No. 7, Term Three, 2017

Reading is something we can so easily take for granted and yet there are still nearly 800 million people that are illiterate and two thirds of these are women and girls. Room to Read is a charity that is passionate about doing something to change this, through focusing on literacy education in primary school in developing countries and on girls’ education in the secondary school years. Research shows that when people can read they are safer, healthier and more self-sufficient. We believe that this makes reading essentially a basic human right. It’s why we’re proud to support the Room to Read charity for the third year through the sales commission of our annual Bookfair.

This week has seen the Knowledge and Information Precinct transformed with books available for all ages of our students from Pre-Prep all the way through to our senior students. We had a great range of books this year aimed at 12+ readers and these were very popular. Some dazzled with their covers and others with intriguing titles.

Picture books and novels for our younger readers made a strong showing this year with a great selection. Some of our favourites authors had brand new books available from the Bookfair, including the latest in the Treehouse series. Aaron Blabey and David Walliam’s books, including The Worst Children in the World 2, were among many of the popular titles. There was a range of non-fiction titles from popular Minecraft titles to Science experiments and fascinating facts.

Pre-Prep to Year 2 students enjoyed the fun of Book Character Day on Wednesday and the wide range of characters represented was amazing to see. It was a great opportunity to be reminded of the diversity of different characters that we can find in books and the students explored the learner attributes that their character’s represented.

Whatever the age, we loved seeing the excitement that books bring and hope that the new books that have come home may inspire many to enjoy time this weekend with a great book. Role modelling and ensuring we all make room to read is one of the best ways to encourage reading – and to see the benefits that come from it.

AFL Junior Boys

Gold Coast Suns, Gary Ablett and Tom Lynch made a visit to our Junior Boys' AFL Team game.

Olivia Collins - Swimming

Olivia has just competed at the Queensland Shortcourse Championships over the weekend and is State Champion for 14 years 50m and 100m Butterfly. She now awaits selection in the Queensland Shortcourse team to travel to the AIS in Canberra for Nationals in September.

Athletics Season Practices

Athletics practices are every Monday, Wednesday and Friday before school for South Coast and Knock-out competitors or anyone who would like to continue training.

South Coast (Griffith Uni): Tuesday/Wednesday 5-6 * State Knock-out (UQ): Saturday 9 September

Sport this week

Monday 21 August: Compulsory APS Summer Sports Practice (7.00am or 3.30pm)

Wednesday 23 August: Compulsory APS Summer Sports Practice (7.00am or 3.30pm)

Friday 25 August: APS Summer Sport Round 1 vs Coomera

No Sport next week: Year 10-11 Camp

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

This video captures the picture perfect Gold Coast weather that we enjoyed on our stunning track and the wonderful smiles, great efforts and attitudes from all athletes and supporters.

It was a big day for all involved and our athletes were pushed to their limits, with many competing in five or more individual events. We had many individual successes on the day, with a number of students qualifying through to the South Coast Track and Field Regional Trials which is being held on the 5th and 6th of September at Griffith University.

In the 10 year old Female division, Rio Burns picked up 3rd overall. In the 11 year old Female division, Kartier Marjanovic came 2nd and Rhea Dawson 3rd, and in the 12 year old Male division, Kade Reynoldson was the overall Age Champion.

In the team category, Somerset came 2nd overall in the 9 year old Males, 1st place in the 10 year old Females, 2nd place in the 11 year old Females and 3rd place in the 12 year old Male division.

Somerset College came 5th place overall. The team should be extremely proud of their achievements and will no doubt build on this success in 2018.

A special thank you must go out to all coaches for the early morning sessions, in preparation for the carnival, especially Miss Oppermann, Mrs. Nugent, Mr. Cates and Mrs. Grocott along with Chris, Phil, Kirsty and Eddie.

Thank you to all of the parents who came and supported our students on the day and staff members Mel Framp, Natalie Nugent, Lauren Grocott and Brad Cates who assisted with managing and officiating events. Students appreciated the support and encouragement from our Heads of School who spent a significant amount of their day at the carnival.

Congratulations on a great meet!

Following a twilight tour of the College and gazing in awe at all of the new facilities that we now enjoy, over 40 past students spent the next few hours joyfully reconnecting with old friends and many of their teachers in the beautifully decorated Pool Function Room.

The purpose of the reunions is to catch up and reminisce with old classmates; however, all of the alumni also loved being able to see their teachers after so many years. As teachers we grow very attached to each and every cohort and school reunions are a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with past students in person (as opposed to just on Facebook).

Special thanks must go to Senor Ham, Mr Wally Brodar, Mrs Sue Roberts, Mrs Carrie Smith, Mr Graeme Trethewey and Ms Kim Capper who attended the 10 Year Reunion. It was wonderful that you could join us!

As winners of a competition, Ines and Vivi were granted the opportunity to travel to Australia and immerse themselves in our local lifestyle. As part of their adventure, they spent the week attending classes with their buddies (Emanuelle Svoboda, Kristen Crasto, Ainsley McCarthy and Louise Lee). Upon their arrival at the College, we all met in the Confucius Room in the Junior School for a welcoming morning tea. Little did we know, this morning tea would be the start of invaluable lifelong friendships.

The shared struggle of trying to settle our nerves and break free from the awkward small talk, served as a platform to forming a special bond with both Ines and Vivi. Having learnt English for 12 years in China, allowed us to connect with the girls in a way that made us feel as if we didn’t live half a world away. Instead, we were a close group of 16 year olds, where half of us couldn’t begin to comprehend the 15-hour school days in China, and the others thought it was only lunch break at 3.20pm.

We were amazed by how effortlessly the girls assimilated into the College environment. Their eagerness to learn overcame any of their initial nerves about being thrown into an unfamiliar, and surely at times uncomfortable, situation. As I sat next to Vivi in my classes, she would be sure to take a photo of every power point slide while Ines began vigorously translating any worksheets.

As if the girls hadn’t already been enough of a delight, they surprised us at our games on Friday with thank you gifts. The cards were more beautifully written than anything that I have ever been capable of. I, as I’m sure Kristen, Emanuelle and Louise are too, eternally grateful to have been given the chance to spend time with such lovely and intelligent girls; and on behalf of the College, I thank Ines and Vivi for their brief time at Somerset.

The first six days in Washington were preparation for a simulated security council and the final four days in NYC were preparation for a three-hour global summit in the actual UN building that took place on our last day. In-between this preparation, we visited the White House, Times Square, stayed at Manhattan College and had the opportunity to attend a farewell cruise on the Hudson River.

Yes, we all walked away with new knowledge about the UN and the world but it was so much more than that. It was becoming so close with likeminded strangers, living independently for 10 days on the other side of the world, fully understanding other problems in our world and how we as youth will be the ones solving them. For 10 days, I sat in the same room as a boy from Iraq whose female siblings were not worthy enough to attend the program. Growing up in a society that idolises these morals, he simply knew no better. For those same 10 days, I also sat with a boy who when returning to his home of South Korea, was obligated to fight in the war against North Korea. And for those same 10 days I sat in the same room as a 16-year-old girl from North Dakota, who runs and operates her own clothing company.

Upon attending this leadership conference, I learnt a very important lesson about leadership; one that the conference content didn’t teach. It was a lesson I learned by being in the real world with real people. Number one, being a leader does not mean you have to be a president. Simply, knowing when to step back and just do the work is so important, being silent is so very powerful. And two, being a leader does not mean wearing your achievements on your sleeve. In the real-world people don’t care about how many badges you wear but rather, the person wearing them and whether that person can make a certain situation easier and more enjoyable.

Although we did a UN simulation, the entire conference was a real-life simulation. We were referred to as scholars and were led by advisors. That term advisors displaying the importance of independence that the conference aimed to achieve. Yes, some of the 13-hour days were long and tough but they were rewarding. We spent copious 13 hour days in one room discussing countries involved in the UN as well as learning about the cultures and experiences of all us global scholars.

And so I ask, should you ever get the opportunity to challenge yourself, just say yes. It may seem confronting but doing something that challenges you is what will open your eyes to the world and help you grow as a person. This was by far the best opportunity I have ever been given and for that I am extremely grateful.

The Get Grubby TV episode featuring the brothers, will go to air, Monday 4 September at 8.20am.

For a sneak peek go here: ABC for KIDS

You can also watch the episodes on ABC IVIEW after Monday.

The teachers and classrooms of Year 2, travelled back over 100 years to create a true atmosphere for the children. We began the day by reading the 'rules for teachers and students' during the 1900s. Some rules included 'Be silent during classes', 'Do not speak unless absolutely necessary' and 'Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed'. The children rotated through three activities to experience life as a child who lived over 100 years ago.

Making Butter: through our inquiry the students have learnt that butter was one of the staple items in homes during the early 1900s. On our excursion the children were taught butter was made from the cream, which came from the milk from the family's cows. Each child was given an apron, a jar and some cream. Students had to shake the jar to turn the cream to butter. Students soon realised this was long and hard work. After the cream had turned to butter, students were given some bread to have a taste test. Some described the butter as ‘sour’ or ‘off’. We talked about how salt is added to butter to make it taste better today.

French Knitting: Students have learnt throughout the inquiry that knitting and sewing was taught to girls and boys at a young age, so they could make and mend clothing, as it was very expensive to buy in the early 1900s. Students used toilet rolls, paddle pop sticks and wool to French knit. Once students got the hang of the technique they were off and enjoying knitting as children had done in times gone by.

1900s classroom: rows of desks and chairs, slate boards and chalk. When students entered the schoolroom a fingernail and shoe inspection was completed to ensure cleanliness. Punishments for rules, such as ‘boys and girls playing together’, were discussed. Luckily no lashings from the cane were given on this day. Students had the opportunity to write in cursive on slate boards using chalk. We played old games such as marbles, hopscotch and knuckles. At the end of the lesson students were given a cup of milk just as children in the 1900s were.

Overall it was a wonderful day, enjoyed by all. When we time travelled back to this century students were given time to reflect on what life as a child would have been like over 100 years ago.

On arrival, there was no time for rest. Bags were left and they were off to their first of 11 activities. Overcoming fears of heights and stomach-dropping thrills, were all part of the flying fox, giant swing and glider possum. While precision was tested at archery and rock climbing, cold water splashes and ball games were all part of canoeing. Team work and creativity were high on the list for bush skills, team initiative, low ropes, Eureka and orienteering. Students couldn’t pick a favourite, they were all too good! The staff also loved participating in the activities, particularly the thrill seeking ones.

When the sun went down, the fun didn’t stop. Whether it was telling stories around the camp fire, watching Boss Baby under the stars at the Outdoor Cinema or cheering our Year 5s' Got Talent contestants, 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 meals definitely provided everyone with 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 quiz is organized into five rounds and is a mixture of team and individual questions. Round One was Estimation with, for example, 'Estimate the number of pecks in a burst of sound from a woodpecker?' (It was almost twice the number I thought). Round Two was Speed, with 12 mental arithmetic problems for the team to complete in two minutes. One such question was, 'What is six minus five multiplied by two?' (The answer is NOT 2; it’s -4). Round Three was Problem Solving with five problems for each team member to solve in 15 minutes, for example, 'If 1.5 chooks can lay 1.5 eggs in 1.5 days, how many chooks can lay a dozen eggs in three days? (Answer, 6). This was a great opportunity for parents and teachers to take some refreshments.

Round Four was Individual questions, for example, 'In a sale, a toy is marked down by 25%. If the toy is $6 cheaper in the sale, how much is it on sale for?' (Answer $18). The final round was General Knowledge, 'How many palindromic numbers are to be found between 100 and 200?' (Answer 10) (101, 111, 121, 131, 141, 151, 161, 171, 181, 191) 'In computing, the term ‘bit’ is an abbreviation of which two terms?' (Answer; binary digit).

The quiz was definitely harder this year with the winning team scoring just 24.5pts out of possible 43. When all the scores were tallied, the Quiz was won by All Saints Anglican School, with TLC second on 22.5 and Kings 3rd on 22. Somerset College #1 was fourth on 21.5 while Somerset College #2 were sixth, so just one point separated 2nd, 3rd and 4th. The top two teams go through to the State final in Brisbane, so Somerset just missed out on another road trip to Brisbane this year.

Congratulations go to all team members, Miku Adachi, Momoe Gondoe, Chloe Ming, Andre Vasquez, Kei Naito, Nathalie Brown, Amaani Besin, Lauren Chan & Marc Hagan.

My thanks go to Mr Brodar, Mr Grocott and Mr Turner for their support on the evening.

The Year 7s are now looking forward to next year’s quiz.

I hope you had the measure of Pythagorean Triple Day last Tuesday 15 August.

A Pythagorean triple represents an integer solution to Pythagoras’ famous theorem for right angled triangles, where a2 + b2 = c2. In this case 82 + 152 = 172. To celebrate the day, the historic Triangle Pub in Seattle (USA), which measures 8m by 15m by 17m was surrounded by Maths enthusiasts in a joint venture between the Museum of Maths in New York and the Seattle’s Pacific Science Centre.

There are only FOUR primitive triples that will convert to dates; (3, 4, 5), (5, 12, 13), (8, 15, 17) and (7, 24, 25), so the next Pythagorean Triple Day will be July 24th 2025. After that you will have a long wait... However, there are also non primitive triples like (6, 8, 10) and (9, 12, 15) which are based on the (3, 4, 5) triple and if we don’t worry about the order of the numbers (so 3/4/5 and 4/3/5 are different), can anyone tell me how many triples of any sort there are each century?

"I feel that my first experience at The Terraces was very good for me. I enjoyed being there and I’m sure that the residents enjoyed our company there too. Even though some residents did not talk to us I think that they simply just enjoyed our presence there. Overall, going to the Terraces was a fun and an exciting new experience for me." Mia Reeves, 7.5

"While at the Terraces students either had conversations with the elderly or helped them with colouring in and puzzles. I thought this was a fun and unique experience because I had never been to an Aged Care Facility before. However it was a bit awkward because I didn’t know these people and I am a shy person.

Both the elderly that were staying at the Terraces and I benefited from this activity. They benefited from this because they had conversations with us and we helped them with their puzzles, which entertained them. I benefited from this because I developed my social skills and I had fun. I have learnt how to be more social, which I can apply to the many occasions when I meet someone new that I don’t know." Lauren Chan, 7.1

"It was great. It was a lot of fun on my first day at The Terraces. We had to go up to level 3. I played 10 pin penguins (just like 10 pin bowling, but with penguins) and quoits which is the game where there is a little stick and you have to throw the rope hoops onto the stick. Then on my second day, we stayed down on level 2, and did puzzles and colouring in with them." Jackson McMonagle, 7.5

The Techs Girls are Superheroes competition requires teams to not only ideate, design and create an app, but also fully research their social issue and create a detailed business and marketing plan. The REVIBE app created by Team Bluescreen is aimed at assisting people in dealing with mental health issues, and is targeted towards youth.

This is only the second year that we have entered teams in this very tough competition and with an ever increasing number of teams entering, it is a great result. Three of the four girls in this team worked with Mrs Schneider and entered in 2016 and clearly gained valuable experience and insights.

The team comprises of:

• Valerie Fang
• Rhiannon Lloyd
• Azaria Barr-Hamilton
• Cassidy Fifield

The final for Tech Girls are Superheroes is being held next Sunday 3 September 2017 at QUT, with the Minister of Innovation in attendance. We wish the girls all the best as they display the app they have built that provides a very innovative solution to a local problem in our community.

Well done to Team Bluescreen and all other three teams that entered this year for their achievements and entries.

Painted Dog Conservation Incorporated (Australia) is a non-profit organisation, established in October 2003. The organisation's aim is to provide support for projects in Africa that actively conserve the endangered African wild dog, known as the painted hunting dog, or painted wolf.

To do this I have created a Pets of Somerset Calendar 2018. You can also help by purchasing a 2018 Calendar for $20. They are available in the Events Office and all proceeds will go to The Painted Dogs Foundation.

Earlier in the year I asked people to send me photos of their pets.

The following are the winners who were lucky enough to have their pets featured each month:

• Ali Harris - January
• Matt white - February
• Claudia Mills - March
• Emily Hanson - April
• Angus Riddle - May
• Yukimaro Ii - June
• Ella Slawinski - July
• Bree Butcher - August
• Mrs Lewis - September
• Ben Arnold - October
• Sam Reeve - November
• Karen Craigie - December

Thank you to all those who have already purchased a calendar.

Following this week’s chapel service presented by Starkey House, students were asked to reflect upon this message alongside one of the readings from the service:"So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone." (Galatians 6:10)

Driven to turn thought in to action, a core group of Starkey students then infused this theme into the College, providing a variety of opportunities to act through kindness.

Positive affirmations and compliment cards were handed out freely during lunch breaks and were left at various locations across the College. Mystery bags of goodies appeared in the Year 11 and 12 Common Rooms. Direct reminders of greatness were spotted in every lesson 1 classroom. ‘Envelopes of Opportunity’ presented themselves in various nooks and crannies waiting to be found and encouraging a call to action and generosity. Kind words that were “sweet like honey” covered the windows of the Starkey locker room. All this, in addition to the general kindness shown and shared amongst staff and students on a daily basis.

Starkey House hopes the kindness that has been seen and heard throughout the College this week, will continue to play a role in enhancing the lives of others.

Last Wednesday 16 August, we saw the debating season come to a close at the greatly anticipated Grand Final at Bond University, where we were fortunate enough to see the first ever Somerset vs Somerset Open A Grand Final.

The Year 11 team consisting of Uni Kyeong, Charlotte Roche, Olivia Hammond and Chloe Oxnard (with Jessica Jackson as reserve) went head to head with the Year 12 team that included Brendan Major, Zoe Wei, Nalin Batra and Jason Zhang. The topic for the short prep debate was that ‘We should give aid to countries with poor human rights records’. Both teams had an hour and a half to prepare and write their eight minute speeches before presenting their compelling and persuasive arguments to likely the largest audience of their debating careers. Ultimately, the Year 12 team who argued the negative side of the debate, came out victorious, with second speaker, Zoe Wei, presented the prestigious ‘Speaker of the Night’ award.

In addition, Phoenix Chapman, Lilah Thurbon, Tanya Nagrani and Kei Nato from the Junior B team also won their Grand Final debate on the affirmative side of the topic, ‘We should speak our minds’. If that wasn’t enough, Somerset was then crowned ‘Champion School’ for having the highest overall debating results for the year, with six Junior and Intermediate teams qualifying for the ‘Round of 16’ and three out of four Somerset Open A teams making it to the semi-finals.

Grand Finals night was truly one to remember, as was the 2017 debating season as a whole. Through debating, Years 7 to 12 students have not only been able to grow in confidence by thinking on their feet and writing speeches under pressure, but have also been able to improve their knowledge on a range of global issues, while bonding with their teams.

Throughout the year, our debating teams have celebrated wins together, but also learned to deal with disappointment from time to time. The commitment and dedication students have shown this season has been impressive, debating on Wednesday evenings throughout Terms One to Three, often staying at school as late as 8.30pm to receive their post-debate adjudication.

Thanks must go to all the students who participated, the debating coaches Mrs Wheeler, Mr Henderson, Ms Hyman, Ms Coombs, Mr Moore, Mr Wrigley who generously gave their time and expertise to mentor the teams throughout the year, parents who committed to late night pick ups, Gold Coast Debating adjudicators, particularly Somerset’s own student adjudicators, and the student volunteers who helped set up classrooms for the debates. The Year 12 Open A teams would also like to thank their coach, Ms Lee, who put her heart and soul into mentoring both teams throughout the season.

Finally, special thanks must go to Mrs Hossy, Somerset’s Debating Coordinator, who undertook the massive task of ensuring debates ran smoothly, expertly managing the many coaches, students and adjudicators week after week.

We hope many of you will join Debating in 2018 to continue to build on this success.