2021 Phoenix Rising Issue 2 - V1...Souls St Gabriels School community. Motivation I recently read an...

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Headmaster

Students Welcome Since the last news-letter, we have wel-comed four new students. Welcome to Kalys (Year 9), Clint (Year

8), Gypsy (Year 8) and James Brown (Year 11) and their families to the All Souls St Gabriels School community. Motivation I recently read an article in the Week-end Australian (Feb 27-28 p40) enti-tled “The Motivation Man”. It was about the work of Richard Ryan and his colleagues on self determination theory. The theory suggests that moti-vation requires three components: au-tonomy, mastery/competence and re-latedness. Why is it that some people are motivated to do something even though they don’t enjoy or like it? Ryan heads the Institute for Positive Psychology and Education at the Aus-tralian Catholic University. Our ap-proach to pastoral care at the school is also based on positive psychology and we are members of the national body PESA (Positive Education Schools As-sociation). One of the interesting points Ryan made in the article was about related-ness. Asked, “But has relatedness be-come more dominant?”, he responds: “When you’re motivated to do things for others, it satisfies all of people’s basic psychological needs. When you’re helping other people, you’re

feeling relatedness. You’re feeling effective and competent and you’re also feeling a sense of agency and autonomy. It’s one of the secrets of happiness as it turns out. Giving to others turns out to be pretty es-sential.” Service to others is important…. servire regnare. Swimming On Friday 26 February, the Inter- School Swimming Carnival was held at the town pool. Whilst the number of spectators from schools was restricted to just Year 12s due to COVID, the spectators created a positive vibe throughout the day. It was a close tussle all day between Columba and ASSG, with the relays looking to decide the winner. Continued page 2.

Contents Headmaster’s Report Heads of Department Page 2 Deputy/Academic Dean Page 2 Dean of Students Page 3 Board Shorts Page 3 Pastoral Care Team Page 4 Chaplaincy Team Page 5 School Prayers Page 5 Sport News Page 7 VET News Page 9 The Arts Page 10 Junior School Page 11 From the Dorms Page 13 Alban Dormitory Page 14 Becket Dormitory Page 14 Chad Dormitory Page 14 Ramsay Dormitory Page 15 Feetham Dormitory Page 15 Page Dormitory Page 15 Rural Activities Page 16

ISSUE NO 2/2021 10 MARCH 2021

Sarah Milton (Swimming Captain) & Mr Graham Lohmann (CTRC Councillor)

After a nervous wait, the final re-sults were announced. The aggre-gate shield for boys and girls com-bined was won by Columba Catho-lic College with All Souls St Gabri-els School coming a close second. Congratulations to all team mem-bers for an outstanding effort. I would also like to thank the staff for organising and training the team and the staff that assisted with duties on the day. Thank you also to the Pool staff and the Char-ters Towers Amateur Swimming Club. Darren Fleming

Deputy/ Academic Dean Ian Dietrich We are now in assessment ‘drafting season’ when it comes to assessment items. As I referred to in my previous newsletter piece and during addresses at Headmas-ter’s Assembly, students who have put the hard work in from the start of the school year are now able to meet deadlines for assessment drafts without too much stress. There are, however, a number of senior school students who did not heed the call and are now racing to finish drafts and final copies be-fore starting a push toward the end of term exam block. Exam Block The dates of this term’s exam block have been in the school cal-endar since the start of the year. The Exam Block Schedule has also been emailed to all students and families. The block begins in the second last week of the term to al-low time for the Inter-House Cross Country to take place on Tuesday in the last week, prior to Travel Day on Thursday 1 April. Please note that students are NOT able to sit exams early to suit indi-vidual travel arrangements. Exam security will be maintained. If you

PAGE 2 ISSUE NO 2/2021 10 MARCH 2021

have any questions regarding the schedule, please ask your son / daughter to see me first. Leave During School Days A reminder that a request for leave for missing school days should be received by the school well in advance (preferably at least a week) of the requested day/s. This allows time for me to check that there are no assess-ment items due on the requested days and for staff to be notified of the absence for their class plan-ning. As a school with a large number of students in a variety of pre-arranged activities, our teaching staff already make sure that aca-demic planning accommodates these events / opportunities. When families decide to add to the total amount of absences from classroom learning for non-essential events / opportunities this does impact upon learning outcomes. I do understand there are always individual circumstanc-es that warrant individual atten-tion. Appropriate requests for leave including school lesson time, made with enough notice, will more than likely be able to be accommodated. Secondary School Book Fair Big thanks to Mrs Jess Twine for organising and conducting our first Secondary School Book Fair for this year. Winners of various com-

petitions run in conjunction with the fair will be listed in the next newsletter. Book Club editions will be distributed as they arrive at school and we will plan for another Book Fair in the coming terms. The aim for Book Fair was not for financial success – we wanted more students to get into reading! It is great to know that there are now more students on campus with reading texts in their hands ready for that relaxing, refreshing and casual reading experience. As I end this piece, I realise that there is so much we can do to help improve academic standards across Years 7 to 12. As a team (student, staff and home), working together, we can rise, meet and go beyond the academic challenges before us. It is the simple things that make a lot of difference – reg-ular reading, mental arithmetic, casual exercise, drinking more wa-ter, regular sleeping habits.

Heads of Department

Head of Arts Mrs Kylie Kempster Head of English Mrs Suzanne Skirde Head of Humanities Mr Matthew Weston Head of Mathematics Miss Jess Marley Head of Science Mr Peter Wallis Head of HPE Miss Pia Taylor Head of Design and Technology Mr Joe Wivou Indigenous Education Officer/ Head of Hospitality Mrs Carol Shadforth

Dean of Students Wendy Fleming Prefects The Prefects have been meeting regularly with Ms Carmody, Mr Fleming and myself to identify are-as of concern and ways to further enhance our school. They have al-so organised an ongoing roster for Seniors to attend the Junior School weekly assembly as well as contin-uing the arrangement where Sen-iors from each House take it in turns weekly to spend lunchtime on Tuesdays in the Junior School where they get to interact with the younger students. Z-Club The St Gabes Z Club held their changeover dinner on Thursday 15th February in the Home Eco-nomics room. Students enjoyed a tasty Indian meal and were joined for the evening by Mr Darren Fleming (Headmaster), Mrs Jen-nifer Slaney (Zonta Charters Tow-ers President) and Mrs Judy Knuth (Zonta Charters Towers Treasur-er). Chloe Wolfenden, Z Club Pres-ident, reported on Z Club activities which included Valentines Day fundraising, where Z Club mem-bers sold red heart-shaped lolli-pops and raised $155 for Zonta projects. She also let the meeting know that 3 Z Club members would be attending the Zonta In-ternational Womens’ Day Dinner on 5th March to hear Krissy Regan (Gabes Old Girl) as guest speaker. Jennifer and Judy then presented the 2021 executive with yellow roses – the symbol of Zonta. The 2021 St Gabes Z Club execu-tive are: President Chloe Wolfen-den, Vice President Amelia Wear-ing, Treasurer Jackson Peagham and Secretary Georgie Jonsson. I would like to extend my thanks to Jennifer Slaney and Judy Knuth for their attendance, and also to Carol Shadforth and Deb Sellars for their support of this evening.


Charters Towers Regional Council Youth Council Last year, we congratulated Mia Dickson and Layla Davies on their successful selection as ASSG rep-resentatives on the CTRC Youth Council. The first meeting of the CTRC Youth Council will be held on Friday 19th March and will pri-marily be an introduction to the role. Youth Council members will be provided with an overview of Council Business from both an op-erational and Elected Members point of view. Acronyms There are many acronyms that our students, and their families, need to be aware of, particularly as they progress into their senior years of Schooling. SET Plan – Senior Education and Training Plan ATAR – Australian Tertiary Admis-sion Rank QCE – Queensland Certificate of Education QTAC – Queensland Tertiary Ad-mission Centre QCAA – Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority EFL – Education For Life Year 11 and 12 students will be spending time during EFL (Education For Life) finding out more about these letters and their relevance for future decision mak-ing.

Board Shorts Our first meeting for the year was strongly attended in person and via Zoom by all of our mem-bers. The Board recognised the passing of a number of past students and staff with reflection and acknowl-edgement comments as well as a minute silence. Raymond Lewty 1949 - 1950 – Page Russell Matthews 1949 - 1953 - Page - House Captain Ruby Polsen 2009 - 2020 - Chad Glenda Crowther 1978 - 1979 - Al-ban Donna McDougall 1978 - 1982 - Chad Doug Lloyd - Ramsay House Mas-ter/English Teacher Robbie Pascoe 1958 - 1961 - White Greg Elliot 1974 - 1978 - Green Doug Guise 1998 - 2000 - Ramsay Governance matters were dis-cussed. The ‘ASSG Compliance Review Program 2021’ and ‘Child and Youth Risk Management Strat-egy’ documents were tabled and approved. The ASSG Inc AGM is set for Wednesday 23 June. More details will be distributed. We were excited to approve com-mencement of the D&T building project. Many other building and grounds upgrades and mainte-nance projects for 2021 were dis-cussed. The Marketing Committee met re-cently. Planning and navigating within COVID for 100 Years cele-bration events is well underway. This includes the main “May Gala” weekend of events – sport events, tours of the school, and celebra-tion dinner. Great work is contin-uing on our new website and physical signage on campus.

Board Members

Diane Alford - Chairman Jane McKellar - Deputy Chaiman Tenneale Forster - Treasurer Chris Allingham Shane Meteyard David Atwell Tony Holloway Robert Peace Kylie Stretton Geoff Wearing Kate Hastie


Pastoral Care Team Wendy Fleming Dean of Students Useful Apps There are a range of Apps that may be useful in dealing with the challenges presented on a daily basis. Some suggestions include:

Smiling Mind (free) - a modern meditation developed by psychologists and educators

Calm (free) - guided meditations, breathing programs and sleep stories

Mindmax (free) - an app founded by Movember Foundation to maximise wellbeing and resilience, and create a community of fit minds.

There are many more apps available which may be downloaded for free and may be used when feeling under pressure. They are not a substitute for speaking to adults at school if issues are overwhelming, but can be used as an additional support mechanism. In addition, the following youtube clip about cultivating heartfelt positivity may also be of interest.

https://youtu.be/_gGDOJVs4GY

Professional Learning Members of the Pastoral Care Team are investigating means of supporting students in their behavioural choices and therefore in their approach to learning within the classroom. We have students at our School who have come from a myriad of different backgrounds. For students who have minimal experience in a formal classroom setting, or within a boarding environment, it is important for us to be mindful and help them to develop appropri-ate coping strategies. The added pressure of assignments and preparation for end-of-term assessments serves to heighten anxiety amongst our student body. The Pastoral Care Team are working very hard to provide sup-port across the School. Young Men and Women Nominations have been received from staff and students suggesting students who may benefit from involvement in the Young Mens’ and Young Womens’ programs. These nominations have then been forwarded to the Pastoral Care Team and the Senior Leadership Team for further perusal. In response to feedback from last year, we will have increased communication about these programs available to families, including an opportunity to ask ques-tions prior to agreeing for students to be involved in the program. The pro-grams seek to strengthen a sense of belonging between students as well as providing reflective opportunities for students to consider their own life and what is important to them. If you have any questions or concerns about mental health or wellbeing issues please contact a member of the Pasto-ral Care Team.

Pastoral Care Team

Mrs Wendy Fleming Dean of Students Mr Darren Guldbransen Head of Boarding Mrs Deb Sellars Year 7-8 Co-ordinator Mrs Jordan Bensemann Year 9-10 Co-ordinator Ms Sharna Carmody Year 11-12 Co-ordinator Mrs Carol Shadforth Indigenous Education Officer Sr Kate McCartney School Nurse Sr Terri Hensler School Nurse Ms Flo King Administration

Mr Darren Fleming Headmaster

Chaplaincy Team Darren Fleming Over the last few weeks, we have spoken to the students about the Christian calendar and how it is broken into seasons. Whilst stu-dents are often familiar with Ad-vent and Christmas, Epiphany proved to be a bit more of an in-tellectual challenge. We also looked at the change from Epipha-ny into Lent and explained the practical changes that were evi-dent in the chapel. Changes such as a different frontal, a change of colours, no flowers and the ap-pearance of wooden candle sticks. Our Ash Wednesday service was held and provided the students with the opportunity to think about sacrifice and what small change or sacrifice they might make in their own lives. Students prepared the ashes by burning last years palm crosses which had been provided by Fr Kenneth. Only a small group received the imposition of ashes, in a COVID safe manner with their own container of ashes and plac-ing a cross on their own fore-heads. There were a few interest-ing versions of a cross when you looked in the mirror later. On the 23 February, we commem-orated the life of Mathias Apostle and Martyr. We discussed the dif-ference between a disciple and apostle and explained what being a martyr meant. Our most recent service corre-sponded to the World Day of Pray-er. An explanation from the web-site follows: “The World Day of Prayer is a global ecumenical movement led by Christian women who welcome you to join in prayer and action for peace and justice. It is run under the motto “Informed Prayer and Prayerful Action,” and is celebrated annually in over 170 countries on the first Friday in March. The movement aims to bring together people of various races, cultures and traditions in a yearly common


Day of Prayer, as well as in closer fellowship, understanding and ac-tion throughout the year.” The theme for 2021 was “Build on a Strong Foundation”. Each year, a different country is the focus of the service. This year the country is Vanuatu. We talked a bit about life in Vanuatu and related the theme back to Matthew 7: 24-27 The Wise and Foolish Builders. World Day of Prayer Matthew 7:24-27 New Interna-tional Version (NIV) The Wise and Foolish Builders 24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them in-to practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. Through the worship service we hear the voices of the Vanuatu women, whom invite us to focus on the Bible story in Matthew 7:24-27. Jesus tells a story about the kingdom of heaven using the im-age of a house and the land on which the house is built. Choosing the land on which to build the house is an important decision for people in Vanuatu. The combina-tion of considering the terrain and the climate is crucial in a tropical archipelago located in the South Pacific Ocean prone to earth-quakes, cyclones, volcanic erup-tions and rising sea levels.

School Prayers In our thoughts & prayers; We give you thanks for the wet season that has brought much needed relief to some of our farmers. We hope that the rain continues to reach those where it is needed most without bring-ing destruction. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers. We pray for the Whelan family and others remembering lost loved ones during this time. We pray that they are able to re-member the good times shared rather than dwell on their loss. We give thanks for the time we all got to spend with Kaci and pray that we keep our memo-ries of her in our hearts. We also pray for people known to us and within our community who are unwell or experiencing pain and loss. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer We pray for our school commu-nity and those that look after us. May our dormies, kitchen staff, laundry ladies, cleaners and teachers know how much we appreciate everything that they do for us. We also give thanks for those who attended the Inter-School Swimming Carnival to support Team Souls and to boarder’s parents that live far away who support us from a distance. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer Lastly, let us pray for those within the church that cele-brate lent and give them strength to give up things that may be important to them in memory of Jesus this Easter season. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers.

Chaplaincy Team On April 6th, 2020, Vanuatu was hit by Cyclone Harold, which had made its way across the Pacific de-stroying many islands in its wake. Vanuatu’s susceptibility to cyclones is highlighted in the painting cho-sen to represent WDP 2021, titled “Cyclone Pam II: 13th of March, 2015”. It shows a mother bending and praying over her child. The waves crash over her but a palm tree bends protectively over them. The woman’s skirt is modelled af-ter the traditional clothing on Erro-mango. On the horizon you can see small crosses representing the lives taken by cyclone Pam in 2015. The islands are prone to natural disasters including earthquakes, cyclones and volcanic eruptions. There are seven active volcanoes scattered throughout the islands. Rising sea levels threaten to erode the land; and pollution from vehi-cle fumes, oil from boats, and plastic waste badly affect the envi-ronment. Each year Vanuatu can expect an average of 8 to 10 cyclones. Cy-clone Pam, a category 5 tropical cyclone hit the island nation in March 2015. Verse of the Day Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ — Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV)


“I wonder questions” that relate to the weekly reading. Our Services have focused on the lead up to and including Lent. We have con-sidered ways to help others with acts of service or kindness during Lent. Students have considered ways they can help in the play-ground, classroom and at home.

Junior School Chapel Junior School services have been opportunities for our 2021 leaders to develop confidence sharing the word of God and helping others understand his message. Each week a different student has lead the Service and part of their prep-aration is to work with Mrs Dickson to write the prayers and develop:

L - R: Emmerson Heuir, Isabella Maff, Archer Reardon, Taj Koch


Sport News Will Urquhart - Director of Sport Inter-School Swimming A huge effort from the All Souls St Gabriels School Swim Team wasn’t enough to secure a fourth straight Inter-School swimming championship. Our swimmers did a fantastic job representing the school at the Inter-School Swimming Carnival on 26 February. ASSG didn’t walk away empty handed, we have managed to secure the Mor-ton Cup, Rattray Shield and Open Girls Aggregate trophies. We had many great performances which led to team performing so strongly. It was great seeing the Year 12 students represent the school spirit, even lending a hand to some of the other schools’ war cries, it was great to see the sense of community. Age Champions

Girls and Boys Aggregate

12 Years Boys Age Champion Henry Jesberg 12 Years Girls Runner-Up Age

Champion Annie-May Johnson

13 Years Boys Runner-Up Age Champion

Maxwell Michaelis

13 Years Boys Age Champion Shelden West 14 Years Boys Runner-Up Age

Champion Ben Dickson

14 Years Girls Runner-Up Age Champion

Anna Milton

14 Years Girls Age Champion Hanna Saunders 15 Years Boys Runner-Up Age

Champion Samuel McCartney & Cam Trevor

15 Years Girls Runner Up Age Champion

Karen Squair

16 Years Girls Runner-Up Age Champion

Tiarra Fogarty

16 Years Girls Age Champion Ella Dietrich Open Girls Runner-Up Age

Champion Olivia Titley

Open Girls Age Champion Sarah Milton

Rattray Shield (16yrs & Open Girls’ Aggregate)

Don Doyle Memo-rial Shield

(12,13,14,15yrs Girls’ Aggregate)

Coleman Cup (Girls’ Aggregate)

A & R Duckworth Trophy

(Boys’ Aggregate)

1st ASSG CCC ASSG CCC 2nd CCC ASSG CCC ASSG 3rd BTC BTC BTC BTC 4th CTSHS CTSHS CTSHS CTSHS

Relay Trophies

Althea Norton Shield Combine Aggregate

Griffiths Memorial Trophy

Boys Relays Morton Cup Girls Relays

1st CCC 1st ASSG 2nd ASSG 2nd CCC 3rd BTC 3rd BTC 4th CTSHS 4th CTSHS

Place Points School 1st 706 CCC 2nd 678 ASSG 3rd 320 BTC 4th 120 CTSHS

L - R: Karen Squair (15 Years Runner-Up Age), Anna Milton (14 Years Runner-Up Age), Olivia Titley (Open Runner-Up Age), Sarah Milton (Open Age Champion), Han-na Saunders (14 Years Age Champion), Ella Dietrich (16 Years Age Champion)


Sport News cont’d

Inter-School Swimming Photos

Charters Towers Representatives Over the past couple of weeks we have had a number of students attend Charters Towers trials for Netball and Rugby League. Congratulations to the following students who have been selected to represent Charters Towers and the North Queensland trials in the coming weeks.

All Souls St Gabriels students Kadyn Flanagan & Demarques Gibbo both have gained selection in the North Queensland U15 Australian Football Team. After excellent display of skills, accuracy and physicality both young men impressed the selector gaining selection in the team and will travel to Mackay in May this year. Club Netball The club netball season kicks off this week with over 100 girls participating across 11 teams from Prep-Year 12. The CTNA season will officially start on the 10th March and continue through out the year until part way through Term 3. Thank you to all the individuals that have put there hands up to assist with managing and coaching teams in 2021. Club Touch Charters Towers Mens and Womens touch competitions tapped off last week with over 90 students from ages 15-18yrs participating across both men’s and women’s divisions. Matches will run through Semester 1 on a Thursday evening. Cross Country Training sessions commenced last week for both boys and girls in the lead up to the Inter-House Cross Country in week 10 (Tuesday 30th March). Page and Chad are on a mission to defend the title after a dominate display in 2020. More importantly the goal deep down is not Inter-House success rather the preparation to defend the In-ter-School title held since 2006.

Netball Rugby League Rugby League Piper Godfrey Evan Hill-Warner Bailey Cowen Shakira Stafford Corey Guldbransen Isiah Gaidan Kacey Musk Rolland Geesu David Gaidan Annika Peace Darby Butler Ferlyn Hunter Erin Blennerhassett Tristan Lathwell Jacalyn Elliott Corey Musk Charlotte Jesberg Xander Nunns


VET (Vocational Education Training) News Glenda Lyon VET Co-Ordinator Welcome back. Do you hear the words from the older generations, “What do you want to be when you leave school?” The usual reply “I haven’t got a clue.” This sometimes sounds exhausting to many students today. There are so many choices and options available and they are also overwhelmed by what’s available and how to get to their career destination. Work Experience is a great opportunity to try many different industries and areas of study. Many students have gained fulltime, part-time work or an apprenticeship in the past few years. Many have chosen a tertiary education to their choice of career. I cannot express the many benefits to do Work Experience while at school. The benefits at school is, it assists them in the choosing of their senior subjects and courses on offer. Work Experience is an easy approach for all students from Year 9 Term 4, Years 10, 11 and 12. Year 12’s need to remember that Term 4 of their graduating year is not available to them. Students need to meet with me and discuss what their interests are, find a host employer, and do some paper-work. Looking forward to seeing you all. Tafe has commenced and with good enrollments for 2021. 36 students, Year 11 and 12 across Cert II Engineering, Cert II Automotive, Cert II Health Support Services and Cert II Kitchen Operations. 2 Year 12 students who stud-ied Cert II Health Support in 2020 have commenced their Cert III in Assistance in Nursing at a discounted rate to further their studies in this field. Other courses offered from Charters Towers School of Distance Education and Fitness Institute, Townsville are be-ing undertaken by Years 11 and 12 are, Cert III Fitness, Cert III Event Management, Cert II Electro Technology, Cert III Agriculture, Cert III Business, and Cert II Tourism. Continuing a School Based Apprenticeship is Blaine Woodard, Small Motor Mechanic with Towers Power Equipment. I am available to discuss students’ questions and opportunities that may arise at school for any career pathways. You can send me an email – [email protected] or phone 47871433.


The Arts Kylie Kempster Head of The Arts AHOY THERE! Year 9/10 Drama ventured down to the Junior School recently to gather data about the Pre-Prep and Prep stu-dents for their upcoming TYP (Theatre for Young People) performance. Armed with bags of craft materials and a pirate storybook, they played a vigorous game of “stuck in the mud” with their charges before leading them on a treasure hunt to find a pirate hat each to decorate. Appropriately adorned with their new headwear, students were then taught how to do the pirate dance, before listening to a grand tale about a feisty young pirate and her family. It was then time to say goodbye, with the promise of a fabulous performance in Week 9 to pacify the little buccaneers.

Darnelle Steedman surrounded by happy little pirates!

Year 9/10 Drama take our little pirates through their

paces.

ELLA AND CLAIRE TAKE ADVENT HOUSE AND CAIRNS SHEP BY STORM Ella Dietrich and Claire Kempster created a refined and elegant atmosphere at the recent high tea event at Advent House. The St Gabriels Old Girls appreciated the girls and their teacher, Miss Croker, sharing a repertoire of tasteful classics in keeping with such a stately venue. Last Friday, Claire and Ella packed their instru-ments for Cairns SHEP (State Honours Ensemble Program). The girls benefited from instruction from the finest of Griffith University Conservatori-um tutors, before delighting a small audience with a concert showcasing their hard work. Congratu-lations to the girls, along with mentor and instru-mental teacher Miss Leslie Croker, for represent-ing our school at such a prestigious event.

Claire Kempster, Miss Leslie Croker and Ella Dietrich shine at Advent House.

Junior School Tina Akers Head of Junior School REINFORCING LEARNING AT HOME The positive spirit prevailing within the Junior School is the result of dedicated, enthusiastic staff and the supportive partnership we share with parents and guardians. We recognise each student is unique, as they think and learn at a different pace and depth of under-standing. As a community, we gen-uinely care about each student’s education and wellbeing. In class, teachers deliver differentiated teaching and learning experiences, to maintain a co-ordinated stream of learning that focuses on each student achieving their personal best. Home learning tasks are de-signed to provide extra practice of skills and processes, and reinforce the key concepts students have been taught in class. Helping your children with their home learning takes patience, en-thusiasm and organisation. Com-pleting home tasks should never be a time of conflict or cause of family upset. If your child is struggling with certain tasks, needs extra help or truly doesn’t understand what they have been asked to complete, it is vitally important that you speak with your child’s teacher. This way, the teacher can provide further in-struction, and if required, provide additional resources and suggest ways you can support your child’s learning at home.

As teachers and parents we appre-ciate that juggling family, school, sport and extra-curricular activities to make time to complete home


reading and home learning tasks can be challenging. However, with good communication, resources and support, there should be plen-ty of time for fun, friends and family too. CONTACTING CLASS TEACHERS Junior School teachers are very busy during the school day and may not have the opportunity to access their emails/messages until the end of the school day. Parents and guardians wishing to contact their child’s class teacher during the school day, are asked to phone the Junior School Admin-istration on 4788 2242, or send an email to [email protected]. This will ensure your message is delivered to the staff member in a timely manner.

THUMPER’S RULE We all know the saying “sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me”. Alt-hough this may be a good chant to encourage resiliency, we also know that in reality, words and the language we use are actually very powerful and do indeed, have the power to hurt or offend us. In our School environment, language that is offensive and/or disrespect-ful is not acceptable. We recognise in today’s society, standards have subtly shifted over time. Language deemed inappro-priate in the past for children, is often heard in television programs

and movies. Computer games, popular with many children may also cross the boundaries in terms of behaviour, language and atti-tudes on display. Unfortunately children are also confronted with more and more examples of inap-propriate language in public fo-rums which may also blur accepta-ble boundaries. As children are like sponges and soak up what they see and hear, it is very important as parents and educators that we work together to teach our chil-dren/students to adjust their lan-guage to suit the situation e.g. what may be said on a fishing trip may not be suitable to repeat in the school grounds.

We are reminded of the moral ad-age from the Disney film, Bambi a Life in the Woods. “Thumper’s Rule”: “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all” is a more powerful saying, that teaches us that if we have something to say, we need to first internally ask ourselves whether it will hurt or in-sult or injure anyone. Everyone in our School community has the right to be treated fairly and with respect. We encourage our stu-dents to treat others as they would like to be treated and therefore be mindful of their actions and words.

Junior School Tina Akers Head of Junior School JUNIOR SCHOOL SPORT NEWS While it has been a busy start to the year, it has been one of excite-ment and opportunity for many of our students. The Junior School students have had opportunities to participate in Swimming, Netball, Rugby League, AFL and Basketball sessions so far this term. The first few weeks of school brought us some visitors from Auskick (AFL). Over the past few weeks, Reiley and Penguin from Auskick, have spent some time working with our Pre-prep, Prep, Year 5 and Year 6 students. While our younger stu-dents spent some time playing games and learning some of the basic skills involved in Australian Rules Football, our older students prepared themselves for the up-coming AFL Gala Day. Penguin and Reiley were extremely impressed at the talent displayed by our students and admired how quickly they built on their skills, especially consider-ing many had never played AFL be-fore.

In addition to our AFL visitors, we were also lucky to have Lauren and Bree visit us from JCU Fire (Basketball). While the rain tried its best to keep us from making it up to the Jim Rebgetz Centre (MPC), our Year 1, 2, 4 and 5 students were lucky enough to take part in some sessions with the JCU Fire representatives. Both Lauren and Bree are part of the Fire Academy and are upcoming WNBL stars. We


were extremely grateful to have them come and work with our stu-dents and to share some of their knowledge with us all. The first few weeks of school have also seen the Year 5 and 6 stu-dents working hard to prepare for the upcoming Inter-School Sport season. This year we had a large number of students interested in participating in the School netball team. It was so pleasing to see so many new faces to the world of netball, with all students trying their best and taking on board feedback from the teachers. They sure made it difficult to select the team! Our Rugby League team have also begun training and preparing for their first game. Recently they took part in some training ses-sions with Mr Urquhart. The boys began learning how to tackle safe-ly and were able to put it into practice. They particularly enjoyed getting to tackle their teammates onto the mats during their first sessions. For some students, this was their first opportunity to learn about Rugby League, which was

exciting to watch. Thank you Mr Urquhart for giving up your time to work with our students and help-ing them to improve their skills. Good luck to both our Netball and Rugby League teams as they head into their first games in the coming weeks, and congratulations to Ichiro Takayama, Adam Skinner and Taj Koch who were all select-ed at the AFL Gala Day, to repre-sent Charters Towers at the NQ AFL trials.

From the Dorms Week 6 As we head into the later part of the term, everyone is gearing up for exam block so, I’d like to take this opportunity to ask parents to please touch base with your sons and daughters, and see how they’re tracking along. Please get in touch with your Dormitory Senior Residents if you have any concerns. Some students sporting and aca-demic workloads have become a lot more hectic and, as important as it is to stay busy as a boarder, it’s al-so vital that they find some down-time to relax and chill out. We’re over the halfway point of the term, which means that assessments, as-signments and exam study have taken priority, and it takes practise to find the balance between all these commitments. Our boarding staff will be doing their best to monitor workloads and try and make sure kids don’t crash and burn, but if you feel your child is doing it tough or starting to get run down, please don’t hesitate to call or email. Inter-School Swimming Carni-val Congratulations to our dedicated girls and boys who trained in the lead-up to the Inter-School Swim-ming Carnival. It’s always the first big sporting event on our school calendar as it falls right on the heels of the December holidays. This means our dedicated swim-mers have to do the majority of their swimming preparation during the holidays. And it certainly paid off for our girls who brought home the win with a first place in the Girls Relay; the overall Girls Aggre-gate Trophy and the Girls open/16 Aggregate Shield – congratulations girls! Congratulations also goes to all our Runner Up and Age Champi-on Swimmers as well. It’s a huge commitment so early in the term but our kids manage to pull it all together and do ASSG and themselves proud - well done.


Sport Sporting commitments are heating up with games being played be-tween schools and Houses. All Football and Netball codes have named team members and now the real work (and fun) can begin. Early morning Cross Country train-ing has also officially kicked off now that swimming is over, and the kids are keen to get into it. Most kids will participate in these sessions which are held on cam-pus, and run by some of our teach-ing staff. All our dorms have al-ready started preparing for Inter-House Cross Country with some compulsory sessions for everyone to participate in. These sessions are run by the Year 12’s and de-signed to not only familiarise our new students with the course, but also get our kids back into fitness.

Gabe’s Girls – 100th Anniversary As All Souls celebrates its 101st an-niversary, we also acknowledge the 100th anniversary of St. Gabri-el’s. To be a Gabe’s Girl is a long-standing, highly regarded tradition, and a foundation our girls can stand on throughout life. On the 13th of February, we helped cele-brate our Gabe’s Girls milestone with a High Tea at Advent House, where it all started in 1921. It was great to see generations of families take the opportunity to celebrate, sharing precious memories and stories.


Alban highlights Our Year 10, 11 & 12 seniors are enjoying their new ‘seniors lounge’, with their own space to enjoy hanging out. It’s certainly given our junior girls something to look forward to when they reach Year 10!

Our Year 12 are doing a great job supporting dormitory staff this term. We’re very grateful for their ongoing help with so many new students this year. Term one is all about settling everyone into our routines and reaffirming boarding expectations. So thank you Abbey, Jasmine, Tosha, Kayla & Nikkaya - your help is greatly appreciated.

The girls had a blast cooking up a storm on the weekend. On Satur-day Karen and Jenny, along with the help of Hayley Fox and Storm Crossland, made around 90 cup-cakes! Everyone had fun decorat-ing and eating their creations! This was followed by a High Tea on Sunday morning, with freshly squeezed orange juice, finger sandwiches, hot chocolate and other goodies as well… everything was prepared and made by our awesome dormies Karen, Jenny and Bec. It was the perfect start to a cosy, rainy day! Alban House Vanessa Herring Senior Resident Mobile: 0419 771 433 Email: [email protected]

Becket highlights Hello my Becket families. We’re fi-nally on the down-hill run for Term 1. The girls are looking forward to the start of Cross Country training – we have a 13 year title to defend, so everyone will be in-volved in early morning, weekly training sessions starting last Wednesday. We had a great weekend recently, with plenty of cooking and eating! Saturday afternoon was cupcake day. Karen and I purchased cup-cake making machines, which got a good workout! The girls then had fun icing and decorating, be-fore devouring! Karen, Bec and I also hosted a High Tea for all the girls on Sun-day morning with waffles, pan-cakes, fingers sandwiches, fruit flans and fresh orange juice. And thanks to Erin Walker, for bringing her Espresso Coffee machine to the event, making delicious hot chocolates on a drizzly Sunday morning. The girls absolutely loved it!

Chad highlights We have hit the ground running at Chad dorm with the completion of swimming both Inter-House and In-ter-School carnivals. The girls were also involved with netball, touch and tennis trials, and we would like to congratulate all the girls who were successful in making teams. Well Done! On Thursday, the 25th February we had a free dress day in memory of Kaci Whelan. Lots of girls wore pink, blue and yellow and a gold coin was donated to the cancer foundation. Our Chad girls cele-brated all our Janu-ary and February ba-bies with a birthday cake which was very delicious. Over the weekend, a few girls had joined in and completed a macramé wall hanger which we have hung in our common room. This was fol-lowed by many fun games played throughout Friday night. Saturday night, due to the rain, was a night in for watching movies on the big screen in the common room. On Sunday morning Alban, Becket and Chad enjoyed having a High Tea breakfast supplied by Karen, Jenny and myself, along with a few helpers from the dorms. It was very yummy! The girls have started training for cross country and are counting the days down for holidays. If your girls are needing extra help with assign-ments please let me know.

Becket House Jenny Cantle Senior Resident Mobile: 0407 142 493 Email: [email protected]

Chad House Bec Dixon Senior Resident Mobile: 0439 764 638 Email: [email protected]


Ramsay highlights Week six has arrived and it is this time of term that the boys need to stay focused and keep on top of their prep and assessments. Jo and I have been keeping a close eye on all the boys doing there prep in the dorm this year, and it seems to be paying off with most boys keeping on track with their schoolwork. The boys are very busy on the sporting field as well at this time of the term. We have just had the Inter-School swimming and both our footy codes have started train-ing for their prospective seasons. Our Inter-School Cross Country is just around the corner and all the boys are putting in the hard yards at morning training sessions. I know the boys aren’t very happy with the early morning starts, but hopefully all their hard work pays off when they come away with an-other win this year. Everyone has settled in now with the new boys fitting in nicely. We have also just received a new member, Malcolm Holroyd, into our Junior Wing. We have had a few birthdays since the start of term as well, so happy birthday to you all. Finally if anyone has any concerns please don’t hesitate to call me.

Ramsay House Rhett Butler Senior Resident Mobile: 0400 751 433 Email: [email protected]

Feetham highlights The Feetham boys are still buzzing with a little bit of energy after they took home the trophy from the In-ter-House Swimming Carnival. The boys all swam really well and the support in the stands was just as good, pushing our swimmers to do their best.

Now we’re getting into the middle of the term the boys are all settled in. Including our new Year 7’s who are really relaxing and loving the new ping pong table with round robin events happening regularly.

The boys are also loving the feeds Mrs Shadforth and Alan cook up in dorm, and would like to give a special thanks to Mrs and Mr Shadforth for the food.

Page highlights We are running a pool competition here in Page Dormitory again this year and as always it has been hotly contested. Reigning champi-on Kevin Mutton has withdrawn from the field and I quote directly from Kevin, “so someone else has a chance of winning“. Club sport training is starting up again and it is great to see a high level of involvement. Blayne Oliver has signed on to train with the U18 Bulls Rugby Union side and hopes to upgrade to playing this year. Well done to Blayne for stepping into the unknown. Tuesday morning is Cross Country training for Page Dormitory and everyone is getting up and having a run. Bring on the Inter-House Cross Country. The Page boys are doing their best to set themselves up for success.

Feetham House Jake Diery Senior Resident Mobile: 0419 471 433 Email: [email protected]

Page House Davin Marshall Senior Resident Mobile: 0409 071 433 Email: [email protected]


Rural Activities Report Kayla Frost Rural Activities Prefect

During the last couple of weeks Horse Club and Cattle Club members have been working hard with Lionel. Horse Club have been expanding their skills with new ground-work courses and basic manoeuvre exercises to keep the horses in top condition. Some horse club members are in-vestigating the possibility of attending the Phil Dawson Cutting Clinic hosted by the Gold City Cutters in a couple of weeks. More information will be available for those in-terested in due course. Cattle Club members have been teaching the new calves to lead and stand square ready for upcoming shows, whilst also learning new judging techniques. The eight cows on the School’s agistment block have had eight adorable calves ready to come into work next term. As a part of new activities for Horse Club and Cattle Club this year we are trialling running some weekend activities. We have just had our first weekend rally on site, having spent the previous one out at the agistment block learning some basic animal husbandry skills. All participants had a great time and were keen for another rally weekend on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th March. We have recently installed a new notice board, made by Mr Shadforth, down near the Laundry to display notices and upcoming events. We would like to offer a big thank you to Mr Shadforth for making this for us. Last week we had a special visitor to the Rural Activities area; we seem to have a resident possum who some younger students have decided could become our club mascot; we will have to see about that!

2021 Phoenix Rising Issue 2 - V1...Souls St Gabriels School community. Motivation I recently read an...

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