 4 to 6 APS Team Photos –
  • (APS Polo/Singlet, Navy PE Shorts, White socks, Sneakers)
  • APS Athletics (APS Singlet)
  • APS X Country (APS Singlet)
  • APS Swimming (APS Polo)
• Years 4 to 6 Winter Sports Photographs (Students to wear what they would during APS games, minus protective gear e,g. mouth guards, shin guards)
  • HOCKEY (APS Polo, Navy PE Shorts, Long Hockey Socks, Boots) SOCCER (APS Polo, Navy PE Shorts, Long Soccer Socks, Boots)
  • NETBALL (Somerset Netball Dress or APS Polo and Netball Skirt, White socks, Sneakers)
  • TENNIS (APS Polo, Navy PE Shorts, White socks, Sneakers)
  • VOLLEYBALL (APS Polo, Navy PE Shorts, White socks, Sneakers)
  • RUGBY (Somerset Rugby Jersey, Navy Rugby Shorts, Long Rugby Socks, Boots)
• Years 4 to 6 Summer Sports Photographs (Students to wear what they would during games)
  • BASKETBALL (APS Singlet/Polo, Navy PE Shorts, White socks, Sneakers) This photo is NOT for Somerset Spartans Club basketball, APS teams only.
  • TOUCH FOOTBALL (APS Polo, Navy PE Shorts, White socks, Sneakers)
  • AFL (Somerset AFL top, Long AFL Socks, Boots)
  • CRICKET (APS Polo, Navy PE Shorts or White Long Trousers, Sneakers)
  • SOFTBALL/T-Ball (APS Polo, Navy PE Shorts, White socks, Sneakers)

Up and Coming Events:

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

Thursday 20 September - No Junior APS Summer Sports Trials/Training due to Year 4 Camp and Year 6 Taste of Asia (Week 10)

Tuesday 9 October (3.30pm to 4.30pm) - Junior APS Summer Sports Training Yr 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.

Compulsory APS Summer Season Practices

All students are required to practice with their APS Summer Team once each week and attendance rolls are taken. If students are unable to attend, parents must make contact with the coach, in advance, so we can maintain our “duty of care”.

Term Three:

This week: practices as usual but Thursday/Friday school will be closed (no Friday sport/games)

Next week (3 to 7 September): Camp shut-down week - practices are optional if coach is present and students are willing to attend (no Friday sport/games).

Week 9 (10 to 14 September): practices as usual and Friday vs Coomera (Girls home)

Week 10 (17 to 21 September): practices as usual but no Friday sport/games

Practices and matches resume for Term Four on Monday, 8 October.

APS Sport PhotosClick here to access photos of your sport or your team.

All Season details on Schoolbox Senior School Sports page. (“Winter Sports” tile for all season dates, and training schedules of the APS Season)

Sports Information

Don’t forget to check the Somerset Schoolbox Senior School Sport Page, as well as the noticeboard at the end of the Science Block for all Sports notes.

If you need more information, drop by the Sports Office.

The Sports page link must be added to your Schoolbox.

If you need more information, drop by the Sports Office in the Ray Building.

Student Injuries: If your son or daughter is injured at school sport, it must be recorded at the time by the school nurse/medical person present if parents wish to apply through the school insurance policy. If delayed signs or symptoms arise over the weekend, students must notify the school nurse on Monday morning.

All sporting details are posted on Schoolbox on the Sports page.

go to “My Links” at the bottom left of your Schoolbox page and click ‘Edit”

at “Manage my Links”, click “+” at the top right of page

paste the link below and add title “Senior School Sport”: http://schoolbox.somerset.qld.edu.au/homepage/1466